WOW Wedges...

It's fair to say that all three of us have a slight shoe obsession. In fact our love of all things from sandal to stiletto should probably be more accurately described as a full blown serious addiction! This was ignited in all of us back when we would play games involving the dressing up hamper and Mummy Mouse's shoes (unfortunately she was a size 7 so we never actually grew into them - we just had constant bruises from all the stumbling!)

As we grew older there was the manic need and desire for Clark's Magic Steps shoes (complete with the secret lock and key in the sole) which over the years was replaced by a yearning for Christian Louboutins and studded Valentinos! Our view when it comes to shoes is beauty is pain, and HK mouse takes this to the absolute max with her towering Giuseppe Zanotti's...

Whilst considering outfits for my upcoming Tuscan getaway, I started to struggle when it came to the shoes currently in my wardrobe that could cover off all the occasions that I need to dress for. I don't want to be tottering around Florence all day with aching arches and sore soles but a super chic outfit is never quite complete with a pair of flats (no, I'm still not a total flats convert, even after my recent So Long Heels post!). At the end of our city break we head into the hills for one of my best friend's wedding, so there are many situations and combinations to consider and very little packing space!

After much thought, I came to the perfect solution - wedges. They're the perfect all rounder and the most comfortable version of a heel. Wedges still give that much needed height, tick the daytime casual box but can be dressed up for evening chic...an ideal solution!

Now for finding the perfect pair...not so easy!

I usually go on the hunt and end up lusting after the pair that cost most of my monthly income, then typically nothing ever lives up to them so I end up with nothing at all! But this time I'm in a very different situation...there's some impressive contenders out there in the designer world but I'm not quite head over heels with them...literally...

Beautiful Buttercup
Christian Louboutin, £475

Classic Chloe,

Chloe

Bold Balenciaga

Browns, £405

However when scouting out the high street alternatives, I found some real gems scoring high on the style stakes whilst also ticking all the boxes of comfort, texture, luxe, beauty...do we really need to tick anymore boxes?!

See our 3BM faves below...

Aztec Madness 
ASOS, £28

Muted Mules

Topshop, £68

 

 

Golden Goddess

Zara, £59.99

Print-tastic

Kurt Geiger, £99

Fashion the Mule

Zara, £79.99

Easy Espadrille

Kurt Geiger, £95

Strong Sassy Staple

Zara, £39.99

Sizzling Snake

Kurt Geiger, £110

I've already snapped up the Golden Goddess and Strong Sassy Staple pairs and I have a feelings I'm not going to be able to stop there....

Currently Channeling... Louis Vuitton Underwear As Outerwear

Every fashion month, there are a couple of shows which grab us immediately, set the tone for our wardrobes for the season to come and leave us desperate to see whether the highstreet will have shared our excitement and deliver homages within our price range.  

Last spring the show that really had us at hello was Louis Vuitton. Fifty doors opened onto a hotel corridor come catwalk spilling out Cara, Kate and co in an array of lingerie-esque pieces with mannish coats thrown over the top. The show notes explained that the collection channelled the "attitude of getting dressed up only to find the most glamorous destination is one's own hotel room." What could be more decadently fabulous? 

 

 

Post-show Marc Jacobs elaborated further on the woman he'd designed the collection for: "She’s Left Bank. She’s Hollywood. A bit Gloria Swanson. A bit Juliet Greco. She’s romantic, erotic, decadent, glamorous and she loves luxury". If we weren't already sold, that really sealed the deal - that was exactly who we fancied being when the temperature dipped.

Turns out we were joined by fashion's finest in that sentiment...

 

 

 

So it was with baited breath that we waited for the autumn/winter highstreet collections to drop. 

 

And thankfully our favourite purveyor of high fashion on a budget blew even our wildest dreams out of the water... yup - Zara has once more totally excelled itself. In fact Zara's Louis Vuitton inspired offering is so extensive that there's a whole section of the website devoted to it - Lace. Here are the pieces we're currently most coveting...

 

Zara Lingerie Style Studio Dress
£89.99

 

Zara Lingerie Style Dress with Spaghetti Straps

£35.99

 

Zara Lingerie Style Dress

£25.99

 

 

Zara Printed Dress with Lace Trim

£45.99

 

Zara Double Layer Lingerie Style and Mesh Dress

£39.99

 

Zara Studio Mesh Dress

£109.00

 

 

Two Tone Lingerie Style Dress

£19.99

 

Zara Printed Lace Camisole Top

£29.99

 

 

Zara Lingerie Style Dress

£29.99

 

 

Zara Lingerie Style Tube Dress

£29.99

 

Zara Printed Skirt with Lace Trim

£39.99

 

 

Just add an oversized, mannish coat, chuck insouciantly over the top of your lacy loveliness and remember staying in is the new going out...

