Funky and fun fur from Fendi. Retro faux fur from Anna Sui, Glam rock fur from Diane Von Furstenburg. Blushing baby pink fur from Saint Laurent…. Fake to real, fur reigned throughout Fashion Week Fall collections! From faux fur lapels for a subtle touch of the trend to full length furry coats. We saw Fendi feature bold and punky striped real fur coats, with fun furry handbag accessories. These colourful pieces are a cool, modern take on the classic fur trend. But at CarrieMe we’re all for fake, faux, or teddy bear! Luxurious, yet warm and practical, faux fur is becoming a classic winter staple.

'DVF', 'CarrieMe Snowball' bag charm, 'Anna Sui' Fake fur

 

Oooh the best part about Fall has to be the fashion! Why not update your handbag this season, an easy and subtle way to stay on trend using accessories, rather than investing in a full-on fluffy coat? Look to the Snowball from CarrieMe - this super-soft plush bag charm will not only update your bag but also doubles up as a bag hook. The bag hook is perfect for keeping our precious handbag and winter essentials safe while out and about this festive season. Too see more information on how the CarrieMe bag hook works, check it out on our website or Facebook!

'Fendi' Fall 2013/14 and the 'CarrieMe Snowball'

'Saint Laurent' Fall 2013 and the 'CarrieMe Snowball' in Winter white and Ebony black.

 

Take the wieght off your shoulders with the 'CarrieMe Bag Hook'

It’s important to take time out to de-stress throughout this busy season, taking a break from organising Christmas, working and partying hard.

CarrieMe suggest chilling out and re-charging your battery’s over a lazy lunch date with friends - our favourite type are the post-lunch, pre-dinner treat of ‘High Tea’. A great way to warm us up while it’s so cold outside! We’re huge fans of this indulgent pastime, we can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon relaxing than sipping on refreshing and tasty teas with fancy French patisseries.

Afternoon Tea at 'The Dorchester'

Afternoon teas in London are very popular, and you really are spoilt for choice of venues. After an unusual, quirky place with vintage mismatched teacups or a luxury high end bone china type of service? For luxury, try The Dorchester hotel. A beautiful restaurant with marble piers and opulent chairs. The Dorchester include Champagne with their afternoon tea.

Afternoon Tea at 'The Berkeley'

For someone crazy about fashion, the ‘Prêt-à-Portea’ afternoon tea at The Berkeley is a real treat. Cakes and nibbles inspired by the latest highend fashion pieces. For example one cake named – ‘The Alexander McQueen whimsical yellow honeycomb cream oversized dress topped with marzipan bee’ Very cool!

Tea for Two bespoke cake gallery from 'Choccywoccydoodah'

For something affordable, but equally enjoyable try ‘Choccywoccydoodah’. This expert chocolatier has a small, quirky diner which does yummy teas and other delights like brownies, and chocolate dipping platters.

Make the experience of a lazy lunch even more enjoyable by not having to worry about your handbag. Completely relax, and take the weight off your shoulders by knowing your handbag is safe with the CarrieMe bag hook. There is no need to keep your bag on the floor, over the back of the chair, or on your lap! We attach our bag to the CarrieMe hook, and our bag hands elegantly from the table right next to us for whenever we need it.

Add a touch of glamour to the table with a CarrieMe baghook in bright catwalk colours and textures to match your handbag. Don’t worry if your bag is very large or heavy, the CarrieMe bag hook is a compact accessory, but is very strong holding up to 6kg. To see a full range of designs, check out -www.carrieme.co.uk.


CarrieMe 'Camellia' bag hook in grey

 

Which CarrieMe would you chose to take for an afternoon of High Tea?

The Isabella Blow Exhibition & Amazing Millinery

This week at CarrieMe we're dedicating our ‘Wednesday Wish List’ to amazing millinery in honour of the 'Isabella Blow Exhibition' @Somerset House, London.

