Hidden Treasures and Simple Pleasures: Albertine

When I left high school a couple of years ago, I remember toying with the idea of going travelling. So many fellow leavers had it atop their agenda, and I always wandered whether I was being foolish in missing out. Nevertheless when London came knocking, a city with such promise for an aspiring fashion journalist, I decided to put to bed any distant dreams of exotic travels in favour of cosmopolitan career pursuits. Though I do not regret my decision one bit, as I approach my third year in London I have begun to wonder what will come next.

I suppose one should never say never to exploring pastures new and I certainly hope that there is opportunity for me to travel while I am still young. I would hate to live my life between two cities, rarely exploring anything outside my comfort zone.

Just a few years back I did not appreciate or even understand how anybody could fall so madly in love with travelling, but I have come to realise that it all boils down to the inevitable discovery of hidden treasures and simple pleasures. 

This week, the boutique travel company Tuscany Now contacted SW Fashion regarding a new competition based around such hidden treasures. Although the competition requires just one spot, I felt that this could make for a nice continual feature. On my travels to date- however limited- I have found some fantastic places that I long to visit again, and there is no one I would rather share these with than you.

In keeping with this month's Holiday Wardrobe posts, I felt it apt for me to share a little boutique gem from my brief time in New York city. 

For Manhattan locals, I am sure that the darling boutiques around the West Village and Nolita are daily haunts rather than hidden treasures. However, for visitors to the grand city it is all too easy to get overwhelmed by the shopping options and end up missing out on the best of the city.

In one of the charming streets just off Greenwich Avenue sits Albertine, an inconspicuous treasure trove of all things girly. Blink and you'll miss it, the clear glass facade is every bit as discreet as the inviting pieces in the window display. 

Albertine was born from the vision of Kyung Lee back in 2003. Lee sought to create an elegant womenswear boutique offering smaller brands exposure, and allowing the sartorially savvy shoppers of the West Village to discover new local and international designers. 

The Glorious notonthehighstreet.com GIVEAWAY!

Ooh, don't I spoil you!

Today i'm launching my latest giveaway in collaboration with notonthehighstreet.com, the online boutique that offers everything from kooky wall prints through to gourmet gin and bespoke biscuits!

I absolutely adore notonthehighstreet.com for their expansive product selection and they really are the solution to ANY gift-buying issues.

I find the best way to sum notonthehighstreet.com up is to simply state that the store is full of wonderful things I didn't know I needed, until I saw them on the site. 

And now I need them all, perhaps even more than I need new shoes.

The lovely team at notonthehighstreet.com have offered me a £50 gift card to give away to one of you lovely lot.

To enter, all you  have to do is...

1) COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS

2) FOLLOW @SWfashion_ ON TWITTER, LIKE SW FASHION ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW ON BLOGLOVIN'

If you're wondering where that gift card could go, here are a few ideas...

1. The very definition of adorable, this pillowcase is just £12.50

2. My cute little friends bought me this mini chest of drawers for my 19th birthday and I just love it- you can even have it personalised.

3. The store is full of uplifting, kooky artwork that is sure to bring even the simplest of rooms to life. I adore this timeless print for £49.

4. If it were up to me, i'd purchase one of these personalised bangles. I've been looking for a subtle way to pay tribute to someone loved and lost and I feel that one of these bangles, embossed with a 'C', would be a beautiful way to do so.  

5. With an abundance of delightful stationary, NOTHS is great for organised sorts like myself. I love this wee notebook...

6. The Biscuiteers are a huge hit in London at present, and their personalised, hand-decorated biscuits are now available on NOTHS. This personal tin of high tea inspired biccies is a great way to treat yourself or a loved one.

7. All together now: aaaw. I love these sweet little bottles complete with candy-stripe straws in a colour of your choosing. Cocktails are about to get a whole lot cuter...

8. I love sausage dogs: fact. This print is just so very sweet for £28 

9. I love this print every bit as much as I love gin (£18).

10. Make baking and cocktail shaking a rather more stylish art with these drink and cake toppers inspired by Alice in Wonderland- great for parties.

11. I adore these biscuit shaped cushions! I need one in every style, please- they are only £22 here!

12. Champagne is always the answer, the question is irrelevant.

Best of luck to you all- I will select a winner at random on April 20th.

