Portobello Road

Shmortoshmello Shmoad am I right?! 

WRONG. 

I know, I know, living in london for 3 months already and this weekend was my first trip to Portobello? Shame on me!

However, journeying to Portobello with my mom who was visiting was far more enjoyable than any other company I could have gone with.
Going in with the inclination that all I would see were antiques upon antiques with some gourmet food that I don't have a kitchen (or skills) to cook was not the right mindset. The tables were overflowing with vintage (and knockoff) jewelry, leather goods, records, paintings, fur, etc. and I loved every minute of it.
Many of the vendors did not appreciate photographs being taken of their booths, but I managed to find some nice people who didn't seem to mind (or notice..).

While I may have fallen in love with more than one impractical pair of vintage clip-on earrings, I came away with a Firkin (faux-Birkin) bag, which was victory enough for me!

I will cherish you as my firstborn child.

My mom faired even better than I did and came away with a matching Firkin (hers is red) and a gorgeous white and silver bangle to add to her already expansive "arm party"(credit to ManRepeller)

My mom, the hand model

Aside from the MAYJUH jewelry presence, the live entertainment is not to be forgotten. Not only do street performers usually sound better when you are in a market such as Portobello, but they are also 1. British, 2. exceedingly attractive, although those two points seem to go hand-in-hand, right?

pulling off the between-the-legs drum FLAWLESSLY

Now, I would take this time to analyze the different aspects that differentiate Camden Market and Portobello, but in all honesty, I am far too busy making an escape route in preparation for election results tonight.

MovingToLondon2012!

Blocked.

I haven't updated this in FOREVER, and I apologize. It's not like I haven't been busy! Since updating, I have been to the Czech Republic and Ireland as well as romping all around London. In the last few weeks I was also crudely awoken to the fact I am actually STUDYING abroad....studying being the operative and forgotten word. Needless to say, midterms kicked me where the sun don't shine, but I am back with a vengeance!

And by vengeance I mean writers block. Basically I am trying to relay the fact that I have been sitting in a Costa coffee on Kensington High Street attempting to write something profoundly interesting and have come up with a haiku about my love for lattes.

I won't bother you with the poetic details unless this writers block lasts another week, and then I just might have to. My fabulous mother is making her way across the pond in exactly 48 hours, so there will  hopefully be some updates from the amazing weekend that awaits me.

BYE!

Send All My Lovin' To You

I have been in London for 6 weeks and in that time have seen so much that has made me fall deeply and irrevocably in love with the city. This weekend, however, I could only describe as something magical.

I have always been a fan of the Beatles, as anyone with a brain is, and have always fantasized about going to see Abbey Road in the flesh (or concrete).

What you don't fantasize about, is that the road itself is just that, a road. And a busy one at that! So getting that picture that tourists alike dream about, (walking across the crosswalk of the famous street) is a feat you simply hope to come out alive after. Luckily, I was in good company, and my friends and I were absolutely determined to accomplish this.

The result is a little less than perfection, but I take that as an allegory for life not always being perfect. (psh, who am I kidding, we had already been there 2 hours, and we did our best, sue us!)

Anyway, aside from the typical touristy shot we managed, the wall outside the studio might have actually been my favorite part. The once-white wall and gate are absolutely COVERED in graffiti from tourists and fans alike, many whom simply write their most favorite Beatles lyrics. All of these combined make for a truly magical experience, when you read that the writings are from years ago, weeks ago, or even hours ago and written by people from all age brackets, religions, and countries. It really is cool when you see how a band and music can unify all walks of life. Not to mention, I was able to not only sign the wall, but also happened to have my red lipstick handy and planted a big, unsanitary kiss on the wall as well.

BACK TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF: How I managed to transition my beloved mint jeans into the fall!

I decided to pair my mint jeans with my dark green field jacket from J.Crew to keep the majority of the outfit at least somewhat monochromatic. I wore my over-the-knee brown leather boots to make the outfit seem more fall-appropriate, and it was also 55 degrees in London so they seemed like the most suitable option. Although you can't see because I was too distracted having a transcendental experience to take a proper outfit picture, underneath I was donning a grey t-shirt and my leopard belt.

All in all, I can already tell this will be one of my fondest memories from London. Not only was I in one of the coolest places ever, but the people I was with cannot be beat.

That's All Folks!

Hey Sole Sista

I have been horrible about updating this recently, but being in a fun city makes it hard to stop and write consistently!

The other day, I had a little field trip to The Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park for my art class. Although the exhibition wasn't my cup of tea (british humor), the day was glorious and my ideal day.

The Serpentine, in all it's glory, plus a fluffy dog

This day was only made better by my obsession with my pair of prep school-esque oxfords!

