La dolce vita!

Miss Magpie is off on a summer mini-break. Hoorah! After wedding number three tomorrow, my beau and I will be joining our wonderful pals Hattie, Holly and Matt for some fun in the sun in Perugia, Italy.

I shall regale you with holiday anecdotes when I get back next week, but let me just make you jealous for one minute:

My 1970's kaftan and new gem-stone sandals (ooh - I must tell you about them when I get back too) will look just right on these beautiful cobbled streets and narrow lines.  

Ciao for now x

Femail fashion

NEWS FLASH!!! NEWS FLASH!!!

Miss Magpie writes for the Daily Mail website.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1298090/Goodbye-Size-Zero-Plus-size-designer-fashion-finally-makes-debut-courtesy-U-S-department-store.html


For those of you who are too busy/lazy to click on the link, here's a taster of what Femail readers were casting their eye over earlier this week:


Goodbye Size Zero: Plus-size designer fashion finally makes its debut, courtesy of U.S. department store

The fashion world may continue to argue the plus-size debate for years to come, but one company has taken matters in to its own hands.
Saks Fifth Avenue, the ultra chic American department store, will soon be adding plus-sized clothing to the high-end floor of its world famous New York branch - a major coup for designers, shoppers and the fashion industry alike.
Due to hit rails in conjunction with the Autumn/Winter 2010 collections, garments that were last season only available up to a US size 10 (UK size 14) will soon be up for grabs up to a US size 14 (UK size 18) and some styles may even be produced up to a US size 20 (UK size 24).
Saks Fifth Avenue's legendary third-floor houses collections from the world's most exclusive and celebrated designers...

 Read my article to find out more about Saks Fifth Avenue's exciting new venture

Go on - hit that link. You know you want to. Speaking of hits, did you know that the Daily Mail website gets 47,000,000 a month - I can only dream of being that well read!

Miss Magpie runs the wedding marathon...

One weekend, two weddings, a whole lot of glam!

Wedding no.1: Louise Foster marries Andrew Nichol

When the Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar Arabia invites you to her wedding, you find the most glamorous outfit you can and you thank your lucky stars!

Once I had done that, my beau and I headed down to Rye (Sussex) for the special day. With a black tie dress code, my beau went for a very smart tuxedo (he looked ever so handsome), while I knew there was only one dress that would do for this occasion. Louise's wedding had my metallic gold, lame Vivienne Westwood number written all over it. Teamed with black pony-skin Louboutins, a chunky Mawi necklace and a croc skin Lancel clutch, I was set.

But forget about me, here's the beautiful, blushing bride:

Louise opted for a gorgeous layered mesh Carolina Herrera wedding gown, with a full sweeping train and figure-hugging bustier. A-mazing.

Then, as the lights were dimmed for the party to really get going, Louise emerged with a beautifully styled, classic up-do and without the bottom layer of her dress! She'd whipped it off to reveal this prom style number (you gotta love a 2-in-1), perfect for attacking the dance floor and...

 

...for revealing these absolutely incredible crystal studded Christian Louboutin skyscrapers. Swoon! Miss Magpie went in to overdrive when she lay her eyes on these sparkling beauts.

Speaking of Magpie-licious finds, check out this Anya Hindmarch clutch:

Sadly, this utterly divine piece of arm-candy does not belong to me, but one of the other (oh-so lucky) wedding guests. I think it may well be my idea of perfection. I hope Mr Magpie is reading this...my birthday is coming up ever so soon!!

And while I plot a way to make Anya's slice of heaven my own, here are some of the uber-glam guests I clinked glasses with:

 

Here I am with Elaine Greenshields - Grazia Middle East's Fashion and Beauty Director - who looked so effortlessly cool in her Stella McCartney sparkling jumper dress. Yes, you spotted it - she's wearing the very same dress worn by Cameron Diaz at a certain film premier recently.  Now that's a sign of approval if ever there was one!

Reema Mukhi, Harper's Bazaar Arabia's Lifestyle Editor and newly wed (remember the wedding extravaganza I attended in Beirut a couple of months ago, well that was down to Reema!), donned this super sparkling Ayesha Depala strapless mini dress. Reema wins hands down in the glistening stakes!

It's hardly surprising that Amrita has such good taste, after all Reema is her first cousin. As Reema's guest at the wedding, Amrita stood out a mile in this spectacular fuschia kaftan. The Chanel handbag also stole my heart, obvs. As a Sri Lankan Native who has just moved to our shores, I think I can speak on behalf of England when I say that we are honoured to have gained such beauty and style! Here's the front detail of the kaftan...

Divine.

