I call this the traveller's chant.

This one's for all the nosy parkers! I love reading "what's in my bag" posts, but have never written one before. As I've recently moved to Munich, I had to do some pretty cutthroat packing, and my fedoras didn't make the cut, even though the kitchen sink almost did. Hand luggage is always tricky (Shini's post inspired me to write my own!), so I thought I'd give you a bit of an insight into what I decided were the most important items to have on me at all times.

Leather bowler bag: £43, Marks and Spencer.

You've definitely seen this one before. I love this bag, and I use it enough to reflect it. It's leather, burgundy, and sufficiently roomy enough to house my camera (which would've been photographed, had I not been photographing with it) and every other "necessity" that winds its way into my possession on a daily basis. And it has a shoulder strap, which is the bag equivalent of clothing having pockets.

iPhone 4S, and telephone box case: £2, Primark.

Although I'm yet to get myself a German sim card (Handykarte in german, in case you were wondering), my phone's definitely coming with me. I've loaded it with the MVV and Munich Metro apps in some vain attempt to help me know where I am, and the EasyJet one means that I don't have to worry about losing my boarding pass, which is a legitimate concern for someone who is not used to waking up early and has a flight at 7am. And it has AM (plus B-sides) on it. 

HP Slate: Argos.

One of those "I didn't realise I needed this till I got it" items, this tablet has become my go-to piece of technology. Although right now I use it mainly for reading (come on guys, free books without having to leave the house, this is the dream), I've sorted it with Munich maps and tourist information. As my phone's getting a little weatherbeaten, the speed of this is appreciated, and the bigger keypad helps with my essay-length facebook message tendencies.

Purse: Luella (old and battered), with Costa, Nando's, and debit cards, and pounds/euros.

This was the first designer piece I ever bought, I was about sixteen at the time. Heavily reduced (I think it was about £70), I still love it now, even if it's seen better days. You can kind of see in the first picture that it's split into two halves, which I'm treating as my GBP/EUR sides, and is pretty handy for making sure I don't mix currencies. The cards bit is self-explanatory, because everyone needs caffeine, chicken, and the ability to pay for it.

Make-up: Benefit powder and eyebrow kit, Optrex eyedrops, Essie nail varnish, Bourjois eyeliner, and Vaseline.

I'm not one to cake on the make-up, but these are the bare essentials that I'd be pretty annoyed if I lost. I've bought another eyeliner to take with me in case of emergency, and it really would be an emergency if it ran out. The eye drops are a familiar sight for anyone who wear contacts (holla), as I find that any foray into air conditioning/public transport/cold weather/hot weather dries my eyes out, so I'm sure at some point during the flight I'll come into contact with one of these instances.

Disposable camera: ebay.

Ah, the holy grail! I love my DSLR like a child, but film photography will always win when it comes down to nostalgia. I haven't posted a disposable camera round up for a while, but I'll make sure to post one at the end of the year at least. As part of my very lovely leaving gift, Jazmine included one for me to take with me, so I'll have at least one to develop when I come back!

Post written in collaboration with Argos

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A dream is a wish your heart makes.

Blouse: gift, French Connection. Skirt: £33, Luella, via ebay. Belt: 20p, charity shop. Shoes: 50p, Russell and Bromley, via ebay.

It wouldn't be a twenty-first without acting like a child, would it? Sabby bounded onto the RER A with me, Sophie, Tom, and Brad in tow, and, as we wound our way East, the train slowly filled with little ones, each of us heading to Disneyland Paris. A weird mixture of food and stomach-churning rides (my ten and twenty-first year old self's dream combination), the day was spent wandering between the two parks, bringing back memories from when I went on a surprise trip a whole twelve years ago. Now I'm tall enough to go on Space Mountain and Tower of Terror (twice), and it certainly hasn't lost its magic.

We ended the day sitting by the side of the castle, watching Disney Dreams. It was slightly different to the bonfire night celebrations of November (namely that I wasn't in about three coats), but we were all still clutching our hot chocolates as we watched the spectacle unfold. By the time we got back to our room, we decided it probably wasn't a good idea to go out, particularly as we'd missed the last metro, so instead made ourselves a pasta box or five, and settled down before heading home via St Pancras the next day.

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Birmingham's Christmas Markets.

Last Saturday I hopped on a train heading South, and, when it terminated in Birmingham, I packed my copy of "The Wrongs of Woman" firmly in my bag till the homeward journey. Once out of the station, I met Eloise, Claire, Emma, Kim, Becca, Maria, and Victoria, to have a quick coffee catch-up, Nando's (fyi, I had a medium halloumi and mushroom wrap, chips, and macho peas), and a mooch around the shops. We then, of course, had a look round the christmas markets, which involved scary amounts of nutcrackers and winter Pimm's! Armed with their DSLRs, and my ever faithful point and shoot, we had a quick opportunity for outfit photos, and Eloise took some of me, despite my protestations that no one would want to see an outfit they'd seen countless times before. But, you know, you don't have a willing photographer every day! I can't wait for the christmas markets to open in Liverpool, anyone for glühwein?