Isabella Blow was an all-round fashion legend with thirty years in the industry, beginning her career as Anna Wintour’s assistant at US Vogue. Isabella was a Muse, Stylist, Editor, Talent scout, Mentor. She had an eccentric character, with a bright personality.

We respect her for discovering and launching the careers of many elite designers, including the superlative - Alexander McQueen, she bought McQueen’s first entire collection - one item a month, paying him £100 a week! And of course she discovered extraordinary hat designer Philip Treacy.

CarrieMe just love hats! Different hats provides us with a new identity, are a channel to express our personality, can give us confidence, can be worn as armour, a way to hide our face from the world, or as an expression of love.

Isabella and CarrieMe’s favourite hat designer Philip, became great friends on a personal level as well as working together professionally. Blow established Treacy from her London flat, where he designed dreamy hat collections, and she was a muse to him, incorporating Treacy's hats as part of her signature flamboyant style.  They were a match made in heaven!


Isabella wearing Philip Treacy

Isabella introduced Phillip to many industry insiders, which had a profound impact on his success. These days CarrieMe see his creations everywhere, from the controversial Lady Gaga, Madonna, Kate Moss… He made a mammoth 36 hats for the 2011 royal wedding.

An impressive sixty Philips Treacy hats which belonged to Isabella will be on show at Somerset house. We also predict some fascinating fascinators in this collection. CarrieMe cannot wait to have a peek.  Mannequins will be dressed in outfits as worn by Blow. Recreating her signature silhouette consisting of a McQueen outfit, Phillip Treacy hat and Manolo Blahnik shoes.

The exhibition will showcase over one hundred pieces from Isabella, wow! A stunning collection of bespoke, collectors’ item pieces which will no doubt make people look in awe. A must-see event for fashion fanatics, full of colour, glitz and drama. An opportunity for us to celebrate a wonderful woman that inspired and shaped our 2oth century fashion industry.

To celebrate the Somerset Exhibiton, CarrieMe have created a pinboard of our favourite ‘hat couture’. Check it out here - http://www.pinterest.com/carriemelondon/hat-couture/

The 'CarrieMore Clip' for our arm candy!

This week we’re lusting after gorgeous gloves, and so should you! Get them before the snow comes, and before all the best ones sell out for Christmas.

Finally, gloves in the fashion world have made a big comeback this year, and we couldn’t be happier! Autumn/Winter 2013-14 designer collections showcased some beautiful gloves, most notably long, elbow length opera-like designs.

Many styles were purely for show, providing no warmth or waterproof factors though! Such as Chanel who featured a dressy pair of thin mesh type material gloves, and fingerless gloves with a smattering of studs and embellishment. Very biker chic! Talking of fingerless gloves, what about finger-gloves? We saw this different look at Alexander McQueen. These pearl encrusted gloves may look pretty but just aren’t practical enough for us!

Chanel gloves for Fall 2013-14

Designs which were stylish and warm were from Oscar De LaRenta – long leather styles in lovely jewel tones like emerald green and violet.

Oscar De La Renta gloves for Fall 2013

Celebrities love the glove-comeback too, recently Rihanna modelled a pair of racy Marc Jacobs leather fish net gloves, an equally erotic advert of Winona Rider has surfaced with her modelling a shiny patent leather of gloves for Michael Kors Fall 2013.

Rihanna for Marc Jacobs and Winona Rider for Michael Kors Fall 2013

Oooh which ones will CarrieMe choose this winter? What type of glove girl are you? Are you a classic black leather type or one who like to experiment with colour and texture?

Make sure to keep your favourite pair close by and at easy reach for when the weather is turns chilly! The problem is we carry loads of things around in our bags– extra layers to add or take off while out and about, a hat, scarf, umbrella, and so on… We definitely don’t want to be rummaging around in our bag for our luscious new pair of gloves we’ve just invested in! Do you agree? If so, the CarrieMore Clip is the solution - through creating more space inside the bag.

