‘Shoellery’ – jewellery for your shoes!

Liz Nicholls

fashion

Nadine invites you to lead a charmed life with her 4KIX footwear accessories range

So Nadine, tell us a little more about 4KiX… 4KiX is a British accessories brand that encourages self-expression through fashion, flair and fun! Our mission is to celebrate what makes each of us unique. Inspired by street wear and pop-culture, our “shoellery” personalises the look of any footwear as well as lending itself to accessorise other aspects of an outfit. It’s mindful and versatile with the quality and flair of high end fashion, at more inclusive pricing. 

What exactly is shoellery? Shoellery is basically jewellery for your shoes! We accessorise all the other parts of an outfit, and it’s so much fun to be able to add that touch of personalisation to our shoes as well. The way they attach is our creation and is completely unique to the brand. It’s comfortable, durable and attaches without the need for undoing your laces or straps.

What was your inspiration to start the brand? I’ve had a passion for trainers and jewellery since the moment I could speak and point at sparkly things. In more recent years, I had been obsessing over the trend for sparkly trainers, but hesitant about the high price tags, so I started buying simple trainers and embellishing them myself. I wore them everywhere, even on holiday and wherever I went, I was stopped in the street by people saying: “I love your kicks, where can I buy them?” That was my lightbulb moment where I was initially inspired to design a line of trainers, but then I realised that what I truly loved was accessorising them, and that’s how the idea for the product started to form. 

Who can wear 4KiX? Anyone and everyone. While we seem to have a sweet spot among pre-teens and tweens, we have a broad age range of customers comprising teens, mothers, mothers matching daughters, grandmothers and even some boys. 

When did you hit the U.K. high street? We hit the UK high street this past Christmas 2023 with a very successful pop up at John Lewis on Oxford Street. We featured in their Christmas Shop for the last week before Christmas. It was an honour and a pleasure to make our high street debut with such an iconic retailer on one of London’s most prominent streets for shopping and trends. 

What are your best sellers? We genuinely have so many bestselling styles that we struggle to keep in stock. Among them are: Yummie Gummie, Over the Rainbow, Murakami Me, Say Cheese, Loved Up, Grin-a-bling, all of our evil eye styles, Pucker Up, and Cloud 9. 

Has anyone famous worn 4KiX? Yes, sports presenter & broadcast journalist Kiri Bloore has worn our Evil Eye bracelet and MVP charms. We also have some high profile celebrity customers whose names we can’t reveal out of respect for their privacy, but we can share that they ordered our Loved Up and Eyes on You bundles, which come in our branded boxes that look like candy and make great gifts. 

And what’s your background? My background is PR, but when I moved to the US, I had started pursuing a health coaching certification because I have a passion for helping people. On a visit back to the UK, I stumbled upon my Art History sketch pad in the back of my closet and remembered how much I loved everything artistic. In an effort to deal with the stress of my coaching coursework, I began drawing, designing and crafting. I posted photos of my creations on Instagram and received calls from family and friends saying, “Drop everything and do this!” That’s what planted the seed towards developing the idea for 4KiX. 

What does luxury mean to you? To me luxury is about joy. The joy of discovering pieces that make you smile, feel good, bring out your sparkle. It’s about making you feel pampered and seen. Everyone deserves to feel celebrated. Luxury is about connection, quality and self-expression. Ultimately, it’s our goal to make people smile and help them express what makes them unique. 

You started from a kitchen table, what are your plans to expand in 2024? We currently have a few stockists in locations including USA, Monaco, Bahrain and Holland. Our goal for 2024 is to continue growing with more stockists in more locations throughout the world. We’d love to reach as many audiences as possible, and most importantly, to spread as many smiles as possible.

Check out 4KiX here.

Vintage shopping in Oxford this weekend

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fashion

Book your tickets to buy second hand treasures by the kilo at a pop-up store in Leiden Square on Friday 19th, Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st May.