Finally, I have to show you one final pic of the fabulous bride. This is the morning after the night before:

Firstly, how fresh and awake does she look?! Me on the other hand, not so much! But more important than that, is Louise's top. I love, love, love it and think I may need to get me on of them for my big day! Good find Lou.

Congrats Louise and Andrew - a glistening, glamorous affair, that had Miss Magpie drooling in sartorial heaven.

Wedding No. 2 - Paras marries Jigna

By this point in the wedding weekend, I was somewhat fatigued and my camera did not receive a full outing to capture the wealth of style that there was present here. Silly me and silly champagne the night before!

But just to give you a wee taste of the full-on glitz and glam of an Indian wedding, here you go:

Bright, vivid colours; deep, luxurious fabrics; beautifully ornate detailing; I saw it all.

After all the dressing up, all the bubbly and all the wardrobe envy, all I can think about right now are my pyjamas. I must lay my weary head on my ultra luxe silk cushion and get me some beauty sleep...

...but fear not! The wedding marathon continues on Friday, so watch this space for more matrimonial musings.

Carbooty!

Miss Magpie's very good friend Faye, is a very clever girl. Spotting a gap in the market, she's hit on a capital idea.

Let me introduce to you CAPITAL CARBOOT SALE.

"Bringing the carboot sale to central London and into the 21st century"

It's about time someone struck upon this marvellous idea! Carboot sales need some fresh life breathed into them and if super, glamorous Faye can't do that, I don't know who can. Trust me...this'll be one carboot sale you won't want to miss. So if you have something fabulous to sell or think you can turn someone else's trash into your treasure, make sure you visit www.capitolcarboot.com and sign up now.

This has to be the chicest way to spend a Sunday afternoon. See you there!

Oh and spread the word.

Miss Magpie's tea-cup candles make their debut

Miss Magpie has been a busy little bee - what with Style-State, my soya tea-cup candles and a certain wedding all taking up a large chunk of my day (not forgetting that little thing we like to call work), it's moments like these (keep reading) that make it all worth while.

Not too long ago Miss Magpie's candles made their debut at a pop-up store - the only way to make your first public appearance - in South London. Hix and Buck, the most fabulous wine importers this side of pretty much everywhere [Check out www.hixandbuck.com and snap up their mouth watering vinos and sparklings ASAP], were hosting an evening of wine tasting and invited little old moi to display my candles and add a certain je ne c'est quoi to the atmosphere of the event.

Check out the shop window:

And here are my little darlings, lighting up the room:

I know I am a little bit biased, but I do think they make great gifts (to others as well as yourself) and really are a talking point. So come on, place your order now before I sell out!

To order, please contact me at miss.magpie@hotmail.com. I'll talk you through the cups and scents I have available and I assure you, you'll be very happy with your purchase!

Get ordering.

Le Specs are spectacular!

Here are my new sunnies, courtesy of a little friend of mine at Le Specs. Aren't they just magnifico?

Le Specs are the brand du jour and I for one love their designs and totally purse-friendly sunnies (they cost between £30 and £60)!

This style is called Angular Symphony and they are available from Urban Outfitters, ASOS.com, Topshop, Topman Online, My Sugarland and Pop-Store at Whiteleys.

Now go by them and make this fab Aussie brand a super star!!

Sharing the gossip

After Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda hung up their Manolos back in 2004, it was a long while before I found another dose of girly tv to sate my sartorial needs. Then came along Gossip Girl. Blair, Serena et al, came along to fill that fashion void just in the nick of time.

And just as the excitement of SATC2: The Movie (and i'm speaking in purely wardrobe terms) has waned, the Gossip Girls are back to save the day. Filming in Paris this week, Blair and Serena have clearly upped the anti on their fashion cred.

[Turn away now...spoiler alert!]

In usual Blairena style, the girls appear to be mid fight, adding even more drama to their fab outfits.

Blair is wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown - how sensational do the floor-length red ruffles look on her? I'm totally smitten with this dress, though the metallic pink clutch is getting in the way of complete adoration. Clashing can be good, but not like this! Thank god for the utterly divine sandals.

Blair, looking like she has been at a totally different event (random!), looks even hotter. I'm totally in love with her magpielicious gold sequin jacket complete with OTT shoulder pads. The cobalt blue trousers are an amazingly eye-catching colour and the Brian Atwood heels NEED to be in my closet, like NOW!

Here's a closer look:

I am so excited about seeing the girls and their wardrobes back on our screens later this year...but hopefully this will fill your hunger for now!

White out!

Wearing white is a luxury for Miss Magpie - with a beau so well versed in the art of spilling the vino tinto, it's a guaranteed disaster. However, not only is white one of the hottest colours - or non-colours - of the season, it's just so classic and utterly luxurious. I've recently spotted a slew of a-listers giving the hue a whirl and i'm not talking in the Paris Hilton 'i'm so innocent' way - they look totally gorge!

