House of Wonderland loves Capes

From Little Red Riding Hood and Super heroes to Russian Princesses and film stars on the Red Carpet, many have donned a cape over the years. No item of clothing so perfectly combines sophistication, innocence and adventure. ‘I am sweet,’ says the cape ‘but I am also fearless.’

Capes – the cloaks of the intrepid adventurer, the ingénue and the starlet are back, and the team at HoW is thrilled.

What other coat lets you feel like Superman, Audrey Hepburn and a wide-eyed kid filled with wonder, all at the same time?

While power dressing may be in, the Cape has more super powers than the world’s biggest shoulder-pads, and it’s pretty too boot.

Here HoW chooses our favourite of this seasons capes, and the HoW pieces which would go with them beautifully.

For pure luxury we love this pure wool cape from Cooper andStollbrand, available on Asos and now reduced from £200 to £135. The low key comfort of this cape would be perfectly complimented by these Pink Heart Illustrated Diamond Stud Earrings from HoW. Pink and grey are a beautiful and classic combination, the sobriety of the one set off by the ‘don’t give a damn’ frivolity of the other.

A black cape, such as this beauty with its cosy tartan lining, is a classic – and can be worn anywhere from the glitziest night out to a sledging expedition where the looseness of the garment leaves your arms free as you tumble into the snow. Brighten up the night sky of your cape with this full moon necklace from HoW.

Finally, if you want to go all out fairy tale, you can buy this Little Red Riding Hood cape from SewCookCreation on Etsy for only £19.39. Toughen up this look with this Betty Page Rose Necklace from HoW, and you are set for a magical winter.

My top 5 HOW products for spreading Christmas cheer

With Christmas fast approaching we are working hard to spread Christmas cheer over the lead up to the big day.  Over the past week or so we have slowly been introducing some of our Christmas goodies. So here is my top 5 ideal for spreading that festive feeling...

5.  SET OF 8 POLAR BEAR CHRISTMAS CARDS (£7)

Spread the festive cheer with our pack of 8 Christmas bear cards.  These cards each come with a rustic craft envelope and are printed in the United Kingdom.  The cards are printed on 300gsm cardstock and come bundled in string.  Get yours here.

4.  MAKE YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS BEAR GIFT TAGS (£4.50)

Great for getting the kids involved this Christmas! Get your little Elf helpers to help you cut and decorate our gorgeous bear cards.  Each pack contains 25 tags which could also be used as Christmas tree decorations!

Find them here.


3.  SANTA TREATS MAT (£13.00)

Our special santa snacks mat is perfect for all ages this Christmas eve.  Made from a sturdy hardwood it truly is magical! With a special space for everything and a little checklist, this mat will last year after year.  It is completely washable and is made to order.  Order yours now.

2.  THIS STOCKING WAS FILLED BY ... BADGE (£2.50)

These are the perfect way to finish off the magic of your stocking and gifts this year.  Once the stockings are filled pin one of our Elf badges to it.  They are pretty much the equivalent of an Elf business card! These are sent at random by our magical unicorns.  Grab yours here.

1.  PERSONALIZED CHRISTMAS CHILDREN'S LETTER FROM SANTA CLAUS (£4)

And here is my top goodie for spreading Christmas cheer.  And what could be more magical than a personalized letter from the big man himself?  Each A4 letter can be either folded and placed in an envelope or rolled and tied up with string.  Quick, go get yours now.

Have a truly magical weekend

Tess

That Festive Feeling

At House of Wonderland we are excited for the festive season, the one time of year where a girl can make herself sparkle like the fairy on top of the Christmas tree. Low key fashion is for once shunned in favour of full of glamour.

Here House of Wonderland put together our ideal Christmas party outfit, chosen for the girl who wants to shine!

The Little black dress is the centre of any outfit, allowing your accessories, makeup and natural beauty to shine. HoW loves this Cosmic Sparkle Maxi Dress from French Connection, in sequin which are perfect for reflecting those glittering Christmas lights.

The plunging neckline makes this a great dress for wearing with a statement necklace, such as this striking Amethyst Gemstone Necklace from HoW. The darkness of the dress will bring to life the vibrant colour of the necklace, making a bold statement, suitable for a girl who’s ready to stop an entire room as they turn to look at her. In this dress you will look like a siren from a Hitchcock film, and you could even wear HoW’s earrings, with a Silhouette of the famous director, a subtle nod to the old school glamour to which you are paying homage.

Team with a Smokey eye, as seen in this tutorial by celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge,  and high heels  (HoW loves these Polka Dot ones also from French Connection) but remember to bring a pair of flat shoes in your bag, because life isn’t fun unless you can dance.

Talking of flat shoes HoW loves these Ruby Slip ons from Pretty Ballerina, as they remind us of the Wizard of Oz, a pair of shoes you can click together to take you home for Christmas. Continuing with the fairy tale theme, these would be beautiful worn with House of Wonderland’s  Black Silhouette Peter Pan and Wendy Earrings.

