Disney @ Harrods for Christmas 2012

Anyone who knows me, or more specifically, knows my inner child, will understand just how excited I got when I found out that Harrods were opening a Disney Princess pop-up shop for the Christmas period.

After my experiences at the Harry Potter pop-up store which appeared in Harrods last year, I didn't have high expectations. Although the set-up was good, creating a realistic Diagon Alley, the prices were high, clearly aimed at collectors rather than children.

However, I'm pleased to report that Harrods got it spot on with their Disney venture, aiming it predominantly at children, as Disney should be (there's still the odd treat for all the kidults out there as well- cushions, homewares, soft furnishings...).

However, I was left feeling like a child with a slapped wrist for not doing my homework research properly; a quick glance around on arrival revealed not only a Disney Princess area but also Toy Story, Cars, and classic Minnie and Mickey merchandise. In short, a Disney fans' dream.

The Disney Princess theme was most prevalent; the entire set-up revolves around the central Princess castle, a structure which doubles up as a shoe parlour, allowing young princesses to shop in privacy. Naturally, glitter and pink rule in this vicinity.

Each of the themed areas is cleverly designed and self contained- the Toy Story area, for example, is designed to resemble Andy's bedroom, complete with larger than life Woody statue.

Rumour has it that there is also a Disney Cafe at Harrods too. Unfortunately I didn't have time to visit on this occasion, but hopefully soon!

Harrods, I think there is a lesson to be learned here; Disney trumps Harry Potter every time.

Candy Kittens Mk 2: Still no candy

A few months ago, you may remember that I paid a little visit to the Candy Kittens pop-up store in Chelsea, and was left extremely disappointed. Although the concept was good, the journey there was traumatic, and the result was disappointing, with not so much as a sniff of the promised candy. I later learned that the Chelsea shop finished its' pop-up run a couple of weeks after our ill-fated pilgrimage, so I resigned myself to giving it the benefit of the doubt, assuming that the sweets had all been sold and that was that.

However, I had high hopes for the Christmas pop-up store. "What Christmas pop-up store?" I hear you cry, "for I know nothing of this promised wonder!". Well, you wouldn't really, as the Candy Kittens website hasn't actually been updated, and still contains that unspeakable map which caused so many problems the last time. In fact the only way I knew about the new store was from Jamie Laing's Twitter feed.  It was only by googling "Candy Kittens Carnaby Street" that I landed on this website which, very usefully, provided the address of the Carnaby Street store. 

Fast forward a while and I found myself outside the new Candy Kittens store within a few days of its' opening, or so I thought. On arriving, I wasn't entirely sure that the shop was open, despite it being a busy Wednesday afternoon a couple of weeks before Christmas. The door was open at a 45 degree angle, and the interior appeared to be bare, both of stock and decoration, as if it was still being set up. 

I walked past a couple of times, giving the place a once over and no doubt arousing suspicion in the patrons of the nearby cafe, who probably thought I was casing the joint in readiness for the preppiest burglary ever carried out. Eventually I summoned up the courage to walk in and find out whether it was in fact open. It was, but it seemed that the minimalist look was what they were going for; there was barely any stock (these photos show the more generously filled side of the shop).

As for what was there, it was mainly Jack Wills-esque fashion; oversized hoodies, logo t-shirts and beanie hats, all folded perfectly a la Abercrombie. A few other items were dotted around, such as notebooks and Christmas baubles (the cheapest, and pinkest, items I came across, at £5 each). Yet still there was no evidence of the candy part of the title, except a few old-fashioned humbug-style jars dotted around. At least the Chelsea shop had the saving grace of a milkshake bar, even if they had sold out of most of the flavours.

Oh biscuity Jamie, I love you so, but I don't think retail is for you. Or sweets. And definitely not marketing. Stick to biscuits and looking pretty, eh?

Chelsea boots and dogtooth

For me, there are two staples to the high street this winter, which will be making their way into my wardrobe just as soon as some money makes its way into my pocket.

First up, dogs tooth. With an uncharacteristic dose of fashion foresight, I've been loving dogtooth ("houndstooth") for the past few winters. There's something about it that is so metropolitan, that somehow screams "high-flying career girl". Just me? I've probably been watching too many New York based Rom-coms again. I digress.

With dogtooth, there is a thin line between getting it right, and getting it so, so wrong. Generally, the larger the print, the riskier the look. However, even subtle dogtooth is not a good look when done head to toe. And wearing clashing prints is a definite no-no unless you want to risk being mistaken for Cher Lloyd (trust me, you don't).

Back to basics

The good news is that traditional black and white dogtooth makes a great base for a monochrome look, rendering it perfect for that highly coveted day-to-night look, heading straight from the office to a Christmas party. Case in point is this dogtooth bodycon dress - chuck a black blazer over it for daytime, but let the pattern flow free when the sun goes down .

The softer approach

However, it does not have to be about bold, harsh patterns, as demonstrated by this mocha oversized jumper (£42, Topshop), great for wrapping up on chilly winter days.

To carry the dogtooth look into the summer, this sleeveless dogtooth shirt would look great dressed down with skinny jeans and black pumps, or glitzed up with black leggings, heels and oodles of eyeliner.

Accessorise it!

If an outfit of dogtooth is too bold for you, take a basic outfit and accessorise it! This snood (£7.99, New Look) is great for a casual weekend look. For the office, pair these dogtooth court shoes with an a-line dress or pencil skirt (black, naturally).

Jazz up your classic LBD look this Christmas with the dogtooth clutch (£10, River Island). For a more modern look, go for a coloured base - emerald green and wine red are both prevalent at the moment, and relatively easy to pull off.

But for me, the ultimate dogstooth item on the high street is this dogtooth mini skirt (£22.99, Mango- although it is also available on the Mango website, I prefer the ensemble on ASOS)


Chelsea boots are my other wardrobe staple this winter. Perfect for wearing with a knee length skirt and winter woolly tights, or tucking skinny jeans into, Although they are two-a-penny on the high street, the perfect pair proved to be very elusive- once I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted (black, leather/waterproof, slight heel, minimal embelishments...), the ideal pair proved very hard to find. Suede is plentiful, and although it's cute, I wasn't budging on the waterproof criteria (my mother's practicality seems to have rubbed off on me more than I realised). After talking myself out of a few practically perfect but wildly over-budget options, I settled for these little beauties.

Miraculously they were only £20, from an independent trader in Bluewater. I just can't help thinking how good they'd look paired with the Mango dogtooth skirt!