Cities of hope.

Still time time to win an iPhone SE here!

Spend your days in the sunshine.

You could wait a lifetime for the weather to behave in Manchester (what is it about this bloody city?), but I've worked out it takes an average of once every six weeks for it to be No Coat Weather in the North West. Thankfully, when Winnie came to visit, the morning's grey skies gave way to something hella hotter so we could give the umbrellas a rest at the bottom of our bag.

We started our day in Foundation Coffee, feat. its shoefie-ready floor quote "coffee is everything" 'cause these guys know. I'm successfully weaning myself onto coffee over tea but still opted for a latte with an orange and honeycomb brownie, which comes very highly recommended by yours truly. I may be losing my sweet tooth (who even am I?), but there's always time for brownies. Always. We popped next door to Fred Aldous because I've got a weird obsession with greetings cards so Winnie could indulge in a Yayoi Kusama notebook. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the Northern Quarter before weaving our way towards Manchester Art Gallery to check out the Vogue 100 exhibition (again, not complaining). Obviously starving, our last stop was Yard and Coop for as much chicken as possible. As sharing is caring, I'll pass on this little nugget for you (you'll see where the pun's coming in one min): the not chicken nuggets (there you go) are amazing, and are simply deep fried halloumi bites of goodness.

I know it's odd how the internet has worked its way into my daily life, but after having a chat about it yesterday with Jade it's easy to see how the world wide web has permeated most aspects of our/millenials' social activity: tinder, anyone? I'm still waiting to be catfished one day, but until then I'm totally cool with meeting up with strangers from the internet.

PS post title refers to all the #citiesofhope graffiti popping up round town, as photographed above. Still trying to find all the Cities of Hope range, but have seen a fair few around!

What I Wore.

And Other Stories black mesh tee: £17. H+M denim skirt: £15. Public Desire Lucy shoes. Urban Outfitters bag: £15. Urban Outfitters sunglasses: £10 (now £6).

Where We Went.

What's On Insta.

Sunny coffee with @diamondcanopy at @fdncoffee yesterday. Currently on my way to Sheffield, and didn't have time to stop for caffeine. Someone help/prop me up. #mcruk #eatmcr #foundation #coffee #latteart

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Aug 7, 2016 at 3:20am PDT

Hanging with @diamondcanopy in Manchester today #mcruk #vogue #vogue100

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Aug 6, 2016 at 10:51am PDT

Winner winner buttermilk chicken dinner at @yardandcoop 🍗🍗 #MotherClucker #mcruk #eatmcr #chicken

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Aug 6, 2016 at 12:49pm PDT

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White lace and disco shoes.

A long weekend in town, the Manchester fashion blogger way.

There's nothing like having someone come to visit, in order for you to realise all you do with your weekends is spend a weird amount of time eating and drinking. "You'd like to do something else, you say?", leading to a quick flick through your mental vaults of What To Do and thinking all your trying to be a Manchester fashion blogger location recces were a bit useless, and maybe Dusk 'Til Pawn at 2am probably isn't a good shout when your guest is your mum. I suggested she stay in ABode, as it's a good distance from Piccadilly and where I live, whilst also being juuust far enough away from bars. And the walls have books all over them. From there, we headed to old favourite Ezra and Gil for lunch, and then wandered round town. Because, of course, it was raining, so there wasn't all that much you could do.

The next day, we headed to Media City, and spent the morning checking out the Lowry gallery. My mum's a big fan of Lowry's work, and it was only ignorance that meant I wasn't too. There was a talk given by a guy who was weirdly like my dissertation tutor (horrific flashbacks to the week before hand-in), which gave a little insight into the artist's life. I'd definitely recommend if you're a fan, or, if you're entertaining, it's freeee. As we were that side of town, it was only polite to head to the Trafford Centre AKA the Vegas of shopping centres. That evening we enjoyed some prosecco in the hotel. Because if you've got the chance to drink some fizz, who would turn it down?

On the last day of my mum's visit, we went for breakfast at Koffee Pot (always. Hands down best breakfast in Manchester). The sun was starting to show itself finally so we snapped the above photos before heading to the Portico library and Manchester Art Gallery for the Vogue 100 exhibition. Definitely saw a few Manchester fashion bloggers shiftily making their way along the photos. I see ya.

