Zatchels press day: your satchel style debrief

Last week I was invited along to the Zatchels press day held at the British accessory brand's London showroom. As well as revealing the new collections for AW 13, Zatchels also debuted their exclusive collection with contemporary Chinese artist Jacky Tsai. 

Best known for his iconic Floral Skull design made for Alexander McQueen, Tsai’s vision is to blend traditional Eastern craftsmanship with contemporary Western pop art. He began working with Zatchels earlier this year to create an exclusive, limited collection of print designs which have been applied to Zatchels satchels, barrel and saddle bags. The three prints 'Skulls', 'Virus' and 'Petrol' will be available from the end of October, priced £85 to £180.

In addition to the collaboration with Tsai, new collections available for AW 13 will include the Carnival, Metallic Lava, and Quilted Patent range, plus the launch of the Zatchels PU coated KIDZ collection of satchels - which I must admit I'd still wear now at the age of 25. The Carnival collection features playful 'crayola' colours and will be available exclusively from the new Westfield London Zatchels Boutique from October 30th. Meanwhile, the Lava range has a moody metallic skin - think crackled nail polish - and will be available in three tones for winter. At the press day the new duffel bag rucksack shapes also caught my eye, made from super soft leather the sorbet shades are sure to be a hit come next spring. The style going on my wish list / wait list though has to be the denim satchels with pastel leather panels as seen below. A continuing style for Zatchels, the denim feels deliciously retro when on a satchel bag, and I'm currently crushing on the mint version for next summer. 

Shop the current Zatchels Collection online. 

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How to wear autumn's tricky pink trend

Feel that cold snap in the air making it no longer sensible to leave the house without a jacket? Yes Autumn is officially here and with the new season comes a whole new spate of trends to sink your teeth into. Undoubtedly this season's favoured shade, pink - from palest pastels to cerise - is the colour to be seen in. The AW 13 catwalks were awash with pink, from blush and dusky shades at Topshop Unique, Jil Sander, Celine and Roksanda Ilincic to bubblegum hues at Simone Rocha and the great British high street has been quick to follow - though in my opinion not all stores have necessarily gotten it right.

Pink is a tricky colour to pull off at the best of times, so look for expensive looking fabrics with texture-fulled qualities and high-fashion, even catwalk-copy cuts. Though boiled wools, knits and vinyl are all fine, you should avoid silk, satin and clingy fabrics like Lycra like the plague - this is not baby spice circa 1996, this is a haute new you for winter 2013. 

Wondering what to wear it with? Team pale pinks with tomato red highlights - Sophie Hulme's bag is an excellent example - or with soft greys, nudes and pastel blue. Meanwhile, brighter shades like bubblegum pink look great with a monochrome palette, and if you just want to dip your toe into the trend J.Crew has some great separates in the same shades at half the price. The without-a-doubt key piece of the season though has to be the over-sized pink coat (M&S's sold out, Zara's longer length is to die for, Topshop has the fluffy pink boyfriend style below) and with even more retailer's doing their own versions you'll be spoilt for choice this winter. Take a peek at my ten most admired to get you started. 

1. Chloe loose bobble sweater, available from Farfetch

2. Topshop fluffy swing boyfriend coat

3. ASOS mesh panel cami

4. Simone Rocha wafer mesh dress

5. Topshop check pleat midi skirt 

6. Johnny Loves Rosie Opaque Diamond Studs, available from ASOS 

7. J.W. Anderson pink and black cashmere sweater, available from Young British Designer's

8. Kurt Geiger Britton nude heel 

9. Sophie Hulme envelope mini leather shoulder bag

10. J. Crew wool and silk blend mini skirt

Friday Treat Time: The Feather Cocktail Necklace

This week's Friday treat time comes in the form of an accessories label you may not have heard of before - but should definitely be on your radar. Dark Horse Ornament is a directional, off-beat accessory brand with biannual collections produced by founder and designer Jenny Hattersley. With its haberdashery like finish, cuffs, necklaces and corsages are all handmade using leather and other touchy-feely textiles and trims. Pretty yet tough is the end result - perfect for this season's conflicting obsessions with both punk and ladylike looks.

My favourite piece from the new collection is the feathered cocktail necklace (pictured below) which features a central leather plaque bejewelled with hand-sewn crystals and trimmed with fluttery, pink feathers, held together with black silk ribbon ties. Wear over fluffy knits or contrast with rich brocades and jacquards to take you from the office to after-work drinks, or for cocktail hour use it to give all black ensembles a playful spin.

Shop the Dark Horse AW 13 Collection.

Sneak Peek: Danielle Foster Spring Summer 14

On the blog today I'm happy to bring you a sneak peek now at one of my favourite accessory designer's forthcoming collections. The talented Danielle Foster is back with her fifth collection for Spring Summer 14. Having long been a fan of Danielle (see posts here) I'm delighted to see her work progressing whilst maintaining the brand's signature silhouettes - though some elements have changed, the same structured, boxy shapes and raw edge style remains. 

For SS 14, gone is the hardware detailing and monotone palette of previous years, and in their place we find concealed popper fastenings creating a more streamlined, minimalist look which really lets the leather take centre stage. New colour ways have also been introduced including a pure white, tan and silver using luxury leather, all of which is sourced, dyed, and embossed in the UK. 

