Cemetery Gates

Hello...
This last week has been slightly manic for me, assignment deadlines and Easter assessments seem to be looming over me like dark cloud and despite the fact that we are not even into March yet I think the work load will only increase. So of course I turn to blog writing and procrastination instead.

Despite this I've still managed to find the time to have a beautiful few days with my Mum, Dad and sister -Frankie who took the time to head down from Hull and see me here in London. I love my family of nut jobs and we had a great few days of exploring London and being tourists. However our first destination is certainly not a typical first port of call for most tourists.

Highgate Cemetery 

"What?"..." "A cemetery?"..."Why?"  I hear you cry

However Highgate Cemetery isn't any ordinary cemetery (just realised how odd that sentence sounds) But honestly its a really fascinating place full of beautiful architecture and also important and influential people such as communist founder Karl Marx and punk rocker as well as Sex Pistols Manager Malcolm McLaren. As you can tell the diversity of people buried here is massive. Pop Artists, entertainers, scientists, poets we spotted so many influential names. You can even book to be given a guided tour around the private tombs of the rich and famous. (But dad being dad forgot to book before we arrived)

Highgate is the most tranquil part of London I've been too and its so pretty, I loved waking around (despite it feeling freezing cold) admiring the impressive grandeur of the place. I felt as if I had walled straight into the early 1900's or the film set for a ghost story. Even the houses in Highgate have a ghostly elegance. It really is an enchanting part of the city, and if like me you have a weird fascination with graveyards and find them eerily beautiful (hehe) its a must see.

 We also visited the V&A the same day to see the new Musical Theatre exhibition which was really interesting. I love the V&A and can easily spend a day getting lost in all the history. The exhibition contained  costumes, tons of old scripts, set designs and loads more I was in Musical Theatre History heaven.

Another favourite part of the family's trip down was our afternoon down my most loved street possibly in the entire city - Brick Lane. Shoreditch to me is just so cool! I'd love to be able to afford to live around there.
Brick Lane especially is a heaven for vintage lovers and I managed to get some great purchases Blitz Vintage department store. Some flowery culottes (I'd been after a pair for ages) and another blouse, This ones white and it defo has Florence and the Machine vibes going on.  I'd never actually been in Blitz before as its down one of Brick Lanes many side street but its an absolute treasure trove and their £5 sale rail is a great place to start. Rokit, Beyond Retro and the Vintage Guitar shop are another of my favourite shops down Brick lane and I defiantly want to bring my flatmates here to explore Shorditch with me further.

Luckily with it being a Thursday the vintage market was open and we spent a good while perusing old viynls and other random pieces. personally I could just sit and people watch down this street for ever. Its so vibrant and alive with colour, fashion and many curry houses hehe. Luckily for me I spent an hour people watching to my hearts content in the sweetest little coffee house. It was basically a very old, very tiny converted house, it even had the original log fire place juxtaposing the funky artwork on the wall. I'd also say that this cafe made the best bacon sandwich i'd ever had in London.
 (apart from musical theatre and fashion food is certainly my other love!)

Talking of Brick lane and fashion who can ignore fashion week. This year it seems to have been glitzier than ever which I'm loving! I wish I could go, unfortunately I can't even make fashion weekend with show rehearsals going on but I've stalked Instagram and found some of my most favourite and outrageous looks of this year.

Topshop

Tempereley

Temperley

Temperley 

You can probably tell that Temperley is a particular favourite of mine. God their summer collection looks practically edible with its sweet pastel colours. You can practically smell the flowery patterns! Their collection seems so elegantly British but has crazy edge to it as well.
Thanks to this collection I now also now desperately want to ivest in a cape coat! The purple one is just beautiful (as if i'd ever be able to afford it, I'll keep looking in the charity shops for now hehe). Of course I also enjoyed Topshop's show. I was around the Pimlico area last week and it was full of people who's been attending a LFW event, the street style was fab! I felt so out of place in my dance gear. Street Style at LFW always seems amazing and again I Love stalking Instagram and getting inspiration. The amount of clashing prints and colours were a visual explosion!!!

This week I've been wearing lots of clashing prints too (its just so much fun) I mixed my blue "granny" shirt from EBay with my American Apparel button up skirt with my Granddad cardigan on top (which actually did belong to my Granddad). I Picked the gold locket up at a vintage fair back in Hull. I really liked the clash of the neural colours and random small prints.
 I've also become slightly obsessed with layering turtle necks under t.shirt on casual days and am so happy to be reunited with my Topshop mom jeans after leaving them at home after Christmas (oops) as they look great with this t shirt look.

Shirt - Ebay
Skirt- Urban Outfitters
Locket- Vintage Fair
Cardigan - Vinatge 

I'm also trying to read more about the history of fashion (and just read more in general) At the moment I'm reading a book by the Kyoto Costume Institute called "Fashion- A fashion history of the 20th century" it goes all the way from the 1900's to modern day and is really interesting. Its fascinating to understand more about why women dressed they did depending on the social/historical and political traits of the time. the pictures in it are also stunning and whats even better I picked it up on EBay for £6!

