The White Company

A few months ago, I discovered a UK shopping site that I though worth sharing. The White Company is a fabulous store that sells clothing, homewares and bed linen of an outstanding quality. After buying a few things through their online shops in the past I was very excited to visit their stores on our recent trip to the UK. A winner in the Sheerluxe 2010 Online Shopping Awards, the quality would be undeniable.

The White Company has quite a few stores dotted around the UK but my first experience was in the Westfield London Store. It's crammed to the rafters with beautiful candles, room scents, clothes, bed linen, bath robes, towels... It was a struggle not to buy everything... But I did leave with a couple of choice items.

This gorgeous dress in - what else - black! It's now on sale so it's a huge bargain at 49 pounds. The fit is fabulous and it's great quality.


This beautiful casual dress in ink! It's not on sale but I actually wore it about half a dozen times while we were overseas and it's ridiculously comfortable. Not currently on sale but it's still fairly good value! If they still had it available in Charcoal I would have bought that one as well.


This amazing cardigan. 100% cashmere, it's like being wrapped in silver kittens. It's a bit pricier at 130 pounds but the quality is undeniable and it's such a classic piece that I know I'll keep it for a very very long time. It was definitely an investment.


The White Company are also known for their gorgeous toiletries. Conscious of my baggage weight limit coming home, I bought a couple of candles only, but I honestly wish I had bought more. I selected Cassis, which combines fruity blackberries and blackcurrants with a relaxing woody base of cedar, clove and patchouli and White Rose, a divine combination of white tea roses, white lilies and white lilac blended with crisp bergamot and exotic amber. It was a really hard choice - I also loved Fresh Ginger, Verveine, Peony... To be honest I could have bought an entire suitcase full of candles and bath products but I really did have to be selective.

Maybe next time...

Kitty

LK Bennett

One of my new discoveries on this trip was LK Bennett, a UK clothing chain for discerning fashionistas who love the ladylike look. I really love LK Bennett. The dresses are just the shizz. I adore the shape, the style, the sassiness.

I honestly had never been a huge fan before this trip but the first time I walked into the store on the Kings Road in Chelsea and felt the weight of the jersey and saw the styling I was hooked. It's such great quality and the cut of the dresses is so superior I couldn't not buy, well, a few of them. Because it would be rude not to.

I tried taking my own photos but they, like most jersey dresses, looked a bit sack-like on the hanger so I may have appropriated the shots from their website. I got a few of the purchases on sale which is also good news for the Kitty-Cat bank balance.



Kasia - a classic, 125 pounds

Lueta - a bargain at 65 pounds!
Viola - I bought the black of course, but they only have blue left. The best part is the dress is actually reversable so you get two for the price of one! Which is reasonable at 115 pounds! But if the blue had been in stock when I'd been there I may have bought it as well...

Shilo - this gorgeous jewel colour court is extremely similar to the Christian Louboutin Simple pump but at a fraction of the price. I found these at an outlet store for 55 pounds but they are on the website on sale for 70, still a very good price!



Hester - although it doesn't look like it from the photo, this belt actually matches the shoes beautifully and offsets the drab black of my everyday wardrobe really well. I bought it for 35 pounds at an outlet and I'm sorry I didn't buy the turquoise as well!

LK Bennett does ship to Australia but the shipping costs are a bit ouchy (45 pounds for the first item plus 7.50 for each additional item) but if you buy a few things I guess it's worth it. Or maybe plan a holiday to the UK just to check them out! The quality is second to none - you won't be disappointed!

Kitty

Shanghai Tang!

One of the things I adore about Hong Kong, other than the craziness and the food, is the huge number of shopping opportunities available. Three are shops everywhere selling everything you can think of. Shopping really is the local sport. Unfortunately for me, being a size 14 (on a very good day) and having a size 41 foot, those shopping opportunities are somewhat... limited. Not that I didn't already do a heap of shopping on this trip already, but that's for other posts...

While in Hong Kong I was on the search for enamel bangles. I have a gorgeous one from Coach that I bought in the US, but when I checked out the Coach store in Times Square I didn't see any that I liked and the ones in Kate Spade at Ocean Terminal were nice but ridiculously overpriced. Like double the price you can get them for in the US. I really don't like paying above the odds for things. I like bargains.

How wonderful is this packaging?

On our last day in Hong Kong we decided to head over to Central and the first stop on my list (after checking out the Armani Florist and chocolate shop - they always makes me laugh) was some serious browsing time in Shanghai Tang. It's a shop decorated with wonderful trinkets and decorative arts, with gorgeous shawls and clothes and bags. The clothes, in particular, are beautiful - they hand make many things and can tailor to fit and their designs are gorgeously classic. The interiors of the store hark back to Shanghai in the 1920's to a more fabulous and frivolous time. And in one of the display cabinets was a beautiful display of enamel bangles, just waiting for me. How lucky am I?