Westgate Oxford will welcome fast-growing sustainable fashion business ‘we are.’ on Leiden Square over Friday 19th, Saturday 20th, and Sunday 21st May.

The pop-up store will sell high-quality secondhand clothing, including womenswear and menswear from well-loved brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Nike, alongside authentic vintage items.  

The clothing rails will be refreshed at regular intervals throughout each day, ensuring all visitors get a chance to find some hidden gems regardless of their time of entry. Guests will be able to purchase as much or as little as they like, with the total cost dependent on the weight of the garments. Prices will start from £5, with a full kilo costing £25.

Brendan Hattam, Westgate centre, said: “With sustainability at the forefront of everyone’s minds, we know that our guests are looking for more climate-conscious ways to shop. That’s why we’re partnering with ‘we are.’ to bring pre-loved fashion to Westgate Oxford in response to the growing popularity of shopping second-hand, while brining our guests a new mix of premium and vintage brands at accessible prices.”

Matthew Griffiths, founder of ‘we are.’ added: “We are thrilled to be launching our kilo sale style pop-up store at Westgate Oxford for the first time, bringing our sustainable shopping experience back to Oxford after a successful pop-up in Oxford Town Hall last year. Millions of perfectly wearable clothes are thrown out each year and we are here to prove that sustainable fashion can help you stay on-trend as well as help save the planet.”

To book tickets, please visit Oxford Vintage Second Life Fashion Pop-Up Tickets

Visit Westgate Oxford to find out more.

Make-up with spectacles

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fashion

Make-up with spectacles? Yes, you read that right! Feel Good Contacts have come up with a perfect guide for you! Spectacles aren’t a hindrance to highlighting your eyes. In fact, you can make your eyes appear even bigger with glasses.

Tips & tricks!

• Neutral eye shadows: Fill your make-up palette with neutral eyeshadow shades like beige, brown or ivory shade. If you are wearing glasses due to myopia, you will notice that your eyes look smaller due to concave lenses. Dark and heavy makeup will shrink them further while neutral colours brighten up the eye socket and make the eyes appear more prominent. For an evening look, you can opt for shimmery or sparkly eyeshadow which also helps by giving more light reflection.

• A soft eyeliner: A soft eyeliner in brown would be the ideal pick to define your eyes without making them look small. Also, make it a point to blend the lines in order to prevent them from appearing too harsh.

• A white pencil on the waterline: This will help boost that wide-eyed look and make your eyes appear even larger. Just what you need for a glam look!

• Don’t forget a coat of mascara: Mascara always helps to add definition to your eyes, even whilst wearing spectacles. In fact, if you want to give your eye area an extra lift, grab your eyelash curlers and curl your lashes before applying mascara.

• Concealer for the under-eye area: A good quality concealer will help you brighten up the under-eye area in addition to covering dark circles. It will give you the appearance of larger eyes and a more awake look, especially if your eyes are looking tired from a lack of sleep.

Make sure you choose a frame that's the right size and shape for your face

• Keep your brow game strong: You don’t want your brows to disappear behind your frames, so remember to fill in your brows with a brow gel or pencil. It will also help to frame your face and draw more attention to your eyes.

• The right frame: Make sure you choose a frame that’s the right size and shape for your face. Smaller, thinner frames are ideal if you wish to enlarge your eyes, while large, thick frames will make your eyes appear smaller.

• Foundation only where it is needed: It is recommended to apply foundation only on the areas where you need it to prevent transferring foundation from your nose bridge to the nose bridge of your frames. Foundation should be as close a match to your skin colours as possible. If you like to wear your foundation all over, then try to go for a product which is designed for long-lasting wear and set it with a powder.

• Dewy and natural: For the rest of your makeup, it is advised to keep it dewy and natural. A light blush for a fresh-faced look can be paired with a bold lip colour.

• Match the thickness of your eyeliner to the thickness of your frames: Keep liner more delicate on thin frames and go a little chunkier if your frames are bigger. A great trick indeed!

