CarrieMe match makes with Vintage

Here at CarrieMe we love fashion and adore vintage... so vintage fashion is a match made in heaven for us.  Fortunately being based in Notting Hill (not far from the reknown Portobello Market, London) there is plenty of choice for when it comes to vintage clothing.... I've picked some lesser known favourites here.

Trinity Hospice, Kensington

This charity shop gets a great selection of designer castoffs especially smart ladies’ clothing and accessories, such as Prada evening shoes and DKNY bags. I also love this shop because I support all the hard work Trinity Hospice do, to help care for those towards the end of their life.  

Trinity Hospice, 31 Kensington Church St, W8 (020 7376 1098) High St Kensington tube. Open Mon-Sat 10am-4.45pm, Sun 11am-5pm.

Traid

Traid (which stands for Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) has a huge mix of good vintage, high-street and designer fashion. I really like this shop because they recycle clothes and don’t let anything go to waste.  There are some really quirky and unique pieces in this shop.

61 Westbourne Grove, W2 (020 7221 2421/www.traid.org.uk) Royal Oak or Bayswater tube. Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm.

Cloud Cuckoo Land

This compact but charming shop just off Islington’s Camden Passage has been keeping local Islington ladies stylishly clad in vintage frocks since 1982. It feels like Aladdin's Cave with a wide range spanning from Victorian times to the 1980s with pretty day dresses, skirts, capes and cardigans as well as some quite special 1950s floral cocktail hats.  Just the thing for Ascot next year! 

Cloud Cuckoo Land

6 Charlton Place, Camden Passage, N1 (020 7354 3141) Angel tube. Open Tue-Sat 11am-5.30pm

I really like these type of shops because I must admit I’m a bit of a hoarder myself and find it hard to throw anything away!  Trends come and go, but I love some of the very feminine shapes and of course the bright colours in vintage clothes from the 50’s,60’s,70’s & 80’s.  Luckily the wide choice of vintage shops in London doesn't break the bank and provides hours of fun and inspiration ... and reminds me of some of my earlier fashion faux pas.

Some of my current temptations.... found on http://www.rokit.co.uk/

I love this vivid purple dress (one of my favourite colours of course) from the 60’s, with the cream trim on the neck, cuffs and on the waist emphasising the femininity.  Umm military style buttons and the full skater skirt, very flattering, just worried that its a bit too short... Price £45.00

http://www.rokit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=BVWC00161

I’m a big fan of royal blue and love this airhostess like dress from the 1980’s!  Just the ticket for any business meeting....  Price £40.00  

http://www.rokit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=WC103470

How can I resist this gorgeous brightly coloured stripey beach bag, just looking at it takes me to the beach! I love the canvas texture and the bright orange button to make sure all possessions are kept safe.  Price £20.00  

http://www.rokit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=WA101401

Colour, texture and style, this ticks all the boxes. I love the deep red colour and the fabulous bow on the toe; these would look great on any night out... though slightly scared of those heels and shame I can't squeeze myself into a size 6!   Price £55.00  

http://www.rokit.co.uk/product.php?product_id=WF150357

Now with such amazing vintage clothes on offer, how do you complete the look?  We will soon be launching the new Vintage Bag Hook - pearls with a modern twist.  Can't say more except that it will be come in 6 gorgeous colours, so look out for it soon!

And there's more to tempt you if you're a Londoner in town for the Notting Hill Carnival over the bank holiday at the Old Spitalfields Market on 16 Horner St, London EC1 6EW; and on 10th September, there's the affordable vintage fair at Bethnal Green. at York Hall, Old Ford Road, London E2 9PJ.  

Check out other dates and locations at: http://theaffordablevintagefair.blogspot.com/p/vintage-fair-diary.html

Harrogate

Preparing for the Harrogate Home and Gift Exhibition, which is a lovely trade show for shop owners that lasts 4 days and has over 900 exhibitors, we used our combined creative flair to create a stand full of colour and texture to help us stand out - hard work but fun!

