Rose Rankin

Well hello, Rose Rankin… See ya Stan Smith!

It’s official: we’ve reached peak Stan Smith. Maybe you don’t care — they look great, they’re comfy, and if they’re good enough for Phoebe Philo and Kate Moss, well, who are we to argue with that?

Gold Colt Runner

But if you’ve started to crave something a bit more exciting, something that makes you smile every time you look at your feet, something that’s smart enough to wear to work or down the pub, then we’ve got just the thing.

We’re one of the first UK stockists of Rose Rankin sneakers. You probably haven’t heard of them, but that’s about to change — they’re already popping up in the fashion press, and the retro-inspired designs and luxe fabrics have got where-did-you-get-those-shoes written all over them.

Irish-born Rose has been designing and customising her own trainers for years, before making the decision to create her own line of work-to-weekend trainers. Her bold designs are handmade in Portugal from premium fabrics, mixing prints, colour pops and metallics, with a comfy leather lining to put some spring in your step.

Velvet Colt Runner

We’re stocking three styles for AW15: the Velvet Colt Runner, the Gold Colt Runner, and the Cheetah Simmy Mid-Top. The retro-style runners are made from fuchsia velvet with metallic silver and turquoise leather, or gold camouflage leather with nude mesh and dark green leather accents. The Simmy is a cheetah print pony skin high top (don’t worry, they’re not made from ponies — it’s textured cow hide), trimmed in tan leather with a shimmering silver lining. All three styles have been hopping, skipping and jumping out of the shop — we had a waiting list for weeks before they arrived.

Cheetah Simmy Mid-Top

As well as looking amazing, Rose Rankin’s are great for autumn. They’re snazzy enough to brighten up cold, dark mornings and the chunky sole is good when the weather’s bad. At £169, they’re a bit more spendy than Stan, but we think they’re worth it — and once you’ve tried a pair, we reckon you will too.[CR]

Grab a bargain this weekend...

A quick reminder that the mid-season sale continues instore and online. There are plenty of great tees and sweats available. Here are a few highlights: 

• Black Score 'Got Swagger' t-shirt Was £40 Now £30
• Être Cécile 'All Over Cheetah' t-shirt Was £77 Now £50
• Être Cécile 'Cécile' Foil t-shirt Was £77 Now £50
• Markus Lupfer 'Pick Me, I Pick You' t-shirt Was £65 Now £40
• Markus Lupfer 'Lara Lip' t-shirt Was £87 Now £60
• Markus Lupfer 'Sequin Feather' t-shirt Was £126 Now £80
• Être Cécile 'Sheriff' long-sleeved t-shirt Was £85 Now £55
• Zoe Karssen 'French Kissing' sweater Was £180 Now £125
• Black Score 'Punk's Not Dead' sweatshirt Was £60 Now £45 

There's plenty more where that came from! You can see all our sale items here.

Oh, I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside...

It’s easy to forget how fortunate we are to be based by the seaside, especially on days when it's cold and raining. Luckily, we have this season’s collection from Simeon Farrar to remind us of better days.

Simeon Farrar was a well-known name in fine art with a fondness for incorporating printing into his work when he decided to use t-shirts as a new medium for his pieces.  These proved very popular and, in trying to meet demand from fashion retailers, he has found a middle ground where he can produce t-shirts, bags, dresses and scarves in quantities that are practical, whilst maintaining the individuality of each piece.  He is well known for his t-shirts featuring line drawings of supermodels such as Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Georgia Jagger, who seem happy to feature in his designs, and for gently mocking fashion’s super labels, which sometimes don’t seem quite so pleased.

To fulfil his own creative needs, Farrar now has two lines.  Recently, he has started the Black Score label, producing short runs of t-shirts drawing on his favourite subjects of fashion and popular culture for their inspiration. We have a number of Black Score designs in stock at NOLA, and you can see the whole lot here.

His Simeon Farrar line has developed into a more traditional label, producing seasonal collections based around a single theme.  This has allowed him to develop his methods further, experimenting with colour and texture. By using more processes, these pieces are increasingly unique and closer to his artist roots.

This season his theme is the seaside – ice creams, lollipops and fairground rides.  We have a range of his individually printed, dyed and finished bags, including this canvas gusset tote in Waves Wash...

...and this one, exclusive to NOLA, in leather,thickly painted and screen printed with carousel horses.

We also have a number of his t-shirts and vests, including different takes on a single image of an ice cream cone, from the faded and paint-splattered to crisp and white.

Other designs in the range include this ‘Wish You Were Here’ motif...

...and this fine array of retro lollipops.

All of these designs celebrate the freedom with which they are manufactured, making a feature of imperfections in the printing and using paints and washes to create unique items – no two are the same, creating works of art that you can wear. You can see our whole collection by clicking here.

Day Pass to Brighton

Thank you to Refinery29 for featuring us in their Day Pass feature on Brighton. 

Refinery29 Day Pass feature

New At NOLA: Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Minkoff is well-loved in the States and Japan, but little known in Europe.  She started her own label at the tender age of 21 and spent five years designing and printing t-shirts in her apartment.

