Getting Holiday Happy at Harrods!

To piggy-back on the last post, Harrods is another must-see shopping landmark in London AND they sure know how to do Christmas right! Not only do they feature there own brand with a dazzling array of literally thousands of products - but they also host several hundred mini brand boutiques within their store! I loved browsing through the holiday items by British faves like Charbonnel et Walker, Prestat, Cath Kidston, and more. Have you been to Harrod's? What did you just HAVE to bring home?

There was a HUGE selection of Charbonnel et Walker chocolates including Christmas crackers filled with truffles and luxe advent calendars.

Prestat is already available in the US at places like Fairway, but I had never seen such a giant collection of their products before. There were so many beautifully packaged chocolates.

So, it's not everyone's cup of tea...but I love both licorice and earl grey! This Twinings bauble definitely won my heart.

The EPIC food hall at Harrods - completely devoted to Christmas!

The ideal Christmas gifts: Laduree books

This is my favorite new design for the Harrods classic tote.

I saw this bag and fell in love. So practical for day out or at work. The Harrods own brand has a whole line of new designs that look really classy and are very reasonably priced.

The third Harrods commemorative collection for Prince George - and in my opinion the prettiest collection!

Love snakeskin prints!

Greetings from Regent Street, London!

Sorry for the delayed posts lately. Your faithful blogger has been traveling in the UK. Earlier this month I checked out the huge Christmas shopping, music (think Leona Lewis, Mel C, & Emma Bunton), fireworks, and lights festival on Regent Street. One of the featured stores tonight was Liberty of London, which unveiled its holiday windows in a dazzling display. Liberty is such a historic store - not only for its own iconic prints but also for discovering hot emerging designers. Check out some of my pictures of all of this holiday season's latest trends from across the pond!

One of Liberty's star-filled holiday windows

Who doesn't love sweets and a hand-made card with Liberty fabric?

Holiday lights inside the store!

A hit brand on both sides of the pond, Rifle Paper Co!

Natural history themed glass catch-alls and decorative plates

So in love with this William Morris print adapted by Liberty! I have a shirt in the same print from a few seasons back at Lord & Taylor.

It looks like Liberty just launched a new bath & body line - so cute!

Emma Bridgewater for Liberty

Cool anthropomorphized animal painted trays

Animal head egg holders - I have a soft spot for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels ;)

So classic- a Liberty original print silk scarf

Discovered this new jewelry designer, Lily Kamper - love her work!

The next big Target collaboration...

...is going to be a Brit + a British retailer!

Target is teaming up with runway darling Peter Pilotto and Net-a-Porter. According to Fashionista.com, items will be priced around $15-80 for swimwear and apparel and $17-40 for accessories. It will be available internationally via Net-a-Porter. You can expect the collection to hit stores and online on February 9th, 2014. A little something to look forward to, eh?

Meet Your 2013 Wimbledon Champion, Andy Murray, in NYC!

Come meet tennis great Andy Murray!

He will be doing a meet-and-greet tomorrow (Tuesday, August 20th, 2013) at the Adidas Store located at 610 Broadway. He's just posted this information to his Facebook page. I'll be sure and post any more details as they come!

Just announced: He'll be at the store starting at 5pm!

Andy Murray is the current holder of the US Open Championships and Wimbledon Men's Singles titles. He also won the Gold Medal in Men's Singles at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Murray's win this summer at Wimbledon was the first in 77 years for a British man. The last was the legendary Fred Perry. 

Get Breakfast in Bed with Premiere League Soccer!

It's official. NBC Sports will now be covering all Barclays Premier League matches on NBC, NBCSN, and Premier League Extra Time. Bring out your inner football hooligan! In celebration, they've teamed up with Seamless to offer "Breakfast in Bed With The Premier League". Use the code "NBC20" tomorrow (Saturday, August 17th) between 7am and 1pm EST to receive 20% OFF a food delivery of $10+. You can sign up for Seamless and place your delivery HERE.

