Kingdom Of Style

Flower Power...

Such is the appeal of my poppy necklace, a birthday gift from Queen Michelle, I can't stop wearing it...

I'm wearing it so much, I'm afraid I might wear it our. *whimper*

So it seems only sensible to maybe to find another necklace that I could maybe rotate it with. Despite having hundreds and hundreds of necklaces, all of a sudden it seems that only felted flowers will hit the spot.

One of these may be the answer...

These lovelies are made by bigfrozenmelon

You can find them at her etsy shop and at only $39.00, I may need a whole bunch...

Queen Marie

The restyling of 'style'

So! the Style Section of The Sunday Times  has had a restyle...

What do we think then?

On first look, it strikes me as what Queen Michelle and I would call 'tricksy' - lots of little graphic tricks on the headers and footers

 I don't know if the illustrative graphics for section headers will be repeated every week

If so, they may have designed themselves into a hole. They will look appealing for a few weeks and then I predict, will start to grate.

You can't argue with the content however and I never object to some reversed type boxes...

If I had to sum it up in word I would say it sadly, it strikes me as 'gimicky', but will it stop me reading it, hell no! it's The Style section - an essential part of my sundays...

Queen Marie

x

Undercover of the night...

What would you say, if a boy came towards you, making like a modern day batman wearing this cape?

Undercover Wool Printed Cape £870.00 again from Browns

You can't look at this without thinking of course, of the cover of 'Unknown Pleasures' the first album released by Joy Division on  Tony Wilson's Factory record label.

Scary to think that this album was released almost 30 years ago!  The front cover image comes from an edition of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, and was originally drawn with black lines on a white background. It presents successive pulses from the first pulsar discovered, PSR B1919+21—often referred to in the context of this album by its older name, CP 1919.[5] The image was suggested by drummer Stephen Morris[6] and the cover design is credited to Joy Division, Peter Saville and Chris Mathan. The back cover of the album contains no track listings, leaving a blank table where one would expect the listings to be. The original release came in a textured sleeve. 

Now if you will excuse me, I am going to make some tea and dig out my copy of 24 Hour Party People. If you haven't seen this film detailing the story of Tony Wilson and Factory Records, do so at once!!!

Queen Marie

A bit of bling for boys...

I often think that I would hate to be a boy.

Mainly from the wardrobe angle.

Their choices seem so much more limited.

While the relaxed street look seems much more achieveable, what about when you want something a little bit more, something a little bit shiny. How about these amazing Alejandro Ingelmo Low woven sneakers. Like little Bottenga Veneta bags for your feet...

Alejandro Ingelmo (Reduced from £540.00 to £275.00)

You can find them at the wonderful Browns

If you have the money you might also want to treat yourself to one of these stunning coats...

Rick Owens High Neck Flannel Coat £1280

Balenciaga Pique Coat (reduced from £759 to £400)

It goes without saying, that I would be off with the Rick Owens one faster than a rat up a drainpipe...

Queen Marie

NB - Sorry about the quality of these images. They are pretty low res. I should have perhaps dropped the lovely Sarah the press assistant from Browns, an email requesting better shots, but I was a lazy Queen in need of breakfast. x

Faster than the speed of light...

One of the most eye opening things about our trip was the deepening realisation of just how quickly the fashion landscape is moving and changing. I had asked Luisa what impact the rise of weekly fashion magazines such as Grazia  had had on things. As I suspected, she said it had changed everything. People wanted more new things and they want them faster. 

It got me to thinking how the fashion consumer is becoming more and more demanding. One one hand, that is exactly how it should be. We are spending our hard earned money and deserve choice and service. On a personal level it is the level of choice that has seen both Queen Michelle and I do much of our shopping online. That is not to say we have stopped 'bricks and mortar' shopping. Of course not! but it tends to be for more spontaneous and vintage pieces. 

But consumers being the contrary creatures they are, they are also looking for more from the online offerings made by high street stores. Only this week we got an email from the charming Anna, telling us that one store  who has listened is wonderful John Lewis. Recognizing that people want the information and the choice offered by on-line boutiques, they have changed the fashion element of their site to include seasonal trend guidance by fashion expert and former Marie Claire editor Marie O'Riordan ,glossy magazine style pages with regularly changing fashion guides,and  ‘Brand Boutiques’ which will showcase virtual shop windows, carrying the in-store experience through to the website, one of which of course is Mulberry

Daria Hobo in Cerise £650

It may just be my machine, I found the website very slow but the fact that they are trying to give customers more can only be a good thing...

I of course couldn't resist poking about the interiors. I wish I hadn't, because now my palace won't be complete until I get my paws on this Marcel Wanders Jewelled Stool...

Marcel Wanders for Kartell - Jewel Stone Stool £109

Happy happy, shiny shiny.

Queen Marie

The Mulberry Madness...

