Kingdom Of Style

Bringing The Underground To You

If anyone liked my red Underground London winklepickers I noticed that the wonderful Pixie Market are now stocking several styles of Underground pickers. Cheaper and more authentic than Chloe's.

Queen Michelle

Nice Rack

It came. The Norwegian Wood Ribcage dress Angie and I designed finally arrived. I opened the parcel with a mixture of excitement and trepedation. Would it fit me? Would it suit me? Would it ruin all other dresses for me forever more?

Needless to say when I opened the package and saw the huge zip first of all I knew there was no way I'd be disappointed on any level. It is, quite simply, a breathtaking piece of design.

It surprassed even my expectations. The finishing on this garment is outstanding and, dare I say it, I think Angie has excelled herself with this one. She even included a pretty pair of floral shorts which actually work well with the dress too.

I haven't explored the dress fully as yet but with half an hours play time with it I can already see its potential to become my ultimate wardrobe staple.

Every single bit of this dress hangs to utter perfection. I am only sorry my photographs do not do the design justice. It doesn't fit on my dress form sadly so I can't even show you it in proper detail and without my hair getting in the way!

Edit: Added a back view.

And it does indeed hang like a beautiful set of ribs.

EDIT: a few people have asked about where I got the giant zip. I did give a link to the site on the comment space on the original post but here it is again anyway:

http://orgxiii.org/zippers/

Queen Michelle

Damir Is Da Man!

I'm not entitely sure how many male readers we have but the few, I assume, we do have will notice that menswear doesn't exactly feature heavily on here. I will write about labels that also have mens lines but I usually don't mention it because very often I feel the menswear simply isn't up to scratch or comparitive to the womenswear from the same designer.

Sadly, men are still getting a raw deal when it comes to boundary pushing design. Of course I completely realise that most men are not ready to wear leggings or tights without at least the safety of a pair of shorts or cropped trousers on top, which is absolutely fair enough.

Therefore whenever I have written about menswear I am coming from the perspective of a woman who'd wear those clothes, rather than entirely appreciating the clothes as clothes for men.

One designer I featured some time ago was Damir Doma. His designs I particularly appreciated because the silhouettes and fabrics he presented I found visually appealing for me and the fact he did explore quite feminine shapes and fabrics. Do you have to be a 6ft skinny boy to wear such things head  to toe? Probably, but I think there are items in there than most men could take away and make work into their own wardrobes, even if that wardrobe doesn't contain traditionally 'fashiony' items.

Damir's SS10 collection certainly didn't disappoint me in terms of Things I'd Steal If My Significant Other Owned Them'. He maintains the soft, billowing silhouette of his previous collections and lightens it up again with sheer and light fabrics and a neutral colour palette which is sliced with deep ruby red.

I would wear the sheer shorts which would look beautiful layered over leather or some other visually harder fabric, the black sheer draped top in the first photo and those gorgeous red trousers.

Presented all together like this it would frighten most 'non-fashion' men but take some things out this particular context and you have do really wearable things: the soft crumpled leather jacket, the black unstructured blazer, loose grey trousers and light as air tops - all these things would work with a great deal of the 'average' male wardrobe.

Queen Michelle

'What's todays date?'

I ask this question in the studio about ten times a day.

I can never remember the date.

Never. Ever.

I would love to think that these Vintage Perpetual Calenders from Pedlars would help me...

Vintage Calenders from £60

Sadly, I know myself well enough to know, that I would almost certainly forget to change it every day, meaning that I would be back to square one.

Dozy old bag that I am!

Queen Marie

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Simply souper...

I imagine that when you think of a soup can, you don't imagine this...

Can Lamp £180

The lamp has been transformed from a tomato soup can into a lamp.

You can find it at the wonderful arredo 

Yes it's fun but it's not for me!

I'm strictly a Heinz Tomato Soup kinda Queen

Queen Marie

Flower Power...

When you think of Battersea Powerstation, I don't imagine you think of it like this...

Embroidery Battersea £65.00

Or like this - Blue and White £35

These charming plates are the work of Snowden Flood...

(Is that not one of the best names you have ever heard?)

Snowden is an interior accessories designer based in London.  Her work celebrates urban and rural landscapes through an ongoing exploration of the theme of souvenirs and keepsakes.

I also love this set of Urban Plates £125

Now if you will excuse me, all this talk of plates, is making me think of tea and buns. I must go and get me some...

Queen Marie

The Saint -Malo Mermaid

My friend JC is enjoying his summer vacation with his family in the walled port city of Saint-Malo in Brittany in the West of France...

There on the beach, his very talented young niece has created The Saint-Malo Mermaid...

Looking at these enchanting photographs, I can almost hear and smell the ocean.

They fill me with a longing to see the sea and feel the cold wet sand between my toes...

Queen Marie

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A more precious kind of pom pom...

As I said in the post below, I love pom poms. Queen Michelle and I both have an enduring love for them. I am sure that she loves this stunning necklace as much as I do.

 Made by dotyourteasandxyoureyes you can find it at the wonderful not just a label

Georgette Pompom and Black Shipping Rope Necklace £190...

I am also deeply in love with her silk dress which features reflective piping

Snake Bite Dress £490

(the model also reminds me of a young Queen Michelle)

Sadly I don't have £190 to spend, so if anyone is doing wonderful things on etsy with pompoms, please let me know...

I thank you.

Queen Marie

Break out the Little Bear...

Although according to the calendar it is still summer, up here in rainy Glasgow it has not felt that way for weeks. It has rained every day this month. Now you would be mistaken if you were to think this post was moaning about the weather, quite the contrary...

Last night it was cold enough for me to 'break out the bear'

I found this little bear, complete with pom poms for ears in River Island (£12.99).

He will be a constant companion until I have to break out the wolf ears come winter.

And of course a girl can never have have enough pom poms...

Queen Marie

Zebra Feet

I managed to get my mitts on a pair of the Ashish for Topshop wedges. I know the leopard ones were the most popular but I personally preferred the zebra version, mostly because I don't think I would have been able to do leopard print with any kind of conviction and zebra seemed a bit sillier somehow, and I thought well if I'm going to do 6" high platform 'ponyskin' wedges I'd be as well getting the daftest ones I can!

They did sell out very quickly but they were also exceptionally limited in quantity.

I am most excited by the fact that these are the only shoes I own which are printed so I can now start to properly explore the batty old lady look which will be all about throwing on random prints and colours, which may or may not extend up to my face by wearing pink lipstick with blue eyeshadow.

I am also now able to do monochrome print properly from head to toe.

Make no mistake, these are high. I am wandering around the house thinking to myself "wow, so this is what the world looks like at 6ft 2". The air is slightly clearer up here!".

I hummed and hawed over getting these and it was my Prince who finally convinced me just to get them, so I did. Thank you Prince B!

Queen Michelle