Danielle Foster bags

Early January I finally managed to book in a visit I had been planning for months; I took myself down to east London to visit the incredibly talented handbag designer Danielle Foster.  I remember coming across her designs every now and then but when I glanced through her fall look book, page after page filled with her signature style beautifully heavy leather bags, I simply went yes yes yes. I did not just want a bag, I wanted to see how these beauties got made, know everything about them and of course take the time to meet the designer herself.

And so I did, the model/designer was just as humble to meet me as I was to meet her, when I spent an hour or so sipping mint tea in her little studio. I placed two orders, one of them is being made in pic one, because if you have an opportunity to own a human hair tote - you really should.

Thank you Danielle for having me over, the collection is now online as a newcomer at Bengt, make sure to check the collection out here.

Hair rings

image via regal rose

Hair rings. How simple, how good. One of those things you wish you thought of ages ago. I'm planning to buy 5 packs and go wild with these, then still be picking them out after weeks.

Get them in gold or silver or both, here.

We are nominated!

I received great news during the week that 5 inch and up has been nominated for a Style Blogger award by Company magazine! I have to admit I am a bit excited because during my two years of blogging I've never been nominated for anything blog-related. Not only am I shortlisted for the 'Best What I'm Wearing Today Blog' but for the 'Overall Best Blog' as well!

The news about the nomination came around the same time as I heard about Company magazines re-launch. The clutch sized cutie includes a fantastic selection of the best 'what-to-wear-now' pieces and it was quite fun seeing many familiar blogger faces throughout the pages. A special shout-out for reader Katie, featured in the horoscopes, who said she turns to 5 inch and up for style advice!

So what do you think, should we try to challenge all those big blogs I'm up against? I guess this is the part where I humbly ask you to vote for 5 inch and up, if you think I deserve your votes. Only takes a minute and you can participate in winning £250 New Look vouchers by adding your email in the end.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

voting time is until 11th of Feb, followed by a awards ceremony in March, whereafter the winners will be featured in the April issue of Company magazine.

Thank you all xxx

Stingray

stine goya knit via urban outfitters

gina trigot jeans

stingray bag from thailand

nowhere shoes

old random gloves

photos by tasha

I'm back, it's been a while! I finally managed to hand in my project and the feeling of relief and freedom is hitting me right about now... I should probably be kicking back with a puzzle or something as mind-numbing to tone down the stress levels, but instead I just landed in Turkey! I was planning somewhat of a holiday to company my boyfriend who is playing a golf tournament, but I managed to book a lookbook shoot and a big feature post for the week of my stay, to not give myself too much free time. But so many posts to catch up on to apologize for my absence one outfit at the time...

A few weeks ago I wore one of my amazing finds from Thailand, a stingray bag! gives a whole new dimension to this 'under the sea' trend designer have been pushing, right?

xxx

brb

No plans to stop blogging or anything else that dramatic, just trying to get through a project that's sucking the life out of me to put it lightly. Deadline by the end of the week so I'll be right back.

take care and thanks for keeping me positive with your kind tweets and messages!

xxx

Heagai

heikki salonen jacket

bruno pieters x weekday sweater

h&m trend skirt

moxham necklace

burberry shoes

Stuck between 4 walls trying to finish a big project is leaving no time for some daily photos... but I had these that my mother helped me out with, taken just after Christmas in Finland. I'm wearing one of my best Christmas gifts, that my sister gave in to getting me. This is the piece that first made me fall in love with Finnish designer, Heikki Salonen who you might remember is now head designer of Diesel. My mother thinks it looks medieval... but the ripped, painted cotton is without a doubt the feature I like best about this piece. Balances perfectly those perfectly polished Burberry brogues.

xxx

Luxury?

I'm going to go ahead and state the obvious by saying that I absolutely love fashion... but I love things that make fun of fashion a tiny bit more. Like my new paper Birkin right here. Don't get me wrong, walking through the made-up, fake paradise that is Thailand, the knock-off bag culture gets really tiring, really fast. Exhausting almost, especially for someone like me that indulges on the satisfaction felt when I hand over my credit card to pay for something that is new, exciting and just outside my price range. Well you've all seen the episode when Carrie attempts to buy a knock-off bag on a side alley in LA.

