A day off.










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Taking Time Out.


I am notoriously bad at doing nothing. I'm in the 1% of people who hasn't bothered getting a Netflix subscription 'cause this gal ain't got time for that. Instead, I tend to head out and do something (anything) to make sure that it's not a day "wasted". Whether it's heading to the gym or going out to a coffee shop to catch up reading the Times over something with a fair few ounces of caffeine in it, it's rare you'll find me at home. However, a couple of weeks back I took the day off work to do just that.

Waking late, I took the opportunity to start slow and poach some eggs while the kettle boiled. The daffodils bought a week previously had started to bloom, and served myself brunch (because you definitely can't call a 11.30 meal breakfast) while things outside were weirdly quiet. It's amazing what smokey eyes you can create when you're not against the clock, so make up did I headed out into town for a mooch and then sit down in Foundation with a coffee for an hour or so, before making the trip back home and cooking chicken pie for dinner. That evening involved watching Easy A, hot chocolate and candles, to fully live out the basic bitch life I'd always dreamed of. And you know what? It was great.

Who knew doing nothing could take up so much time?

If you're into your doing nowt, then definitely let me know your favourite ways to pass the time. Because, until next time, here I'll be constantly doing stuff. brb, going out.

What I Wore.


Uniqlo coat. And Other Stories tee. And Other Stories kick flare jeans (new season version). Urban Outfitters bag. Tatty Devine necklace. Zara faux fur loafers (similar).

What's On Insta.


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A really, really good food day.

Rooi Kate Spade | It's Cohen Blog
Menagerie Afternoon Tea | It's Cohen Blog
Alabama's Manchester NQ | It's Cohen Blog
Manchester fashion blog | It's Cohen Blog
Menagerie Manchester sushi | It's Cohen Blog
Kate Spade clear umbrella from Rooi | It's Cohen Blog
Kate Spade eyes umbrella | It's Cohen Blog
Menagerie Manchester Afternoon Tea | It's Cohen Blog
Manchester Fashion Blogger | It's Cohen Blog

Alabama's Brunch and Menagerie Afternoon Tea


I'm normally really organised when it comes to sorting out my social life. I like having everything in my calendar, because otherwise there's literally zero chance of me turning up (thanks to the constant chaos happening inside my head). According to aforementioned calendar, this post should be called "a really, really good food weekend" but, you guessed it, I clearly cocked up and ended up ubering from one side of Manchester to the other, but... that's another story.

I met up with Tori from @unfoldtheday for brunch at Alabama's in the Nothern Quarter early on Saturday. We'd arranged to go there as somewhere neither of us had visited before, and we managed to be one of the few people who nabbed a table immediately (hint: go pre-10am). I went for bannoffee french toast (yep) and Tori opted for eggs benedict. Even though I went for the "small" size of three slices, don't think you're getting a health meal as I was full to the brim and could quite happily have napped it away on the leather sofas. However, instead we headed to the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art and mooched for a while out of the rain.

Next I met my uni pal Georgia for lunch at El Capo. No photos. El Capo and I are a friendship based on margaritas (this trip was no different), and we were halfway through a bottle of wine when I got a text from Clare saying they'd just been seated in Menagerie, so to just call when I was there. Apparently, Sunday was actually Saturday, so I headed off in search of something bubbly.

Afternoon tea at Menagerie is an event. A very long, very good event. Laura, Clare and I started with champagne (as all good stories start), and went through the courses of sandwiches, cakes and then scones, as well as them letting us try some sushi, which is always a welcome addition. I'd seen it on everyone's instagram prior to entering so I knew exactly what to expect from the venue, but it's true that Menagerie is beautiful, and you need to go if you're a fan of opulent interiors that give Manchester a good name.

We then went to Gaslight, but probably the less said about that the better.

For this odd but beautiful mix, I wore an outfit of ol' faithfuls. These & Other Stories kick flares have definitely earned their place in my wardrobe, and thankfully the guys over at Rooi had popped a Kate Spade umbrella in the post so I wasn't too soggy by the end of the day.

If you've got any more Manchester food recommendations, I'm more than happy to do a service to all and go try it out. Challenge, accepted.

What I Wore


Kate Spade umbrella: c/o Rooi. Laura Ashley trench coat. Oasis turtleneck top. And Other Stories jeans. Zara silver boots. Urban Outfitters bag.
Photos by Tori.

