My Favourite New Accessories from Missoma and Charles & Keith

Anybody who knows me will be able to confirm that I am quite the accessories fanatic.  I have always been into jewellery, bags and pretty much any kind of ‘accessory’.  This was a love that I developed at an early age.  I’m talking about the Claire’s Accessories days, when my poor mum would have to hold her breath every time we walked past the shop, as she knew that if I caught sight of it we would be spending the next hour in there examining every single item on the shelves in the greatest detail imaginable, before deciding one pair of £3 earrings lol.  The pressure I felt to choose just one item in Claire’s Accessories back in the day is like nothing I have ever experienced lol.

A few years on and not a lot has changed.  I am still as fanatic about jewellery and accessories today as I was back then.  In fact, one of my earliest blog posts was about my jewellery collection and storage.

I don’t care where it comes from or what the price is.  I have worn some things from Primark that I love just as much as something I have from Tiffany.  If I like it, I buy it and I wear it.  There have even been instances where I have bought a necklace from Primark for a few quid and I’ve loved it so much that I went back and bought the same thing again for fear of being without it when it inevitably tarnishes and looks like rubbish after a few wears.

As much as I am a fan of my high street jewellery and accessorise, it is very nice to receive the odd gift of something a bit more long lasting.  I got two nice things for my birthday that I have had my eye on for a long time and I have been loving them just as much as I knew I would.

Charles and Keith – Chain Top Handle Handbag

Charles and Keith is a Singaporean shoe, bag and accessory retailer which I really only discovered when I moved to the UAE.  They do however have shops all around the world at this stage and deliver worldwide too.  Whilst I have been aware of them for a few years now it has really only been in the last year or so that they have really really caught my attention.  Every time I go into their store the stock is just better and better.  I am absolutely loving their style at the minute.  I think their designers are doing an amazing job.  To me, their bags have a very expensive look and feel but they are very, very reasonably priced.

I think they have struck a really good balance between a style of bag that is a little bit quirky whilst being classic at the same time.  In recent times they seem to have really perfected their unique style and identity and I’m loving it!

I have one of their bags from last year which is a bottle green suede and leather with gold hardware.  I absolutely love it and I receive so many compliments on it.   That was when I really started to become a fan of this brand and I have been loving everything they do ever since!

For my birthday I got their ‘Chain Top Handle Handbag’.  It is a gorgeous mauve coloured bag.  Like my green one, it has suede material on the front and leather on the back but it is a completely different shape and style.

This one is very structured and and it has a long strap with gold hardware.  This bag also has a shorter strap that is actually leopard print which is very on trend at the minute, but I don’t think leopard print ever really goes out of trend.  I love this bit of detail as it makes it a little bit trendier but again is quite classic.  Typical of the Charles and Keith designs.

The bag has a very clean cut and clever design.  There are no zips or straps, but when you want to close it you tuck in the top flap and the whole bag is securely closed by magnets underneath the material.  I love that this bag never looks messy or untidy or stays hanging open.  Because it is so structured it stays looking nice and tidy.  However, sometimes I find a very structured bag a little bit hard to use as it can be a bit stiff and stubborn.  I am willing to overlook that for this one though :).

The inside of the bag has one main section and then a zip pocket at the back which I always find handy.

I absolutely love this bag and I know that I will get so much use out of it.  I  also find that the mauve colour goes with everything which is a big plus :).

Missoma – Lucy Williams Beaded Coin Ring

The second item I got is the Lucy Williams Beaded Coin Ring by Missoma.  If you have ever been on the ‘Shop’ page of my blog, you will have seen quite a few Missoma items featured.  A bit like Charles and Keith, I have only recently become familiar with Missoma, but I don’t think there is a single thing on their website that I would not wear!

I learnt about Missoma through lots of other bloggers that I follow and it is becoming an increasingly popular brand, but for good reason.  Their stuff is absolutely beautiful.

They are a British designer jewellery brand who specialise in contemporary demi-fine jewellery.  Their design philosophy focuses on ‘creating the perfect jewellery for your everyday wardrobe’.  Missoma state that their delicate, distinctive pieces combine semi-precious gemstones with zircon pave set in 18ct gold vermeil giving a refined but playful feel.

My favourite part about Missoma is that all of their jewellery is deigned to be worn alone or layered.  I love layering jewellery and this way you can make your pieces unique to you :).  I especially like that you only need to buy a necklace once and then you can buy their charms and gemstones individually to build up a collection that you can mix and match.

As I mentioned, I got the Lucy Williams 18ct Gold Vermeil Beaded Coin ring for my birthday.  This ring is such an unusual design and unlike anything else that I own.  This ring is from the their roman collection and is “inspired by cultural motifs from ancient Rome with fresh interpretation bringing amulet status symbols into the 21^st century for the modern woman”.

I love everything about this ring; the design, the material and what it stands for.  This ring is also very comfortable to wear as it sits flat against my finger.

I don’t think anyone would be disappointed with something from Missoma and their pieces make absolutely gorgeous gifts.  Their price range is really varied so there is something for everyone.  I hope I can try more from them soon 🙂

 

 

SHOP THE POST