The town and the country mice. Does anyone else remember that old story?
If I were a mouse, I'd definitely be of the country variety, but there's a bit of the town mouse left in me! And I think that's fairly reflected in my clothing choices too.
I recently popped on the train into London and met up with my friend and fellow blogger, Nish, for lunch at the Ivy Chelsea Garden (a gorgeous, bustling spot where you can disappear into anonymity) and we had the most glorious weather! I decided to go with an incredibly comfortable, practical outfit of city classics with just a smidge of country style.
Outfit details
Tortoiseshell sunnies, Oatmeal scarf, White Oxford shirt, Midwash skinnies, Tan crossbody (so inexpensive!), Quilted gilet, Tan block heel sandals.
A good pair of classic skinny jeans is a must - I've got several in each colour, although it's these midwash blue ones that I can't stop wearing at the moment, partly because they're skinny all the way to the ankle, with just enough stretch for comfort. Gap always do good jeans in my eyes, and I love the Topshop Jamie's too. And speaking of Gap, their Oxford shirts are my favourite and a classic outfit staple - there's nothing better in my eyes than an opaque white shirt of thick cotton.
Whilst I'm not averse to a bit of a designer bag (heaven knows my bank balance knows that after the latest Celine purchase..), I'm also a real fan of high street handbags. Topshop, Anthropologie, Zara, they may not be real leather but you can often pick up a gorgeous number from the high street for under £50 - great for fast fashion. This Warehouse crossbody is so comfortable - I love having my hands free, especially for wandering around London - Oyster card etc in one hand, and a bag full of Maitre Choux eclairs in the other ;) (I've got F hooked on them too now). It's a nice shade of tan too, not too orange or plastic-y, which is sometimes the case with such an affordable bag.
I had to add a little country touch with one of my quilted gilets. Gilets might just be my favourite item of clothing - there's something about having your arms free, but body wrapped up in what is essentially a fashioned duvet - Joules and Barbour are my go-to's! I would love to be wearing trainers or Sketchers Go Walks with this outfit but thought I ought to sport something a little more fitting for our lunch location, and besides, these comfy tan block heels match the bag rather nicely don't you think? I'm going to make an effort this Spring/Summer to get out of my earth-tones palette and into some colour though I promise!
The Ivy was pretty heaving - including a queue of people wanting to get a shot in front of the floral wall (London's latest cashcow), but we got a quiet little spot in the corner and tucked in to some vegetarian fare. Truffle arancini (delicious), courgette fritti (also delicious), the garden salad (just a load of raw, sliced veg) and the goat's curd salad (a bit insipid and lacking in flavour), finished off with some tea on the tables outside to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.
A good deal of photos/food/merriment later, it was time for this country mouse to head home!
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