MOST OF ALL, I WILL MISS...MY FRIENDS

Obviously, London would not have been so amazing if it wasn't for my friends. Friends are what make a place truly home and I feel really at home here and will miss everyone so much. There is nothing like having a pint in a good ol' English pub on a Friday evening to bitch our troubles away. It has been a blast!

I wish I found these friendship bracelets from Pinterest a lot earlier as I would make one for each one of you! xoxox

I WILL MISS...BOROUGH MARKET

My perfect weekend in London always starts with a trip to Borough Market to sample cheeses, olives, cured meats and eat lunch from one of the various food stands. Nowhere else can you find ostrich meat, Lebanese spices, sea salt from France, goat's milk ice cream, truffles from Italy, and fish and chips in one place. yummm, so much choice.

Cos are online! but.....

Only a week ago did I wish that I could buy Cos online , then poof! today they announce the opening of their online shop. It has a good clear photos and beautiful clean lay out, which I would expect nothing less from them. The only problem is... the do not ship to Canada. Tear.  At least now, I will be able to see what they have on offer and I will wait patiently for them to expand to North America.

I WILL MISS....LIBERTY

 

Liberty is my favourite shop in London by far, and one of the oldest. Opened in 1875, the design and contents of this striking Tudor building is luxurious and homey and crafty all at the same time. The shoe floor is one of my favourite, it is plush and cool making every shoe feel special. Their carefully selected designer bags and jewelry and sunglasses on the first floor are to die for, I usually dream of every piece long after I leave the building. I rarely buy anything here but am always inspired and excited after I leave.

I WILL MISS....THE VICINITY TO PARIS

Two hours on the Eurostar gets you to Paris for the weekend or just for the day for lunch with friends, love it.
I love being so close to some really amazing cities in Europe. Now my travels will take me across North America to discover some other great cities. New York here I come!

I WILL MISS....COS

Okay, okay, Cos is Swedish but it is something I will not be able to get in Canada. Hopefully one day they will open a shop in Canada or do something about their website and open online!

I am no longer working which means I am not able to spend a single penny on myself unless it is absolutely essential. I would argue that a new winter coat from COS is essential but my boyfriend would disagree. So, the stupidest thing I could have done today was walk into COS just to take a look. I, of course, wanted everything. I started to sweat and had to leave before my card accidentally paid for a new cotton dress or a pair of leather mittens (so cute!).

I walked out only with the Fall issue of their magazine for some eye candy and it did not disappoint. I love the colours they have chosen this year, marl greys, soft neutrals, deep jewel tones which are accented with a bright orange.

I WILL MISS....VIEWING MODERN ART...

...AT THE TATE MODERN FOR FREE. So many great artists fill this old power plant; Man Ray, Warhol, Rothko, Dali, Picasso...the list goes on.

I WILL MISS........TOPSHOPS TAKE ON THE NEW TRENDS

 Isabel Marant Vs. Topshop

I am in love with the first pair of Isabel Marant Bekket hi top suede sneakers from Net-a-Porter for £430 but if you want some high top wedge sneakers for cheap go to Topshop and buy these leather lace ups for only £75.

So Long London

I have to be honest with you all, I have not been posting lately as I have made the hard decision of leaving London for good and I have been savouring every moment of this summer with my friends.
It has been an amazing four years in this city and I have learned a lot from her and she has inspired me every day. I will be sad to leave but excited for the next chapter. I am moving to the coolest city in Canada (Montreal) and I will make it my mission to bring you what inspires me from Canada. There will probably be more posts about interiors as we are hoping to finally buy a home to settle down in and more posts dedicated to keeping warm in the winter without sacrificing style too much.

 Before I go, I will leave you with the list of things I will miss most about London in the next few weeks.

photo: London Print from Etsy by Blana Gomez

My studio has flatlined

Maybe it was my last post that made me flatline but I am having MAJOR bloggers block. I will be back one day I promise. Loads of stuff going on right now so give me another couple weeks to find some inspiration. xx min

Flat-Simply Cos

I love the way Cos showcased their clothing without models in their SS11 Magazine. It shows off the textures and quality of the clothing without knowing what the garments look like but still puts together a complete look. You can just feel the softness of the clothing from this image and it reminds me of a designers mood board for a new collection. Beautiful.

