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Christmas in Belgravia

Published on December 14, 2017July 21, 2020 by AnitaLeave a comment

Want to go out in London for a bit of festive spirit but without the interruption of tourists and Christmas shoppers? Then look no further than Belgravia!

Motcombe Street is a new discovery for me. This little chocolate box street looks like it fell out of a fairytale with all the cute shops and twinkling lights. At one point a proper carriage with horses went through the street!

The one thing you can’t miss when you are here is the cutest chocolate shop – Rococo Chocolates. Not only you can buy organic chocolates in the nicest packaging for Chrismas gifts but you can enjoy London’s best hot chocolate. Choose between classic, cinnamon spiced, sea-salt or one with a hint of chili that’ll warm you up on these winter days. There is no cream on top but something much nicer – a homemade marshmallow on a stick to dunk into your hot drink.

This place also has a Chocolate School that offers a variety of workshops, classes and tastings for adults and children from beginner to expert. Also as if that wasn’t already enough there is a huge teddy bear in the window. If that doesn’t make you want go out of your house on a cold winter day, nothing will 🙂

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Brunch in Winter Wonderland

Published on December 1, 2017July 21, 2020 by AnitaLeave a comment

It’s December!

I’m officially allowed to go overboard with all things Christmas here and on my Instagram. In London, Christmas actually started at the beginning of November so I have been collecting the pretty pictures of Christmas decorations all around the city and now they will start coming out. To mark the beginning of Christmas time we decided to visit magical place in the Central London – Dalloway Terrace.

This little place has been transformed into the winter wonderland with fake snow, pine trees and an endless supply of snuggly blankets. It is absolute Instagram heaven. There is no surprise it is full of people who eat their food lukewarm after documenting everything on Instagram.

The atmosphere was so cozy and peaceful , we felt like we were in Narnia and the wait staff were brilliant from the very start. The menu was amazing and we wanted to order literally everything but at the end we opted for french toast, one with fresh berries, one with bacon and saved some space for delicious hot chocolate with biscuits at the end.

What I Wore: Jumper: H&M | Skirt: Topshop | Boots: M&S | Bag: Zara(old)

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Instagram Issues

Published on November 15, 2017July 21, 2020 by Anita2 Comments

I’ve wanted to write this post about Instagram for a long time now because for a period of time this was a such a big thing in my life that kept me awake at night, which is ridiculous, losing sleep over an app!

The conversation about Instagram themes, followers, and bots has been pretty popular recently. Some people are concerned where this is all going, including Instagram and blogging.

Everyone I speak to has the same view. Instagram has taken such prominence over blogging that it can feel overwhelming. Every square you decide to share is carefully curated with the aim to get engagement and to increase the numbers because numbers mean success.

I realized a few weeks ago that I’m spending too much time thinking about the theme of my grid and if my next photo will fit into (at the moment) a pastel feed. It went so far that I started photoshopping colours and ended up ditching some amazing photos. Dark tables? Nah! Colourful umbrellas? Nah. Some beautiful moments in my life simply didn’t make the cut to be featured on my Instagram.

I realized that if I don’t move from London to some Greek island anytime soon I’m doomed. I wanted my Instagram to be completely me, a place where I’m showing the world what I’m up to, where I travel, what I eat…but then it turned out the grid decides for me what to do next so it fits into the theme.

Why am I trying to theme my life? My love for photography and capturing beauty in everyday life is suffering because I’m imposing limitations on myself for the sake of numbers.

Another problem is the new and ridiculous Instagram algorithm so if there is no #ootd or #travel is highly likely your picture won’t be shown to too many people.

I’m not sure whose fault it is, the bloggers’ or Instagram’s but I’m going to stop doing it, stop stressing my self over the next picture and just post what and when I want.

On a brighter note, here are some pictures with the last breath of Autumn. Now when everything starts to look Christmasy (and I gave up on bare legs) this tree next to my building was a true gem to find.

I’m not sure how this jumper looks on the pictures but in real life, it’s the softest thing ever. It’s a mohair blend and I found it for a bargain at H&M (not an advert btw). Did I mention that I’m obsessed with jumpers?

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Chinatown

Published on November 7, 2017July 21, 2020 by AnitaLeave a comment

Last weekend I decided to visit Chinatown. It wasn’t my first time because I’ve walked up and down these streets so many times on my way to Picadilly or Oxford Circus, but this time I went specifically to spend the afternoon wandering around the area.

