I'll let you say I love you when I know I'll never say it back

1. train-induced delirium twenty minutes in | only leather allowed at the Roxy
2. being cute in the Diner, Ganton Street
3. New career path | Essex jam!!
4. Waitrose's jubilee-themed cupcakes at Canary Wharf (£2 for a pot of tea and cake!)
5. belle | ufo light lovin'
6. Hampstead! Check out the guy on the right.


Although this post is about my travels to the smokey capital, I wrote a guest post for Lauren about Liverpool. She has a beautiful blog and enviable sewing skills, so please do have a read!

On Tuesday I headed dahn sarf to stay with my friend Sabby (again). In the midst of our exams, plenty of time was spent in Costa, me with my head stuck hopefully not prophetically in "The Unfortunate Traveller", Sabby memorising cases for her final law exam. But, of course, the books were soon forgotten in favour of trips to the Lock Tavern in Camden and the Roxy (cheap) and Salvador and Amanda's (expensive) in Soho. On Thursday night we went for a celebratory* meal at the Diner, just off Carnaby Street, after hearing everyone's recommendations. I had the mushroom burger, whereas Sabby opted for a BBQ one, and it got a big thumbs up from the both of us, as we ate every crumb. A quick shout out to the barman Stevie and his good taste in shots. On Friday, I met up with Jazzy to go to Beyond Retro, their tenth birthday 50% sale prompting me to buy my first ever playsuit and a tartan skirt. Oh purse, I am so sorry. It's always a bit of a whirlwind trip, and there's never a boring moment - I can't wait till I can explore London with my legitimately earned millions. Sure...


*The reason for my trip was an interview for an internship this Summer. I obviously got lost when I emerged from Old Street, but thankfully this didn't reflect too badly on me, and I got the placement. I'm not exactly superstitious, but I didn't want to say too much just in case. I'm so relieved, and am ridiculously happy. If you follow me on twitter, I apologise for my sometimes exasperated tweets in regards to my future, but if you just keep trying then things will start to look up for you.

xxx

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Gonna walk right up to him, give him a great big kiss

Stucco stripe Songbird dress: Madewell, via Shopbop. Denim Jacket: £63, NW3 by Hobbs. Leather Bag: £3, vintage. Necklace: £9, elsie belle. Spotty sunglasses: £1, Primark. Leather and wood heels: £70, Marni x h+m. Lipstick: MAC Cockney. Bruised leg: c/o rum punch.

I think I have an inability to buy "normal" sunglasses. I tried these ones on when I met up with everyone a couple of weeks ago, and then creeped back a few day later to purchase them, they're a little Liv, no?

Typing up the details of what I'm wearing, I notice this outfit is probably one of the most expensive I've ever worn. I'm normally quite cheap with clothing, and was so proud when I managed to get my whole outfit for the year 13 charity ball for less than £30, but when it comes to "investment pieces" I guess it's okay to splurge a little. This dress is my new favourite. Clearly I've developed a new thing for stripes, and this fits right in. Quite a while ago I won Ines's giveaway, which entitled me to a $100 Shopbop gift voucher. This lead to spending hours (no exaggeration) on their website, before settling on the Songbird dress by Madewell, knowing that the likelihood of ever being able to purchase from them ever again would be very low. Madewell has always been one of those aspirational brands for me - look but don't touch! After their collaboration with Alexa Chung, and seeing Rhiannon pull off their looks perfectly, I didn't really want to pass up this chance. The rest, as they say, is history. A word of warning about Shopbop: although they have free shipping worldwide, don't forget about customs charges. Seriously.

I bought the jacket in Hobbs last week when they hosted an event for their customers that I'd seen advertised in store. I've never bought from them before either, but a lovely 20% discount definitely helped matters. It's nice to be able to just walk home with it immediately, instead of being hit with ridiculous postage fees. I don't think I'll ever be fully converted to online shopping; I much prefer the whole process of going through the rails and trying things on. Maybe that's just me? Still, I love wearing this as it says "NW3" on the buttons, and that's where I'll be living next week. I will be ridiculously upset when my friend moves from her flat there, but she is headed to Paris next year... It would be rude not to visit!

