Mulberry converted Claridges their fashion week home into a little taste of the Great British Seaside starting right at the front door with the classic british ice cream van. Models walked through a giant fun fair style mouth to the sounds of "oh I do like to be beside the seaside"
Clothing was light and on occassion wispy, the colour palette a range of pastels and candy inspired tones.  One essential item for the British summer time appeared on the runway in a number of variations and that is the raincoat, Mulberry makes the raincoat fashionable.

Make sure you pay close attention to the bejewelled and embelished outfits and you'll catch a peek at the gorgeous matching Lily bag “It was inspired by the neon-festooned lights at Blackpool and I was looking at pictures of when I was growing up in the Seventies and holidays meant sitting on the beach with a cagoule on. It’s still very rooted in outerwear and she’s still very Mulberry and that English girl,” Mulberry’s creative director Emma Hill explained.

In all the Mulberry Spring Summer in my opinion does a great job of carrying it's theme and inspiration into fantastic, fashionable and wearable pieces, there's only two things missing for the full seaside experience.......newspaper wrapped fish and chips and a kiss me quick hat.

We all know the warnings about buying designer goods online and the many tips and advice you can follow to help you make your decision, one of the main being if the price is too good to be true then it probably is. With this in mind I was quite interested to read in WWD today about Richemont's case against Concept Designs Unlimited Inc (supplier) and Daniel Markus Inc (seller).
Richemont, owners of a number of huge jewellery brands, were awarded damages of $37.4 million after it was discovered the above named company's had been selling counterfeits of their products from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.  To add insult to injury the company were not only manufacturing the fakes but selling them at authentic full retail price and provided what appeared to be certificates of authenticity.

It's news like this that really brings home again that you can never be to careful when buying goods online, make sure you do all the research you possible can and check that the seller is an authorised dealer, not everyone selling products online (or even on ebay) is out to trick you and take your money but sadly a small number are so remember...check it once, check it twice and check it again.

Full Story at WWD

Louis Vuitton small leather goods decorated with vintage advertising have been available in limited quantities for the past few years, this month see's the release of this years collection featuring a new range of illustrations.

The illustre collection is available on Monogram, Damier, Damier Graphite and Damier Azur canvas each canvas has it's own matching lining that carries on through the collection.  The Damier is lined in Lilac, Damier Azur is lined is a beautiful sunshine lemon for the Monogram canvas there are two options; one feature's the hot air balloon illustration and has blue lining the other a rose pink with a character illustration from 1909.


Leather accents on the Mini Pochette which are usually vachetta are coloured to match the associated lining for the canvas and drawing, the Mini Pochette is once again available in Monogram, Damier Azur and Damier (not shown illustration matches Monogram).
If you'd prefer just a small accent piece from the collection there is a small canvas bag charm priced at £140.   In addition to the above pieces the illustre (illustration) collection also features a small ring agenda this one of the few pieces availble in Damier Graphite also.
Damier graphite has the smallest collection of goods however illustration on graphite is a new addition to the collection as a whole, the Damier Graphite features a drawing a of a young boy creating a imaginary toy car using a number of Louis Vuitton trunks and cases this is availble on an organiser and small ring agenda cover.
Louis Vuitton illustre is available in stores now.

In Brief:
Zippy Wallet £460 in Monogram, Damier and Damier Azur
Mini Pochette £190 in Monogram, Damier and Damier Azur
Small Ring Agenda £225 in Monogram Damier Azur and Damier Graphite
Key Holder/Bag Charm £140 in Monogram, Damier Graphite and Damier Azur
Organiser £540 Damier Graphite only

Pics: Louis Vuitton