This is a great time of year in the shop when all the new season deliveries arrive. It’s always exciting to open the boxes and see what lovely garments will soon be available instore.  We’ve already had some casualwear from Hartford, BZR, Day Birger et Mikkelson and Inwear and now the occasion wear has arrived.

Libelula has produced some gorgeous colours and prints again and we have a variety of versions of the classic but ever lovely Millie dress along with some new pretty shapes to check out. Tara Jarmon is all about bright, bold colours in classic Tara petite shapes.  We’ve already had a very strong reaction to Aideen Bodkin with lots of jacket and dress combos.  Nocturne has already been featured in this post and Ann Louise Roswald is all about sumptuous detail as always.  Have a look at a few teaser pictures below. However you need to come into the shop to see AND feel everything in gorgeous detail!

The Libelula velvet Dulwich coat was a firm favourite even before Kate Middleton or, as we should call her now, the Duchess of Cambridge, started to wear it.

As the exclusive stockists of the beautiful Libelula wedding dresses, it crossed our minds that a simple but elegant coat for Winter weddings would be an utterly unique and fabulous addition to the collection and designer, Sophie Cranston was happy to oblige with this exclusive cream silk, velvet, full length version of her classic design.

There aren’t many of these coats in existence and one is already reserved so don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re interested to visit the shop and try one on for fit.  The coat looks stunning over all of Sophie’s exquisite dresses but is pictured with the Vinnie dress in silk georgette.

In the gallery below there are a few more pictures of the wedding dresses. We have most styles in stock in most sizes, at the moment, along with a few one off styles in size 10 only.

The prices range from £650 to £900 which is incredible for 100% silk dresses (including the lining). Customers have bought them recently for weddings on cliff tops to classic English churches. When you want a dress that you wear with happiness throughout the day, rather than a dress that wears you, these vintage inspired, beautifully  and generously cut dresses beat the alternatives hands down.

We also have the Dulwich coat in the classic short length in cream velevet, if you’re going for a short dress for your special day or even if one sounds lovely for some other special occasion. Just remember, they’re only available at Katharine Bird.

The big question is whether we will have another cold and snowy winter.  Whether you’re regularly walking the dog, picking kids up from school, scurrying to work or off to a special occasion, we have some great clothes for you.  Poncho coats from Pablo, Ella Moon and Inwear. Cashmere from Don’t Label Me and Sheepskins from Joseph. The Puffa coat (Short and long) is still a must and we have lovely ones from Iblues, Gerard Darel, Pablo, Day and Joseph so you should be able to find the perfect one for you.

Whilst black and grey are still the main staples of any winter wardrobe, we have plenty of colours too: greens and mustards, reds and purples and luxurious creams and camels. There’s plenty of work wear from Tara Jarmon and Marc Aurel whilst Day. Berenice and Inwear still offer attractive dress up/dress down separates.

If you know what you want, we’ll point you in the right direction and if you need help, just ask and we’ll be delighted to offer you some suggestions.  New label MW from Matthew Williamson (his only boutique line) offers the cut and quality of his bespoke collection, enhancing our evening wear range greatly. Finally, the lace Libelula wedding dress that many people asked us about earlier in the year has finally arrived so do ask to have a look.

Wednesday  8th of June sees the annual Katharine Bird Summer Party. It’s a chance for all the regulars to spend the evening in a relaxed atmosphere getting advice for the up coming major summer events whilst enjoying the obligatory Pimms and nibbles. There are great gifts for those who chose to buy on the night with a free scarf on purchases over £30 and a free Day Birger tote bag if you are so kind as to spend more than £100 on the night.

With Ascot coming we have beautiful dressess from Libelula, Bombshell, Tara Jarmon, Joseph and more and if this glorious weather continues then a blouse from Baby Ceylon or Inwear would be as perfect as strawberries and cream at Wimbledon or even Andy Murray winning it!!

If you cant make the evening let us know by emailing us or just plain calling us and if there is anything we can do for you please just ask. We have perfect ’substantial fascinators’ that conform the the rules of the Royal Enclosure at Ascot and maxi dresses from Nougat, Avoca and Hale Bob all fit the rules for the length of your skrit at Henley. And if you still aren’t sure whether you should wear black at a wedding, come and have a chat.

Finally, since all the publicity around the Royal Wedding, more and more of you are discovering the beauty and easy style of Libelula’s wedding dresses. If you’re not in the market yourself, how about telling a friend. Remember we are the exclusive stockists of the complete range.