Also, I set up a blog shop (which I'll be adding to as and when I have the time), so if you could have a look I'd really appreciate it!

xxx

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When at Somerset House...

 

The Union Flag atop Somerset House

Two of my favourite looks from Spijkers en Spijkers

Dina from She Loves Mixtapes getting papped 

... do as the fashionistas do!

Don't get me wrong, I abhor the word "fashionista" (and I use the expression lightly), but London Fashion Week is such an overblown and preposterous affair that it seems the only one applicable to those who flock to the Strand twice annually to sample what the capital of quirk and cool has to offer. Or you can sit on a bench at the sidelines and cheer on your favourites when you see two beheeled editors running to the show space with only a few minutes to spare.

I adore the atmosphere in the centre of the courtyard; I doubt it can be replicated anywhere else at any other time. The exhibition is always impeccably curated - the French Sole and Kate Sheridan showcases were two particular favourites - the close proximity of designers often ensuring that their finest selection is on display, the tables being an overload of aesthetic lavishness that doesn't quite transfer to the shopfloor anywhere other than the lush New Bond Street flagships.

But, of course, attention is focused upon the shows and presentations of SS13 collections. Friday's personal highlights were Maria Grachvogel and Bora Aksu (see bottom photo): the former revealing jumpsuits that even little Cohen could see herself in, and the latter had big hair and crowns fit for the pastel creations worn beneath. Despite the rail replacement's best efforts, I managed to get to Freemason's Hall for the Vauxhall Fashion Scout's Ones to Watch show, which is the one I had been most eagerly anticipating as everything would be new. I do like established designers, but once you've seen a Burberry trench coach, there's only so much you can do (which, apparently, means creating a ridiculously expensive peacock feathered version). Charlotte Simpson's glitter contrasted Ming Pin Tien's intricately laced corsetry perfectly, with Hellen Van Rees sending her models onto the catwalk with things that looked suspiciously like weetabix attached to their heads...

 

Navy dress: £12, Clothing at Tesco. Floral collared blouse: £2, charity shop. Butterfly brooch: gift, vintage. Skull bracelet: £11, Alexa Chung for Made, via ebay. Leather envelope clutch bag: Luella, via ebay.

It wouldn't be true Fashion Week coverage if I didn't show you a little bit of what I was wearing myself! I'm not the kind of person who likes being in front of another's camera, so dressed rather sedately in comparison to the other teddy bear adorned persons. Thank you to Dina for taking my photos - such a novelty to not have to hurry backwards and forwards with my self-timer!

I have another post coming up that's not technically to do with Fashion Week, but you may have seen me tweeting about what I got up to between stints at Somerset House, and it was equally exciting, so keep your eyes peeled (or stick with a sixties eyeliner flick, that's quite okay too).

xxx

Saying goodbye to Bora Aksu

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We're flying first class up in the sky

Silk blouse: £1.50, Per Una via charity shop. Paisley Shorts: c/o Glamorous. Adder heeled boots: £36, Topshop. Leather bag: £4, charity shop. Cloud charm: gift, Luella. Lipstick: Gabrielle, Chanel.

When I started this humble journal of sartorial mistakes, there were many things I wouldn't wear. I've tackled jeans, and the up-do, now it's time for paisley. Glamorous contacted me asking if I'd like to try out a couple of their products, and, despite the Royal Mail's best attempts at ensuring I wouldn't receive anything, these shorts came through my letterbox a couple of weeks ago. They're a little tight, so although they may have been 100% appropriate for my first Essex night out since coming home for the summer, I would recommend going up a size, just to be sure. Check out the new loves of my life in kick-ass leather form that I picked up in the January sales but have only just got around to wearing due to living a few hundred miles away. They'll have to be surgically removed from my feet at some point in the near future.

The weekend (read: the sleep) was very much appreciated, and I had a wonderful weekend with a few people that I miss incredible amounts when I'm at university. It's so difficult finding the time to see everyone during the week, as commuting tires me out more than I imagined it would. I'm slowly getting used to it, however, and am looking forward to seeing  a big group on Wednesday, as well as catching up with some blogger pals at the weekend. Sometimes I think it's a shame that I haven't tried the new flavours of Red Bull introduced for the Jubilee (cranberry, lime and blueberry, so patriotic ⚐) as they'd surely pep me up Queen Liz style. Then sometimes I'm really rather glad I haven't.

xxx

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London Fashion Day

Collared tee: £18, American Apparel. Pleated skirt: 99p, ebay. Cardigan: £63, Carven. Bag: £4, charity shop. Burger charm: Luella. Dirty boots: £60, Topshop. Belt: 20p, charity shop. Socks: gift, Topshop.
Outfit photos kindly taken by Ashley!

