I know shoes are usually saved for Shoewawa, but I couldn't resist showing off this absolute steal of a matching set. You do need to be careful when matching your shoes to your bag - it can look completely contrived and housewifey - but I think with the pattern and the detail on this pair you can get away with it, provided you keep the rest of your outfit simple. The most exciting thing is that you can get the whole lot for just over $60 at Speigel. Just say no to the complimentary coat, or you'll be in serious overkill territory.
Take one relatively dull mesh bag. Add half a dead animal in manner of unattractive upside-down Russian Cossack hat. Charge $191.95 for it. Laugh all the way to the bank. Whiting & Davies, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
It won't surprise you to know that I'm a bit of a secret crafter, and that's why I'm alway such a fan of brands that still care about quality handcrafting. As much as I love a bargain, I'd much rather pay a little bit extra for something that was made with some serious TLC. Sharma Designs jewellery manages the unique feat of being handmade, affordable and stylish. I love these butterfly earrings made with Black Onyx and millefiore glass ($23) and the 60s style 'watermelon' millefiore disc pendant ($55), and that's just the tip of the iceberg! What's even better news is that Sharma Designs is very generously offering readers of our sister blog, Catwalk Queen, a 10% discount at the moment - click here for details.
I still find it hard to stomach the fact that Juicy Couture are able to sell handbags for upwards of $400. I still associate the label with pink and fluffy teen princesses, and Madonna in her personalised 'Madge' velour tracksuit. But the truth is, when you remove all the branded bells and whistles, some of the bags are quite beautiful, like this simple suede hobo, with a pile so deep it looks more like velvet. I'm not saying I'd pay $475 for it, but it's nice.
There's no fooling you lot, is there? Last week I kept the price and retailer of the Yay or Nay bag secret from you to make sure you gave it a fair appraisal despite the price...and it's fairly safe to say you're all able to pick out a cheap bag! The faux fur and quilted number was a $19.50 Old Navy bargain. So what about this week? I'm not going to tell you the details again...just take a look and see what you think. Yay or Nay? And why? If you know where it's from, keep schtum!
I'm all for high street copycats. When you're living on a budget, drooling over all those gorgeous designer pieces is awful when you know that you could never afford to actually own them. But there's taking inspiration from high-end pieces, and then there's asking for trouble! I'm sure the folks at Goldenbleu aren't too pleased to know that their Marilyn bag (right in silver and bronze, $485) is now fighting off stiff competition from the bag on the left, which is far more reasonably prices at only $29.50 at Windsor. The only difference? A cheaper fabric and slightly less strapping. Apart from that it's almost identical.
Related stories:
Goldenbleu Marilyn Bag
Pearly Queen - Goldenbleu 'Pearl'
Chloe get nasty
I've always had issues with beautiful designer laptop bags. Not because I don't like them, but because they're rarely big enough to hold my monster of a laptop, so I can never join in the fun. So praise be to Knomo for coming up with the 'Tobermorey' (right) which is £175 and perfectly sized to hold my baby. I call that fate. Katie has long been a fan of the brand - in fact they won a Shiny Award last year for the best gadget accessory - and I know it's not usually like me to be this slow on the uptake, but I had to praise them for making stylish bags for big laptops as well as gorgeous styles like the 'Cholet' (left, £150) for those sensible enough to buy regular size notebooks. And yes, I really do call my laptop 'baby'.
Related Stories:
Shiny Award for Best Gadget Accessory
Melissa Beth laptop bags
Laptop bags for *ladies*
digg this |
del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
