I LOVED London. I hadn’t been since I was little and just thought it would be fun to explore with Colin for a few days..took me by surprise that every second was so full. My favorites were Bistrotheque in Shoreditch, Hyde Park on the coldest day and Brick Lane and Beach Blanket Babylon on the hottest, discovering that flower markets and buildings covered in plant life exist, Climpson & Sons coffee, personal shopping at the Oxford Circus Topshop, discovering Daylesford Organics (so going to the Aoyama location when I’m in Tokyo next month), seeing rhubarb yogurt as the only stocked flavor, entirely guessed conversations with taxi drivers, and pretty much everything about Broadway Market. Can’t wait to go back.

(Topshop silk blazer, vintage slip, Marco Tagliaferri bag, Alexander Wang ‘Zoe’ oxfords, Whyred sunglasses)

Brick Lane was a spot I definitely wanted to make time for – vintage stores interspersed with kinda seedy other stores, people lining up around blocks for non-obvious reasons, dodging cars in a way that reminds you how precious life is (so very!), actively being recruited to eat curry every five feet (sorry, hate the stuff)…all made for a very sensory experience. Luckily I’m pretty nimble in these shoes. I had brought a leather jacket but peeled it off early on..did not expect London to get so warm, it kept on throwing me off. We energized with chai tea, and made our way down. I feel like there’s something interesting to look at every second in London’s alleys and markets and I took photos of odd corners and skyscapes until it was awkward. Came thisclose to buying a giant shaggy jacket before coming to grips with the fact that it wouldn’t even fit in Colin’s suitcase at this point (yes I am the awful type of girlfriend that smashes clothes into others’ luggage). I wore this blush pink silk blazer I’d bought at THE Topshop in Oxford Circus over my most ancient slipdress..tried to counteract the wispiness of it all with my trusty Marco Tagliaferri bag, oversized watch, and the sensible shoes.

I picked up these loafers shopping on Oxford Street the day before and awkwardly performed a quick exchange/balancing act on the street immediately thereafter. So much walking to be done here that I’ve learned switching your shoes a couple times a day makes it less likely you’ll fill them up with blood by day’s end. The more evenly you abuse your feet the better, obviously. I’m liking them paired up with shorts and dresses because they are like the foot equivalent of eyeglasses, thereby freeing up options in the hemline department. Not that I really have ever let that stop me in the past but still.

Mostly for my suitcase’s benefit and maybe also partially cause I didn’t really feel like shopping, I didn’t buy anything aside from a blueberry smoothie while exploring Notting Hill. But it’s exactly as beautiful as you want it to be in real life. That’s always a little surprising when it happens.