Get Luxe For Less: 10 Online Sale Must-Haves

The sale season is already in full swing, so you might assume that all the best bargains are long gone. It’s not true - and I’ve delved into the online discounts to prove that, if you know where to look, you can still nab luxe looks for less. From classic bags to statement jewellery from up and coming labels, now’s the time to invest in designer accessories at a more wallet-friendly price. I’ve cherry picked my favourites to give you a head start, but don’t wait any longer to snap them up!

THE BEST SALE BAGS

Even at 40% off Lanvin is still one of the most expensive labels around, but if you've always loved Albert Elbaz's designs then this is the time to get your fix. Lane Crawford is offering the Happy shoulder bag in a few colours, plus a handful of Lanvin clutches and a roomy red bowling bag - and because they started their sale weeks later than most of their competitors, there's still a huge amount of styles to choose from when it comes to accessories.

The Mulberry Bayswater is one of those classic styles that never dates. And in this light lemon colour, it will brighten up monochrome ensembles while still being sleek enough for work. You’ll use this bag forever, so at 30% off from Net-a-Porter it’s a total steal.

For an instant injection of downtown cool, 3.1 Phillip Lim is your go-to label (alongside Alexander Wang, which is up to 40% off on the designer's website). The 31 minute bag has become one of his most recognisable designs thanks to its exposed zip and oversized shape, and will effortlessly transition into next season. Right now this two-tone version is 50% off at my-wardrobe, but I don’t expect it to stay there for long.

Minimalist cool always looks good, so there's no chance of this Saint Laurent bag losing its appeal. In supple, luxurious white leather, its only embellishment is subtle gold lettering near the top, for the ultimate in stealth wealth chic. A pale rose lining compliments the sleek design, which Net-a-Porter is offering a 30% discount on. Look after it well and you'll still be using it in five years, so think of it as an investment.

Metallics are always a great choice for accessories – they dress up an outfit without looking too try-hard – and rose gold has slowly been emerging as a new favourite over the last few seasons. This chunky rose gold envelope-style bag from Cedric Charlier, former Creative Director of Cacharel, combines its futuristic sheen with a classic shape for the best of both worlds – now 60% off in the Avenue32 sale.




THE BEST SALE ACCESSORIES

If the thought of spending £40 on a phone cover made you die inside, there are still a few of Marc Jacobs’ bright animal cases at Harvey Nichols, and they’re now a much more reasonable £16. These quirky face cases have been spotted everywhere – on TV, in the arms of celebrities, and on street style blogs across the world. It’s finally your turn to take Rue (green) or Pickles (yellow) home.

The ASOS sale has a surprising selection of designer goodies in its online sale, especially when it comes to sunglasses. Luxe eyewear is always a great investment, and one that you'll be grateful for next year. This pair from Kiss & Kill are down by more than 50% right now, and the two-tone vintage shape will still look on-trend the next time summer comes around.

Alexander McQueen’s skull print scarves are a perennial style favourite. They tend to disappear as soon as the sales start, but this white and citrus-yellow version is still available at Matches. The iconic print gives it serious style credibility even among the most dedicated fashion followers. Now down by 51%, it will raise any outfit’s sartorial score.

For a twist on the Saint Laurent Art ring, this statement piece from upcoming designer Tosca, based in Mexico, is on sale at Boticca right now. Gold plated with an oversized pearl, it sprawls across two fingers for a dark and dramatic type of glamour. And because Tosca is still an under-the-radar label, no-one else will have it.

Markus Lupfer’s lip-print sweaters were a sell-out hit with fashion editors and street style bloggers everywhere. This gem-encrusted brooch is an easy way to get the look for a lot less, especially now that it’s on sale at Lane Crawford. The discount might not be huge (27% off) but it’s a much more affordable way to add Markus Lupfer’s iconic kiss motif to any look – wear it with everything, all the time.

