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.

Culottes at the National Gallery

Leather Jacket - Reiss
White Shirt - Topshop
Culottes - &OtherStories
Boots - Office

My Mum, looking fabulous as always!

Bag - Longchamp
Sunglasses - Spitalfields Market

Lipstick - NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

The Majesty of Trafalgar Square

I've always had a strange fascination with culottes, but due to my height (a mere 5'2...) I never thought I could wear them. I then found this pair in &OtherStories on a rainy day in London and thought "why not?"

I fell in love. And they came home with me that day :)

These culottes are such a brilliant piece for Spring and the transition into Summer. Due to the cut, material and shape they are lightweight, comfy and look so effortless yet put together. This particular pair were a little pricey (I believe they were around 40 quid) but I'd been in search for a good quality pair of culottes for so long and had only come across polyester pairs for similar prices, and these were 100% viscose, so I took the plunge. And there are no ragrets, I promise.

I wore them on a day out in London with my fabulous Mum to see the Impressionist art exhibition at the National Gallery. It was an incredible exhibit, filled with so many wonderful pieces from the Impressionist era. My only problem was how PACKED it was - I lost my Mum for about half an hour in the crowd!

A London Morning

London had a lucky April, filled with many warm and sunny days. On one of those particular days, my boyfriend and I decided to go for a nice Sunday morning walk in St. James' Park.

Gingham Trousers - Madeleine
Top - Topshop
Leather Jacket - Reiss
Boots - Office

It was a really beautiful day, and I'm glad that we were able to make the most of our morning by walking around central London and all it's finest.

Strand on the Green

Oh, London, how I love thee...

However, recently I have particularly loved the quieter bits as opposed to the city.

One of my favourite spots is a little place called Strand on the Green. It's a small part of the London Borough of Chiswick and Hounslow by the river. It's such a quaint area, and whenever I am there I feel as though I have stepped out of London as it's so calm and peaceful (and quiet unless you have cyclists or birds squawking at you, but they're usually pleasant enough)

It is one of my favourite places to go to, to just sit and relax in the sun, either with a book and an ice-cream sitting on a wall, or outside a pub with a drink (there are some great pubs there!)

Last week, my best friend Anna and I decided to go for a nice walk and a spot of sunshine by the river. We took lots of photos...so here are a few :)

Jumper - Uniqlo

Coat - Mango

Trousers - Topshop

Low Top white Converse

Before we headed to Strand, we couldn't resist taking a few postbox photo's. I'm not really sure what prompted us to do this...

A moody bus stop photo. For those who may want to know, I decorated that bag myself when I was 14. 

Sitting on the wall overlooking the river 

I love the tartan print on these trousers

Sitting on yet another wall overlooking the river in all its glory.

A little bit of converse love...

Places I recommend in the Strand on the Green area:

- Cafe Rouge

- The City Barge pub

- The Bell and Crown (it is SO GOOD!)

Buses:

391 (on Kew Bridge), 440 (to Gunnersbury and walk), 65 (on Kew Bridge), 272 (to Grove Park and walk)

Tube & Train:

The nearest tube station is Gunnersbury which is a 5-10 minute walk from the Strand area

The nearest train station is Kew Bridge, which is a 5 minute walk

Tailored Smart

For once, I am dressed smartly...?!

No I joke, sometimes, I do like to dress up a little bit, and this was one of those days. As I had a slightly fancier lunch to attend, I took a little longer to think about my outfit choice for the day.

I wanted to go for a slightly more tailored look by pairing these tartan trousers (which I do dress down quite often, even though they can lift any outfit) with a pinstripe shirt. I rarely wear shirts, but I do love them. They make me feel instantly smart and are quite literally a timeless piece - particularly if they are striped or just plain white. And this shirt, is no exception.

Shirt - Jack Wills

Trousers - Topshop
Boots - Office

Rubens and his Legacy

 Jumper - Tommy Hilfiger
Jeans - Levi's 479 (Booty flare fit)
Boots - Office
Scarf - Accessorize

Yesterday (25th March 2015) I went to see Rubens and his Legacy at the Royal Academy. Having always been a lover of fine arts (and having previously studied it at a more advanced level) I was very excited.

It was absolutely breathtaking. The exhibit included so many loaned paintings of his and many more paintings from other artists that took inspiration from him during the more Classical period. His work was truly incredible - so rich and beautifully created, particularly his oil paintings and etchings. I really recommend visiting it while it's still on! (Although it is quite long and due to time restrictions, I wasn't able to finish viewing it in one day - so I'll probably go back some time next week, as I am a member of the RA)

Although it is technically Spring, it's still quite nippy out in London, so I chose to wear this gorgeous linen jumper from Tommy Hilfiger, which I bought on sale last year, as it's just that perfect thickness for the in-between weather. We took these photos in the courtyard entrance to the museum - how amazing is this sculpture?!

Hope you're all having a wonderful start to Spring!

~ Dukes Meadows ~

Black leotard - Papillion

Waxed jacket - Barbour

Boyfriend Jeans - Jack Wills

Black leather double sole creepers - Underground

Hoodie - Tommy Hillfiger (my brothers)

Waxed jacket - Barbour

Leggings - The White Company

Boots - Doc Martens 1914 Triumph Plaid

I find Duke's Meadows to be one of my favourite parts of West London - it's peaceful, by the river, and usually quite empty during the week. It also makes you feel as if you're out of London, which is something I enjoy most about visiting it.

My best friend Anna and I went there a couple of times in the Autumn to do a spot of filming (which failed multiple times...) and I can't wait for the Spring so that I can go back and enjoy the sun in the beautiful green spaces and have a picnic in the Band Stand - how corny?!

Photos taken with Canon PowerShot S95