Singapore

The 23 + hour flight over to Australia is quite honestly, draining. People emerge from immigration resembling zombies. So we often break the journey, (having family over there and doing the journey with some regularity, it makes sense) usually in some obscure part of Asia. This time we chose Singapore for a three day break.
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If ever you are looking for somewhere to go, possibly on your own, that is safe, clean and accomidating it is the place. With possibly the strictist laws in the world (chewing gum is illegal and carries a hefty penalty) it is the most carefree you will ever feel in a foreign country. It is also really quite beautiful. It's culture is a mix of indian, chinese, japanese and inrerestingly european. Whilst there we did a variety of things including a night time safari, lunch at raffles and a river cruise. I was going to do an outfit post there but to be honest it is such an interesting place I thought I may just share some photos instead. I am sorry as I realise my blog is seriously lacking in anything resembling fashion/style lately. Hopefully that will change once I get home :)

Airport Outfit ✈

Some people treat dressing for travel like dressing for an evening at the ritz. Others, like to sport the whole just-woke-up-am-actually-still-in-pjs ensemble. For long hall flights especially, comfort is key for me. Anything that allows me to curl up in a tiny ball and sleep is a winner. This outfit isn't particularly interesting, however it may give any of you travelling this Summer some ideas. The bandana I think is a great way to keep your hair out of your face without wearing a full on hat. Also boots or shoes that can be easily slipped off and a bag big enough to fit all your travel essentials. 

 

I hope you all have have a lovely Summer wherever you may go! 

xo 

London: a mini guide

I love to travel and love sharing my experiences and favourite places with you lot. So I thought I'd start a little series here on my blog of mini guides to various places I might find myself. I should probably point out that I am in no way claiming to be an expert on what to do in London, but just an excitable tourist with a passion for stumbling across somewhere new. I also realize that many of you probably live or at least visit London regularly, so I suppose this is more for tourist types like myself. However I would love to hear about some of your favourite places in London so please feel free to drop me an email and next time I will check them out! 

Photo from here

 Where to stay

Whenever we go to London, we usually like to stay in the South Kensington area. Not only is it a lovely part of the city, but holds a quite central location for getting about. We have spent many nights in the residence of the Gainsborough Hotel near the natural history museum. It is a grand, classic hotel with old-world elegance. However, I would recommend anywhere in this area as the standard seems to be pretty high.

Photo from here

 Shopping

Shopping in London is great. It has everything. But it can be a bit overwhelming. Oxford street is not only London's but one of the worlds busiest shopping streets. However, I find that as far as the over-all experience goes, Regent street is a better option. The shops on Oxford street are more affordable, but are usually heaving with tourists. Regent street has a nicer feel to it and holds some gorgeous boutiques as well as the better known high-fashion brands. 

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My other favourite place to shop in London would have to be Covent Garden. It is littered with shops and boutiques and is possibly the best place when looking for a unique gift. I have only been to Covent Garden once, but spent the whole day and all my shopping money there.

Photo from here

Markets

Borough market like most London markets is vibrant, busy and full of...well everything. But here's the catch. Borough Market is London's most successful FOOD market. Every stall selling world class, mouthwatering food. We arrived here when it was just setting up at about 9am and already you got the sense that this was the place to be. Living near here would be dangerous though as I don't think avoiding temptation is an option but having eating as your new hobby certainly seemed as though it could be.

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Old Spitalfields market is another great place to spend a Sunday morning, afternoon and evening. Unlike Borough market, Spitalfields holds a mixture of everything. It is a great place to shop for those quirky little market pieces that seem so hard to get your hands on. Whether it is food or trinket based, Markets are a must when visiting London. 

Photo from here

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is synonymous with any weekend away. And London appears to be the place to do it. The other weekend my Mum treated me to afternoon tea at Harrods and well, I can't recommend it enough. The beautiful array of petite sandwiches, baked goods and a massive selection of teas, were indulgent and a real treat. The Georgian restaurant in which we ate was magnificent and made you feel immediately out-of-place. Harrods is definitely the ultimate place to have afternoon tea.

