Izabel London | I heart this label

This heart-covered jumper led me to discover Izabel London, an affordable new high street fashion label.

I was first introduced to Izabel London when I was catching up with Jaclyn in the Task PR show room just before London Fashion Week in February. On that grey afternoon I took home a slouchy blue boat-neck knitted sweater from the brand, which was covered in black felt and lace hearts. Since debuting it at fashion week the jumper has fast become a favourite of mine, worn either layered over my favourite Uniqlo flannel shirts, of which I have many, or on its own with black jeans and boots for work. It’s proven particularly useful since the temperature has hovered stubbornly around the zero every day since Spring claimed to have started. See, here I am wearing it at Caravan, home of the soon to be blogged about best brunch I’ve had in ages.

So who is Izabel London? Well, for starters it’s a brand rather than a person. The label started as a best-selling concession stocked in Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins and House of Fraser before launching online in September last year. Aiming for affordability combined with trend-led style, you won’t find much on the site over £40. You can’t get my heart-covered jumper any more, but here are my top three picks from the current Izabel London online offering.

Drop waist check dress, £26

I like the flapper-meets-school girl feel of this cute day dress.

Collarless metallic thread jacket, £20

The boucle-like texture of this cropped jacket gives it more than a hint of Chanel.

Dogtooth trousers by Stella, £21

A sharp pair of Sixties style tapered trousers with gold zip details on the hem.

The OUTNET launches in-house brand: IRIS & INK

The OUTNET’S own label IRIS &  INK launches this week:

The brand is a capsule collection of wardrobe classics, jersey and knits designed to bridge the gap between high-imapct designer pieces and help build or finish outfits.

The first drop showcases cashmere sweaters, brushed silk shirts and classic trench coats:

A collaborative project intended to be worn with all your favourite designer garments throughout variable seasons.  The collection has a simple, wearable finish but incorporates luxurious fabrics and attention-to-detail associated with high-end fashion. Designed to be flattering and versatile, the clothes generally have a relaxed or semi-fitted shape.

Prices start around £62, keeping in line with the brand’s purse-friendly constitution.

Keep checking back to see subsequent drops as the collection develops further.

I have an addiction, Sir! Sampling The Finest Designer Sales Courtesy of Cocosa

Recently, I have developed somewhat of a new-found addiction. An addiction that if I don’t take immediate steps to control, could potentially become a major problem. However, until that time comes and I’m found crying in to a cut price Lulu Guinness tote, I am rather enjoying my new love of scouting out sample sales in and around London.
So when Style & Then Some received an exclusive press invite to the first ever pop-up store by the online e-tailer Cocosa, of course I headed over there to dig for buried treasure. In case you are unaware of Cocosa, the online store, which has been live and flourishing since 2008 and its initial launch as a private members only shopping site (oh la la!) prides itself as a luxury online sales site. It is also incidentally as of last year, owned by former Mr.Harrods, Mohamed Al Fayed.

In the words of Ciara, ‘My goodies’.

Now, I am learning fast that you have to be smart about sample sale shopping, and wisely sacrificed an extra half hour in bed to be one of the first through the doors at the temporary bricks and mortar Cocosa. And lucky for me, I struck gold (albeit gold-plated). Now, if you are a regular reader of S&TS you might have noticed my obsession with the American jewellery brand Dannijo, and basically all semi-precious, over the top costume jewellery I can get my hands on. So when I eagle-eye spied an original Dannijo necklace on the Sample sale table, it didn’t leave my tight grip until I was fully paid up and out the door. Not only this, but I also snatched up this gorgeous Kara Ross bangle that I believe is doing to me what that damned ring did to Gollum. I just can’t stop staring at my precious…

A tad much? Nah! It’s Dannijo!

Hello my precious!

The Cocosa pop-up store is still open until Friday, so if your lucky there might be some bargains left to be had. Not only did they have an array of designer clothing for men and women such as Givenchy, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Vivienne Westwood and Muubaa, but also bags, shoes and jewellery at actual affordable prices. So if you are feeling lucky, head down to the Oui rooms t 40 Eastcastle Street, London from 8AM-8PM. Good luck!

Virtual Changing rooms: The future of online shopping?

No, don’t panic dear readers, Carol Smilie is not returning in some new BBC 3D decorating experience.  The ‘Virtual Changing Rooms’ I am referring to is something that seems to be popping up all over online shopping websites.  Now, I know that to most people this isn’t ‘ground breaking’ news, or worthy of Sir Trevor McDonald’s airtime, but it is somewhat of a technology trend worth monitoring. 

