Cute but psycho.

Brandy Melville 'Cute but psycho' tee: £18. Vintage suede skirt: £8, via charity shop (similar). Zara velvet slippers: £9, via charity shop (similar). Karen Millen patent mini bag: £5, via sample sale. H Samuel and Pandora bracelets. Vintage and Forever 21 rings. Barry M "Road Rage" not-quick-dry-at-all nail varnish. Topshop "Really Ruby" lipstick.

As time passes, I like Maldon more and more. It's a pain to get to, provides dubious phone signal and the average age of its inhabitants is probably sixty, so I really don't see where the drawbacks lie. I did find it a little amusing when a brand took fifteen or so bloggers to an island just off its shores for a super-fancy event, as to me it has always been, and will always be, a place so far removed from "blogger life" - and the world in general, there's only one bus an hour - as it's possible to be. But there you go. This time we didn't head down to the river as is our usual way of spending the day there, and instead explored its bloody hills quaint backstreets, before heading to a café just behind M&S for a late lunch. Can't remember for the life of me what it's called, but it sits off the high street and serves a mean BLT.

There's not really much to say about this incredibly standard tee and no tights outfit, but I do have to give a special shout out to Jazmine who picked this tee up for me from Soho after I spotted it on Pinterest a while back, as Brandy Melville's online shop is appalling/does not have any stock. 'Cute but psycho' might not be the most PC turn of phrase, but after last night I will be acting with "abnormal or violent behaviour" towards my breakfast as soon as I drag myself downstairs.

I've popped links to old Maldon blog posts below (hello, second ever outfit post!), so you can have a tour of the town:

The Hythe | Promenade Park | Heybridge Basin | Beeleigh Road

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The sweetest thing.

Asos french bulldog jumper (I KNOW): £22. Debenhams jeans. Cath Kidston ric rac mug. Look of pure sugar-enthused delight: c/o Bettys Tea Rooms.

Me and Bettys, we go waaay back. I have no photographic evidence - shock! horror! - but I visited back in 2011 when visiting my friend Sam in York for the first time. Having zero money as students with poor life choices (we went to Willow in York - need I say more?), we shared an afternoon tea for one downstairs in the St Helen's Square team room (on the map, above) and decided that was quite enough cute for the weekend. Fast forward four years and my days have been sorrowfully Bettys-free, until an email arrived in my inbox which I replied to quick enough to give me indigestion: Bettys was popping up in Islington for one day only.

As someone who actively avoids heading into town/into full-blown pollution clouds on the weekend, it was a welcome change to my usual trips on the train as I could amble along to meet Charlotte to take these photos before heading over to the venue. Popping to Bettys was like stepping into your best friend's; plenty of smiles and plenty of sweet treats. We started off the day by learning how to ice our own french fancies before prepping for the ultimate afternoon tea/flat lay situation. It was definitely more hands on than my previous Bettys experience, but who'd mind mucking in when there are mousse mice to be eaten? The sugar crush was warded off when I got home by getting changed into my new favourite jumper (two words: French. Bulldog.) and having a little read through the 'Who's Betty?' selection of short stories.

Because, if anything's my cup of tea, it's a good slice of cake (heh).

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One is nine, nine is two.

Feather-trim fedora hat, grey jumper, mid-wash jeans, RJR loafers: c/o Debenhams.
Photos by Charlie.
Shakey cameramanship in the gif, unfortunately my own.

I'm fairly confident with the square mile, soho gets a little easier to navigate after a cocktail, and I have Shoreditch and surrounding areas down, but Islington? That's a bit of London I've left unexplored for far too long. A couple of weeks back I had a pretty sweet excuse (more on that later!) to pop along the Northern line to see what Angel had in-store. I met Charlie at the tube station before heading along Chapel Street to check out the market. We stopped off at a cute café for smoothies (I went for passionfruit - would recommend) and a catch up pre-fussy location hunting, on my part. We settled for Claremont Square, a stone's throw from our destination, because who could resist a little pop o' red? It's the door equivalent of Ruby Woo.

For this little London jaunt, I decided comfort was king - and a thankfully still day meant this hat stayed on my head too, hurrah! This whole caboodle is from trusty old Debenhams, and is part of the Nine by Savannah Miller range that I'm sure you've seen gracing the cover of Stylist recently. Although mine might be a bit of a more pared-back, literally-just-threw-this-on combination, I've loved seeing how other people are wearing the edit, and spotted mega-babe Josie in the printed dress and faux fur gilet this week. Warning, the shoes are going to take a hell of a lot of wearing in (send plasters), but the perfect blue hue jeans and soon to be 'most worn' jumper more than make up for it. Just add fluffy socks and a milky tea for the perfect Sunday spent at home outfit.

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