Blacktop

Swimsuit – Tezenis; Bracelets – Forever 21; Rings – Forever 21 / Forever 21; Orange ring – Souvenir from Florence San Lorenzo market. 

Location – Little Dix Resort, Virgin Gorda, BVI.

I’ve found it easier to shop online and get stuff delivered to this pretty hinterland than I thought I would – though a lot of it’s also been dependant on shaky Skype shopping sessions to London and Italy and exciting post office visits for my mum. Which is incidentally how I got above swimsuit/leotard (I’m loving this ‘swimtimates‘ trend) by Italian lingerie brand Tezenis that doesn’t have an online shop. It’s a bit of a hassle if you’re not in Europe but if you’re travelling or have friends pretty much anywhere in Europe it can be done. Luckily Tezenis has some awesome pieces and is really quite cheap, so the extra delivery costs aren’t as much of an issue.

All that said, I miss browsing in actual stores, and by that I mean walking around aimlessly for hours with an enormous semi-tepid Starbucks (or better) until something catches your eye. Also known as the boyfriend’s nightmare. I especially miss doing this in those slightly damp-smelling, labyrinthian vintage stores that you get in London or New York – the ones that give you an enormous sense of achievement when you actually find something beautiful that isn’t just last season’s ‘vintage’ Zara. (For the record I have nothing against Zara – me and my best friends frequently wear Zara, in fact.) That’s why I’m actually ridiculously excited to be leaving for NYC this Weekend. I’ve just realised it’s the first time I’ll have been in a big city for any length of time for a year and a half. I lived in London all my life, so this feels pretty major. There will be an inappropriately constant slew of pictures.