If you didn’t recieve an invite to the late evening, remember to send us an email to join the exclusive email list: info@katharinebird.co.uk

The rumour was made large by The Daily Mail doing a double page spread and the news that Katharine Bird is the exclusive stockist of the Libelula Ready To Wear Wedding Dress collection.  We have no idea whether Sophie is the designer of THAT dress but we do know she would be a great choice if she were and that we are honoured to have her lovely dresses to sell to you.

Since we’ve had the collection we’ve also learnt that many women seek a simple but beautiful dress for their wedding and find such a dress very hard to find.  Libelula Ready To Wear wedding dresses aren’t bespoke. You order a standard size and if necessary get it altered afterwards.  You can alter minor details but not the basic design.  The up side to all this is that the dresses retail between £650 and £900 for a 100% silk full length Wedding Dress. (More below)

The dress pictured is called the Sophia dress. It ISN’T Kate Middleton’s dress. I’m sure this will be a one off, unique dress to reflect the rather special occasion. It is a beautiful, elegant, wonderfully cut design however that will make you feel incredibly special on your own special day.

For more information, call the shop on +44 (0)20 7228 2235

Here’s what The Daily Mail had to say (NB as already mentioned, these dresses aren’t bespoke and they aren’t the design of any Royal Wedding Dress to the best of our knowledge!)

“Yesterday Sophie Cranston, of the low-key label Libelula, was tipped as the creator of the wedding dress.

“The bride-to-be stepped out in one of Miss Cranston’s vintage-inspired coats at a wedding in January, causing speculation that she might be in the running.

“Miss Cranston, 34, won the Designer of Year award at London’s Graduate Fashion Week in 1999 and has already worked for Alexander McQueen and Alice Temperley. She founded her own label, which means dragonfly in Spanish, in 2002 and offers a bespoke bridal collection.

“Working out of a small studio in south London, she has already dressed stars including Emma Watson and Jerry Hall.

“Although Miss Cranston’s name was leaked on to the internet yesterday, St James’s Palace refused to enter into speculation”

The big hit appeared to be this dress from Hale Bob. This is just one of a number of beautiful dresses and tops to be found from Hale Bob this Summer. More pictures can be found here.

We also had a beautiful silver grey, knee length jacket from Tara Jarmon, cream embroidered blouse by Day Birger et Mikkelson and Navy cotton Parka from Bruuns Bazaar BZR which also comes in beige.

We understand the evening was a great success with well over £3000 raised for for the Myotubular Trust. For more fund raising activities go to the website at www.myotubulartrust.org.

Since designer Sophie Cranston knows we know and love Libelula, she’s given us her samples and trusted us to bring them to all those lovely brides to be out there.  All styles can be ordered with an approximate 4-8 week turnaround. Prices range from £650-900.  We also have boleros in silk and velvet.

If you want to know more call the shop on 020 7228 2235 or email info@katharinebird.co.uk.

According to Hilary Alexander, “She chose the wedding of her and Prince William’s close friends, Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Louise Stourton, in Yorkshire on Saturday to unveil her latest style discovery – a sleek and softly tailored, black velvet coat, with diamanté buckle, from the independent London fashion label Libélula, which means dragonfly in Spanish.”

“The coat was designed by Sophie Cranston, 34, a young British designer with a romantic and bohemian background. A graduate of the University of Northumbria, she won the Student Collection of the Year award at Graduate Fashion Week in 1999, with a tongue-in-cheek collection called ‘The Morning After the Night Before’, which featured a male model wearing only a striped cashmere cushion.”

“After working with Alexander McQueen, Sophie joined Alice Temperley in 2000, and was instrumental in helping her establish the Temperley label. Then, in a complete switch, she decided to move to Andalucia to learn flamenco and Spanish. It was here, in a small, white-washed village in Southern Spain that she established her own label.”

Congratulations Sophie. We always knew your clothes were scrumptious. Glad the new ‘fashion icon’ thinks so too.  By the way, we stock and supply Libelula’s wedding dress collection.

The new Summer 2011 collection from Libelula will be instore very soon. Check back to the website for pictures in the next few days.

As always, Libelula comes in some fun and colour prints. This season we have gone with the Moto Print in pinks and purples and the Trilby Print in Teal and Ruby pink.  Finally, winter isn’t winter with out Libelula’s knitwear in Merino wool – including the perfect Cecily dress, Blackheath coat and Portabello skirt. Below are just some of the styles in store so pop sooner rather than later to see the full collection.