Don't forget to share this post with your friends/readers (on Facebook or Twitter, or both ! )

The New Fashion Curator

If you follow me on Twitter then you will most likely be aware that I am actively involved with the luxury e-commerce boutique, Atelier-To-Go.

I have been working with Team Atelier since the very beginning and I am so lucky to be a part of this exciting venture. There is so much energy, love and talent in the mix at Atelier-To-Go, and I feel that it is this passion which will allow Atelier to shine in the busy online shopping environment.

 E-Commerce is developing at such a rapid pace, particularly within the luxury sector, but I really do feel that Atelier-To-Go stands out. Conveniently, each and every collection on the site is finely tuned to avoid the confusing wealth of choice we are used to. Atelier-To-Go is simplicity redefined, accessible and luxurious fashion without any of the fuss.

What's more, Atelier-To-Go doesn't feel even remotely intimidating. High-fashion can impart fear in the best of us, even those who are usually self-assured. While I certainly don't fall into the latter category there, I will put my hands up and say that though I found London Fashion Week incredible, I also found it somewhat disheartening. This fashion lark is a tough old gig, no matter how much you love it, so I can only imagine how fearsome the land of Celiné and McQueen must be those who don't share my enthusiasm. I know firsthand that Atelier-To-Go strives to make high fashion feel pleasant, playful and, above all, easy. 

Atelier-To-Go offers an authoritative voice on fashion that we can actually trust: Atelier-To-Go isn't a stereotypical fashion girl who subsists on Diet Coke and cigarettes, rather an intellectual fashion editor who knows just what we want from our wardrobes and HOW we want it. 

I feel that this ethos is particularly relevant at this moment in time as the fashion industry moves towards a clean, contemporary vision of functionality.  

The majority of stylish working women just want their wardrobe to do them justice. We all know what suits us, but part of the problem with online shopping is that there is just too much choice, too much clutter. Atelier-To-Go is clean and curated, with sharply focused editorial content (with fashion features often written by yours truly, the most recent of which you can read here) and contributions from revered fashion experts and icons.

Atelier-To-Go's collections are of the utmost quality and, while nodding to trends where appropriate, the overarching focus is on phenomenal pieces that you can wear and love, time and time again. 

Pieces that not everyone has, but everyone will want.

I will, of course, be posting more about Atelier-To-Go as we move towards our launch at the end of this month, but in the meantime I do hope you will check out the site and let me know what you think.

Tell your friends- Atelier-To-Go is too good to miss.

If you are a fellow fashion blogger and would like to get involved with Atelier-To-Go's exclusive Atelier Girl Dress Up competition to win a beautiful Rebecca Minkoff handbag of your choosing, please do just send me an email at shonawallacefashion@gmail.com and I shall be in touch.

  

Harvey Nichols New Breed

Images from the Harvey Nichols New Breed campaign featuring handbags from 3.1 Phillip Lim and Sophie Hulme

Ever since we got our dog just over a year ago, i've been a bit of a crazy dog lover. Honestly, I never thought I would be, but dogs are just so loving, especially wickle Harvey Wallace.

Pooches and fashion go hand-in-hand, particularly in London. From poodles on the catwalk at Mulberry through to Harrods' paw-dicures, London has gone to the dogs. 

This is nothing new, of course, I even did a whole project on it at university in my first year (which you can read here), but the latest campaign from Harvey Nichols puts our canine companions firmly back in the spotlight.

The New Breed campaign features stylish ladies carrying around yummy handbags with their cute dogs peeking out as the true stars of the show. Shot by iconic photographer Miles Aldridge, this campaign is vivid and uplifting while poking fun at the handbag dogs that dominated the gossip magazines years ago... Paris Hilton, i'm looking at you.

The handbags from the cool campaign:
1. Fresh aqua tote by Sophie Hulme
2. Freshly cut grass tote by Marc by Marc Jacobs
3. Sunshine yellow holdall by 3.1 Phillip Lim (my favourite!)

To coincide with this campaign, Harvey Nichols are launching the #BestInShow competition. To enter, all you dog lovers need to do is recreate the campaign by popping your dog in your handbag for a quick photo. 

Whether you let your cocker spaniel in your Céline or your pug in your Prada, this is such a fun competition. Once you've taken your snap just share on Twitter or Instagram @HarveyNichols with #BestInShow before the 31st March. There will be three winners who will each win a handbag from the campaign, as selected by a team from Harvey Nichols. The three categories are Best Grooming, Best Pose and, the ultimate, Best In Show.

