Coat of my Dreams

... and it's mine.  After starting my coat search in July, and buying and returning numerous contenders, I've finally found The One.  It's from Topshop Unique A/W '13, and I got it for half price in the sale online, the last one, in my size.  Clearly it's fate...

It's slouchy and oversized (and 100% mohair so it's officially the warmest thing I own), but not so long that it swamps me.  And the best bit is that it reminds me both of the Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony teddy bear coat I lusted after earlier this year, and of this jumper from Dries van Noten A/W '09, which I've been obsessed with for literally years:

I love a happy ending.

New Discoveries

One of the things I missed the most about living in a small city in the middle of nowhere in Greece was access to independent brands, as well as secondhand and vintage, a concept that is still very new there.  There was a small local craft movement, but none of the (very lovely) crafters made anything that was particularly my cup of tea, and I resigned myself to shopping on the high street.  So now that I'm back in London, I'm really pleased that most of my purchases have not come from Topshop/H&M/Zara, but from ebay, charity shops and indie designers I've come across both online and in person.  Today I stumbled entirely by accident on the Hackney Flea Market, a monthly market with stalls full of both handmade and vintage bits and bobs.  And for once, I actually bought a couple of things, and discovered some seriously talented people.  

Illustrator Sandra Dieckmann produces the most amazing animal prints, and I look forward to filling up the walls of my (future) flat with her work.  In the meantime, I consoled myself with this mirror, because clearly the image of a curled up red panda could make even fixing my smudged eyeliner on the bus a much more cheery experience:

I think In With the Old might just be one of my favourite shops, if their stall today was anything to go by.  They're based on Amwell Street in Islington, and stock 57 independent makers of everything from prints to jewellery to handmade children's clothing.  I really wanted some coasters made from vintage tiles, and one of Mike Hall's London Borough map prints, but as I'm writing this from amongst the clutter of someone else's attic, where I'm currently living, I made do with this initial necklace:

 

And finally, a brand I've actually been wanting to write about for a while, which I discovered whilst randomly trawling ebay, Amelia May.  I've been obsessed with rings lately, and their selection is possibly the best I've found, at any price point.  And, as a bonus, all designs are  available either as traditional rings, or in midi versions, and most of them come in brass or silver.  I bought the Crescent Moon Knuckle Ring Set, the Aztec Petal Ring, and the Cobalt Moon Glow Knuckle Ring, but I don't imagine I'll be stopping there...

& Other Stories (again)

I blogged about the latest addition to the H&M family before they opened at the beginning of the year, but like their sister chains Monki and Cos, I've tried to avoid looking at their collections too much as I didn't actually have access to a branch in person and they limit online shopping to a handful of countries.  Now that I'll actually be able to potentially shop there though, I had a quick browse and compiled a mini-wishlist.  

Leather Shoulder Bag

Claire Judge silk playsuit

Leather brogue boots

The bag is potentially the perfect black everyday bag to replace my knackered Zara one, the playsuit is the sort of silky, indulgent loungewear I always aspire to but never manage to actually own, and the boots could be a good compromise between clompy army boots and mannish brogues.  I'm also completely obsessed with their collection of nail varnish, which has names like Moire Green and Shoddy Pink.

New

Just thought I'd share a few bits bought mainly in the dregs of the sales in the last few weeks.  They manage to quite nicely sum up my current obsessions of pointy, 60s style shoes, delicate jewellery and lace everything. 

New(ish) Mius

After months of buying almost nothing, I seem to be going a bit mad on ebay and in the sales at the moment.  The latest addition is these Miu Miu courts, bought secondhand and ridiculously cheap.  I originally saw them on a customer in the shoe shop where I worked circa 2009 and fell in love with the way she had styled them- all black, a bit grunge-y and the perfect contrast to the primness of the shoe.  We actually stocked the higher-heeled version at work and I tried them on multiple times afterwards trying to convince myself I could wear them, but they were ridiculously high and spindly so I reluctantly gave up on them.  I never came across the lower ones, either in the shops at the time or on ebay afterwards but I always had them at the back of my mind (I'm nothing if not loyal to my shoe crushes).  Clearly though, they were (eventually) meant to be, and the three of us can now live happily ever after. 

I *heart* Ebay

I mentioned previously that I had bought some ridiculously cheap Chloe sandals from ebay but didn't want to say any more lest they not be quite right.  Well, they've arrived, and they're perfect.  

I've been searching literally for years for the perfect pair of neutral, go-with-everything sandals and had failed spectacularly to find anything suitable.  It doesn't help that I for some reason don't consider sandals proper shoes and refuse to spend very much on them, despite living in them in summer months (yes, even in rainy British summers).  They're just not very exciting, and more of a necessity than something I'd fall in love with and need to own.  So any perfect specimen I found, from K Jacques to Miu Miu, never actually came home with me, and I'd end up with some inferior version from Topshop or Primark, which would get me through the rest of the summer and the whole process would start again the next year.  This year though, the fairy tale finally has its happily ever after, and these shant be leaving my feet until at least September.

Lusting After...

I know that I've literally just been moaning about how uninspiring the high street is, but I think I've just come across the most perfect summer outfit ever, which I would wear exactly the way it's been styled- black skirt that I've been searching for forever, sleeveless top that is not the dreaded basic cotton vest, earrings for a bit of colour (when it's 40 degrees, necklaces, rings, basically anything at all touching your skin, is out of the question).  It's all from H&M's trend collection, and you can get it here.

 

 I also wouldn't mind this take on the infamous Kenzo lion jumper: