Independent Designers: Sugarpop Clothing

If you're looking for some super-cute, girlie clothing but want to avoid the generic, mass-produced, play-safe styles available in most High Street stores -- go and have a look at Stephanie McCann's original -- and adorable -- designs at Sugarpop Clothing.

After completing a degree in fashion and textile design, Stephanie went on to produce her own collection, based on Japanese street fashion and inspired by manga, anime and other Japanese subcultures. She now sells her designs in her own shop in Liverpool and her clothing can be found in boutiques in London, Paris and Italy.

We at Larkin & Catcher are always on the look-out for talented new designers and I fell in love with Sugarpop Clothing as soon as I set eyes on it. It just looked fresh and appealingly different from anything I'd seen around recently and all the little extra touches -- unexpected lace trims on tanks, candy-pink heart--shaped buttons, over-sized floppy bows -- just add to the over-all sweetness of the designs. We now have a small selection of Stephanie's creations at Larkin & Catcher but head over to the Sugarpop Clothing asap -- as Stephanie has a half-price sale on selected items just now.

My Melody Corset (was £59.00 -- now on sale at £30). Just how gorgeous is this! And the good news is that it's boned -- so it will pull you in around 1 to 2 inches. Not that you or I usually need pulling-in, of course, but December can be the cruelest month...

Pink Leopard Shrug (£49.00)

Leopard (fun) Fur Cape (was £49.00 -- now in the sale for £25.00)

Pink Mini Skulls '50's Dress (£65.00)

Fashion predictions -- 1930's style

A short You Tube film about what American fashion designers from the 1930's thought we'd be wearing by the year 2000. The shoes weren't far off and I like the bride's overall look (but mostly the make-up). Laughed at the "ooh swish!" and "candy for cutie"...

What's Left Behind

A one-post break from fashion.

This is going to be my saddest Christmas ever. R.i.p. Billy -- loved you since that very first day --

Fairytale of New York -- one of my favourite Christmas songs:

Beautiful eco-friendly handbags from Littlearth

You know what I'm like about bags ... obsessed? Well, admittedly, yes. But not any old bags -- I'm always on the look-out for something stand-out different and undeniably fabulous. So, you can imagine the gleam in my baby blues when I caught sight of the marvellous Littlearth handbag collection.

And the very good news is that these stunning bags are made with recycled materials -- license plates, fenders, tires and hubcaps. So you can be kind to the planet, without sacrificing on style.

Super Flair Biker Chick bag (£150.00)

Super Flair Flower Power bag (£150.00)

Mini Flair Fire Hearts bag (£99.00)

Fender Flair Wyoming Trucks bag (£199.99) This one is my favourite -- I think it's something to do with the conbination of the ladylike shape and the unconventional materials. In fact, the more I look at that bag, the more I want it...

I like the look of the Littlearth belts too -- which make use of discontinued beer and soda bottle caps.

Littlearth Tattoo Belt (£29.00)

Lusicous new bags from Hell's Belles

Us girls have just had a communication from the Headmistress at Hell's Belles Finishing School for Girls. At first I thought it was to do with some misbehaviour in the dorm but -- happily -- it was to announce two delightful new Hell's Belles bags!

Enter the La Cucaracha and the La Cucaracha Pochette:

The La Cucaracha Bag ($84)

The La Cucaracha Pochette ($24.00)

Now, I realise I can't get everything I want in life, but I want one of those bags and I WILL HAVE ONE (trust me, I really will).

It might not come as too much of a surprise to read that we've just put some utterly glamorous Hell's Belles bags on the Larkin & Catcher store.

This is the Schoolbag (£45.00) -- knocks the socks off a boring old briefcase any day, I'm sure you will agree.

The Get Away bag (£90.00) The perfect overnight bag! I was searching for a travel bag recently and there was just nothing to satisfy my requirements until I found this gorgeous bag. Glamorous (lined with a plush leopard fabric), sturdy, well-made and with ample room for everything a girl needs for a weekend away.