HELLO ANYA

I thought I should share one of my favourite Christmas/Birthday presents (yes my birthday falls but three days after Christmas and folk do like to combine the presents - woe is me). 

Because I now have to split my time between London and Devon I decided it would be jolly lovely to ease the transition with be-a-u-tiful travel accessories. I therefore dropped festive hints accordingly, as you do. 

This is the best wash bag going - brilliantly roomy (much bigger than you would think) with trademark organisational pockets on the inside. 

It means I can now throw my whole bathroom in without having to painstakingly funnel each and every product into mini plastic bottles before leaving the house. 

There were also a few lovely products in my Christmas stocking which will also find their way into the new wash bag of dreams. 

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Soap (not pictured), Chanel Pirate nail varnish (an early Christmas present to myself!), Aesop Fabulous Face Oil and Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner. 

A word on the leave in conditioner - it is brilliant, I urge you to try it. 

x

PARKA AND STRIPES

Just a quick outfit post from yesterday - Cos orange and stripe top, Topshop Jamie jeans and Isabel Marant Dicker boots.

Gap parka added for the London chill!

Not overly sure why I struck such a dainty pose, my apologies - but what can one do. 

I also recently sprinted out and purchased Chanel Pirate nail varnish after Emmy of Selective Memory's recommendation! It's rather lovely and my new favourite red shade.

x

NOW IS THE TIME FOR KNITS (AND NOVELTY KNITS)

I make no secret of my love for jumpers (and I haven't even seen The Killing. Imagine if I had?!). 

Truth be told it might just be getting out of hand, but this matters not. They are brilliant. Below are but a few from my vast collection currently doing the rounds. 

APC, Theory, Topshop

My current Topshop favourites - everyone should have a shocking pink mohair affair, a fisherman's knit and a polar bear jumper - shouldn't they?

I'll let this young fellow have the last word. It is bringing me no end of seasonal cheer at the moment!

Wine coloured reindeer wonderfulness. Stopping at polar bears would have been far too chic and restrained.
x

THE 1ST OF DECEMBER CAN MEAN ONLY ONE THING

The start of advent must means it is officially acceptable to air ones Christmas wish list. 

I have been tinkering with mine, adding and subtracting little bits and pieces for ooo... about a month now. It is quite possibly the best distraction there is.

So here she is, a happily endless work in progress:

Topshop dress,  Zara sequined ballet pumps, APC sweater, Topshop angora striped sweater, Mulberry Lily, Diptyque Baies oval, Anya Hindmarch wash bag, Aesop Fabulous Facial Oil, Diptyque spiced plum candle, Jo Malone soaps, Jo Malone bath oil, James Heeley perfume, The West Wing Season 2, Trashy novel, The Lion King Musical tickets, an Au Maison quilt, Mini Uggs

Of course it is a mix of the desperately-hoped-for and the never-going-to-happen (Mulberry Lily that's you I'm afraid). 

But I always love the idea of amassing beautiful new toiletries, pretty dresses, cozy knits, a brilliant box set and a trip to the theatre (my boyfriend has a penchant for musicals...). 

I'm very much hoping for a beautiful floral quilt to appear under the tree this year - I love the vintage look of Au Maison's quilts - they're an affordable investment and look like the kind of thing you would have in your family for years. 

Of course no festive season is complete without a few sequins, (this year they might come in the shape of Zara's brilliant gold ballet pump) and a new season scent - courtesy of Paris based James Heeley's Menthe Fraiche.

This entry will most likely mark me out as something of a brat - but never fear, despite my long list I'm mostly looking forward to The Muppets' Christmas Carol, turkey, stuffing, Christmas pudding and cake, The Rat Pack's jazz CD, champagne and tying everything within reach in gingham ribbon. 

What is on your Christmas list this year? I assure you it isn't too early. :)

THREE'S A CROWD

...I know I shouldn't be saying this, nor thinking this, nor going anywhere near my computer to silently type about this...

But I must. I am in love (again) with this beautiful little fellow. 

Hello Lover

There's just something so appealing about her. She's coquettish, content, happy-go-lucky, devil may care, and somehow manages to look to me like she's spent more than a little time skipping through the streets of Paris. 

And did I mention I've always been a fan of the Lily? (dubious about Mulberry quality of late I must admit, but such issues pale into insignificance now).

At first I thought it was black suede - I could take that - but oh no. Nothing so obvious would be at work here. It is (of course) an utterly wondrous midnight blue - that never-bettered bed fellow of grey and denim. Be still my beating heart.

Perhaps it is a passing fancy (the fluttering in my chest would certainly point to such a conclusion) but I'm in those first heady days of a possible new dalliance, and I am beginning to believe such a pretty bag would make everything just that little bit rosier. 