If you haven’t noticed already, any new high-street chain store you walk in to will be equipped with access to computers linked up to it’s slick on-line store.  That is because they know that the majority of people now scout out what they want to buy before they try, online.  Been the Westfield lately?  Notice the ipad bench in Topshop?  I read a fascinating article recently on consumer trends in Draper’s Record (The retail Bible, if you will) predicting that by approx. 2014 for young professionals more online shopping will be done on our SMARTPHONES than on computers or in-store.  Their findings are only backed up by the Government’s attempts at High Street regeneration and hiring Queen of Shops Mary Portas to spearhead their campaign.  And boy, she is going to have her work cut out for her.

Now, I am not saying that people don’t love to shop anymore, but more and more people are doing it online, and any technology which makes this an easier experience is now at the for-front of development for many major online retailers.  For internet based companies such as asos.com, boohoo.com and the like, who clearly need no bricks and mortar to see their profits soar (Boohoo’s parent company saw their turnover shoot up by 85% in 2011 to £24.5m) the only logical next step would be developing virtual changing rooms, and cutting edge tools to make your online experience better, and as realistic as physical shopping.  They may be biding their time, and only in the development stages, but it would be silly to imagine the future of online retail without virtual changing rooms. Check out Love Rococo and have a play around with their version, known as the Webcam Social Shopper, a great little tool to get to grips with Virtual changing rooms.

 The only way is up for this type of technology,  and if done well, and done right, it has the potential to revolutionise online shopping further.  So how do you feel about this?  Do you think it has the potential to seriously catch on, or is it just another gimmick?  Would you use it?  Let me know your thoughts y’all! 

Christmas Shopping Ideas | Vogue.com Online Fashion Week

My advent calendar’s up and has now become a constant reminder that I have 21 days and counting left to get all my Christmas presents bought, wrapped and smugly piled under my (as yet non existent) tree.

Coming from a rather sizeable Indian family, this time of year is never kind to my bank account, given that there are twenty people in my immediate family alone. So this year I have made myself a promise, namely that it is ALL going to be done online and everything will be bought, stuffed and dressed two weeks before Christmas day.

Now, for fear of sounding a bit like a Tesco advert, every little helps – and this year the team at Vogue.com have come up with the brilliant idea of an Online Fashion Week.

Following up on the huge success of the global Fashion’s Night Out phenomenon, the Voguettes announced back in July that they will be organising a scheduled week of exclusive online offers and events – take a look at the schedule here to see just how many brilliant online retailers and shops they have managed to get on board.

Given my personal promise of refusing to negotiate the crowds in bustling department stores, this is a veritable godsend. With brands like Topshop, Matches and Mulberry involved, Vogue.com editor Dolly Jones and her team have hit on a stellar idea for the time-poor woman who wants to bag a bargain in the run-up to Christmas. I know I’ll be logging on tomorrow morning to do a bit of digital splurging.

British Vogue’s Online Fashion Week begins Monday 5^th December at 9am. Check out the schedule here, and tweet us if you are taking part in the online extravanganza yourself!

Pret a Portobello: Market stall chic made easy

Image by hosiawak

I love Portobello market in London, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it gets so crowded that trawling through the hordes of people for vintage bargains can often feel like wading through treacle. Call me lazy, but the other day when a friend introduced me to Pret a Portobello, a website which enables you to browse market stalls and even get involved in a spot of haggling all while remaining comfortably tucked up in bed sipping a hot chocolate, I got pretty excited.

I suppose the obvious comparison is the online designer treasure trove, Net a Porter, but I can never afford anything from Net a Porter anyway, so for me it’s really more of a replacement for ASOS. I really like the little catwalk video thing they do on ASOS so you can see how the clothes look in action, but Pret a Portobello is really easy to use and has great photographs, so it wouldn’t feel too risky ordering without trying things on. It’s got the unique factor going for it, plus it seems you can return items if they don’t fit, so there’s really no way to lose.

Image by Andreas Kambanis

The website doesn’t just source clothes and accessories from Portobello – they also sell items from other London markets such as Spitalfields, Camden and Brick Lane, and have even just started sourcing in Sydney, Australia, too. I can tell this is going to be my new lunch break addiction…