 Kylie Minogue in Givenchy

With a new baby nephew on the scene, Kylie better make the most of wearing this divine white number while she can. So relaxed yet so chic - i'm all over this look! I'm also hugely jealous of the lapping waves in the background and Kylie's sun-kissed skin - the most important accessories for any white ensemble.

 Blake Lively in Christian Dior

Ok, so this a wee bit 'butter-wouldn't-melt' but we'll let Blake off this once, afterall she's wearing a great classic shift dress, accessorized to perfection with Christian Louboutin's 2010 answer to the Mary-Jane. Totally love the fascinator, though she looks a bit more bride than couture show celeb, but that's really neither here nor there. Good look Blake.

Jessica Alba in Chanel

I would normally say that combining white, red and black together in the same outfit is totally tacksville, but Ms Alba has proven me wrong on this occasion. Kudos to the girl (or her stylist) for bringing together such random items. The bondage-esque caged Loubs are the antithesis of the angelic white dress, but they work together perfectly. Bravo.

Ooh, I want to wear white! Time for a girls only, red wine free day out methinks.

I want to join the couture club!

Where do designers go to let their imaginations run completely free and wild? Why, Couture Fashion Week of course. This season, our favourite couturiers did not disappoint. Karl Lagerfeld's giant lion, Valentino's gift wrap dresses, Christian Dior's giant flowers...there was so much for Miss Magpie to oggle, that she barely knows where to begin!

Here are my 5 highlights from Couture Week:

 Chanel Couture A/W'10

Karl's hit the jackpot; ding, ding, ding! What a totally fantastic stage he set up. A ginormous replica of a statue owned by Coco Chanel herself, Karl's lion stands loud and proud. And how befitting that the king of the catwalk chose the king of the jungle. Love it! The clothes? Yeh, they were ok too I suppose.

Christian Dior Couture A/W'10

A burst of colourful flowers played host to a jaw-droppingly, gorgeous collection of dresses. I would wear any single one of them, any day of the week, were I ever given the opportunity of course.

 Valentino A/W'10

You can always count on Valentino to come up with a collection that is super feminine and pretty. This look was the highlight for me, though i'm not quite sure how you are meant to hold your glass of champers - you know how important that is to me!

 Givenchy Couture A/W'10

Givenchy always provides the 'edge' that I crave. This dress is part glamourista, part mutant - who'd have thought that was a match made in heaven?!

Jean Paul Gaultier Couture A/W'10

It's the gorgeous Dita! Who cares what the clothes were like - hell, I don't even remember - when the finale is a bondage, corseted Dita von Teese? Amazing!

Cocktail chic

To celebrate our 'official' engagement, we thought it imperative that we throw a lavish cocktail party...and that I get to wear something totally indulgent! Celebrating with cocktails, champagne and canapes, and transforming our apartment in to London's hottest bar (!), this was like no other party we have thrown before. I knew exactly what I needed to pull out of my wardrobe for this once in a lifetime (hopefully) occasion.

Get a load of these:

Oh, Mr Louboutin how you excelled yourself when you came up with these beauties. And i'm going to let you in to a little secret, that you must promise not to tell anyone else - I bought these skyscrapers over a year ago at a sample sale, in anticipation of this event. I didn't mind waiting, I just knew I had to wear them to my engagement party. Sshhh! Don't tell anyone...especially my beau.

Anyway, here's the whole ensemble:

Remember this dress? Yep, it's the one my beau bought me the morning before he proposed to me in New York. I'd have normally bought something new for an event like this, but there was just no need this time - F.Y.I i'm as shocked as you are that i'm actually saying that. Miracles really do happen, it seems!

Sari central

It was saris at dawn last Saturday (quite literally) as my beau and I celebrated our 'official' engagement in true Indian traditional style. The ceremony is a simple affair, where the groom-to-be's family welcomes the bride-to-be in to their family, showering her with gifts, jewellery and saris. It's a tough job but someone's got to do it!

So, let's get down to basics... What did I wear? I opted for a very pale shimmering lilac sari decorated with silver crystals and bead work. It was the first sari I picked out on the mega shopping trip Nani Magpie took me on - I'd say it was love at first sight.

What do you think?

Then, during the ceremony my beau's sister draped me in a green sari - green being a very auspicious colour. Lucky me got to go sari shopping with my lovely new mother-in-law to find myself the sari of my dreams. This is what we selected together:

Made entirely out of net, this sari is the latest style (apparently) to hit the market. Covered in swirling sequins, this sari was definitely made for Miss Magpie!

And this is just the beginning - watch out for many more saris over the next year!