They can't love me like you.

Topshop knit (old, although this is pretty much the same). Oasis faux leather skirt. Karen Millen boots: £25, sample sale. Marks and Spencer bag (old). Necklace: c/o Happiness Boutique.

Going out with students for Halloween? Feeling a bit old? The best way to cure this malady is to make sure you spend the day where you lower the average age by quite a few decades. Battlesbridge is a little village in Essex, known for its antiques centre and weird sticky outy building, and OAPs can't get enough of it. The higgledy piggledy stalls are host to an odd array of anything you can think of, and I am rather a fan of the crap taxidermy you can find nestled in the back of a fair few stands. We came home empty handed this time, but I definitely had my eye on a few of the old bookshelves and cabinets, perfect for someone who's got plans and schemes for their room... 

Read more

You think we look pretty good together.

Laura Ashley trench coat (old). Topshop print top: £24 (old). Vintage suede skirt: £8, charity shop. Bally bag: £9, vintage shop. Warehouse lace up flats: £29. Esie Belle necklace: £9.

There's just something about Oxford, isn't there? The city of dreaming spires is one that I don't visit all that frequently, but every trip leaves me feeling a little more relaxed and in love with this country. It may have its own tube (hoho), but this city is all about retaining its heritage and tradition, which comes as a nice break from fast-paced London's silicon roundabout, coremetrics, edialog and UAT. Of course, it did manage to tip it down for roughly 90% of our trip meaning that country air had a hint of raindrop to it (say hello to Yankee candle's new copywriter??), but in a ten minute break we managed to take advantage of smaller than usual crowds beneath the bridge of sighs. Oxford may be a far cry from Venice, but the eponymous (chicken? egg? Wiki'll tell you who came first, I'm sure) architecture is still pretty bloody beautiful, and it's almost enough to make me wish I'd tried a liiittle bit harder whilst revising for my A Levels and make it here to study full time.

As a hardcore His Dark Materials fan, we also headed up Carfax tower to experience Oxford from the rooftops. It might not have been a day for clambering across from building to building, but we definitely made the most of our trip among the spires. Spiral staircase aside (I'm writing this after a big bowl of pasta* - let's not think about all that twirling, unless it's spaghetti round a spoon of course), it's the best place to see the city from, and even better when the sun breaks through the seemingly impenetrable greys of a month's worth of rain in two days. We didn't head inside any of the colleges this time (remember when we bunked into Magdalen?), but from the little we could see from peeking in through the grand wooden doors there's plenty more to see inside. I mean, just look at the museum - and this is the new stuff!

*I'm currently oop norf and this post is scheduled, never quite managed to have pasta for breakfast. Yet.

Read more

I have stolen ideas from every book I have ever read.

Laura Ashley trench coat. Topshop scuba top: €15, via Oberpollinger. H&M palm print trousers: £15 (I've got my eye on this similar pair of culottes). Warehouse lace up flats: £29. Gemporia ring. Brandy Melville "thug life" necklace: €9.

When it rains, go somewhere muddy. Obviously. 

Last week I booked a couple of days off work and headed over to Oxford to catch up with family. All plans to have a charming break in glorious August sunshine were quickly nipped in the bud when glancing at BBC Breakfast's weather report, but in true brit style we went for it anyway - that's what umbrellas are for, right? After dropping our bags off, we headed to the Botanic Garden. More than just your usual scrub of grass, this garden housed everything from cannabis to pineapples - something for every palate. I, of course, couldn't help but get some snaps in the palm house as opportunities to match your outfit with your surroundings should never be given up.

It was also a little bit of a special place for me to visit, as it's home to 'Lyra's bench'. Growing up, my absolute favourite books were the His Dark Materials trilogy written by Philip Pullman, from which grew my fascination with this little Oxfordshire city. Anyone else spend a little too much time trying to work out which animal their dæmon would be? I may not have explored Oxford by rooftop like Lyra (although we did climb up Carfax tower), but I couldn't help but visit the little memorial to her and Will whilst we were there.

Time to dust off my old books, and get lost in a novel on the 6.47 tomorrow.

Read more