Posts in Category: travel
POSTCARDS FROM DEVON
Back in London now and still dreaming of the sunny beaches and rolling hills of North Devon. All week with nothing on the agenda except reading a book or applying some sun cream! We hiked up Heddon’s valley one day and must have walked a hundred miles through the woods trying to find the beach in the distance. There are way more pictures on my instagram from the trip as it’s not always nice to carry a huge camera around. I hope you enjoyed them!
ANTWERP TRAVEL DIARY
I wanted to keep this travel diary fairly short as those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time will have seen enough already! See example here, here and here - see what I mean? Time to visit some other countries I think..
The stock sales have always been kind of a tradition amongst us since we were at uni, buying fabric for our collections and a few pairs of shoes on the side. It’s amazing being able to buy wools and silks created by Ann Demeulemeester or Haider Ackermann themselves, never even used and marked down to crazy town. This time it was more of a holiday with lots of shopping and over indulging in general. It was Michael‘s birthday after all so we started as we meant to go on..!
I promised I would talk more about our hotel crate on the harbour; owned by the same company as our second night stay at Hotel Les Nuits – super chic; black laquer walls; cocktail bar, spa; I couldn’t recommend it more if you’re heading to the city! Sleeping Around is a compact, transportable, luxury hotel room that has been recycled out of sea shipping containers. The crates regularly move around the city making it a real life pop up hotel. It was an amazing experience to wake up on the harbour side, looking out over the water; it felt like being on a dessert island somewhere, especially as the weather was so HOT. Perfect.
Thanks to travel buddies, Louisa, Lexxi and Michael, and shopping buddy, Ivania!
JOURNEYING BACK
This week I headed back to my old university in Bristol to talk to the UWE fashion students about my label and blog. I hadn’t actually been back since my graduation and had forgotten how beautiful the city is. It was pretty crazy going back into the same room I used to sit in and listen to lectures, to giving one; but I loved it! Meeting all the students and catching up with old tutors was awesome. I feel like I’ve still got a long way to go but going back made me realise how far I’ve come.
Thank you to my brother who acted tour guide whilst I dragged him all over Bristol in the pouring rain (amazing how you can’t tell in these photos).
Congratulations to Yazmina who won the Charlie May studded cuff giveaway! Thank you to everyone who commented, I’ll definitely be doing more giveaways with the label in the future.
OXBLOOD AT SEA
Some of my favourite blogs are the ones that show me far off places I wish to visit, like the snowy glaciers of Iceland or the sandy beaches of Australia. I love being taken on holiday just by looking through my bloglovin’ feed, exploring the world through someone else’s eye. It’s about time someone championed the moody english countryside, so here we go. Whenever I go to Devon to visit family, I love to set off in the car and explore new unseen places. This particular beach I hadn’t been to since I was a child, and I remember it hailing so hard we actually had to run off the beach! The weather was kinder to us on this day and we could wonder through the black towering rocks scattered across the sand.
The leather jacket and shirt I’m wearing are from last years AW12 collection. I just got all the samples back from my first two collections from HPR so I can start wearing it all again!
THE JURASSIC COAST
This weekend I got to explore the southern coast of the UK, better known as the Jurassic Coast; where some of the cliffs are around 200 million years old. It was perfect to kick back with family and forget about the last few hectic months with a few glasses of wine and plenty of local seafood! With all the rain we’ve been having I was pleased to rediscover these thick wool man-trousers from the depths of my wardrobe, they’re the perfect Autumn slouchy trouser.
ZURICH PHOTO DIARY
Look how clever I am with my google maps technology; about a century behind the rest but still, a nifty and clever way to share with you guys all my favourite places in Zurich! Without a doubt my favourite part of it being the temperature, nearing 30 degrees most days, heaven! Especially when you can cool off in the lake or Letten river after a day of checking out the sights. I was quite shocked at the brave Swiss, the river runs rapid but everyone jumps in and lets the current carry them downstream, until you get caught by a grate and scrabble your way out. Seriously impressive and not for the faint of heart.
The city is quite expensive so we didn’t eat out often besides, there were too many delicious things on the menu at the Inglis household – I got to try my very first Fondu and experience the christening of their new barbecue! Seriously amazing lazy days. I can’t wait to go back and explore some of the Alps next time. Thank you so much Jen for being an awesome host!
PACKING FOR SUNSHINE
Off to Zurich today to visit Jen, I’m super excited as I’ve never been to Switzerland before, lots to explore and lots of cheese and wine to quaff! She tells me it’s super hot (YES) so I’m bringing my new Calvin Klein bikini from Style Passport; so In love with the minimal style and mesh inserts. Also my new custom Tusting bag that I had made in wrong side suede, it bears the scars and marks of the animal which gives it this beautiful beaten up old style. I can’t wait to get there!
VALLEY OF THE ROCKS
Whilst in Devon I had the chance to explore some of the moors off the west coast, a place I’d never been too before; The Valley of the Rocks. We’d set off with a map and packed lunch, driving along some precarious roads with sheer drops down to the sea, until our destination came into sight; amazing panoramic views of rock cliffs leading down into the sea. I definitely need to explore more of England, it’s so easy to travel and forget about what’s waiting for you on home turf.
SUN, SEA AND SAND
Some pictures from yesterday before we went swimming in the sea! Saunton is my favourite beach in North Devon, a mile long with the most amazing views; we ventured past all the surfers you can see in the first picture to run into the sea and leap into the surf. Tomorrow I’m exploring a place called the ‘Valley of the rocks’ out on the moors, if I don’t come back you know where I am!
TAKING TO THE HIGH SEAS
What can you do when you cancel a sailing trip in March due to bad weather and rebook in May, only to have the weather fail you again? Well you do it knowing you can’t trust that’s it’s ever ging to be on your side! Timberland had invited us to go sailing, testing out their new Formentor sailing gear (you’ve never seen me look so good!) We were sailing out the port of Portsmouth in two teams to learn the ropes, swab the decks, man the crows nest etc, the weather was pretty grim and once we’d got out the port we were thrashed from side to side – this could have just been because Laura was behind the wheel, mind you. We learnt how to tack in and out, turning the sail in the wind which was quite difficult; steering was my forté, pretty much like driving a car and when your standing at the center back you don’t feel the waves thrashing you from side to side so much! After two hours on the seas, we settled down for lunch and a much needed glass of wine, before heading out to race the two teams around the harbour. Donna and Graham were naturals at the helm, trying to persuade the team for press trip number two out in Mexico.. I can dream!
To talk about the actual sail-wear, I was impressed by the formentor shoes. They allow water to flow in and out with drainage ports in the bottom. I’m planning to test these out when I get back to Devon, I think they’d be perfect for climbing over the rocks, as I usually fall into a rock pool or two. I’ve just booked a week down there at the start of June so excited for some country air!
Thank you to IPR and Timberland for inviting me out for the day, and to the rest of the team for such great company!