 The Romantics among you could float through a starlit city in this pale blue dress from Monsoon, teamed with these Love Tattoo Swallow Stud Earrings from HoW, bearing the word Love.

Bonfire Night

Last night, Guy Fawkes Night (or Bonfire Night) was celebrated. The most British of holidays, it is of course commemorating the revolutionary/rebellion gunpowder plot to blow up the House of Commons (and murder King James) on 5^th November 1605.

 Fawkes was caught guarding the gunpowder near Parliament and he and his co-conspirators were brought before the king and sentenced to death.

Guy Fawkes is celebrated in many different ways. The most common ways are to attend bonfires, light fireworks, and sometimes effigies of Fawkes (and others) are burned. It also has become common for protests to take place.

Other than London, naturally, the biggest celebrations are held in the Sussex town of Lewes. At Lewes, a large procession takes place involving the townspeople dressing up in various costumes, carrying burning crucifixes to symbolise 17 protestant martyrs burned in the town during the 16^th century, burning various effigies (often including politicians as well as the standard Guy Fawkes!) and the night ends with flaming torches being thrown to the ground, which people then leap over if they’re up to it!

HOW hopes all our supporters had an excellent Guy Fawkes Night.

Melissa 

HOW loves Halloween

It’s once again the time of year when the dead are said to roam the earth, given free reign for one night of the world of the living. The ancient feast of All Souls bids farewell to summer, and in other countries they see it as ritual to remember and mourn people who have passed, taking flowers and family photographs to the graves of loved ones long gone.

As a team who grew up in the UK, however, the staff at HOW will always associate Halloween with the warm tallow smell, unlike any other as a tea light flickers behind the eyes, nose and chiseled mouth of a pumpkin lantern. There Jack-O-Lanterns are at once cosy and sinister, welcoming us home with their bright contorted faces.

The team at HOW are looking forward to carving their own pumpkins, the long labour of removing the pulp and pip therapeutic in its repetitiveness. Tessa, who runs HOW is the artist among us, and doubtless her pumpkin will be more intricate and beautiful than those of the rest of the team, but even the most clumsily carved pumpkin has an innocent charm, which captures the childlike mischievous spirit of this night of ghosts, ghouls and vampires.

We would love HOW fans to submit pictures (and stories) of your own adventures with pumpkin carving below this post!

Media Relations Coordinator

Hello from Melissa...

Hi, I’m Melissa and I’m a new intern at House of Wonderland. I’m 24; from Edinburgh and a recent graduate of Glasgow University (I did History).

**Random Facts about Me**

1)    I am crazy about animals. Especially cats.

2)    My favourite colours are pink, purple and black.

3)    My favourite films are musicals and horrors. Weird combination I know.

4)    I like sports and did cheerleading, surfing, skiing, lacrosse and riding at university. One of my childhood career fantasies was to be a figure skater, unfortunately last time I was on ice I broke my wrist so clearly it’s not meant to be…

5)    I have complete wanderlust and constantly dream about travelling. I constantly want to be somewhere else and fantasise about being in the likes of New York, Paris, Tokyo, Rome, even London…

Here is a selection of my favourite items at HOW:

Rings On Her Fingers and Bells on Her Toes, Why Jewellery Matters

'Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,

To see a fine lady upon a white horse,

Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,

And she shall have music wherever she goes'

Old Nursery Rhyme

In this old nursery rhyme jewellery is used as a sign of status, of being lucky, a golden girl, one of life's chosen people. The people who go to see the 'fine lady' have no aspirations to become her - to them she is a near mythical figure from a class which they can never dream of being a part. 

Fast forward to today however and the class system reflected in the nursery rhyme has almost disappeared. Now we can dream anything and become it. The fine lady in the poem may be akin to a modern celebrity, someone like the gorgeous Cheryl Cole, but we can all aspire to be her (or equally successful to her in our chosen field.) Jewellery is therefore, no longer a sign of status, so much as a symbol of personality, a way of saying 'this is who I am.'

The jewellery created at House of Wonderland is whimsical, the jewellery of dreamers, poets, romantics and beatniks. It's beautiful, but not in a straightforwardly pretty way - these pieces go beyond pretty to tell a story and have a personality. These bold Sailor Girl Earrings with their  daring pouts and cute kerchiefs, for instance, have a ballsy modern zing, while giving a nod to history, the vintage and the beautiful
.

Coco Chanel famously said that 'in order to be irreplaceable you must be different' - I think that House of Wonderland jewellery is emphatically different, and irreplaceable. Whether you wear it with jeans and a t shirt, or a slinky little frock, this is the jewellery of the bold, the brave, the awe-inspiring.

Media Relations Coordinator