Where I’ve Been…Thailand

It’s been a few months since I last blogged but I’m back!

I’ve spent the last few months spreading myself between two jobs – one at BBC and another with Miss Patina but as of next week I will be a full-time Brand Manager with Miss Patina. There are lots of exciting things happening in the business so I’ve decided to start writing again to share all the behind the scenes fun!

In June, I spent three and a half weeks in Thailand with two of my best friends. We started out in Bangkok, traveling north to Chiang Mai for a week then south to Koh Phi Phi for a week and Koh Tao for another week before heading back to Bangkok for some last minute shopping. If you are going to Thailand, I would warn you that it’s quite touristy especially on the islands. It’s hard to get off the beaten track and have a different experience to the norm. Thai locals seem to be sick of tourists and we found many people in the service industry to be quite rude. Chiang Mai was my favourite place and we heard wonderful things about a town nearby called Pai which seems to be recommended through word of mouth amongst backpackers. We didn’t have time to go there but that would be my travel tip for something a bit different!

I am very excited to tell you that Thailand and in particular, Bangkok is a great place for shopping! The Khao San Road which is a strip of hostels and tacky bars, street stalls and tourists actually has many shopping gems!

Firstly silver there is really cheap and there are many stores on and near the Khao San Road, for example I bought two lovely silver rings for approx £5. You have to do a bit of haggling of course. There are also a few stores selling wholesale leather and bone jewellery – all that cool stuff that is synonymous with backpacking style. I got some great leather bracelets and wooden earrings and got a great deal. These jewellery stores sell wholesale so it was interesting to see how little they can be bought for in Thailand but how expensive they would be in a store in the UK.

Next vintage….which is possible to find on the Khao San Road! You have to be savvy however – there is one lady who sells really cool shirts on the street for £2 each. She won’t bargain however as these really are rock bottom prices compared to the prices you’d pay in London vintage shops. I bought 10 of them so you can expect to see them popping up on the blog! She only has one rail on the street and she doesn’t start selling until around 11pm. Here is one of my favourite shirts…

You can also buy vintage Levi shorts for about £8 which are perfect for these shirts. This combo is a real East London look. Also wearing lots and lots of bracelets on your wrists is a mark of the backpacker and you can pick them up really cheap. The more you buy, you can negotiate a better discount. Here’s an example of a leather bracelet and some colourful ones…

As you go down the Khao San Road there are little turns off to the left and right and if you go down the alley opposite Susie Walking Street (great name!) right to the very end – there is a couple who have a stall to the left and right. The left is all vintage and to the right is really nice and comfy “hippy” attire – think yoga pants and layered tops. This lady is reluctant to bargain as well – they know how popular vintage is in the Western World so they expect a good price for their pieces. I got the below contrast collar dress for approx £8. Can’t complain!

There’s not only shopping on the Khao San Road – Bangkok has one of the world’s biggest indoor markets called Chatuchak Market. This is only on at weekends so I didn’t manage to visit it. However, there is a big indoor market daily at Siam Square – most of these stalls sell variations of the same thing – very girly, cute clothes with pastel colours. Lots of blouses and shirts with coloured shorts and pleated print skirts. If you go to Camden Market, the style is quite similar. I was again on the hunt for vintage and got a cool studded black leather shoulder bag for £14 and a cute lime green summer dress for £3. I will feature them in a post soon.

My advice to you for shopping in Thailand is not to shop on the islands – there were nice stores on Koh Phi Phi but prices of dresses were about £40. While many people advise to get out of Bangkok as fast as you can, I would definitely say to give yourself a day or two for shopping!

If you have any questions or comments about Thailand, please feel free to leave them below!

Kob Koon Ka! (Thank you in Thai)

Sarah x

Parisian Way of Life

I have just returned from a short stay in Paris and am feeling super inspired by the French lifestyle. The elegance and sophistication of the street style there is very different. While London is renowned for it’s laid back, bit scruffy, ‘last minute’ look (as I like to call it), Paris achieves an understated chic that displays luxury and quality.

