#FiorelliTravels: New York with our Tillie Satchel

This week, we thought that we'd give you another little glimpse into our #FiorelliTravels! Our International Sales Manager Iva headed to the fabulous New York for business, as she popped over for a flying visit to catch up with some of our international distributors. And her Fiorelli arm candy of choice? Our Small Tillie satchel made the perfect travel companion.

Iva kick started each day with a little jog through Central Park, as she was staying at the conveniently located Hudson hotel. If only we could all start our days this way, and of course, we'd also head to our local coffee shop with our group of friends too!

A big part of Iva's trip involved visiting some of New York's most iconic shops to look for possible fits for new collaborations and general handbag trends! Sounds like such a burden, doesn't it? 

And believe it or not, although Iva's job involves travelling abroad to visit some of the most iconic department stores around, there's no time to hit the rails and shop for yourself. Well, every dream job has to have its downsides. 

Would you love a career that combined handbags and travel? Why not share your dream jobs with us by dropping a comment below or getting in touch with us @Fiorelli_Bags on Twitter? 

Here Come the Girls: Weekend Getaway Ideas

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With the May bank holiday on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to arrange a girly catch up with the bff’s. From chocolate tasting in York to spa breaks in Bath, discover the best city breaks for girls with Fiorelli.

Go Chocolate Tasting in York

Indulge your love of cocoa by travelling to the UK’s chocolate capital; York. Celebrate all things sweet with a whistle-stop tour of York and learn about the history of the iconic Kit Kat and Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

Try your hand at designing a chocolate concoction of your own; sample sweet treats in a plethora of themed cafes and when you’ve had enough sugar, work it off by browsing the various fashion boutiques and independent jewellers dotted around the city. 

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Pamper Yourself with a Girly Weekend Away in Bath

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For a weekend of sheer pampering head to the quaint city of Bath. A haven of independent shops, cute restaurants and stunning architecture, Bath is the ideal destination for a hen do or girly catch up weekend.

Relax and unwind in the Thermae Bath Spa where you can take your pick of 3 amazing heated pools and a range of beautifully scented saunas such as eucalyptus and mint. The Thermae Bath Spa is the UK’s only natural thermal spa and taking a trip to the open air rooftop offers visitors unrivalled views over Bath- you may even catch a sun tan!

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After the spa, head to Aqua Italia – a chic restaurant serving up authentic Italian food in the heart of Bath. From hand-stretched pizzas to lobster ravioli, the stylish environment and friendly staff make this a great place to line the stomach before some cheeky cocktails at Sub 13.

Shop ‘til you Drop in London

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If it’s retail therapy that you’re craving, there’s nowhere else like London. From the cobbled streets of Carnaby Street to the attractive Covent Garden armed with enough flagship stores to keep you busy for hours, London is a shopping paradise.

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Once the shops have closed, head to Le Relais de Venise in Marylebone for arguably the best steak in London. The menu is simple; steak, chips, salad and secret sauce- but it works so well. Each table are served a salad starter, accompanied by steak and frites and a final course of even more steak and frites all accompanied by a delicious secret sauce. It’s every steak lover’s dream.

Are you planning a weekend away with the girls this May? We’d love to know your favourite destinations. Tweet us @Fiorelli_Bags or drop us a comment below.

Handbag Beauty Essentials

Here at Fiorelli HQ, we're often discussing our beauty favourites and thought we would put them in a blog post for you lovely readers!

At the top of list is Jurlique's Moisturising Hand Sanitiser, the Australian natural beauty range's star handbag product in our eyes! Unlike other Hand Sanitisers, it contains no harmful chemicals and contain organic moisturisers to keep hands both clean and soft!

Our next handbag must-have is Clarins Instant Natural Lip Perfector, which comes in six beautiful soft shades. This gently plumping lip gel adds instant glamour to any look when worn over lip colour or alone. It also smells gorgeous for the ultimate beauty sensation!

