Feathers at Ralph Lauren A/W 2008

Just catching up on the last of the New York a/w shows at style.com (I know, I know, I'm way behind) and spied
some of the fabulous feathered hats and brooches at Ralph Lauren.






If you like the look, head to London's ribbon and haberdashery emporium, VV Rouleaux, which stocks a fabulous selection of all sorts of feathers and materials to make your own brooch or head piece.



But if that's all too hands-on, seek out their own range of stunning feathered brooches from £12. On a recent visit I picked up a bold black feathered number, just like the ones pinned to the lapels in the Ralph Lauren show.

VV Rouleaux
www.vvrouleaux.com
102 Marylebone Lane
London W1U 2QD
Tel. 020 7224 5179

54 Sloane Square
Cliveden Place
London SW1W 8AX
Tel. 020 7730 3125

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Ralph Lauren photos courtesy of style.com

Wee Birdy in Shop til You Drop

Hey birdies - the March issue of one of Australia's spunkiest magazines, Shop til You Drop, went on sale today.
And this is news because...?
Well, apart from the well-known fact that Shop is totally ace and one of the things I miss about Australia, if you turn to page 172 you just might find a wee story on a certain Wee Birdy ("Fashion Blogs to Read Now" by Kate Farmer).
And did I mention that their new website is also well worth a click for features like "Buy of the Day" and their eight new shopping blogs?
Oh, well in that case...

p.s. Hi to Shop readers and thanks for checking in. Have a good look around and check out the archive and ever-growing categories list. Let me know what you think!

Street style: Rachel on Bishopsgate

Can you believe this is my first street style post for 2008? Not for lack of trying, mind you, but London's bleak January and miniscule hours of daylight have been working against me. That's why The Sartorialist is the absolute genius that he is - his most recent photos at New York Fashion Week were taken with snow swirling around in the foreground!

Anyway, the sun finally shone on London town this weekend, and after living here for a year I finally understand why Londoners automatically migrate to the nearest park at the first sign of light.

That's where I was heading when I spied Rachel, 20, on Bishopsgate today. A wee birdy told me that she's wearing a clever mix of market and vintage finds. For a similar red lipstick, try the ultra-luscious Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick in Passion.

London shopping: Tatty Devine for V-Day

Take heart from Tatty Devine’s fun acrylic bangles, brooches and necklaces for Valentine’s Day ...

Acrylic heart bangle, £29, from Tatty Devine.

Heart glasses cutout pendant, £35, from Tatty Devine.

Layered love heart brooch, £20, from Tatty Devine.

Heart-shaped lolly necklace, £29, from Tatty Devine.

Tatty Devine
236 Brick Lane
London E2 7EB
Tel. 020 7739 9191
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday 11am-6pm
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street

57b Brewer Street
London W1F 9UR
Tel. 020 7434 2257
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11am-7pm
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Top Bird loves ... Etsy for Valentine's Day

I've posted about Belle and Boo's endearing woodland folk artwork before, but couldn't resist revisiting this rather lovely Etsy shop for V-Day ...

Let’s Hug signed print, US$30, from Belle and Boo’s Etsy shop.

Eskimo Kisses signed print, US$30, from Belle and Boo’s Etsy shop.

Found signed print, US$30, from Belle and Boo’s Etsy shop.

Let’s Hug postcard pack, US$15, from Belle and Boo’s Etsy shop.

Meet me at Mike’s gift tags, $US8, from Belle and Boo’s Etsy shop.

What to take home Wednesday: Altered journals

The perfect journal is tangible (ie. not online), tactile and has lots of hidey-holes to stash the assorted paper detritus one accumulates over a 12-month period (think letters, bills, bad jokes from Christmas crackers, photos, business cards and difficult-to-decipher scrawled notes).

London-based designer Jessie Chorley makes altered journals from the body of an old book, and creates “new” blank pages from an assortment of vintage and recycled papers, as well as envelopes, stitched pockets and old-school typewritten messages and reminders. Beautiful and handy.

Jessie’s books can be purchased online, or you can buy them from her wonderfully whimsical stall, Un-Petit-Cadeau, at Broadway Market in Hackney on Saturdays.

Jessie Chorley
Un-Petit-Cadeau
Saturdays, Broadway Market

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Nearest tube: Bethnal Green Station
Nearest train: London Fields BR

For more market stalls and shops on Broadway Market, click here.
For more shops in East London, click here.

(p.s. while you're there, check out the exquisite bird-themed jewellery by Buddug Humphreys.)

Top Bird loves ... Destination: Alessi

Oh looky, The Museum of Modern Art shop has an exclusive limited-edition collection of Alessi classics from the second half of the twentieth century. I dig the simple design of the red and yellow wire bowls from the '50s and '60s.

Square wire basket by Ufficio Tecnico Alessi (1951 & 1966), US$110, from MoMA.

Round yellow basket by Ufficio Tecnico Alessi (1951 & 1966), US$85, from MoMA.

