Collectif Clothing, London.

Collectif is one of my favourite stores.  It's vintage alternative style is right up my street, with good sizing and an excellent range to suit all,  filled with 40s and 50s style dresses, skirts, jackets, amazing shoes and accessories.  The store I visited was situated at Spitalfields Market, London.  It is so beautifully merchandised with fantastic staff that are there to help pick out pieces and accessorise your outfit.

Upstairs in Collectif

Downstairs at Collectif

The outside of the store had a beautiful mannequin display with rails of clothes with the corresponding outfits. The colours were on point for spring and summer with pastel pinks and turquoise. Inside the store has an amazing vintage feel like you had been transported back in time, not only the clothing but with the sale assistants also dressed in vintage attire.  You get a warm and welcoming feeling with a lovely atmosphere.

With upstairs for clothing, accessories and the till point, the downstairs had more clothing to look at and an amazing fitting room area. The fitting rooms are a great size and because it is downstairs it feels more intimate. You feel you can open the curtain and walk around in your outfit. You can also get fantastic help and feedback from the Collectif Staff.

Collectif Staff

I was looking for a new petticoat to go with my Dolores Doll Cherry Stem dress.  When I wore this dress before I had a black petticoat and I thought this time I would go for red  for a pop of colour.  I also wanted to get a jacket or coat as I am going to a wedding in April, back home in Belfast and no doubt it will be cold. I wanted something dressy and appropriate to finish the look.  I spied a beautiful Black dress coat (now sold out).  It was on sale which made it even better! I had my Dolores dress with me so I decided to take these items down to the changing room to try on the look.  The staff were so helpful.   I already have the Debbie patent cherry bag in cream but the collectif girls told me it also comes in black and I got way too excited! It went perfectly with the outfit and really finished the look.  I couldn't believe I was this lucky to get sorted out so quickly but with excellent choice and staff it was so easy to get the look I wanted for the Wedding.

I am so excited now to wear this outfit.  I always feel dressy and individual in Collectif wear and I love the 40s/50s vibe.  All I need to do now is get my hair dyed a more vibrant red and rock one of my 50s Rolls in my hair with long glam curls.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Collectif also have a website that you can check out below.

Love

Purple Poodle

Colectif Website

Delores Doll Cherry Stem Dress

Debbie patent Cherry Bag

Spitalfields Market, London.

 

What better way to spend a Sunday than heading into London for a spot of shopping. Francis and I decided to head to Spitalfields market. It is an amazing shopping experience with a real fresh, funky, vintage, quirky atmosphere. When we arrived and got the car parked,  we decided to go to Costa for a cup of tea as it was a rather cold day. After chilling and chatting we then decided to head to the market to have a look around. I really wanted to go to Collectif which is a vintage style alternative clothing store to look for possible outfit for an up-and-coming wedding in April. Before this we had a look around to see what was on sale that day, as Sunday is a great market with a mixture of everything... artwork, jewellery, clothing, homewares and lots more.

Spitalfields market is very diverse not only in the sellers and goods at the market but also the people that visit it. There are people of all ages and styles. There is a great vibe and atmosphere that you don't really get anywhere else. It is very relaxed and it is so lovely seeing people walking their dogs in the heart of London, looking just as stylish as there owners!

The first store that we went into was source. Source lifestyle is a fab homeware, clothing and accessories store. It is very bright, quirky and assessable.  The staff are so friendly and really helpful and I even picked up a lovely gift for a friend. You really feel that you have bought an one off item.  I would really recommend this store. 

The next store we went to was the London Tea exchange. We actually tried some teas outside that was on offer. The milky oolong was amazing so we had to go in and purchase some. My hubby Francis loves speciality teas, so this shop was right up his street. We also purchased some oolong ginseng and an Asian fruit tea. The store was  beautifully laid out, very symmetrical and it was a lovely shopping experience. The staff are very knowledgeable and it is a store we will definitely be back to.

We then went to collectif. I really wanted to find a new underskirt and a jacket or coat for an up-and-coming wedding in April.  I am going to do a separate blog post on this store and the amazing shopping experience I had.  Let's just say I got sorted for the wedding. I am so delighted and excited about my new outfit.