In the days before the show, back in the office Sarah used colour and texture to inspire her design of the CarrieMe mannequinn. With a corset of CarrieMe brochures and a skirt made up of different colours of soft silk, draped with pearls, she highlighted how stylish yet practical the CarrieMe collection is by literally hanging the products off the mannequinn.

When we got to Harrogate (4.5 hours drive from London) the five of us had to create a unique and eye-catching stand ... it started off slowly with boxes and mess everywhere, and the torrential rain didn't help as we ferried everything from the van to the stand!

Slowly with the bright backdrop and the images going up, we could see the ideas we'd develop in the office finally realised.






Day 2 saw the stand transformed as put up the lighting, built the cabinets, lay down the carpet and then had all the fun of creating the display to highlight our new launches: the Mobile Finder - to help us all avoid missing those important calls; and the Vintage bag hook - a modern twist of colour with delicate white pearls.

The bright backdrop and the mannequin placed as our centrepiece, really caught the eye of passersby (as did the Quality Street bowl of sweets on the side table!) ... and by using lots of lighting and mirrors, not only did we manage to make the stand look bigger and inviting but also reflected all the vibrant colours and products.

Being a London inspired brand, we also took a little bit of London with us - the traditional red bus, London newspapers, oyster card and tube map.

Roberta, Camille and Anya, made some fantastic videos of the CarrieMe photoshoots and product shots which we played on our Plasma screen during the exhibition, but I guess its the products that took centre stage and looked stunning in the counter display stands.

Overall it was great fun and a success for CarrieMe with new stockists around the country adding to our growing roster.  I met some really great people and look forward to going to the Autumn Fair in Birmingham and Top Drawer in London in September - hopefully see you there!

The CarrieMe team from left: Carrie, Sean, Camille, Sarah and Veni (Anya joined us on Monday)

Bring on the faux fur!

English supermodel Erin O'Connor, made her catwalk return this week at Jean-Paul Gaultier's Couture show in Paris. Dressed in theatrical furs and outlandish feathered hats, she stole the runway with her edgy look.

Texture, fashion trends and colours are our inspiration, with this fur/faux fur trend mix getting the CarrieMe design team excited - we're working it into our newest designs - can't say more at the moment as its hush hush, but all will be unveiled in the Autumn, so stay tuned....

Photos from the ES Magazine

Is your handbag safe?

Everybody enjoying the sunshine? Having fun sitting out on the terrace at cafe or bars?  Beware as thieves are about!

How many of us keep our entire lives in our handbags? How many of you or know someone who has had their bag stolen? I for one, had my bag nicked in Barcelona a few years ago, which was just a nightmare as I lost about £600 worth of stuff by the time I added up the phone, iPod, cards, money, make-up, house keys, car keys, travel pass, plus all the sentimental stuff. Thank goodness I didn’t lose my passport too.

But seriously, these statistics that I came across recently are shocking and show how often this can happen:

• 21% of women admit they have had their handbag stolen.
• 52% of women worry about their handbag and the content being stolen.
• With 60% of women in London concerned about handbag theft – rightly as London is the worst region for handbag theft in the UK
• Over two thirds believe the current economic climate will increase the number of bag thefts.
• Most bags are stolen from pubs, nightclubs, workplaces and out shopping.
• 9% of women carry bags worth £250 or more.
• The items mostly stolen are cash, make up, door keys and mobile phones.
• Women are faced with an average bill of £109 to replace all their possessions.
• 25% women admit they do not keep their bag close to them at all times.
• Just 23% check their handbag regular to check it is safe and no possessions have gone missing.
Source: http://www.directline.com/about_us/news_170409.htm
Thankfully, we can do a couple of things to keep our stuff safe such as loop the bag around our foot which apparently 26% of us do, however it’s a bit uncomfortable plus it gets your bag dirty!  
Losing my handbag and getting my bag ruined on the floor were part of the inspiration to set up CarrieMe, as I'm paranoid about security.  All of the CarrieMe products combine style with a security angle, whether its the bag hook to keep your handbag safe or the Finder to keep your mobile or keys to hand - so check out our new colours at http://www.carrieme.co.uk/ and don't let the thieves ruin your day!

