Edinburgh Adventures

In my eyes, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities and to me it is a 'walking city', you just have to get out and explore by foot. I spent the weekend in the city with my boyfriend and his fam, so we had a huge apartment to host the eight of us through until the morning after a big ol' Scottish birthday do.

Here I am just going to share some images and hot spots to visit on a short break away.

 

Day trips:

The best recommendation I can give for Edinburgh is to just put on your walking boots and take a stroll. The architecture and highland back drop is so spectacular that I could just wonder around all day taking hundreds of photos. We started at Edinburgh Castle for a little history lesson and to take the opportunity to look out over the city and out to sea! Well worth the hike up the street to get there. From the castle, follow the Royal Mile road straight back down (stop by Just Burgers and Beers to refuel) through the town, taking in the wide variety of 'Scotland souvenir' shops and get ready for some participation activities at Dynamic Earth. An activities centre which looks through the history of the universe, from space, the Big Bang and volcanoes to rainforests, the ice age and costal changes. 

 

 

Dinning:

For breakfast I would highly suggest you find the Smokestack on Broughton Street. With a wide selection of options from a slap up Full Breakfast,  bagels, and other savouries, to my choice of banana and chocolate waffles. A truly sweet way to start the morning and washed down with a 'morning glory' (ahem) smoothie; a mix of melon, banana and strawberry.

After reading The Little Magpie's recommendation to try Just Beer & Burgers, my boyfriend and I happened to stumble across this diner after a hearty walk around the Edinburgh Castle, so we figured it would be rude not to try it out. I can safely say it was a fantastic choice! The choice of burger is vast, pretty much any toppings you want in the 'build your own' or you can go with one of their combinations. I opted for The Brinner, basically breakfast in a burger, hash brown, fried egg, bacon, caramelised onions and the beef burger. Yum! As I'm not a massive beer fan I tried a kiwi and lime cider, which was so light and fresh I could probably have drunk them all day. 

 

 

I had such a wonderful weekend with my boyfriend and his family, ending with a party Saturday night to celebrate his Aunties birthday. Getting dolled up and drinking and dancing the night away with loved ones is the perfect way to end a great trip (the five hour journey home at 9am the next morning was not so much fun).

Let me know any places you'd like to visit in Edinburgh or places you love :) 

           

ELLE Insider X Jack Wills Spring Lates Event

As an ELLE Insider I had the privilege to attend the Jack Wills event at Covent Garden on Wednesday night. With a look at the latest SS15 collections, some goodies, canapés, drinks and an exclusive Q&A with Richard Nicoll himself.

New creative director of Jack Wills, Richard Nicoll is bringing something new to the quint essentially British brand. You can still expect comfortable lounge wear, logo sweatpants and sweatshirts but the collection is more theme driven with a nod to 90s Brit Pop and the sixties.

During the Q&A with Richard Nicoll we discovered that he is inspired by the youthful optimism and hopes to create an adventurous spirit through the youth culture, with sugary colours representing the 'pop and energy' of the sixties. He is keen on personalising a look, so this season you can collect badges and patches to monogram your fave JW pieces. Another collection favourite is the classic Jack Wills trench coat, updated by injecting a hyper-real bubblegum pink to make the jacket really stand out from the crowd. 

I have mentioned before I am personally fond of the sport luxe look and so I asked Richard where his interest in sports and fashion comes from "I can't really explain why I like it but it's something I've always approached and I like that athletic asthetic, it's something I find very popular in the youth culture, they manage to take a sweatshirt but create modern looks by pairing it with tailored pieces."

We got a brief understanding of where the idea for the shoot location came from "I loved the idea of having this urban backdrop 'a sort of brutalist architecture' against the sugary coloured clothes." For the summer collection we can expect a feeling of a right of passage in 'summer escapism' with a mix of a nautical old school Jack Wills prep look with a more bohemian and organic feel. I can't wait to see the images from the shoot in Cape Town!

As the night came to end, DJ still playing, drinks flowing, I picked out a couple of pieces that I'd had my eye on; the staple grey jersey sweater (remember my sweater obsession... It's continuing) and a classic nautical striped day dress which will be perfect when we get some warmer days.

Thank you ELLE for a fab event hosted by the gorgeous Jack Wills store in Covent Garden, I think I might need one of those chandeliers for my room! 

Dinner Date

On Friday night I consumed some fabulous cocktails and calypso chicken meal at a gorgeous Caribbean restaurant in Camden. This night out gave me the excuse to bust out my fave new accessory, the bright patterned clutch bag. Big enough for all my necessities, but small enough to look cute with any outfit it is the perfect evening bag. I tend to keep my outfits quite plain, blacks and navy, so I like to add colour through accessories. 

Friday night I paired it with high-waisted jeggings and high neck black top, and my life-saver burgundy biker boots. A mix of girly flowers with an edge. Oh and I took the opportunity to wear my Mac 'Ruby Woo' Lippy which does not get enough of an outing!

What would you pair your clutch with?

(a lil valentines loving)

 

Trends to Track

Trends to Track

I have always had an interest in fashion combined with sport. Ever since seeing the Fashion V Sport collection at the V&A back in 2009, I loved how the juxtaposition of a catwalk and the running track could actually work side-by-side. This mood board explores some current collections that are combing catwalk style with sports.

Currently loving the new collection by Jack Wills with the new creative director Richard Nicoll, you can expect to see the classic JW sweatshirts and sweatpants, with a more modern twist with shirts and dresses, alongside a new monograming tool to customise your clothes with JW & London inspired patches. How can I forget about the fabulous new Stellasport collection created by Stella McCartney for Adidas. This younger and more affordable collection is bright, fun and right on trend. Get your trainers and head outside; to the gym or to the office, you can make sports style work for you.

Take a look at my mood board and let me know how you feel about sports style on the catwalk.

Jumper Obsession

I find clothes shopping at the beginning of the year a real challenge. With all stores bursting with colour, floaty skirts, crop tops and sandals, I find it hard to imagine having any skin on show (currently struggling to breathe with my scarf wrapped up around my face.)

For me this time of year is about working the trusty sweatshirt in spring colours and adding accessories. My staple go to look involves a pastel blue sweatshirt (I now have two faves) teamed with a shirt, jeans and boots. What is great about the sweatshirt is that it will take me through the year, it will be worn with shorts when those long summer evenings roll in.

My latest purchase, this super soft sweatshirt from Jack Wills is my wardrobe staple. Under the new creative direction of Richard Nicoll you can expect that the new JW collection has a sportier edge to the classic British aesthetic that is Jack Wills. So really it is a win-win for me; as I'm embracing a new year of actually enjoying fitness I am fully on board with looking good whilst I work out and being able to take my look from the gym class to coffee with friends. Perfect to throw over my gym gear, to cuddle up on the sofa in or wear with a patterned shirt poking through for dinner dates and work, I am hooked on this number and may have to look into purchasing in the grey too.

What's your staple look in these cold weeks at the beginning of a new season? 

 

Available here for £39.50 in Sky Blue, Pale Grey, Pastel Pink

SS15 Mood Board

My S/S15 Inspiration

This season for me is all about freshness. I'm feeling inspired by water, glass jars, flowers and fresh fruit to brighten up the season and take me through to warm summer garden evenings with friends and family.