CarrieMore Clip

This handy little accessory is oh-so easy to use. By attaching the Clip chain around the outside handbag strap, and simply clipping our gloves to the accessory, keeping them secure, safe, and not overstuffing your bag. Ingenious! The CarrieMore clip also benefits us from keeping our bag contents dry, when we’re out in the rain and snow we don’t want to our gloves back inside our bag and ruin anything.

A simple, elegant little pocket sized design, this accessory is not clumsy or fussy. Created from a strong quality chrome-plated metal with a matt aluminium finish centre, coming in silver or bright pink!

Why not treat yourself to a CarrieMore clip this Christmas? Were sure your gorgeous new gloves will appreciate it. Each CarrieMore Clip comes in a black velvet drawstring pouch within a Gift Box and instructions.

To purchase please see http://www.carrieme.co.uk/cat_carriemore_clip.php

"The British Fashion Awards"

It’s coming up to that time of year where we celebrate the ‘crème de la crème’ of our brilliant British fashion industry, yes it’s the London British Fashion Awards! Taking place in just under one month, you could be there! See online to purchase a ticket, or vote for your favourite 'Style Icon' to be in with a chance of winning a ticket.

The 'Style Icon’ award voted by the public, recognises an "individual who most embodies the spirit of British fashion, and is an international ambassador for London as a leading creative fashion capital." Alexa Chung has taken the crown of ‘style icon’ for three years in a row, but this year hasn't been included in the shortlist. Her ex-boyfriend - Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Turner, has been included in the list. We hope Alexa isn’t jealous!

'British Fashion Awards' Dinner Tables 2012 / Alexa Chung with Nick Grimshaw

This year’s nominees shortlisted by the BFC include a couple of unpredictable choices – such as Harry Styles, although I guess he does appeals to the teenage market! So if your style icon isn’t already nominated, there’s the option to nominate another online.

CarrieMe vote Cara Delevigne for Britain’s style icon – the face of many British brands, her success within the modelling industry has gained Cara international status, which in turn represents London’s fashion scene. We like Cara’s personal style while off-duty from modelling - Quirky, fun outfits with a touch of vintage rock and roll. Recently, we noted her rocking the new ‘Fendi Bag Bug’ charm. Seems although CarrieMe we ahead of the Fash-pack with our similar 'Snowball' bag charm!

Cara accessorising with the 'Fendi Bag Bag Charm'

Cara - Red Carpet Outfit Choices

We’re excited to see what she will be wearing for the awards, perhaps a slick couture number, which designer do you predict? Which coveted handbag will she accessorise with? We imagine Cara would look even more stylish at the awards accessorising with a ‘CarrieMe’, either a CarrieMe 'Snowball' to inject some of Cara’s fun personality, or a 'Vintage' baghook. Either way, the CarrieMe bag hook is sure to put a spotlight on her bag, showing off her bag, while hanging elegantly from the lavish dinner table!

'CarrieMe Snowball' Bag Charm/Bag Hook

 

'CarrieMe Vintage' Bag Hook

Check back to our blog after the 2^{nd of} Dec for CarrieMe’s roundup of the best dressed! What would you wear to the British Fashion Awards?

CarrieMe have Christmas all 'wrapped' up

Wrapping gifts can be just as fun as ripping them apart! Rather than using traditional Christmas paper, why not try something a little different this year?

Being a gift brand, CarrieMe especially appreciate a beautifully wrapped gift and get excited when seeing pretty packages which are personalised to ‘us’. Small personal touches make the wrapping as memorable as the gift inside.

You don't have to spend plenty of money on materials either, get great-looking presents with things you probably already have on hand. To make sure your presents stand out under any tree, CarrieMe ‘present’ alternative and creative gift wrapping ideas for the festive season with a luxury fashion and accessory twist.

