Mulberry For Fall

 When I was in London last Spring, I shopped at Harrods for what's new in Fashion and accessories. One of my favourite brands there is the British brand Mulberry. The sales associate was very helpful and patient to help me choose the best bag between the Alexa and the Cara bags. I already have the Alexa bag which is one of my favourite  and functional bags. This time, I chose the Cara bag in burgundy. One of their newer bag is the Cara bag designed by British supermodel Cara Delevingne. As I get older, I tend to buy high quality and well designed leather classic bags with no logos which the Mulberry brand expertly represents. Their bags are still proudly Made in England. I am very happy with my purchase of the all leather Cara bag. I can use the bag any season from Spring to Fall. It is also very spacious and light to carry especially when travelling.

I purchased the burgundy Cara bag on the left which can be transitioned into Fall. It is very classic, no logos, light to carry and proudly Made In England. 

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Best of British Fall Style

Union Jack Minaudiere by Alexander McQueen available at Holt Renfrew Canada.

Oh British Style, they are always the coolest, unique, eccentric and quite androgynous. The kind of style that I like as British Style always have this freedom to dress the way they like to, very well put together and looking so original. It was in Britain that Punk Fashion emerged during the 1980s. Here in Toronto,  we tend to blend both the British and American way of dressing very well. Walk along our Bloor Street and there is an abundance of British Style everywhere from Alexander McQueen, Burberry and finally a newly opened Mulberry Boutique. We should not be surprised since Toronto is actually the capital of English Canada. Lucky for me, it saves me a trip to London for now. Only for now.

Thanks to Sarah Burton, Creative Director at Alexander McQueen for continuing the edgy and elegant cool style of the Fashion House. Here are some Alexander McQueen flats for Fall. 

Even Burberry's Fall Bags are on trend for Pink and Black with their version of the Rockstuds.

Go Red for this Burberry Bag. A statement in minimalism and elegance for Fall.

Finally, here is Mulberry's Boutique in Toronto. For the longest time, Mulberry Bags are only available at Holt Renfrew. Now, they have their own Boutique along Bloor Street offering more choices and style.

The new Mulberry Willow Tote.

Mulberry Dress, Boots and Lily Shoulder Bag for Fall. The new Suffolk Bags in red and black.

A Bonus...

The latest hottest British Actor, Benedict Cumberbatch was in Toronto to attend the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his upcoming movie, The Fifth Estate which is a film about the Wikileaks scandal. Doesn't he look so dashing and handsome?
(Photo credit: Hello Magazine Canada)

Here's another Bonus...

Dan Stevens (on the left) aka Matthew Crawley of  Downton Abbey was in Toronto to attend the Premiere of the movie The Fifth Estate which he is starring with Benedict Cumberbatch. On the right is British Actor Tom Hiddleston who is also in Toronto to attend the premier of his movie, Only Lovers Left Alive.  All three Actors are very talented, handsome and gorgeous. So which British actor is the hottest?
(Photo credit: Hello Magazine Canada)


May you all have a wonderful weekend!

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In Style Mini-Bags

Balenciaga Mini City Bags.

On the runways and on Street Style this year,  there is a return to Mini-Bags which is defined as the smaller or mini version of their more popular and regular sized Bags. Some of the ones I am featuring here are from Holt Renfrew Mini Bags collection that are available here in Toronto. Of course, every Luxury Fashion Brands from NYC, Paris, London and Milan have their own versions of the Mini-bag. For me, the mini-bags are a transitional bag from Day to Evening, from  carrying a Work week Regular sized bag to a Mini-bag for the weekend where we have to carry less.

Here are the Mini-Bags in their Spring colours. Are you excited for Spring? Do you think these mini-bags will be functional and useful to your style and lifestyle? Which one from this feature will you carry? 

Mini Balenciaga.
One common feature when carrying a Mini-Bag is that it has a long shoulder strap that allows us to carry the bag across the body or on the shoulder. Their Regular sized bag counterpart are usually hand held or have a shorter shoulder strap. 

Celine Mini Box Bags.

Givenchy Mini-Nightingale.

Reed Krakoff Bags. 

 Transitional bags from the Work week to the Weekend. 

Clockwise: Celine Nano Bag, Reed Krakoff Blue Mini-Boxer, Mulberry Mini-Alexa in Pink (both available at Mytheresa.com) and the Prada Mini Saffiano Bag in Spring Orange from Neiman Marcus.

This Prada Mini-bag has a long shoulder strap. The Regular sized Prada Saffiano Bag is hand held.

Remember that less is more.

May you all have a fantastic week ahead.

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LFW 2013: So Irresistible

This weekend is the start of London Fashion Week for Fall 2013. But we are not quite ready yet for Fall. We would like to have some Spring inspiration now and add some colour into our winter days.  Last Spring, I was in London for a vacation. During a walk along Brompton Road, I stopped by the Mulberry store to check out their bags. I discovered  Mulberry's colourful and fun window displays with some inflated African Safari animals and featuring their iconic Mulberry Bags in bright spring colours.  Here are some fun photos during my lovely walk in one of my favourite cities, London. 

Yellow Bayswater bag and Green Lily bag.

Actually, the Mulberry brand was not love at first sight for me. I only started to like their Alexa Bag due to my cousin who showed her bag to me. Beforehand, I didn't like the double buckle closures on the front of the bag and the turn lock closure which I thought would make it hard to open the bag. I like bags that are easy to open. I discovered through my cousin's Alexa bag that those double buckle straps could be opened and closed through the magnetic snaps instead of manually pulling and pushing. The bag turned out is very functional and easy to open. Mulberry is now one of my favourite luxury brands.

Here are the iconic Bayswater bags.