Gotta love the Queen-Today's Stylist cover

Where do you keep your shoes?

I am catching up on my blogs after holiday and found this photo on emmas designblogg today. I would love to have space to display my shoes like this! My shoe collection is hideously thrown into our front closet and they all get crumpled and I forget what I have. I should at least put them in boxes and label them or something.

How do you store your shoes?

Rope and Stone-Holiday with Proenza Schouler

I know I am a bit all over the place with just posting a necklace for autumn and now I am posting a necklace for summer. What can I say, I think about autumn and summer at the same time, I guess it is part of working in fashion!

I am off to get some sun today and I wish I could go on holiday with this Proenza Schouler necklace. Too bad it is a little pricey as US$650! I will have to try and replicate this myself...

Well, I'm off to the airport now, see you next week!


photo: net-a-porter.com

Orange: Inspired by Fendi

My brief: Orange.

What better place to find inspiration for orange than Fendi's AW11 collection? Those beautiful orange tights with blue and khaki combo looks better than black for Autumn.

This knitted necklace is for a good friend, enjoy! xx

Spring Cycling!

Now that it is officially spirng, I have finally got back on my bicycle after a cold winter.

Along with my wardrobe I also want to update my bike. I have been eyeing the Carrie Bicycle basket from Design House Stockholm ever since I saw a cute girl in Sweden riding along with one on her bike. I like the green in concept but I think I will go with black.

Design House Stockholm also have other great accesories for the home like Block Lamp and Whale Tong. The flagship store in London is on King's Road but you can also stop by the bottom floor of Selfridges for their concession.

photo: designhousestockhom.com

For Japan with Love

I have wanted to go to Tokyo for as long as I can remember dreaming about the places I would travel one day. My boyfriend and I decided 3 months ago that we would finally book the trip of a lifetime and go for my 30th birthday on April 4 this year. We have now regrettably cancelled our trip.

I have not been able to look away from the Live BBC news feed since the earthquake and feel helpless as things get worse and worse. 

Two bloggers EverOurs and UtterlyEngaged started this charity and have already surpassed their goal by over 500%!

Every penny counts: http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/

Versailles by Robert Polidori at Galleria Carla Sozzani

The photographs by Montreal born Robert Polidori at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan were stunning.

His photographs capture the Palace of Versailles over the span of 25 years in beautiful detail and and eerie feeling of emptiness. My favourite photographs were of the ones focused in on details like unraveling wallpaper, the rich colour on the walls or close ups of the frames, instead of the paintings in them. Very inspiring.

Back from Milan

I have just returned from a business trip in Milan, tired and full of pasta and wine.

We had a few hours on Saturday to do touristy things, this is the marble flooring in the Duomo in Milan. More Milan photos to come and back to regular posting.

GRAZE-Snacks delivered to your desk!

I was walking through my office and saw a whole group of girls eating snacks out of cute cardboard boxes at their desk. I am a sucker for cute packaging and I found out that these snacks were actually delivered to the office!

From graze.com these snack boxes are tailored to your tastes and sent to your office in time for tea. You choose your day and you choose your likes from a list of mixed nuts, seeds, dried fruits and even olives and a box is put together for you. Oooh, and some of the nut mixes include little naughty chocolates too!

I really like the idea that instead of reaching for the biscuit tin I will now reach into my graze box and take out something healthy each day. They even provide you with the nutritional information of each section of your personalized box.

In my box above from top left to right:

mayan mocha, americas nut mix, wasapea, little figgy went to the market.

Proenza Schouler PS1 bag obsession

When I am procrastinating at work, sometimes I go to proenzaschouler.com and just stare at the PS1 Medium Black Leather bag and dream that one day I will be able to own it, then I go out and play the lottery because it costs over a grand.

Today's procrastinating brought me to the new Fall 2011 pre-order PS1 Medium Blanket Jacquard available for delivery in October of this year. Not as versitile as the black one but just as beautiful and more unique.

Inspirational look

I would like to thank Style Spot for posting this photo from Elle Russia Feb 2011. This look is what I strive for; casual simplicity but cool at the same time. I never quite get there so I am re-posting this to inspire me.