So, while I add a few more places onto my Manchester roster, are there any places you'd recommend? Always happy to test in advance, particularly if there's a cafe.

What I Wore.

Amy Childs Collection dress: c/o. Public Desire Katie shoes. Urban Outfitters sunglasses: £10 (now £6).

Where We Went.

What's On Insta.

Because every wall needs a picture of flying books, surely? #Manchester #mcruk #abode #hotel #interiors #pictureoftheday

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jul 28, 2016 at 11:21am PDT

I'd heard the @evelynscafebar pancakes were the best, so... 😏😏😉 #Manchester #mcruk #earmcr #evelyns #breakfast #brunch #food #coffee #latteart

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jul 30, 2016 at 2:38am PDT

Be not afraid of greatness. #selfridges #Shakespeare #quote #shakespeare400

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jul 29, 2016 at 12:25pm PDT

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This French life.

Picnic perfection in an asos midi dress.

If the French are known for anything, it's their food. Of course, diets were abandoned on first mention of the word baguette, so a picnic in the grounds was one of the most anticipated parts of the entire trip. As it was bloody boiling a bit hot, I'd decided to go for an asos midi dress (meant to have a bardot neckline, but anyone else find them constantly slipping off their shoulders?) and some courts. I think I've reached that point in my sartorial life where shapeless dresses are King, and can 100% see me buying this in every colour, 'cause easy. But, as always, I'm getting a little carried away...

Our day started with a trip to the rooftop for a series of talks named "Life Lessons" with Stylist France Editor Audrey Diwan and blogger Freddie Harel. I, of course, knew Audrey's book "How to Be Parisian" from seeing it on every coffee table across the country, and I'd previously worked with Freddie on a work project, but it was amazing to see these two women so at ease at commanding a room.

We then sat in on the Stylist editorial meeting, where we had a group chat about what sort of things we'd like to see in the issue (that came out last week). As someone who's only really written for online titles before, it was interesting the see the differences between the two, and see the issue come to life via the flat layout on the easel in the corner. 

We then headed into the grounds to sample some more of that French life: cheese. Rather than the ol' buy something from M&S and then sit on the plastic bag trick I've perfected over the years, this picnic was definitely more refined. Tables guys, tables. We sat among the citronella candles accepting I was to be bitten within an inch of my life, but dampening the pain with the taste of brie. So much brie, so little time.

The afternoon was dedicated to exploring the castle and its grounds, where we headed off (covered in insect repellent) to find an old folly full of bats, before heading back to sit poolside and make the most of the sunshine. That evening we were welcomed into the chapel to watch a film, however Laura and I decided to chill on the roof terrace instead.

The next day we headed back to Nantes to catch our flight to London. Thankfully, the sun had travelled across the Channel with us, making the bump back to reality that little bit easier (to be honest, the gin and tonics probably helped with that too). Monday's inbox could wait until then, because I was too busy dreaming about the last week.

What I Wore.

Asos midi dress: £38. Public Desire Katie shoes. Urban Outfitters half moon bag: £15. Urban Outfitters sunglasses: £10 (now £6).

Where We Went.

What's On Insta.

Well, this beats my normal meal deal picnic. #thisfrenchlife #theeverydayproject #thehappynow #thisjoyfulmoment #publicdesire #pdbae

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jun 23, 2016 at 4:50am PDT

Now I've personalised my @chambordchannel, no one'll be stealing my drink 😉 #thisfrenchlife #chambord #france

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jun 23, 2016 at 6:14am PDT

Eating my feelings whilst checking BBC news. Making the most of this France malarkey while I can 🇫🇷 #thisfrenchlife #breakfast

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jun 23, 2016 at 11:41pm PDT

Back in England with a bit of an EU bump. I leave the country for two days... #thisfrenchlife #abmlifeiscolorful

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on Jun 24, 2016 at 7:34am PDT

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Eyelet details and espadrilles.

H+M tee: £6.99. M&S skirt: £17.50. Hobbs espadrilles: £1. Urban Outfitters bag: £15. Warehouse sunglasses: £god knows, fill a bag for a fiver find.

Updating my wardrobe essentials game.

