Designer Highlight - Afira

I'm probably a little late posting on this new (to me) label, Afira. But once I saw these images, I felt the need to post them anyway. Definitely a nod more to my style prior to the blog than my current style, which seems to have evolved into feminine and French-inspired.

But I was always partial to a bold, stark look. The way the clothes have been styled for me is perfection. Black Cleopatra-style hair and make-up with pale skin was what my own look was based upon for many years, albeit in a much more subdued manner.

The pieces themselves are amazingly simply but with such a strong and eye-catching amount of detail that makes them absolute head-turners. I know that if I were to don a piece for myself they would give me a true sense of confidence and empowerment.

Edit: On a side-note, I just discovered I was featured as the Blog Spotlight on Shop Pulse - see it here.

Random

Random pictures from last weekend

My weekend consisted of painting my nails, eating good (and sometimes bad) food, opening foreign packages, making plans in my Moleskine planner, visiting friends, coffee shops and crochet.

Mimco - An Unpredictable Revolution

I was very excited when approached by Autralian accessories label Mimco, to choose an item to style. Mimco is a label that I was unfamiliar with but it is soon to launch in the UK and browsing their website, it is an accessory-lover's dream. Just check out the video at the bottom to see their dreamy aesthetic.

Of course being the bag addict I am, I chose this Corset Day Bag. It really is stunning... deceptively roomy with some great details and the choice of three strap lengths, it's going to be a great addition to my handbag collection. I wanted to style the piece simply so as not to detract from the bag itself, so chose a very basic dress in a colour which hopefully shows the detail of the bag.

What I also loved about the 'An Unpredictable Revolution' promotion, was the old-style hollow book with the fabric and old key - items I have been searching for myself that I see being styled in other projects.

Mimco Corset Day Bag ~ Top Shop brick ruffle dress (the most creased dress I own) ~ Tabio 110d black tights ~ Blue Inc flower booties

Browsing in Barnard Castle ~ Part 2

The final part of my day in Barnard Castle - you can see Part 1 here. What I really love about Barnard Castle is how uncommercialised it is. Most of the shops are independently run with few of your typical high street stores. I find this a very rare feature these days when any town or city in the country very much blends into one with the same shops selling exactly the same products often with the same layout. You don't feel as though you have travelled anywhere new as they are all identical to one another. I don't know if this is just an English trait or whether other countries around the world suffer the same.

Yes, you will find that these small towns with their independent shops are more expensive than the large chains but I really hope that people see that the extra few pounds are worth spending to maintain them. It would be so sad for little towns like this to cease trading.

When I am trying to come up with new places to visit, this would be my exact criteria - antique and vintage shopping, with some culture, lovely old-fashioned eateries and with an un-bustling atmosphere. Can any fellow Brits advise me of other similar places I could visit? Or friends abroad, do you have favourite quaint places that you like to frequent?