Try and not be entranced by my beauty in the outfit shot......I am not one where candids look cute, this girl needs preparation.

pretty face, right?  Shirt: Jcrew, Jeans, Urban
Oufitters, Belt: Francesca's, Shoes: Target

To say that I am obsessed with these shoes is a gross understatement. The pop of pink on the sole is probably my most favorite addition to a pair of classic shoes since the metallic heel.

I am so obsessed with these shoes that later in the day, as I was strolling around Hyde Park, I had finally decided on a bench to place my bum, and immediately pulled out my phone to take a picture, yet my shoes somehow decided to sneak in there too!

And by "sneak in there" I mean I was employing some pilates-driven core strength to keep my feet raised long enough to take the picture...

oh yeah...this was the exhibition I was seeing for a class in The Serpentine...

source

YEP. Prepare for the nightmares....

Vodafone's London Fashion Weekend

Yesterday began the Vodafone London Fashion Weekend, which was kicked off by a day of panels and shows at the Somerset House. I was fortunate enough to attend the trend show, which showcased the trends from the shows during London Fashion Week, which wrapped up this past Tuesday. 

The show was awesome, and seeing the variety of different trends was really exciting, and way better then viewing from my computer screen! 

However, it is clear I need to go to a class to figure out how to work my fancy camera. The lighting of the runway made it so hard to actually get a decent shot of the clothes. No worries, though, I was able to snap some semi-clear pictures, and the weaker shots have been weeded out.

Before we get into the trends and runway shots, I have to indulge myself, and show you what I wore. 

T-shirt: H&M, Skirt: Monsoon, Belt: Francesca's, Jacket: Bison D'eve, Heels: H&M

shoes: H&M

aaaaaand we're back: 

The first trend was entitled: "Kitchen Sink" which was described as having a 50's vibe, but funkier.

I definitely got a funky Austin Powers meets Betty Draper with a little bit of bohemian vibe as well. It was an interesting conglomerate, to say the least, but was a definitely a fun way to open the show.

The next trend is referred to as "Lady Brocade" and was an homage to the embellishments and baroque theme that dominated the runways for the F/W collections. It appears as though this trend will be expanded to encompass the S/S collections as well!

Finally, my favorite trend, "Sergeant Indigo" pays homage to the military trend that seems to be paired with the color of the season, indigo. I don't know if it was the structural aspects of the clothes, which to me, is not typical of spring and summer collections.
I don't know what it says about me that I prefer the harsher clothes rather than the flowy and light fabrics and clothes we are accustomed to seeing on the spring/summer runways.

So that's probably more than you ever needed to see/know about the show, but sue me, I was excited!!
I'm casually off to Paris for the weekend (perks of studying abroad, cheap travel!)

Matchy Matchy

In the mad rush to get ready for my god-awfully early class (10:30a.m...) I have to be honest, I was just looking to clothe myself with some sense of style with the least amount of effort.

It wasn't until I left the building, that I looked down, to be honest, to do a zipper fly check, and realized that my peach and gold flats matched my peach pants and gold belt exactly. 

I was immediately appalled, then intrigued by the matched qualities, then appalled again. 

I can't decide if I love or hate this, I'm so conflicted.

Top-H&M, Necklace-Street Vendor, Pants-Vidalgo, Belt-Gap, Flats-Primark

v&a

Yesterday, I had no classes. When this would occur at school in Boston, my day off would consist of lounging around, maybe a little gym action (probably not), and laundry (even less likely).

But here in London, it physically sickens me to spend a whole day at least not exploring the city a little! Its the most amazing place I have ever been, and I'm already trying to finagle a way so I can move back as soon as humanly possible.

But I digress.

Yesterday I took a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum, we left after about two hours, but I swear to you I could have spent my whole day there! While moseying around the different exhibits, we came across an East Asian history wing. There, I saw necklaces and bangles that could be sold in any store today and sell out instantly.

From that point on, I decided to play a game; how many current fashion trends can I spot in this museum?

The rules are simple; simply go into exhibits with an open mind, rather than a mind that is simply on the time period or location of that exhibit. And that's just what I did!

This is one of the necklaces in the East Asian room, its from the 15th century, but I believe that the collar necklace trend is of the 21st century.

We then moved into the fashion exhibits. It was essentially a worldly view on fashion through the ages, beginning with the late 19th, early 20th century. It was in this exhibit that it was plain to see how fashion is recycled, reused, and is on a continuous loop.

The collar trend continued to appear, this time in lace.

And this would be approximately THE worst picture, but it happens to be the only image I captured to illustrate the blazer that I would most definitely buy today, but happens to be from the 1860's.