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All things Duffle
Coats and bags all come under the Duffle umbrella, and both are coming back into fashion incredibly quickly, being seen on the shoulders of A list celebrities.
I remember having a navy duffle coat when I was a lot younger and also remember watching Paddington Bear and thinking, wow he has a duffle coat like mine.
From the high street to the designer fashion houses, duffle coats and bags are going to be big this winter, so make sure you have your coats and bags sorted because you do not want to miss out.
Thinking of paying top whack for a Duffle coat, take a look at the Miu Miu hooded duffle coat, possibly the most expensive one on the market at £1350! Burberry and Vivienne Westwood offer versions of the coat at around £500.
If however you want something more traditional, colourful, warm and reliable, this gorgeous long indigo Duffle with wooden buttons is perfect and not overpriced.Duffle Bags are great for a weekend away or an oversized everyday bag. Again, the high fashion bags command a price due to the name. This Chloe Leather Duffle bag is stunning and costs £1250.
You can pick up some pretty amazing bargains on the high street and online, with dedicated sites selling duffle coats and duffle bags.It’s a coat that has and will always be around, designed and produced with traditional values, the duffle coat is something everyone should consider and have in their wardrobe.
I remember going to a bonfire party wearing my navy duffle coat thinking I was the bee’s knees with my gloves and scarf on, waving sparklers around. Paddington Bear will never change his clothes, being such an adventurer, his duffle coat is perfect and keeps him warm and protected from the weather.
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Laptop bags and satchels
I’m thinking about putting a wish list together. My birthday is on Boxing Day so it’s a bit of a nightmare knowing what to ask people for, so on my wish list would be a range of items as you would imagine, including Gucci Guilty Perfume, Molecule 1 perfume, and this gorgeous bag from Drift.
My friend has a Drift Laptop bag in Vintage Cigar, it’s beautiful, its classic and the best part is you don’t have to really care for the leather, in fact you need to let it get a bit batter to make the bag look even more “vintage”. There is a huge range of lap top bags and cases on the market at the moment. I’ve looked at the best bags on the high street and online for that professional businessperson or the cool creative.
The range of Drift bags are fantastic and my favourite Laptop bag in Vintage Cigar is priced at around £165.
Mulberry offer the Bayswater Oak Sleeve for Mac Books at £357.
One of our favourites Cath Kidston creates some amazing floral sleeves for I pads, this is cute and quirky and starts at £38.
Fancy some animal print? Top Shop has a laptop case in Leopard print for just £20. John Lewis has a range of classic style leather I pad cases starting at just £34.95
For a designer case that will not break the bank, Ted Baker has this stunning bubble gum Hoola Case at just £39
The rock chick that needs to get online could choose a studded laptop case from urban outfitters for just £15.
Carry your laptop in style, move away from the traditional black boring laptop bag and get some style into your business day. These ranges of bags are fantastic to inject colour, style and pizazz into your workday. -
The Fabulous Forties
We’re looking the fashion trends that are hitting the high street and the catwalk for autumn and winter 2011. The glamour of the 40′s returns with full gusto, and we cannot wait to get our hands on the clothing, changing into the chic Hollywood stars and housewives of the roaring 40′s.
The trend is based around pieces such as the pencil skirt. Fur shrugs, gloves, fitted jackets and the pussy bow shirt are making big appearances on the high street in some rich muted colours such as mustard, tan and deep red.
Personally I love this particular look, it gives women that powerful look, that says, yes I am a mother, a housewife, a hard worker but I am a woman.Some of the best pieces I have found on the high street to create this fantastic look are affordable and chic.
Firstly I love this lace pussy bow blouse from new look. This black pencil skirt from River Island feature leather panels, which is totally in this season. River Island has some great 40′s inspired pieces in fantastic rich autumn colours, like this pussy bow shirt.Wide Leg trousers are back on the scene. Flaring out and giving length and height, these gorgeous bottoms look fabulous at the office or out on the town. For 40′s glamour mix with a fitted jacket, leather gloves a thin waist belt and some gorgeous T-bar shoes. Let your hair hang down in natural waves, or put back in a bun, if you have a fringe, bangs were all the rage in that era, think pin up girl.
The most important piece for the 40′s look and to keep you warm but looking stylish through the winter months is a coat or jacket. Go for faux fur, this really was an expensive treat for all those ladies back in the 1940′s.
