iPhone Pics - May 2011

I have been meaning to start this type of post within my Life in Pictures series for a while, after last month's iPhone post, Liquid. I don't carry my dslr around with me all of the time unless I know I am specifically going to shoot something, it is far too heavy and cumbersome. But as we all know, the best shots happen when you least expect them and they are most definitely not planned. So this is where my trusty iPhone comes in with the fantastic app that is Instagram, even though I am still getting into the habit of thinking of my phone as a camera. So for those who do not already follow me on Instagram (pink_bow) - I've put an Instagram button in my side panel on the right for easy access - or Twitter, every month I am going to do a round up of the previous month's Life in Pictures...

1. Trying to read more - Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, I would most heartily recommend this book.

2. I wasn't sure if I would take to yellow nails, so instead of splashing out on Chanel's Mimosa, I bought Top Shop's Bees Knees instead.

3. We had a beach/Hawaii themed day at work, this was as Hawaiian as I got!!

4. I hardly ever buy magazines anymore but this cover with Alexa Chung persuaded me otherwise.

5. My dress wardrobe was a nightmare, I dreaded opening it's doors to the 150+ dresses crammed inside. In fact, the doors could hardly close. So I had a tidy out, got rid of some dresses and colour-coded the rest. I did feel a little sad for doing so, but it really has made getting dressed on a morning so much easier.

6. The painted walls in Covent Garden's Ladurée were so pretty.

7. Had a day trip to London and went into Beyond Retro, didn't buy anything other than a tote bag though :-(

8. Went for lunch at Ladurée in Covent Garden, this was the second part of the meal.

9. The cake of all cakes in Ladurée, the Saint-Honorés.

10. I bought some tea and macarons from Ladurée for home and these were the last of them, enjoyed on a Saturday morning whilst browsing the web.

11. I think regular readers will know by now that I have a bit of a thing for lip balm and always have several on the go at the same time. So I couldn't resist trying this when I spotted it in Anthropologie in London. A favourite already, just the right consistency and tingle.

12. Another Anthropologie buy, I'm a sucker for pretty packaging and this will making cleaning my teeth that much nicer!

Next Press Day ~ AW11

My first press day was to view the Autumn/Winter 11 collection by Next. I was as excited to meet fellow bloggers and meet the Next team as much as I was to see their new offerings. It wasn't until later when editing and choosing photographs for this post, that I realised my eye had been firmly drawn to Next's homeware and fashion accessories.

I loved the way the homeware had been set out, a topsy-turvy tumble of different pieces and accessories for the home, it's the little details that make a home individual and there was a good selection to choose from. Fashion-wise, the shoes, handbags, hats and scarves were personal favourites amongst themes of preppy, 70's bohemian as well as those classics Next are so well known for.

This being my first event, I'm sorry to say I did not photograph the people around me, concentrating instead on what you see here. My blogging life so far has been rather covert, it was slightly strange to be in a room filled with other bloggers going about their business just like me. But to see a little more of the day, check out this post by Sophie.

A big thanks to Eleanor, Vicki and Jenny for the invite and arranging my trip.

Picture An Hour - 25th May 2011

Picture An Hour - Or thereabouts

Day trip to London to attend Next Press Day

8am - My day starts on the train with a Latte & Almond Croissant

9am - Some crochet for the journey

10am - I plan my route

11am - Almost arrive in London King's Cross

11.30am - First call Anthropologie, Liberty and Beyond Retro which are all within close distance of one another & through the mirror of a Liberty elevator

12.30pm The cutest pink Figaro car as I walk along the street from Beyond Retro

1.00pm - Arrive at Ladurée in Covent Garden for lunch

(thanks to a tip from Dani Loves, as I hadn't realised it had finally opened)

3.30pm - After a quick visit into the Very Press Event with Jen, we arrive at the Next Press Event, where we were given glasses of Prosecco and Afternoon Tea - the blurred person in the background is Sherin :-)

6.00pm - We left Next to cool down and sit in the park opposite, admiring the beautiful flower display on the way out

7.30pm - Finally on the train home, tired but content

9.30pm - I admire my nails that I had done earlier in the day at the event

Slightly cheating, I was too tired when I arrived home at 11.30pm to take this picture, so it's from the next morning instead. Goodies from the day - Very goody-bag purple suede bag; Beyond Retro tote bag (which I needed to buy having ran out of space in my own bag); Ladurée tea & macarons; Next goody-bag silk scarf & sunglasses; Smith's lip balm and Marvis toothpaste from Anthropologie

Outfit details: Vintage dress via Etsy ~ H&M rope belt ~ Casio watch ~ Chanel Nouvelle Vague nails

Basic Boots

I'm a huge advocate of bulk buying basics in lots of different colours. When you know you are going to wear something repeatedly and they have such a good fit, it makes sense to me to buy a few at the same time. So when I recently bought these boots (worn here) and have worn them to death in the short time I have had them, I knew that it would be a wise investment for me to look for more in different colours. When browsing Spartoo, I discovered the brand Les Tropéziennes par M Belarbi and found my basic boots in black and navy (they also stock tan and grey) and with a 20% discount no less. I see these getting a LOT of wear!

London Town

I'm quite excited to be travelling to London tomorrow for my first press day. Although I have been invited to them before, I have never been able to attend for one reason or another. It will be great to finally get to meet some of the people I have virtually met since starting my blog. I also adore train trips, there's something so exciting about getting on a train I think, Starbucks in hand. As I am travelling by myself, I will have lots of patience for photo taking, listening to my iPod and getting on with my crochet on my journey. That is the plan anyway, I may end up spending the two and a half hour journey day-dreaming out of the window!

My train gets in earlier than the appointment, so I have the morning to myself browsing London. Although I don't want to be rushing around (and I always forget how long it actually takes to get around London), I have several places on my hit list. Hopefully, I'll be able to fit them all in - please let me know if you have any suggestions.

On a side note, how cute is this Big Ben miniature teapot? It was the only thing London-related I could find to photograph. I bought it from a tea-room in York last year. I told you I seem to have a thing for tea-pots at the moment...and miniatures it would seem.

Detail of the Day

Vintage gold feather tassel brooch via Luxxor Vintage (worn with old H&M coat & Warehouse lace blouse)

Rockabilly

The perfect summer sandals for me are these red platforms by Rocket Dog via Spartoo. I think they have a bit of a rockabilly vibe to them, great to wear with skintight jeans and wiggle skirts. Red is not a colour I usually buy, and although these shoes are also available in tan, I moved out of my comfort zone as I think the red leather works so well against the brown platform sole. I had been looking for something to wear with the vintage wicker bag I bought last year and these could not be any more suitable. Although they appear quite high and give me several extra inches in height, they are quite deceiving as the platform makes them very comfortable. So accessorised with red lips & nails and some of-the-moment cat-eye sunglasses...all that was missing was some bright sunny weather and a day spent in the park with a picnic.

Outfit details: Vintage head scarf ~ Top Shop black bodysuit ~ Next high waist jeans ~ Vintage gold heart necklace ~ Red sandals via Spartoo ~ Vintage wicker bag via Etsy ~ Ebay cat-eye sunglasses ~ YSL lipstick ~ Top Shop nail enamel

(pictures of me by dad)