Spring is already in the air here in London: Longer days, milder temperatures, friendlier people.
How much more fun is it to eye up your new favourites key pieces for the new season when you feel summer is near! Here are my top picks of ballet flats for the spring wardrobe:
Above: Sweet as petit fours, Pretty Ballerinas in sugary colours such as sweet pink, lush purple, refreshing mint and honeyed lemon. Play princess and team them dainty with 50s skirts, be rocky and pair them with a leather jacket or add some colour to mix up a classic office outfit.
Femme fatale: Dainty lace Pretty Ballerina
Woven leather Pretty Ballerina a la Bottega Veneta
Letting my feet dangle in lemony Pretty Ballerina at the Zurich lake, Switzerland
The countdown to xmas has begun. If you are one of the last minute shoppers and still looking for special xmas presents, here are my favourites ideas, gathered from last week’s shopping trip in Central London!
MUST-HAVE: Velvet cat slippers from Topshop. Available in green, red and black. If you can’t afford Alexa’s Olympia kitten flats, these are the next best option for snuggly nights in.
Cashmere jumpers from Uniqlo: They are heavenly soft and come in all colours of the rainbow and shapes: Crewneck, turtleneck, cardigan. Uniqlo cashmeres are famously hailed as one of must have basics by our favourite French style icon Ines de la Fressange. And what is good enough for the muse of Chanel will do for us!
The wintery, classic fair isle pattern spiced up in bright colours to lighten up the wintery gloom. From Juicy Couture
Cute Parisian chic: Beret with bow from Topshop
Is there a more romantic way to say “I love you” than with those trendy black snake Pretty Ballerinas with red suede hearts?!
Socks must be THE most boring xmas present ever. But let’s be honest: Socks are something everyone needs and Tabio offers a huge range of cute, quirky, unusual styles with frills, buttons, glitter, you name it!
Happy shopping!
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, sent UK newspapers into a frenzy again this week when she wore a Zara lace dress with the humble price tag of just £69. Known for her love of the High Street, Kate often sported dresses from Zara or Reiss in the past, which led to the crashing of the shop’s websites from desperate shoppers wanting to secure Kate’s dress.
But whether Kate really is a fashion icon or not, is in question. Harpers Bazaar crowned Kate as THE most fashionable lady in the UK.
However, in my opinion, Kate is a pretty but average girl-next-door with a good figure to pull off dresses, that’s all. A fashion icon? No! As Vivienne Westwood put it (even though not very diplomatic): She’s common, nothing exceptional and her eye make up is too harsh.
She’s certainly not “common” for wearing High Street clothes: Princess Letizia of Spain is often seen wearing Mango dresses and skirts. But unlike Kate, Letizia always looks a millon dollars, the epitome of elegance, style and grace. Which is what a fashion icon is. Think of Diana, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn. And Kate is not up in this category.
What do you think? Do you like Kate’s one-of-us style or do you want to see her in more sophisticated, exciting clothes?
Letizia of Spain in a Mango skirt and dress
Letizia of Spain in Pretty Ballerina
Kate’s lace dress is available as a pencil skirt from Zara which I love more than the dress!
Xmas time is time to shine! Everyone who doesn’t like the dotty trend will surely love the fresh star trend seen on dresses and tops, perfect for Christmas festivities.
Anne Heathaway wears a Dolce & Gabbana top above.
My highlights of this star season:
Navy blue dress with beige star print from Esprit’s current collection
Star Ballet pumps from Pretty Ballerina
Star earrings from Thomas Sabo
Star shirt from Zara
This week we have been to the Pretty Ballerina shop in South Molton Street in London, near the Bond Street tube station, to check out the new autumn / winter 2011 collection. I was delighted to see that the dotty trend has been replicated in shoe fashion too. The black dotty ballerinas I’m wearing are made of pony fur and remind me again why I love Pretty Ballerina so much: They have the most flattering look on the foot.