Steve McQueen, the coolest man who ever lived, was the only film star I liked when I was a teenager. He reputedly asked for lines to be removed from the scripts, leaving him to act with eyes, facial expression and body language rather than mere words! Sadly he died early, of Mesothelioma, aged just 50. His style, happily, lives on: at Christmas my beloved asked for a Barracuta G9 jacket, also known as a Harrington jacket, for his present. That is the best excuse I can think of to show you a picture of Steve McQueen (above).  I bought the jacket by mail order from the very trendy retro shop in London’s Covent Garden, John Simons, which is definitely worth a visit for fashion inspiration. Be warned if you are a man looking for classic fashion direction – John Simons has a rare stock of vintage jackets, suits and trousers to tempt you. My husband never visits without buying ….

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I have banged on about this before, but I do have a deep affection for Radley Handbags.

The cute little Scottie dog hanging off the handles is very collectable, and it was the little mascot on my Radley bag that made me start wanting a dog of my own. But that is another story. Radley’s handbag designs can be quite little girlie in design, but they also make some very grown up business bags – perfect for carrying your laptop in style. Read more »

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Radley was the first brand of Designer Handbag make that I ever bought, and one of the main attractions of this English brand was the leather Radley Dog tag mascot on every Radley bag. The Radley dog is modelled on a little Scottie, peeking out of the side pocket and the dog on my Radley bag was made of pale blue leather. Since then I have, like many others, been diverted by the Designer bags of other fashion houses. But last week I visited the Radley handbag shop in Covent Garden and I rekindled my affection for this British Designer Handbag range.

I think some of the Radley designs are a bit overladen with trimmings, like the bunch of leaves that has adorned many of the 2009 Spring collection. The strength of Radley design is in its work bags and wallets, where the understated additions of dogs and bold use of colour are welcome. Have a look at this Kolcha workbag by Radley and you will see what I mean. This is so much more fun to use than a regular briefcase, and apart from pink, the bag is also available in black and brown for an understated look. You can now buy Radley handbags online at John Lewis in the safe knowledge that they guarantee the lowest price on new Radley bags – and delivery is free.

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On my last shopping trip to London I loved looking at all the doggie influences on the designs of Juicy Couture. Here is one of the bags that caught my eye – the Juicy Couture Designer Dog Travel Set. This rigid bag, shaped like a vanity box, contains everything the travelling dog needs for a weekend away. The bag comes in pink, with the Juicy Couture famous Scottie dog print all over, and deep brown trim on the padlock straps. Buckles and clasps are silver, and a strong brown and white belt completes the trimming. Inside there is clever storage, picnic basket style, for a dog bed, doggie mat, water bowl and food bowl plus a thoughtful toy chew. If you have around $500 to spend on your luggage for your four-legged friend, this is one for you!!

Juicy also produce a number of other designer accessories for dogs – at slightly lower prices – including a diamante studded collar and lead with handy small purse: all in pink, of course. And of course there are dozens of designer tee shirts, jackets and even bootees. Are handbag dogs all girls? My dog would not walk around with all those clothes and accessories, but then handbag dogs seem to be carried everywhere, unlike real dogs. What next – eyeglasses ?

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