This bag is by a newly discovered, fantastic Thai brand called Wonder Anatomie. And although the paper Birkin is a direct Hermès copy, I see this more like an ironic tribute to the designer tote that make girls like me think investing 3000+ on a bag is money well spent. My new tote cost me about 100 pounds which surely most of you still think is way too much for a paper bag. I just could not resist the thought of how much confusion, laughs and double takes this one will end up causing.

Lace lace-ups

nicholas kirkwood boots

cos skirt

market find top

ray ban sunnies

I still have a few Thailand post planned, not too much going on in my life here in London at the moment. There was not a day where the temperature would have dropped under 30 degrees, but I insisted on wearing my new Nicholas Kirkwood boots I won in a sample sale just before Christmas. From the hundreds of pairs I was clinging on to I allowed myself only one pair, and these where the ones that felt right for the moment. I would much rather wear them with something more city-like here in London, but they deserved a more proper introduction than to just to be photographed on my desk. Super tricky to get on, semi uncomfortable on and impossible to get off. But ah they look PERFECT.

xxx

Maybe baby

mango top

second hand sun visor

skywatch

I tired the sun visor one day.. the 80's favorite that is being sold on ebay as a joke is cool now that they have been officially included in both resort and summer collections of Balenciaga, Givenchy and more. I guess they want us to take them seriously. I did not take myself that seriously and I decide the I looked a bit ridic in this yellow one.. and since I won't be getting the Balenciaga version because it retails for $1013 (yeah, really) I might get myself this less embarrassing plain version for later use, or not.

La la land sweater

  

The same afternoon I wore the cap instead, which I liked much more. I wore it with a somewhat new La la land sweater, or at least all new to me! it's so refreshing to get away from black every once in a while. So stocking up on cutsy prints and pastels is what I'm planning next.

The best of them for Mac

pictures courtesy of mac cosmetics

I might not be as excited about make-up that I am about shoes, but when some of my favorite people collaborate with my favorite cosmetics brand, it deserves a mention. Mac recently realised their amazing collaboration with designer Gareth Pugh and while shopping in Bangkok I came across the lines of legendary icon Iris Apfel and outrageous heellover Daphne Guinness.

All above from the Gareth Pugh collection, which I'll claim right away to be not just one of the best collaborations I've ever seen but also the best cosmetic products ever produced. I don't know how that beetle nail polish was ever done, but I hope I never run out of the numerous bottles I stocked up on.

 

From the Daphne Guinness collection I loved the soft sorbet colours, especially the icy mint nail polish and pastel glosses. So.. only one and half month until spring.

Track

 zara top

alexander wang pants

pleats please bag

44 mm rose gold skywatch

 zara shoes

I finally arrived back to London late last night. Truth is although I've lived the peaceful getaway life through the pictures on my blog, I actually spent most of my days bed-bound with a fever after catching a rare sun allergy on the first day. Being on drowsy medicine and banned from the sun is the last thing you would wish for a well deserved vacation but I'm more than happy to be back home and feeling better. I now have a big uni project to push through with a marketing report that is not going to write itself, 2194 unread emails and a brand new house to move in to. But at least I have a body filled with energy and one hell of a new wardrobe. So bring it on 2012, whatever you are planning to throw at me next.

Crystallized

grayling necklace

curated by ek thongprasert top

milin skirt

My more than beautiful, new necklace by Grayling. I unconditionally love the rawness of the crystals, rough and uncut stones is an absolute favorite feature of mine when it comes to jewellery. I wore it with some newbies found in Thailand. Wouldn't the necklace look amazing under the collar of a button down shirt as well?

I know I've already been saying this on twitter a lot but the shopping in Bangkok was so so good, I'm planning a post on that soon!

check the Grayling website here or follow them on FB

xxx

Better cuts

 zara pants

curated by ek thongprasert top

alexander wang shoes

alpha saphir watch

market find bracelets

I spotted these pants in Zara's lookbook a few weeks back and had a little heart attack over how adorable the print was... but when they finally arrived to stores I had to face the disappointment of reality as they did not fit me at all. All too loose and awful lenght, I had to leave the store without my dream pants. Until it hit me that I has going to Thailand in a few days, the land that has street taylors located as frequently as we have pret a mangers in London. So with two euros and fifty cents these got transformed into, well I said it already.. my dream pants.

xxx