The worst of it is, I'm only just newly wedded to my current bag - a beautifully, perennially cool black Balenciaga number. Now that is a long term love affair that will last through the years. There was no fluttering heart when I purchased my City - just a calm certainty. (Don't worry I will cease and desist talking about bags like they matter a jot in just a second). 

But I have often thought - conveniently I'll admit - that a gal needs more than one bag. (Three would be plain gauche, but two? Two strikes the right note don't ya think?) So this gal I speak of needs a burst of fun sometimes, a boost, to make her feel light of heart and young again. 

My City does so much, and with such quiet, self-assured grace, but to skip off and kick up my heels with Lily every now and then, to throw caution to the wind and be foolish and fancy free... now that would be a delight.

Do you have anything in your wardrobe that lifts your mood so unfailingly?

Photograph credit: mulberry.com

p.s. If my poor boyfriend reads this he may just pass out.

JUST TO SAY...

I did make it back from holiday in one piece! My holiday has seemingly extended into a bit of a blogging holiday, which was not my intention. Time has just run away from me of late. 

There have been a number of changes recently - new season, new career aspirations, new-ish home (more of which in my next post). So all has been a little hectic - too hectic to put pen to paper - keyboard to blog if you will - let alone coordinate any nice outfits or outfit observations to share with you. A thousand apologies. :)

So in the mean time I wanted to record a few images from my holiday (as inappropriate as it is now we're racing towards Halloween and the like!!) 

It was truly lovely - beautiful weather after the first thundery day and landing during a thunderstorm no less... 

Tasty food, lots of G&Ts and Retsina, basking in the sunshine and swimming in the sea. 

The view from beneath my umbrella... naturally

The lovely view from our little villa

Greek honey of course! And lots of it!

Topshop dress, Stella McCartney woven sandals and Essie Lollipop polish

My Topshop "holiday dress" - apologies for the headless picture, I struggled to find one of my face doing a nice, normal expression. I'm a challenging photographic subject it would appear! 

There is no denying it's a jazzy pattern, but I feel one needs a bit of jazz on holiday. 

To follow - less summer, more Autumn/Winter!! 

x

MY OPTIONAL EXTRAS

I'm going to have to back pedal just a bit, because, I'm afraid I'm going on my holidays. That's right, my summer holiday is coming just as everyone else is dusting off their winter coat and planning their new Autumn wardrobes. 

Perhaps then this entry will be something a little different (a little late I hear you say), and perhaps evoke a nice hazy nostalgia for the season that is most definitely belting out its swan song, at full volume, as I type.

I mentioned my favourite Greek summer destination here, and this is where I shall be heading in the wee small hours of Monday morning. I'm hoping against hope that the weather holds, and it will all be sea, swimming, tavernas, retsina, G&Ts, and glorious hours whiled away reading a good or trashy novel (both are welcome, I won't lie).

My chosen reads for this holiday: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, One Day by David Nicholls, Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes (I spy a trashy read...)

There are a few things that will always take up precious EasyJet space when packing for a summer trip: a black bikini, a white cotton cover up, black Havianas, a panama hat, raw edge denim shorts, easy jersey - you get my drift. But I thought it would be nice to share a few of the extra things that I'm looking forward to including this year.

I always want a little more colour in my holiday wardrobe - to add some pizazz, if you will, to my grey jersey, blue denim and simple ballet pumps. What you wear in the city just feels a little bit wrong on holiday. A little bit buttoned up, thought out, stiff. I find there has to be a new ease, a certain freedom, and an element of fun. 

When carefully chosen, colourful elements are added to a clean simple wardrobe, it seems to make for the prefect summer transformation. 

Here are a few examples of the coloured and printed bits and pieces which I'll be taking to Greece alongside my usual clothes this year:

Topshop floral orange embroidered bikini

My new Ebayed nee Primark straw bag

Lucy Folk taco friendship bracelets

Topshop rose print floral dress

(As a side note, I must admit I have been struggling ALL summer to find that glorious every occasion summer dress. One that is easy and breezy, pretty and stylish, that you don't have to worry one jot about - you take it out of your suitcase and it does everything it needs to do. No fuss. At long last, I have found my dress just in time. It is a lovely floral number from Topshop and when I showed it to my boyfriend, his first response, his oh so precious, unprompted response was thus: "It's very Mama Mia isn't it?" (reference: film version, Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried). You may laugh, but this is exactly the what I was after.) 

So my holiday wardrobe is shaping up to look a little something like this: 

How does your summer holiday wardrobe differ from your usual wardrobe? If it's not too late to ask?! :)