Pretty Like Drugs: Mulberry Spring 2012

Everybody knows that Mulberry makes some very beautiful arm candy - chic, iconic, and fabulous quality. For those of us who find their 'aspirational' price point as absurd as it is unachievable, however, Mulberry bags offer little to inspire. Who wants a cheap knock off of a Bayswater or an Alexa? The designs themselves are perfectly lovely, of course, but the very point of these items is their quality and their heritage. You either fork out for a Mulberry or you don't; there's not much else to play with.

It's for this reason that I found the the styling of the Spring 2012 collection (available to view now at Style.com) to be of more interest than the much-coveted bags. Despite the British seaside theme, I found myself thinking of Valley of the Dolls; it's something about that go-go girl hair combined with the pretty-like-drugs colour scheme. I like that idea a lot - that Mulberry's sugary tones speak as much of barbiturates as they do of the seaside or the playground.

I am loving the addition of the little ankle socks, too; I am a big fan of adding socks to everything right now, and I'm glad that I'll still be able to get away with it come spring. Perhaps my favourite looks of the collection are the two below, however, simply because they make me giggle. I mean, who wouldn't want to walk down the street looking like a giant tube of Refreshers?!