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Duffle Fans
Fearne Cotton, Lily Allen, Alexa Chung, Cat Deely, Britney Spears and Alan Davies. All of these celebrities have one thing in common. They’re huge fans of the Duffle Coat.
Stacey Solomon was spotted wearing a light grey duffle coat, Cheryl Cole is a fan of the special buttoned winter jacket, although likes to team her coat with wet look leather leggings.
Behold the Duffle Coat, an age-old traditional winter coat, that no only protects us from the cold, the wind and the occasional shower, but they come in so many styles and colours that it would be idiotic not to invest in one of these beauties.
Burberry has launched a range of duffle coats for winter 2011. The fabulous prorsum range includes variations on the duffle like the cloak style coat, which flares out from the shoulders and simply has holes for your arms. I love the military style Duffle with a dropped waist, which makes the top fitted with leather straps across the chest and you’ll find this coat in different lengths. The cropped Duffle is a popular piece in the AW collection from Burberry. Bright colours, checked patterns and tweed style country coats are part of this fantastic winter range. I love the leather style coat with fur collar and cuffs. The great thing about this particular range is if you are a fan on the Duffle Coat, not only can you purchase a jacket but also there are other items of clothing that are styled around the traditional duffle. I particularly like this cashmere jumper with leather strap detailing across the chest. Obviously, Burberry is the high end of the market when it comes to Duffle love, you can purchase great quality Duffle coats made in the traditional time honoured manor from Montgomery outdoors, and if it’s a Duffle coat you want, that’s exactly what you’ll get.
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Sleeping Bag Coats
We all thought it was a bit of a joke when the sleeping bag coat hit the market, who would be seen in such a thing? Yes, it’s practical for those off on a camping expedition in the middle of winter, or if the electricity went down and you were stuck in a cold house, but other than that it’s not highly fashionable, but sometimes it’s not all about fashion.
A 21 year old design student from Detroit USA has created a sleeping bag coat which could break the cycle of homelessness. Veronika Scott was upset by the increased number of homeless people, which have to suffer deadly cold winters on the streets so Scott created Element S, acoatwhich is self-heating, waterproof and easily turns into a sleeping bag at night. His idea was to empower these people. During the production of the coat, he employed homeless people, fed them, housed them and empowered them to help create a product, which would help thousands of others.
As part of the project, Scott spent a lot of time at homeless shelters helping out and getting feedback from homeless people about what they would need from this particular project. Initially the idea was all about the coat, but Scott needed to get the feedback about this product and get it out to some of the 20,000 homeless people in Detroit. The way he solved this problem was to take homeless women, pay them to learn new skills and create the coat and as previously mentioned this empowers them, so they can if they wish use the skills they learn to reach out to others in the homeless community and better themselves.The empowerment plan hopes to break the cycle of homelessness, by giving jobs to those who want to help with this project and support them in their lives.
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Life to the Maxi
The Maxi Dress. An Item of clothing every fashionista should own. Whether it’s a bold or neutral colour, or patterned and printed. The Maxi dress can hide a multitude of sins, but can make you feel red carpet boho glamorous.
Maxi Dresses are perfect for those summer days and nights, teamed with sandals or heels, they can be a casual day dress or a head turning evening outfit. They are great for making even the most petit wearer look long and lean, and if you’re tall and Amazonian, it will set off your features a treat.
Embarrassingly I only own one maxi dress, I should own more, but this particular one, I purchased from Primark last year from the swimwear section. It’s a deep purple dress with hints of oranges and gold’s, and has an elasticated boob tube top. I love it, although I have to stick a belt around it to nip me in at the waist and stop me from tripping over the thing.
I’ve taken a look at some of the best and affordable maxi dresses on the high street, and want to share my findings with you.
Coral is still an incredibly popular summer colour, George at Asda come up trumps with this gorgeous Coral Maxi Dress for just £15.
This beautiful colour block maxi from warehouse is soft and chic and is now in the sale, grab it while you can.
New Look always have a big range of different styles of maxi dresses, you’ll love this John Zack Grecian style dress, in bright blue, which is only available online.Maxi Dresses are a great investment for the wardrobe, the don’t look out of place at a wedding or special occasion and are relaxed enough to wear around in the day. There are so many styles and colours on the market, buy one and live life to the maxi.