Bag it up

Currently at the top of my wish list is this vision of a bag.  Looks like Etro but it's actually Zara.  Perfect for daytime, night time, smart, casual, festival, Lego land... what more could you want?

Knitwear Edit

I love the fact that it's now October.  Despite September heralding the end of holidays and start of school, to me it's definitely still a summer month.  I got excited when it got cold for the first time a few weeks ago and excitedly put on my thickest tights, wooly kilt and my two most missed favorite cashmere layers.  Hours later the sun had decided to reappear and I was left in the middle of Oxford, sweltering in my winter get up. Now it's October I feel I can count on real, proper, crisp, cold days.  Time to bring out the thickest, polar arctic ready wardrobe.

Every day my emails are full of visionary new winter layers with my name all over them. The problem is that everything seems to cost a million pounds.  When did everything get so ridiculously expensive?

 I've done a bit editing to bring you my top favourites.

Madeleine Thompson 
cashmere split side jumper.

Me & Em 

chunky cashmere scarf.

Chinti and Parker 

Pink pocket vision.

Duffy 

Cashmere poncho from London-Boutiques.

Celine 

Zara handmade cape.

Madeleine Thompson 

Colour block cashmere.

Chinti and Parker

Neon elbow, navy cashmere cardigan. 

www.meandem.com

www.chintiandparker.com

www.asos.com

www.netaporter.com

www.london-boutiques.com

www.zara.com

Marmalade & Mash

When it comes to buying clothes for the Cubs, I'm pretty unadventurous.  Before they arrived I imagined I would spend hours trawling the shops for tiny, wonderful creations.  My own obsession with clothes might wane and be transferred onto their wardrobes rather than mine.   I would be changing them three times a day so we could fit in all their perfect little outfits type thing...  Dream on.  

They're lucky if they get a new outfit three times a week. They're permanently covered in cheese, mud, banana... whatever they can find.  It's like they think they're auditioning to be in the 'before' scenes of one of those washing powder adverts.   

On top of the dirt issue is the fact that there really is very little out there that I like.  Everything has some sort of hideous logo/picture/slogan on it.  Even my usual, tried and trusted  GAP, Zara baby and H&M aren't guarantees anymore. 

So it was a huge joy when I found out about Marmalade&Mash;  the most brilliant, British, simple, logo-free children's clothing company. They're all about traditional, old school clothes - there's lots of bold stripes 'reminiscent of times at the seaside' for the boys and floral, floaty frocks for the girls.  I can't wait to get the Cubs into the green stripy shorts for shrimping in the Scilly Isles this summer.

 Marmalade & Mash are offering my readers a 15% discount.  

Just put WILLOWROSE15 in the special box when you're checking out.

www.marmaladeandmash.co.uk

First Festive Feeling

I feel quite excited about Christmas today. It's all down to the very sweet feather birds that are sitting on my desk waiting for me to do something festive with them. Some are headed for a wreath, some will go in the tree. The others will probably perch somewhere prettily on a fireplace.

They come from the miracle that is Zara and cost £9.99 for two birdies. The other ones I got ( fat robins and white and brown speckly doves) aren't on the website any more and not surprisingly sold out pretty damn quickly. But I'm assured by the lovely sales assistant I checked with just now, that there will be more in the shops, toute suite. If all else fails, my Mama tells me they do have some left in Barcelona..

www.zarahome.com

Twinkle Toes

Everyone needs a sparkle in their life. Especially when it's been raining for the whole of July. And it comes in the form of a shoe.

I had a quick tripette to Zara this week and was dazzled by these full on, sequinned, gold ballet flats. Verging on fancy dress but essential nonetheless.

www.zara.com

sequinned ballerina

£49

Za Za for Zara

Everyone loves a handbag. Everyone really loves a gorgeous, bargain handbag. I have been seriously spoilt in the bag department in the past and if I do say so myself have a pretty impressive collection of designer beauties. Anyway since The Cub arrived it doesn't seem right to be spending a fortune on yet another bag. As much as I'm gagging for a new one - I cant believe I think like this now - a new Gucci number costs the same as a year supply of nappies. So I popped into Zara to get some of their very cool leopard print ballets shoes and ended up wondering round the shop clutching about five of the most gorgeous, well made, swanky looking handbags i'd seen in a long time. I was in a total frenzy of excitement. Obviously my new restrained self had to put them all back. Ok maybe I kept one, but they were seriously beautiful, 100% leather, Celine and Marni-esque bags. What was I meant to do? No one in a million years would be able to guess that they were from Zara. When I bumped into mega-stylist Martha Ward that night, swinging one of their red and gold studded pouches from her arm, no-one could believe that it wasn't a Marni creation. Most definitely worth a look. I promise.

Some of Zara's bags in stores at the moment

from £49

www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home/uk/en/zara-S2011