British Summer Essentials

We Brits are well known for our obsession with the weather and of course, I'm no exception. The reason for this is our weather is very changeable and completely unreliable. It makes it almost impossible to plan outfits in advance, I check the forecast 10 minutes before I get dressed in the morning and even then I end up wearing the wrong thing! Leather gladiators in the rain, floaty skirts that get caught in the wind (which I hate!) then black jeans on lovely warm days ... yeah, I'm pretty fed up with this time of year.

See the original set if you'd like to know where these things are from.

The 3rd & final gladiators post*

Yes, I now have both feet firmly on the Gladiators bandwagon. This is my second pair, the ones I really wanted. They bear more than a passing resemblance to the D&G gladiators, but they were a fraction of the price from Schuh. I just wish it would stop raining here so I can wear them!

*Probably.

How I'd wear: My new skirt

I could have called this post 'Hey, I just discovered Polyvore!'. And god it's addictive (and it's also the reason I didn't post yesterday). I'll still create my own collages in Photoshop for the blog but Polyvore makes it so much easier to find clothes and accessories to play with. Plus it's brilliant to see how everyone else chooses to style the items you've picked. Anyway, enough Polyvore love...

This is actually my new skirt. The other things I don't have but I'd like to have, especially the bird necklaces. Have a look at my original set on Polyvore if you're interested in where the items are from. I'll be wearing a similar outfit to a house party soon, I needed something suitable for traveling (3 hrs - yawn) then sitting around in the sun, heading out for a few drinks and then dancing all night. That's a lot to ask of any outfit, hopefully I've chosen the right one!

The socks (I'm not getting)

I loved The Sheltering Sky photo story in the May UK edition, unfortunately so did the rest of the UK. After waiting 7 weeks for these Celeste Stein socks mytights.com have just emailed to say they won't be getting more stock. It's pretty rare for me to find something in Vogue I can actually afford, and dammit, I really wanted those socks!

Gold headband

I've been looking for a gold headband for a while and I finally found the perfect one in Accessorize yesterday. I've seen them worn beautifully by many people in street style photos but Bat for Lashes is definitely my main inspiration. She has such a fearless, eclectic style (and her music is fantastic too).

It's not Luella

I didn't think it would be a Primark dress that lured me out of hiding but here I am, wearing my £12 (!) purchase. I'm definitely not going to be making a habit of shopping there, but I couldn't resist this little Luella look alike.

Gladiator Sandals

I know gladiator sandals have been around forever but this is the first year I've found myself really wanting some. My favourites have to be the high-leg ones from Topshop. I'm a little bit concerned about the possible tan lines, although in the UK that isn't so much of a worry. Mr Brown hates them and thinks they look like old people's shoes. What?

I also have to mention those brilliant red Wayfarers, I need some coloured frames!

Photos top Cochella and D&G at style.com.
Sandals left to right Oasis £30, Topshop £50, Aldo, £35.

Stina Persson for Face Boutique

This is the beautiful work of Stina Persson from Stockholm, Sweden. I first saw her illustration on the packaging for ethical skincare brand Face Boutique and it's the perfect bathroom shelf eye candy. Her portfolio is really varied and absolutely stunning. Am I gushing...?!

Topshop Sale

It seems very unfair that Topshop chose the weekend before I get paid to start their sale. If I'd had some cash I'd have bought so much in the shop yesterday (what was I doing in there with no money?!) the online selection isn't quite as good but I'd definitely be tempted by these.

Floral Skirts from eBay

These aren't quite what I was expecting as is often the case when I buy from eBay! I like the floral patterns but they are quite fitted and finish just below the knee with a little split at the back. I'm not great at sewing but I'm really tempted to make them shorter or something. What would you do?

Naughty but nice

I've been feeling pretty broke recently (everyone had a birthday last month!) so I've been avoiding the shops. But I gave in today and popped into Topshop on my lunch, naughty me! These are my guilty little purchases!

Hennie Haworth Tea Towel

I'm so glad I found this Hennie Haworth Tea Towel in Habitat the other day. It's part of a set of tea towels and other nice things. Hennie is freelance illustrator based in london and she has an amazing portfolio. Unfortunately we did actually need a new tea towel, but this one is too beautiful to use!

Pretty Packaging

I went to all the secondhand and charity shops on my lunch break today, I was hoping I might find a good umbrella or something vintagey and nice. But I had no luck whatsoever. The few little things that did catch my eye were really over priced. I did get some things in the Middle Eastern food store though, I love that place. I bought Mango Syrup and Jasmine Tea, pretty much just for the packaging. The Mango Syrup is strange, a bit like mango flavoured turkish delight that's been mixed with water, I quite like it!

Vintage Rock Tees

Worn Free reproduce fantastic vintage rock t-shirts, and it's worth a visit to their site if only to check out the photos of really young looking rock stars. Debbie Harry was wearing a beret and coloured glasses in 1977, we're doing that this year!

White Dr. Martens

I've been searching for a pair of boots like the Jonathan Kelsey ones from the Luella show but so far I've found nothing like them except some nasty white laced stripper boots on eBay. Yuk. So I've been thinking of getting some white DMs instead. They look brilliant on Agyness. I just wish I could find white ones with 14 holes and not just 8!

Charms

I wrote a post the other day about a book of American Ads from 1900-1919 and featured an ad for Charms. I'd never heard of them before and I'd never seen them in the UK but I liked the design of the ad. Then out shopping in London yesterday I saw a packet of Charms in a specialist sweet shop, CyberCandy, so naturally I had to buy them. Having sampled them, I can assure you they are yummy!

Family Wallpaper

I love this wallpaper and the idea that you can create something really personal to you by adding your own photographs or artworks. It's designed by Lisa Bengtsson and it's available from the Scandinavian Design Centre, £59.33 a roll.

Lisa Bengtsson also has a wonderful portfolio of illustration, pattern and graphic design.

Spoilt for choice

I don't want to choose between these lovely patent ombre t-bars from Topshop. I think the gradient is more obvious on the black and white so maybe I'll go for those... but the fuschia is gorgeous too... and turquoise is my favourite colour...

Kate Moross Rocks

It's really exciting to see Topshop have commissioned a signature range of printed t-shirts, vests and jumpers by young Graphic Designer Kate Moross. She's only 21 but her portfolio is seriously impressive, she's produced a huge amount of exciting and intricate work. Kate talks about her collection and her inspiring approach to design on the Topshop site.


Don't Panic Poster - View the full design here

Blue Monday

Today is statistically the most depressing day of the year, Blue Monday. So to, erm, cheer myself up, I've found some nice blue things to look at. The really depressing thing is I can't afford any of them.

1. Topshop Bleach Wash Skinny Jean
2. Hermès Silk Twill Scarf
3. Legge & Braine D'Abyss Medusa Ring
4. Sergio Rossi Round Toe Platform Pumps
5. Uniqlo Pantone blue cashmere
6. Marc Jacobs Klein patchwork tote