Heiress vs Penniless: Céline Laundry Bag Checks

This season Phoebe Philo took that old adage about models looking good in bin bags and fiddled with it a little... for A/W13 the willowy, beautiful brigade stalked down the Céline runway in Paris looking not good, but knockout AMAZING in, wait for it... 

 

Laundry bags... 

 

 

Yup, Philo managed to pull off the Herculean task of making those crackly, plasticky, checked granny bags look chic. Dot Cotton, eat your heart out...

 

You know it's a runaway smash of a collection when pieces pop up on the front of multiple Vogues and Miroslava Duma sports the look top to toe...

 

 

 

Of course, if we had Miroslava-esque bank balances we'd be minesweeping the nearest Céline store and filling our closets with these luxe laundry accessories...

 

Sadly we don't have a spare couple of thousand pounds knocking around in the bottom of our wallets, so instead we've scoured the highstreet for the very best in laundry loveliness on a washerwoman's budget... 

Ganni Checked Cocoon Coat
£325

Zara Double Breasted Checked Three Quarter Length Coat 
£69.99

 

Topshop V-Front Coat

£89

ASOS Clutch Bag in Sequin Check
£30

Zara Checked Dress
£39.99

 

Of course, there's always the literal take on the trend which comes in at a very purse pleasing price and gives you enough change from a fiver for a load at your local laundrette...

 

Large Laundry Bag

£1.19

 

Awesome Anderson Strikes Again...

Always a sucker for high street collaborations, 3BM never miss an opportunity to post countdowns and endlessly rave when a new one is announced! 

Our favourites from last year were Anna Dello Russo for H&M (well we loved the concept but the actual accessories weren't the best quality in real life), Mary Katrantzou for Topshop and Marni for H&M! We're therefore thrilled to announce our next fashion collaboration obsession for 2013, which has been unveiled just in time to add to your shiny, brand new diary...the much anticipated second JW Anderson for Topshop collection! 

Anderson designed his first range for Topshop back in September last year, and it was so successful that after the collection sold through quicker than anticipated, Topshop announced they were going back for extra on the 'in demand' styles! So it's no wonder that the King of cool has been commissioned for round two...lets hope this time Topshop put their money where their mouth is and buy with confidence so that we can all have a little bit of the JW Anderson sparkle!!

If you missed part one, then let me get you up to speed. We're talking a combination of quilting, chunky knits, breton striped tops, baseball jackets, pleats, colourful prints and anchor JW motifs...all in all fun, quirky and an accessible slice of true 'designer' fashion...

Image via http://styleblazer.com

The second collection looks to be just as wearable but still with the JW twist. When asked about the origin of this season's range he commented, “It was about stripping down core silhouettes with a focus on black denim and tying in this idea of troubled sisters,”...this sounds serious and very unlike Anderson's trademark fun style, however don't fear, although this darker element is evident in black patent, dark denims and moody models in the promotional photographs, it's also complimented by fun fringing, cute motifs and colourful highlights to the palette. 

There is some obvious build-on from last season's collection, a best seller never fails - but the pieces cleverly continue to target the same young market while developing a slightly more mature slant without losing the 'fun with fashion' audience. In Anderson's words... "The girl has evolved. It's about carrying over the idea of iconic pieces that can be worn over and over and re-working staple looks from the JW Anderson wardrobe." You will see lots of monochrome, clean lines, chic yet futuristic elements with flashes of colour, motifs and jazzed up fashion essentials.

Take a look and see what you think...something for everyone I'd say! 

Fringed Skirt, £65

Patent Trench, £300

Patent Skirt, £300

Lilac Collarless Jacket, £170

All images via www.vogue.co.uk

Don't go without preparing for a fight though...this is one collaboration that's guaranteed to be popular. Sharpen those nails, limber up sufficiently and start your bicep curls now in anticipation of the collection hitting stores on 15th February! 

P.s If you see any size 10s going spare grab us a couple of pieces! We're sadly going to have to miss out on this one as we'll be tanning ourselves on a Sri Lankan beach instead...ENJOY!!

BIBA beauties...!

When I hear the word BIBA I'm immediately transported back to my childhood, staring up at a chic black brocade jumpsuit that my mum owned and only wore on special occasions. In fact it's still hanging at home but now in my wardrobe just in case! Founded in the 60s, exploding onto the fashion scene globally in the 70s and revamped and relaunched in 2010 on the high street...this is the sort of regeneration that could only be executed by a truly iconic fashion brand. 

Handily, House of Fraser stocks the range and after checking it out online, I had to write a post about these fun and fabulous coin purses! They scream everything the brand stands for...chic, individual, fashionable and fun...I'm loving the combination of the vintage BIBA logo in chunky gold mixed up with the bold prints and colours...amazing! 

PLUS double whammy bonus...for some reason they are reduced from £39.50 to just £27.30...get one (or at that price, get all five) now!!! Also, for the ridiculously organised, aren't these just the perfect stocking fillers?!

All images via www.mybiba.com