Category: Outfits

Tuscany

sm3crsm6acsm1acsm1sm4sm5wallbacwallsidesmsmbstanonna and zsunsetsmTights – Topshop; Jacket – H&M; Skirt – Liu Jo; Boots – Ralph Lauren, I also like these Laboutin ones; Shirt – Pepe Jeans Andy Warhol collection; Bag – Braccialini. 

Location – San Miniato, Tuscany

Of all the places I’ve lived in and travelled to in the world, I know that Tuscany is the place where I’m going to end up; hopefully in a house like the one in Under the Tuscan Sun, with fountains and cypress trees all around it. I’m even willing to have a bird poop on my head if that’s what it takes (That’s not totally random, you have to see the film.) Not only is Tuscany aesthetically beautiful – think rolling olive groves steeped in mist and beautiful crumbling Renaissance buildings – but I find the lifestyle and its emphasis on family time, food and togetherness beautiful too. It’s a stereotype I suppose but I can only speak for my own loud Italian family and their obsession with emphasis on delicious meals and family gatherings. In case you hadn’t guessed – that’s my lovely nonna in one of the pics!

Lots of people know about the famous Tuscan towns – Florence, Lucca, Siena – but the fact is that there are so many old towns and hamlets dotted throughout Tuscany that are all so beautiful. They all invariably have picturesque piazzas, old churches and of course restaurants worth visiting. This town where I took the pictures for example is not particularly touristy, except for a few days maybe during the Truffle Festival (next post), but it’s one of my favourite places in the world. (Also my boyfriend’s, who has his eye on a church there :):):)) If I were visiting Tuscany for the first time I would rent out a car and take the country routes to as many pretty towns as I had time to see, taking unscheduled stops on the way. Elena Nacci has a really good shortlist of less touristy places to visit in Tuscany.

Tuscany is also famous for its manufacturing and artisanal goods. Some of the most famous designer brands originate here – Gucci, Prada, etc. The bag I’m wearing in the pictures is by popular Italian label Braccialini and is also based in Florence. They make really cute and unique designs and I would gladly own every single one of their bags. I love how they can make a dark winter outfit really pop.

Brick Lane

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Shearling coat – Vintage, I also love this one from ACNE Studios; Skirt – vintage from Rokit; Shirt – Oscar Milo; Hat – H&M; Shoes – Converse; Bag – Yves Saint Laurent vintage.

One of the best things about London is that here you can wear whatever you want and nobody will bat an eye. In fact, the general rule seems to be the weirder, the cooler. Continue reading Brick Lane

Home sweet home

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T-shirt – Vinmag; Jeans – H&M; Shoes – Vintage Abercombie and Fitch 

Before this trip home I’d never been away from London for more than 2 months, so coming back after almost 2 years in the Caribbean was really strange. It made me appreciate things about London that I’d never really noticed before. I missed the familiarity and cosiness of my flat (which suddenly felt like the perfect place to take pictures!) – my books, my piano, my coats and black jeans. It felt so nice to know that if I got a weird craving for a Chai latte infused with desiccated almond milk from the Chilean Andes, or felt like wearing a royal-green polka-dot beret that day, I could probably just pop out and get it. I love my movies too so being able to go back to independent theatres like the Prince Charles in Leicester Square was probably the best thing of all. Still, I’m not quite ready to swap my swimsuit for an umbrella quite yet! Also, I suppose that if I ever wanted to buy anything as horrible as a green, polka-dot beret, there’s always the internet.

Like I said, I love my movies, and I’ve had this t-shirt from the film Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard for ages, but I checked the shop where I got it and it turns out they still sell them. The store (Vinmag) is in Soho and it sells all sorts of movie memorabilia and vintage gadgets. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit in this store – my Bates Motel coffee mug is one of my most prized possessions. If you have a film/TV show/ cartoon/ anything you love and want to proudly broadcast it on your chest – they have 35 pages of t-shirt designs on their website so I’m sure you’d find something.

 

 

 

Notting Hill

Dress – The Kooples; Bag – Paul’s Boutique London; Booties – Vintage; Bag Charms – DIY off an old bracelet

I had to do the obligatory fashion blogger shoot by the pastel-coloured houses in Notting Hill! It really is one of the loveliest areas of London. As I lived centrally getting on the n.7 bus to Notting Hill (so much nicer than the tube if you have the time and patience) seemed like a day out to a different town. I’ve always thought London was the best walking city out of all the European ones I’ve been to and Notting Hill is a great example. Wander along Portobello road for antiques, bric-a-brac and fresh flowers and food and on to Westbourne Grove for fancy shops, boutiques and brunch.

The quieter, residential back streets like the ones where I took these pictures are definitely worth a wander through, too. I went in the early afternoon on a sunny winter weekday. It was strangely mild so I thought I’d wear my new Kooples dress. I loved the sixties, almost Mod-London look of it and thought I’d pair it with these vintage booties I got in London a while ago. P.s. the dress is now 50% off!

