Jingle Belles

The festive season is almost upon us, and whatever it may bring we know that for the girls, it will definitely mean one thing – you need something special to wear to this year’s Christmas parties! Fear not – we’ve pulled together our ultimate collection of Christmas party dresses.

Little Black Dresses

Carve a sleek silhouette in a timeless classic

Top row, l-r; Pleated Party Dress, Kiki’s, £85; Squabri Chiffon Dress, TheRemedi, £155; 2nd row, l-r; Scarlett Grecian Dress, Rise, £45; Ruby Dress Silk & Sawdust, £149; 3rd row, l-r; Selena Ruffle Dress, Rise, £35; Eloise Silk Dress, Eucalyptus, £105; 4th row, l-r; Evie Flapper Dress, Rise Boutique, £60; Gypsy Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £165 Bottom row, l-r; Marnie Dress, Eucalyptus, £80; Origami Pleat Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £120;

Heavy Metal

Metallic tones, plenty of sequins and embellishment will keep you sparkling

Top row, l-r; Sugar Sequined Dress (also in silver), Rise, £45; Crystal Alice Dress, TheRemedi, £177; 2nd row, l-r; Ria Smock Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £165; Pebble Dress, Kiki’s, £35; 3rd row, l-r; Skyla Beaded Dress (also in berry), Rise, £65; Trisi Tule and Leather Dress, TheRemedi, £189; 4th row, l-r; Opal Dress, Rise Boutique, £60; Rosalie Dress, Rise Boutique, £60; Bottom row, l-r; Eva Evanovich Dress, Amaka, £159; Embellished Paisley Shift Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £175;

Go For Bold

Embrace this season’s jewel tones trend and step out in a rich, vibrant hue

Top row, l-r; Nicole Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £175; Pippa Dress, Rise, £60; 2nd row, l-r; Asha Dress, Beulah London, £308; Paloma Dress, Eucalyptus, £80; 3rd row, l-r; Connie Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £125; Margo Dress, Rise, £35; Bottom row, l-r; Scarlett Grecian Dress, Rise, £45; Seraphina Dress, Beulah London, £421;

Ladylike Chic

‘Tis the season to be pretty – lace and ruffles are perfect for a feminine party look

Top row, l-r; Clara Lace Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £145; Norma ruffled Dress, Instant Vintage, £55; Eloise Ruffle Dress, Rise Boutique, £30; Bottom row, l-r; Ellen Lace Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £145; Alexia Lace Dress, Rise Boutique, £28; Roxanna Bustier Dress, Kiki’s, £69;

Prints Charming

Party-time patterns and graphic prints will add something special to a simply shaped dress

Top row, l-r; Aztec Geometric Print Dress, Kiki’s, £69; Mayfair Dress, Lagom, £125; Bottom row, l-r; Minnie Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £119; Alexia Print Dress, Rise Boutique, £40;

Posted by emmahoness on 24 November 2011

All year tan - sunshine optional

Pick a leather bag in rich tan for a timeless style staple throughout the seasons (even when they are so unpredictable!). Tan leather can add an edge to an outfit whatever it may be – sharpen a chic black dress with a tan clutch, compliment daytime denim with a classic tote, smarten up your travelling act with a large holdall, or even use tan to neutralise this season’s bright shades.

Our favourites:

(Above)Top Row, L-R; ‘Amanda’ Italian Handbag, Classic Italian, £245; ‘Monmouth’ Shopper, Rachel Orme, £140; Handmade Italian Leather Tote, CocoonU, £175; Second Row, L-R; ‘Mimi’ Tan Leather Clutch, Peony & Moore, £89; Leather Tote Bag, BODIE and FOU, £250; Waxed Leather Skirt Bag, Coco Barclay, £150; Bottom Row, L-R; Tan Leather Shoulder Biker, Madison Belts, £119; Handcrafted Midi Leather Satchel, Freeload Accessories, £175; ‘Riana’ Kelly Style Leather, Maxwell Scott Leather Goods, £270.99;

Don’t Forget the Boys…

Clockwise from top left; Handcrafted Leather Satchel, £175; and Mini Messenger Bag, £110; Both Freeload Accessories; Handcrafted Leather Messenger, The Fairground, £85 (20% OFF); Handcrafted Messenger, Freeload Accessories, £149; Handcrafted Leather Messenger‘Small Santino Mens’ Clutch, £149.99; ‘Paolo’ Mens’ Briefcase, £269.99; and ‘Jesolo’ Leather Satchel, £249.99; All Maxwell Scott Leather Goods

Best for Trips…

Left-right; Leather Holdall, Eureka Australia, £159.95; ‘The London Weekender’, Rose & Grey, £225; ‘Flero’ Italian Leather Holdall, £389.99, Maxwell Leather Goods.

