Chelsea Flower Show's inspiring colours

Chelsea comes alive around this time, when its the Chelsea Flower Show.  Hidden away off Sloane Square, away from the shops on the Kings Road, this oasis of creativity, colour and modernity take your breath away.  I pick out some of my favourites below .... but can't help but get complete garden envy!

A Monaco Garden - by Sarah Eberle, sponsored by Principality of Monaco

Sarah Eberle's Monaco Garden caught my eye with her virbant colours, fabulous textures and amazing shapes ... arh that turquoise plunge pool, so inviting, no wonder it got gold and best in show garden....

The Irish Sky Design - by Diarmuid Gavin, sponsored by Cork City Council

Now this one I like for its modern take. Irishman Diarmuid Gavin's daring feat of engineering, inspired by the film Avatar, is a pod 82ft off the ground, giving 6 people spectacular views of the river Thames and the 25 mini pools below, in the floating Garden of Eden.  How I wish I'd been one of the lucky few, but even from afar I can admire the stunning concept - I love the modern architecture and mix of greens and blues... and yes it got a gold medal too.

The Magistrates Garden

The Daily Telegraph Garden

A few others caught my attention included Cleve West's Libyan inspired garden which uses colour to break up the fabulous architecture; Kate Gould's celebration of 650 years of magistracy with a serene terrace full of originality, quirkiness and vibrant colours.

Chilstone's Tunbridge Wells Garden

.....and finally how could I resist the Tunbridge Wells Garden with its bright turquoise carpet ... looking like the inspiration for our latest Tropical Turquoise and Emerald Green new additions to the Classics collection - prefect for all this wonderfully summery weather. You can view the full collection at http://www.carrieme.co.uk/products.php

Backstage with CarrieMe

How exciting, CarrieMe's first photoshoot, taking the CarrieMe brand to the next level.

Rather daunted, the CarrieMe set out ot cast the models, to style the perfect outfits, to find a good photographer, the perfect location, the right props ... and of course to cope with the inevitable last minute hiccups like suddenly having to find a replacement model and make-up artist 48 hours before the shoot!

.... However it all came together last Saturday and it was so exciting to see how the models interacted, how each outfit was styled, the different angles the photographer took and of course, to see my collection being centre stage!

Taking our inspiration from the current colour blocking trend at the moment, we had fun clashing bright colours and introducing more classical evening dresses too - showing how versatile the CarrieMe collection is, working brilliantly across different styles.

What a fun day, bringing together a team of talented women to make it all happen - watch this space to see the new brand shots!

Feel like being colourful?

Issa

Spring is just around the corner and the fashion trends this season couldn't be more exciting. 

Christian Dior

My favourite trend for spring/summer 2011 is the bright coloured separates trends seen all over the catwalk from Christian Dior to Gucci.  This trend is all about mixing and matching bright colours in one outfit.

Christian Dior

DVF

Gucci

Marc Jacobs

 And Issa is particularly hot on Kate Middleton's favourite colour - royal blue.

Its not only the frocks that are bright this season, you can get it on trend with brightly coloured accessories and makeup.

Bright make up looks

Marc Jacob accessories

Christian Dior Shoes

Prada

To go with your gorgeous bright outfits and handbags this Spring why not get a CarrieMe bag hook and key finder to match from our bright collection in different styles!

 

I'm definitely a fan of the brights trend this season, let me know what you think of this trend.

Love Carrie xx

Which is your best dressed actress at the BAFTAs?

February hosts this year's most anticipated red carpet moments ... but I always like to star spot at the BAFTAs.  In 2011, The Kings Speech dominated across the board winning over half of their nominations including Best Film and Colin Firth won best actor- just the ticket to restore confidence in the British film industry. Others did get a look in too though, David Finch won best director for his Social Network film and Natalie Portman got best actress for Black Swan.

Now the After Party is where the celebs get to relax and I get to have a closer look at their gorgeous fashion choices. Colour was definitely this year's theme and since CarrieMe adores the use of bold colour, I wanted to highlight my favourite looks.

Royal Blue - made fashionable again by Kate Middleton's engagement ring and dress, was quite popular on this year's red carpet with a more youthful pop of electric blue visible on Gemma Atherton.

Pinks and nudes also made a splash - this year we saw chiffon texture and floral prints making a come back, perfect for Spring.

Reds and oranges are never in short supply at award ceremonies.  This year we saw a modern take on retro glamour with clever cuts and bold prints, and gold detailing in the accessories department to enhance the Hollywood look.

