Officially Summer!

Here comes the sunshine! Slipped on a body-skimming (!) silky Amanda Wakeley dress, Fendi leopard-print cardigan, woven wedges, vintage bag, topped off with vintage amber jewellery and Prada tortoiseshell sunnies.

http://www.amandawakeley.com/
http://www.fendi.com/ii/en
http://www.prada.com/en/live-parade/post?cc=GB

Royal Academy of Arts

  
On a ledge for a moment... in the Sackler Wing at the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly.
Cream linen dress by Danish company, Noa Noa, apple-green beaded slingbacks by Stuart Weitzman for Russell & Bromley and a vintage customised pearl necklace with summery turquoise and green stones. The little gold bag (LGB) gets another outing this week.
Now in its 245th year, the Summer Exhibition in the Main Galleries continues until August 18. See link for more details about your visit.

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/
http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/summer/
http://www.noanoa.com/en
http://www.russellandbromley.co.uk/
http://www.stuartweitzman.com/

Red, white and blue

Post-Wimbledon... feeling a little patriotic - in a vintage red, white and blue shirt. The white trousers are by Tommy Hilfiger and the red espadrilles are the best-value bargain in London - £2 in a Primark sale!

http://www.wimbledon.com/index.html
http://uk.tommy.com/
http://www.primark.co.uk/

Khaki is King

In the dictionary of colour, khaki is king... for me! A neat little khaki dress, from US retail label: Ann Taylor Loft. The origins of the brand go back to 1954 when founder, Richard Liebeskind, opened his first store in New Haven, Connecticut.  'Ann Taylor' was the name of a best-selling dress at the founder's father's store. Both the best-selling dress and the name were given by the father to his son, Richard. Today Ann Taylor is a chain of clothing stores for women, based in New York City. Loft, originally Ann Taylor Loft, was established in 1996 as an extension of the original Ann Taylor brand, which offers more relaxed fashions for work and home. Tonight, for a light dinner in Dulwich Village, I've accessoried it with chunky beads, a leather cuff, high-street heels and a small gold leather bag from The Dulwich Trader, which now has an online store: Rigby&Mac.

http://www.anntaylor.com/

http://www.loft.com/ 

http://www.rigbyandmac.com/locations/the_dulwich_trader

http://www.rigbyandmac.com/

Wimbledon

Wonderful weather, lovely lunch... and tip-top tennis! A fine combination. My personal combination was a Gucci monogram jacket and aviators, 7 For All Mankind jeans, a plain black Joseph shirt, strappy shoes and a flash of yellow with the watch and Osprey bag - to match the score boards!
The day started with pink champagne and lunch at The Wingfield, followed by a walk-about of the All England Lawn Tennis Ground, dipping into a handful of games.

http://www.wimbledon.com/index.html 
http://reservations.fmccatering.co.uk/reservations/userDetails.asp
http://www.gucci.com/uk/home
http://uk.7forallmankind.com/ 
http://www.joseph.co.uk/en/ecomuk/page/home 
https://www.ospreylondon.com/

Red and green should always be seen!

Pineapples as you've never seen before... red! A favourite vintage skirt from the '50s - with a winning motif and a cream lace top, also from the same era. I possess at least half a dozen of these simple pieces - variations lie in the lace, cut and buttons. More red with the heart cuff and evergreen Melissa plastic T-bars. The apple-green woven bag came out last week for an outing to Dulwich Picture Gallery but is equally comfortable on the street. Last, but not least, is my Juju hat-inspired ribbon ring from Jessica Walker Jewellery in Dulwich Village. 
Her Summer Sale has started with 10% of all semi-precious jewellery, and many items are reduced by up 50%. See her website for more details.

http://www.melissa.com.br/en/
http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/default.aspx
http://jessicawalkerjewellery.co.uk/

Stripes: On and Off

A summer favourite: stripey linen blazer, bought from a vintage trader who has now set up her own shop, Mabel, in Melbourne Grove, London SE22. The dress, also sourced there, is complemented by shell jewellery, a basket and gold leather sandals, which have been nearly worn to death!  They are Italian, by Mare, but were purchased in Vienna.

http://www.mareshoes.it/

The Montage

Exquisitely put together... at The Montage, a newly-opened vintage, retro & coffee shop/art gallery and a fresh landmark for Forest Hill. Art installation in the window (to be admired, but never to be worn) by Natalia Zagorska-Thomas, visual artist and textile conservator.