After this we then decided to grab some lunch. There are lots of amazing eateries all around Spitalfields market, including food from all over the world. We decided to go for some Italian meatballs, with a rocket salad that was so tasty. After lunch we had a look around the market at all the different retailers.  We came across some beautiful artwork, framed pictures, handmade pet goods and Francis was also looking out for a new leather bag for work.

Of course we tried on Hats, I looked at some quirky cushions and we came across an artist, Bagman and Robin, London. His work was so amazing we had to buy two prints.  We also came across framed photoshopped images and picked up two framed sets of Star Wars prints, The seller was cool and we chatted a lot and he gave us extra images to take home and frame.  I picked up a cute bandana for Deano our dog and a snuggle sack bed for Lola our cat at handmade petwear.  I would totally recommend Handmade Petwear if you are looking for a new coat for your dog as they are really well made and some lovely fabrics to choose from.  I had to get the furbabies a present lol.  We also got a stunning leather bag for Francis. It can hold his laptop and is a stylish leather messenger style.  You could say it was a very successful shopping day, so pleased and it was lovely to hang out together, look around and relax.

What better way to end the day than to get some take out Itsu Sushi.  We then headed back to the car and had a nice drive home.  The rest of Sunday was a chill day.  It was such a lovely Sunday. Sometimes it's nice to just do something different and spending the day with someone you love makes it even better.

Love

Purple Poodle

Links to stores mentioned :

Source Lifestyle

Bagman and Robin, London.

Collectif

The London Tea Exchange

Handmade Petwear

London Fashion Weekend - 27th Feb 2016

        

 

London Fashion weekend gives the press and public an intimate look at the London Fashion week event.  Not only are there amazing designer and trend catwalk shows, but you have access to designer retailers on the day with goods at amazing discounted prices.  You can also get involved with the stylists of the show which this year for make up was Maybelline and hair by Toni & Guy.  The venue this year was the Saatchi Gallery, a beautiful location. Everything was beautifully laid out and very accessible.  With 4 floors to explore you were spoiled for choice with fashion and beauty to look at and if you needed a rest a fab champagne bar or coffee shop.

My best friend Marty and I got Gold Tickets this year which gave us access to a designer catwalk show , a trend catwalk show and a designer filled tote bag! (Who doesn't love freebies!). We couldn't wait to get inside and have a look and see what London Fashion Weekend was all about.  We went in and had a look around the ground floor shopping areas.  There were lots of different designer outlets selling clothing, accessories, shoes, make-up and hair products.  It was a lovely shopping experience being able to get your hands on so many different designer goods all in the one place. Designers such as Dolce and Gabbana, Michael Kors, Armani, Vivienne  Westwood, Barbour and Burberry just to name a few.  A pure blissful shopping experience with amazing prices.  The second floor had a coffee shop, champagne bar, the catwalk space and some amazing accessories retailers . On the third floor there were shoes and more accessories, the swatch watch shop and British fashion awards information and sign up booth.

              

           

The first show we went to was the Trend show.  It was split into four sections Americana - Bold stars and stripes motifs were a dominant feature on many of the spring catwalks. Beautiful Botanicals - The ever-lovely floral motif is back in a big way for spring, with many designers featuring prints that wouldn’t look out of place in an English country garden. Pop Art Bright's - This painterly trend will make the season fizz with colour. Bold head-to-toe colour.  New Romance - Embracing your inner romance with spring’s most refined trend. Runways were awash with delicate, feminine looks.  A truly amazing collection of designers including Marc Jacobs, J Brand, McQ Alexander McQueen, Carven and See by Chloé as well high street delights such as Karen Millen and Reiss. Shop straight from the catwalk.

The second show was the designer catwalk show.  We choose to see Mary Katrantzou collection.  The show took my breath away. Katrantzou works with digital print, textures and unique designs.  The pieces had such movement with amazing embellishments catching the light, that even structured tailored pieces had fluidity on the runway. 

            

               

A truly amazing day and even better I got to spend it with my best friend.  The next blog post will be my London Fashion Weekend Haul!! Watch out it will be such an awesome Haul Post!

Lots of love

Purple Poodle (and Marty)

Kisses

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London Fashion Weekend Look

Estee Lauder Double Wear, Sleek Vintage Romance palette, YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick