Wish List: Coordinates

I had been hoping this blazer short coordinate set was going to arrive at Yumi before I left - no such luck. I love that being a coordinate pairing, the pieces are right on trend, yet they also have quite a classic, timeless feel with the subtle bird print. The blazer short combo would work as well for the office with a shirt, tights and brouges, as they would for a casual day outfit with a plain tee and converse, and also for night out over a white cami and tonnes of gold jewellery! Fingers crossed I can find these at a decent price on eBay or that my mum will take the hints I've been dropping - now that I no longer have the pleasure of 60% staff discount at Yumi!

Outfit
Blazer: Yumi £55, Shorts: Yumi £30, Shirt: Topshop £29

Chrissy Ralphs

I love cats way too much to be considered normal, so when Chrissy started displaying her degree show work next to mine, I instantly fell in love with her work! Drawing from ornamental cats figures, Chrissy has re-contextualised the items with one line statements in a very witty way to create some very intriguing and beautiful illustrations. The narratives and statements are not only influenced by the imagery but drawing in from well known "cat" sayings including "curiousity killed the cat", with a current, minimal twist on the format.

The imagery, line and typography is so carefully considered and the hand stitch so precisely finished,  I could not fault a single element of the collection! I really hope Chrissy puts these up for sale, as I'll be first in line to purchase a piece! Below are a select few of the phrases the designer displayed for her final degree show.

 

 

Contact
Please contact me if you wish for further information or contact details of Chrissy Ralphs

Location
Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, Birmingham

All images shown copyright Chrissy Ralphs, please to not use without permission of or crediting to Chrissy Ralphs

Yumi

Wednesday is my last day working for Yumi, and I must say I'm actually a lot more sad about leaving than I thought I would be! Anyone visiting Birmingham centre, definitely pop in to House of Fraser on Corporation Street and head towards Yumi and talk to the lovely ladies I will be leaving on the department, they will help you find the perfect piece! Although I joined the team working on their kidswear section (which is just so so cute, see here), as soon as the Womenswear section came in to store I knew my bank balance would take a hit! The brand is very vintage inspired, and certainly has pieces in the collections for those who want to stand out from the crowd. Although less known than lots of the brands in House of Fraser, Yumi has been spotted on Una from The Saturday's, Nina Nesbitt and Dawn Porter, and is growing in popularity fast!

Below, I have paired my favourite piece of the Yumi S/S 2013 collection - a pearl collar, floral lace, pleat front top - with cropped polka dot trousers. Let me know what you think, and look out for the A/W 2013 collection that starts coming in to store this week!...

Outfit
Top: Yumi £40, Trousers: Forever 21, £18.50, Bag: Topshop £25 (birthday gift), Watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs £200 (birthday gift), Necklace: Miss Selfridge £3 (in sale), Pumps: Primark £4, Umbrella: Primark £3
Location
Moreton Street, Birmingham