Anyway thanks again for reading my pretty much useless but hopefully interesting drivel. Have a great weekend... I'd better get back to essay writing (urgh)...

Oh! You Pretty Things...

Hello there... me again,

Tributes paid to the great Bowie 

Back with more tales of this ginger's, London life journey. (which so far hasn't disappointed)

I left Hull last week to return back to London College of Music after a wonderful Christmas. I spent the whole trip back listening to Bowie, my family and I still haven't got over his passing and his music has been a huge part of my life. His "always be yourself" attitude also inspires me to try as many new things as possible, whether that be in fashion or just everyday life.
When I arrived at Kings Cross I also saw the many beautiful tributes paid to Alan Rickman who will be forever known to have the greatest acting voice ever! RIP Alan!

"There's a starman waiting in the sky" 

Brixton 

"Always" Tributes to Alan Rickman at Kings Cross 

I'm sure you all know about this beautiful city that I am now  lucky enough to call home but I really can't stress how amazing it actually is. I love the fact that I can take as many impromptu trips into the centre (and also the hidden corners) as my oyster card will allow.

This week I felt like I needed a bit of space to breathe and relax after the stress of this weeks exam results ( I actually did okay for the first term at uni) and found myself gravitating towards St Paul's Cathedral. Of course its one of the centre pieces of London's famous skyline and maybe not the place to visit for some quite alone time, with tourists constantly  bustling to view it impressive dome
but despite this it always seems like a peaceful part of central London and I love walking around its grounds, admiring its architecture and escaping the confides of uni accommodation.
As I meandered around, Starbucks hot chocolate in hand I was reminded how much I love London and despite my family being many miles away up north I'm so lucky to be in such a historical and cultural city.

As well as my walk around St Paul's this week I also ended up along Kensington High street with my flatmate, Toni. I love Kensington, it's so elegantly grand. The houses here are stunning - Just like Mary Poppins houses. One day maybe I'll be lucky enough to live in one but considering I want to go into musical theatre I'll probably never even be able to afford a caravan. Good job I love shopping in charity shops and high street sales and the shops down Kensington High street didn't disappoint and in true me fashion I didn't leave empty handed. I managed to grab a bargain by buying a brown leather handbag I'd had my eye on for ages from Urban Outfitters (for less than half the original price). American Apparel were also selling off their hair-bows for a fiver and I could't resist adding a cute black and white one to my collection. (I'm slightly obsessed)

This weeks also been great for the all important second hand buys off Ebay - I'm a total Ebay junkie and really need to start resisting the temptation to buy more clothes, however this week that clearly didn't happen as I won a blue, floral, chiffon shirt originally for Wallice for just £3. I also bought a lovely little vintage broach for just £3.50, which I think will look super cute attached to the top button of a shirt just under the collar.

Recently I have been taking as many opportunities as possible to wear clothes that aren't black - as I have to wear black every day at LCM. For my trip to St Pauls I wore my new denim dungarees from We Are Cow. This is a really cute vintage shop that I've recently discovered and its stocks some great things that are really reasonably priced. Some Topshop stores also stock it and I managed to get this pair of dungarees for just a tenner in the January sales. They look so cute with the Doc Martins I got for Christmas.
My Cardigan was donated to me by my brothers Wife who had found it in a charity shop for just £2. Its lovely and warm and great quality - such a steal!

Cardigan- charity shop
dungarees- We are Cow
Shirt- Primark
pendant- Ebay 

Hair Bow- American Apparel 

Bag- New look 

I'm also trying to get as much wear as possible out of my Blue 60's style winter coat before the spring weather (hopefully) starts to appear.

Coat - Asos
Bag - Urban Outfitter
Scarf - Primark 

I'm feeling so cosy tucked up in my campervan duvet, under my campervan bunting, sipping tea from my campervan mug (are you beginning to see a theme - haha) my room looks so pretty at the moment. especially as I actually cleaned it the other day and at last bought some batteries for my fairy lights. I got some pretty little lights from Primark to add extra sparkle to my picture washing line and I really wan to buy some more. They're made with metal wiring meaning you can twist them around pretty much anything. it also me and thy're extra light and are surprisingly bright. I love them.

Well I better get to sleep as I've promised myself that this term I will go to bed earlier when I can. Uni isn't just about exploring London and partying - although I do seem to do a lot of that! No this week I've got to be rested as I have performance of a new short musical written by me and seven of my class mates, as well as lots of dance classes and rehearsals for our spring show.
I'm hoping I will get time  to nip to a local vintage fair on Sunday and I also want to go to Brick lane and the theatre again.... but I'll keep you posted.

 Go to sleep Elsie.... Stop waffling on!

Night fellow blog lovers...