Posted by emmahoness on 21 November 2011

Movembering

Being a man working at notonthehighstreet.com, you don’t get many chances to be manly. The occasional bit of heavy lifting, snatched conversations about the weekend’s football results and that’s about it.

When we realised Movember was rolling around, it dawned on some of us that it was the perfect opportunity to bring a bit of manliness to the office in the form of unshaven upper lips. What’s more, we could help our fellow men too. Movember is all about promoting awareness of prostate and testicular cancer, and raising some funds to help fight them too. These diseases affect so many men and we wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other blokes, gents, chaps, dudes, lads and hombres, and help to take the fight to these horrible conditions.

So far, through family, friends and of course our wonderful colleagues, our team of mo-growers have raised around £600 at the time of writing this post. And just in case there’s anyone else out there who’d like to help us out, you can sponsor us by visiting our official Movember page.

Of course we were all hoping we’d end up looking like Tom Selleck, Hulk Hogan or (at worst) Super Mario, but it’s still early days really. On a personal note, I really miss my beard (which I shaved off as per the Movember rules) – it’s really cold without it!

Posted by johnashton on 18 November 2011

One skirt, three ways

Every wardrobe needs versatile pieces, and we think this ‘Lucy’ Ballet skirt by Kiki’s fits the bill perfectly. Here we show just three of the ways you could wear it – from chic office wear, to weekend casual, or strong evening glamour. This is a piece to wear all year round…

‘Lucy’ Ballet Skirt, (shown throughout) Kiki’s, £35; ‘Bows aplenty’ Blouse, Nina Bon Bina, £65; ‘Addison’ Belt, Miller and Jeeves £42; Suede Courts, Mandarina Shoes, £110; ‘Sophie’ Lunch Bag, Clippy, £24.50; ‘Rosendahl’ Rose Gold Watch, ella georgia, £185; ‘Classic Ring No.5’ring, £95, and ‘Contemporary Classics’ cube earrings, £75, both Bronagh Kennedy. All items; notonthehighstreet.com

Skirt, as before; Alpaca fur tippet, Samantha Holmes, £199; ‘Royal Alpaca’ round neck sweater, Babi Alpaca, £70; Leather bow belt, Ageeta, £42; ‘Barella’ leather birkin bag, Maxwell Scott Leather Goods, £325.99; ‘Saidia’ embellished multi strap sandals, Love Art Wear Art, £215; Gold coin bracelet, Lily & Joan, £18; Gold star coin earrings, Lindsay Pearson, £396;

‘Betsy’ blouse, Silk & Sawdust, £65; Ottoman gold droplet necklace, Lemonlu london, £295; Square foldover clutch bag, Red Ruby Rouge, £129; Suede sling back shoes, Mandarini Shoes, £110; Hand hammered brass cuff, Ethical Trading Company, £20; Gold ‘Inlay’ cuff, Tuli Storm, £40; ‘Padparadscha gold filled crochet’ ring, Wrapped design, £85

Posted by emmahoness on 17 November 2011

Stir-Up Sunday

This weekend sees the first of many age-old traditions of the festive season. ‘Stir-Up Sunday’ is a custom that dates back to Victorian times, where a family comes together on the last Sunday before advent to prepare their Christmas pudding. The pudding should be made over a month before Christmas Day so the flavours have plenty of time to develop. The ingredients should be stirred from east to west in honour of the Three Wise Men who visited baby Jesus, and each family member should take their turn to stir it, whilst making a secret wish and chanting the rhyme:

‘Stir Up, we beseech thee, the pudding in the pot;
And when we get home we’ll eat the lot’.

A sixpence was traditionally added to the ingredients and cooked in the pudding. It was supposed to bring wealth to whoever found it on their plate on Christmas day. Other traditional additions to the pudding included; a ring to foretell a marriage, a horsehoe for a luck, a bell to protect from evil, a thimble to determine a spinster and a silver button for a bachelor.

Our seller Vivi, can offer a modern-day solution to keep this tradition going. Their set of six sterling silver pudding charms can be baked in your Christmas pudding and used year after year on Stir-Up Sunday.

If you fancy trying your hand at Stir-Up Sunday, Vivi have provided us with the perfect pud recipe (below) to get you started. However if your culinary skills leave somewhat to be desired, why not let the experts do the hard work? These handmade Christmas puddings by Cat’s Whiskers Cake Design (pictured top) are simply divine, and can be ordered now and saved until Christmas Day.

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 14 November 2011

the countdown begins...

Christmas is fast approaching, and with it a whole host of creative ideas to make this years’ countdown extra special. Advent pegs, trains, trees and even villages offer unique and original ways to celebrate the festive season. Click here to see the full collection.

Posted by jenniferbaldwin on 07 November 2011