NHG loves: Kat Macleod

I have long been a fan of Melbourne illustrator, Kat Macleod. Australian girls will recognise her work from one of the original Melbourne fashion blogs, Michi girl which launched in 2002, while everyone else may recognise her work from Australian cosmetics brand, Bloom.

Either way, Kat's work is in high demand both in Australia and overseas because of her lush mixture of fabrics, illustrations and unique materials such as sequins and beads, making her work stand out from other fashion illustrators.

You can purchase her limited editions prints now at Lamington Drive and I'm seriously considering purchasing New York Girl. To watch Kat's artistic process in action, see video below and for more of her work visit here*

I hope you love her work as much as I do. NHG x

*A complete coincidence but one of my favourite bloggers, The Design Files blogged about Kat's new book, Sequins & Sequence the day after I scheduled this post. Lucy from The Design Files regards herself as President of the Kat Macleod Appreciation Society. I'm personally a massive fan of both! Lucy has the ability to make me so homesick (in a positive way) with her stunning blog! Read article here. 

Win a Lanvin x H&M leopard print wristlet clutch!

This competition is now closed - thanks to everyone who entered!
The winner is @PolkaDot_Rach from Mon Polkadot Cheri 

Today I was lucky enough to receive a wristband to shop the Lanvin x H&M collection. While there weren't any dresses in my size...or the fabulous necklaces I was after, I did manage to snap up two bags.

I've decided that they are too similar so instead of taking this back to the store, (or worse, selling it on Ebay) I've decided to give it away!

The bag is worth £24.99 and comes in a gorgeous Lanvin x H&M box.

To enter you need to do one of the following:
1. Follow me on Twitter + RT one of my competition tweets
2. Add me to Facebook + leave me a message either on my wall or in the comments below

I will pick a random winner (using an online selector) and announce the winner on Friday 3rd December at 6pm. I will then post this anywhere in the world once the winner has supplied their postal address. It's as simple as that.

The whole point of the collaboration was to give everyone access to a little bit of luxury after all. Good luck! NHGx

Black & Gold

Maybe it's my way of getting into the Christmas spirit, but I am obsessed with black and gold at the moment. I bought this vintage batwing top from Etsy, which just so happens to be my other obsession du jour.

I used to run my own Ebay business buying and selling vintage clothing and boots (back when Sienna Miller made vintage slouch boots the 'it' shoes to own) and I literally had suitcases of vintage under my bed back in Melbourne. Even Notting Hill Boy wasn't safe, and his walk-in wardrobe soon turned into my vintage shoe store!

Over the years Ebay became too commercial, and I found they were allowing sellers to just add the word 'vintage' to anything to make it sound more appealling. This of course resulted in the almost impossible task of finding anything genuine on the site.

So when along came Etsy with it's genuine vintage and gorgeous homemade, craft vibe I knew that I needed to steer clear. I mean I have an Ebay rating of over 400+ (that's a LOT of transactions) so I knew that it would only be time until I had an Etsy addiction. Yes, it's true...give me an online website where I can find anything that springs to mind in all it's vintage and handmade glory and I'm in dire need of rehab within weeks.

So if you see me endlessly talking about my Etsy purchases on Twitter, perhaps remind me of this blog post. I know Notting Hill Boy would appreciate it. NHG x

Outfit details:
Vintage gold bagwing top, Etsy; HeatTech black top, Uniqlo; Black skirt and Fedora hat, H&M; Black wedges, Zara; Leopard charm necklace; Mulberry; Black studded bag, Mimco; Bangle, Question Air; Red nailpolish, OPI; Dusty pink roses, Portobello market.

NHG loves : Biscuiteers

I have had these a-maz-ing biscuits in my 'I love this' email folder for about a year now, so I just have to share them with you. 

While I honestly do love flowers, chocolates and cards, I love this new idea of giving a tin of personalised biscuits from Biscuiteers even more! I seriously haven't seen such amazing treats since I had pret-a-portea at The Berkeley last summer, where I nibbled on afternoon tea inspired by the hottest designers on the catwalk.