Lobo stainless steel square basket by Silvio Coppolla (1977), US$110, from MoMA

Top Bird loves ... Etsy stuff

Sheez, you've got to be quick when it comes to Etsy's hottest shops. I was only just checking Swedish designer Karin Eriksson's shop yesterday, which was stocked full of new ceramic pieces. Checked back in today and there's just six items left. But how lovely are these organic dragonfly pieces?

Zen votive bone china candle holder, US$35.

Caress dragonfly form-pressed porcelain pebble, US$6 each.

Like what you see? Karin's style blog is a must-read.

Why I can't wait for Spring: Marimekko

When the Swedes meet the Finns, I'm a very, very happy birdy.
As regular readers may already have guessed, I really love my prints. So I'm just about beside myself with anticipation for H&M's Marimekko collection for Spring 2008. If you haven’t already heard, Swedish company H&M have created a 50-piece collection using Marimekko’s patterns from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

Apparently we can look forward to the Finnish brand’s distinctive graphic prints in “summer favourites” such as wide ‘70s dresses, tunics, skirts and shorts for women. And there will also be a few pieces for men and kids, all at ultra-affordable price points. The collection will be hitting H&M stores worldwide in April. Roll around Spring, printy please.

Marimekko prints for H&M, illustration by Moa Lindqvist Bartling.

But to satiate my immediate fix for Finnish graphic prints, I’ve been dreaming about Marimekko’s Spring 2008 womenswear line-up. Some really gorgeous pieces here, birdies.

And this season’s Marimekko kids’ range couldn’t be sweeter. Red apple and giraffe prints = too, too cute little girls' frocks.



Marimekko
www.marimekko.com
16-17 St Christopher's Place
London W1U 1NZ
Tel: 020 7486 6454

Nearest tube: Bond Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

London shopping: Swarovski Crystallized Cosmos and Lounge

I’ve never felt compelled to step foot in a Swarovski shop before. It was always the domain of Nannas and their novelty crystal mouse collections, with royal blue walls completing the outdated and entirely naff package. On the other hand, I’ve happily paraded about and lusted after certain designer accessories adorned with Swarovksi crystals. It’s a brand that always seemed to be at odds with itself.

But the recent unveiling of the world’s first Swarovski Crystallized Cosmos and Lounge on London’s Great Marlborough Street has put paid to any fuddy-duddy image of the past. Indeed, this new store celebrates Swarovski’s various designer collaborations, and the results are quite breathtaking. The royal blue colour scheme has been replaced with layers of reflective surfaces that catch the light in the gleaming white minimalist space.



You can’t miss the tiny clear Perspex drawers lining the walls of the ground floor, otherwise known as The Cosmos. It’s like a space-age Chinese herbalist’s den. But pull open the gliding drawers and you’ll find small clear boxes of lapis lazuli, amber and turquoise instead of dried up bits of animals and roots.


This is where the fun starts. It’s a bit like pick and mix – or an upmarket bead shop – but way sexier and with loads of designer inspiration (by way of plasma screens around the store). The emphasis here is on being creative, and if you’re a dab hand at jewellery-making, you can browse the drawers for Swarovski loose crystals, semi-precious stones and beads. A box of 50 smoked topaz pieces will set you back £4.50, and there’s also all the design components and tools you need for making jewellery, including wires, clasps and pliers.


But if you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, the online tools in store will support you every step of the way. The Personal Stylist program is like jewellery-making-for-dummies, as it holds your hand through the creative process. It’s actually quite detailed, as you select your “style mood”, skin tone, eye colour, face shape, etc. Otherwise the Design Studio programme will assist you in creating your own bespoke piece. Choose from a selection of designs and customise it to suit. Once you’re done, Swarovski will send your order away and after two weeks it’s ready for pick-up. The “Dream” ring, for instance, featuring a delicate crystal and leaf design, can be customised in a range of colours for £20.


There’s also a range of jewellery-making kits, including rings, bracelets and necklaces. They come in three different skill levels, which is handy if you’re just starting out and don’t want anything too fiddly. A basic skill level kit such as the turquoise linear ring kit is £19, and the topaz and gold long earrings kit is £20. The Swarovski team have really hit the nail on the head with the whole urban craft trend, with regular jewellery-making workshops starting in February.

Head upstairs to the Crystallized lounge and it’s a different change of pace, with a relaxed café/bar area and an exhibition space. The current exhibition, Crystal Temptation Shoes, features a long white table adorned with thousands of loose crystals and a designer shoe at each place setting. The line-up includes designers such as Christian Lacroix, Gina, Nicholas Kirkwood, Vivienne Westwood, and Giorgio Armani.




The café has a surprisingly extensive menu, including breakfast, lunch, bar snacks and a traditional afternoon tea for £19.75 (£25 with champers). Crystal-encrusted bottles of Moet line the shelves, and there are a couple of computer terminals to contemplate your creative designs. With comfy lounge seating and a relaxed atmosphere, it’s a rare oasis of tranquility just off Regent Street.



Swarovski Crystallized Cosmos and Lounge
www.crystallized.com
24 Great Marlborough Street
London W1

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours to come.

Nearest tube: Oxford Circus

Click here for more shops in W1.