I didn’t see two women wearing the same handbags or coats while I was there. However, in London and Ireland, we tend to be clones of one another. We all shop in the same places and buy the same things. Parisian women are all about quality – everything looks expensive, which I am sure it can’t all be as I am speaking about women in their early twenties. It has really opened my eyes to the importance of carefully choosing great bags, jackets and shoes especially for winter time. I do get the feeling that Parisian women are more inhibited and this is reflected in their colour palettes but I think we could all definitely learn a thing or two from them.

I went to a club called The Social Club which was pretty cool but I was taken aback by what the girls wore there. No body con dresses which we see way too much of here in the UK – mostly flat shoes, skinny jeans and casual smart tops. I guess some might say that’s boring but again, I do think there is something to be said for understated style. Most of us can’t walk properly in the heels that are sold on the high street so I do think it’s worthwhile to look to our European counterparts and learn that less can be more.

Of course it helps that the backdrop of the city itself is so ornate and elegant. I wish I had lots of money to shop there and show you what I bought but *sigh* I had little funds to get me further than a chocolate viennois and a crepe noisette. Also please note, there ain’t no such thing as a ‘mocha’ in France. Where did this come from?!

Here is a little selection of scenery from Paris you might enjoy…

My outfit in the above photo: Jacket – H&M, Faux fur collar – Urban Outfitters, Top – Topshop, Skirt – Miss Patina, Tights – Topshop, Bag – H&M, Shoes – Vintage.

Where have you been in the world that influenced you style wise or where you noticed the fashion being much different to where you live?

Sarah xx

Why Vintage Rocks!

Very much getting in the vintage buzz at the moment and appreciating the detail and quality of older pieces. Take this beautiful 1970’s 2-in-1 dress for example…

How many pleated midi skirts did we see all summer on the streets? Here is the original real deal. It’s funny how trends keep coming back again and again. Vintage doesn’t mean old-fashioned. In fact, it can mean quite the opposite. Right now this burnt orange colour is also very popular and that’s nothing new either. If you’re clever about it, vintage can be offer a unique take on a current trend and set you apart from everyone else.

I must admit though I have very little patience when it comes to big vintage stores that require a lot of time to root through rails and rails of clothes. Also the musty smell puts me off! I prefer stores who select their vintage pieces carefully.

I also get tired of the typical vintage East London combo of ripped Levi shorts, oversized faded t-shirts and bomber jackets complete with thick rimmed glasses, of course! If you are really interested in vintage, there are much more special items to be found.

Some sites I’d like to recommend are Gary Pepper, Bitter Root and also the vintage section on Etsy.

I would love to hear from you if there are other good online sites where you buy vintage.

This dress has been sourced by Holly from Miss Patina. It will be for sale on their website soon. The blazer is from their Autumn Winter 2011 collection and is up there now. The hat and bag are vintage too.

Have a great weekend!

Sarah xx

Chanel Inspired Tweed + Stella McCartney

More Summer outfits – tah dah! (And some really poor camera angling on my behalf – hello doorknob!).

This denim crop shirt is A-Wear, the skirt is Miss Patina which comes with this cute key and buckle belt. The bag is from Camden Market, the socks are Topshop and the slip-ons are Miss Selfridge. The skirt is so unusual and inspired by classic Chanel tweed however uses white mixed with bright pastel colours. It is high-waist and very comfortable to wear.

Gotta have some shades – these are also Chanel inspired sunglasses from Polaroid (yes they make sunglasses). These are called ‘Seduction’ and are part of their classic range. They have a vintage inspired ‘heritage’ range also that do quirky shades inspired by previous decades.

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Stella McCartney debúted her Spring Summer 2012 collection at Paris Fashion Week yesterday. The venue was Opera National de Paris and in attendance were newlyweds Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevall as well as fashion royalty Rachel Zoe, Mario Testino,  Anna Dello Russo and Alexa Chung.

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk) 

Profits have soared this year for McCartney and many A-Listers have been spotted wearing her mesh polka dot dresses including Kate Winslet, Liv Tyler and Jane Fonda.

(Source: http://stingystyle.blogspot.com/2011/08/get-stellas-dots.html)

The look for Spring Summer 2012 is comfortable, flowing and sports inspired. Materials are a combination of mesh and lace. The patterns are paisley or simply nude or white, very Stella. It’s an unusual combination of what looks like pajamas, tennis dresses and over sized suits…

Stella has collaborated with Adidas for a special sports range in honor of the London Olympics 2012 and you can see this influence in the SS12 collection. However, what I liked most from this collection were the dresses. Feast your eyes!

