Kingdom Of Style

Fashion With A Conscience

Ethical consumerism has been at the forefront of many minds of late as we realise our planet is in rapid decline. Stranded polar bears are making us re-evaluate the effect we are having on the planet we share with many other species.

But let's call it like we see it - it's hard to be fashionable and ethical. Sad but true. Most ethical clothing is all very hippy-ish and not at all what the fashion forward among us want to be wearing. There seems to be an unwritten rule that states ethical fashion must equal sensible shoes and sack dresses.

Slowly attitudes are changing and we are seeing high street brands look at their overseas factories more critically and some are stocking organic ranges within their stores. Of course, the reality is that ethical also means more expensive and if you are willing to spend more on fashion without getting well known designer labels, then you need the designs to be seriously stylish, with appropriate nods to the trends of the season.

Let me introduce you then to Fashion Conscience - a online boutique which has gathered together the best ethical designers out there, and put them all in one wonderfully fashionable site.

How refreshing to see truly  directional design which does not harm our environment and recognises that people who want to be ethical don't want to look like rejects from a Goa trance party.

Queen Michelle

Happy Halloween Everyone x

(in case you were wondering, a zamboni is one of the big machines you see in ice rinks that resurface the rink and make nice new fresh ice!)

If you hear an extra loud chap at your door tonight, it might be Queen Michelle and I.  We know where you all live and we want all the good sweeties, none of your healthy rubbish!!!

Queen Marie

From Russia With Love

For those who have heard of him, Igor Chapurin may be thought of as a designer of couture gowns for the Russian elite and pageant princesses. Whilst his glitzy gowns do indeed adorn the bodies of the Russian wealthy, he is also a costume designer of note having designed for plays by Oleg Menshikov; the Madam Lioneli ballet; Kirill Serebrennikov's theatre play Demon as well as costumes and decor for the renowned Bolshoi. But it's his ready-to-wear work which really excites me.

The same drama seen in his costumes can be seen in these collections. Russian Tsar meets contemporary European woman. Ruffles a plenty but not floaty whimsical ruffles - his are much more structural and tough.

And my personal favourite - a leather ruffled blouse. I have died and gone to fashion heaven...

I mean really, is that not absolutely divine?

Queen Michelle

Happy Birthday To You...

...Brittique! You are officially one year old!

It was Queen Marie who first introduced us to the delight that is Brittique last year, and for me it's been a weekly haunt ever since.

So for the best British based designers get clicking your way around the site and see what delights await you.

Happy Birthday from Kingdom of Style xxx

Queen Michelle

pinkie promise...

Another new one!
I made my first 'pinkie promise' last night...

Speaking briefly to young T, I expressed my very grave concern that I thougt I had saw him earlier in the evening with a glow stick.
He denied it vehemently. " No it wasn't me, honestly, I swear. Pinkie Promise?"
He held out his pinkie and I realised that we were to link pinkies and thus make the promise.
So we did. But regardless of his emerging dj talent, if we find out his promise was rashly made, G Ape and I will have no option but to hunt him down like a dog in the street.

Queen Marie

on the button...

I love it when I hear a new word or expression!
When I first heard the phrase 'boxing donkeys for money', I laughed like a drain. I still don't know what it means but I still like it.

Last night, I went to find Jonnie to say goodnight, when I found him he said - "is that you away button?"*
How charming is that? - 'button'
Affectionate but not too sweet. I have now officially incorporated it into the Palace lexicon.

Queen Marie

* trade marked and registered to jonnie wilkes oct 2007

Stormtrooper Comes To Life

Remember the top half of the kids' Stormtrooper outfit that I had planned to convert? Well I finally managed to grab half an hour on Sunday to play about with it. I stripped away the  sleeves and the faux buckle leaving just the padded front panel, onto which I added some straps to create a waistcoat/top kind of thing.

I took out the padding too as it puffed in all the wrong places once it was on. I also added kilt buckles to the thick white elastic strapping and voila! a shiny, futuristic addition to my wardrobe.

I also wore it with a plain white vest and black waxed jeans on Friday night and it added a little something extra to an otherwise simple outfit.

I will certainly be looking out for more halloween outfits in charity shops as they have amazing conversion potential.

Queen Michelle

Wundebar Wunderkind...

Let me just say before I start this post , that Wolfgang Joop kind of creeps me out.  He always makes me think of a male version of Jocelyn Wildenstein.

That said, I absolutely love his Wunderkind line.
His spring summer 2008 made me feel quite giddy. It is so completely and totally full on, with pattern on top of pattern on top of pattern, that it should look very wrong, but somehow to me, it looks very right!

I will however issue the following warning -

IF YOU ARE FEELING DELICATE OR FRAGILE TODAY, DO NOT LOOK AT THE IMAGES BELOW, THEY WILL PUSH YOU OVER THE MOTHERFREAKIN' EDGE ...

A print intoxicated Queen Marie

If Marc is coming to dinner...

you can count me out!

I am a sucker for ceramics and china.
I even went to ceramics night classes at Glasgow School of art for three years. Much to my chagrin, everything I produced looked pedestrian and heavy. But even at my worst, nothing I turned out was as twee as this nonsense for Waterford...

But ceramics and china don't need to look like this.
They can steal away your heart and your breath.
Nymphenburg Porcelain have been producing things of wonder and beauty for over 300 years!
Although they respect the past, they fully embrace the future, allowing new artists to create treasures for the future.
One such artist is Hella Jongerius who produced these bowls.
I want them and I need them. All of them!

"Would you like some custard with your hippo Sir?"

"Would you like some double cream with your deer Madam?"

"Or how about some strawberry sauce with your snail Miss?"

Queen Marie

There's no place like home, there's no place like home...

We all have our own personal fashion holy grail.

For Queen Michelle for many many many years it was 'the perfect pair of jeans'. For Lady Lisa the 'perfect black trousers and white t-shirt'. For me it is 'red dorothy shoes' from the Wizard of Oz*...

Over the years, many pairs of red sparkly and sequinned shoes have made their way to the palace, but all
have fallen short of expectation. They are banished unworn to one of the Palace shoe cupboards never to be seen again, and the quest resumes...
I was looking throught the Patrick Cox site the other day ( no idea why, I'm not really a fan!) when my eyes beheld these wonders...

I am almost afraid to say it, but they look almost 'perfect' I fear however they may be expensive.
*bitter sob*
I may have to visit the Wizard of Oz himself and ask for a big bag of cash!

Queen Marie

*Dorothy's shoes from The Movie have gone on to be one of the most famous and recognized pieces of movie costuming — and the most sought after, considering how much money pairs have fetched at auction. The first pair auctioned off was at MGM's studio auction in 1970, when they went for $15,000. This pair now belongs to the Smithsonian Institution, and toured America in the 1990s as part of the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary celebration. Since then, other pairs have turned up. Like other Hollywood costumes, there was more than one pair of Ruby Slippers — and Bobbie Koshay, Garland's stand-in, had a different shoe size, meaning some had to be made to fit her as well. At least five pairs are known to exist, and they have fetched higher and higher prices at auctions. The last pair known to be sold went for $660,000 at Christie's auction house in New York City in 2000. This pair, by the way, had been given away as a contest prize in 1939, and the winner had kept them for nearly fifty years before putting them up for auction. The first auction for this pair of Ruby Slippers, in 1988, brought a price of $165,000, and the buyer put them on display at the Disney-MGM Studio park at Walt Disney World before putting them up for auction again.