Bumblebee Jasper

Bzzzzz It’s not really Jasper, Bzzzzzz ….or Agate Bzzzzzzzzzz! Bumblebee Jasper is a bit of a misnomer. It does resemble the colour and markings of Bumblebees, but Jasper it isn’t – or not strictly speaking. It’s made up of volcanic minerals and sediment, first found in Java, Indonesia in the 1990s. Read more…

Poppin’ Socks

There’s some pretty bonkers fashion jargon that gets used that I’d like to exterminate, but on this blog I’d like to look at some a few so-called fashion rules that we here at eclectica would like to officially retire! They include: you can’t wear brown with black (nonsense!) you can’t Read more…

eclectica Guide To Summer Fabrics

We’ve been enjoying some absolutely sizzling summer days, and a few of you have been buckling in the heat. Unsurprising given we don’t get chance to acclimatise, given that here in the Shire mother nature likes to shift from rain to 30c overnight! Here’s our eclectica guide to the coolest fabrics to Read more…

Brand Shout-Out: Desigual

We thought it was about time that we share with you some of our thoughts on Desigual, the largest clothing label that we opted to stock. We chose Desigual for a number of reasons – NOT just because we love it – but in part because as a brand, Desigual describe Read more…

Holiday Clothing Tips

We’ve gone into holiday overdrive here – what with two days of sunshine and Food Festivals and being surrounded with beautiful Summer clothes int’ shop. A lot of our conversations of late have been about our own foreign holiday experiences and our Summer look. It seems that around this time every year we attempt to Read more…

Soap Wars

Hard Bar Soap versus Liquid Soap – What makes you a Happy Washer? There’s quite a heated debate been going on for a while now as to which is best – the traditional bar of soap or liquid soap, in its many guises such as; shower gel, body wash, bubble Read more…

Stylish v Fashionable

Vicki and I were chatting t’other day about a new clothing brand we are looking at stocking (more on that another time) and I said something along the lines of ’tis not very fashionable.’  She whipped her head around like something out of the exorcist and spluttered ‘we don’t sell fashion!’ She Read more…