Online shopping: Kate Moss for Topshop

Clockwise from top left:
Broderie Anglaise dress, £60.
Embroidered Tunic Dress, £60.
Daisy print tea dress, £60.
Kate’s 50s-style dress, £45.

Wait. What? Kate Moss for Topshop garments that I’d actually consider wearing?

I’m quite mad for a good summer frock, and these little lovelies are perfectly wearable. Not sure that I’ll actually follow through to the check-out, though (but I do quite like the white tunic dress).

The first (and last) time I considered La Moss involved some rather hot, sweaty and downright undignifying moments in the dressing room. (Hey! Not as dirty as it sounds! You know that manic hopping-on-the-spot-fight-dance you do when you’re stuck in a top that was clearly designed for a child, not a grown woman? That was me. I choreographed a new version. I like to think of it as a breakaway-pop pastiche.) Sigh.

Of course, there's also the problem of it being so bleeding obvious.

So, what say you? Can you be bothered?

Online shopping: Easter round-up

Is it just me or does Easter seem unseasonably early this year? (Either that or London's dismal and most un-Spring-like weather is getting the better of me.) Check out these super-cheery ideas for Sunday:

Clockwise from top left:
Easter crackers (well, why not?), £8 for a set of six, from John Lewis.
German wooden racing rabbits, £15 for a set of three, from Thorsten Van Elten.
Spring boxes template (download as a PDF), US$3.99, from A Little Hut.
Easter chicken doorstop and Green & Blacks Fairtrade Easter egg (until stock runs out), £12.49, from Love Eco.


Clockwise from top left:
Gorgeous fabric Easter egg decorations, £3.50 each, from Not on the High Street.
Biscuiteers Fluffy Bunnies Tin, £37.50, from Not on the High Street.
Hand-made fresh Easter door wreath, with English foliage, herbs, moss, pussy willow, cotton tails, nests, and ribbons, £48, from Not on the High Street.
Papilio Easter Egg Paper Lanterns, £4.50, from Not on the High Street.

Street style: Ruby on Broadway Market

A wee birdy told me that Ruby, 23, is wearing a dress from Ebay, pendant from Portobello Road market, purple tights from Accessorize, and vintage gold shoes.

Top Bird loves: H&M's tribute to Marimekko

Oh joy! H&M has just revealed its killer 70-piece tribute collection to Marimekko, due to arrive in stores on April 10. Initial verdict? Marimekko fans will be deliriously happy with the signature big, bold splashes of colour and wild prints, not to mention the extremely affordable prices (e.g. 3-button apron dress £30.65; tunic top £11.45; sun hat £11.45; scarf £15.30; and one-piece swimsuit £23).


At the same time, it's an ultra-wearable collection in mostly cottons and jerseys with an appealing throw-on-and-go element. (I love that part about summer fashion.) The punchy palette features dynamic combinations like red and pink; olive and orange; red and turquoise; and red, white and black.

Here's what I may consider doing something dire for on April 10:







Take a look at the tees from the men's collection:




And the super-cute kids' line-up comes with a co-ordinating teddy:





So, what do you think?

London shopping: MarMarCo

As regular Wee Birdies may already know, I’m rather fond of shopping on Cheshire Street. It’s rarely crowded, not far from where I live, and it offers the best line-up of independent boutiques in London. MarMarCo is one of its wee gems. This small shop at number 16 specialises in contemporary homewares and gifts, mainly of European and British design.



There’s also a whole lot of Scandi-love going on here, thanks to Danish co-owner Marianne Lumholdt. Pick up Danish goodies such as undyed felt slippers (£47.50), Kähler striped ceramic vases (£19.50-£49.50) and Randers water-resistant leather gloves (£37.50). I dig the delicate hand-made porcelain jewellery by Louise Kragh and the collection of baby clothes by Danish label Holly’s Baby (socks for £4 and onesies for £20).



The shop is particularly good at offering a wide range of items that tick all the right boxes in terms of beautiful design at good price points. And I’m never disappointed when I'm on a mission for finding The Perfect Gift. Right now I’ve got my eye on the modish spherical birdfeeder (£34.95), multi-pin candlesticks (which give the illusion of candles floating on air, Hogwarts-style, £27), and the surreal gold and silver plant-like spoons (from £13).




It also stocks an excellent range of Vynil Domestic’s decorative wall stickers (from £25) and laser-cut mirrors (from £45). Other highlights include the Bolivian Fairtrade Cashlama throws, scarves and shawls (from £75), Höganäs Keramik’s range of dinnerware (for the prettiest coloured glazes) and Cecilie Manz pendant lamps (£98). Oh, and did I mention that Sarah Jessica Parker is also a fan?



