When you tell people you live in London, I’m almost sure they imagine double decker buses, Oxford St and…Eastenders. They couldn’t be further from the truth – London is such a big, beautiful city that I hadn’t even taken the short trip from my house to Highgate Village until this weekend – there is always something new to discover.
Miguel and I walked for just 15 minutes from our new place to Highate Village, and somehow it felt as if we were on holiday. The sun was shining, and the atmosphere was different – quiet and sleepy, like it’s name suggests. Next time we wander in that direction, we’ll be stopping off at the cemetery (not as morbid as it sounds when you see how beautiful it looks).
With the sun out in full force, I took the opportunity to get my pale pins out, accessorised with a pair of cat-faced tights (I’m sure plenty of puzzled passers-by thought I had cat tattoos on my legs – if only). The cats are probably supposed to sit on my knees, but coming from an Asian clothing store, they are a little too short for my legs!
I clip-clopped around the village in my kitten heels before stopping for a few sweet treats and heading home. Ahh, weekends are the best! x
It isn’t very often that I get to play tourist in my own city. I head off to cities across Europe and marvel at their architecture and tradition, but forget just how beautiful London can be when you take the time to look.
I spent a lazy Sunday with Miguel and Barbour, taking in the sights whilst shooting their Dress Tartan campaign. It didn’t take much convincing to get me in a tartan piece, I’ve always been fond of the very British (okay..Scottish) pattern, and opted to include it in my outfit in the form of Barbour’s reversible cedar trench coat, a light Springtime cover-up that can be thrown over anything. Only, the weather wasn’t feeling particularly Springlike on our little day out. Brrrr!
We started at Horse Guards Parade to watch the changing of the guards – we were possibly the only ‘Londoners’ there – funny how we have all these traditions that us British overlook. I don’t think I’ve stepped foot anywhere near Buckingham Palace in my whole 4 years in London. Our next stop was Trafalgar Square, before finishing the day at a bustling (the polite word) Camden Town and it’s markets.
As I’ll be spending my summer in London this year, I’m making it my mission to show you around a bit more – it’s such an amazing place and there are so many things to do. Watch this space! x
On Thursday night I went along to the launch of Triumph’s Maison Triumph, a pop-up store and exhibition dedicated to the long history of Triumph lingerie (they’ve been around since the 1800s!), and of course celebrating their partnership with London Fashion Week. Spending the evening surrounded by beautiful bras – vintage or otherwise made me realise that I probably don’t treat my body with the respect that it deserves. I could feel the straps on my worn out old Topshop bra slipping down as I eyed up new lacy underthings over a glass of champagne.
I made my way back to the store last night (narrowly missing out on a talk by the wonderful Helena Christensen who has her own Triumph Collection) to see if I could pick up something that would make me feel a little more ladylike under my clothing – it was long overdue! Now, hands up if you’ve never properly been fitted for a bra? I had to admit that very same thing to the ladies at Triumph, who were shocked and offered to size me up straight away. 36C I am not! I looked at my old bra in shame, realising that it had no function. It turns out I’m in fact a 34DD, the kind of number and letter combination you can only dream of when going through puberty. Unfortunately, a large chest is no longer on my wish list, in fact, quite the opposite – my love for clothing with a high neckline sabotaged that. After explaining this to the ladies at the Maison Triumph, they pulled out a black minimiser bra, and I was amazed when I put it on. Of course, it wasn’t quite as comfortable as my old bra, but I could really see that it complimented my shape and pulled me in, improving my posture. I had a massive smile on my face when I put my dress back on and realised that my chest looked smaller!
Are you wearing the right size?
I grabbed a pair of matching control pants and proceeded to quiz the shop assistants on how to find the correct bra size so I could share their tricks with you – they couldn’t wait to teach me! It’s common knowledge that most women wear the wrong bra size (you’re bigger than you think, ladies!) so pick up a tape measure and listen up. To work out your band size, measure around your body where your bra would sit. Cup size is measured by trained eye – but as a rule of thumb, be sure that the underwire on the outside comes all the way to the side of the body. Also, make sure that the front and the back of the bra are parallel to each other – my poor old bra was sitting way too high on my back and offering no support whatsoever.
On Sunday 17th my pal Ruth from A Model Recommends will be hosting a fitting event from 10-1pm, but whatever time you head down, there will be somebody to help you find the right size and shape for you. If you’re already wearing the perfect fit and happen to be in Covent Garden, stop by anyway – their exhibition of vintage lingerie isn’t to be missed!
Maison Triumph is open until Monday 18th at 77 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden – be quick! x
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