It was a hard choice but I ended up deciding on the green and the pink - one thick, one thin. They are gorgeous and so individual. I also like the fact that because I bought them overseas it's unlikely that anyone else will have them.


As an aside - if anyone knows what the symbols on the bangles mean, I would love to know! The sales assistant was somewhat vague about the meanings...

So if you are in Hong Kong and you are looking for something special as a remembrance of you trip, you'd be hard pressed to do better than a wander through Shanghai Tang!


Shanghai Tang
www.shanghaitang.com
Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street
Central, Hong Kong
(There are other locations both in HK and internationally - please check the website)

Kitty

Kitty's new Mulberry Bayswater

I've been lusting after a Mulberry Bayswater for a while now. I adore the classic shape, the practicality, the size...

Mr Kitty had offered to buy me a Mulberry bag when we were in the UK as a gift - he's a very generous man! As such I did a lot of research before heading overseas to try and narrow down the selection.

I did see this one on the Mulberry Website a while ago but I already have a big Furla leopard bag and the price was just a little out of my league (mmm.... perhaps a lot outside of the ballpark, actually) and what I really needed was a good quality everyday black handbag. I contemplated getting a patent leather Bayswater (it had silver hardware which is more "me" than the standard bronze) but it looked a bit more formal and I wanted to be able to use this bag for everything - casual, work... But I didn't think the patent would work as well for casual.

We visited a couple of the Mulberry stores in London to do some more research and after quite a bit of deliberation and "testing" I decided on the Mulberry Bayswater in Black Natural Leather. It was so soft and beautiful but hardy enough to withstand the rigours of Kitty's day to day life: it ultimately ticked all the boxes and seeing as this one was Mr Kitty's treat I didn't want to overspend. I did toy with the idea of buying one in plum which I saw in Harrods but after much deliberation I finally decided that I wouldn't get the use out of it to warrant the cost. Twas uber pretty though.

The rather battered Mulberry Bag - all the way home from London!

After one last look at the Mulberry store at Bicester (where they didn't have anything in the Bayswater range, but I thought I would check, trying to embrace thrift more) I decided to take advantage of one of Heathrow Airport's fabulous services: you can email them through their Reserve and Collect system and order goods for collection the day you leave. You don't have to deal with multiple retailers if you have a few things you want and if they don't have your item in stock, they will order it in for you and you are guaranteed to get the item you want at the duty free price.

The bag in its dust bag!

A few short emails later I had reserved the bag at the duty free price. The added advantage of using this service is that you don't have to cart your shopping all the way around the UK with you if you are on holidays. I wish more airports would have this service and also the diverse number of wonderful shops that Heathrow actually has!

My precious!!

But I digress. The morning we flew out, we checked in for our flight, went through immigration and rocked up to the Mulberry store where my bag was waiting especially for me. We saved approximately 95 pounds by buying it duty free, but what was more important was the hassle we saved. It was so easy and convenient and because I already had a lot of stuff I had bought I didn't have to haul another thing around for 2 weeks while we were travelling. I'd definitely do it again.

Inside of the bag

And just because I couldn't resist, when we got to Hong Kong, I bought this little beauty!


The plaque says "We believe in Tea and Cake". Damn straight we do!



So that's the story of Miss Kitty's favourite purchase for this overseas trip. Stay tuned for the next few posts on other things she purchased!

Kitty

Padstow, Cornwall

One of the biggest draw cards of our trip to Cornwall was visiting Padstow - home of Rick Stein. In fact, apparently many of the locals refer to the tiny Cornish seaside town as Pad-stein, there are so many dining options owned by the great seafood chef.

We looked at all of the options before we left Australia, but because of my rather extensive seafood allergy, we couldn't justify the expense of one of the more high end establishments. So we opted for lunch at the fish and chip take-away. No bookings required!


Our trip to Padstow, even though it's a mere 10 minute drive away from our little house in Mawgan Porth began with a drive in the country. I really wanted to see Port Isaac (home of ABC drama Doc Martin) and Tintagel. After a busy morning climbing hills and driving, we made our way to Padstow. A glorious day, it proved to be our downfall.

