Taking opulence to brilliant new extremes, Phase Eight have just launched Collection 8; a range of limited edition dresses designed to add sparkle and shine this party season.

Costing from £250 and available now the collection includes lashings of lace, luxury fabrics and more than a smattering of sequins.

You can see the collection on Phase Eight’s website (here to be exact)
Pictured above are my favourite dresses (from top-bottom): Paloma, Cinderella, Colette and Grecian Embellished. You may recognise Cindarella from my last Phase Eight blog post.

Which dress has your heart racing? I’d sell my left kidney for any of these!
xxx

I promise I haven’t gone mad with this title, I really am longing for an excuse to pull on some Wellies (well, buy some first!)

A special collaboration between British designer Matthew Williamson and Havaianas Rain boots has drawn a lot of attention to the iconic Brazilian flip-flop brand’s 2012 Fall/Winter collection. The joint project marks Havaianas’ 50th anniversary and celebration of Matthew Williamson’s 15th anniversary of his first fashion show for London Fashion Week.

As Williamson himself puts it, “both brands embody a sense of escapism and love of travel, an unabashed use of vibrant colour and flamboyance”.

Matthew Williamson has created two novel designs for the Havaianas Rain Boots line. The Brazilian brand represents a distinctive joy and optimism which Matthew appreciated, saying “I’m drawn to the way Havaianas capture playfulness and light-heartedness in their products, there is clearly an element of fun. I wanted to embrace this sensibility in the rain boots and so chose prints that were whimsical without being kitsch”.

PEACOCK RAIN BOOT: Since its introduction in 2004, Matthew Williamson’s peacock feather design has grown to symbolize his brand. For this occasion, it takes on a brand-new color harmony of monochrome with vibrant highlights of fuchsia and jade. The result is a current and refreshing new addition to the Havaianas collection.

DIGITAL RAIN BOOT: developed for Matthew Williamson’s Winter 2012 ready-to-wear collection and featured in his show on long voluminous silk gowns. This is characteristic of Matthew’s love of graphic pattern. The triangular shards are reminiscent of cascading water, perfect for splashing in puddles in the rain.

The boots retail at £85 each and have gone online & stores on 1^st October.

Which design is your favourite? I’m needing the Peacock ones in my life!

xxx

*this is a scheduled post, I’m en route to Holland as you read this!*

I’ll be the first to admit that Phase Eight  isn’t the first place I’d consider when searching for a gorgeous dress or fabulous skirt. Their latest new arrivals may just have me coverted though; how gorgeous is the Cinderella dress from the new Collection 8? I’m swooning and wishing for an occasion where I can justify such an object of beauty.

On a more day-to-day note the Lexa dress would be perfect for up-coming party season and the Nova pencil skirt would look great for work with a crisp white shirt…
I should probably put in to practise that theory of investing in sound basics, and Phase Eight might just be the place to start with some office-chic essentials (and a few less practical things, too)

What shops are exceeding your expectations lately?

xxx