Until then, I will be eating soup, drinking tea (I've become accustomed to Sunshine Grey), and reading poetry - I can almost taste summer, or maybe I'm getting it confused with the tang of blueberries...

xxx

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There beneath the blue suburban skies

Peter pan collar blouse: £20; Luella via ebay. Necklace: £9, elsie belle. Belt: 20p, charity shop. Skirt: £30, American Apparel. Lipstick: Rouge No. 19, Chanel.

First photo from Kelli, and fourth from Frances. Fifth taken by the surprisingly patient Jade!

Always the last to a party! There's a pile of books towering ominously next to my left elbow, but I've just shoved a cardigan over it and am writing up this blog post instead. Model student.

Last Saturday, a group of rather well-dressed lay-deez met up to eat and drink and generally have a bit of a chat. I've always wondered why the North (perhaps Manchester ought to be excluded here) seems to get forgotten in regards to bloggers, so I thought it was about time somebody arranged something. I've been to a couple of meet-ups before, but it didn't stop me from getting nervous! I met Frances at Lime St, then headed off for a coffee with Jade in tow. Soon we were joined by Kelli and Laura, and had a little self-timer fun by John King's suitcase sculpture whilst waiting for Millie, Clare, Alex and Char to join us for the meal. We went to the Quarter, an independent restaurant just off Hope Street, and I had the Goats Cheese (predictable Cohen) Caprese pizza and some pink wine. Despite this being the first time I'd ever been there, I actually went again the night before last as our end-of-year celebration with a group of people from university - I'm becoming a right regular! After filling ourselves (literally) with delicious food, we headed off to the ever-reliable Font for cocktails.

It was truly wonderful to meet everyone, and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as I know I did. It's comforting to know there are others nearby who will take photos of their food before they eat it (thanks to Alex for capturing this incredibly cliché moment!), and I think my huge grin in every single one of the photos serves as testament to this. And, as obvious as it may be, I reckon now is as good a time as ever to use a Beatles song for a title...

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Where there's a Wills, there's a way

Striped breton top: £30, Aubin and Wills. Suede skirt: £8, Oxfam. Black pumps: 50p, Russell and Bromley via ebay. Shoulder bag: £15, Oxfam. Necklaces: (from top) vintage, elsie belle, gift.

Don't let that carefree smile fool you, the last photo is c/o my camera's irritating ability to take photos just as someone asks whether it's okay for them to walk past. Cue dying inwardly, the perpetual story of my life.

I bought this top with my birthday money last December from the then recently opened Aubin and Wills along Church Alley. Hidden just off the high street, I'm always popping in to see what I can only dream of owning (oh, why must I spend my student loan on boring things like rent?). Perhaps I go in there a little bit too much as Carrie, the store manager, passed my details on to Lucy in their head office, and was invited to an event they hosted in-store last Friday. Two of my friends and I headed down to listen to the beautiful harmonies of Blue Rose Code and sample the swift brown fox topped cupcakes made by Cake Shop Liverpool (the one with the rad Beatles cakes in Central Station). I had a look at the new collection whilst the band were doing band things pre-performance, and amongst the classic cuts that Aubin and Wills are known for, there were beautiful floral prints, and a navy (favourite colour!) dandelion print playsuit, that would be perfect for telling the time in - don't deny it, everyone believed that the amount of puffs it took to clear a dandelion head equated to the nearest o' clock when they were young! However, the evening soon drew to a close, and we got rather soggy walking home - typical Liverpool. It's not very often that stores host events like this, and it was nice to just spend an evening pretending I don't have coursework due next week (gulp), and indulge in my love of stripes. Obviously. I'm determined to go to the Aubin Cinema in Shoreditch when I'm home this Summer; I feel like I only ever do the same things when I visit London, so do you have any recommendations?

Plus!! The blogger meet up took place on Saturday, and it was lovely to meet such wonderful people at long last. In the vague name of chronology I decided to post this first, what a whacky idea.

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A great while ago the world begun, with hey, ho, the wind and the rain.

In England, it is tradition for universities to dedicate their Wednesday afternoons to sports. However, having managed to avoid every single lesson throughout sixth form (that Russian GCSE really did come in handy), I had no intention of embarrassing myself on AU night when starting in Liverpool. Instead, I went on a trip to the midlands with the English society for something slightly more cultural than a quad-vod from Slater's.