CarrieMe Mobile Finder

CarrieMe Vintage Bag Hook

  

Even when it rains, style reigns at Royal Ascot

The rain never seems to be too far away when there’s a big British sporting event happening (just ask fans of Wimbledon and Cricket) however thankfully it seemed many ladies still went for it on Ladies Day at Ascot despite the rain and had glamorous and bazaar hats, umbrellas and wellies to protect them from the miserable weather conditions.

Although I really enjoy the races and the obligatory several race forecast bet, what I really look forward to is seeing the latest millinery creations for their quirky designs and bright colours.  As my millery course at the London College of Fashion taught me how difficult it is to construct asymetrical hats (one of my passions), I've always admired how such a reknown name as Philip Tracey creates these fabulous sweeping shapes. 

I love the bright red colour of this hat and the contrasts of shapes and textures.  Welsh singing superstar Katherine Jenkins shows off Philip Treacy's design.

Now when it comes to colour, acqua  is really in this year, and I couldn't resist this stunning dress and hat combo below.....  umm just makes me want to jump into a pool somewhere hot in Europe!

 

Quirky - definitely!








Either side are some great examples of this year’s outlandish hat designs.... with the right being the least tasteful, no pun meant!

Whilst this imaginative hat on the right was made to pay tribute to Queen Anne, who officially opened the races at Ascot in 1711.  Worn by presenter Anneka Tanaka-Svenska, it is made from fake hair pearls and cabbages and roses made from silk.... I hope it survived the rain!

Lets hope that the rain stops in time so that we can all enjoy Murray playing in the final at Wimbledon!

Could this be the year?

With Wimbledon only a few days away and the British number one Andy Murray seeded 4th, the British pubic have an extra reason to feel optimistic, will we finally have a British Wimbledon Champion?

Did you follow his progress at the warm up recently at Queens? It was exciting as ever, watching Murray defeat Malisse, Tipsarevic, Cilic and then annihilate former champion Andy Roddick in the semi final, before coming up in the final against the man who had defeated the worlds number one, Rafal Nadal, in the previous round: Frenchman Tsonga.

With the rain covering the picturesque West Kensington, Sunday's play was a total wash out - perhaps even the dire British weather was on Murray's side to give him an extra day to recover his strength for Monday!

When play resumed, you could see the spectators enjoying the sunshine and sipping champagne, whilst Murray played some incredible and elegant shots one wouldn’t dream of playing in such a crucial game. But true to form, after falling behind in the first set Murray showed his courage and nerve to overcome the strong Frenchman to lift the silverware in an epic finale.

With Wimbledon having such an exciting line up, I can't wait to go down to SW19 for some live play over the next few weeks. How will I manage to keep my gorgeous Mulberry tote from getting dirty or stolen whilst I tuck into the traditional Wimbledon strawberries and cream? Well I shall be using my new ballerina pink heart handbag hook, a lovely and subtle girly colour that will be perfect for when I'm also enjoying Pimms at the bar!

Murray's seeding means he won't face any of the three players seeded above him until the semi-finals at the earliest. With Nadal (top seed), Novak Djokovic 2nd and Roger Federer 3rd, out of play until the semi's - maybe the current 11/2 odds are worthy of a little flutter on Murray for an outright win?

Roll on Wimbledon!

A world full of natural wonder

As we go about our daily lives, its easy to take all the natural wonders of the world for granted.

Every year there is one day in June dedicated to the environment, the World Environment Day (WED) which was created to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action. 

This year’s WED being held in India on “Forests: Nature At Your Service”.

 

At CarrieMe the environment is a great inspiration for our designs. We love natural colours and our Compact Bag Hook collection really shows this off!