The season also sees the debut of a new boxier clutch silhouette with the addition of a horse shoe gusset creating two compartments inside - very handy and perhaps a sign Foster's thinking more and more about the working woman's handbag needs. Meanwhile, the brand's classic satchel is updated with a more minimal front with concealed popper fastenings and totes are refreshed with the insertion of contrasting panels and minimal hardware, accompanied by braided leather handles and an optional shoulder strap. 

My favourite change though has to be the inclusion of a new boxy rucksack. This trend isn't going anywhere soon and Foster's contribution looks modern and oh-so premium. Maintaining the concealed popper fastening, and with optional straps, the rucksack can easily be used as briefcase for more formal appointments. I'm sure it will be gracing more than one fashionable back come next season.

The SS 14 collection will be available from January. In the meantime check out the Danielle Foster website for more information and stockists. 

This Little Girl Lost In Marrakech: Atlas Mountains, Hammam's & Riad's

My Marrakech travel diary continues with our fourth day of the trip where we left the city and travelled into the nearby Atlas mountains for some much needed fresh air and exercise. 

Whilst there we visited a traditional Berber village, pulled over to make friends with some very grumpy looking camels, and had lunch in a river bed, before climbing up to the cascades. Hiking up to the cascades was well worth the effort for the amazing view at the top, but not entirely practical in my Primark loafers (take appropriate footwear if you ever do this trip) as I struggled the whole way up, and slid half the journey down. 

So it was with great relief that I decided to spend the fifth and last full day of the holiday relaxing in the Les Bains de L'alhambra, a traditional Moroccan bathhouse. Whilst I couldn't take any pictures inside, I do have one image of the end result - my pedicure below - but the real treats were the more traditional treatments I had, such as the Hammam and facial. 

The Hammam set me back 250 dirhams (about £18) and lasted 45 minutes, whilst the facial was 350 dhr (£26) and lasted a full hour. My hammam was a completely new experience which I'd gladly repeat as I left with the softest feeling skin ever. This was thanks to the black soap used, followed by an exfoliation treatment (ten layers of skin must have been buffed away by my vigorous technician) before I was covered head to toe in clay and my feet dipped in a rose petal bath. After a luxurious foot massage I was taken up to another room for a facial using Moroccan beauty treatments - one layer for peeling, another nourishing mask and a final layer of moisturiser - with head, hand, and another foot massage all thrown in. What turned out to be a last-minute end of holiday treat turned into the best 'authentic Moroccan' experience of my whole trip and well worth the money.

Here I am wearing my impractical Primark pumps, trousers from River Island, vest top and sunglasses from Topshop, Messenger bag from Zara and indigo to purple dip-dye 'Foreshores' scarf from EMU Australia which was beautiful and practical as it kept the back of my neck from burning. 

the cascades and an ingenious water cooling system

After visiting the Hamman

After the Hamman we went for dinner before soaking up a last few hours of sun on our roof terrace. I'm wearing dress from River Island, sunglasses from Topshop, sandals from Primark, and fringed bag made especially by Barbara Boner for a press day. My necklace is a traditional Moroccan design I picked up in the souk for 30 dirhams whilst by bracelets are luxury charm and luxury spun designs lent to me by Shimla Jewellery. Jewellery on the other hand from Topshop (ring) and Accessorize (bracelet). 

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This Little Girl Lost In Marrakech: Visiting Jardin Majorelle

On second day in Marrakech we decided to head to one of the main tourist attractions for lovers of art and design; the botanical Jardin Majorelle on Rue Yves Saint Laurent. 

The Majorelle Garden is a twelve-acre botanical landscaped garden, first developed by French painted Jacques Majorelle in 1924. Opened to the public in 1947 the garden thrives on today after being bought and restored by designer Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge. Though they contain many rare plants, bamboo groves, and more cacti than you can shake a stick at, its the water features and flashes of Yves Klein blue which really take your breath away. Nestled in a quite corner you'll find a memorial to the late Saint Laurent, a fitting tribute as his ashes were scattered in the garden. 

Also in the grounds is 'Galerie Love' - a room exhibiting Yves Saint Laurent's famous LOVE posters. Starting in the 70s, he sent them every year as New Year's greetings to his friends and the clients of his fashion house. Finding 1987, the year I was born, among the posters was a highlight but selecting a favourite design would be impossible there were so many - and most featuring animal motifs made using collage techniques. 

An oasis of calm in the centre of Marrakesh the gardens were a welcome relief after our hectic first day and I would definitely recommend visiting. Easy and relatively cheap to get there by taxi, entrance costs 50 dirhams and for an extra price you can also visit the Berber Museum which is set up in the former painting studio of Majorelle. The museum is really interesting and features 600 objects (lots of it jewellery to my delight) from the Berber tribes of Northern Africa. There's also a cafe, book shop and gift shop - but be warned as all have eye-watering prices. 

Here I am in the gardens wearing a black patterned dress from Zara. Messenger bag from Zara. Rope & chain necklace and sunglasses from Topshop. Midi Rings from Topshop. Luxury spun and charm bracelets, Shimla jewellery. Manicure courtesy of Boutique Spa, Bayswater. 

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