Radley’s new campaign for autumn/winter 2010, called These are a few of my favourite things, is, as you might imagine, quirky, collectors-inspired and variedly-vintage, exploring the eccentric passions of British fashionistas. SWe took a little trip down memory lane to join the team at their one-day vintage pop-up fair and see for ourselves what the classic British brand has in store for the new season.

You might associate Radley best with its signature dog logo but you’d be wrong to think that’s where the brand starts and stops – it’s come a long way from its first woof, let us tell you. Offering a much more trend-led collection for autumn, each piece is quintessentially British with a contemporary twist, from bucket bags to satchels to handbags with textured tweed – a new collaboration with Harris Tweed, as it happens. There’s tans and taupes, burnt oranges and leafy greens, dark browns and mustards; there’s plaited straps, brogue detailing, drawstrings and fringes – all perfectly on par for autumn, but classic at the core.

For the first time there’s also accessories including the likes of scarves and gloves and a very exciting collaboration with Kurt Geiger to add chunky wooden block courts to Radley’s newly-launched footwear collection, which this season includes on-trend flat tasselled brogues, sheepskin-lined boots and patent-trimmed loafers.

If books are your thing, you’ll be pleased to hear the brand’s also teamed up – yep, three collaborations in one season – with Penguin Books, which celebrates its 75th birthday this year, to create a collection of exclusive book covers, holders and notepads, all of which are limited edition with just 75 of each item available. A great Christmas gift, we reckon.

And, in a bid to really explore the eccentric realms of the nation, Radley is calling on the British public to share a picture of themselves with their favourite treasure on its Facebook page, where fans will vote for their favourite. The winner will then get to pick a handbag from Radley’s new AW10 collection – and there’s some good’uns in there.

Visit Radley’s Facebook page to get involved.

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When we headed down to Radley to view their autumn/winter collection recently, we fell head over heels for the handbag range, which is also going into its second season of footwear. Classic Radley styles have been updated in sumptuous autumnal shades of burnt orange, mauve and olive green and exciting details were added for aesthetic purposes as much as practicality.

Inspired largely by 1920s Bloomsbury, their next collection features some beautiful tweed offerings, evoking that British charm that is found in all of Radley’s hand-crafted designs and the range even includes a couple of shiny clutches in black and purple, marking their first season of patent bags. Our favourite of the lot – aside from the large olive-green and tweed number – was definitely the oversized clutch in tan, featuring a central embossed symbol, which looked to be a real departure for Radley.

Whilst Radley have experimented with new fabrics and introduced designs such as the brogue-detailed handbag and purses (a nice touch, perhaps influenced by the recent addition of footwear to the label), we are definitely seeing less of the classic, Radley pooch across designs. He’s still there of course, representing the brand, but he is notably smaller and less on show and as much as we love the little pup, we have to admit that this is a move we definitely approve of.

Radley’s across body pocket bag continues to be one of their best sellers due to its practicality and since the brand are committed to updating classics rather than changing them, we can expect to see slight alterations come autumn/winter, with an added popper fastening attached to the pocket bag’s feature front compartment.

On show as well were the popular non-leather items and umbrella’s bringing a sense of fun to the collection, with eye-popping colour and catchy slogans.

More importantly however was the footwear, a world in which Radley has only just stepped in to. While we weren’t totally sold on the espadrille sandals and cork-heeled wedges of the spring collection, the brand definitely exceeded expectations with their selection of leather boots and platform court shoes for autumn/winter. With an overwhelming array of footwear in colours to match any of the new season handbags, the Radley girl is certainly spoilt for choice. It is perhaps understandable that the leather-based brand should excel in a season dominated by boots and is therefore not so surprising that our pick of the lot were a tan, ankle pair – closely followed, we should mention, by some mauve pumps, featuring a leather-covered, stitched heel.

Unfortunately we’re unable to show you any photos until August so until then, why not take a look at Radley’s spring/summer collection and see what you make of the brand’s first venture into footwear.

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It’s hard to believe that Westfield, London is already nearly a year old. It just goes to show that we’ve obviously not been shopping enough! London’s favourite shopping mall however, is set to change all that by celebrating their very first birthday in true style. The shopping centre will be creating a range of ‘fashion firsts’ on October 30th, inviting 280 retailers to introduce a ‘first’ to their store and exclusively to Westfield.

So, what should we keep our eye out for in the shops come the end of next week? Top of our list is the dazzling laptop from Sony’s Vaio P Series available at Micro Anvika. Encrusted with over 3,700  Swarovski crystals, this laptop is one-of-a-kind and will be on sale for the week at £2,999. Just think how much more fun working would be! This attention grabbing number comes with Windows Vista Home Premium and a built-in digital camera. But who really cares what it does when it looks that pretty?

We’ve also fallen for this Aspinal of London Biker Bag (£675) which is in-store now. The handmade piece of rock chick glam is created from snakeskin leather with a patent trim and has all the rivets, zips and chains that make this the biker bag of choice. This is turning out to be one expensive wishlist…

Shopping can be a tiring game, so it’s nice to take a break every once in a while – particularly when the pit stop is Searcy’s champagne bar and they’re giving away free gifts! Celebrating a year of bubbly at Westfield, Searcy’s are offering a ‘Moet bubble’ - a gold ball containing a special gift – to everyone that buys a glass. Expect trinkets galore, free glasses (or bottles) of champers, and even the odd complimentary meal!

Visit Westfield, London on October 30th for the full range of ‘fashion firsts’. We’ve heard Mimco, Australia’s leading accessories brand - have created their first ever shoe for the occasion; Radley are holding a ‘free bags for a year competition’ and Follie Follie have unveiled a European exclusive in their London boutique!

 Many happy returns to Westfield – it looks like it’s going to be a good celebration.

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