Somewhere faux-fur the Rainbow

Instagram has a lot to answer for in my closet.  I’m fairly immune to its deluge of cheaply-made fast fashion.  The super expensive designer stuff (Ashish, I’m talking about you) I swoon over and scroll past. Occasionally though, I see something that stops me in my tracks and I know immediately that I have to have it.  Somewhere, a needle scratches on a record and I have a full-blown fashion a-ha moment.  A perfect example is this faux fur rainbow ‘Honeypot’ bag from Helen Moore.  When I saw it I thought, ‘I’ve been waiting for you forever!’  You probably already know I have a life long love of faux fur.  And you will no doubt be familiar with my love of colour by now.  Mix well and you have a recipe for accessory perfection; the perfect sauce for any outfit.  There is even a coordinating scarf to pop over a coat or cardigan; the ocean blue ‘Hugo’ collar I’m wearing matches the lower blue stripe in the bag perfectly.

Like most of my wardrobe favourites, these are conversation-starting statement pieces.  Also like most of my wardrobe favourites, Helen Moore is a company run by a woman with a commitment to ethical manufacture (which you can read about here).  I am so grateful to Instagram when I unearth these perfect fashion truffles.

I now have two other pieces besides this bag and scarf.  One is this darling coral collar to add to a coat or sweater– the soft flattering colour will liven my pale wintry skin nicely.  The other is this jewel-toned slim scarf.  It has a blue stripe in it to pair well with denim, and the magenta and coral stripes will work well with lipstick shades.  My other top picks from Helen Moore are this ocelot print faux-fur bag, the stunning buckled collars, every item in the hat category but especially the very Dr Zhivago pillbox hats, and these adorable wrist-warmers.  Can you just imagine how fantastic the Ocelot print bag AND the Ocelot print pillbox hat would be together with a simple black outfit (like this one).  Or the sea green pillbox hat with the sea green wrist-warmers over a navy or grey coat?  Sure, they will keep my head and wrists warm, but much more importantly (!) it screams elegant 1960s style, which I adore.

One last point to mention… just as there are beautiful sequins and awful market-stall sequins, there is gorgeous well-made faux fur and cheap faux fur.  Helen Moore’s is gorgeously luxurious and doesn’t leave a trail of coloured fluff all over my car and clothes like the coat I bought from Mango last year did.  Her pieces are not inexpensive, but they are superbly crafted and I know will last me for years.  My Mango coat on the other hand developed holes in the pockets and the lining seams after just a few wears, which I had to have repaired.  When I first received the rainbow honeypot bag, I inspected it closely because the fur looked almost too good.  There are longer ‘guard hairs’ and shorter ‘undercoat’ type fur like in real animal fur; it is a different league from my Mango coat, that’s for sure.  It has had a LOT of use already and still looks pristine.  If you like this bag but aren’t quite as rainbow-bright as I am, it also comes in two more sedate colourways as well.  I particularly like this ‘portrait’ shape since all of my other bags are ‘landscape’.

The photos in this post were all taken in Frankfurt, where we went a couple of weekends ago for a friend’s 50th birthday party.  We stayed at the Villa Kennedy, a beautiful and modern hotel filled with Christian Liaigre furniture (which I have a particular weakness for… oh, those lavender coloured benches!).  I had no idea what the hotel would look like (or even if we would have time to take any photos before the party at our friend’s home) but the beauty of a rainbow is that it matches every outfit and tones with every background.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post.  I always share brands that meet my criteria for style, quality, and ethos.  Helen Moore is really in the sweet spot for the kinds of brands I cover here, and I know lots of you will love it for the same reasons I do.  xx

linking to: visiblemonday,  notdressedaslamb,