 
The best part is that they come in yummy shapes and colours for any occasion - birthday, wedding, congratulations, baby, travel and the list goes on! They also come in larger boxes or as a single editable card...what a lovely idea? 

Being obsessed with all things travel, I particularly love the Paris, London and New York themed biscuits. It's also a given that I adore the shoes, handbags and dresses that I've seen in their collection (you can also order bespoke for special occasions).

All Biscuiteers biscuits are handmade using the best well-sourced ingredient, and each range is lovingly designed and iced by hand. The tins feature gorgeous artwork that gives them a life long after your treats have been consumed.

Don't worry if you don't live in the UK, they ship internationally and if you want to make your own, they have their own cookbook! Visit Biscuiteers here. NHG x

Hermès J'aime Mon Carré pop-up store

No one wears scarves quite like the British. From young to old, you don't need to walk far in this town to spot a fabulous scarf styled in an individual way.

And no one is more famous for their scarf designs than Hermès which is why I'm excited that Notting Hill is about to get it's own pop-up store as part of their J'aime Mon Carré (I Love My Scarf) world-wide campaign. The store will open at 79-81 Ledbury Road, W11 from 25 November - 23 December just in time for Christmas gift purchases...and for Notting Hill girls like myself to spend a whole month resisting a purchase!

Hermès isn't the only brand with it's finger on the scarf pulse at the moment, Liberty of London recently launched their microsite 'I Bought a Liberty Scarf' which like Burberry's 'Art of The Trench', encourages fans to submit photos of themselves styling their favourite Liberty scarf for the chance to win a scarf worth £250.

I have to share with you that I am obsessed with Liberty's French scarf stylist Lauranne Plat. This stylist extraordinaire has created a series of scarf tutorials for the brand on their Youtube channel that teach you how to style your scarf in every way possible. Aside from the fact that her accent is absolutely adorable in every way, this woman knows her scarves! She is amazing...watch them all, you'll want to run out to buy a scarf right away! Whether it's at the Hermès pop-up store or at the renowned Liberty of London Scarf Hall...happy shopping! NHG x

Bold & Noble Typography Prints

Since moving into my flat in Notting Hill I've been spending an awful lot of time trying to find prints and decorative pieces to fill the vast white walls in our flat. I spotted these map Typography prints on the brilliant website Not On The High Street some months ago, before discovering Bold & Noble's website.

Bold & Noble is a design collective founded by Jane Tobitt and David Wardle. Together they produce a range of hand pulled screen prints from their studio in England, all products are hand printed onto 100% recycled card. As well as producing these fabulous Typography prints, they also produce some unique prints that would look fabulous in any home.

I was torn between buying the UK map (my adopted country) or my country of origin, Australia. Notting Hill Boy insisted we purchase the Australia map (he is homesick at the moment you see) but I still have my eye on the fabulous London map on their website...

The prints are £38 + postage. For all designs visit Bold & Noble

NHG x

Below:
Lisianthus flowers, The Flowered Corner; Bird, Antoine et Lili Paris; Ceramic blue & white ball, Joy; Vintage vase, Phoenix on Golbourne Road; Musc Blanc candle, Patricia de Nicolai Paris; White frame, Ikea; Baies Candle, Diptique. 

 

Portobello ReCollection

Portobello ReCollection is a fabulous new local art initiative that has turned 100m of Portobello road into a giant record collection. The wall charts the musical influences of the area, with artists Natasha Mason and Teresa Crawley asking residents and traders for their input on which songs and artists they would like to see featured on the wall. The artwork will be in place for the next 6mths and is located at the northern end of Portobello road (near Golbourne Road W10).

Today I'm wearing my new By Marlene Birger lambswool dress with sequin shoulders from Notting Hill boutique, Question Air (here it is on Twitpic). Tonight I've realised it's 25% off online in their mid-season sale...very irritating for me, but if you love nothing more than wearing a warm wool dress for winter, I highly recommend it.

NHG x

Outfit details:
Wool sequin dress, By Marlene Birger at Question Air - available online here; Black leather biker jacket, Whistles; Vintage necklace, market in Berlin; Zebra print wool scarf, Portobello market; Boots, Ash; Ring, Topshop; Bag, Alexander Wang.