I'd been planning to go home for my friend's birthday this weekend just gone for the past couple of months. Serendipitously, London Fashion Week occurred simultaneously, so I registered (for the first time ever!) to attend. When I arrived at home just before midnight on Thursday, I was lucky enough to have two envelopes which I hadn't expected: tickets to Bora Aksu and Orla Kiely.

Dressed like a perverted schoolgirl (all credit for that title goes to my friend Sabby), I managed to get to Somerset House via only one broken down train. A complete novice, I found Michelle and Elodie in the queue for Bora Aksu, and we were soon joined by Hannah and Ashley. The third photo is of the show (I'll let everyone else's photos do the clothes justice, I was still rabbit in headlights at this point), illustrating how vast it is. If I was nervous, I dread to think how those tiny models felt walking into the sea of cameras. Outside, we bumped into Olivia, Jazmine, et al., before checking out the exhibition. To end my day (the others stayed for much longer, I went to meet a friend for caffeine), we went upstairs to the Portico Room, which had been transformed into a 1920s style dance for the Orla Kiely presentation - complete with band! The atmosphere was so carefully built, with guests sat at circular tables lining the room, sipping on champagne and devouring nibbling mini victoria sponges. The models as they doing the waltz to swing classics under the golden glitter ball couldn't help but lead me to want the cream, burgundy and mustard hues of the Autumn Winter collection. (I'm choosing not to mention completely fangirling when I said hello to Leith Clark, I prevented further embarrassment by just admiring Orla Kiely herself from afar).

This is a horribly word-heavy account of my day, despite attempting to be concise. To make up for it, I'll be getting the disposable camera I lugged around with me all day developed as soon as possible. A little film "exclusive" for you, as I'm pretty sure every single other person there had a DSLR (and a Mulberry bag!) over their shoulder. 

xxx

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we've got a city to love

t-shirt; luella via ebay; £5. skirt; zara; £7. belt; primark; £1.50. cardigan; charity shop; £2.50. coat; topshop; £63.

IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR LAYERS.
So I present to you three photos indicating said layers, in which I look like an idiot.
(Featuring hair and make up, courtesy of walking up and down Liverpool's hills in gale force winds.)

xxx

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let's drink campari overlooking the serpentine

it rained on my brother's birthday. we went out for a meal. this is what i wore. (details on lookbook)

ps, buy my things on ebay and i'll love you?

oh, and the whole "i'll blog more" thing clearly hasn't worked out. since we last "talked" i've been to sheffield to see arctic monkeys/discover quite how long i can go without sleep, seen les misérables, spent a horrific amount of time in spoons, attended the launch of hooga, went to my first ever foam party, had a nando's lunch and restrained myself when it came to miu miu shoes in the liberty sale. and now amy's coming over for a cup of tea. what an interesting life i lead.

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an insight (with a worrying amount of words)

the above jumper was sent to me buy the lovely vicky of aha shake heartbreaker. it's so fluffy and perfect for keeping me warm that i wore it straight away to the fireworks display that evening. she has some amazing outfits and i'm not jealous of her bag in any way at all!

dress; urban outfitters. jumper; vintage via vicky

five hundred followers?

THANK YOU

you're all beautiful people!

i'm going shopping asap with amy to get a little something for one of you, let's see what liverpool shops have to offer...

looking back, i realise i've never really given any basic facts about myself, so maybe now's the time to have a go (:

i like to have something on my wrist at all times. not a watch, but things i can genuinely forget about. ribbon, string, etc. currently all i have is my brownstock wristband... it's only a matter of time before the collection builds up again.

i was walking down brook street the other day and got weirdly emotional seeing that the luella shop had been converted into an aspinal's of london. i miss her so much... but then i met up with friends and went to starbucks (ADDICTION) and then a restaurant for his birthday. swings and roundabouts.

i like to go out without a plan. it often leads to things that... well, it's safe to say that i've made mistakes, but i don't think that's a bad thing. necessarily.

i play up to characters quite a bit. i try and embody the better characteristics of luna lovegood, cassie ainsworth, the lisbon sisters, blair waldorf and alexa chung (to name but a few).

1) my wrist a couple of weeks ago.

2) luella ♥ (source)

3) mt and jm on the way to frinton.

4) tennessee thomas and alexa chung (i can't remember the source, sorry!)

5) drinking bollinger post-hot house.

sorry for the sheer amount of words... i'll be less sentimental next time, i promise. xo

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