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)...