Oh baby it’s cold outside!

We are definitely getting into the Christmas spirit now and have transformed our shops with plenty of sparkle, twinkle lights and some really rather lovely window displays.

Pop in if you’re in need of some gift inspiration or are still looking for that perfect party outfit. We have got some gorgeous dresses by Isabel Marant, Acne and Malene Birger, luxury beauty gifts from Cowshed and MOR, limited edition prints from Dandy Star and lots of cute gifts for the little ones.

Whatever it is, we’ve got your festive season covered…

All we need now is some snow, a warm glass of mulled wine and perhaps a bit of carol singing!

Happy Christmas from all the girls at Iris,

xxx

Thank you Cath Kidston for mentioning us as one of your favourite boutiques in Stella Magazine! Read the full article below…

 30 Oct 2011

Handmade Interiors, London E2

I’ve just discovered Piyush Suri and was struck by the simplicity of his work and his colour sense. ‘Nila’ in emerald green is my favourite print, and is available on cushions and lampshades from his shop. handmade-interiors.co.uk

François Gilles, London SW10

My favourite place to go for gorgeous, colourful, Moroccan rugs. I have two 20th-century ones – a riot of chequerboard squares in my husband’s study and a multi-coloured diagonal stripe. François has unerring good taste. By appointment only. francoisgilles.co.uk

The Woolpack, Stroud

A very small, cosy, unspoilt pub, within walking distance of our home – it’s perfect to stretch one’s legs and head for a Sunday lunch. My favourite table has magical views down the Slad Valley. thewoolpackinn-slad.com

Liwan, Paris

I’m a huge fan of this shop, which is famous for its huge Egyptian cotton towels that fold to nothing, and embroidered slippers and kaftans. 00 33 1 4326 0740

Pearl River, New York

This vast Chinese mart in SoHo is a true Aladdin’s cave. I can’t resist going there when I’m in New York. I love the bold rose-print fabrics and stock up on the beautifully coloured Chinese lanterns for Christmas decorations. pearlriver.com

Iris, London W4

A favourite clothes shop of mine, which happens to be right next to our shop on Chiswick High Road. It has fabulous French labels, including Vanessa Bruno, APC and Isabel Marant, and lovely personalised jewellery ideal for gifts. irisfashion.co.uk

Castle Reclamation, Somerset

This place in Martock does fabulous replica stone flooring, made using rubber moulds bearing the imprint of original flagstones. We have the large blue Lias tiles in our kitchen. castlereclamation.com

You almost wouldn’t believe it with last week’s super hot weather, but summer is well and truly over. And with school holidays, trips to Cornish seaside towns and yoga retreats out of the way, we’ve been super busy getting our internet business up and running (more on this very soon…), wizzing around London Fashion Week and Paris ordering for next season, and of course getting our shops ready for all the amazing new autumn/winter stock.

Because in the last couple of weeks, deliveries have been coming in thick and fast. Think cozy angora knitwear, perfect fitting jeans and those Pistol boots from Acne, statement pieces from long-time Iris favourite Isabel Marant, cool and quirky staples from French label APC, great layering pieces from American Vintage and o so pretty dresses by Vanessa Bruno, Malene Birger and Rutzou…

New to Iris this season are London-based ethical label Chinti & Parker (stylish staples in super soft cottons and cashmere) and casual chic French brand Ba&sh (founded in 2003 by the childhood friends Barbara Boccara and Sharon Krief). We’ll tell you a bit more about these exciting new additions in the weeks to come.

As we think all three shops are looking so amazing at the moment, we’ve decided to take a closer look at our Queens Park window and shop displays (courtesy of our Italian lovelies Denise and Laura), and show you each week what’s new and highlight some of our favourite pieces in the shop.

So see you soon and good to be back!

Iris xxx

Miami based company Eberjey is an original and contemporary lingerie line that incorporates loungewear (the softest and most luxurious pyjama sets) and swimwear for women. It also does a totally adorable Eberjey-mini line for kids.
 
Famous for using eye catching colours and prints, the lingerie is beautiful and really fits like a dream. Tried and tested by the girls here at Iris, the bras are unilaterally deemed to be incredibly comfortable!
 
 
Eberjey is great at producing really trendy and hip kaftans and swimsuits which are cute and easy to wear, in lovely natural fabrics (cheesecloth kaftans are an Eberjey speciality) and manage to avoid all the OTT embellishments that so many swimwear companies tend to go in for. Environmentally conscious too; they use a lot of organic cotton and bamboo fabrics.
 
 

Eberjey has a large & loyal celebrity fan base that includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Keira Knightly, Cameron Diaz and Liv Tyler. Suri Cruise of course has been spotted out and about in their mini range and who can blame her?
 

 
A large range of Eberjey is stocked in all our 3 branches of Iris and will add a touch of Miami sunshine and poolside glamour to any wardrobe.
Get set for summer ladies…

Check out the lovely article published in this months Living Etc (May 2011 issue) featuring the gorgeous home of Iris Owner Sarah Claassen, complete with many an Iris inspired finishing touch and of course a walk in wardrobe to die for!!

Enjoy x

Oh how delighted we were to be on the lovely Park Life blog!

Read it below or go to http://park-life.org/2011/02/ooh-la-la-in-queens-park/

Ooh la la in Queens Park

by JULIET on FEBRUARY 14, 2011

At Park Life we have to confess we love the womenswear at Iris, and each season we can’t wait to see what effortlessly chic dresses, jeans and tops they have up their sleeves each season…

So we were delighted when Iris’ Femke wrote us this post on the Gallic gorgeousness on sale at the boutique now.

