Carnaby Street

Marc Jacobs Carnaby Patent Leather Bag, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags

The Marc Jacobs Carnaby Patent Leather Bag is a spirited offering from the house of MJ, featuring a whimsical floral adornment which makes for a bold statement.

Surely inspired by London's cooler than cool Carnaby Street area, this bag mixes classical style with cheeky flair, achieving a deliberate and stylish look. The bag is small (8¾"W X 6¼"H X 2"D), which ensures that the flower doesn't look vulgar, and we love the mixed leather and goldtone chain link strap, which gives this bag just a hint of expensive-looking color.

The bag is lined in an unassuming beige cotton and has several interior pockets. The Italian patent leather is flawless. We'd love to see this paired with black -- or white! -- patent shoes and a great colorblock dress.

The Marc Jacobs Carnaby Patent Leather Bag is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $795.00.

Tags: black, Carnaby Street, Handbag of the Day, Marc Jacobs, patent leather

Beatrix Ong, Red Queen of the Newburgh Quarter

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

No single shop encapsulates the high fashion, quirky humor and artful irreverence of London's chic Newburgh Quarter like Beatrix Ong. Located steps away from Carnaby Street on Newburgh Street among a slew of independent designers, her whimsical style finds its way to your heart through your brain.

Stepping into her small shop is a step through the looking glass; you are instantly transported to a land of card castles, white rabbits and Cheshire cats drawn in pencil on the walls by Beatrix herself. "It's my interpretation of 'Alice in Wonderland meets Sleepy Hollow,' Ong has said of her concept. The cleverly gothic store has been open since November of 2009.

Gallery: Beatrix Ong - "Alice in Wonderland meets Sleepy Hollow"

Even more enchanting are the accessories for sale, from handsome men's and women's shoes to broken heart keyrings. We were especially delighted by the fortune-teller shoes above, which come as flats or stilettos and retail for £248 to £368. "That's her sense of humor," commented a friendly staff member as we oohed and aahed over the shoes. "She has lots of creative ideas." We couldn't agree more. Other Spring 2010 shoes feature origami birds and what look like elaborately folded napkins.

Check out the gallery for more shots of her charming Newburgh Quarter shop and visit BeatrixOng.com (or American Rag in LA) to shop.

This trip was sponsored by VisitBritain, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article are 100% my own.

Tags: Beatrix Ong, BeatrixOng, Carnaby Street, CarnabyStreet, Designer, London, Newburgh Quarter, NewburghQuarter