Black Magic

Christopher Kane for Top Shop black lace dress ❖ Vintage black ring

A Halloween inspired post today. I finally succumbed to the Christopher Kane for Top Shop hysteria and bought this cobweb like dress. Although I am not specifically going to a Halloween party tomorrow night, I am hitting the town and thought this would be the perfect thing to wear... all that's missing is my broomstick.

Shopping Regrets

It has been a little while since I visited Montmartre in Paris and yet looking at these photographs I took in a little shop there, I regret not buying one of these gorgeous tea sets. They were a little expensive I had thought at the time and I really do not have any room in my flat for yet more tea pots and cups. Every time I go to the flea-market or vintage shops, my eye is always drawn to old fashioned crockery that my grandmother would have loved. Do you ever have shopping regrets once you have returned home?

Hearts & Flowers

Blue Inc pink heart dress ❖ Top Shop grey suede bag, pink suede shoes & grey tights ❖ MAC Limited Edition compact & lipglass

(Picture of me by Louise)

Blue Inc is a brand I have only recently heard of, with stores in the UK and a new on-line women's section. Catering for both the fashion leader and follower, the site has a great selection at very affordable prices. I chose this dress for it's feminine girly print, thinking it would accentuate my new Top Shop heels to perfection.

Thank You!

It is again a time for thanks. Three of my favourite reads have awarded me - Pink Links the Pink Rose Award, the Divine Award from The Swelle Life and The Beautiful Blogger Award from Idee_Geniale. It is so great to be recognised by fellow bloggers, thank you so much.

With the Divine Award comes a tag, list 5 guilty pleasures - so here we go:

1. The Hills (although I have since gone off this show since Lauren's departure) and The City (still love Whitney)

2. 4-6 espressos to kick start my morning

3. Chips (or french fries if you're in the US) - since childhood these have been a constant in my diet

4. Painting my nails (every other day)

5. Sleep - and lots of it!

Thank you Idee_Geniale but I have already done an 'interesting' tag, so will not bore everyone again!

Also, I would like to thank Kat of secretsofabutterfly for posting about my little gifts from Paris that I posted to her. Although we have never met, we keep in touch often, having met through the marvellous blogosphere, I do cherish the contact we have!

Red Zebra

Top Shop dress ❖ Tabio tights ❖ Chanel handbag ❖ Office 'YSL tribute' cage boots

Fashion Confidential

Fashion magazines are popping up on the Internet with alarming frequency. While I have posted before about my nostalgic despair over the threat of the published product, at the same time, I realise that the digital era we are living in is rather special.




My monthly magazine quota has reduced from around six of the major magazine players to zero, purchasing a magazine only when something very specific catches my eye. This is not through boredom with the magazines or their content but purely down to lack of time and their cost no longer being worth-while, when there are alternatives available for my fashion-fix. Spending a lot of my free time now blogging, my medium of choice is the Internet. This is where on-line magazines come into play especially if, like me, you are short on time.




Fashion Confidential is a website launched in 2006 which focuses on high-end designer fashion. In a nutshell, it does all the work in searching for looks, items and inspiration on key trends. This is a site that finds those items, puts together those looks and directs you straight through to the site where you can buy immediately on-line. Oh, the concept of this is very good.




More recently, at the beginning of September, an on-line magazine has been launched via the site. So all of the style tips, key trends, celebrity style sightings that you would find in Vogue and the like, can now be found quickly and very easily on-line. The great thing about the Internet is the vast choice that it holds but it can sometimes be a little overwhelming. There are quite literally too many websites to choose from. So to want to return to a website, for me it has to be good and it has to be special.







Fashion Confidential, is one such site I return to. It has all of the components of a site that I like. It has interesting content, the high-end products it highlights are dreamy in their own right. The clothes, accessories and style icons are not necessarily your average but indeed show something new, I look to be inspired and this site does just that. Well designed, it is laid out in a neat and unfussy way. So many sites are packed so full of content, they end up looking busy and dare I say it a little cheap. This site has a class of its own.




Even if designer fashion is out of your price range, it is still these designers that we turn to for inspiration in what is likely to be big before hitting the high street shops. Through the magazine, we can keep updated on look books, designer trends and the latest news on the season’s most current designers. So whether dreaming of designer fashion, looking for designer bargains or even that full-price special something, Fashion Confidential should be your visit of choice.

Coffee & Culture

After my yoga class yesterday morning, I decided to go for a coffee and take in some culture. I visited Baltic in Gateshead to see the Malcolm McLaren exhibition. I was eagerly awaiting this and yet left feeling a little disappointed with it, despite its' critical acclaim.

In contrast, I left feeling quite mesmerised by the Kimsooja installation. A simple concept but very effective and very powerful. (Click the pink links to get more info on each artist).

Just before leaving I popped into the Baltic shop. I only bought a few postcards for the Postcrossing project I take part in but found that they sell lomography toy cameras - anyone with an interest in photography will be aware of these. The Diana camera in particular I would love to get my hands on - I just love their effect. They sell some quirky gifts on-line too.

I then headed back over the Millenium Bridge to Malmaison Hotel for a brief cappuccino stop. I love this hotel, I often come here for a quiet coffee or glass of prosecco. As it's a hotel, it tends to stop the usual Geordie rabble from frequenting and it has a very warm, cosy and slightly gothic ambience with it's rich purples and velvet. All in all, a good way to spend a Sunday.

Toffee Apple

M&S Limited Collection green dress ❖ Top Shop caramel tights ❖ French Sole leopard ballet flats ❖ Etsy vintage hand painted brooch

I think one should take advantage of seasonal offers as much as possible. And so, I had a toffee apple on my mind as I drove home to visit my parents yesterday. Perfect for the lead up to cold bonfire nights and Halloween.