After winding our way down the M6, we finally arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon, home to more rain and as many Shakespeare-themed pubs as you can bite your thumb at. To avoid the rain (and a rumbling stomach) before the performance, Clarity, Bertie and I popped into Hobsons Patisserie for a sandwich and a cup of tea, not realising the sheer size of the meal! Fully content, and aware that we were still sitting there nearly half an hour after it'd closed, we went for a wander to Shakespeare's birthplace, where we could be princes of Norway to our hearts' content.


Yet the evening wore on, and we headed over to the instantly recognisable Globe for Twelfth Night: a comedy of mistaken identity, and yellow stockings. The World Shakespeare Festival started last month as part of the 2012 Olympics celebrations, and Stratford plays host to the Shipwreck Trilogy (the Comedy of Errors and The Tempest completing the trio). I'd really recommend going if the opportunity ever presents itself, they've got such a good reputation for a reason!


Fun Fact Fursday*: RSC stands for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but they're also my initials, guess my middle name?


xxx


*This is not going to become a regular feature, don't worry.


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I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour

Blouse: £2, charity shop. Bow detail jeans: £5, Topshop via ebay.  Belt: came with dress, oh my love. Pumps: 50p, Russell and Bromley via ebay. Teacup and spoon necklace: £6, Accessorize. Glitter clutch: free!, Topshop.


Today's plan, initially, was to go to the library, write my dissertation proposal (gulp!) and maybe sneak in a couple of outfit photos, as I finally got my hands on these jeans that I regretted not purchasing the moment they sold out. However, it turned into an hour long walk in the rain, finally finding some cherry blossom in Liverpool, popping into the new Central Perk Liverpool that opened along Hatton Garden today, and serendipitously passing the Giant Uncle on his trip to Anfield as part of Sea Odyssey.


The latter is a three day event run by Liverpool City Council in association with a lot of other people, as seen in the fourth photo (taken by the LJMU Avril Robarts library). I can't get over the scale of it - notice how tiny the Superlambanana looks in comparison! I've seen a fair few scornful facebook statuses, but it was great watching its slow progression through the city centre, and having a chat with the people standing next to you. Liverpudlians are generally quite friendly, something I miss when I'm in London where it's a cardinal sin to make eye contact on the tube. It's continuing until Sunday, so if the route goes near you it's worth fifteen minutes in the cold.


While shivering behind the barrier (polyester blouses really aren't appropriate in this weather, even with a coat on top), I was clutching my hot drink to keep my hands toasty. Central Perk is actually my closest coffee shop now, so I dread to think how much time I'll spend in there. They have a massive TV playing episodes of Friends, loads of comfy sofas, and it's cheaper than many of the chains on the high street - win!


xxx

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It's not like I believe in everlasting love

1. New Year's Eve

2. Cambridge's deceptive sunshine

3. Tea, somewhere near Goodge Street, trumping fashion week

4. Tequila smiles and cowboys to celebrate Amy's fifth birthday

5. I own the weirdest things. Model: MJBT

6. Olympics themed social

7. Cheesecake in the grounds of the cathedral

I haven't posted any photos from my disposable cameras for a ridiculously long time, the first is all the way back to New Year's Eve (just past the stroke of midnight, clutching champagne, not aware that people intended to stay awake for another nine hours, start as you mean to go on, and all that...). The last was taken by Jazzy when we met up a week ago for sweet potato fries and unflattering photos.

Unaware of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool's two football teams, I found myself on the most packed train ever (second only to the one I got to Sheffield to see Arctic Monkeys. Last June everyone was wearing band t-shirts, this time it was football strips), but I'm back in the North now, and have no excuses not to do my essays. Apart from writing a blog post, of course. It is lovely to be back. I had my moments last year (massive understatement) which involved me seriously considering dropping out, but, right this second, I am so glad I've stayed. Liverpool is a beautiful city, which I've grown to love in the year and a half I've lived here, and I've met some rad people in the process. Although I understand neither the football obsession nor the scouse brow, I know that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. And, for some reason, tea tastes nicer here.

xxx

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