First up we’re swapping paper for fabric, using on-trend tartan, accessorised with vintage bowties in replace of ribbon. This idea is sourced from www.sweetpaulmag.com use leftover wool tartan for a warm, 'Christmassy' feel. Do you have spare / off cuts of fabric lying about? This is a great way to recycle unused and unwanted materials.

Tartan Gift Wrap

Second up, we discovered ‘A gift wrapped Life’ on BlogSpot featuring a look book of fashion inspired gift wrap. We like this ‘Paris Fashion’ themed parcel. Bright, pretty, and textured, take care not to rip this one when opening the present! Keep it rather than throwing the paper away. With a design like this we can re-use for framing or for scrap book/photo album type projects. Who else is guilty of throwing a mountain of wrapping paper in the bin on Boxing Day?

DIY Paris Fashion Gift Wrap

Know someone with a theatrical fashion palette? Try one with a ‘Tudor theme’ in classic gold and brown colours. Print off a chosen image from online, or from a glossy magazine and stick onto plain paper, tie a thick ribbon around, adorn with a gem or two and voila! Use vintage style jewellery, or maybe get some use out of a broken piece of jewellery you have lying around which you can up cycle?

Tudor Fashion Gift Wrap



Put to use those fashion magazines you keep as ‘reference materials’ to completely wrap a parcel, the heavy weight glossy paper is perfect for creating 3d shapes like the bow on this one below. If you’re into art check out 'Wrap' a publication that bridges the gap between being a magazine and a product; made up of pull out illustrations, produced by Polly who previously designed jewellery Cath Kidston and Ted Baker.



Glossy Fashion Gift Wrapping



Our final favourite to create is fun, effortless – to – make, and sure to stand out. Just wrap a selection of vibrant rainbow bright yarns, around a plain box and secure with a knot in the centre! This reminds me of the friendship bracelets I used to make as a child...

 

Yes to colourfully wrapped presents!

 

Too busy or just too lazy to make your own paper? Try this cute felt Pom Pom wrapping paper from Anthropology.

 

Pom Pom Paper from Anthropology



If you had a present under the tree wrapped in each of these styles, which one would you be most excited to open?

 

The CarrieMe Finder for Cameras!

A luxury fashion accessory, designed to help locate your camera quickly in your handbag. The CarrieMe Finder is an accessory offering style and a security conscious solution; the camera is attached to the clip hidden deep inside the bag, and the charm slips over the outside of the bag, accessorising the bag. Once the handbag is zipped up it is essentially impossible to pull the CarrieMe Finder out of the bag, ensuring maximum security for our valuable and cherished cameras.

Maybe you work in the fashion or photography field or know someone who does? The CarrieMe Finder is a fantastically useful gift for Fashion Bloggers. The camera is an essential piece of equipment for any Fashion blogger to create beautiful content while travelling and working on the road - taking photography of various designs. Bloggers need to have cameras to hand at all times.

Blogger and CarrieMe Fusion Finder

The Finder acts as a visual reminder of where our camera is, available in eye-catching, catwalk-inspired colours, there’s no chance of us losing sight of it. Spruce up your camera with a fashionable Finder. There's something about giving gifts which are personalised to express the wearer’s personality that we appreciated the most!

Blogger and CarrieMe silver heart finder

 

Of course, the CarrieMe Finder isn’t exclusive to professional photographers or fashion bloggers, I don't know many girls who aren't obsessed with taking oodles of pictures for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  For those looking to invest in a good quality camera for festive season, this is a good time to purchase. With many potential photo opportunities over the next few months, you’re sure to get plenty of mileage from your shiny new camera. 

For something a little less predictable, look at vintage and retro inspired style cameras in unusual quirky colours, this look has recently made a huge comeback in the fashion circle. For inspiration check out our Pinterest page, which also importantly shows how to accessorise your camera with the CarrieMe Finder :).

To purchase the CarrieMe Finder, visit www.carrieme.co.uk. Stay snap happy this festive season!