BRITISH DESIGNERS COLLECTIVE AT BICESTER VILLAGE

During the week I was invited to Bicester (pronounced Bister) Outlet Village for the launch of the British Designers Collective store. The pop-up boutique concept store offers British emerging talent the opportunity to showcase their collections in a unique setting. The exclusive collaboration between Bicester Village, one of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages by Value Retail, and the British Fashion Council is now in it’s third year. British style icon Alexa Chung and spokesperson for the British Designers Collective was there to open the store, her speech focused on her love for British fashion and how much she couldn’t wait to start shopping in store.

Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase ‘must have’ pieces from their previous seasons’ collections at the usual Bicester Village reductions of up to 60% on the rrp. Designers include Peter Pilotto, Jonathan Saunders, Nicholas Kirkwood, Preen, Lulu & Co, Bella Freud, Erickson Beamon, Holly Fulton, Emma Cook, Markus Lupfer, and Marios Schwab – to name a few. My personal faves were the Mawi jewellery, Nicholas Kirkwood heels, Lulu & Co shirts, Jonathan Saunders sweaters, and the Holly Fulton prints.

The BDC pop-up boutique will run until 9th May, the menswear selection will launch on 16th May and run til the end of June. Designers include YMC, Oliver Spencer, Margaret Howell, James Long, Sunspel, Tim Little, and Richard James amongst others.

Coveted British shoe designer Charlotte Olympia has also opened a pop-up boutique to coincide with the BDC pop-up, the store opened on 17th March and will run until 31st May. I need some of those spider web soles in my life!

SHOPPING EVENT: WHAT, THIS OLD THING?

I have had 4 Ikea bags full of clothes and a stack of shoes to put on eBay for the best part of a year now, luckily I have a lot of storage space so I don’t have to see it everyday. I came this close (puts thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart) to slinging it all, that was until I received an email about The Clothing Station; a new indoor market to be set in South London for buyers and sellers of pre-loved fashion – YEEEESSS!!! I can clear out my spare room, pack up the car (at a decent time I hasten to add), and drive a few miles “down the road” to sell all of my pre-loved belongings!

The Clothing Station was recently established to fill a gap in the market, the inaugural market day, aptly dubbed ‘What, this old thing?’ is taking place at Wessex House in Clapham Junction next Saturday 31 March from 1-6pm.

When asked to comment on the choice of location, Jess Daniell from The Clothing Station adds:

“While there is a strong clothing market presence in east and north London, south London is lacking in this department. We want to introduce a concept where local people can find high-quality and affordable fashion from like-minded sellers. Whether you come along as a buyer or seller (or both!) it will be a fun afternoon and you’ll hopefully leave with a few new treasures for your wardrobe.”

Almost everyone has items of clothing hanging in their wardrobe that they’ve grown bored of but don’t want to simply give away for free! Sellers can pre-register for a stall at the event online at www.theclothingstation.com. The Clothing Station will provide table and marketing collateral and, at only £15 per stall, it’s hard to think of a reason not to start making room for new summer ensembles. Entry for shoppers is FREE!

MUST HAVE: SFK CAMERA STRAPS

SFK camera straps are a must for any budding photographer/fashionista/style blogger; these beauties were founded just last year by former Teen Vogue Accessories Editor, Sarah Frances Kuhn in Brooklyn, NY. The Chanel-esque chain link straps are super chic, a much better look than my wide run of the mill Canon strap.  All straps are hand made in the studio and come in a wide array of colours, of which I want at least 5 starting with “Fools Gold” in black.

SFK have already had some great collaborations with Fallon, Niko, and Cheek-ie with straps inspired by major fashion bloggers like Susie Bubble, Face Hunter and Hanneli. The pre-fall line was inspired some of Sarah’s musical muses of the moment.

Go to SFK for more info, images, and stockists.

HOW TO STYLE UP YOUR DESIGNER DRESSES

Spring is rolling around again which means more than preparing for Easter and holding out on that no-chocolate/no nail-biting/no-smoking/no-nos rule for the last few weeks of Lent.

When it comes to getting dressed, that means capturing some of casual lightness of the April breezes (and showers) but not totally giving in to the wishful dreams of a blazing hot summers. It’s about practicality and style. Designer flair with down-home accessories and easy attitude.

When it comes to taking a survey of the ladies dresses out and about this spring 2012, we’ve been asking for help from the team at next.co.uk, whose online store houses the brand’s own collections alongside designers and labels from across the world – as well as some closer to home.

We’ve taken a shining to A Postcard From Brighton, whose mixture of casual knits with well-cut skirts and contemporary day dresses are a great example of springtime day chic, combining urban sensibility with rural textures and natural fabrics.

Easy to style up these simple pieces with louche straw hats – or wide-brimmed floppy brown or beige hats – and some soft leather court shoes. Or espadrilles if the weather is good….

With the floral and pastel trends, especially this season’s tropical florals and brights, think nude shoes in patent leather – and long hair. Something loose and easy needs to counterbalance the punchiness of the print. It’s about less is more is more!

And believe it or not, even the big catwalk designers have been an example in restraint and casual chic, from Chanel to Chloe, all full of soft slowing patterns paired with simple daps, even sneakers, rather than spiky heels.

The name of the game this year, it seems, is to pull of a crisp white jacket and dress – or a flowing-yet-child-of-nature-esque maxi dress – with little more than a great pair of flat sandals and a subtle yet strong gold bangle. I think we’re up to the channel in that department.

Border Print Halter Neck Maxi Dress from Next, £65

MISS SELFRIDGE DENIM BAR

Miss Selfridge put the word out about their Denim Bar, I saw the word customise and I knew come hell or high water I had to be there. Give me the chance to customise something and we will be friends for life! The lovely Miss Selfridge girlies had set out a wide array of denim for us to choose from – shorts, jackets, jeans, skirts; along with a truck load of studs and trimmings sourced from India! The girls from Sew Over It were on hand to help with the cutting and sewing on of trimmings. I initially picked up a jacket to stud but after assessing the studs I went for a pair of 80s “black” (grey) shorts; what I really wanted was the leopard print jeans but they would look like Capri pants on my legs (boo-hiss).

I opted for the gold star studs and went crazy! I like to call the newly customised shorts “Gold Star for Effort”! As well as the Denim Bar, we also got to see the Summer collection that’s full of digital prints, pretty florals, neons and metallics; the collection is due to drop into stores in the next couple of months.