Boot & Trench

Jack Wills, Richmond

 

 Fried duck gyoza, a green juice, miso and peach ice tea

 Chicken katsu curry - obvs.

 Cropped Jumper (As shown earlier) - Whistles
Boyfriend Jeans - Jack Wills
Coat - Aquascutum
Scarf - Accessorize
Boots - Russell and Bromley

I adore Richmond - with it's English countryside vibe, and cute little boutiques. It's such a beautiful part of London, that doesn't even feel like part of a city at all!

I popped into Richmond the other day for a quick browse for some Christmas present ideas and lunch. It was one of those "let's go to Wagamama's?" days, although I can't lie, it just wasn't as good as I remembered it to be. My favourite japanese restaurant of all time is Hare & Tortoise, which you can find in Kensington, Chiswick and Ealing Broadway (to name a few). It's cheaper, and their katsu curry is quite literally untouchable in my opinion - I highly recommend it!

It was a beautiful, sunny day - something we haven't really seen in London for a while, and as it still isn't very cold, I thought I might go for a trenchcoat. This gorgeous beige one is my Mum's and it's from Aquascutum. It's a good length, and makes any outfit one step closer to chic. I wanted to go pretty casual underneath with a cropped jumper from Whistles and a pair of boyfriend jeans I bought in Jack Wills years ago.
Now...the boots! These are my new ankle boots, the love of my life. I'd been eyeing them up for months, putting aside some money from here and there for them, and a few weeks ago, I finally caved! They are, in my opinion, quite literally perfect. They can toughen up any outfit, the 3 and a half inch heel is great for adding a bit of height, and the platform makes them so easy and comfortable to walk in. Didn't need to break them in whatsoever, and there's a soft, fleecy lining inside that keeps your feet nice and toasty. The only piece of advice I would give a potential buyer is to protect the leather as soon as you buy them - I didn't, and now I do have two small scratches, but other than that, they were definitely worth splashing out on. 

A little bit of Knee-High

 Coat - Joules
Bag - Furla

 Jumper (though not particularly visible) - Nicole Farhi Outlet
Leggings - Primark

Boots - Unknown...

 A major, but hilarious, photobomb

As a child, I spent most of my time in Ealing, particularly Ealing Broadway, so going back there tonight to see my friend Chiara was very nostalgic. Recently I've been heading there more often as there are a few old and new places that have been tickling my fancy, for example 'Rumbles', the adorable little boutique-and-unique gift and accessory shop that has been there for years, and is still one of my favourite places to go to for great presents (and a treat or two for myself), and new coffee shops such as Harris and Hoole, and Artisan (my favourite small coffee chain). Ealing Broadway is definitely getting itself back on the map!

I was heading out for an evening coffee with my friend Chiara after her shift at work, and wanted to wear something comfortable, warm (although it's still not too cold here in London!) and chic. I chose to go for quite a classic look - loose roll neck navy jumper from Nicole Farhi that I bought at Chiswick Town Hall's Nicole Farhi outlet sale (The original price of this jumper was £150 and I nabbed it for £25!), black leggings, a navy military coat from Joules years ago, and a pair of brown suede knee high boots. Knee high boots have always been a love of mine, however I haven't worn them in years. I found this pair that I bought absolutely ages ago in Belgrade, and I'd honestly forgotten how much I loved them! I folded the tops down to add a "3 Muskateers" vibe, which I think worked well with the military coat.

Let me know if and how you've been styling knee high boots in the comments below - I'd love some inspiration! I'm hoping to maybe save a little money to get myself a black heeled pair :)

(p.s. apologies for the poor camera quality - my digital just wasn't focusing properly in the dark tonight!)

Flashback: London Mela 2015

 We were really intrigued by the long line of people waiting at the Falooda stand, so me and Nina went to see what all the fuss was about...