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This next place I am putting in not because I have been there and love their take on afternoon tea, but because it seems like a heaven of a place and needs to be shared with the world. Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium is London's first ever cat cafe. At Lady Dinah's afternoon tea comes with multiple visiting opportunities with their feline staff. You literally sit there drinking tea, eating cake, being surrounded by and getting to watch cats (all of which have very adequate names). Unfortunately this place of wonder is not open yet. But to get you excited here is a link to their website and a video of all the resident cats of Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium.


xo

Val-d'Isère

Last week I was lucky enough to get to spend in the beautiful mountain village of Val-d'Isere. It is a Ski resort by Winter and hiking destination and general 'breath-taking scenery' spot by Summer. For those of you who do ski (or snowboard) I would highly recommend it. The people are friendly, the food is great and the skiing is amazing. The town, however, is a trip in itself. These pictures by no means do it justice. It almost looks like a drawing- all the snow peaked log cabins, snow sculptures, cosy looking Inns serving 'chocolat chaud'. It almost made me giddy how festive it looks, and this was in the middle of January. I found myself walking around this pretty town marveling at the people in it. There is the skiied-all-my-life-will-die-skiing types with their weathered faces and perma-tans, and there is the skii bunny women who only go to the alpes to show off the furs and moonboots they can afford. It is hilarious really. Not in a mean way. I left the Alpes hoping to one day come out here and work for/with these people. Val-d'Isere has that influence on you. 

Photo from here

Photo from here

          Enough said.


xo

Wishing I was Made In Chelsea

London is with out a doubt one of my favourite cities. And within London, Chelsea (and South Kensington) is where I find myself spending the majority of my time. I can't seem to stay away from the endless supply of little boutique shops and cafes. There seems to be something dainty and new round every corner and I just love getting to explore it all. There is of course the quiet hope that I will bump into one of the Made In Chelsea crew during my ventures, but it is yet to happen *cries*. Maybe I will just move here instead....;)

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I liked doing this exploring wearing this gorgeous denim smock dress found at Asos. It was perfect as it kept me warm and stylish on this crisp, Autumnal morning. I have to admit, I absolutely love smock dresses. While not being the most 'form flattering' they are endlessly comfy and cosy, for a dress. The type of denim used in this one hangs nicely too. The shoes worn in this post are a recent purchase of mine. Bought originally as a slight joke, they have actually become very frequent members of my daily outfits. I felt somewhat silly at first, as I saw a three year old with a Peppa pig balloon wearing matching ones on their first outing. However they have given many passers-by smiles, possibly of pity but oh well. You have to get your kicks from somewhere.

Dress- Asos   Jacket- Forever 21   Scarf- Black   Shoes- Asos (similar)

xo

America remastered

So i found myself sitting the other day and wishing I was back in the sunny USA. This could be thanks to miss Bluebell who is currently wandering the streets of the big apple. She sucks. So anyway, I thought that I would share with you (again) some of my absolute favourite outfits from my time across the pond, not a very creative idea for a post I know, but I promise to put up something more interesting soon :))

xo

Everybody's got something to hide except Me and My Monkey

 Having spent most of my Summer out of the country this year, I have certainly enjoyed spending the rest of it in a fully British manner. Drinking hot tea and looking out the window to find rain has been more enjoyable than usual. So when a short trip to London to join my good friend Molly was suggested, I could not decline the offer visit an utterly British place that also happened to be one of my absolute favourite places.
As two days is a rather short time to explore a city as diverse and large as London, we had to plan everything in advance. Market shopping was top of my list. You just won't find anywhere like Spitalfields market in the small isolated town I live in, so it was an absolute must. During our market day we also popped by Brick lane market and the gorgeous flower market, which both exceeded expectations. And both of which were probably twice the size of the place I live.

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 On the second day London Zoo was the priority. Having never been before, I was blown away by the scale of things. It was huge! And far more exciting than I thought foreign animals could be.
Being a blogger means thinking far more about outfits than probably is healthy. So when the opportunity arises to wear a 'themed' outfit, there is no missing it. However animal print has never been a favourite wear of mine so I opted for a slightly different approach. Which I hope still works. Anyway, I thought I would share with you some of the furry and not so furry friends I made whilst at the zoo. Oh, and welcome my special guest 'Eve', who is long overdue a cameo appearance, here on my Blog. Hi Eve.

 Hey babe.

Trousers- Topshop  Top- Minkpink  Jacket- Forever21 (old) Shoes- H&M (similar)  Earrings- Topshop

xo