Heading past the lunch hour, we decided to stop at the take-away first for lunch then explore the town. After a rather fraught half an hour searching for a parking space (as rare as hens teeth on a sunny day in the little town), stalking people as they walked through the parking lot, we finally made it to the harbourside store. To be greeted by a crowd of people. Now this was a Tuesday outside of the peak Summer holiday season. Admittedly it was a sunny day but you can only imagine what this place must be like on a weekend in the height of summer. You wouldn't be able to move for people. Crazy popular.


Anyway, we finally made it to the chippy at 2.30 and the queue was 20 poeple deep to get take away. I have never seen anything like it! The good thing is that they are extremely efficient and in what feels like no time at all, we have our fish and chips in our hot little hands!

Despite it being a lovely day, the wind was high and sitting outside wasn't much of an option. We ended up having a picnic in the back of our car - which was a lot of fun and easier than trying to balance the tray on our knees in the wind.



I opted for the cod and chips with tartare and Mr Kitty had the haddock and chips. They were both divine, although I would have to say that the cod was probably a little better, being more juicy, flaky and tender. The star of the meal, however was the tartare. Rich and creamy with a hit of dijon mustard it was a sublime foil for the perfectly cooked fish and the crisp chips. I have scoured the internet and think I have found a great recipe to replicate at home - fingers crossed it turns out the same because it was divine.


After our car picnic, we decided to go for a wander through the streets of Padstow. It was a mob scene but this town is so pretty it's easy to see why people flock here all year round. The proximity to a harbour dotted with pretty little sandy beaches, the gorgeous little houses set into the hill, the cobbled streets... It's a picture perfect fairytale village.


Our first stop after walking of some of those divine chips was Stein's Patisserie to procure some dessert for Mr Kitty - we bought him an escargot (his pastry of choose), a bag of clotted cream and raspberry chocolates for my sister as well as some fabulous clotted cream for the top of scones.

After another wander around the harbour, we decided to look for some Cornish Pasties for our dinner - we reasoned we would get hungry eventually after our large lunch. We found some amazing ones at the award winning Chough Bakery - Mr Kitty opted for the steak and I chose the lamb, leek and mint. I also selected a freshly baked scone to go with my clotted cream.



Both Cornish pasties were delicious - the lamb, leek and mint was a gorgeous combination with the lamb remaining tender and succulent. The steak was also good but it did lack a bit of seasoning. Nevertheless they were both appreciated as a (much later) dinner by Mr Kitty and I that evening.


Padstow is a wonderful seaside village that is perfect for a visit on a Summer's day, but I have this one piece of advice: if you do want to visit, come early to bag your parking spot and be prepared to queue at the chip shop!

Kitty

My precious... A trip to Bicester Village, Oxfordshire

On reflection, I did a little bit of shopping in the UK. Just a little bit. I will show you the majority of my purchases later on but I thought I would show you my haul from Bicester Village today.

Bicester Village - if you aren't a devoted reader of Blighty or a shopaholic like me - is a luxury brand outlet village located about 10 miles north east of Oxford. It was a featured destination on the Kitty's trip of the UK.

Unfortunately, Bicester proved to be somewhat of a disappointment for moi. The brands were all there - YSL, Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Burberry, Mulberry, all the berries, Jimmy Choo as well as a good selection of High Street labels ... But honestly? The prices were outrageous when compared to the US equivalent, Woodbury Common. And it was full of people. Jam packed. Shame on me for going on a Saturday but it was bordering on unpleasant it was that crowded. Actually no - it was unpleasant.

As I mentioned, the prices are insane: Jimmy Choos started at about 200 pounds a pair - and they weren't all that fabulous - they were the really remaindered ones. I saw a pair of shoes that I had seen in a retail store a few weeks earlier that were more expensive in the outlet. Dior prices were almost the same as retail. There were two women having a brawl in Burberry over a scarf that was 15% off. And they didn't have my Mulberry bag - or any nice bags for that matter - in stock which didn't really surprise me... It was such a disappointment because a number of my friends had spoken of the amazing bargains they had found at the outlet village but for me it took quite a lot of searching and digging to find a well priced bargain.

But never fear - a bargain or three I did find. Miss Kitty never disappoints.

My first bargain was in Valentino - a gorgeous pair of pink silk satin and silver leather shoes. An absolute bargain at 80 pounds ($140) reduced from 500 pounds ($900). They were the last pair - sometimes it helps to have large feet in these situations. I am considering dying the satin black though - it would make them a lot more practical for moi, given I feel I might ruin them first wear if I don't... But we shall see how we get on.



They are really quite comfortable too - a good buy!

Now that I had my shopping mojo working, I scoured the shops to find more beauties. It took me a lot of looking though, and at one point I got quite despondent. But all was not lost.

