The importance of being charming

I’ve always had a “thing” for charm bracelets and necklaces. Perhaps it’s to do with the fact that I tend to hoard things for sentimental value or maybe it’s just because they can be so darn pretty. Anyway, I’ve been on a long quest to find a great charm bracelet to invest in. I’ve considered the cute tactile Links Sweetie bracelet and the sterling silver Thomas Sabo charm bracelets that have become increasingly popular. However, I tend to veer towards gold as I think it suits my skin colour better and the complete ubiquity that they have enjoyed puts me off somewhat. Part of the inherent charm, pardon the pun, of charm bracelets is the fact that they feel personal to you. If everyone is wearing the same bracelet, its specialness is somewhat diluted.

I’m still holding out for finding the right charm bracelet. I’m currently veering towards Astley Clarke’s beautiful classic collection of yellow-gold charms. I mean, how cute is this ‘Nut King Squirrel Charm’?

Granted, I would probably only be able to afford the bracelet void of charms as it stands (damn my bank balance) but still I’d like to think, I could amass an enviable collection of charms eventually... it would be an investment, clearly.

Mulberry: the decline of the luxury sector

Mulberry, the British heritage brand that is best known for their classic bags with celebrity fans such as Alexa Chung and Lana del Rey, seems to be struggling in today's tough economic climate. Their shares lost nearly a quarter of their value today indicating the steep fall in international sales (yes, yet again, we are looking at the ailing Asian demand).

The Chief Executive, Bruno Guillon, is pretty optimistic though and maintains that Mulberry is still a profitable firm. In fact, in the 6 months to the end of September 2012, UK sales increased by 13% compared to the same period in 2011. It's almost impossible to walk around London and NOT see several people with their Mulberry armcandy. Their classic and beautifully crafted designs are loved in the UK by women of all ages and the recent celebrity designs have pulled in a newer, younger generation too. But whether Mulberry will pull in the punters in Asia is yet to be seen.

Love of androgyny

I've always been a huge fan of the 'androgyny' trend that pops up every now and then in the fickle world of fashion. Ever since I was little, the idea of power dressing has really appealed to me (admittedly my "rower" shoulders mean it permanently looks as if I'm wearing shoulder pads). In some ways, the androgyny trend can be seen as an offshoot of power dressing. Immediately, I think of beautiful women (or men a la David Bowie) with chiselled features wearing a sharp masculine suit - how wouldn't that make you feel powerful? Plus, there's something incredibly mysterious about not showing much flesh - the antithesis of what seems to be the norm nowadays.

I was attempting to clear out my wardrobe as it's starting to look ridiculous now and I noticed that I do have a significant number of items that could be classed as 'androgynous'. I'd been going through a girly phase for a while and in my schizophrenic style-mind, I've been feeling the need to reflect a new-found assertiveness in what I wear. I think I'll juxtapose the masculine sharp suits, crisp high-neck white shirts and brogues with dramatic make-up and big hair (think Robert Palmer's super stylish 'Addicted to Love' video...)

Trouble in Boden

Boden is one of those brands that has a really defined target market - you know, the upper middle to upper class group of women above 35 who shop at Waitrose, eat cakes from Cath Kidston tins and sport Orla Kiely bags when they visit their local farm shop for organic produce. It boasts celebrity fans such as David and Samantha Cameron which says a lot about its "image".

Anyway, Boden has appeared in the press quite a lot lately because they've hired Helena Christensen as their new model. Apparently, a lot of Boden's core customer base are annoyed as they feel that Helena, being a gorgeous supermodel an' all, should not be considered an accurate representative of 'real women.' I totally understand the push for getting more 'real women' (i.e. women of all different sizes, ethnicities etc.) out there but I think this is a bit ridiculous as it's not like they've stuck some emaciated 15 year old model in their campaigns.

Helena is clearly gorgeous but I don't think there's anything bad about seeing a gorgeous woman in clothes. Everyone wants to look good and it's common sense that good clothes on a good-looking woman will make you more likely to buy. And in many ways, she does fit into the group which Boden are targeting: she's 43, a mother and works as a breast cancer fundraiser. A load of hot puff...

The perfect statement accessory

I have to confess I have a love/hate relationship with accessories. When I was younger, I loved the trend, probably started by Mary Kate Olsen, where you pile on the accessories to achieve a sort of hobo chic look. But since that phase, I've become really averse to over accessorising - I think it can make an outfit look too 'busy' plus loads of bangles jangling on the table is not the most practical.
Despite this, though, I've always loved the idea of a statement accessory that really brings an interesting dimension to an outfit. Generally, I'd say I'm quite minimalist in what I wear - I like clean, tailored lines and often darker or more muted colours, so a statement accessory can really make the outfit from something that could be a little drab to something that looks far more 'high fashion.'
Today I'm wearing a fun colourful statement bracelet to set off a rather dark outfit. (I'm wearing a grey cotton three-quarter length top and a faux leather pleated skirt, if you're wondering from the picture).

The faux jewels (and I like the fact that they're obviously faux as it adds a more tongue-in-cheek vibe) are different sized rectangles and make me think of abstract paintings. I've already had a few compliments this morning and if you're a sucker for compliments, statement accessories are the way to go!
I think it's nice to have a pretty plain outfit to juxtapose with the statement accessory and took this a little further by painting my nails a lovely nude/ dark taupe colour (Barry M, 'Mushroom').

Cute Marc Jacobs mouse flats

... never get old. I remember when these were the big thing in 2005/6 on the perfectly pedicured feet of Mischa Barton (back before she went AWOL) and Nicole Ritchie in her scarily thin phase. Anyway, I suddenly remembered my love for them, looked them up and it looks like they're still going strong. You can buy them on Bloomingdales.com with a pretty reasonable postage fare to the UK. Time to wait for my pay cheque...

Cheaper option Strangely, Accessorize have jumped on the cute flats bandwagon and brought their own kitty flats out at £26, a fraction of the price! Granted, they're nowhere near as cute as the real McCoy but if you're on a tight budget and love the concept, then they're still a great find!

M&S's not-so-sparky idea?

The Sunday Times reported that Marc Bolland, CEO of M&S, is anticipating a comeback for Marks and Spencers in the form of a gizmo that allows you to find the 'perfect' pillow. As well as this, Bolland's looking to greatly widen the variety of cheese and meats available from the deli counter to entice more shoppers in to breathe back a little life into the fading department store. Poor M&S. As much as I am rooting for their success, I can't help but feel that Bolland's lost the plot a bit with a bizarre pillow gadget. Surely the better way to revive M&S would be to sort out their ailing fashion department. Now's the time to bring in top fashion buying talent and a complete restructuring needs to be considered. Enough faffing about with pillow and cheese - sort out the root problem first!