What's on Insta



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MAN > SHF

The Kooples womens leather jacket | www.itscohen.co.uk
Warehouse culottes jumpsuit | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester town hall | www.itscohen.co.uk
Zara silver metallic chelsea boots | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester fashion blogger | www.itscohen.co.uk
Olivia Burton blogger event | www.itscohen.co.uk
Warehouse jumpsuit culottes | www.itscohen.co.uk

A Culottes Jumpsuit and Embossed Watch


Let me just hold backspace for a bit.

I have a habit of leaving my emails for about three weeks, then replying en masse. It's not a technique I'd recommend. In fact, I'd actively dissuade you from adopting this method, as it's only going to make you stress and piss people off. Either way, when I got an email from the babes at Olivia Burton asking if I wanted to head to an event in Sheffield I was mid-way through typing a "cheers, but I live in Manchester" reply before deleting it all and saying "oh, go on then". 

Sheffield is one of those cities I've always loved. No beating around the bush, it's a solid 95% because of Arctic Monkeys, but it holds its own right too. I applied to university there way back when, and even though I didn't attend full time I did go a fair amount to visit my friend Selena. Last time I went was back in 2011 for an Arctic Monkeys gig (surprise surprise), and I've just never had a reason to go back.

Now I live up North, it's not hard to be a daytripper. Yes, trains are few and far between, but they're cheap as chips. That day I met up with Kavita to discuss what she'd been up to since we'd last seen each other. Sheffield weather was behaving, so we ate outside before heading into town for a quick walk around. I then headed to Meadowhall to visit boutique Goldsmiths. I was very lucky to be treated to my very own Olivia Burton watch, which has been personalised with my name: it doesn't just tell you the time, it also helps you out of tricky situations. You can get this done online, but it was super quick in-store.

Fast forward to the next weekend, and Laura and I were picking our brunch spot for the weekend. Not feeling a 45 minute (!!) wait for Alabamas, we just went round the corner to Allotment. One of those "should I eat where I drink?" establishments, but I am so glad we went in. Honestly, the eggs benedict comes highly recommended from me, and I've tried a fair few platefuls of it in my time.

Laura was kind enough to snap a few photos of my outfit before it proper peed it down. New fave combo of a culottes jumpsuit and anything chelsea boots that I picked up for a mere £7 in Zara. Of course, paired with my faithful leather jacket and a fedora hat.

What I Wore



Where We Went





What's on Insta


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A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on
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Playing it cool on the set of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter set guide, Durham Cathedral | www.itscohen.co.uk
Visiting Durham Cathedral | www.itscohen.co.uk
Durham city gif | www.itscohen.co.uk
Durham Cathedral Celtic cross | www.itscohen.co.uk
Durham Cathedral face door knocker | www.itscohen.co.uk
Durham Cathedral, Harry Potter | www.itscohen.co.uk
Leonards Coffee House, Durham | www.itscohen.co.uk
Lunch in Durham at Leonard's | www.itscohen.co.uk

Visiting Durham


Do you ever get it in your head that you're going to love a place, despite never having visited? Well, I did. I've been internally bigging up Durham for a long ol' time, and when I got wind of my pal Clarity moving there, it was only a matter of time before I'd booked myself some train tickets and was on my way up. I'm not even sure why I'd wanted to go for so long, as it's not like it's been repeatedly talked about online (yeah, you guys have massively killed any want to head to Brighton again, can you stop now?), and barely gets any mentions by my friends. I'm just going to assume that it's down to how much I like York, and just thinking it's an even further North version of that.

Thankfully, Durham lived up to my expectations, and then some.

Okay, okay, the weather's just as bad as it is in Manchester, but as my hair is now in a permanent state of frizzy, I was more than happy to wander from the train station down into town and head straight out for lunch. Clarity recommended a place called Leonard's Coffee House, and boy do they do a decent toasted sandwich. I mean, nothing will come between me and my love for Northern Soul's grilled cheese sandwiches (nothing, I swear), but this sarnie is moving its way up on my List of Sandwiches I Need to Master.