The Montage - and all within - can be found at 33 Dartmouth Road, London, SE23 3HN

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Montage/191950150947325 
http://www.zagorska-thomas.com/

Bill's, Chichester

Dipped into Bill's in Chichester. Nice to see his empire of 22 locations is gathering apace, with two more London hotspots earmarked shortly: Hoxton Square and Kensington High Street. Fully acquainted with the original greengrocer's/cafe/shop in Cliffe High Street, Lewes.

http://www.bills-website.co.uk/

Pallant-bound

En route to Chichester's Pallant House Gallery, and walking the cathedral city's streets in a jumper and lace trousers, both by Ralph Lauren. The pink beads, from a vintage shop in the Channel Islands, apparently used to belong to a showgirl who danced the boards in Paris. The Hermès scarf was brought out of my collection after being inspired by the recent Hermès exhibition and workshop at the Saatchi Gallery on the King's Road. Finally the shoes, by Jonathan Kelsey, and my most recent purchase, were bought from Claire's vintage collection at 161 Kirkdale, Sydenham, in south London.
Couldn't resist a passing picture of Stik's men, a familiar feature in Dulwich.

http://www.pallant.org.uk/
http://www.ralphlauren.co.uk/home/index.jsp
http://uk.hermes.com/
http://www.saatchigallery.com/
http://www.jonathankelsey.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kirkdalevillage
http://statigr.am/tag/stiklondon

A Crisis of Brilliance

Yesterday evening was the Friends' preview of Dulwich Picture Gallery's latest exhibition: A Crisis of Brilliance, which runs until 22nd September, and includes Nash, Nevinson, Spencer, Gertler, Carrington and Bomberg, who became some of the most well-known and distinctive British artists of the twentieth century.
A no-label, hand-made, vintage linen dress with unusual orbs of red and green raffia (purchased from Annie's in Islington) was spiced up by emphasising the red and green, in the coral necklace from local designer, Jessica Walker, a vintage apple-green raffia bag and high-street heels.

http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/exhibitions/now_on_show/a_crisis_of_brilliance.aspx
http://www.anniesvintageclothing.co.uk/
http://jessicawalkerjewellery.co.uk/

Cockpit Arts Open Studios weekend

Over the weekend for the Cockpit Arts Open Studios summer showcase, I jumped into my Darla Jane Gilroy linen jumpsuit from the King's Road in the '80s, slung on a Paul Smith jacket, grabbed my Angel Jackson bag, and slipped into my Stephane Kélian shoes. Cool, comfortable... and a little retro.

For the record, Darla Jane Gilroy was one of the four 'Blitz kids' featured in David Mallet's music video for David Bowie's 1980 number 1 hit, Ashes to Ashes. Darla is currently a tutor at the Royal College of Art, and has maintained her professional practice through her design and trends consultancy, The Future Perfect. 

http://www.cockpitarts.com/
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/darla-jane-gilroy/18/222/7b8
http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/uk-en/shop/
http://www.angeljackson.com/ 
http://www.stephane-kelian.com/en/

Red dashes

Warm enough for a white dress. Cold enough for it to be knitted - finely. Giving it a vibrant red lift... towelling beach bag, wide belt, coral Jessica Walker necklace, heart cuff and Melissa plastic T-bars... and lipstick!

http://jessicawalkerjewellery.co.uk/

For Melissa: http://www.nonnon.co.uk/ 

Still in jeans

Still in jeans... this time, old Pepe ones. Kept simple with a white Zara shirt, brown velvet Diane von Fürstenberg jacket and brown suede Castañer wedges. Hair, bag and belt are also very brown!

http://www.pepejeans.com/en_gb/home.html
http://www.zara.com/uk/
http://uk.dvf.com/
http://www.castaner.com/sgishop/

Summer Exhibition

Out and about in Mayfair... after the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy.
Here in Guru jeans, John Smedley knitwear, Carvela wedges and an assortment of Egyptian wrist beads from Aswan - a souvenir from my trip down the Nile.

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/
http://www.johnsmedley.com/
http://www.kurtgeiger.com/brands/carvela-kurt-geiger.html

Old to New





Faites attention!  Last night, workmen were putting the finishing touches to the front of Chanel's new flagship store in Bond Street. For the French fashion house, it represents a short move - from 26 Old Bond Street to 158-159 New Bond Street. The new store will be opening on Wednesday, according to the 'boutique filles' who were watching by. The press event is tonight!

http://www.chanel.com/en_GB/

The Serpentine

Leaning against the Serpentine in Hyde Park - the gallery, that is, not the lake. Most notable are the Ash python T-bars. Sssssssssss...

http://www.serpentinegallery.org/
http://www.ashfootwear.co.uk/

The Feversham Arms

Roman Holiday vs. Yorkshire holiday? In homage to the great 1953 romantic movie of the same name, made by William Wyler, starring the incomparable Audrey Hepburn and the estimable Gregory Peck, I'm wearing my own charming '50s tea-dress. On this poolside occasion, I've added a dash of red. 

The aforesaid pool comes courtesy of the award-winning Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbena Spa in Helmsley. Sunshine comes courtesy of North Yorkshire!

http://www.fevershamarmshotel.com/

Metallic mac

 Waiting for rain at the castle door? Going for silver (not gold) - and a little bronze thrown in!

But blue skies still prevail against this fine 13th century castle. Thank you, Pickering.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/pickering-castle/

Life's a pod

Life's a... pod. Keeping it light with a linen dress, wrapped on the diagonal, by Anne Storey. Adding a swirl are Prada's tortoiseshell 'Baroque' sunnies and the metallic Topshop wedges are doing a good job - reflecting the sunshine!

http://www.prada.com/en/real-fantasies-ss13/index?cc=GB
http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=33057&geoip=home#slide1