Knitted Necklace

I take up knitting every November and am usually done with it after knitting a couple scarves for Christmas gifts. This year though I am still going strong and have made three snoods, a hat and even a pair of socks!
As winter is coming to a close I don't see the point in knitting yet another snood or scarf, and a sweater is too daunting, maybe next year.

Instead, I found this braided necklace pattern on the Rowan website and had to give it a go.  You can find the pattern here if you are a knitter and need a fun, new project!

Balenciaga Retro Sunnies

I don't know why but I like my sunglasses to look a bit retro. I think it is because they make me feel powerful but also sort of like a space invader.

These Balenciaga lovelies are from  mytheresa.com for £215

High fashion to High street-Sandals

I love London's hight street, you can always find something on trend for a fraction of the designer prices. These sandals are a perfect example, they are all leather and they range from a designer price of £295 to high street at £39.99, bargain!

Wait! Before you look at the prices, which one is your favourite?

Ok, the prices are...

From top:

River Island: £39.99

Carvela: £75.00

Marni: £295

Chloe: £495

Clothes for girls on bicycles!

Phillip Lim told style.com:  "It's about these chic women who ride bikes to work, to brunch, to a cocktail party,"

I love that he thought about us girls on bikes!

I also love the his use of colours in the layering, the khaki green, deep blue and camel combo on the left is my favourite.      

P.S. follow the fingerless bike gloves and check out that manicure! A blue painted half moon with a nude nail!

photos: style.com



Chair Love!

I have only recently started having the same heart stopping feeling over pieces of furniture as I do when I see a beautiful dress. I was speechless when Design*Sponge posted this chair from design student Linda Vännström which they saw at the Stockholm Design Fair. 

This print reminds me of the materials All Saints use on their dresses every season. This year it looks like they have replaced the ramskull print with palm trees and flowers.

photo :Design*Sponge.com, AllSaints.com

Stylist loves Ballet

I love contemporary ballet and I love Stylist's ballet cover today, plus there are three to choose from! Exclusive from London Fashion week starting this friday, the covers showcase three designers of the moment: David Koma, Lanvin, Maison Martin Margiela. My only criticism is that they should have focused on only London designers but I can't fault the covers, they are beautiful!
Stylist is the best free magazine handed out in London by far, even better than some of the magazines on the newstands. If you don't live in London, you can even read their weekly issues online!

Alexander Wang at his best

There are so many fashion journalists and bloggers that cover the fashion shows that I no longer have to rely upon Style.com for my fashion show coverage.

These are some of the photos of the Alexander Wang's really amazing collection from around the web. My heart skips a beat with every photo I see from this collection, it is perfect.
Bryanboy also has a great final run through video on his blog here.

photos: 1. Stylebubble.com, 2-4. Vmagazine.com, Wmagazine.com

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

 

Friday night I went to Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental hotel, appropriately named Dinner.
The food was incredible but what was even more incredible was that Heston was there, sitting right behind us taking to Jonathan Ross for a half hour. I was so self conscious I was paralyzed for a minute until I took the first bite out of my meal and they were forgotten.

My favourite dish was my starter, Meat Fruit. A mandarin look alike made out of a mandarin jelly of some sort with chicken liver parfait inside. It was sublime. The chocolate bar with sea salt and a side of ginger ice cream was good too of course.

The interior of the restaurant was simple and inviting. A glass walled kitchen so you can watch all the action and my favourite feature were the lights made out of vintage jelly moulds!
Sorry there are no photos, I already felt silly taking photos of my food there!

Style blogs and their selling power

I have to admit, most of my shopping is fueled from reading other blogs. I will be minding my own business going through my daily blog reads and all of a sudden I find myself in an online checkout because of what I just saw someone wearing or writing about.

The main reason is that I think the way some bloggers (especially Elin Kling from Style by Kling) style themselves is far superior to the way the retailer may style the same piece. (Well Elin is a professional stylist and has and H&M collection out in Sweden right now).

Take a look at the two images above. Which coat would you buy? The coat that Elin is wearing looks cool and casual, whereas I think the coat on the right from Zara.com looks a bit dumpy. You can buy this Zara coat online for £119 here! ;-) 

This is exactly the reason why so many bloggers get stuff for free! Retailers know that a blog can fuel the need for a product when you see someone wearing or talking about it. It is virtual word of mouth and it clearly works on me.

photo: left-StylebyKling.net, right-zara.com