Oliver Bonas

For a very long time Oliver Bonas has been one of my favourite high street stores, I remember when it first opened at Liverpool Street Station, I would take a detour on my way home from London & spend way too much time in there, but I originally discovered it at St Pancras International, so whenever I passed through, I would make a beeline for the store & I would completely lose track of time. Anyway, I love OLIVER BONAS, the fashion design does not seem to have been watered down or changed completely (which happens to so many fashion brands). It has a vintage feel & is slightly quirky, which I also love. In August the store opened its doors in my local city Chelmsford & I have been meaning to write this blog since it opened, but a week away & illness got in the way, so here it is…

Oliver Bonas is actually a fashion & lifestyle store, you can also pick up furniture, gifts & even birthday cards, it was founded by Olly Tress in 1993, his first store opening up in Fulham when he operated his own second-hand till! The idea for the shop came from his travels & picking up interesting things from around the world, he also studied Anthropology at Durham University which ignited his passion for different cultures. Oliver Bonas is part of the ETI which is the Ethical Trading Initiative which promotes respect for worker’s rights around the globe. They are partnered with Re-Fashion, which help to reduce clothes waste by recycling old clothes & they are also partnered with a charity called UK Youth which empower young people in UK communities, regardless of their background or circumstances.

I visited my local store on the second day it opened (yes, I was keen) & I visited yesterday, so hopefully this is up to date. The weather has now changed, so long-sleeved longer line dresses feature heavily & tops & knitwear, so I have included those too, plus I have thrown in a practical pair of boots, all of these items are very versatile & multi seasonal, apart from the boots which would look a bit daft on a beach in July…but who knows with our British summer! There are quite a lot of tops in the sale too, I spotted a gorgeous organza floral top which would be a great special occasion, Christmas or a winter wedding.

NB Please excuse the zebra socks in pic 5, at least they are colour coordinated 😉

Dresses