Hot on the Highstreet Week 84

Equipment shirts have become something of a craze… Net-a-porter describes the designer collection perfectly:

“Christian Restoin introduced the men's shirt to womenswear with the launch of Equipment in 1975. Inspired by Hollywood stars Katherine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall, his debut collection was an instant hit with fashion's elite. Current/Elliott's Serge Azria relaunched the brand in 2010 with a collection of androgynous styles in luxurious silks, paying homage to the label's heritage while infusing it with contemporary edge. Now with pyjamas added to the range, you can stay stylishly equipped 24/7.”

These gorgeous silk shirts come in a plethora of colours: muted pastels, grungy woody hues and fun bright shades. There are also a variety of patterned garments and special shirts available with adorned collars and bejewelled sleeves. All the pigments used are unique and intense and the silk material is deliciously soft and velvety; they are unlike any other silk shirts currently on the highstreet.

I have always lusted after these pretty tops, stroking them enviously while wandering round Harvey Nichols. So you can imagine my delight when I found an Equipment shirt in the sale at Selfridges… I felt extremely lucky to get the last one, reduced from a hefty £230 to a staggering £30, surely the best sale buy ever?! A pale dusty pink, it is elegant and smart, now I’ve got my eye out for a bright Equipment shirt steal… I’d love to find a turquoise or tangerine coloured one.

Buy Equipment shirts online here at ASOS.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 81 - Hermes in Harrods Pop-up

I began collecting Hermes twilly scarves a few years ago when I spotted a second hand yellow one glinting in the Notting Hill vintage shop window… I gathered up a bag of my old clothes to take in and swap for the beautiful scarf I had fallen in love with. Two years later and my growing collection includes a beautiful black twilly from my trip to New York, a sophisticated white twilly from the Hermes shop at Nice airport and a few others - each acts as a memento of a particular place or time. I love them all, and wear them regularly: in my hair, on my wrist or round my bag.

When I heard that Hermes were holding a pop-up shop in Harrods over the Christmas period, I was there in a flash. The pop-up honours twenty years of Hermes at Harrods and celebrates the brand’s most iconic accessory – the silk scarf. In one corner of the busy shop a colourful demonstration is set up. A beautiful display shows many of this seasons designs, including the new, exclusive to Harrods, ‘H’ scarf. Stylists are on hand to demonstrate the multiple uses of these versatile scarves, illustrating the endless styling possibilities. Women and men swarmed to the pop-up when I visited last Friday each decorated in gloriously coloured silk, turbans on their heads, scarves round their necks - it was a sight to behold.

After receiving an exotic scarf makeover myself (see the photo above), I had my photo taken by the photographer for the Hermes website and was given an orange bag with a few goodies to take away. This included a pack of the knotting cards explaining how to get the most out of your Hermes scarf with all the different ways of knotting, plaiting, twisting and tying to create numerous fabulous styles and looks.

I’ve already tried a few of the new styles and love the results. While I am still coming to terms with my new tangerine blonde hair, my twilly scarves are the perfect hair distraction.

Hermès Pop Up Scarf Boutique at Harrods

Harrods Room of Luxury II,

Ground Floor


Dec 5 2011 – Jan 2 2012


Stylists on hand every Wednesday and Friday afternoon

Hot on the Highstreet Week 66

Moschino’s take on fashion is fun and bold, with wacky patterns, striking prints and a healthy dose of colour. With the addition of the ‘cheap and chic’ range, this desirable designer brand became affordable to younger buyers, and even more on trend.

This seasons Autumn/Winter collection features the fashion capital cities landmarks; New York’s Statue of Liberty, Paris’ Eiffel Tower and for London, a red telephone box. Each are printed as 60’s style shift dresses. Though priced at £440 these fabulous iconic dresses are still way out of my price range, however there is a little something from Moschino this season that is both affordable and desirable - the interchangeable silk and leather strap watches.

This is the most intriguing watch I’ve ever seen, with the option for either a silk scarf strap, or a more classic leather band. Both straps are included, a brilliant two for the price of one offer. There is a range of designs, different colours, materials, patterns, some of the watch faces are even decorated with crystal gemstones. I love several of the designs, and only wish I could mix and match and choose each component separately, but unfortunately each set is already chosen.

With the leather strap this watch is smart and chic, but with the scarf it is transformed into a pretty boho accessory. The scarf can also be worn separately, round your neck, in your hair or tied on a bag - it is multi-purpose. Ranging in price from £92 to £125 these watches are stylish and versatile and certainly a very good designer investment.

Buy online on the Moschino website here. Or on ASOS website here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 41

The days of natural fibres are long, long gone... and the highstreet stores are cashing in on cheaper, more versatile materials – goodbye cotton and silk, hello nylon and viscose. And as prices continue to rise, quality takes a tumble. I can’t stand wearing clothes made from synthetic materials, I find them itchy, hot and sticky and aesthetically incomparable to the real thing. Washing-wise they are usually easier, but are prone to shrinking and changing shape, leading to disappointment.

It breaks my heart to see so many tacky materials filling the rails in popular stores like Topshop and French Connection, and while others may continue to waste money on their unnatural garments I refuse to. Okay, rant over. While browsing for shoes in Topshop the other day I came across a gypsy yellow silk shirt, made from, believe it or not... real silk! Faded and delicate, with sweet tassle detailing - I instantly adored it.

Overjoyed with my unique find I rushed to the nearest mirror to try on the beauty (see picture above). I sampled different sizes but decided the largest 14 would suit my needs best: I could wear the shirt as a loose summer top, perhaps over a bikini or with denim shorts. Assuming it would fall within the usual £30-40 price range, I took the shirt to the till, ready to forgive Topshop for all its viscose sins.

“That will be £70 please, would you like a bag?” Horrified I turned away, I just couldn’t justify spending £70 on a shirt in Topshop, no matter how pretty and soft. So that’s where the dream ended, and I left Topshop empty handed. Weeks later I am still dreaming about that pretty shirt, impressed that Topshop have at least one naturally made garment. Not worth the price, but a beautiful top if you do feel like splashing out on a highstreet treasure.

Buy here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 22

This shirt is haunting me... I first saw it online when I was browsing through the Whistles website, then I spotted it amongst the goodies at Harvey Nichols. Yesterday I noticed it in ELLE magazine, it is begging me to buy it and I am finding it increasingly hard to resist.

WHISTLES has recently made its way onto my highstreet radar, firstly because of its dynamite designer collaboration with Roksanda Ilincic, and secondly because it is slightly more affordable than all the super bucks designer shops near me at work (for lunchtime shopping). Oh and did I mention they currently have a mid-season sale on?

Enter this sassy little number: The Lightning Bolt Silk Shirt. Priced at £95. This beautiful garment is tailored to perfection with epaulettes on the shoulders, two front pockets and one box pleat on the back below the yoke. I sneakily tried it on over my dress the other day, and found that it would look great open over a dress, or buttoned up with a skirt (see image above) for a smarter look. The only problem is with handwash silk clothes dry cleaning tends to be necessary, which adds a regular wearing tax onto the price... something worth thinking about. But then again silk is so pretty, and so very soft.

I really want it, so if anyone feels like buying it for me...click here.