You can read this post in many ways:

1. I'm refining my wardrobe, and sticking to the pieces I know I'll wear forever/until they've been washed see-through.

2. I'm skint after deciding to seriously up the amount I'm saving per month, so basic's about as good as it's going to get. Tara embellishment, you were good while the student loan lasted.

3. I'm completely disillusioned with all trends right now, so just giving up on it all and going for the things I really like and/or suit me. Not necessarily at the same time.

4. I bought this top when H+M had an offer on and now I'm trying to justify spending my money somewhere other than Morrsion's.

Whichever number you pick, you're a good portion of the way to the truth.

Without trying to rehash old ground, we all know that as a general rule a certain type of bodyshape is portrayed again and again in the media. Yes, it's getting better. No, I don't think retail stores are to blame. But when it comes to trend pieces, those rip-offs from the catwalk in some capital city miles away were made to fit a certain frame, and most of the time the high street-filtered version is a pretty damn good copy (did someone say six weeks lead time?), so why should it suit me? I'm not sad about it at all (apart from shift dresses, cos I really, really want to dress like Twiggy on the daily). I accept that there's no point trying to give my own take on a trend, which is basically just a carbon copy of everyone else's, and thus *unpopular opinion klaxon* it's boring. There's a reason I follow the women's blogs I do: I like to see original, well thought out content that tells a story, because if I want to see trends I'll toddle off to Vogue, who do it very, very well.

I'm not a stylist who knows how to put perfect outfits together; I still bleary eyed chuck things on in the morning, only to re-assess in the toilet at work thinking "nah, definite miss". But I do like to document what I've jumbled together here, and hope you don't mind that it's a little more "wardrobe essentials" than "fresh off the catwalk".

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Salford Quays, Manchester.

Primark fedora: £7. Marks and Spencer roll neck: £12. Warehouse faux leather skirt: sold out, similar. Urban Outfitters suede bag: £15 (also in tan). Adidas Spezial trainers: £27.

Photos by Clare and Laura

Hallelujah! 

We're not going into some weird niche (even if that's what every bloody #hashtagged chat on twitter tells me to do in order to have a functioning blog, I just like taking nice photos and having a reason to indulge in poached eggs for reasons other than they're dead nice), we're going into the realms of "mini miracles". Not quite sight-giving levels as I'm still shoving little bits of plastic into my eyes on the daily, but more like reassessing what we've got in an overly positive way. I know, this new leaf me is making even myself feel a little bit sick.

GET APPY

As someone who's been religiously pulling down on zoopla and rightmove for the last three weeks ("last 24h" filter a-go-go), these little bad boys have gone a long way to making sure I have a roof over my head right now. And the asos one's got a lot of my wardrobe to answer for too.

NETWORK RAIL

Anyone who's had the misfortune to follow me on twitter during a four hour delay might find this one a little hard to believe, but now I'm not in the South trains are the BEST. Less than £6 for a return to Liverpool? Sure. I've got an hour, let's go to Leeds. You can even get on a train without buying a ticket. This is probably the past rather than the future, but I like it. A lot.

FOOD SHOPPING AFTER WORK

There is no joy greater than seeing a yellow sticker on both some crusty bread rolls and a tub of peri peri hummus. 

CAPSULE WARDROBE

In the last four weeks I have mix and matched six tops, three dresses, two skirts, two pairs of jeans, a playsuit, a jumper and a coat, and haven't got (100%) bored of them yet. I'm not about to get all Marie Kondo on your ass, but maybe it's time to reassess the entire overflowing wardrobe situation.

LESS STRESS

You know that London life was a bit wrong when you move halfway across the country, don't technically have anywhere to live and start a new job in a higher position with loads more accountability and it's less stressful than what you'd got accustomed to. I know I won't be able to resist London's allure forever, but right now this was the best bloody move I could ever have made.

MOMENTS OF CALM

No, not in a "self help" way, in a "we're at Salford Quays, it's exposed, you're not in a coat and wearing a hat that takes off at any opportune moment" way. I headed out for brunch with Clare and Laura last weekend and we somehow managed to take the above photos without contracting pneumonia or get scolded by passers by for swearing about "freezing your fucking tits off" in February. Would you say my first Manchester photos have been a success?

If you've got any daily marvels to share, please leave them in a comment below and I'll read them and nod along attentively. But, right now, brb eating bread.

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