Black - the ultimate red carpet staple is never far from view.  New to the industry, 14 year old Hailee Steinfeld was spotted in black Mui Mui - with a fabulous vibrant purple clutch, which we at CarrieMe love.  Eva Green also caught our attention with her vivacious red lipstick against her pale complexion, portraying a dark and mysterious Gothic look.

Which actress gets your vote for best dressed?  Let us know and also your favourite looks in each category.... I'll reveal mine next week!

Love Carrie xx

How embarrassing!

My last blog post just brought back a lot of embarrassing memories of me looking for my keys. Way before the CarrieMe key finders came along I’d been on a few dates with this guy I really liked and when he walked me back home disaster struck…. I couldn’t find my keys!! I tried reaching into my favourite huge oversized bag in the most lady like way possible a couple of times to no avail so ended up with all the contents of my bag on the floor before I finally found them.  Not the prettiest of sights.  Lets just say he didn’t ask me out again!

Another rather memorable moment was when I returned soaking wet and furious after a trip to the local Tesco’s.  It was still pouring when I returned to my car laden with shopping bags and armed with an umbrella, but as I rummaged around in my bag in vain for my keys, I let slip one side of the flimsy plastic bags, and the whole thing crashed to the floor including the yummy looking bottle of Merlot which I’d bought for a cosy dinner that evening!  Double whammy when I couldn’t find my keys, as I returned absolutely drenched and without the Merlot, I was not popular when I got home.

A friend of mine had a similar experience with the rain but I think hers trumps mine any day. She was taking a team of wealthy VIPs round a property they were interested in investing in, but unfortunately returning back to the office, she had completely buried the keys somewhere in the depths of her bag.  Frantic searching whilst trying to look calm and collected just did not work.  She ended up emptying the contents of her bag on the floor and trying to hide the most cringe worthy items left over from a heavy week of partying. How she managed to close a deal with those clients is still quite a shocker.

Let me know your embarrassing key stories!

Love Carrie xxx

Can't find your keys in your handbag?

Do any of you girls share my taste in bags?

Having told you all of my favourite handbag designers, I now want to share with you why my CarrieMe handbag accessories are perfect for all you bag lovers out there.

My CarrieMe accessories aim to be practical, working hard to save you time and effort whilst still looking equally as fabulous as your bag.

As mentioned in my previous post, large bags are in this season, especially those from the Fendi and Mulberry collections, designed so that there’s a lot of room to carry everything, but equally a lot of room for your keys to get lost in.

In light of this, I would like to introduce an accessory that I think will be a godsend.

The new CarrieMe key finder is perfect for keeping your keys safe and easy to find at a moment’s notice, whilst adding style to your bag like an elegant charm.

Watch this video to find out more and to learn how they work.

The key finders in the video are from the Classics range, which as you just saw come in a range of colours and styles that are perfect for any occasion. There’s shocking pink for those girly girls, sage green for serene fashionistas, papal purple - which is the latest trend off the A/W catwalk, indigo blue the colour of Kate Middleton’s engagement ring.... and of course cranberry red, charcoal black and argent silver work with all handbags, especially those from my previous post.

If you look closely, all the CarrieMe Classic bag hooks and key finders have my signature, tactile aluminium face which reflects an understated, yet irresistible shine.

If you like any of these accessories you can find out more about them on my website - http://www.carrieme.co.uk/

Love Carrie xx

Top 5 Handbag designers

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday and are ready to take on 2011 as today is the start of new beginnings.... 

Did any of you lucky people get a handbag for Christmas?  I confess that I didn't, but before I get back to work on CarrieMe, I would like to share with you my Top 5 handbag designer brands (it was really difficult to narrow it down to just these 5!).

I absolutely adore Orla Kiely handbags and Orla as a designer. Her use of vibrant prints and colours appeals so much to me as I’m such a colour and texture person.

 

http://www.orlakiely.com/

I wouldn’t be without a Lulu Guinness, its their quirky, London inspired handbags I like best, being a London girl at heart!

http://www.luluguinness.com

I love Anya Hindmarch because she makes lovely bags with her signature style.

http://www.anyahindmarch.com/

Fendi handbags are always trendy with at least one being on every “It-bag list” but at the same time they are classics with simple lines which really appeal to me.

http://www.fendi.com/

and lastly, Mulberry handbags will take you from season to season without ever looking dated.

 

In fact, the gorgeous Mulberry Tillie bag is set to be the IT bag for 2011 after being shown at Fashion Week – what are your thoughts about it?

http://www.mulberry.com/

I would love to hear your favourite handbag designers too in the comments.

Hope you had a fabulous party last night to celebrate the end of 2010 and the beginnings of 2011…. I definitely woke up with a hangover, but I have a feeling its going to be a great year ahead!

Love Carrie xxx