Our absolute favourite for hair has to be the Twistband. Back in the day, scrunchies used to be perfect for keeping hair up and out of the way, but soon become a style no-no. For a stylish replacement, the Twistband was created - it doesn't pull on hair or create kinks and it looks just as good on your wrist as on your ponytail!

No handbag is complete without a petite perfume, and our top pick is Stella McCartney's "Stella", which comes in a Limited Edition range of 30ml minis with unique blue, yellow and grey prints. The fragrance combines and contrasts two classic scents, Amber and Rose for an exotic, rich scent. 

We're putting all of tour hand beauty essentials in our Summer Mix range, like our Abbie Bowling Bag. Our Abbie is the perfect size for everyday, with a cross body shoulder strap for multi-styling. 

What are your must-have beauty items for your handbag? Let us know by leaving a comment below or via Twitter @Fiorelli_Bags.

Fiorelli at the Drapers Footwear & Accessories Awards 2014

This year, we were so excited to be nominated as Accessories Brand of the Year as part of the Drapers Footwear & Accessories Awards 2014. It’s fantastic that Fiorelli has been recognised by such a prestigious industry awards ceremony… And of course, we couldn't wait to get our glad rags on and attend such a glitzy event!

So, we headed over to the swanky Hilton Hotel on the iconic Park Lane in London, and mingled with the industry’s finest as we waited for the ceremony to begin. 

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We spied some of our favourite celebs amongst the tables too such as TOWIE's Lucy Mecklenburgh, and  presenter Caroline Flack who was on hand to dish out those much sought after awards. 

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It was a fun filled night from costume booths to playing in its pop up casino, or simply enjoying the delicious food, we had a great time, and although we didn't win an award, this wonderful event proved that it's definitely the taking part that counts.

Image via @ALC_Edinburgh on Twitter

We did leave with one thing, however, and that's a new found style crush on the beautiful Caroline Flack! Opting for a demure black jumpsuit, she completed her look with a bright colour pop thanks to her neon yellow heels but we couldn't help thinking that her outfit was missing one vital thing... A bit of arm candy, of course! So, here's how we'll be stealing her style with a Fiorelli twist thanks to our Dixie shoulder clutch. 

Images: Jumpsuit, Heels, Clutch 

And don't forget that we we love seeing your own #FiorelliStyle too, so, please share your stylish photos with us on Twitter or Instagram. 

How to Style: The Floppy Hat

The floppy hat has become a must-have accessory for summer, if it isn’t Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh rocking the cartazi with an all-black ensemble then it’s Beyonce styling a fedora with silver reflective sunglasses. Everywhere you turn, the floppy hat is making its mark on the fashion world. Find out how to style this year’s most covetable trend with Fiorelli.

Bohemian Chic

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There’s no denying that the floppy hat trend is most commonly associated with music festivals. Floppy hats just work so well paired with free flowing kimonos, heavy jewellery and a pair of wayfarers. Even the most sophisticated outfit can be given a bohemian update with the help of a felt floppy hat or cartazi.

The City Slicker

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London is going headwear crazy, and hats are leading the way. From fedoras paired with feathers to trilbies styled with jeans and a leather jacket, it’s all about the hat. Millie Mackintosh has got the city slicker look down to a tee with her casual cool dress sense. And as well as being something of a style icon, Mackintosh is also queen of the floppy hat. 

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A quick peek at the socialite’s personal Instagram account returns numerous photos of Mackintosh championing the floppy hat. Take the above photo for example; Mackintosh makes the floppy hat trend look effortless with knee high boots, a fur coat, leather trousers and a statement bag adding a welcome pop of colour.

*Fiorelli Mini Harper in Pale Sky

Emulate the look with your very own monochrome ensemble; we suggest teaming your outfit with a colourful handbag such as the Fiorelli Mini Harper in Pale Sky to add a statement pop of colour.

