Fashion

The Anti-Backpacking wishlist

I’ve just returned from the most incredible travel experience of my life. After backpacking across Asia for eight months, I’ve seen two of the seven wonders, played in the mud with rescue elephants, driven a car almost twice my height along a twenty mile beach and woken up on a night train to the sunrise over Chiang Mai. I feel elated, enlightened… exhausted.

After all the amazing things I’ve seen and already can’t wait to visit again, there are some things on my travels that I’ll be happy to see the back of forever: my back/soul-destroying rucksack; my crusty, mud-caked trainers; and my monster-sized thermal fleece that sexy forgot — aka my 24-hour uniform for 8 months straight. I feel a certain uneasy guilt just admitting this – all these items have served me faithfully through months of physical abuse. But for the meantime, I’m done with functional. I don’t want to see any more neon polyester straps/zips/locks and ultra-breathable materials with intelligent-sounding names that keep you perfectly cool while trekking the surface of the sun. I just want something pretty, to wear somewhere nice.

It’s not that I want to relax at home for a while – it’ll never come to that – but right now I’m fantasising about vacations rather than travels. I love the sound of a city break to Seville, or a country outing to the Cotswolds, where perhaps I can wear a dress with a discernible shape, or a handbag the contents of which don’t primarily consist of stolen toilet paper and sporks. Obviously, I’m totally broke after eight months of backpacking, so I’ve drawn up a wishlist of beautiful things I can’t currently afford and booked a low-cost flight to Lisbon, where luckily my Dad is living right now.

My Anti-Backpacking Wishlist:

1. Fleur du Mal lacing bullet one-piece.

I can’t get enough of their swim collection this year. Delicate lace is mixed with edgy designs and they seem to be continuing the ‘swimtimates’ trend with their corset one-pieces. I honestly wouldn’t know which swimsuit I’d choose.

2. Lisbon Wallpaper city-guide.

I love the Wallpaper guide’s urban vibe. They primarily focus on a city’s contemporary design and architecture and include stylish, minimalist pictures. Plus I love how the colourful collection looks on the bookshelf!

3. MAHI Leather Bag.

I’ve had my eye on this one for a while, and it may be one that I can actually afford. MAHI’s beautiful made-to-order travel bags are made from 100% soft full-grain brown leather and brass. Their classic duffle – my favourite although I also love their Armada duffle – is only £96.50 and looks stunning. To truly satisfy any luxury-on-a-budget cravings, they can also imprint your initials for just £10 extra. With every purchase, MAHI also donate $1.50 to Frank Water Charity in recognition of their name-sake: the Mahi river in India.

4. Fujifilm xf-100.

My mum has this camera and it’s amazing for street photography. It’s really user-friendly and has lots of features which makes it great for front-end editing and taking quick snaps on the move. I still haven’t figured out most of the features but I love that you can add filters before taking a shot. And, of course, its retro design means that it’s photo-worthy itself.

5. Phoebe slip by Paris Georgia Basics.

I’d absolutely love this simple black slip-dress for Lisbon but this one is a definite “wish” on the wishlist. Off to find something similar on ASOS…

6. ‘As I walked out one midsummer morning’ by Laurie Lee.

Strangely, I’m not usually one for travel books but I flicked through a friend’s copy of this once and Lee’s descriptions of Spain are so sensuous yet simple that I fell in love. Not set in Portugal I know, but it’s close -perhaps a road-trip to Seville wouldn’t be out of the question…

7. Loeffler Randall Jasper loafers.

Their Agnes Laceless Oxfords are gorgeous patent black loafers that go with everything and can look smart as well as casual. They’d be perfect for travelling light on a short city-break.

8. Truffle Clarity Clutch.

These clarity clutches seem to be doing the rounds on social media lately. Being TSA-approved they’re great for travelling but they’re also quite sleek for makeup and accessories in general.

9. Cafe-press towel.

I love this fun, Andy Warhol-inspired beach towel from online store Cafe-Press.

10.BOSE headphones.

The kings of sound quality. I’ve never tried BOSE headphones but if they’re anything like their speakers then they’re pretty damn good. The reviews are great anyway. The Custom QuietComfort 35 wireless set are customisable in a variety of different colours and finishes.

passing ships

Bikini – Missoni very similar here. I also love this one-piece and this bikini on sale. Necklace worn as bracelet – Givenchy vintage; Hat – lying around the house; Sunglasses – Gucci.

