Category Archives: Clothing
Brits love the onesie
Photo credit: Tony Buckingham
The U.S. may have created the slanket and the snuggie, but the U.K. is doing one better – they’ve introduced the adult onesie and it is taking off like wildfire! Pink, Miley Cyrus and even the Mayor of London Boris Johnson has one.
Every major high street story in the U.K. is carrying them and ASDA grocery store reported selling 140,000 of them in the last week alone. Check out ASDA’s Christmas video with grown adults romping around in some amazing animal printed ones:
(OnePiece sells to the U.S., if you’re looking for one stateside.)
Gap Britwear for boys
I love Gap’s dedication to the union jack! Check out some of their boys’ stuff!
Gap has a 25% off sale on all regular priced items through Sunday. Enter Gap25 at checkout!
Black Friday deal
I am not a Black Friday shopper, but I do like a good deal. Online. From the comfort of my computer.
And so I wanted to highlight a couple of good ones that I have spotted:
J. Crew is offering 25% off and free shipping on orders over $150 with code COLOR25. This includes their “In Good Company” brands like Barbour, Drake’s London, Fox Brothers, London Undercover and Mackintosh to name a few!
Also, the Gap London tote I blogged about a few weeks back is now on sale. Originally $19.95, it is now $15.96 and there is an additional 20% off with code GAPGIFT.
Happy Black Friday!
John Lewis’ 2012 Christmas advert
Here it is!
It is called “The Journey” and follows one snowman’s quest for the perfect gift for a loved one. Again, whimsical, sweet and like no department store commercial we have in the U.S.
British at heart
I spotted this online and love the retro vibe and cultural references! It’s available as a T-shirt via this link.
Britwear from Club Monaco
Club Monaco has jumped on the British bandwagon, with their men’s outerwear fall line.
Take, for instance, the military snorkel jacket (seen here in the photo). It features black watch tartan, quilted lining, corduroy detailing and is made with waxed British millerain cotton. Perfect for a walk in the Scottish highlands!
Other items include hacking vests, wool peacoats and an impressive range of Barbour brand coats. Tally ho!
The origins of the Peter Pan collar
Peter Pan collars are big this season, and I, for one, am a fan – both of the style (for example, see last Thursday’s post about the Lucy shirt) and of Peter Pan himself. But any Peter Pan fan knows that Peter Pan wears a V-neck top, nothing slightly resembling the prim and proper Peter Pan collared shirt.
So, how exactly did these collars get their name?
Well, I just read the potted history of its origins, thanks to Slate.com:
The costume that launched the trend was designed way back in 1905, for the first American stage production of J.M. Barrie’s play. Maude Adams, the Broadway star who played Peter, wore britches, a feathered cap, and a forest-y looking blouse with a white, rounded collar—a bit wider than the Peter Pan collars in vogue today, but otherwise quite similar.
And there you have it! You can read the full article.
What to wear with the Lucy shirt
I am swooning over the entire fall collection from Boden. Over the years, I’ve bought a couple of items here and there but then returned them because they didn’t fit quite right. This year, I’ve given it another try and things fit perfectly.
Now my problem is how to style them. The above Lucy shirt is one of my latest buys – so cute with its Peter Pan collar and fitted shape. I bought it in the sale in navy (sadly, white was not available in my size) and am now stuck on what to wear with it apart from jeans. It’s suddenly seems less versatile since it’s navy rather than white. Suggestions greatly appreciated!
John Lewis’ latest advert
I’ve blogged before about British retailer John Lewis’ adverts and how well done they are. Well, they’ve done it again.
Check out their latest advert, which launched last Friday.
Great concept and lovely cover of INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart” sung beautifully by British singer Paloma Faith. *Sigh*
Pedoscope, anyone?
See the above contraption? What do you suppose it is? Any guesses?
Well, would you put your foot in it?
My MIL recently told us that this was an actual devise used in shoe stores to provide an X-ray of one’s foot – and indeed to check to see if there was enough room for toes inside a shoe. I kid you not.
Not sure what was wrong with the method of just pushing on one’s toes through the shoe to gauge, but yes. These were used instead. Apparently, they were known as pedoscopes and were popular in the U.K. through the mid-1970s. I’ve never seen one, never heard of one, but my MIL has reported that my husband’s foot was pedoscoped back in the day!
Wikipedia also reports that they were also used in the U.S. from the 1920s through the 1950s until they were outlawed (probably due to all the pesky radiation! What a buzzkill!).
BRITRISH.COM 