The line-up tomorrow will be:

Liverpool vs. Stoke City (Anfield) 7:45am EST (NBCSN)

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa (Emirates) 10am EST (NBCSN)

Norwich City vs. Everton (Carrow Road) 10am EST (PLET)

Sunderland vs. Fulham (Stadium of Light) 10am EST (PLET)

West Bromwich Albion vs. Southampton (The Hawthorns) 10am EST (PLET)

West Ham United vs. Cardiff City (Upton Park) 10am EST (PLET)

Swansea vs. Manchester United (Liberty Stadium) 12:30pm EST (NBC)

The line-up on Sunday will be:

Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Selhurst Park) 8:30am EST (NBCSN)

Chelsea vs. Hull City (Stamford Bridge) 11am EST (NBCSN)

The line-up on Monday will be:

Manchester City vs. Newcastle (Etihad) 3pm EST (NBCSN)

Every match will be available to watch online too. For a full viewing schedule and further information, click HERE.

An Exclusive First Look at Issa London for Banana Republic!

-- Note: This is a "guest post" from my other site, fashion blog Haute on the Spot --

Thanks to People StyleWatch Magazine, I was given exclusive access to today's Issa London Collection for Banana Republic at the BR Soho store. I was very impressed with how the store was all decked out - a red phone booth, Pimm's Cups, and cookies that looked like Royal Mail postage stamps (I may have grabbed up the last one - yum)!

The entire collection was on display in a private room screened off from the rest of the store. While there, I got to see most of the collection (in both regular and petite sizes). Because the event was open to BR card holders all day, there were a number of items that were already sold out by the time I got there after work. However, they had at least one size left of most things so I can give you an early report on quality, texture, and general appearance.

I imagine one hot seller will be the classic solid color wrap-like dresses in the style of Kate Middleton's engagement photo attire. There was only one left at the preview event when I arrived. I have to admit I'm a little biased, as I was able to snag the Issa original from the Rent the Runway sample sale for under $100. However, I found the Banana Republic version to have a less formal appearance. It had a fairly similar cut to the original but the fabric was not shiny and sleek. Instead, it looked and felt more like a typical cotton dress. Because of the high quality design it is definitely worth the $130, but don't expect to get an exact replica of the Duchess's dress for that price. The solid color wrap tops are also made from that material.

The print tops and dresses are a different story altogether. They are generally a little bit more expensive than the solids and more closely imitate the fabric used for the originals. However, although that fabric is definitely more sleek than the cotton items, it's got a rougher more firm texture than the slinky original. It's not so flattering on those with a larger bust, as on some people the folds sort of stick out and would make you look bigger. There's also a big zipper that runs down the front of the dress (hidden by the wraps) that contributes even more to this problem. Overall, I did not find this material (+ the really large prints) to be as flattering as the solid cotton style dresses.

There were a number of accessories and separates too - cardigans, necklaces, and scarves. They looked like the typical quality you would expect from Banana Republic. I thought they'd make some pretty great gifts! 

The collection will be available to everyone starting at midnight tonight (morning of 8/8/13).

The Verdict: In the end, after seeing everything up close, my top picks were definitely the solid color wrap-like dresses and tops. They aren't too dressy to wear to work and truly represent Issa's unique style. The price points are great too!

Enjoy the best of the British!

Issa London for Banana Republic Launches August 8th!

The limited edition Banana Republic x Issa London Collection

Available online and in stores August 8th, 2013

Don't miss your opportunity to stock up on gorgeous Issa dresses, as made famous by Kate Middleton's engagement photos. This collaboration will offer them for the first time at a more accessible price point.

Image: Celebuzz

Banana Republic / Gap / Old Navy cardholders receive early access starting August 6th online and at select stores + 25% OFF Issa Collection + 35% OFF all other full-priced items + a limited edition Issa London Collection scarf valued at $59.50 with any purchase of $100+ using your card (at select stores only). For details, visit the BR x Issa site HERE.