We then headed onwards and upwards to the Cathedral. Even if half of it is currently covered in scaffolding - damn you unphotogenic renovations - it's still pretty impressive, dominating the Durham skyline. Of course, I lost my shit when I recognised bits from the Harry Potter films, so got myself a cheesy lil snap "on set". Don't even try to pretend you wouldn't too.

I've got another post coming up on my second day of visiting Durham too (been storing these up for a while), so keep an eye out if you're a fan of cream teas and peonies like every single blogger out there. Hardly surprising I've been a bit absent from the internet when I've had to deal with such cliché delights, is it?

Where we went





What's on Insta

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Look at what you just saw, this is what you live for.

UK fashion blogger www.itscohen.co.uk
Battlesbridge antiques centre, Essex www.itscohen.co.uk
Oasis Fashion black heeled ankle boots www.itscohen.co.uk
Bird gif www.itscohen.co.uk
Autumn/Fall outfit ideas, blogger www.itscohen.co.uk
Battlesbridge antiques centre, Essex www.itscohen.co.uk
Essex fashion bloggers www.itscohen.co.uk
Battlesbridge antique vintage clothes faux fur coats www.itscohen.co.uk
Zara navy coat www.itscohen.co.uk
Essex fashion blogger www.itscohen.co.uk
The Stables Café, Battlesbridge, Essex www.itscohen.co.uk
Battlesbridge Essex fashion blogger www.itscohen.co.uk
The Barge Inn, Battlesbridge, Essex www.itscohen.co.uk
Joules monochrome blanket scarf www.itscohen.co.uk
Oasis Fashion heeled ankle boots www.itscohen.co.uk
Zara coat: £30 (old, similar). French Connection jumper: £21.50 (on sale, similar). Marks and Spencer cord skirt: £17.50 (on sale, similar). Oasis heeled boots: £17 (on sale, similar, court heel version).

When it comes to most things, I know what I want. I may be a bit iffy on the 'general life' scenario (job? where to live? what toppings to have on my pizza???), but Actual Things? Got it down. I've never really been one to wildly experiment with clothing, Blair Waldorf bright tights period excluded, and since the age of 16 I've slowly been building a wardrobe of classics that I've been wearing ever since - I've documented a lot of them here. Handily, this means that sales are my thing. Occasionally I'll get caught up in the thrill of bargains and I still haven't donated that red shift dress which doesn't suit my body shop to charity (luv u), but more often than not I'll get something I know I'll love forever for a fraction of the price. And, in my opinion, why pay more when you know you can get it for a little less and save the difference for cocktails and Oyster top-ups?

If you're looking for a list of sale shopping tips (praise be to someone who is more organised than me), then I'd 100% recommend heading to Megs' blog, but in slightly chaotic fashion, here are my things to look out for:

STYLE NAILED
You can have too much of a good thing. Just because your wardrobe is 90% Asos (guilty), doesn't mean you should rule out everywhere else. Instead of trawling through every. single. site. because we've all got Take Me Out to catch up on, just head to Love The Sales which keeps everything in order, so you can browse for whatever you're looking for across hundreds of brands. That perfect military coat will be yours, don't you worry.

A 'WEAR ME FOREVER' WHITE SHIRT
I seem to go through these like no one's business, but one that fits is the most important dress-up dress-down basic that you'll never stop wearing.

A BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER WINNER SKIRT
As documented above, I love me a good A-line skirt. I picked up this one in M&S on boxing day, and it's been popped (heh) on ever since. I like tucking in a turtle neck knit for the kind of ootd which'll suit most occasions with the right pair of shoes - even smart casual.

IT'S A COVER UP
Notice how it didn't actually get cold until well after the January sales had started? Retailers for some unknown reason don't seem to understand that no one's interested in buying their Spring things as soon as January rears its grey head, but it works in our favour as pretty much every single coat will be on sale just as the temperatures dip.

WELL HEELED
Your shoe wardrobe is probably about to hit new heights. If you're anything like me, it's a small miracle if your shoes last any longer than a season or two, so now's the best time to update your collection. Before diving in, just check what actually needs to be replaced (I needed a new pair of smart black boots, and had my eye on these Oasis babes for at least four months), and maybe, just maybe, treat yourself to a pair purely because they're pretty. Because shoes.

Post written in collaboration, but all magpie tendencies my own.
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Hello, I'm Rebecca: social media exec, new-ish coffee drinker and loafer-wearer.
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