* a girl's guide to technology
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Summer is within sight. Before you know it you’ll be ditching your pea coat and leggings and going bare legged and bare armed with open toed shoes, sunglasses and sun hats. The season’s fashions look delectable and almost good enough to eat. From a pastel rainbow seen at Prada and Chanel to shimmering metallics and sequins at Armani and Alexander McQueen. But we all know that it’s the accessories that make the outfit, right? So cruising right past the jeans, dresses, jackets and blouses we take a closer look at all the new trends in handbags and purses. Here are our top picks.
Clutches are the only way to go when you have your glad rags on. Full on handbags are a little too much to deal with and detract from your outfit and generally get in the way of looking fierce. This season the best way to party is Hawaiian style; so look for emerald, turquoise, canary yellow and gold as your colour palette. One of our favourite clutches of the season is available from the wide range of designer handbags at House of Fraser. The Head Over Heels Beauty H Rouched Bag in green – pictured below – is cute and sassy, but ladylike too. Plus at £35 it’s a real bargain.
Fashion designers seem to have been inspired by the impending London Olympics and have come over all sporty on us. We just love it. The chance to mix sporty fabrics with fashion styling is a challenge we relish. The perfect bag for this trend needs to have its own sporty style and duffle bags are the way to go. However, you can never let your fashion guard down and that’s why we love the Dune D Luffle Quilted Duffle Bag, another one of House of Fraser’s designer handbags. The cream colour, luxury leather material, gold metal detailing and plaited strap give this a sport-luxe look.
Pastel shades of lilac, dusty pink, mint and lemon bring a healthy dose of ladylike charm to summer’s brasher trends. What could be more ladylike than a click-top fastening purse. Straight out of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, although in much softer shades, these feminine purses are delightful. Our favourite pick from the range of designer handbags is Ted Baker’s Kassady Purse in baby pink. The cute bobble fastening top and patent leather is in total harmony with the girly pastel trend.
Hello Sailor, nautical fashion is back. Think boat shoes, Breton stripes, chinos and white jeans. We are loving Blake Lively’s look here, and you too need to get a nautical-esque tote to work this trend. Of course navy will work best, but red or white and striped versions can also look great. Nine West has gone all out with its One Stop Large Shopper Bag, with sailboat design and blue and white stripe. We love it and think it’s the perfect addition to any nautical outfit. A red and white striped version with anchor design is also available.
This is the Home Cinema Popcorn Maker I showed on BBC2 Something for the Weekend yesterday. It’s perfect for movie nights in and really does make delicious tasting popcorn!
JM Posner’s Home Cinema Popcorn Kit is a great solution for any film enthusiast who wants the cinema experience at home. The 2.5 oz retro looking Popcorn Maker produces hot and fluffy popcorn in minutes with no fuss, using the same technology as in your local multiplex. Simply load the device with the included kernels and set it popping. There are no messy ingredients involved, and tidying up is easy! When you’ve popped enough corn for everyone, shake on either the seasonings (which you choose when you order the kit) and serve in the classic popcorn boxes.
The kit includes a 2.5 oz Popcorn Maker with removable serving dish, 2 Popping Corn resealable pouches, 2 bottles of Popcorn seasoning, 25 Popcorn boxes and a Recipe book. You can choose which two seasonings you would like from a choice of: caramel, chocolate marshmallow, butter, BBQ, Nacho cheddar, sour cream and onion.
Available at Firebox
Whether it’s checking your bank balance, emailing the office or using social media to keep in contact with our friends, apps are a key part of everyday life of those if you have a smart phone or tablet. With nearly half of the UK population owning a smart phone, apps are increasingly becoming something we rely on just to undertake normal every day activities.
Check out these five travel apps to help your holidays run more smoothly.
Zagat has been providing for years, lovers of great food, the ratings and reviews they need to ensure they are visiting a decent restaurant. Originally in book format which evolved to a website, the app now allows its users to find great restaurants whilst on the move. Particularly useful when you are on holiday and you might not know the area very well. The app includes ratings and reviews for over 30,000 restaurants around the world providing ratings on the standard of food, decor, service and cost – enabling you to make the right choice on where to eat.
When travelling, do you forever find yourself scrambling around in your hand luggage for tickets and scraps of paper with confirmation and booking reference numbers on? The Tripit travel app prevents all this, linking to your email address it then picks up every confirmation number that comes into your inbox and drops it into your very own travel itinerary. Flights, hotel, restaurant and car hire reservations are all brought together in one convenient place allowing you to leave the scraps of paper at home.
Hear Planet aims to give travellers their very own audio tour guide in hundreds of thousands of locations that allow users to learn about the sights around them without having to stop to read. Local residents, organisations and anyone with an insight into an area can record their advice, if you find you have some useful knowledge to impart you can even add your own voice to Hear Planet to help guide future travellers. Hear Planet is a great way of obtaining, up to the minute travel advice from those who know the area, all without having to stop your sightseeing to read a guide book.
For the keen photographer out there, or indeed anyone who wants great photos of their travels, Photosynth is a must have app before venturing on your holiday. The app makes the most of your camera phone by combining your photos together to make a complete 360⁰ image of the views around you. You can then send these fantastic images straight to your family and friends from your phone. The app is completely free and will allow even the most novice of photographer to take images they can be proud of.
Ever gone to buy a postcard for your loved ones whilst you are away and been disappointed by the selection of images of donkeys on beaches and half naked women? With the Postagram app you can turn your own holiday snaps into postcards and have them posted to your friends and family around the world for a small charge (around 99 cents.) Not only is this a unique and personalised alternative to the postcards available in the shops but it also works out cheaper than sending one the traditional way too.
Loving this limited edition Cath Kidstion DAB Radio, I got to review it on Something for the Weekend on Sunday and it’s so gorgeous!
It’s a style classic, whose design hasn’t changed since the 1950s. Now in their latest collaboration with Cath Kidston, Roberts have released the limited edition ‘Provence’ pattern, which is guaranteed to add a splash of colour to any home. Covered in Cath Kidston’s latest variation on her signature oilcloth, the Revival is accented with gold-plated hardware and finished with a useful matching carry handle.
While the design of the iconic radio hasn’t changed, the gadgetry inside certainly has. Inside the case is the latest DAB technology in addition to an FM radio, bringing you a great choice of radio stations. And if you get bored of the radio, you can plug your MP3 player or smartphone into the device too, allowing you to access your entire music collection with ease.
The Roberts Revival combines retro features with modern conveniences, which give the user the best of both worlds. You can tune and adjust the volume using old-school rotary dials, while viewing the different stations on the 16×2 character LCD digital display. It has a 3.5 mm headphone socket, autotune feature and one touch instant access to your preset favourite station.
For portability, you can plug the radio into the mains or use batteries (4 x D size) if you want to use it while out and about. It is highly efficient, offering up to 120 hours battery life.
Price £200
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