Loquet London - A New Way to Personalise Jewellery

There’s something very romantic about wearing a locket – the secrets hidden inside, the messages it might contain – but they’re not the most modern idea. Someone needed to give them a contemporary edge, and this month Loquet London has done just that.

A brand new British label which launched last week, Loquet London is a labour of love from model Laura Bailey and her close friend Sheherazade Goldsmith. They’ve worked with Michael Ventura to create a wealth of charms, lockets and chains for their new website, where jewellery devotees can design a bespoke necklace with beautiful details.

The concept is simple but luxurious: decide between a round or heart-shaped locket and select a gold chain to go with it (choose from 18 or 32 inches and 9 or 18 carats, with a diamond dappled option for something extra special). Then fill it with delicate charms and sparkling birthstones – I like the idea of a single, floating charm, but the website will let you see how more of them would move together as the necklace swings.

Find inspiration by flicking through Laura and Sheherazade’s online sketchbook, or simply choose the charms that spark memories. The crystal lockets open and shut, so you can collect more trinkets and add them to your necklace as you go along - a little like the Pandora bracelets, but more subtle and sophisticated.

Amongst the tiny hearts and classic initials – the staples of charm jewellery - there are gold stars, teardrop emeralds and diamond studded dragonflies, for limitless combinations and completely personal one-offs. Laura Bailey wears hers doubled up, and I’m tempted to try the same.

In the meantime, I’ve created a few Loquet London necklaces of my own – which of their charms would you use?

JW Anderson For Nikon: A Camera Bag With Clout

Everybody loves it when a big-name designer collaborates with a high street brand (I’m counting down the days until Isabel Marant for H&M drops in November), but sometimes a limited edition product can be just as exciting as a whole collection. The thought and detail that goes into a one-off design means they’re always really special, especially when it’s something unexpected like this camera bag by JW Anderson.

Anderson has to be one of the most exciting designers around right now, so the camera case that he’s designed for Nikon has been hotly anticipated ever since the collaboration was first announced. Anderson already has two limited edition collections for Topshop under his belt – spotted on Alexa Chung and cool girls everywhere – and he’s regularly cited as the future of London Fashion Week. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold, so this camera case is sure to be a hit.

Launched for pre-orders earlier this week, the bag comes in four colours (black, white, cobalt blue and on-trend orange) and taps into JW Anderson’s boy/girl unisex aesthetic. With his anchor logo, minimalist styling and black leather strap, it’s an accessory that won’t look out of place at festivals this summer. "It's really just like a JW Anderson bag which holds a camera," the designer told vogue.co.uk, and that makes it a covetable accessory for anyone, photographer or not. You can pre-order the JW Anderson camera bag on the Nikon website now.

Images from store.nikon.co.uk and vogue.co.uk

Beauty at Selfridges: Lanvin, Lancôme and Charlotte Tilbury's House of Rock 'n' Kohl

For one week only, Charlotte Tilbury has unzipped her make-up bag for Selfridges. Tucked away next to the watches and fine jewellery, her one-stop cosmetic shop covers everything from lipstick readings by The Psychic Sisters (today only, so hurry!) to complimentary nail art and manicures (check the schedule of freebies here).

There are even still a few tickets left for some of the panel discussions which Charlotte will be hosting each evening; on Saturday she’ll look at the rock ‘n’ roll influence in fashion and beauty with guests Anita Pallenberg and Bay Garnett. A glass of champagne and a sample of Charlotte’s legendary Magic Cream are included in the ticket price – no-one knows what’s in it, but it’s been known to cause frenzy among beauty editors.

The most exciting incentive to stop by, though, has to be the free eye makeovers by Tilbury’s team at the walk-in Quick Flick Eye Bar. Choose from Disco Glamour, a Rihanna-esque Legend Eye, the Studio 54 Pop of Colour, a Chocolate Smoky Eye inspired by Sophia Loren, or my favourite (and Charlotte’s all-time signature look), the Feline Flick.