From the minute we got off the train in London, we could feel the Mulberry  Madness in the air. It was very peculiar, it was a palpable buzz everywhere we went. A whole city in love with a brand, most odd. We were invited to the party in Claridges on the Sunday night, but due to timing and traveling we fell asleep. Bolllocks! because it sounded like the best fun. It had a fairground theme and even included fairground stalls including one of my old favourites - 'hook a duck' where you could win a Mulberry bag.

Lucky Sarah from my-wardrobe won a bracelet, but poor Lauren only scored some stickers. She woz robbed!

It is maybe just as well we missed it, had there been candy floss there, we would have eaten our entire body weight in it and probably made ourselves quite ill.

We are big candy floss fans in The KIngdom

Queen Marie

Show me to The Showroom...

One of the most luxurious parts of any trip to London must be showroom invitations. Away from the hustle and bustle of the show, you can coo over the loveliness in comfort. The lovely Tamsin, from Kingdom favourites Astley Clarke had invited us to pop in for tea at their stunning new showroom which is complete with padded silk walls. *sigh*

Now while we were a tad nervous about being too grubby for such swanky surroundings, I was eager to see this 'Adriana' necklace designed by London duo La Diaso.  I love love love chalcedony...

'Adriana' Aqua Chalcedony and Crystals £440

Sadly, it was a case of too much London, not enough time and we didn't manage to sip tea from that stunning china. But being a thoughtful kind of girl, Tamsin has given us a 10% discount code  and free postage and packing for the next two weeks (it is KINGDOM). Being generous Queens, you can use it too! Sadly if you live oversees,you will have to pay for postage but you can still get the 10%. Yay!

Now if you excuse me, I'm off for a prowl and at least this way, I don't need to worry about leaving dirty marks on the upholstery.

Your grubby Queen Marie

x

Never Too Much

Leila Shams is a Persian designer who grew up in Maryland and has done stints at the likes of DKNY. Leila says in her biography that she has been criticised her whole career for being "too over the top". I do not understand these words.

When the Powers That Be declare fashion as being "too over the top" then we know someone, somewhere is determined to suck all the fun out of fashion and insist upon us concentrating only on flattering our figures or dressing our age. I find being forced into either of these routes most deplorable!

I love my dark, gothic aesthetic but I like it to be overly dramatic, I like my colour to be bright and obvious, my patterns to clash unapologetically. I like my fashion to be fun and silly - "too over the top" means nothing to me.

When I look at Leila's collection I see a celebration. I see a woman who enjoys the spectacle of glamour and glitter, of colour and enjoyment.

I defy anyone to say they can't find something in this collection they like. It's a glorious mish mash of everything she's ever been told not to do. It's her own kind of rebellion and I like it!

Queen Michelle

Evil Pixie

I have come to the conclusion that Pixie Market was put on this earth to torment me. I believe the lovely Magda is actually an evil temptress who's earth bound duty is to try and bankrupt me. She is clearly in cahoots with London based designer Louis de Gama, because I need this dress.

If a job doesn't present itself soon I'm going to have to consider investing in a balaclava and start robbing banks. That's not so bad - we know girls can look good in balaclavas...

Queen Michelle

The Male Of The Species

Mens fashion. I've been thinking so much about it over the past few months, trying to really cement in my head how I feel about it. I have opinions, obviously, about what I think men look good in.

My own Prince dresses pretty well I reckon, even more so considering he's 45 which I find very inspirational. He's not a full on Fashion Boy who, although make fabulous eye candy, are rare creatures indeed, especially around these parts. He doesn't know his Rad from his Rick and couldn't actually give a rats arse either. I don't think there's room in our house for two fashionphiles anyway.

My Prince falls into the Streetwear Boy style. I do have a weakness for good streetwear. Put the boy in low slung jeans (sitting centre of the hips is perfect - nothing beats a flash of hip bone), good sneakers and a parka and that pretty much seals the deal for me. My Prince uses this uniform to great effect, and I think it was his parka and shaved head that first made me do a double take. I have however been trying to get him into a slim fitting, vintage leather bomber jacket for years now, as that's my other sartorial weak spot when it comes to menswear, but so far he's having none of it, however I shall continue trying!

Prince B in da house! Whom I've just annoyed by taking this photo whilst he's doing a mix - sorry! Rocking out one of his many Adidas track tops and our very broken headphones in our very messy studio setup.

I seem to be the last to know this, but I had no idea Liam Gallagher had a label, Pretty Green. How much he's involved in the design process is anyone's guess, but I admit that I love Liam Gallagher's style. It's a bit street and a bit Mod and the man knows a good parka. The parka from the Pretty Green is one I'd wear myself.

It is also, in my opinion, the highlight of the label.

Queen Marie and I have been fans of You Must Create, a label which started doing womenswear again after a long absense, for a very long time. We both own lots of YMC from many, many years gone by. Their menswear is beautiful and what the label does excel at. It's quite preppy overall but team the tees with some beaten skinny jeans and Converse and there is hotness right there! The hooded trench is especially beautiful and again something I'd wear myself.

Queen Michelle