My second and third purchases were made at the same shop - Alexander McQueen. There aren't a lot or McQueen outlets around. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen one other than at Bicester. Since the great man's passing, his clothes have become highly collectible, selling out both in store and online so unlike a lot of labels there often isn't a lot to sell off at the end of season. Really, it's been hard to put your hands on anything if you want a bit of McQueen fabulousness for your wardrobe.

I originally saw this dress in Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann a year ago when we were in Paris. Awestruck by it's beauty I think I stood and stared at it for a full 5 minutes before moving any part of my body. It was divine. I was speechless. Then I saw the price - 1800 euros (at the time that equated to $3275 as the Aussie dollar was so bad). I almost had to sit down - it was such a divine dress designed, clearly, by an artiste. The colours were perfect for my skin tone and the graduated houndstooth so chic. It was nothing other than a work of art. A classic. But 1800 euros was a bit steep... Tell a lie - it was an insane price. Not doable. And besides, they only had a small and an extra small on the racks so the price was really a moot point given I would need two of them to cover me. With a sigh of despair I put the dress back on the rack and banished it from my thoughts, only pausing to sigh when I saw it in the occasional magazine editorial or a celebrity on the red carpet.

Look! In it's own speccy garment bag!

Fast forward a year later to me, standing in the Alexander McQueen store in Bicester. And on the rack is this dress. Even better - it was in my size. Best of all - the price. Reduced to a still eye watering 320 pounds - about $500. But that was certainly a lot better than $3275. A lot. I tried it on and it fit - beautifully. Destiny - like so many of my purchases.



I love the graduated houndstooth pattern and the gorgeous bow on the neck - it's so unique and interesting. It's such a special dress I know I will love it for a very long time. It is, as Becky Brandon would say "an antique of the future." It is timeless and classic.

While I was standing by the cash register, handing over my credit card I also saw this beauty.


It was a black and red silk bird scarf I had seen on many websites and coveted - Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus... Completely sold out. It wasn't particularly cheap but I did want it and reasoned with myself that with the VAT refund from the two items would reduce the price enough to make it worth it. Plus it is a beautiful silk scarf and not so expensive when you consider the cost of a scarf from Hermes or Fendi... So I bought it - and I'm glad I did. The colour is perfect and it's a gorgeous accessory.

Ummm... Might need to iron some of those creases out before wearing...

So despite not going nuts on buying everything I saw like I anticipated, I still managed to get a couple of choice items that I am more than happy with. Ecstatic in fact. Would I go back to Bicester? Maybe, but I wouldn't go on a weekend. If you do, be prepared for mayhem, take your credit card and be prepared to hunt hard for those extra special bargains!

Kitty

Merlin Farm, Cornwall

When I was a little girl, we lived in the UK for a while and while we were there we took a trip during the Summer to Cornwall. I remember a place of spectacular stunning beauty.

When we were planning our trip this year, Cornwall was at the top of the list. We were looking for a place to spend a few days winding down at the end of the journey and what better place than a green grassy oasis by the sea?

I was not disappointed. Our stay began at Merlin Farm near Mawgan Porth - a fabulous little seaside village between Newquay and Padstow. Merlin Farm is an ideal base to explore the North Coast of Cornwall - it's remote enough to feel like you are a million miles away from everything but in reality you have access to enough fabulous restaurants, walking tracks tourist attractions and to keep you more than happy.

We stayed in an Eco-Lodge, one of three delightful little hutches overlooking the hills towards the east. The quality of the accommodations is superb - they are brand new and no expense has been spared in the construction or decorations.


There are Smeg appliances in the kitchen, a gorgeous freestanding bath in the marble tiled bathroom, a luxurious king sized bed in the master suite, a decadent leather couch in the sitting area, hand crafted wooden furniture, a fabulous wood burning stove... Everything you could possible want is here. I can't rave about this place enough and If I had my time over, I'd spend an entire week here, not just three days.


I loved the fact that we could cook our own dinner - after ages eating out, that was a real draw card (grilled steak and salad beckoned!!). And I adored sitting out on the patio, watching the sun set and view over the hills.



I can't recommend this place highly enough. Our hosts Lucy and Darren run a truly charming establishment - nothing is too much trouble. It's no wonder it's almost impossible to get a booking here during the Summer. If you happen to be in this neck of the woods, I highly recommend a couple of days soaking in the tub, enjoying the fresh air, eating amazing local produce and luxuriating in the high thread count sheets.


And if you are more than a couple or a small family, Lucy and Darren also have beautiful old stone farmhouses for rent: Check them out!



Eco Lodges @ Merlin Farm
Mawgan Porth, Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4DN

Photos courtesy of Merlin Farm