It was beautiful, but odd - milk flavoured ice-cream, thin strips of rice noodle, a type of seed and dyed pink cream - was surprisingly tasty to begin with, but was too big a portion even for me and Nina to share, but look at the COLOUR OF IT!

 Nina and I were tempted...

 So we did it!

I love the end of Summer. When you've still got the long, sunny days, that are just ever so slightly cooler and crisper as you head into Autumn. It's one of the reasons September is my favourite month (aside from it being my birthday month too...)
One of my favourite end-of-Summer celebrations is Zee London Mela. It's an annual Asian food and outdoor festival in Gunnersbury Park. For years, my Mum and I have loved going - it's colourful, filled with activities, live music and the smell of amazing food.
This year, however, we were hit with a bit of an unwanted surprise. In the past, London Mela has always had free entry. This year, we had to pay around 7 quid EACH just to get in. I was outraged! It was such a shock to me, my mum and our friends, not to mention the other dozen people who had just turned up. The fact that entry was so expensive put me in a bit of an angry mood, but I thought to myself, the food and the rides (there's a funfair) and the smells have to be worth it. And they pretty much were.
As much as I love London Mela, the food and rides still cost money, so the fact that entry was so expensive, I no longer felt that the festival was quite worth it. The trick is, go later in the day, when food stalls start to drop their prices. And there are some stalls (e.g. Rubicon, where me and my friend Nina got a fabulous "beach" photo taken of ourselves for free at their booth) that give free samples, but overall, this unfortunately was not my best Mela experience. Having said that, I'm not going to lie, the food, is GOOD (Be careful what you choose though, cos Nina and my Mum got some amazing stuff, whereas I didnt choose the most interesting meal...)

London Mela is a lovely day out with your friends and family (especially if it's sunny - I'm lucky that my only Mela experiences have been sunny!) But be warned - if that entry fee makes its way back next year, I may have to kick up a fuss...!

The Pink Coat

 Lunch at Busaba Eathai (I think that's how it's spelled...) in Kingston

Backpack - Furla

Black polo-neck thermal - Walford
Jeans - Vintage Levi 501's
Ankle Boots - Mistress
Coat - Banana Republic

My cute Mama!

So I'm a little bit obsessed with this baby pink coat... I'd been looking for one that wasn't overpriced (I found too many that were 400 quid!) or made 100% out of polyester for a long time, and eventually found this gorgeous number from Banana Republic. It's got that smart casual vibe that I long for in many outfits, and is made out of 70% wool, and for the price that it was, I would say it was definitely worth the money, as a coat like this will last me years! I wanted to pair the coat with a relatively casual outfit, to give it a more pulled together look, and here it is - hope you enjoy the pictures!

The Artisan

My favourite coffee shop, pretty much of all time, is a small chain called 'Artisan' - it can be found in Stamford Brook, Putney and Ealing Broadway. The one I frequent in is in Stamford Brook, and it is definitely the place to go if you want a cup of good quality coffee and maybe a quick lunch and a slice of cake (or two).

Iced-Latte

Mocha and a chocolate fairy-cake

Latte

A quick breakfast

How adorable?

A little preview of the Artisan interior

The 'Where's Wally?' wall collage by the bathrooms

The interior decor in the shop is simple but stylish - blackboards, recreation hardware, old-school tables and chairs, and loads of mismatched metal lampshades. Very much industrial chic!

My Top picks are:

- The Latte: It is perfect. Smooth, not too strong but not too milky. The perfect balance.
- The Hot Chocolate: The perfect winter pick-me-up, rich but smooth and milky
- The Ice-Latte: Summer. Need I say more?
- The Chocolate Guinness cake: YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS! This is the most perfect, dense chocolate cake, and a coffee's perfect companion

They've also got brilliant sandwiches, daily soups/foods, breakfast goods, cakes, biscuits, and an array of teas. And did I mention that the staff are always friendly and sweet? Oh, and that they have a spin-wheel for when you collect 8 coffee stamps? No? Well then GO!