Barbara Hulanicki for George @ Asda

Butterfly Print Bow Dress ₤20



Lurex waterfall Cardigan ₤20



Animal Print Bow dress ₤20



Metallic Stripe Cardign ₤20
Slim leg black trousers ₤14

I was extremely excited to learn that the legendary designer of Biba fame is back, after snubbing the re-launch of the iconic brand into House of Fraser stores, with a 14 piece collection for George at Asda. The collaboration has produced a collection which is wonderfully retro in style and amazing value in price.

Barbara’s intentions when she first launched Biba in the 1960’s was to produce high fashion but at high street prices. She seems to have achieved it once again with this new mini collection which incorporates her signature retro inspired silhouettes and prints.

Above are a few of my favourite 70’s inspired pieces which are all available to buy online now or instore. For more information visit their website www.direct.asda.com/george

I’m loving the leopard print dress and at ₤20 it’s such a bargain. Sorry Tesco but I might have to take a trip to Asda next week!

Modern Milly xx

Have you got a Sweet Tooth?

I think I may have stumbled across cupcake heaven! The Sweet Tooth Cupcakery and Milk Bar is the newest addition to my list of quirky, interesting places to spend my lunchtimes. (This one however being penciled in under the naughty treat section!)

Situated on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, next to one of my favourite vintage shops ‘Pop Boutique’, this little delight is a vintage wonder both for the eyes and taste buds. With the 50’s/60’s style kitsch décor and a menu providing ‘five dollar shakes’ and ‘cola ice cream floats’ you can’t help but feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

The cupcakes are baked daily and are displayed in a pretty vintage glass fronted cabinet ready for your perusal. They have quirky named flavours to choose from such as Elvis and James Bond and it took me a while to choose. In the end I opted for a Grace Kelly (lemon and white chocolate) and a pot of tea and settled down on one of the vintage bar stools to enjoy my little lunchtime treat.

The cupcakes are a tad pricey at ₤2 a pop but for a special treat they are definitely worth it. I have to say it was one of the nicest cupcakes I’ve ever eaten….and I’ve eaten quite a few in my time!

For more information visit their website http://sweettoothcupcakery.co.uk

Modern Milly xx

The wonders of Tomato Soup...

Just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't given up on the blog writing it's just that I've been out of action for the last week with a lovely bout of Tracheitis and have been bed bound :-(

However with a lot of patient nursing from my lovely boyfriend and endless tins of Heinz Tomato Soup, (thats all I ever fancy to eat when I'm poorly!) I'm back to work and back in action, well kind of, I'm still coughing and spluttering as I write this post but I'm back at work anyway.

Just wanted to say thankyou again for all the people showing an interest in my humble ramblings and the continuing encouraging feedback and comments.

Hope you are all well and I shall be posting again properly very soon!

Modern Milly xx

Love at first sight...

I have fallen a little bit in love with this range of handmade and vintage necklaces by a company called Love Hearts and Crosses.



Ornate pocket watch necklace ₤20.00



Vintage floral necklace ₤8.00

I have long admired, pretty, chain necklaces with interesting charms and pendants and have managed to collect a couple of beauties so far, but as soon as I caught sight of this collection I knew I’d be reaching for my purse and adding to my jewellery box.



Drink me necklace ₤12.00



Alice in Wonderland teacup necklace ₤14.00

LHC pride themselves on creating quirky and cute pieces that aren’t available on the high-street. They take their design inspiration from current trends and their love of childhood story books and films (see the cute Alice in Wonderland inspired ‘Drink me’ and ‘Tea time’ necklaces above.)

They also produce a great range of bracelets, brooches, rings and accessories but I think the range of necklaces are my personal favourite.



Peacock feather necklace ₤16.00

First treat will have to be the above peacock feather I think…thank goodness its pay day! :-)

For more info and to start shopping check out their website http://shop.loveheartsandcrosses.co.uk/

Have a great weeknd all!

Modern Milly xx

Tasty bit of Bread and Butter...

I was wandering around the Northern Quarter in Manchester yesterday continuing on my mission to find somewhere interesting to have my lunch and stumbled across a little place called Bread and Butter hidden away on Tib Street.

The bright pink façade and array of delicious looking cakes in the window caught my eye and with the threat of rain rumbling above and my lack of umbrella, I hurried inside.

I opted for the homemade soup of the day which was spicy parsnip served with a choice of bread and butter (no pun intended!) and settled down in a corner to read this weeks copy of the Stylist. Which I have to say had an amazing pic of Alexa Chung, 60’s style, on the cover looking fab!



The eclectic décor is a bit mismatched and almost shabby in places but this added to the atmosphere and the friendly banter from behind the counter couldn’t help put a smile on my face.

I still had a bit of room to spare so I decided to try one of the yummy looking chocolate and pear cupcakes and a nice cuppa tea. Delicious!

It certainly brightened up my rainy day!

Modern Milly xx

The definition of the Snood ...

The definition of the Snood….

Superfluous
Non-essential
Obtuse
Overboard
Dressing

The above descriptions are the words of my lovely boyfriend. His argument being: what is wrong with the humble scarf: simple, classic, reliable and fashionable.

My argument is why not??

Fashion in general is a total indulgence and the industry is always on the look out for new shapes and silhouettes so why not have an accessory that keeps your head and neck snuggly warm in one.

However the snood is not a new fangled thing, oh no, I remember the snood from my childhood however we called it a cowl back then (not sure if anyone else did?) It was a great way of keeping warm and for children who always seemed to lose accessories (moi!), a hat and scarf in one was the perfect idea, alongside mittens tied with a piece of string and inserted through the coat sleeves. Oh the memories!


Leopard print knit snood – ASOS ₤20.00



Military style snood – New Look ₤6.99



Oatmeal bobble knit – Dorothy Perkins ₤16.00



Black super sequined snood – Miss Selfridge ₤20.00


Anyway I’m loving the reincarnation of the cowl, ahem sorry, the SNOOD and I’m embracing it fully. There are so many styles, fabrics and colours to choose from out there on the highstreet at the moment and above are my favourite picks. From a snuggly warm bobble knit for daytime to the ultra glam sequin number to keep you warm for an evening out the choice is yours.

So in reply to all you doubters out there I’m afraid MY definition of the Snood will have to be as follows…

Snuggly
Needed
Of the moment
Outerwear
Delight

What would yours be?

Modern Milly xx