I know which one Harvey and I shall be going for... Bitch, please. This boy reads Grazia and Vogue.

Sneak Peek: S/S13 At Reiss

REISS is undoubtedly one of my favourite high-end high street brands and I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Handpicked Media Blogger preview of the S/S13 collection, oh, and what a treat it was!

The press day took place at the REISS HQ and was showing off the very first glimpse of the pieces to come from the esteemed British brand, which has become a household name since the Duchess of Cambridge wore a number of pieces, including the sell-out Shola dress.

I must admit, though, that REISS is sadly a little out my price range, but it really is the perfect place to look if you want something a bit special, or are looking for some really killer staple pieces- trust me, their jackets are a real treat!

For SS13, though, REISS have kind of split their collections off in two. I'm sure you're all aware of the 1971 collection (check out their inspiration Tumblr here), which is a slightly younger, casual look with a more directional stance. The 1971 collection has a slightly lower pricepoint, but the quality is certainly not compromised (mint leather jacket: a case in point!) 

The 1971 collection is full of versatile pieces inspired by nonchalant West-Coast cool, airy, sporty pieces that can be dressed up or down with edgy details like clashing prints and beachy motifs. I felt it had echoes of Isabel Marant which is always a huge selling point in my book!

The mainline collection was slightly more sophisticated, but still highly trend led. My favourite pieces had to be the beautiful white pieces. White really is going to be huge for SS13, and what I loved about the REISS take on this trend was the array of beautiful textures, from a snake-textured dress to a soft edge-to-edge jacket with a feminine peplum waist (my favourite!) 

Anyway, I won't ramble on- I'm sure you can make up your own mind about the collection from my images above!

PS

Just because I love ya, I thought i'd let you know about a little competition REISS are running to win your wishlist! Check out the T's and C's here. 

all items from the REISS SS13 collection, all images my own, if you would like to use any images feel free to ask.

Swedish House Makeovaaaa

1. Wall Print from Urban Outfitters £25
2. Frame from Paperchase £12
3. Cushion from Zara Home £19.99
4. Jars from Zara Home £19.99
5. Jewellery Stand from Paperchase £14
6. Box from Zara Home £29.99

Are you guys, like, on Facebook?

I'm sure you will be, lads. I know that many people reading this are students, like yours truly, so I thought i'd let you in on a little competition that i've stumbled upon.

I am sure you are all familiar with Rekorderlig fruity cider- y'know, the tasty, classy stuff you drink before you down yer 99p tinnies. Well, the lovely team behind my favourite fruity tipple have collaborated with Scream pubs to launch an ah-mazing competition for students across the UK.

And, oh, what an amazing prize is up for grabs... A SWEDISH HOUSE MAKE-OVER! Yup, you and your chums could win a £5000 interior make-over by the renowned Scandinavian interior designer, Will of Bright Bazaar, who will be turning your cosy little flat/house/halls into an envy-enducing party pad. And if you narrowly miss out on le grande prize, the three runners-up will win a little £500 kit to spruce up their flat, Swedish-stylee.

I will CERTAINLY be entering with my new flatmates. If you wish to follow suit, click here and enter the competition via the tab on Rekorderlig's Facebook page!

And on that Rekorderlig note, if you are in London I suggest you check out the Winter Forest pop-up bar at the Trueman Brewery, where the venue will be transformed into a magical Swedish forest with the delicious spiced apple cider flowing! Mmm. 

#myWLdreamwardrobe !

This week I received an email from the girls at Westfield London regarding a new competition. The subject of the email included the words "designer bag", and naturally I was intrigued...

The competition, open to fashion bloggers, gets you to put together your favourite high-end pieces of the season- based on a specific theme- to create a board of lustworthy luxury goods, available in The Village, of course.

I just had to have a go! I chose to do a tactile twist on gothic lux, all about the beautiful textures around this season- inspired by the incredible Gucci show... The star of the show? That glossy Prada tote. BE MINE!

Though I would happily take every piece i've lovingly pinned, the ones featured above are my favourites- what a stunning look that would be. A girl can dream!

Hope you like it and do check out my board in more detail here. What would you put in yours, if money were no object?!