Fedora Trend

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Wearing a fedora is a simple way to work the androgynous look. Queen of pop Beyoncé looks effortless pictured here in loafers, patterned trousers, John Lennon style sunglasses, a blazer and of course, a wide brim fedora.

Style yours with boyish brogues and a t-shirt dress for a neutral mix of feminine and masculine or go for leather with a structured blazer, oversized shirt and tapered jeans.

How will you wear yours? Drop us a comment below or tag us in your floppy hat style shots on Instagram - @Fiorelli_bags.

Trend: Florals and Brights

It's officially Sping and here at Fiorelli HQ, we've fallen for Florals and Brights for the new season. From Burberry's Spring/Summer '14 catwalk, where we saw an array of colours dappled with gorgeous soft detailing, to Mary Katrantzou, where bold florals prints dominated the catwalk in rich cobalt, royal purple and emerald green. 

Mary Katranzou SS14

Burberry SS14

As Summer arrives, this is the perfect time to try these new colourful accessories whether it's head-to-toe style or simply opt for a bright handbag. Our Paris and Harper Mini range stand out with bold statement style in limeade, mandarin and teal. Add one of these to your current look for immediate on trend style, however as these are classic styles, they'll be wearable for many more seasons too.

We've found these lovely floral pieces on the John Lewis EDIT which we thought would be perfectly paired with our bright bags, from casual day time with teal, to wedding guest in pink hues or for the office yellow and pastels florals work beautifully. 

How are you styling bold brights and florals prints for Spring? Send us your #FiorelliStyle outfit photos via Twitter and Instagram or let us know by leaving a comment below.

Our Must-Watch TV Shows of 2014

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With a double dose of May bank holiday weekends on the horizon, what better time than the present to get stuck into the latest must-watch shows? From glamorous runways to American penitentiaries, discover the top rated TV shows of 2014 with Fiorelli! 

America’s Next Top Model

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Tyra and the gang are back for cycle 19 (!) of everybody’s favourite model competition. Yes, America’s Next Top Model is back in full effect, and with it comes 30 of the USA’s hottest college students fiercely battling it out for the ultimate model crown.

Joining Tyra on the judging panel this year is publicist Kelly Cutrone, eye candy extraordinaire Rob Evans and celeb stylist Johnny Wujek whose CV credentials include Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj. This exciting line-up is bound to equal an entertaining watch.

This year’s top prize includes a contract with NY Model Management, a spread in the illustrious Nylon magazine, a Smashbox Cosmetics contract and a $100,000 cash prize. Witness tears, tantrums and joy this spring in what is probably the best reality show of all time. Best foot forward ladies!

Fargo

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Crime dramas are big in the game right now. After Breaking Bad ended its 5 season reign as the ‘must watch’ series last year it paved the way for a string of shiny, new programmes to rush forth and pinch the top spot.

Enter Fargo, a dark crime-comedy drama centred on small town loser Lester Nygaard.  Unhappy with his dead-end job and bossy wife, everything changes for Lester when a mysterious stranger named Lorne Malvo arrives in Minnesota. We don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say that things are about to get very, very weird for poor old Lester.

Directed by the Coen brothers and featuring an all-star cast list including Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit) and Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa), if you only watch one series this year make it Fargo.

Orange is the New Black

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Piper Chapman is in a bit of a pickle- this is the take home message from the first episode of Orange is the New Black.

This laugh out loud comedy-drama follows Piper Chapman, an ex-criminal living amongst New York’s upper middle class. Having moved on from her wayward stint as an international drug smuggler, Piper is plucked from her quiet, happy life and sentenced to serve 15 months for the crimes she committed over a decade ago.

There’s nothing like a fall from grace story to make you appreciate what you have and with twists and turns at every corner, you’ll be hooked by the plot.

Have we missed one of your favourites off our top TV series 2014 list? Let us know by tweeting us your best-loved programmes at @Fiorelli_Bags.