Feeling like a tourist in your own city is a bit of a must from time to time, but whilst great in theory, it’s kind of tricky, especially if you decide to do that on a Sunday afternoon when the amount of tourists pouring down the streets can be overwhelming.

That didn’t stop us from exploring the shops for exotic food and a new set of chopsticks, having lunch in a Chinese restaurant and even queuing 20 minutes for Bubble wrap waffles. Despite the cold it was so worth the wait.

For the last few weeks I’ve been stocking up on new knitwear but until this week it wasn’t really cold enough to wear this cozy thing. I got it from H&M for a bargain and it’s the warmest jumper I own.

WHAT I WORE: Jumper; H&M | Jeans: ASOS| Bag: SheIn |Boots: M&S(similar)

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Summer to Autumn

Published on September 7, 2017July 21, 2020 by AnitaLeave a comment

I’m trying to fight against this ‘Autumn is coming’ feeling by not giving up on my sandals and digging my jacket out of the closet but the only reward that has gotten me is a horrible cold and it’s only September!

That being said, I have to admit there is an unusual amount of denim and red long-sleeved tops finding their way into my wardrobe. I can see already this will be my staple for the coming season.

My jeans are from my now favourite jeans place, ASOS. Together with the Farleigh Mom Jeans that I’ve been wearing since the spring, their Ridley jeans are my next favourite. They are still high waisted but not as much as the Farleigh ones and they are skinny. ASOS has a wide range of colours but I was just looking for this dark blue shade which was so hard to find.

The top is from Bershka and it’s the cutest ever. The ribbon is attached to the top and you can wear it as a neck bow or like me, as a neck tie. I especially love the cute frilled details on the sleeves and chest.

Last year just a week before our trip to Barcelona my favourite tan saddle bag broke. Totally devastated, I decided to track down the only one that looks similar enough from Mango on Regent Street, and since then we have been inseparable.

After the photo shoot in front of this amazing hotel with the cutest car ever, we managed to get inside to see the famous staircase from the Spice Girls’ first video for their song Wannabe. It is actually a guests only area but the lovely man at the entrance let us in any way. The Grand Staircase simply took my breath away with the amount of detail starting from the tiles and carpet to its elegant spiral stairway and fleur-de-lis wallpaper.

Scroll down for pictures.

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What I wore: Jeans: ASOS| Blouse: Bershka| Bag: Mango(similar)| Shoes: New Look(old)

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Walking on Sunshine

Published on August 30, 2017July 21, 2020 by Anita4 Comments

Yes, I have this hat just like the rest of the Instagram gang. I found this one on Depop after a long search. It’s a good investment if you don’t live in England. But we have some nice days here as well like last weekend when we went for a walk along the River Thames in Twickenham. It’s a great place if you want to relax by sitting near the river to feed the ducks, or you could explore the nearby York House Gardens or have a longer walk along the river all the way to Richmond.

I’m obsessed with stripes but this is the only striped skirt I own. I think it’s good to choose vertical stripes when it comes to skirts because they make you look taller compared to horizontal stripes. I found this one in Zara on sale last autumn, but I didn’t have the opportunity to wear it before.

This top I found in the H&M Trend section. Out of all the H&M concepts, I like Trend the most. It might cost a little bit more but every single garment is just perfect and ‘on trend’. You can check out the range here.

What I Wore: Skirt: Zara(similar)| Top: H&M| Shoes: Oasis|Hat: H&M(similar)

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Red Alert

Published on August 15, 2017July 21, 2020 by Anita1 Comment

After a few days of horrible weather in London we finally got lucky with a sunny weekend, so we used the opportunity to have a city break to Bath.

It’s very rare that I end up falling in love with a city as quickly as I fell in love with Bath. It reminds me of my other favorite place in Britain, Edinburgh, with its Georgian architecture, cobbled streets and cute little cafes and shops along the pavement. There is no surprise the city is listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

I will share my excitement in my next blog post where I will list all the things that I loved about this fantastic city but for now let’s focus on the things I wore.

As the weather forecast shows 20 or more for the next few weeks and I’m hoping for an Indian summer, I’m not ready to put away my summer clothes just yet. That’s how I ended up getting this pretty skirt from ‘& Other Stories‘. I have a habit of stopping at & Other Stories everytime I’m passing by because of their simplicity. Everything is so pretty but so simple which is very hard to find these days.