Continue reading Notting Hill

Primrose hill

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Dress – Zadig & Voltaire; Jacket – custom made in Italy; Bag – Custom made in Italy; Shoes – Jimmy Choo; Gloves – Roberto Cavalli.

One of the things I love most about London is how un-homogenous it is. It’s full of little pockets that each have their own very distinct personalities though they might be right next to each-other. One of the best examples is quirky and chaotic Camden Town and it’s much more peaceful neighbour Primrose Hill, with it’s cosy cafe’s and boutiques. Continue reading Primrose hill

Spikes & Stripes

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Top – Urban Outfitters; Skirt – Vintage Gap; Boots – Vintage from Exclusivo in Hampstead; Tights – Wolford; Bag – Balenciaga.

One of my absolute favourite things to do on a grey, winter’s day in London is to go antiques and vintage rummaging in Notting Hill Continue reading Spikes & Stripes

Sandro

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Bikini – Sandro Paris; Sunglasses – Moni & Coli Puerto Rico similar here; Bracelet – H&M

Location – Tortola, BVI

Every time a past decade comes back into fashion, like the seventies revival at the moment, I wonder what on earth they’re going to do when they want to drag 2015 fashion back around. What’s defining about fashion at the moment? It’s probably a consequence of being within the aesthetic paradigm right now but equally I can’t imagine having asked that question in eighties – fashion then just seemed so..obvious. What’s our equivalent of the triangle/weird neon sprinkles-like shape obsession? I’ll probably know in a couple of years. Sorry about the last gratuitous catalogue picture but I wanted to show how cute and unashamedly eighties the print on this bikini is.

Standard/DUMBO

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Jeans – Plein Sud; Blazer – H&M; Nylon shirt – American Apparel; Shoes – Taccetti; Belt – Vintage; Watch – Tissot; Bag – Balenciaga

It turns out that in the US you can’t get into a bar even with a scanned copy of your passport on your phone. Embarrassingly I still don’t have a driver’s license which means I have to walk around everywhere with my most prized possession in life, my passport, when I go out. Anyone that knows me knows that my track record at ‘object retention’ ain’t that great so it’s not exactly ideal. I’ve heard stories about 80 year olds being asked for ID in the US – you’d have to be pretty desperate for a drink to try to get into a bar dressed in full-on professional prosthetic gear. Anyway, the Standard at the High-line – great atmosphere, cool decor and the view of the city and Hudson river is incredible. This and DUMBO seem to be the places to be at the moment. My whole life I’ve stared at the movie poster in my house of Once upon a time in America with it’s iconic sepia photo of the Williamsburg bridge shot from Brooklyn – it felt amazing to finally see it for real.

Do you have an item of clothing you love so much that you don’t wear it nearly as much as you should for fear of ruining it? No? Well that’s me with these shoes. I’m slightly obsessed. I’m going to get over myself and start wearing them more often. I’ve worn shoes by the same brand , Taccetti,  in previous posts. It’s an Italian company that makes the most beautiful shoes with the most beautiful leather. I honestly love pretty much everything they make, even the men’s shoes. I love these rust-coloured jeans from Plein Sud for the fall as well – I got them at TK Maxx (not TJ) which I think is so much fun to browse. I noticed though that TJ, the US version, doesn’t seem to have quite as good a selection of brands?? Not sure – maybe it was that one store, or maybe, most likely, I hadn’t had my browsing coffee. I highly recommend it as a vintage/browsing shopping pre-requisite.

Perry St

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Trench – Burberry; Top – Urban Outfitters; Skirt – Urban Outfitters; Boots – Aldo; Cocktail ring – Forever 21; Amber ring – The Amber Shop; Bag – Souvenir from BVI at Pusser’s Co. store

It turns out that one of the things I miss the most about living in a colder climate is that incredible feeling of being in bed under a heavy duvet while it’s cold outside. Small things that I took for granted when I lived in London seem so satisfying- condensation on the glass, opening the hotel window to the sounds of the city waking up down below. I guess travelling can make you appreciate the known quantities as well as offering new experiences.

I found this handbag in the BVI in the most unlikely store possible – an American/Caribbean yachties pub and restaurant with a souvenir shop attached. I was browsing through nautical keyrings and lanyards when I came across this vintage-looking beauty in a dusty glass cabinet that looked like it hadn’t been opened in 20 years. I tried to ask about the designer but it I couldn’t get any info. It looks like amber but I’m guessing it’s plastic. I’m so glad I brought it with me to NY as I love it with this skirt I got from Urban Outfitters. I bought the boots from the Aldo store on 5th. I love the sexy gap between thigh highs and a short skirt and these are unusually comfy even after a day of walking all over Manhattan.

 

Blacktop

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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.