If Kate is as faithful to Wills as she is to her footwear provider, then we can expect a long and happy marriage. Kate’s nude L.K. Bennett pumps have been seemingly welded to her feet ever since she removed the Alexander McQueens that she wore at her wedding (*sigh*, still not over that day)… and of course there were the black patent wedges that she wore the following morning. The nude pumps are unsurprisingly sold out (unless you want to pay triple the price on ebay – damn those wily wheeler dealers), but the wedges are still in stock. It’s a match made in heaven; both Kate and L.K. are as quintessentially English as tea and scones, and the ladylike silhouettes and understated accessories are the perfect solution to a summer of weddings, garden parties and polo matches. Not that I’ve been to any polo matches… I’m sure the invites have just been lost in the post. Anyway, here are my picks from L.K.Bennett’s beautiful collection – what do you think of the shop which gets the royal seal of approval?

{all products available at L.K.Bennett}

I remember first seeing an assortment of chairs around a kitchen table in Monica’s Friends apartment. I’m a massive fan of mismatched decor with a bit of quirkiness, and this trend really embraces that – for want of a better word – higgledy-piggledyness. Eloquent, right?! Whether you go all out and go for different styles, textures and colours, or just change one element (e.g. same chairs, different colour), it can turn your kitchen or dining room table into a real feature of the room. And there’ll always be the fight for the comfiest chair…

{images via pinterest}
What do you think of this interior trend?

We made it to Friday! Hope you’ve had a good week. It’s been a busy one for me, one way or another – on Wednesday night I went to see Take That in concert, which was pretty damn uh-may-zing. The boys (or men… it’s not the Smash Hit Poll Winners Party any more!) showed what incredible performers they all are, and the atmosphere in Wembley stadium was beyond electric, especially when they played ‘Never Forget’ – it gave me goosebumps. After all these years, they’ve still got it! This weekend there’s no rest for the wicked, as I’m off to Nottingham for my friend Lucy’s hen do. I love spending time with my school friends… it may be 12 years since we left senior school, but we’re still as close as we ever were. Sensing what will surely go on this weekend, I have taken Monday off work. Not just a hat rack, my friend.
Now, did your jaw drop just a little bit when you saw Elie Saab’s Fall 2011 Couture Collection? Along with Marchesa and Chanel, I know for certain that Elie is going to produce something very special. These gowns were grouped in colour, graduating from light to dark, which gave an almost “ombre” effect as they were paraded up and down the catwalk. I can already imagine Hollywood’s A-list looking radiant in these ready-to-wear dresses – the question is, who will be the first? (My money’s on Rosie H-W in one of the gowns featuring a sizeable slit… just a hunch).

{images via fashionologie}
Onto ‘Look of the Week’, and I’ve gone for our own Emma Watson, because I’m partial to a ruffle and it’s the end of an era (so I hear – I can’t say I’m a Potter enthusiast). The dress is beautiful and as esquisite as her last Lopez number, the pumps are Chanel, and, well, the hair is a little Julia Roberts circa Hook, but we’ll let that go. At least she had the guts to crop her hair, which is more than can be said for me and my 1995 haircut. And my favourite room of the week has every element that makes me go weak at the knees – a pink/grey combo, a chandelier, window shutters, subways and an ornate floor. Done and done.

{images via prphotos & pinterest}
I hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…

Before my beloved Gossip Girl was on our screens, we had The OC. Although some friends of mine boycotted it with the argument that, “it’s no Dawson’s Creek”, I absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait for my weekly fix of Orange County extravagance… not to mention the will they/won’t they Seth and Summer romance. Summer was head and shoulders above Marissa (just as Blair is to Serena) in every way, but when the show ended everyone expected Mischa Barton to become the new Hollywood darling. Well, we all know what happened there… she discovered every unflattering piece of clothing known to man (honey, culottes are not your friend), lost her hair brush, and was last seen clinging on to celebdom, à la Tara Reid, at Whisky Mist. At the same time we witnessed the blossoming of Bilson, perhaps not in the movie world (unless you count Jumper… which I don’t), into a Chanel muse and all-round uh-may-zing fashionista. So here’s how you too can look like our fave OC-er (especially if you carry around a My Little Pony called Princess Sparkle):

{1. Debenhams red linen jacket – £40 / 2. Republic tribal necklace – £9.99 / 3. Marc B quilted bag – £39 / 4. Lipsy tunic dress – £25 / 5. Belle by Sigerson Morrison nude peeptoe bootie – £162}

{1. Great Plains white shirt – £15 / 2. Miss Selfridge denim shorts – £30 / 3. Luella Heart wayfarer sunglasses – £45 / 4. A/wear croc bucket bag – £25 / 5. Dune strappy wedge sandals – £85}

{1. Oasis crop jacket – £70 / 2. Accessorize chunky necklace – £7.50 / 3. Matt by Matt & Nat wallet purse – £39.20 / 4. Dorothy Perkins cream floral maxi dress – £24}

I have been noticing a lot of artwork and prints featuring maps lately, and I think they make a great focal point in a room… especially when they’re as decorative as the British Isles composed of buttons, or as lively as the illustration of the South Bank. Although I have to say that the map of South Devon is the one I’d go for, since it’s my absolute favourite place in the world. Are you a fan of maps as wall art, and if so, what kind of map would you display?

{1. Famille Summerbelle Paris map – £35 / 2. Hello Geronimo button artwork – £270 / 3. Ursula Hitz New York map – £129 / 4. Distinctly Living South Devon print – £45 / 5. Alice Tait shop South Bank print – £21.50 / 6. The Literary Gift Company British map – £10 / 7. Bold & Noble USA map – £43}