While you’re there you can see Charlotte’s Vogue archive (she’s made up everyone from Rihanna to Gisele Bündchen, but it’s her Vogue covers that are maybe most impressive), shop her favourite beauty brands or pick up one of these sweet make-up bags (above). I love the celebrity kiss print, featuring the lips of Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Sienna Miller, Carine Roitfeld and Alice Temperley alongside Charlotte – and all the proceeds will go to Kids Company, a charity which supports thousands of vulnerable children.

The event even extends to Selfridges’ famous window displays with a special, holographic portrait of Kate Moss. Charlotte’s worked with the supermodel on iconic campaigns and magazine covers, and collaborated with artist Chris Levine on the image, which they’ve called She’s Light. Kate’s red lips and smoky eyes – which move as you walk past - perfectly reflect what Tilbury’s best known for: old-school glamour with a modern twist.

Not to be outdone, Lanvin’s collaboration with Lancôme had a window of its own. We love that the designer himself puts in an appearance, in sketch form at least. Available at a special concession in the beauty department, Lanvin’s limited-edition collection offers mascaras, including one designed to give doll-like lashes, alongside shadow and liner palettes - all in his blink-patterned packaging. The neon lights and quirky figures dressed in mascara tubes had a completely different feel to Tilbury’s tousle-haired, smoky-eyed corner but the overall message was clear; beauty is big news at Selfridges right now.

Charlotte Tilbury’s House of Rock ‘n’ Kohl will be running at Selfridges until this Saturday (23rd June). Lanvin’s collaboration with Lancôme is available now, in cosmetics departments worldwide.

Shourouk: Handmade costume jewellery, with a technicolour edge

Shourouk jewellery is anything but quiet. The necklaces are clusters of candy-coloured gems, hoisted up on PVC and climbing rope, as rings sprawl across three fingers and sparkly cuffs are heavy on the wrist. The Parisian designer, Shourouk Rhaiem, has an eye for unexpected colour combinations when it comes to her eponymous line. Not everyone would put neon lilac together with silver and rust but, on her ‘Siam’ necklace, it works. So does ice blue crystals on a tortoiseshell bag, for a contemporary clutch with extra oomph.

No surprise, then, that the label’s picked up a celebrity following of larger-than-life personalities; Lady Gaga, Anna Dello Russo and Beth Ditto have all delved into the Shourouk jewellery box, while Sarah Jessica Parker wore a necklace in the second Sex and the City film. For Michelle Obama, a bespoke belt cinched in a conservative pencil dress with a welcome flash of emerald.

Shourouk cites Bollywood, the 80’s and Russian aristocracy as her sources of inspiration – a clamour of extravagant influences that don’t make sense together until you see the results. Somehow she lends a PVC bib, festooned with Swarovski crystals as if they were lucky charms, an electric balance of sophistication and fun.

Texture, too, is key: the feel of densely packed Swarovski crystals is the other half to those riots of colour. Shourouk honed her skills at Chloé, Galliano and Roberto Cavalli – houses all known for their meticulous attention to detail – and now mixes traditional embroidery with her ultra-modern materials, for a fresh take on the whole idea of fine jewellery.

A single necklace would make a statement against a simple grey vest, but we can’t get enough of how they’ve been styled for the SS13 campaign (top image). The clash of geometric prints with technicolour baubles is effortlessly modern and cool, with an incredible charisma. We’ll be going for the pretty-in-pink ‘Nina’ necklace (left), and letting it do all the talking.

Visit the Shourouk website for a list of stockists and to see more of the collection

This weekend we had a rare chance to bask in the sunshine, and it reminded us of the honeycomb textures that caused a stir at the SS13 shows. Alexander McQueen emblazoned bees on belt buckles, rings and hats - but the pattern appeared on the High Street too. We've added our favourite accessories to these images from the Alexander McQueen show, for a more subtle take on the trend.