black & white

Some things that are good in black and white:

Beautiful outfit worn by Maja Casablancas

Weekday sweatshirt

Topshop Boutique skirt

Urban Outfitters Dungarees at AW13 press day, which were of course designed by the lovely and super talented Verity

Won Hundred Boots

the great escape

Things that are good: 

Sunny Scotland - photo by Jason Hawkins, great outfit via Rainbow dash, Robert Clergerie Straw Brogues, Ne-Net Bandana Jeans from Pet Shop Girls, Prism Sunglasses, Benah Lisa Lock Bag, Tiny Chocolate Terrariums.

Next week I'm off on holiday to northern Scotland, to stay in a cabin near a small town nestled between the highlands and the sea. It will probably be grey and cold, and not at all like the photo I've included in this mood board during a moment of wishful thinking, but I'm really excited to breath fresh air, drink delicious water and most importantly spend time not on the internet but instead slowing down my brain by reading (real) books, watching full-length films (and not flicking between things on Netflix), walking and running (without having to dodge hundreds of people) and doing nothing.

Let me know if there are any 'must read/make' books, articles or recipes you have come across that I should take away with me!

flora by dress up

Images via Decade Diary

After seeing glimpses of this collection on instagram, today I finally stumbled upon the creator of these amazing prints - Bernadette Pascua of Decade Diary who illustrated these for Dress Up's SS 13/14 collection. I would love to wear the printed kimono/trench jacket with some vintage denim and sandals or a white tank dress and these pale pink Reeboks.

have a sunshine day

From top left: Image via Slowly Fraying Hems / outfit by House of Holland via Urban Outfitters / home made ice cream by  Souvlaki for the Soul / vintage Levi's skirt via Urban Renewal / image via Slowly Fraying Hems / Liana Raine Artisan Pops / Wood Wood outfit worn by Frede. 

A few days of warmth and sunshine, even when followed by some grey skies and rain, really changes a city. London has finally emerged this week from a winter out of Narnia. She is still rubbing her eyes and looking a little dazed and confused, but nevertheless is awake and getting ready for what will hopefully be a long summer.

As a result I've been inspired by all things warm and tropical this week, thanks mostly to my dear friend Laura's amazing tumblr Slowly Fraying Hems which is all pineapples, girls with pink hair, flamingos, US west coast road trips, succulents and icy poles - all the best things really.

Last weekend I made a sorbet inspired by these recipes from Souvlaki for the Soul and it turned out really well if I do say so myself. My version was just frozen berries and banana put into a food processor for a while, which was so simple to do I was really surprised with how great it tasted. Reminded me that less usually is more, especially when it comes to food. I'm looking forward to experimenting with some other flavours, inspired by Liana Raine Artisan Pops.

This week I decided to channel myself circa 2000 and bought an Urban Renewal vintage Levi's denim skirt. Can't wait to wear this! I would also love to add this House of Holland skirt and top combo, and the lovely floral Wood Wood skirt and jacket set as worn so wonderfully by Frede, to my summer wardrobe.

blue and white

I've always loved blue and white, it is such a light and optimistic combination. Especially when paired with reworked vintage denim, to add function and practicality.

Some great blue and white things:
B Sides Jeans repurposed Levis via No. 6 daily
Topshop Boutique jumper
Celine FW13
Image from Oyster Mag via Ensuite
Levi's Jeans via Goodhood store
Isabel Marant Bobby sneakers (sold) via Vestiare Collective

unexpected

Things I have been doing:

-Wearing my new Homies sweatshirt and Batik Babydoll dress from work and looking forward to April when these Nike Rosherun speckled trainers hit stores.

-Using my new Kleen Kanteen

- Enjoying browsing & Other Stories - in particular the bags and shoes are lovely. You can tell they recruited some of their designers from Acne.

- Following Japanese Cooking Lessons via Just Hungry

- Reading about the food chain and the scary implications of how we eat today over at Sustainable Table. Also on this train of thought, found 'The Physiology of Taste' written by French lawyer and politician Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1825 which has some brilliant lines such as "The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star'.

- Thinking about change and the future after reading this brilliant article on The New York Times via Jessica Stanley's equally brilliant blog. It is so interesting to realise that we all underestimate how much we will change in the future. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what my passions and goals are, and this has altered the way I approach planning and life in general. While like a good girl scout I like to be prepared, what we like, believe, feel, prefer, dream and hope now is not forever. Who knows where we will end up? This is truly freeing, and terrifying, and for me means a few things.

On a superficial level it means that while I still enjoy buying clothes that I will wear for a long time (this is just good economic and environmental sense), I won't feel pressured to buy 'investment pieces' because let's face it, bodies, preferences and above all fashions change. This post on Notes to a Mouse really convinced me of this. Perfection is a beautiful ideal but in the reality of dressing sometimes good enough really is more than enough.

On another level this approach means I am now more accepting that my passions in life are not set in stone and that it is ok to embrace new ideas, new dreams, new directions. Let's see where this road ends up.

to wear

Things I like to wear part 1: fluffy wool jumpers