Spitalfields

Wearing:

Coat - Forever 21, Shirt - Zara, Trousers - Jennifer Lopez for Kohls, Sneakers - Adidas Superstars, Bag - Oasis

I really wanted to see all parts of London, so on this day of the trip my mom and I ventured out to the East End.  We spent the beginning of the day vintage shopping out by Brick Lane, where I unfortunately forgot to take any pictures.  On Brick Lane, there was a specific shop that I wanted to stop at: Hunky Dory Vintage.  If you've seen the movie About Time (my favorite movie), the character of Mary lives above that shop, so it became a top priority of mine.  It was at the very end of Brick Lane (the opposite end from where I started), but once I found it, it was a great shop!  They have tons of clothes and accessories from the 1950s and 1960s, but it goes up to the 1980s.  There I tried on an adorable, grey, 1960s dress, but alas, it was too small.  I didn't leave empty handed though,  as I found a small, black and red purse that I would guess is also from the 1960s.

After roaming around Brick Lane, we found ourselves at Old Spitalfields Market.  We didn't do too much shopping there, just a gift bought for a friend, but we did eat at Square Pie Company.  When I was in London in 2013, I also went to Spitalfields Market and ate at Square Pie Company, and it was still as good now as it was then.

I found it interesting how modern the East End was.  People always hear about the East End being rough and dodgy, but many new businesses are opening up in the area, thus gentrifying the area.  With the gentrification of the area, there are many, many modern buildings that you wouldn't find in many other areas of London.  I probably took too many pictures, but I just loved the contrast of the old and the new.

I picked up this turtleneck at Zara and immediately fell in love with it.  I'm not sure if you can tell, but in the corner of the shirt it has a heart with wings, a cassette tape, and a donut.  Being a fan of turtlenecks and donuts, how could I say no to this shirt?  Wanting to keep this look kind of casual, I decided to wear my Adidas but also these looser trousers for a bit of a different shape from my skinny jeans.  I also noticed that it seemed like 90% of London women have this "drop all/hobo" style tote bag; when I found this suede and leather one on clearance at Oasis I decided to pick it up.  Finally I wore my grey, Forever 21 coat because it was the only coat I brought with me.

Elizabeth xx

Kensington Palace and Gardens

The Orangerie 

 

Wearing:

Vest - Primark, Shirt - Boohoo, Jeans - BDG (Urban Outfitters), Boots - Candies (Kohls), Tote - Target

Before I left on my trip to England, my mom and I watched the movie The Young Victoria.  It tells the story of how Queen Victoria came to be queen and her relationship with her (soon to be) husband Albert.  It's a beautiful movie that I loved, and much of the movie takes place at Kensington Palace.  After looking into it, I knew that I had to visit it.

Unfortunately, part of the outside of the Palace was under construction (which is why I didn't take too many pictures of the outside), but once I stepped inside, I could instantly feel the history.  My mom and I walked through all of the inside, including the King's Quarters, the Queen's Quarters, and the fashion exhibit of clothes owned by Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Diana.  After touring all of the Palace, my mom and I walked across the gardens to The Orangerie, where we had afternoon tea (for pictures of tea, check out my instagram).  I'm really not much of a tea person, but being able to have tea with a beautiful view of Kensington Gardens and Palace, it's definitely an incredible experience I'll never forget.

Elizabeth xx

Notting Hill

Wearing:

Coat - Forever 21, Dress - Target, Shirt - Forever 21, Boots - Candies for Kohls, Tote - Target

Have you ever seen the movie Notting Hill?  It's been a favorite of mine for ages, and one of my few regrets from my last trip to London in 2013.  Because of that movies, I had always wanted to go see the neighborhood for myself, but when I was in London in 2013, I just didn't have time to go.  So when this trip came along, I knew I needed to make visiting Notting Hill my top priority.  My first free day in London (my first two days there I was visiting schools), I was on a bus to the neighborhood!

My mom and I went up and down Portobello Road - a dream of mine fulfilled.  We started by shopping at a vintage market where I not only found a cool 1960s dress, but I'm also 95% sure I spotted actress Juno Temple!  If it wasn't her, she was definitely a ringer for the actress.  That market had so many amazing vintage finds; I would have loved to buy everything there from the photos to the clothes.  After meandering around the market for awhile, we continued down the road where I eventually found The Notting Hill Bookshop - the bookshop that inspired the one from the movie Notting Hill!  There I purchased a tote bag with the store's logo on it, however I could have bought paper face masks of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant!  After stopping at the book shop, I saw the famous pastel colored homes and just knew that where I wanted to take my outfit pictures.  If I could live in one of those pastel colored houses, my life would be complete.  We also passed by Alice's Antique store, but we didn't have a chance to stop inside.  My mom and I finished the night by leaving Portobello Road and having dinner at a wine bar close to the Notting Hill tube station.  That was one of the best meals I had while I was on the trip!

I love layering turtlenecks with everything, but I love pairing turtlenecks with this dress.  Sometimes when I wear this dress I feel like I should be on the frontier, so I always try and pair non-frontier looking pieces with it, which is why I went with this black and white striped turtleneck.  Finally, because it was chilly, I added tights and my Chelsea boots.

Stay tuned, many more London posts ahead!  Oh, I almost forgot - Happy New Year!  I hope everyone has a fantastic 2016!

Elizabeth xx