Late Night Xmas Shopping in London

December 1, 2013

Bugger, it’s December and I haven’t done ANY xmas shopping yet – oopsies! Don’t worry, I’ve got in the mood now that I’ve been round the shops in Seven Dials, Covent Garden.

Ooh the lights! Oh the pretty shops! Oh the excuse for cocktails and food after such a tough evening of browsing! Here are just some of the shops and eateries for your xmas shopping spree – there’s a Christmas late night shopping party in the area this Thursday night – deets at the end of the post!

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The Cambridge Satchel Company

The warm glow and misty blocks of bright colours will lure you in off the Covent Garden streets into The Cambridge Satchel Factory to make you feel right at home for some xmas shopping. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to visit the shop! It’s such a gem, you’ll leave wanting ‘one in every colour’! If you don’t have the time or budget, you can choose a monogrammed leather keyring to be made up for you in literally 2 minutes whilst you dash off to another boutique. Perfect gift right there! (I love these fluoro ones!)

Coco de Mer

Saucy! So, there was me thinking this was a fine chocolate shop until I went in and had a good look, a very good look! For those equally unaware, Coco de Mer is the London Mecca for all things luxuriously erotic and intriguing. But don’t be shy, there are lots of curiosities for that sometimes tricky, ‘fun’ gift. ‘Wanker’ mug anyone?

Tatty Devine

I can’t go to Seven Dials without say a quick cooey to the Tatty girls! Oh, and getting a personalised necklace while I’m at it! I love this Monmouth street shop for it’s colourful, whimsical window displays, lovely bright and fresh feeling store and friendly staff. If you fancy an affordable and thoughtful gift – it’s got to be their famous name necklaces. Or, if you fancy splashing out, the rainbow, colourful bones and spaceships are defs my faves this season!

Shu Uemura

I’d never actually tried out the Shu Uemura Lash Bar that everyone talks about but wow is it convenient! All the staff were ready to pounce on my pathetic lashes as I strolled in the store and within seconds I was all fluttery and felt ten times prettier. If i need a quick party fix whilst I’m out, I’ll be heading straight here. Oh and I should probably pick up some colourful make up gifts for my friends while I’m there!

Earlham Street Clubhouse

I think the fact that I walked past this early in the evening and made a mental note to return another time, only to be taken here an hour later with our friend, says it all! Earlham Street Clubhouse has cool treehouse-style open entrance that welcomes you down into a shack-like basement bar and pizza house. Metal retro signs are tacked to every wall, cosy little cubby holes to gossip in are tucked around corners and there are talks of a beer filling station (yes, you can fill up your pint yourself like you would your punto.) Order the salmon pizza whenever you feel like it whilst making your way through the funkin’ cocktail menu. Rollin’ with my Homies was my fave.

Watch out, this new hangout is only weeks old and it’s set to become a packed out hit so get in early and tell your friends you’ve already been!

Flesh and Buns

I can’t say I was drawn in by the sound of the name but figured anything meaty and simple was good with me. I was completely pleasantly surprised to discover Flesh and Buns to be Izakaya (Japanese sake restaurant) rather than burgery (I know, I’m obsessed) and gladly ordered a sharing sake and pear cocktail to start. The waitress advised ordering lots of dishes from the menu plus two buns each to shroud your stuffing of choice. Not having to choose just one dish? Now this was my kind of place to eat! Get the pork chop and crispy duck mains, I couldn’t stop picking at it!

…And here are all the deets if you want to join in yourself and support the high street!

Happy Christmas shopping everyone!

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>Fashion Shop

>Hackney WickED Peeps

Escaping the Rain in Covent Garden

Be a Brownie!

Christmas Party in Pastels

November 26, 2013

The Vintage Party Dress

For all you Bloggers out there – have you had it when you just can’t find a location to take photos in that will actually work with your outfit? I was struggling with this common #fashionbloggerproblem to showcase this cute sixties style vintage dress from Club Vintage when suddenly it struck me!

My local village hall has held many an unforgettable party – my 17th and 18th birthday costume parties were the highlight of the year (in my eyes at least!) so all the teenage nostalgia came flooding back as I danced about in my marginally more sophisticated (only just) party ensemble. It’s times like this when the perks to living in a Hamlet where your next door neighbour owns the keys to your local hall truly reveal themselves.

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Parties offer the opportunity to wear something just for fun that you’d never normally be seen in. I thought I’d try something different and try this seasons’ must-wear colour in this Christmas party dress is from the ASOS Marketplace Vintage Hub.

How to style a vintage dress for a party? Make it even more saccarine by adding more pink and a splatter of silver of course! Throw on your sequinned jacket, for this is the only time it’s acceptable to wear it, grab the tinsel and see you in the village hall!

Dress – Vintage by Club Vintage on ASOS Marketplace / Jacket – Similar here / Heels - Call it Spring / Bag – ASOS / Bow – Crown and Glory / Socks – Topshop / Lipstick – Topshop

See how I styled the heels for work and play in my outfit post

Take a browse of my own ASOS Marketplace shop!

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>Behind the (Shop) Front

>Dressing up!

Spring's Awoken!

Happy Halloween with Evil Twin!

How I Wear Autumnal Colours

November 24, 2013

New Spex!

Autumnal colours always make an outfit feel more cosy don’t they? They’re so easy to wear too. Reds, oranges, plums and mustard yellow – drag out your jumpers and knitted accessories from the back of your wardrobe, layer them up and you’re good to go, every year. This season I’ve added a mustard cable knit jumper to my collection after spotting this inspiring street style look and then adding a whole bunch of mustard jumpered ensembles to my ‘I want to dress like this‘ Pinterest Board.

