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!

Navy Jumpsuit in Kingston

 Top - Amor-lux
Jumpsuit - Whistles
Boots - Office

 Pistachio ice-cream in a hazelnut cone

Salted Caramel and Biscuit ice-cream...

I find Kingston to be a really serene area. It's technically in London, but technically not, so it makes you feel like you're in a small town - I love it!

Towards the end of September, I went for a nice riverside lunch with my Mam at Cote Brasserie, one of my favourite restaurants. She had the salmon, and I had the fillet steak with bernaise sauce - it was sublime.

I chose to wear this navy-blue jumpsuit I bought from Whistles earlier in the Summer, in the sale. It creates such an effortless "I-just-threw-this-on" vibe, and I love pairing it with this breton stripe shirt from Amor-lux, to create a casual Parisian touch. This outfit either makes me feel super French, or slightly like a toddler, but oh well, I love it. The jumpsuit's not usually this baggy, but as I hadn't worn it since going on holiday in August, it was still a bit creased from the suitcase...

We finished the day with a spot of gelato from our favourite ice-cream place, Gelateria Danieli. There's one in Richmond that we usually convene at, but finding one in the Bentall's centre in Kingston (one of the BEST shopping centres, seriously) meant we couldn't resist.

Navy and White

Breton Top - Armor-lux

Harem Trousers - Topshop

Navy Leather Jacket - Stepland

Boots - Office

Bag - Longchamp

One of my favourite old book shops on Chiswick High Street.

I had two photo's left on my disposable camera, so I asked my friend Anna to snap up a few outfit photo's for me. It was a warmer, but still brisk, September day when I dug out this pair of harem trousers that I hadn't worn for years. They were from Topshop at least 5 years ago, and are probably the most flattering pair of harem trousers I have ever found. Navy blue, not too baggy, and with zips either side of the front.

 I paired them with this new breton top from Armor-lux that my Mum brought me back from France - my old (favourite) breton shirt from Gant was beginning to fray a bit too much, so I'm slowly trying to replace it with this one - it's super comfy, a little bit thicker and has cropped sleeves, which I love.

I have been absolutely obsessed with this Navy-blue leather jacket! I found it in a shop called Stepland in Serbia (I was there visiting some relatives in early August - haven't taken off the jacket since!) and initially bought it for my Mother and I to share...I don't think she's seen much of it...

It has a gorgeous, vivid inner-lining, which I felt needed showcasing, so I rolled up the sleeves and - voile!

You'll probably be seeing a LOT more of this jacket on the blog very soon.... I can guarantee!

Notting Hill Carnival

:

Top - Motel Rocks
Shirt - Tommy Hillfiger
Shorts - Rokit
Belt - Vintage
Knee High Socks - M&S (although they weren't from the same pair...)
Sparkly Socks (though not visible) - Primark
Shoes - Underground Creepers

I love the hustle and bustle of Notting Hill Carnival. Every year it's like going to a festival...but for free, and without all the tent and travel hassle! This year, due to the gloomy state of the weather, it was a little more crowded than usual on the Sunday, as people knew it would be raining on the Monday. Nevertheless, it was still fun with music, drinks, food and vibrant colours galore.
This year, I used a cheap, Boots 27 exposure disposable camera. I usually go for the Kodak 39 exposure, but I didn't have time to order it from Amazon. However, this Boots camera did the job - and did the job pretty well!

My key pieces of advice for carnival are:

1. Bring cash only - and not too much.

2. Keep your phone in a deep pocket (e.g. jeans or shorts)

3. I wouldn't recommend bringing a bag as it gets extremely busy and it could:

a) make it harder for you to walk through large crowds
and
b) there could be pick-pockets lurking...

4. Don't bother with digital cameras, they could get damaged easily. Disposables are fun and cheap!

Here are a few snaps from my Carnival experiences from over the last few years. It's London's biggest Summer event - don't miss out!

The dates for Notting Hill Carnival 2016 should be the 27th and 28th of August.

A Richmond Lunch

I adore Richmond. It is one of the few places I've found true serenity in London. When I'm in Richmond, I feel as though I've escaped to a small town in the country - yet there is still easy access to Central London by Tube, and other suburbs by bus!

My Mum, my boyfriend and I decided to go for a nice lunch at Gaucho in Richmond one very sunny and hot afternoon in April. It was the perfect day for photo's, so I took a couple snaps on my digital.

Gaucho is a great steak restaurant in Richmond, and there is also one in Piccadilly and Tower Bridge I believe. I've had their burger before (my boyfriend Alex got it this time) and it was incredible, and I've had some of their desserts which are also brilliant. My mum chose the "Entrana Fina" I think, which she said was very good and flavoursome. I, however, chose the rump steak at medium-rare, which I don't usually get (I usually go for fillet or ribeye), and unfortunately I didnt know that it would be more difficult to chew due to all the stringy bits, which was a shame because the meat was tender and flavoured beautifully. I now know that rump steak is just not for me!

I definitely recommend the Gaucho grill if you're in the mood for a good quality, hefty steak. I also truly recommend getting some of their empanadas to start with - it's a classic Argentinian delicacy. I would recommend going for mozzerella and tomato.