Diamond alternatives

Aren't these lovely? I am always impressed by those with unusual engagement rings but there's the unfortunate risk that your intended will be thought of as a cheapskate for actually putting a bit of thought into the procedure and not just turning up with the usual boring old diamond. Sorry! Personally I don't like diamonds, I much prefer a bit of colour or just something with a bit of imagination. And something with less of a tainted reputation? Here are some favourites from Etsy:

Black pearl, amethyst and pink pearl ring from shinyi on Etsy. €117

I love black pearls, they have such a beautiful lustre to them and are so much more mysterious and exotic than their paler cousins.

Rainbow sapphire €172 Etsy

Ok, you'd need to be particularly fun loving for this one, but wouldn't it just cheer you up every morning!?

Blue sapphire ring €1072 Etsy

This one is rather like my own heh heh. A lovely vivid blue.

Madagascan ruby & gold ring €328 Etsy

Amazing sculptural pink gold & emerald ring €593 Etsy

Pearl ring ChrisMueller jewellery Etsy €95

And now I want them all!

Beautiful bargain of the day

Spotted this fantastic bargain on the Urban Outfitters website today........

Cambridge Satchel Company 11 inch satchel reduced from £88 to £40

Don't dilly-dally if you like it, the gold has already sold out!

Pencil Skirt Perfection

 I spotted some printed pencil skirts lately and want them all. These are almost works of art! There is no more flattering shape to the curvier lady either. Well perhaps the A-line skirt would work for the taller curvier lady, it unfortunately renders me very mushroom-like.

Penneys Meadow Print pncil skirt €13

Aztec Ponti pencil skirt £22 River Island

Oasis Kaleidoscope skirt £56 but the most beautiful of all!!!

Topshop tropical skirt £38

Black print skirt £25 River Island

 These last two could easily pass for something straight out of the Givenchy Resort 2012 collection, with their amazing colours and tribal or floral detail. Waaaaaaant!

Little peep at 2012

Very pleased to see my most recent bargain buy on ASOS is very similar to some beautiful dresses and skirts with floral keyhole crochet detailing Louis Vuitton's Summer 2012 collection. And for €22!

ASOS Premium Shift Dress €22

Kate Moss and fellow models wearing pieces from the Louis Vuitton Summer 2012 collection

Lots of 50s housewife detailing in the Spring/Summer collections, knee length pencil dresses from Caroline Herrera, housecoats from Derek Lam, wasp waisted tweed jackets from Burberry. This is good news for average sized women everywhere, there is nothing more flattering than a knee length fitted pencil dress.

Alexander McQueen on the other hand doesn't seem to obviously reference any era. I think he is making fairytales for adult women, he is just pure crazy creative genius. If his Savage Beauty exhibition comes to London I am there! The black corset with stiff collar is almost exactly the dress I have wanted for years and never found. A little impractical if you plan on eating anything for the day but hey! Worth it!

Savage Beauty exhibition pieces

Alternative wedding bouquets

Since my wedding I keep coming across dresses I would have preferred, hairstyles that would have worked better, and now bouquets I would have LOVED if I'd come across them in time! So I'm going to share these to hopefully save someone else that annoyance!

Button bouquet €250 by LillyBudBouquets on Etsy

Leather flower ball €173 BloomRiver on  Etsy

Vintage Brooch Bouquet €242.00 MousePhotography on Etsy

Royal Wedding teardrop bouquet-LillyBud Bouquets on Etsy €490

Butterfly bouquet €230 My Haley Girl on Etsy

Bright designer bouquet Mattheppelstone on Etsy €728-ouch!

I realise these prices are ridiculous but there's absolutely no reason you couldn't copy these, vintage brooches and all, for a tiny fraction of the cost. They're just so cheery!

Sequinned beauties

Spotted this on ASOS. Sequinned but understated, love it!

Ashish Breton stripe sequin top

Although after spending €573.98 on an item of clothing I may not want to look understated!

ASOS embellished top with paillette sequins €71.75

I like this a lot despite the obvious madness, the colour is great and it's very sculptural but it would be extremely unflattering and is more than a little odd. And how the hell would you wash it?

Religion dress with mirrors ASOS €84.79

A less girly take on polka dots maybe? I love the asymmetrical hem.

Lovely winter woolly dresses

I love my winter knit dresses, it pains me to put them away once spring gets that bit too warm. They're cute but comfortable and look perfect with lovely clunky boots. As I've pointed out before I'm not a girly-girl at all so this is a good compromise for me!

Awear piped wool-blend mini-dress €50

Berry colour-tick, peter-pan collar-tick.......of course if money was no object, this Pendleton dress is gorgeous:

Pendleton jacquard mini-dress €263 ASOS

Beautiful Tophop sequinned dress £58

 

Dainty wool and lace dress from Promod €47. Black tights? Really?

Warehouse Colour-block dress €60. Unnecessarily pricy!

AND FINALLY........I think I'm in love.....

NW3 by Hibbs Madeley Metallic knit dress €181