Oh, it is officially my favorite time of year in London. It's that time when we all start hoping that there's a summer ahead. The newspapers start writing stories with headlines like "hottest summer ever ahead," and "it's going to be a scorcher." And we all pray for such an outcome, only to either end up complaining about it being a total rain out or complaining it's so hot that we're all wishing air conditioning was in every home in London. Hey, we have a thing about talking about the weather. It's cultural. But, there's something else that comes this time of year... flowers... so many flowers... and they pop up first in Chelsea for the Chelsea Flower Show. Only, the good people of London like to share in the festivities and, in Chelsea, there's an actual competition upon retailers when it comes to translating the trend. The result is true flower power in the form of Chelsea in Bloom and it looks a little something like this ----
Tuesday 31 May 2016
Monday 30 May 2016
Shoe of the Month: Aquazzura ‘Wild Thing’ Sandals
Blue | Green | Navy | Clementine | Pink
Cognac | Gold | Khaki and Cornflower blue
We need to talk about the shoe that you surely haven't missed if you are a heel-lover like me. The red version of the Aquazurra ‘Wild Thing’ sandals basically flooded Instagram last summer and apparently, we are still not over the pair. There is no end in sight for the fame of the best fringe sandals on the market as they are now part of the current collection. A lower 85mm version has recently been introduced and a block heel for a more practical use (something I know nothing about).
The white version moved into my closed a few months ago, these and a black pair exclusively to FWRD are actually the only version that comes in leather, all the million other version listed above are made in suede. The flirty, super high sandals easily fall in the ‘goes with your whole wardrobe’ category as they are the ideal skinny sandals - without boring you to tears. So no need to repeat myself how well these go with everything from jeans and culottes to all of your skirt lengths, you are good as long as you don’t fully cover the precious sandals. I can’t claim these to be the most comfortable pair of mine, so make sure you don’t suffer without the waves of Uuhs and Oohs that these gather. A truly a joy packed, fun pair, but that is what Mr. Edgardo does best.
I had the privilege of meeting the man himself at Harrods a few months back and did not hesitate on the chance of having him sign my new shoes! I’ll have a phenomenal shoe designer sign my soles over rockstars signing my chest any day of the week. Call me boring but this is my catnip.
Comfort: 3.5/5
Not the coziest shoe on the market, but that’s a bit of a given. The heels stay well on, despite being mostly skinny ties with a stiletto heel. There is not much support not any signs of a platform, so you’ll feel it first in the cushions of your feet.
Quality: 4.4/5
The shoes are beautifully made, with a over all smooth beautiful leather finish. The tassels look expensive - details like this is a obvious giveaway for the quality, which in this case is super. The only minus is that the straps that wrap your heel is very unsupportive so they tend to ‘hang’ a bit in the sides.
Purchase price: Gifted in April 2016, however these retail for £490 from the Aquazzura store in London.
All the styles are priced the same at £490. Matchesfashion and Farfetch has a good selection at the moment, for US based readers I recommend checking Barneys as the also carry some exclusive colours.
Sizing: Runs true to size.
I bought these in a 37, my usual size. If you are in between sizes, I recommend going down half a size as these can’t sit loose on your foot.
Chanel Inspired Espadrilles for £12
After a lot of waiting and refreshing and genuinely contemplating if my trotters would fit into a size 4. I for real made a new bookmark in my tabs so I could check it easily thats how much I wanted these shoes. THEY FINALLY CAME BACK.
I would recommend sizing up, I got a 6 even though I'm normally a 5 - They fit me perfectly so I presume they run a little small. I was skeptical about espadrilles as they normally hurt the soles of my feet a little as they are so flat. However I wore them pretty much everyday I was in America and no blisters or soreness at all! Not a single Compeed in sight which impressed me.
PS. Theres also 20% off on ASOS right now with the code YESPLEASE. Dont say I don't ever look out for you guys ;) Go forth and haul the shit out of it! Guess what my next video might be???
One Day...
As I mentioned I recently went on a little road trip around California with Zoe. It was a whirlwind trip in which we went to San Francisco, Drove the Pacific Coast Highway One and then finally spent a good few days soaking up some atmosphere in Los Angeles.
Going to San Francisco has always been on my bucket list, things like Alcatraz appeal to my sense of morbid curiosity and seeing cool hippie places like the Haight and Ashbury was high up on my list. Driving down the coast and stopping wherever we felt like it was a dream come true. Despite it being a long journey every second was so worth it. I found my eyes drifting towards the blueness of the sea constantly. LA was really great although I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to which was odd. It's like east London but 100x more intense. Which did appeal to my pretentious side (seriously though, juice was like $10 each!) it was awesome though. I could have drove around constantly and still found things I'd want to look at. Little things like seeing the Hollywood Walk of Fame, seeing sets in Universal studios and shopping on Rodeo Drive were highlights.
It was a total "One day I'd like..." experience in which I've always though "one day I want to drive the coastal road to Los Angeles" I have more photos, videos and stuff coming soon but for now you can check out my trip over on my Youtube channel as I vlogged the whole thing. I have tons of snaps over on my Instagram too. I've got so much to go through footage wise it's a little bit intimidating but I cant wait to start looking back on things that happened!
The guys at Virgin Atlantic also have a little competition going on at the moment in which you can win your own trip of a lifetime and cross your one day experience off your list.