(Source: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/galleries/)

This is my favourite one:

As you can see this wave design features in a lot of pieces in the collection.

So what can us high street folk take from Stella McCartney Spring Summer 2012?

• Matching pattern trouser suits are going to be a big look
• Body con is staying around but Stella has put a classier twist on it with a looser fit as opposed to a bandage style
• Paisley pattern is making a big comeback
• Colour blocking in neutral shades will be popular as opposed to colour blocking bold colours

Spotlight on the FROW: Dasha Zhukova – love this!

Until next time.

Sarah xx

Yellow Rose

Here are some photos I had taken last week in Miss Patina clothing.

I really love the colour of this shirt – dusty pink is very complementary for blondes.

The bag is vintage and I love these shoes from Russell Bromley. These tights are from Dorothy Perkins and although coloured tights can sometimes be too much, I think in this case they make the outfit a little more interesting.

The bow on the shirt is actually detachable so it can look a bit different each time you wear it.

I really love this look – blouses and high-waist skirts – it’s so feminine and gives a nice silhouette.

These shots were taken outside somebody’s house in East Acton – lucky they didn’t come out and tell us off!

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Being a big Kirsten Dunst fan, I am looking forward to seeing this Lars Von Trier movie which opens tomorrow. I’m going to do a post soon on my favourite actresses and Kirsten will most definitely be included!

Model Behaviour

So today instead I bring you what our lovely Miss Patina models wore at the photoshoot…

Name: Christine Kearney

T-shirt: Bershka

Waistcoat: Primark

Shorts: River Island

Brogues: Primark

Bag: River Island

Bracelet: Pandora

Name: Natasha

Coat: Topshop

Shirt: Vintage

Jeans: Topshop

Boots: Topshop

Bag: Vintage

Bracelets: Handmade friendship bracelets

I totally love Natasha’s hair – would love to dip-dye mine but it’s too short.

Oh and I think Natasha might erm love Topshop!! 🙂

Such lovely girls (well Christine is my cousin so I might be a little biased!) and they did a really good job!

***

Just saw this Chanel ad for the first time today although it came out in March.

It’s really beautiful and I’m also a recent big fan of Joss Stone so like that she’s singing in the ad.

G’night all xxx

Behind the scenes sneak peak

Shooting more of the Autumn Winter collection 2011 today. The lovely models-Tasha and Christine!

More coming up…

Sarah x

Miss Patina signature dress

Today I’m wearing a signature dress from Miss Patina – I say signature because the collar and the bow is really unique to the brand.

I really like this dress because of the grey and white print – it makes it look edgy. It’s the kind of dress I could see Laura Whitmore, Caroline Flack or Fearne Cotton wearing with some great ankle boots. (Can you guess what I’d like to do for a living?!)

I have teamed it with this AMAZING cardigan which is one of my favourite items in wardrobe. I did some leafleting for Topshop at the opening of their store in Cork, Ireland and I got to wear and KEEP a whole Topshop outfit and this cardigan was priced at about £120! Imagine how happy I was that day 🙂 It has black sequins with silver baubles – it’s quite delicate though and I’m afraid to wear it anymore in case I ruin it.

Over the knee socks were really big last winter and I think black ones like these can be a wardrobe stable for every winter. They are best worn with something loose though (and not a body con skirt) as they can look a bit risqué.

The shoes I’m wearing are in a burgundy shade which is very current – I think this colour works well to brighten up the outfit just the right amount. These are patent court shoes with a really high heel (so be careful) from New Look.

The ring I have on is from H&M.

The dress is available here:

http://www.misspatina.bigcartel.com/product/miss-patina-vintage-inspired-white-collar-dress-grey

Miss Patina have a shoot coming up this weekend and I’ve managed to get one of my cousins involved to do the modelling, I’m really excited to have her over and I know she will be brilliant. We are shooting at The Rookery Hotel in London (http://www.rookeryhotel.com/) and I will definitely be blogging about how it goes.

Happy Tuesday!

Sarah xxx