Mar Mar Co
16 Cheshire Street
London E2 6EH
Tel. 020 7729 1494

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Friday and Saturday 1pm - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm
(Other times by appointment)

Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
For more shops in East London, click here.

Top Bird loves: Blythe fashion on Etsy

Dress, US$15, from Le Petit Boutique's Etsy shop.

My current obsession on Etsy? Ridiculously cute hand-made clothes for Blythe.

Haven’t heard of Blythe? She’s the ‘70s fashion doll with big eyes that changed colour when you pulled a string in her back. Nifty! I was the proud owner of Blythe when I was five and thought she was the bee’s knees. Unfortunately, not many other kids shared this view. Apparently they were freaked by her other-worldly appearance, and she was subsequently pulled from production after just 12 months.

Clothes from Le Petit Boutique's Etsy shop.

Fast forward to 1993 when New York photographer Gina Garan rediscovered Blythe, dressed her up in cool clothes, and shot her in locations all over the world. The resulting highly-stylised and colour-saturated images were compiled for a book, This is Blythe, which was released in 2000. Since then, Blythe has gained a cult following, and vintage Blythes sell for over $1000 on Ebay (and I’m still kicking myself for letting my doll go to charity shop heaven).

A year later, the first of the neo-Blythes were produced and the anniversary of the launch was celebrated with an exhibition in New York, featuring photos by Gina Garan and dolls styled by artists and designers including Issey Miyake, Chisato Tsumori and Hysteric Glamour.

As the Blythe fanclub continues to grow, Etsy has spawned a number of crafters making mini clothes for the doll with the multi-coloured peepers. My favourite Etsy shop is Le Petit Boutique, which specialises in using vintage fabric and kawaii Japanese prints for custom-made Blythe creations. Prices start at US$10 for a dress. I dig the super-sweet details like grosgrain ribbon, decorative trims and buttons:







Other good Etsy sellers worth checking out include Millie Made, Dollypops, Fern's Closet and Godesia.

For more information on Blythe, check out This is Blythe.

Top Bird loves: Spring Topshop stuff

I haven't bought anything from Topshop for ages. Lots of looking, not much buying. But that's all changed with the new designer ranges by the likes of Marios Schwab, Christopher Kane and Jonathan Sauders. Sadly, my favourite Marios Schwab dress has sold out (no surprises there), but you can see the very fabulous Susie Bubble wearing it here. However, I quite like this ultra-sweet Richard Nicholls striped cotton dress with a summery ruffled bib:

Richard Nicholls dress, £70, from Topshop.

Finsk's covetable collection of shoes for Topshop are also on my wishlist. Not exactly bargainous, though:

I'm particularly excited by the kitten heels and sandals which wouldn't pose too much of a threat to my poor old arthritic toe. I can remember a time when I would have run ten miles from anything kitten-heel-esque. God forbid the chunky ankle (chunkle) effect. It's amazing how chronic pain has made kitten heels my friend, and chunkle the least of my problems.

Elsewhere on Topshop online, I quite like this pretty suede clutch with an oversized bow:

Large zip-top bow clutch, £30, from Topshop.

And check out this super-lovely brooch I found:

Lady Walker brooch, £7, from Topshop.

Cute, huh? Nice price, too, and it's just the thing to perk up my totally-over-it winter coats. Hmmm, I just might have to pay Topshop a visit tomorrow ...

Totally hoot now

I know. It’s another tote. But seriously, how could I possibly not post about this little beauty?
It’s designed by Eley Kishimoto (and that’s the sound of me dropping everything and jumping to attention).
It has a damn fine-looking owl on it.
It replaces plastic bags and gets a big green tick of approval.
It’s made from organic cotton.
It’s for a charitable cause, Cancer Research UK.
It’s freakin’ £2.99.
And why look, it doesn’t have “I'm not a plastic bag” scrawled across it.

The Fukuro bag is available to buy at your nearest Cancer Research UK or Wishes shop from 7 March 2008.

The sweetest wee birdies

I've been meaning to post about Ann Wood's glorious handmade birds for a while now. Ann's birds are so highly sought after that her stock sells out within minutes.


Not surprising, really, given the exquisite detail of these handcrafted birds, which are usually one-of-a-kind. Ann, a Brooklyn-based artist, uses vintage fabrics for her birds and pieces from Victorian and Edwardian wedding gowns for her wedding caketoppers.



Her online shop of birds was just re-stocked today and has already sold out, but I DO know that she will be re-stocking her Etsy shop on Friday, 29th February at 2pm EST. Hop to it if you're interested, they'll be literally flying off the shelves within seconds.

www.annwoodhandmade.com
Check out her Flickr for more wee birdies.