All you need to do is post a photo of your and our preferred travel buddy (that could be your partner, best friend or whoever you wanna see the world with) on your favourite social media tagging @virginatlantic and hashtagging #oneday to be in with the chance to win a holiday of a life time and make your One day plans a reality!
Saturday 28 May 2016
The Glyndebourne Experience: With an Anthropologie Garden Party
I have lived in the UK now for nearly 14 years and I had pretty much thought I had seen it all when it comes to the social scene in this part of the world. However, earlier this week I had a true "pinch me" moment in being exposed to what has officially become my favourite social event of the summer. Picture this: a country house, men in tuxedos, women in gowns, picnic tables spread out across lush green lawns surrounded by fields of frolicking sheep, champagne flowing freely and an opera house waiting to provide you with stellar entertainment for the evening. Such is the way of life for those who frequent The Glyndebourne Festival Opera.
We made our way out to Glyndebourne on a Thursday afternoon. I was invited by Anthropologie, to take part in the night to remember and we were to have a few surprises from the brand along the way. Our train departed London Victoria at just after two and we arrived at Lewes station at just after three. It's about a 5-10 minute cab ride to the actual house, so our feet officially set onto the grounds at around 3:30. While the opera doesn't actually start until 5:30, guests arrive early to set up elaborate picnics with friends and family on the surrounding lawns of Glyndebourne.
Our picnic, we learned, had been set up for us already. Upon arriving, we were led through the beautiful countryside to our table and chairs, which had been set up with a view of the beautiful lake on the grounds. We were most certainly spoiled with a table set by Anthropologie for the occasion. Glyndebourne's own champagne was being poured upon arrival and we sat and took in the beauty of our surroundings as we sipped and marveled at how 14 years had passed and somehow never before had this been a part of FFG's official summer event calendar.
To start with, it should be said that The Glyndebourne Festival Opera is not an event people take lightly. This is a serious night out, from planning one's attire to inventing the perfect three course meal to accompany your pre-opera, intermission and post-opera socialising. I, as you might expect, wore all Anthropologie (all details of outfit and table settings below). Compliments were passed back and forth between the women in attendance on their ensembles. My choice of a bold yellow seemed to go down a treat with the regulars. And, as one would expect, our table setting received a great deal of attention. I think we were most definitely classified as "women in the know" with a set up that was on par with the finest of diners in the area. The only thing I wished we had brought was a set of candles. Yes, there were dozens of diners that took the opportunity to make this a romantic evening, complete with a dining experience by candlelight. I can't possibly put across in words how very Jane Austen this whole experience is. It truly does feel as if you have stepped back in time in one of the most romantic centuries in existence. I could have stayed there forever. Alas, the night's true entertainment was just ahead.
At 5:30pm, the bells rang to alert guests that the Opera was about to begin. We left our table and picnic basket and made our way over to the concert hall. Naturally, we stopped for one glass of champagne with friends on the grounds before making our way to our seats, just in the nick of time. The opera of the night was Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and let me just tell you that we had been forewarned that we would be seduced by Figaro's swaying hips. Hips aside, I was completely seduced by the whole experience itself. The opera is truly a beautiful form of art that I do believe everyone should experience at least once in their lives. This emotional rollercoaster ride, all shared through song on the stage, is beautifully set to live music from the London Philharmonic Orchestra and saw much laughter, many tears and more than one moment of true and complete adoration for the talent displayed on stage. Before we knew it, however, the production had come to a halt to allow us all to rejoin our picnic parties and indulge in the beautiful picnics that had been provided by Glyndebourne for the evening.
Awaiting us at our Anthropologie picnic table was a surf and turf setup. Didn't I tell you this wasn't your ordinary picnic? My guest and I shared plates of lobster and beef, with sides of fresh tomatoes with mozzarella and new potatoes. Dessert was a very typical english setup - strawberries and cream, as well as an elaborate cheese plate. And of course all of this was being washed down with more decadence - champagne. See where I'm going here with the "pinch me" moment. With the British sun setting over the patchwork hills of England and the sounds of lambs roaming around the fields, this just couldn't possibly have been a more incredible moment to remember.
As 8:30 came around we were once again summoned into the Opera House to see how this epic romance would end. Now, it must be said that there is a reason why Glyndebourne itself seems so hopelessly romantic from the start. It's foundation is actually found in a love story. In the early 1900's, John Christie, owner of the manor since 1913, was holding regular amateur opera nights in the organ room on the estate. This is a room you can still enter today on the grounds. In 1931, soprano Audrey Mildmay attended one of the evenings and left with the owner's heart. Christie and Mildmay were married that June and during their honeymoon they attended several opera festivals in Europe, which gave them the idea to start one of their own at Glyndebourne. 80 years later, here we stand.
Of course, a lot has changed in 80 years. For starters, Glyndebourne receives 100% of the energy needed for the company from a wind turbine on site. And, what started out as a relatively small gathering of people has evolved into a theatre that now hosts 1200 guests for each performance. Ticket prices, I imagine have increased as well, ranging now from £10-300 now, and selling out regularly. Although that doesn't mean Glyndebourne isn't constantly trying to engage the masses. The opera tours around the country, as well as showcasing performances in 200 cinemas. They even have a special scheme for the under 30s to try and attract and keep a younger audience. They've thought of everything.
People of the world - this is an experience not to be missed. I must say it now has an official place on my calendar, whenever I can get tickets!
Thank you, Glynebourne and Anthropologie, for a true night of magnificent memories.
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