High Street Heroes

Check Dress, £32, Topshop; Grey Dress, £29, Topshop; Hat, £25, Topshop; Culottes, £30, River Island.

We're not all Internet shoppers and with MIB this often means that the internet is your safest bet with a multitude of indies opting to trade online. So I perused Topshop and River Island this weekend to find tran-seasonal pieces - Made in Britain - and in store now. I must stress, that although I found these items to be MIB, it may very well be that they manufacture the same item simultaneously in factories globally, SO, always check the label.

Every item is under £35, proving you can afford to buy British - hurrah.

Check is still huge for s/s this oversized jersey number is perfect for lazy Sunday brunches. Team with thick tights, and a leather jacket for now and dress up come summer with a great big floppy hat and tan ankle boots. 

This grey midi body con, maybe not look particularly wow, but this simple dress can be worn to work, dressed down at the weekend or perfect base for partying! Wear with simple chocker and simple block heels to work. For a casual weekend look wear with this sheer crop top, a beanie and your favourite NBs. And finally, wear glammed up to nines with simple courts, delicate necklaces and a statement clutch, let your hair and lips do the talking. 

I'm not a hat person, I have an unusually large head which vitos me out of pretty much every hat ever. But since hats are everywhere and in particular Liv from What Olivia Did has been rocking them, I can't help but want one and this one, thankfully, fits! And even more to my surprise, it suits!

Finally, the culotte, perhaps the most awkward trend to translate from catwalk to highstreet. But seeing is believing, I tried on these beauts from River Island and they were a dream. In reality, I won't be wearing the free belt, but the cut and fit of the culottes would be perfect workwear sitting just on the knee. Wear them with tights now and embrace bare legs come April time. 

Andrea x

Winter Whites

Coat, Marks & Spencer; Top, Closet Clothing; Skirt, Topshop; Hat, Winter Crown; Necklace, Mona Mara; Rucksack, Grafea; Shoes, Dr Martens.

Andrea x

Beautiful Soul

It's been a pretty depressing winter so far. No snow, not cold enough to properly wrap up in winter warmers and rain. So much rain that I'm dreaming about Spring/Summer already. And just like magic the lovely Nicola at Beautiful Soul drops me an e-mail. The contents of which has had me swooning ever since.

Beautiful Soul London was founded in 2011 after a career change for founder Nicola Woods. The brand is quintessentially British and proud to manufacture in the UK. They have a sustainable and ethical approach to their fabric selection too and have been praised for such efforts with a nomination for The 2012 Sustainable City Awards. As well as sourcing British lace and wool. Equally and more impressively perhaps, they demand zero-wastage, remnant used as covered buttons and so on.

Such attention to ethics and sustainability can all to often see design overlooked. But not in Beautiful Souls case. The enchanting prints make for pieces that can stand their own. Feminine but not girly, these are designed for women. And clearly many women agree with the likes of eco-ladies Livia Firth and Lily Cole rocking the brand.

Bee 4 Blossom is the Notting Hill based brands Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Inspired by blossom and bumblebees the intricate print sit beautifully on dresses and playsuits and this season will adorn separates too. This seasons must have pink will be the backdrop to this print as well as aqua and navy.

Beautiful Soul is available to buy online and boutiques nationally.

What do you think of their new collection?

Andrea x

New Balance

Help. I'm getting trainer obsessed. Partly because my Vans have officially died and the thought of repurchase upsets my MIB ways.

Of course, there are still some trainer manufactures in the UK, but mainly pointed at men. Still, theres always New Balance. A school fave, my fitness trainer of choice (MIB of course) and now my next casual fashion trainer? I hope so.

The American brand opened their first British based factory on August 23rd 1982. 31 and a bit years later they're still going strong. Ok, so their not a British brand per say, but the fact they support the British shoe manufacturing industry - even throughout the 90's when everyone jumped shipped - is very honourable! Plus the company was founded by a British emigrant!

Today their factory based in Flimby, Cumbria still produces an amazing 28,000 shoes per week!

For me, late to the game as always, I have been swooning over their recent Tea Pack collection. Peppermint and Earl Grey, not only my favourite teas.. but also footwear. Yum. There is also a builders tea version, of course, a brown-y copper-y affair. 

Alas, they were made for men and I am *just* out of their smallest size.. both styles available from End.

So I search on... 

Turns out - according to NB online only 576 are available in women's sizes. So I'll guess I'll have to settle for these..

Funnily though, I can't find a retailer willing to state their womens 576 are MIB so these along with the burgundy are all available from End also. Men are so lucky when it comes to provenance shopping. 

And something else to break my heart, the echos of a new 'pack' being released pour homme of course. The NB Seaside pack will be available from this spring. And, yes you guessed it, I'm still at 6.5... might have to chance a Men's 7. It'll be worth it.

Andrea x

Held Like Kites

 Skirt, JW Anderson X Topshop; Tee, Arcane Roots Tour Merch

My friends and family are probably sick of seeing this paisley pink wonder. But it's a staple. MIB, paisley and colourful. Especially in winter, the quilted design - is a much needed layer in the bitter cold of England!

Today, I'm wearing it with a speckled band tee. My fave band of the moment Arcane Roots. Not my usual taste, but I've recently seen them live and WOW. I could not fall for them more. Swoon.

Andrea x

NYE

Dress, River Island; Shoes, Kurt Geiger; Necklace; Topshop.

Happy Twenty Fourteen!

The dress is just £10 now in the RI sale. And is of course Made in Britain. <3

Hope you had a lovely eve and on to 2014. The year of YES.

Andrea x