Ain't shady baby, I'm hot.

Warehouse off shoulder dress: £24 with staff discount (now £20 in sale!). Warehouse leather lace up flats: £29 with staff discount. Bridget Wheatley bangle: c/o Jewel Street.

The quaint countryside is BACK (not that it ever went away, I just didn't turn my camera lens to it for a little while). I've been having a bit of "bloggers' block" recently, not feeling all that inspired with anything I'd been wearing enough to warrant photographing it on my days off, but a proposed trip to Hadleigh in Suffolk mixed in with a little August sunshine tempted me back into the fold. I don't visit Suffolk nearly as much as I'd like to, but a few miles of twisting country lanes later we found ourselves in a little village, home to possibly the best Italian restaurant I've ever been to (10/10, would recommend) and a whole lot of 'I need to win the lottery and move here' trains of thought, which definitely don't happen every time I wander around Hampstead either, oh no... Hadleigh has the kind of relaxed vibe only a place which hasn't changed in about 100 years can have, which is the perfect antidote to silicone roundabout city living five days a week.

When you're on autopilot come weekend, set straight to  'get me outta here' mode, your wardrobe is automatically filtered 'sort by newest' to minimise unnecessary stress. These two Warehouse pieces are my current go-tos (warning, the shoes are a bit of a pain, pun fully intended, to wear in, so keep those plasters at the ready). They can result in odd tan-lines, so that's my excuse to wear this outfit x100 sorted. Minimal lazy-girl accessorising award goes to this amazing gold and pearl bangle the lovely lot over at jewelstreet popped over to me to try out. The perfect mix of simple and elegant, it goes with pretty much everything. Even 6am alarm clocks.

Read more

All the girls on the block knocking at my door.

COLLECTIVE t-shirt. Oasis V&A trousers (now sold out, try the new season pair). Nails Inc x Glamour nail varnish.

When you spend about twelve hours a day in the smog and in a bother, you need a little place to relax the moment it's announced "this train is now approaching home". Rainy days often call for a duvet and youtube, but if there's a little sunshine I tend to pop into my garden (hurrah for living outside the M25!) for a while to stop fuming wind down. Of course this calls for a diva outfit change into something a little more comfortable: my favourite ever white t-shirt and these super-comfy, wear-me-all-the-time trousers from the V&A Collection by Oasis. After a few months of staring at these prints all day err' day, I couldn't help but add a few of them to my wardrobe (spot the culottes here!).

A couple of months ago, Asda got in touch and asked if I fancied adding a little somethin' somethin' to our little outside space, so I let my mum take charge of my laptop and she picked this pretty arbour seat from their rather extensive range of garden furniture. It took us a while to find a weekend where my mum, brother and I were all free to put it together, but there is something quite satisfying about saying "I did that" at the end. A few slicks of paint later (note: the paint's a little thin - it'll dry quickly but need loads of layers) and now we've got a little post-late finish sanctuary, perfect for hiding away in.

And breathe.

Read more

It's not you, it's your eyebrows.

"It's not you, it's your eyebrows" tee: c/o Batoko. Warehouse denim skirt: £2, sample sale. Vintage leather jacket: £17. Topshop leopard print ankle boots: £27 (old). Vintage bag: gift from Jazmine.

Hey, even if I kinda look like Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler in one of these photos (guesses on a postcard/comment below), at least there's one guy who doesn't think I'm an absolute creep. 

From one place I haven't been in a while, to another: Colchester. Yes, it's got a castle. Yes, it's got a zoo. Yes, it's got a Missoula (those who know, know their jaegerbombs). What's not to like? Being just a liiiitle bit too far the "wrong" way along the A12 to permit frequent visits, it's been a fair while since I went there - for a roller disco, no less. My mum can take or leave it, but I got a pretty good vibe from the town. The beautiful rose-lined Castle park obviously called to me, and a shout out to the amazing charity shops too, but it was the labyrinthine streets of somewhere "out of town" that piqued my interest - probably more than is to be expected from someone who knows the nooks and crannies of the City like the back of her hand. And with one of my best friends heading here to study come Autumn, it looks like I'll heading back sooner rather than later: score.

On a side note: I've found THE t-shirt to ward people off when my withering glance just isn't enough. Finally.

Read more