This skirt was something that I had spent a long time searching for, simple and elegant but effective. There is also a white option but it has a completely different effect. Red gives you that feeling of power and defiance, just like wearing red lipstick.

I was also thinking I could probably wear it with ankle boots and a leather jacket in autumn but it’s very thin and summery so I’m very much hoping for that Indian summer.

I paired it with my favorite ever summer things, wedge espadrilles, off shoulder top and straw bag.

What I Wore:

Top: H&M (similar)

Skirt: & Other Stories

Shoes: Oasis

Bag: Zara(similar)

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Mysterious Island

Published on August 3, 2017July 21, 2020 by Anita1 Comment

I have been living in Twickenham for a few months now and I was aware that there is a boatyard and some houses on the other side of the river Thames, but I never expected to find such a mysterious, Narnia-like island just a bridge away.

Eel Pie Island is part of London but a world away from it.

This island is home to a colourful array of inventors, artists, craftsmen and boat builders, who decorate their houses, studios and little alleyways with a Alice in Wonderland charm.

But it wasn’t always this quiet.

Before I crossed the bridge I read some interesting facts online about it, like Henry VIII built a hotel there and the island was a popular holiday destination. In 1950s the hotel was renamed into the Eelpiland Dance Club and became the birthplace of a youth movement gathering young beatniks listening to jazz music and later even hosting concerts of David Bowie and the Stones. Eventually, when the party scene got out of control, a mysterious fire burned the hotel to the ground and then squatters took over…

Ok, I got carried away with the history lesson about the location but I thought it was worth sharing! Be aware that the island is private but it has two open days every year (in July and December) where you can have a peek inside the quirky gardens and even meet the artists.

Now let’s talk clothes!

This polka dot top is my absolute favourite this summer and I got it on sale from Zara. It’s surprising how good it can look with almost every colour of skirt or jeans. The only thing is that it looks better on high waisted items.

For this occassion I paired it with a very simple H&M skirt as the top is a statement on its own and tan New Look sandals which are a couple of seasons old now.

The bag is from the Bosnian brand Cocopat and unfortunately they do not deliver anywhere at the moment apart from Balkan countries (Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia etc.). Their bags are great quality and so so pretty. This is the first bag that I got from them but definitely not the last one.

WHAT I WORE:

Top: Zara

Skirt: H&M

Sandals: New Look(similar)

Bag: Cocopat

Earrings: Accessorize

Sunday Brunch

Published on July 14, 2017July 21, 2020 by Anita1 Comment

I don’t think I’ve ever been awake early enough to get into Central London by 10am on a Sunday morning and there are not many things that can make me do that. But breakfast at the floral cabanas at Coppa Club was one of them. To start with, it was the most beautiful place where you could have breakfast, decorated with wisteria flowers( fake ones to avoid the bees). Situated right on the River Thames these custom made cabanas offered a stunning view of both Tower Bridge and The Shard.

It took us a while to decide what to choose what to have because everything on the menu looked so yummy but in the end I opted for my ultimate breakfast favourite – waffles with berries, cremé fresh , honey and bee pollen.

For this occasion, I once again chose gingham as a base. I would love to say that this is the last gingham item I bought this summer but it’s not. 😀

The skirt was a copy of a more famous red one from Zara. I didn’t manage to get the one from Zara on time but this one from Shein was just as equally good.

I know this tee is the biggest blogger cliche around at the moment, but when I actually saw it in Topshop I just had to have it.

WHAT I WORE: Skirt: SheIn ; Top: Topshop; Shoes: Oasis; Bag: Zara(similar); Earrings: Accessorize;

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Brighton My Day

Published on June 24, 2017July 21, 2020 by Anita1 Comment

WHAT I WORE: Jeans: ASOS| Top: Next| Sandals: NewLook(last season)| Bag: Zara(similar)

It’s been a week of summer here in the UK and that means that everyone has moved to the seaside for the weekend to escape London’s heat. Even though the weather forecast said it was only 25 in Brighton by noon it was over 30 so luckily I had a spare outfit and these jeans only lasted for a few hours! We used the quiet morning to walk from Brighton Pier to Hove, soak up the sun and take some pictures. But who would resist when there are the cutest bus stops and bandstands I’ve ever seen.

As the most appropriate for this cute place was this even cuter bow top from Next combined with all-time favorite beach bag.