Mulberry's Creative Director is Emma Hill. For the past years, she has placed the Mulberry brand into one of the best British Fashion Luxury Brands in the World. Mulberry shows the best in British craftsmanship and dedication to high quality and design. The Mulberry design is very classic and timeless. Their fashion shows are fun including dogs dressed in Mulberry dog coats walking down their runways too. The new CEO of Mulberry is Bruno Guillon, who was formerly with Hermes. It would be interesting to see the upcoming collaborations between Bruno and Emma for Mulberry.

Bayswater Bag in Green. Isn't that a lovely Green colour?

A Bag Reveal... Which one did I buy?  I ended up purchasing a Mulberry bag from Harrods. They wrapped my bag and packaged it nicely in this huge brown bag and decorated it with ribbons and with Ding Dong. So whimsical. Mulberry is a brand that knows how to have fun. 

I purchased the Oversized Alexa Bag named after the very chic British TV Presenter, Alexa Chung. The bag has a detachable shoulder strap and can also be carried by hand. This dark grey colour came out last Spring. It has gunmetal toned hardware. The leather is so soft. Very spacious inside. It is perfect for traveling. I find the Oversized Alexa quite big for everyday though. The regular sized Alexa Bag is perfect for everyday and on weekends.  So which Mulberry Bag is your favourite?

View the Mulberry 2013 Spring Collection.  The 2013 Spring Collection presented Spring colours in Cream, orange, yellow, mint green, blues and whites. Photo Credit: Vogue.com


Thank You to everyone for their thoughtful comments about my dearest Barkley. That's life. I have to move on, one step at a time.


May you all have a wonderful weekend.

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Inspiring Emerald

An Italianate Garden, Lake Como, Italy.

According to Pantone, Emerald is the colour for 2013. This is just good news as the Emerald Green  represents elegance, hope, prosperity, nourishment and a sense of well-being. That's a good start for the New Year to be more conscientious and to take care of our Environment. Here are some images to inspire us and to show the beauty of Emerald in our Environment, in Fashion, Accessories, Food, Drink and most importantly in our Homes.

"Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty                      
                        that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony."
                                   - Pantone

A formal garden in the  El Escorial Palace, Madrid, Spain.

Gardens at the El  Escorial Palace, Madrid,Spain.
This year 2013 might inspire more Green gardens with a sense of formality, more structured and less flowers.

Cottage in Lake Rousseau, Muskoka, Ontario

An elegant table setting with Green Candle holders and vase.
Photo credit: Canadian House and Home Magazine

Green interiors for the home provides a sense of elegance and cosiness.
Photo credit: Elle Decor

A touch of Green. A side Chair upholstered in Green Louis Vuitton Monogram.
Photo credit: Elle Decor

Emerald tiled Bathroom.
Photo credit: Elle Decor

Asprey Croc Jewellery Box.
Photo Credit: Philippine Tatler Magazine.

An Emerald Gucci Gown. Isn't that so chic?

Reed Krakoff bag in Green.
Photo by Phil Oh

Prada in Green.
Photo credit: Tommy Ton.

Mulberry Alexa Bag in Green. 

Mulberry Bayswater Bag displayed in the Mulberry Brompton Rd. London Store.

Harrods Green. 

Vegetable Greens encourage us to eat healthy for our Well Being. 

Drinks in Green cans and bottles like the Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Perrier Sparkling Water.

Weekend Outfit:  Saint Laurent Black Wool Coat, Stripe Navy and White top and Green Cropped Pants from Joe Fresh, Green Celine Luggage Tote bag and Black leather Newbury Rag & Bone Boots.

May you all have a wonderful Weekend!

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Summer Yellows

 

 Joe Fresh Summer 2012.

Photo credit: Joe Fresh

This Labour Day long weekend is the last long weekend of the summer. So sad that summer is almost ending. I am feeling it in my heart. Fall is coming then the dreaded Winter! But to cheer us all up, I am presenting here a tribute to Summer Yellows that I came cross during this summer season. Some of them I saw in magazines or the web. Some were photographed during my travels this year and some here at home. Most of them I  photographed by surprise as I never thought I will encounter them during my adventures. As the saying goes, " Always expect the unexpected!"  

 Street Style.

 Photo Credit: Vanessa Jackman.

 Photo credit: Vogue UK.

Chanel Yellow dress and Billy's Bakery cupcakes NYC.

Photo credit: Vogue.com

 Yellow wallpaper in the Powder Room and Yellow desk in the Den. 

Photo Credit: Canadian House & Home Magazine. 

 I came across this Yellow Vespa parked on Bloor St,Toronto.

 A Banana Boat and Yellow Muskoka chair in Lake Muskoka.

Bags and Shoes.

 Hermes Kelly bag.

Photo credit: Phil Oh, Vogue.com

I love this Celine Box Bag. Available at Holt Renfrew, Toronto.

  

 Jimmy Choo bag. Available at Holt Renfrew, Toronto.

Louis Vuitton Alma Bag. This is a window display I photographed in New York City. 

Louis Vuitton collaboration with Kusama.

Photo credit: Louis Vuitton.

Mulberry's Yellow Bayswater bag on display in Mulberry Store, Brompton Rd.London.

A Mulberry postcard given to me by Mulberry during my trip to London. Can't never get enough of Yellow!

 Roger Vivier Sandals. Available at Holt Renfrew, Toronto.

Flowers...

Our birdhouse and some yellow flowers from our garden.

Silk tulips from a shop in Niagara On The Lake, Ontario.

Sunflowers to brighten up your day from St. Jacob's Market,Waterloo,Ontario

Back home in Toronto, a painted Street Mural.

Photo credit: Etsy.com

 Enjoy the Labour Day long weekend!

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