Things really took off for the Rebecca Minkoff label in 2005 when she started designing handbags. Her Morning After Bag – the M.A.B. - was an enormous hit and remains a staple, with obsessive fans collecting each variation every season.  For the next four years she concentrated on handbags, growing her brand into a major name.  In 2009, she launched her first ready-to-wear collection and opened her first store in Japan, where the label first took off in a big way, in 2012.  

What makes Rebecca Minkoff different from a lot of designers is her accessibility.  In her blog, on Instagram and twitter, she doesn’t oversell her products but refreshingly documents the things she loves – the style, music, food and anything else that inspires her.  

We’ve just taken delivery of a few choice items from the pre-Spring/Summer collection, and lovely they are too, with a stronge emphasis on sport-luxe.  There’s this Tiger Curved Yoke knit:

A lot of Rebecca Minkoff’s designs play with silhouette and the ‘curved yoke’ pattern across the sleeves on this sweater creates the illusion of shape to a very wearable crew neck sweater.  The tiger stripe pattern is great too – it looks straightforward but, up close, it’s a pixelated image.  A nice detail!

It’s no surprise that a handbag designer would use leather in their clothing, but the combination of a striped sweater with leather is not what you might expect.  The front panel is pleasingly soft and the cut is beautiful.  It can be washed, so it’s practical too.

Sweatshirts continue to be big news and Rebecca Minkoff plays with them to create something quite unique.  These McCall sweatshirts in blush and neon green use detailed weaves on the sleeves combined with feminine lacework to create tops that can be worn casually with jeans or dressed up to equally stunning effect. We’ve also got a great pencilskirt in the neon green weave, with the lace panel front.

One of Rebecca Minkoff’s staple designs is the Clara dress. It’s a short, fitted dress with a shaped bustier top, elasticated shoulder straps, piping and panels front and back. This season it comes in a beautiful all-over floral print, which contrasts nicely with the structured nature of the dress.

We couldn’t take Rebecca Minkoff without stocking some of her bags, of course.  We’ve got this wonderful M.A.B. tote in scarlet.  Made from textured saffiano leather, it’s a stunning colour and has everything you could want from a tote.

Also in stock are a couple of smaller bags. The Hudson Moto Mini is made from saffiano leather in rose gold, gold and black and, for a small bag, is packed with pockets to help keep you organised.  The strap is removable so it can be worn across the body or used as a clutch.

This mini version of Rebecca Minkoff’s Morning After Clutch comes in classic black. It’s made from soft, supple leather and is packed with details inside and out. It’s got a studded leather and gold chain strap which can be worn long, doubled to wear over the shoulder or removed to make a stunning clutch. It even comes with spare leather tassels, so you can dress it up even further!

You can see the whole range here. There’s more to come, so keep your eyes on the website, our twitter feed and our facebook page for the latest arrivals.

SVP Jewellery

If you’re going to wear a ring, it might as well make a statement.

Here at nola we’re totally in love with SVP Jewellery’s collection of rings.  Precious and semi-precious stones mounted in gold vermeil, they have an air of glamour about them, with a modern edge.  They look great worn separately or in groups and are adjustable, meaning they can be worn on different fingers.  This also means they make ideal gifts, as you don’t have to worry about getting the size right.

Sussex-based designer Sarah Parham draws inspiration from architecture and a love of the curious and distinctive.   She has created a range of jewellery that focuses on beautiful, unusual stones, precision cut to enhance the colours and textures of materials such as moonstone, smoky quartz, fired opal and purple amethyst.   The names of the stones alone suggest a bygone era – one of treasure chests and bejewelled luxury.

SVP designs are not old-fashioned, however.  Simple, bold settings in gold vermeil are used to emphasise the raised stones themselves, giving the rings a modern edge and creating statement pieces that will look great worn to finish an outfit or just for a bit of every day sparkle.

The rings themselves are handmade in Rajasthan.  The stones are sourced by one of India’s most respected gemstone families and are created by highly skilled traditional craftsmen who receive a good wage for their artisan products.

You can view our entire collection of SVP Jewellery here.

Sweatshirt Love.....

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...........

Ah, the humble sweatshirt has grown in fashion stature over the last couple of years but now their popularity has sky-rocketed. Sweats are fabulous for chucking on on those days when your mind has gone sartorially blank. Teamed with jeans and sneakers, there's no better outfit for running around town. But put on a pair of heels and a big statement necklace instead of the sneaks and you're ready for a night on the town. 

Queen of the sweatshirt, Zoe Karssen, creates eye catching motifs and puts them on superb quality fabrics.  We've got lots in store this season but check out her super slouchy New York Girls Hoodie and the Born Lucky sweat.  





For ultimate comfort, Zoe's cotton Skeleton sweatpants can't be beaten.

Nola fave, A.P.C. have been producing ace sweats for many many years and they are always best sellers.  We've got some great camo ones coming in for Winter but check out the Rue Madame and Peacock sweats currently gracing our rails.