Location: Long Bay, Tortola

I hope this seventies revival never ends. I keep panicking that its inevitable demise is just around the corner. I’ve had this vintage Givenchy necklace forever and I feel like I can wear it with anything I buy at the moment. I thought it would go perfectly with this Missoni bikini that I managed to extort from my family as a Christmas gift. I won’t get started on Missoni or I’ll start gushing uncontrollably so suffice to say that I think their use of texture and and tactile design is the best in the industry.

This is one of my ultimate beach-crushes in the BVI. I love the hill in the background, it reminds me of a teeny-tiny St. Lucia. Amazingly, the beach is never crowded – it always looks pretty much like it is here in the pics. When I’m there I always try to get a fresh coconut at “nature boy’s” tiny beach bar that you can just about see in a couple of the shots. It occasionally collapses with the breeze and is quickly repaired with some deft palm-leaf rearrangement. So much better than bars that don’t fall over.

Florence

Chanel-style jacket customised with faux fur cuffs – Tailor-made; Jeans – Abercrombie & Fitch similar here; Shoes – Nine West; Bag – Louis Vuitton vintage

I’ve often wondered what it is about Florence that makes it so special for so many people. There are lots of beautiful cities in the world but I’ve yet to meet a person that thinks that Florence is just meh…Maybe it’s the fact that there are so many intact Renaissance buildings, and so few modern ones, which is rare for any city. Even the roads and pavements with their distinctive ‘stab marks’ (last pic) seem untouched by time. There’s also the fact that like the rest of Tuscany, what’s attractive is not just the beauty of the place, but the lifestyle that goes with it – amazing food, beautiful clothes, and of course, the best gelato in the world.

I also think that Florence is the probably the most romantic city I’ve been too. It seems a strange thing to say but I always seem to imagine Florence at sunset. There’s some sort of magical orange light about it at all hours of the day. I’m sure it’s just the colour of the buildings that makes it seem that way, but it’s certainly beautiful. My Italian family lives quite close to Florence, and it was always my favourite place to go for a date… Continue reading Florence

Brick Lane

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

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

Sandro

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

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.

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.

Amarcord

Dress – All Saints; Shoes – Taccetti; Sunglasses – Prada; Bag – Fendi; Choker – souvenir from Taormina, Sicily.

Location: Scaramouche, Soper’s Hole, BVI.

I get days where I really miss my family back in Europe, especially Italy, which is where most of ridiculously extended family of cousins, aunts, great-aunts, and relatives that I call aunt and uncle even though I have no idea how I’m related to them live. Fortunately there’s an Italian bar/restaurant here in the BVI that reminds me so much of home – the decor, the amazing food, the people. Even the location on the harbour reminds me of the Tuscan seaside town I went to every summer since I was born. I even found out that one of the women that works in the bar used to work back in that town in Italy too! Tiny world…

PARADE

Bikini – Agua Bendita: Top & bottoms; Earrings – Accessorize; Bracelet – Souvenir from Navajo, Arizona.

I’m so happy that this bikini got delivered the day before I left for the Anguilla August carnival as the beading and colours fitted the atmosphere perfectly – a few more feathers and sequins and I could have tried to blend into the parade! Choosing which one to order was difficult as Agua Bendita suits are all so crazy colourful and beautiful – I ended up mixing and matching two different styles as I loved the beaded tassels on this one. I should have taken a close-up of the top as you can’t see it but that’s also beautifully beaded. It feels so well-made too. And OK it’s pretty hard to compete with Irina Shayk (current model for the brand) but the bikini designs are quite flattering – especially the back of the bottoms. I’ll be posting the full Anguilla travel post soon.

Sono cosi contenta che questo bikini mi e’ arrivato il giorno prima che partissi per il carnevale estivo di Anguilla perche’ mi e’ sembrato perfetto considerando l’atmosfera – qualche paillette e potevo quasi infiltrarmi nella sfilata! E’ stato difficile scegliere quale bikini prendere perche’ tutti i costumi di Agua Bendita sono favolosamente belli e divertenti – adoro le perline sulle nappe di questo. Avrei dovuto fare una foto da vicino del top che non si vede bene ma anche quello e’ coperto di perline. Ammetto – e’ difficile competere con Irina Shayk (modella per Agua Bendita al momento) ma i bikini vestono molto bene! Venitemi a trovare per il travel post di Anguilla 🙂

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