For those who haven’t noticed; French labels have been the hottest thing in fashion for the last couple of seasons now. Every magazine is championing the unique French look – a kind of effortless, thrown together style, which manages to be quirky and sexy at the same time.

Think of super cool French girls like Clémence Poésy, Lou Doillon (who stars in the Vanessa Bruno campaigns), and of course Voguette Emmanuelle Alt, who do laid-back Parisian chic at its best.

Luckily for Queens Park residents, local girls Annie Pollet and Sarah Claassen have been stocking some of the most desirable French brands in their Salusbury Road boutique Iris for over five years now. Alongside hottest label du jour Isabel Marant Ètoile (see photographs), they also carry Vanessa Bruno Athé, APC, Antik Batik, Zoe Tees, American Vintage, K Jacques (for the best summer sandals) and the recently acquired Ba&sh (available from next season).

So, how to explain that je ne sais quoi that makes these French labels so special?French woman put a lot of effort into dressing well, but always make it look like they haven’t tried too hard. The design ethos is straightforward: stylish, beautifully made clothes at accessible prices. These are clothes that definitely give a nod to all the right fashion trends, but will still look great in years to come.

‘These French brands are a perfect fit for Iris, as they really suit the style of the boutique’, says Iris owner Annie Pollet. ‘We are very happy and proud to have brought them to Queens Park’.

And merci bien, we say.

Iris is at 73 Salusbury Road, NW6 6NJ 
(020 7372 1777;www.irisfashion.co.uk)

Yes ladies we know that it is absolutely perishing out there, and the last thing you probably feel like doing right now is de-robing into a slinky little Christmas number.

However, we are afraid that de-robe you must, as the Christmas Party season is well and truly upon us. As traditional to Christmas as mince pies and Christmas stockings is the Christmas party dress which by definition is small, slinky, glittery & sparkly!

Two key trends for Christmas this season have been black lace and velvet.

We have a divine fitted black lace number from Day – sexy yet still classy. For a more girly lace feel opt for a Vanessa Bruno dress which taps into the lace trend subtly, whilst retaining the essential Vanessa Bruno minimalist luxe feel that her collections are famous for.

Vanessa Bruno has also done a really flattering belted little black velvet dress and Elizabeth Lau has a gorgeous tiered one shouldered velvet number.

If you want to eschew the obligatory little black dress how about this hot hot pink number from our Danish favourite – Rutzou. You will be guaranteed to turn some heads in this.

For a sure fire show stopping Christmas dress the label to look at is Antik Batik – they specialise in grown-up princess numbers- abundant with sequins and sparkle which even the most minimalist amongst you could not fail to be tempted by at this time of year…

Iris also offers some perfect party shoes – such as these fabulous grey high heels from Rutzou and jewellery – the gold and black beaded hoops from Isabel Marant would complete any party outfit perfectly. We’re also big fans of our glitter hair bands by Deepa Gurnani, perfect for adding a small dash of Christmas sparkle to any outfit.

Dare we forget any small Christmas princesses who may also be in need of a perfect party dress here are two of our favourites – a beaded sequin dress from Antik Batik and a chiffon pink gypsy dress from I love Gorgeous – both completed ideally with a pair of metallic party shoes from Penelope Chilvers.

Please come into any of our branches for some Christmas styling advice or call us if there are any dresses from the labels that we have available at Iris that you have been searching for.

In the meantime we wish you all a truly wonderful Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year with all our sparkling new collections for S/S 2011!!

We are very excited about that!

Love Iris x

One of our lovely girls at Iris Northcote Road, Imogen Shephard, has some top tips on how to stay wrapped up and warm this winter…

‘November has arrived and the winter coldness is most certainly upon us. This means there’s only one thing on our minds when we leave the house; how to look stylish yet keep warm at the same time.

Obviously the key item to your winter wardrobe is the coat. Here at Iris our favourite has to be the APC blue parka with fur trimmed hood and super soft lining; guaranteed to keep you warm on chilly days like this…

If a parka is not your style, opt for one of our classic black coats by British designer Elizabeth Lau or APC. Danish brand Rutzoü puts its own unique stance on this wardrobe staple, by giving it a draped collar and having the buttons run diagonally across the body. Last but not least we also have a gorgeous Vanessa Bruno tweed coat; with its elegant collar detail and simple tie belt.

We also stock some brands that do great winter accessories.  A firm favourite of ours is Scottish designer Jo Gordon’s knitted lamb’s wool designs. Heavily influenced by her background, she takes traditional Scottish knitting techniques and adds her own modern twist. Her vibrant stripy scarves and hats and her trademark subtle grey striped scarves and gloves are perfect for a chic look that gets you through winter in style’.

Autumn is in full swing and there is nothing like the feel of cashmere against your skin to keep you cosy and add a touch of casual glamour to your winter look. Here at Iris we have some gorgeous cashmere dresses by Madeleine Thompson and Tania that effortlessly provide just this.

Madeleine Thompson, who was featured in last month’s Vogue, says about her brand that ‘ultimately I want the women who wear my clothes to feel elegant and relaxed.’ Her dresses achieve this with their simple A-line cut and full skirts which hang beautifully whichever shape you are. Matched with skinny trousers, leggings or some Falke cable knit tights and a pair of boots they are ever chic and easy to wear. Here are a couple of styles that we have got available from Madeleine. They are wonderfully one size only – takes out all the stress!  She also designs some really gorgeous cashmere wraps and scarves…get snuggling. 

Our other cashmere brand Tania has a more girly feel to it.  This is demonstrated in the delicate detailing, such as subtle frilly collars and cute buttons, which she places on femininely cut dresses. Check out some styles below, which are exclusively available in our Northcote Road boutique. We can however arrange a fitting in one of the other shops if this is too far for you to go!