New to nola this season, but fast finding a place in our heart is French label, Leon and Harper. The Sacha sweatshirt is an oversized beauty, screenprinted with hand sewn finishes. 

Be still my beating heart.

nola's new knits

Much as I don’t want to wish away this wonderful summer, there’s something about opening boxes of beautiful knitwear that makes me yearn for crisp autumn mornings and curling up in front of a roaring fire.

This season our labels have really excelled themselves when it comes to woolens. The autumn/winter collections are chunky and textured, rich with merino wool, cashmere, mohair and alpaca. Luxurious comfort in pieces you will wear season after season.

Here are a few of the highlights:

A.P.C.

 

‘Subtle’ and ‘leopard print’ rarely go together but nola favourites A.P.C. have managed it! A sheer knit in the softest silk and cashmere blend, it feels and looks wonderful.

This Jenny sweater is incredibly soft to touch. The combination of mohair in the material and the pointelle knit make it substantial but light as a feather. We’ve got it in a lovely light beige as well as this diagonally striped black and white.

If there’s one piece that will make you crave autumn’s mellow fruitfulness, it’s this. Heavy duty and 100% merino wool, this cape just exudes Parisian chic.

Chinti & Parker

If it’s 100% cashmere you want, Chinti & Parker are the designers for you! This season, their offerings include these three beauties. The Stars sweater also comes in oatmeal and blue.

Leon & Harper

This Mae sweater is enough to make a Danish detective jealous! This heavy knit is handmade, meaning no two are exactly the same.

 

These Marcel, Misha and Maxence knits are all in wonderful alpaca-rich blends. Soft and substantial, you won’t want to take them off come spring!

Rabens Saloner

The Rabens Saloner collection for Autumn/Winter features several knits in luxurious blends including merino wool, alpaca and, in this case, every punk’s favourite material – mohair. A looser knit, their sweaters are hang beautifully and are a joy to wear.

This is just a sample of the knits available at nola this season. There are more from all the labels above, plus alpaca blends from Pomandère and wonderful jumpers from YMC in chilli, tobacco and rainbow stripes. Check out all this season's knitwear by clicking here.

A.P.C In The House

Imagine, if you will, you're enjoying a blustery walk on Hampstead Heath. The dog is bounding around being all "look at me, I'm so cute" and you get a telephone call.  You reach for your iPhone and lo and behold, it's not the dog everyone is looking at, it's you and your sensational faux snakeskin A.P.C iphone cover.  THIS CAN HAPPEN! 

At nola we have the covers for iphone 4 and iphone 5 and you just need to shop our fabulous new edit of AW13 A.P.C.

Time and time again, A.P.C deliver some of the best designed knits and jersey around. Wearing it is like being a part of a secret club. All of us who love it's understated chic recognise it immediately when other people wear it and we kind of do that nod of approval to each other.

Buying A.P.C is addictive. Once you've worn just one of their tee shirts you want more.  For me it's their accessories that I go slightly doolally over. This season I've fallen head over heels for the amazing Tango Shoes, a collaboration with Argentinian shoemakers Tango Leike. 

These black suede and patent leather shoes are just so sexy. Great for a night out but even better with a pair of great jeans (I'm going to team mine with our Koral 4 month wash skinnies).

The knitwear this season is just so perfect. Lots of scrumptious cream wool and a jawdroppingly beautiful navy wool cape.




There's more to come, but have a look at our current online selection - we think we've got the best selection in the UK.  And don't forget, we offer free UK P&P.

Currently listening to The Archies; Sugar Sugar

KFC

No, I'm not opening a branch of Chicken Cottage.  I've been buying into premium denim BIG TIME for AW13. The big three coming to nola in Fall (I'm calling it Fall because they are all American brands and that's how they talk) are.........Koral, Frame and Current/Elliott.

You cannot believe how excited I am to get these beautiful American denim labels in store.

KORAL was set up by two designers from the Seven family so they have a ridiculous amount of denim experience behind them. Their focus is on fit and a flawless finish.  The washes of the denim are graded as "Lived In" so a 4 Month Wash will look like you've worn them for 4 months.  Easy.  For Pre SS14 I've bought some great soft coloured denim with ankle zips.  

Koral Zip Skinny in lovely sludgy 70s colourways

FRAME are another Los Angeles label specialising in the best denims and fits.  The washes are named after roads in London or LA. Expertly engineered and crafted to give an almost bespoke fit.  All Frame jeans have a 29" inseam.  This makes me giddier than you could ever imagine.

Frame Le Skinny de Jeans

CURRENT/ELLIOTT were set up in 2008 by Emily Current and Merritt Elliott and has raised the bar for the denim standard. Born out of love for vintage denim and it's American roots, the collections respect the history of denim and every style offered has a historical reference, an original vintage sample and year of origin.

Fabulous washes at Current/Elliott

Of course we still have our brilliant Nudies and IDA by Donna Ida and the fabulous Denham brands, we just felt that there was a gap in the denim market in Brighton for more premium denim.  We think we've got the best denim selection for women in Brighton now.  we'll let you know when it's in store.