Stapler's Choice

A few choice links from this week:

The moustache is still alive. (NY Times>Kempt)

If only I'd not bought a new laptop case from Paperchase last week. (Vogue>Geeksugar>SavoirvivreNY)

RD Franks has relocated. Though the Reiss people had no idea where to. Thanks the lord for London Unlike.

Alfred Shaheen has died. His shirts live on.

These are cool; I guess the parents wouldn't be too thrilled though...And of course, I don't have a licence.

Tonal Eclipse

Recently, I've worn quite a lot of the colour purple. I was in Liberty (of course) doing some Xmas shopping and had a sneaky look at the sale; just to see if there was anything for my brother or Dad...or something. Anyway, the only thing worth buying/affordable was the Acne collection - simple, well-cut and quality clothes at a reasonable price. Untangling myself from my 15 layers of wristwarmers, scarves, and headphones, I loved the softness of this cotton t-shirt and the cut of the neckline, much wider than all my other tshirts. Yes, all. I stopped buying v-neck tshirts years ago as they just seem wrong for some reason; with this, the scoop neck is less showy, more comfortable, and pretty sexy too. Oddly enough. Anyway, much has been said about the Acne label of late, and if these tshirts and the fine-gauge cardigans they have in Liberty are anything to go by (not to mention the denim; I'm rather sad about missing out on a pair of these in my size in the Daniel Jenkins sale - 33"s too big?) this label will be pretty popular over here when it's more widely stocked. I reckon Urban Outfitters would make a killing on it. In a good way. Anyway, added to this tshirt/cardigan (from Uniqlo, £20) combo I bought this gorgeous cashmere/angora mix hat in the Reiss sale at the weekend for the princely sum of £17. And it's so warm and lovely. More to come soon on my new hat obsession. It's all down to my Dad(!). The mix of purples is a little clashing, but surprisingly good when it's on. And it all feels so comfy and wintry, the tones are warm and the knitwear is cosy. It's just something I'm trying out. Anyway, on to the Staples:
Tonal dressing (in purple for winter)
Gossip Girl on DVD
George Orwell's 'Books v. Cigarettes'
Champagne truffles lasting from Xmas
HMV's dance record section (stocking the brilliant Metro Area)
Acne scoop-necked tshirts
The Kitsune Blog (see Staples d'autrefois)

UPDATE: Like everyone else, I love the Acne v. Lanvin collection. But, just like everyone else, I can't afford to buy it. Way to go guys. Can we please stop swooning over £800 shorts now...?

Reiss and Pleased

So the sales are drawing to a close, and I must say I’ve had a pretty good sale-shopping season this year; a plentiful haul, all at less than half-price. My favourite bargains (before this weekend) are some black Energie jeans for £23 and my gorgeous patent leather ankle boots from Russell & Bromley, down from nearly 200 quid to £69. Unsated, I decided in my post-Birthday party hungover-funk to venture to the Liberty sale. Nothing whatsoever, well at least nothing of a reasonable price – I love the Dior white jazz derby shoes, but they’re still £139, and the Kris van Assche knitwear, which is reduced, but still £150-odd. So I left empty-handed (though severely nursing a need to buy the entire Dries van Noten SS08 collection) and headed to Reiss - which is a goldmine this time of year. I picked up a pair of burgundy jeans (shamelessly 'inspired' by my mate Ross) for £20. And a gorgeous midnight blue pure wool jumper for £20. And a couple of scarves – one huge and woolly, the other smarter and aubergine - down from a collective price of £100 (for 2 scarves!) for under £25. The key with sale-shopping at this time of year is shamelessness. Many friends, countrymen and fellow-bloggers have decried rooting around in sale buckets, but I absolutely love it – it makes shopping more of an adventure; a real treasure hunt. And while there’s not always a high success rate, the feeling of walking out of a high-quality shop with your bag of lovely swag - having saved nearly £200 - is incomparable. Get yourself down there and have a rummage; now is the time. Other Staples this week:
End-of-Sale bargains from Reiss
Camino Spanish bar in King’s Cross
Lightspeed Champion’s album ‘Falling off the Lavender Bridge’
Last.fm
Drinking Pisco Sours
Konstam at The Prince Albert restaurant
Afternoon naps