So get glam with the right make up, pick the most stylish frame and don’t forget your mask while heading out. Remember, precaution is better than cure!

Find out more

Established in 2008 by qualified optometrists, Feel Good Contacts (feelgoodcontacts.com) is one of the UK’s leading online suppliers of contact lenses, spectacles, and sunglasses. It is a one-stop-shop for all eye essentials including contact lenses, prescription glasses, designer sunglasses and eye care products across UK, Ireland and France. At Feel Good Contacts, customers enjoy up to 50% off compared to high street opticians. In fact, Feel Good Contacts is the only UK company to offer a discounted service via a mobile app as well.

Clothes swap

Karen Neville

fashion

I expect like most people you’ve got wardrobes and cupboards full of clothing you never wear? 

A global study in 2018 by removals company Movinga found most of us do not wear 50 per cent of the clothes they own

Hands up if you’re guilty of that, with many in this country owning clothes they haven’t worn for a year.

Help is at hand from Environment Trust, a charity based in South West London, which is encouraging local people to contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry by attending their first ever Clothes Swap event on 2nd August at the ETNA Centre in Twickenham.

Tickets for the event support the charity’s vital conservation work and cost £10 per person. People are asked to donate between 4 and 10 items of clothing and will be able to take home a new outfit of the same number of items. The event includes drinks, nibbles, fashion tips, raffle and more, all while being sustainable.

Sophie Norden, fundraising and partnership manager at Environment Trust, says, “We are increasingly aware of the impact of the fashion industry on the environment. In fact, it is the second largest polluter in the world, after the oil industry, and the environmental damage is increasing as the industry grows.

“However, there are solutions and alternatives to address these problems. The first step lies in building awareness and having the willingness to change.

“We hope to help people make this change with our first Clothes Swap and bring along clothes they no longer want.”

Clothes for all the ages and genders welcome, and donated clothes should be washed and in good condition. Clothes will also be accepted on the night and additional items welcome for a ‘to purchase’ rack.

Environment Trust encourages clothes donations to be dropped at the ETNA Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, St Margaret’s in Twickenham, TW1 2AR ahead of the event, kindly named if participating and, if possible, on hangers.

More information

To find out more about the event and to book your place

Vintage Fashion Fairs

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Passion for vintage fashion at Farnham Maltings 

If you have a passion for classic fashion then you should make a date to visit the Vintage Fashion Fair at Farnham Maltings with a range of clothing, accessories and textiles to browse. 

Carefully selected traders offer authentic vintage from the Victorian era through to the 1980s.  Everything from affordable pieces to designer and collectible treasure in gorgeous prints, colours and fabrics can be found.  There is always a great selection of jewellery and accessories to add some vintage style to an outfit.  

Vintage fashion offers an opportunity to own and love pieces that are timeless, unique, great quality and represent fantastic value for money.  From an environmental perspective vintage allows re-use and avoids landfill.  

From a fashion perspective vintage lets you showcase your individuality and personal style.  Whether you dress head to toe in 1940s originals or add a 1980s jacket to a modern jeans and t-shirt outfit, vintage can enhance your look. 

Vintage Fashion Fair Farnham has been created by experienced fair organiser Marilyn Tye and owner of vintage fashion business Pret-A-Vintage, Nicola Chinn.  Their quality bi-monthly vintage fair at Farnham Maltings showcases the best, authentic, wearable vintage fashion, accessories and textiles from local, London and UK dealers. 

Stallholders are hand-picked to bring together a varied selection to suit all tastes and budgets.   

Vintage fashion fairs are a great way to shop for vintage.  At the fair you can shop a selection from  20 dealers who have searched far and wide to find and restore beautiful pieces from the Victorian era through to the 1980s, ready for you to own and love.

The next fair is on Saturday, 16th March and open from 10am until 4pm for just £2 entry, under 16s free. 

Some dealers accept card payments but others accept only cash so please bear this in mind.  There are a number of cashpoints in the town centre which is a 3 minute walk away.