My ‘research’ tells me that mustard jumpers look fab with checks, leopard print, burgundy and teal, so next time I’ll be giving this a go with a pair of dark turquoise trousers from this look. How would you wear your mustard jumper?

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Another new addition to my wardrobe are my specs! A pair of tortoiseshell frames from Specsavers as a thank you for being featured in their London Metro newspaper advertorial. I thought I’d give a clubmaster style a go for once and now I love them so I’ll be popping these on every time I feel the need to a little more intelligent!

Jumper – Therapy at House of Fraser / Trousers – ASOS / Jacket – ASOS / Trainers – Stylist Pick / Scarf & Gloves – ASOS / Clutch – New Look / Necklace – H&M / Earrings – ASOS

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>A Happy New Year Starts with a Happy Outfit!

Bye bye!

>Pretty in Pink

Take 10 - Crown and Glory

Quick Trip to Fribourg

November 20, 2013

Fribourg, La Suisse

You may have seen on Instagram that I’ve been off galavanting abroad again. I’ve made it my informal mission to visit as much of Europe as I can, hopping from one friend to another for just a couple of days at a time. My French cousin Lorène has been spending 6 months in French speaking Switzerland in what sounded like a very fun houseshare. So I grabbed my case (and my bikini as instructed (?!) and went to join in before she left!

I headed to Geneva from Gatwick and jumped on a train that would wind me through the valleys and lakes for an hour of incessant amazement, eyes glued to the windows. When I arrived in Fribourg we gazed over the hillside down into the city sitting in the basin and with determination, set off on a half day long walk all around it, meeting many a Guide Cat along the way! Every turn of the traditional, almost hippyish town brought a new, delightful view for my camera to lap up. Here’s what I got up to that you should most certainly try if you ever travel near Fribourg in Switzerland!

Shiny Places to Visit in Fribourg

Café du Belvédère - Fribourg is a university town so there’s no shortage of subtlety hip places to hang out. The Belvedere, with it’s grand piano, upstairs gig space and big slouchy sofas sits at the top of the steepest road I’ve seen, right in the center of the old town. It is the welcome chocolat chaud Liégeois and brownie after your trek about the town.

Boulevard des Perolles - Head here for a local feeling bar where the hipsters mix with the old grumpy looking locals over a glass of spiced beer. The decks spin at midnight so you can have a little boogie too.

Café de l’Ancienne Gare - (The cafe of the old station) Hip music and Indie film festival venue, this bar at the top of the town is where all the twenty somethings head on a Friday night. Grab a Fri-mousse beer for a taste of local life and get chatting to the students outside by the huge illuminated movie listings sign.

Cafe du Gothard - It’s apparently the place to go for a real Swiss fondue where local artists’ sculptures hang perilously from the soffit boards and the amazing moitie-moitie (Gruyère and Vacherin) cheese pots are served with never ending bread and new potatoes. Order any wine to accompany it to help break up all that cheese and prevent that super heavy feeling afterwards. (Warning: you will definitely have to schedule a stiff walk around the town afterwards!)

And Further Afield!

Maison Cailler, Brock (Cailler Chocolate Factory) – Do I need to convince you that this is a must?! Winding down the valley towards the white building with the tall chimney, I without a doubt felt like the made-up nice girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Whilst the tour itself is more set up for kids with fun motorised props and dramatized commentary over loud speakers, it’s well worth a visit, if only for the ‘tasting room’!

Les Bains de la Gruyère, Charmey - In the next town from the Chocolate Factory lies a spa made up of Turkish Hammams, Jacuzzis and an incredible outside pool that looks over the mountains. I came with a cold and left feeling revitalized! 3 hours for around 25 Swiss francs ain’t bad. Be sure to try the hot sauna followed by jumping in the cold water pool! Invigorating.

La Cabriolle - On your way back home drive up to nearby Bulle, a pretty town with plenty of traditional restaurants. Head across the square to La Cabriolle where you’ll feel like you’re in a log cabin after a hard day harvesting wood. We went all in with the creamiest goats cheese salad I’ve ever had and the best macaroni cheese. Heaven!

Next up on my whistle stop tour, the Swiss capital of Bern! Have you been to Switzerland? What were your highlights? I can’t wait to go again!

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Splish Splash!

>Shere Beauty

When in Paris

That Time I Found the Romance of Paris

The Camden Lock Lunch Sprint

November 16, 2013

French & Grace Street Food

It’s awesome working in Camden; the Friday night pub jaunt, the lunchtime sprint to the post office to send off Marketplace orders or the odd lengthy team lunch at Haché , but almost never a ‘lets go somewhere and grab something for lunch with friends’ deal. There’s just not the time really is there? Maybe not if you’re planning a sit-down meal and a good gossip on the last months happenings, but perfect if you grab something from a street food hatch, whack your bum on some outside chairs and tick off a quick ‘yep, fine’ run-through of the past weeks events.

Kristabel and I see each other so bloody much (that’s not including the daily Facebook ramblings) that this sort of ‘hi-bye’ lunch is all we need. Last week I legged it up the high street to give street food sweethearts French & Grace a go. They’ve just opened an easy peasy menu featuring their Brixton Market famous wraps and soup as well as devine sounding puds and bloomin’ good hot drinks.

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Even the most dilly dallying of us can make a speedy decision as the menu is so simple. It’s yummy and filling too and you get to watch the girls making it right in front of you whilst you browse their beautiful cook book. They’re just introducing a breakfast menu, perfect for helping the local Camden Lock Market stall holders through the chilly morning set up. Go for the Merguez sausage and Halloumi wrap that comes with bulgar wheat and other healthy and tasty flourishes.