Orla Kiely Genius

Orla Kiely is my favourite designer of all time. Everything about her designs and styles is just 100% me - from her bags and wallets to the interior design of her flagship Monmouth Street store. One of my favourite ways of spending a Saturday afternoon in London was to buy a coffee from the Monmouth Coffee Co. and then visit the Orla store next door and just walk around and enjoy all the designs around me. The colours and patterns of Orla Kiely are the perfect representation of the way I've always imagined my ideal world to be inside my own head.

Unfortunately, most of her stuff is outside my budget. I absolutely adore her clothing line but I simply can't afford to spend £200 on a single skirt. I have managed to buy myself a gorgeous wallet, and a pair of blue Orla designed Superga plimsolls which were only £50. And, my sister "Red Riding" bought me a gorgeous teal "hold-all" Orla Kiely bag last Christmas which I carry to university and now to work (it holds my PowerBook). So I guess I am gradually building up my collection.

This summer I happened to be walking by Millets in Salisbury when my eyes caught something that nearly made me fall over. There in the window of the sporting goods store was an Orla Kiely patterned camping set! Orla teamed up with Millets to create a range of funky camping gear in anticipation of the summer's festival season. There was a tent, a sleeping bag, a pair of Wellies, and a couple of little accessories. My initial instinct was to buy it all on the spot. But my conscience (in the form of my more sensible half) reminded me that my shipment to Kuwait was already full and it wouldn't be practical to buy this all right before moving back. So it was decided that I'd order it online once I got back to Kuwait, and so that I wouldn't have to leave the store empty-handed I bought the Orla printed battery-free flashlight.

And yes, I know that I've never been camping before but perhaps with the perfect camping gear I'll be more inclined to actually go camping! And there's always my backyard. However, depressingly, the sleeping bag is no longer available anywhere online. I've searched high and low and even contacted my friends in the Monmouth Street store (they know me well) and they don't carry it. The tent is still available so I just ordered it. But I am sad about the sleeping bag. Oh well.

Next summer we are so going to Glastonbury.