“Clothing without accessories is like a party with no cake”
Rebecca Farrar-Hockley, Creative Director of Kurt Geiger
I don’t know about you ladies, but the idea of me walking past a Kurt Geiger shop without venturing inside is almost as astonishing as a fresher saying no to a free Fruity ticket on a Friday night! Shoes are my kryptonite, especially Kurt Geiger shoes, so imagine my excitement when I was told that they’re launching their own accessories line! Think Marc Jacobs mixed with Alexander Wang and you’ve almost got it. Their new collection, titled “Everything but the Dress,” does pretty much exactly what it says on the tin; they have launched everything from £400 Italian leather handbags to £8 hair pins, from string bracelets to faux fur snoods, and I have fallen totally head over heels in love with everything!
They have two main brands within the new accessories range, one being KG by Kurt Geiger (also one of their shoe brands) and the other called The Candy Range, although it is also listed under the KG by Kurt Geiger name. The KG by Kurt Geiger stuff is to die for, especially the handbags. The quality is amazing and the leather feels as though it could melt in your hands, my favourite piece being a relatively simple, dark red, over sized clutch.
Unfortunately, this costs £170 and as a poor student who seems to spend more money in Tequila on a Thursday night than most people spent on food in a week, this seems like an unlikely addition to my handbag collection, but a girl can dream right? So the premium branded accessories are pretty much out of my price range, but the Candy range accessories are very reasonably priced, in fact the most expensive item is £55. My favourite piece from this range is a purple card holder, perfect for those ever important student cards, priced at just £15. The Candy range comes pre-gift wrapped in fabulous gold packaging, which looks suspiciously like sweet wrapping, so it’s perfect for birthday and Christmas gifts. My prediction is that this range will be particularly popular with men buying for their girlfriends/wives around Christmas time as I’m not sure gift wrapping is their strong point!
This bold new move comes after The Jones Group Inc. bought the company for a modest £215 million in June this year. The launch was teamed with a new 1,000 square-foot, very sparkly, suave new store opening in Grafton Street, Mayfair, and a complete revamp of the company’s website. I visited the store in central London last month and was completely blown away by the stock, the customer service and the shop layout. The website is equally as impressive, with red and black taking a prominent theme it fits in perfectly with their urban chic look, especially with super model Anja Rubik heading up the Autumn/Winter 2011 campaign, featuring a video shot on the streets of London (as featured below). Which brings me onto another thing I love about the accessories and actually the entire autumn winter 2011 campaign; it seems to embrace Kurt Geiger’s British heritage. There is a real English feel throughout the entire collection, and as it is the year that we saw our future queen walk down the aisle dressed head to toe in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, English Fashion is definitely something that should be celebrated!
As always, Kurt Geiger are bang on trend, calling their Autumn look ‘Electro Goth,’ and featuring lots of bold leathers, glossy metallics, velvet, and of course not forgetting the gravity defying metal heeled stilettos – this all corresponds perfectly with the boyish trends that were all over the catwalk in London Fashion Week.
For a brand that has always sat a little awkwardly on the fence between high street and designer, Kurt Geiger have really stepped up their game this year and I can only see good things for them in the future!
Everything But The Dress from Kurt Geiger on Vimeo.