My top womens wear pieces to take on holiday this summer

As you can probably tell I have been bitten by the holiday bug, I'm due to go to Devon see top picture next Monday in my little caravan for a week, yay! I had to include a knitted ice cream sundae being a Stylist, just in case you were wondering . To celebrate I decided to round up some of my favourite holiday finds, the criteria was great value for money, quality and style, clothes and accessories that pack easily and help you feel a little Marilyn! For shoes you must check out M&S, the value is incredible, with lots of really chic styles in the limited range at just £15.00 such as the black patent slides featured here. I also loved their nautical inspired swimsuit really flattering for pear shapes, their stunning Zandra Rhodes for M&S swimsuit in fusion colours and their diamond tribal halter neck beach cover up. Bodens stripey slip on pumps in sunshine yellow and denim blue are over £40.00 but superb quality and you will wear them to death, see also their red shirt dress, wear over wide leg trousers till your tan emerges. See also Bodens cute floral shorts, gorgeous pink stripey toweling dress, reversible floppy floral hat at just £15.00 and floral shopper, I love their prints. I couldn't leave you hippy chics out, so my next stop had to be rokit, their acidic vintage floral dress is great for olive beauties and their pastel floaty floral dress would suit paler creamy complexions, with the added bonus that if you snap it up quickly, nobody else will be wearing your dress. They could both easily transition from day to evening wear, giving great value for money and flexibility! I had to include two of my favourite straw bags from the rokit collection, the pastel flowers white straw shopper is so meltingly sweet and would work really well with the pastel dress featured. The tribal graphic straw would look stunning with the red shirt dress featured and black slides or denim pumps. The texture of the tribal straw is very forgiving and will allow you to wear with practically any bright, deep or neutral shades as long as you stick to clean lines.My two favourite nautically inspired pieces are this lovely fresh cotton rucksack which will never date and this silk ruffle off the shoulder top from Principles also in the sale.

Sharon x

The 80's continues to be a strong fashion story in 2009

Agnes embraces 80s chic and you should too, it is one of the most fun decades filled with jelly bean sandals, Rar rar skirts, net, wearing jumpers as dresses, huge earrings, big hair and much, much more.Surprisingly this trend has real substance for all it pantomime and big theatrical looks, strong sculptural lines can be very flattering for most body shapes.

Sharon x

Your very own piece of Cherry Lane

One of my favourite films is Mary Poppins,I love the scene where she reaches into her carpet bag and coolly unpacks her lamp.Woven rugs to me have always exuded mystery and magic. So today when sales frenzy has probably reached every corner of the globe (I know that globes don't have corners,but isn't it a fun expression to use?) I decided to feature what I think are probably the most breath taking bags on earth, from carpetbags.

Loretta's Story (the company founder) has very humble beginnings, in 1974, she moved from London to Bury St Edmund's in Suffolk.With the aim of helping set up charitable organisation Green Desserts,which was interested in raising funds to help with the refertilisation of dessert wasteland.During this time, she enjoyed visiting dead stock auctions where she would bid for a variety of bric a brac, she would purchase anything that caught her eye particularly old mirrors and remnants of old Persian carpet.

It was during this time that members of the charity asked if she had any ideas for items that could be sold at the May Horse Fair to raise money for the charities work.Keen to contribute, she was inspired to make some bags using the the remnants of the carpet she had collected and a old treadle sewing machine her friend had given her.Following a disappointed day at the fair, Loretta undeterred decided to take her bags to London to sell to Harrods and Liberty,they sold immediately. A week later repeat orders came flooding in from both stores,the rest is history.

Today they use copies of images of Persian rugs printed onto heavy duty cotton as it has been increasingly difficult to source old pieces of carpet,the bags themselves are still hand crafted individually and sold online, in London and in Loretta's shop in Cambridge shire. Visit carpetbags to see more of the companies beautiful designs. These bags really do live up to the concept of a bag for life, as once bitten forever smitten!
Sharon x

Bags of Tribal Style!

Hi again, this week I'm flying the flag for Fair Trade accessories and in particular Fairtade in Nepal, I am lucky enough to have family out there, so thought I would do my bit to raise awareness of some of the really chic pieces you can now pick up when on line.

I hope like these two great looks I have put together, the first shows how you can transform a romantic Tribal look, to a stronger sexier look and the second look shows how Tribal can be really elegant, without a hint of Boho or Grunge in sight.

This earthy gold and ochre Nepalese Fairtade woven hemp bag in a classical style would great when worn with either the Om Marni silver Nepalese Fair trade bracelet or this lovely Heart Twill red seed handmade bracelet by Suzanne Cambell at Jungle Berry that doesn't use any toxic dyes as it relies on the seeds natural colour for impact. For an even stronger look,wear the Om Marni bracel and is stunning Nepalese Fair trade red glass bead necklace, wear with brown gladiator sandals.

Look number two, shows how to build a elegant Tribal feel, that looks really sophisticated, little sister beware, this look could be worn day or night. This Lipsy dress offer a vibrant Tribal pattern with a flattering forties cut, sheer genius.Wear with Sunset Orange raw silk bag from Fair trade company Nepalese Creations, these beautifully fluid solid silver earrings from Welsh Company La Jewelry, which use locally sourced silver and this silver and garnet holes bracelet again Fairtade from Nepal. All combine to make temperatures soar!

See you soon

Sharon x

Hot Vintage Prints For Little Girls

I was delighted when I found these striking dresses by Kinchimama a fashion designer from the Netherlands who is passionate about reworking vintage fabrics. I love the fact the fashion designers range is so pure in Style and she has not tried to incorporate adult design elements.

Sharon x

Mad Hatters tea party invite, anyone want to be Alice?

With summer fetes springing up all around me, it feels like summers really here, which got me dreaming about beautiful garden parties and of course the Mad Hatters Tea party. I couldn't resist sharing some of my favourite hat snaps with you from bottom to top, the colours combinations of this hat quite simply evoke a peacocks feather, then there is a John French, net hat, Madame Paulette, followed by this lovely Art Deco hat broach, next up is this gorgeous crazy spiky orange hat, my favourite worn by karen Henrikson and lastly the divine Audrey Hepburn in pink hat. Enjoy!

Sharon x