Populaire

My sister and I went to see Populaire at the cinema today. It was such a lovely thing to do on a Sunday, sitting in a dark room as the beautiful French language played about our ears. The film itself was also quite wonderful, in particular the enviably stunning fifties dresses.

To get me in the mood I popped on this full skirted cream shirt dress from Topshop that I got last summer, along with my new heeled sandals (I think they may be glued to my feet) and some mustard socks (sandals and socks - oh no!) and a navy Zara cardi to keep off those cinema air conditioning chills. 

I love these little videos below that I found on nowness.com! They have such a fifties feel, but with a little bit of cheekiness added in for good measure.

Currently reading...

Blue, Blue Electric Blue

Luckily the rain just about stayed at bay today, with only a few showers here and there. Which of course meant more time wandering along the sea front taking pictures (though not getting drenched this time), eating ice creams and playing in the arcade. I couldn't resist coordinating myself with the beach huts, this china print dress from Topshop just matched so perfectly! I teamed it again with my new brogues and little ankle socks, and this map print bag from Urban Outfitters. 

I may not have gone abroad, or anywhere particularly fancy but it sure did feel good to just relax and do not a lot for a few days!

Just your typical British holiday..

So we turned up to Bournemouth in torrential rain, yet it still seemed necessary to have a good walk along the seafront. As you can see I got VERY wet, perhaps a denim jacket was not the best choice in waterproof clothing... 

However saying that my new Asos brogues were excellent in keeping my feet dry! Aren't they lovely? I was also very glad of my wooly H&M jumper, a shirt dress alone is certainly not enough against those sea breezes (ahem gale force winds more like). 

It was worth the walk though, as we have rented a beach hut for the few days we are down, conveniently placed right next door to the world famous Harry Ramsdens fish and chip shop! We used to come here every summer when we were kids, and it still tasted as good as I remembered. I don't know why, but fish and chips are always so much tastier when you eat them at the seaside!

Off to the seaside!

I'm off on my jollies for the bank holiday! Of course the forecast is rain the whole time (typical English weather!) but I'm still looking forward to a few days by the sea. I've packed a few dresses, a pair of shorts, some tshirts and of course a nice thick jumper to layer up and help stay warm! Oh and there's an indoor pool and spa at our hotel, hence the bikini ;-) 

Keep an eye on my instagram for pictures whilst I'm there! 

Strawberries and Cream

Today was Mumma Izzard's birthday, and boy was it a scorcher! I popped on this patterned cotton dress that I got from Topshop last summer and my new heeled clogs, and we headed out for a stroll in the country. We also nipped in to the local garden centre for a spot of lemonade and picked up this freshly baked Victoria sponge for tea, it was so delicious I had to have two slices!

Daisy Daydreams

Today was just the most beautifully gorgeous sunny Sunday, I decided to take a stroll into town to pick up some pretties from the florist. 

On the way back I stopped off in the woods to take some lovely photos with my brother, showing off my cutout shirt dress, with the flowers poking out of my vintage wooden handbag. At least they would have been lovely, if my brother knew how to work my camera, and alas they are all dark and fuzzy... hurrumph. 

We took the pictures above in the garden, and instead of being too dark this time it was too bright! So in nearly all of those I am squinting and looking extremely moody. Some days you just aren't meant to take pictures I think!

I thought I'd share my perfect summer day soundtrack though, Beirut, The Smiths and of course She & Him (I am so excited for the new album!). Enjoy!

In Other Stories...

After fawning after near enough everything on their website since it launched just over a month ago, I finally managed to get down to visit & Other Stories in the flesh. And oh boy, it did not disappoint! As quite a fan of H&M and of course Cos (and Swedes in general) I had high hopes for this new brand, that boasted non trend led, simple but high quality pieces. For me though it was the accessories and lingerie that really stood out. The bags and shoes are classic, but with quirky details - the cut out brogues and satchel style backpack were my favourites - and you could imagine wearing them season after season. 

As a bit of a lingerie fanatic (my underwear drawer no longer closes) I was also extremely excited to be greeted by a wall of lace loveliness when I got to the store. I'd admired all the sets online, but was very impressed by the rows of styles - all beautifully hung on wooden hangers (brownie points x100). 

Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to shop properly and try things on, so this trip I only came away with a few bits. Of course I had to pick up some underwear, and this black lace bra and brief set were just crying out to me, along with some lavender and rosemary hand cream (that packaging - oh!) and a little pot of polish. I also popped next door to H&M and picked up some sunglasses (here's to hoping!), and a new Moleskin notebook from Liberty's, which also included a long browse around the womens department with a vow to start saving...

You need three ingredients for a cocktail. Vodka and Mountain Dew is an emergency.

Part two of my Mad Men inspired snaps, this time pairing some houndstooth cigarette pants from Topshop with a sleeveless cream polo shirt from & Other Stories (my new favourite store!). 

What did you think of the new episodes? Personally I thought they were a little slow, but thinking about it a few of the seasons have started off that way and quickly got very exciting - let's hope this one goes the same way!

What you call 'love' was invented by guys like me. To sell Nylons.

I'm pretty excited for Mad Men to be back on the telly next week, so couldn't resist popping on one of my favourite full skirted shirt dresses and beehiving my hair for some snaps. 

The compact mirror was a gift from my Nana, she got it for 21st birthday - genuine sixties, and in perfect condition! It's so beautiful, definitely one of my favourite possessions.  

Hi, I'm Candy

Pastel Prettiness

Hope you're all having a lovely Easter break, I must say the few days I've had off were much needed. I did a little Easter baking today, well if you can call making rice crispy cakes baking! Perhaps the colour palette is a little sickly sweet but I just couldn't resist matching my nails to the pretty lilac packaging of the chocolate, and this minty jumper is perfect for the chilly spring weather we're having at the moment.