Winter brights

Hat- H&M

Necklace- Topshop

Shirt- Cos

Dress- H&M

Shoes- H&M
Clutch- H&M

Silver bracelet- Monica Vinader

Sparkle Kicks

Hat- Topshop

Jumper- Acne

Skirt- Christopher Kane

Shoes- Bertie

Teal Tones

Hat- Topshop

Jumper- H&M

Earrings & Necklace- H&M

Skirt- Reiss

Shoes- H&M

Clutch- Monki 

Neon Lace

Blazer- Nanette Lepore

Skirt- 5Preview

Shoes- Miss Selfridge

Jumper- Warehouse

Chicken Shop

Half a chicken, side salad with buttermilk dressing, crinkle cut chips and the delicious aioli mayo

There are always new food trends emerging and anyone that has been following my blog has been seeing A LOT of burgers of late. However as is the case with fashion trends come and go and burgers have, it seems, had their big moment (although my weekly trips to Lucky Chip for their veggie burgers and fries shall not be ending any time soon). So what is the next big thing you may ask? Well it looks like the humble chicken is getting a gastronomic makeover, once more high powered and trend savvy restauranteurs , in Chicken Shop's  case Nick Jones who is the man behind the infamous Soho House Group and Pizza East restaurant chain, have taken a simple comfort food and  the principle minimal menu choice and in Chicken Shop's case managed to  create a great concept around it that made me immediately fall in love the restaurant. A wood heavy basement space (upstairs is the third Pizza East London now has to offer which I shall review another day), Chicken Shop has a warm atmosphere that is inspired by but doesn't try to immitate a warm American style dinning experience. 

The menu is brief and read of a board, a choice of a quarter, half or for the very brave whole chicken that is prepared in an open kitchen rotisserie style, crinkle cut chips, coleslaw or a salad offered as simple yet well prepared sides. To spice it up two different sauces, one spicy, one smokey as well as their delicious aioli mayo are provided for the table, for a girl that likes her condiments a heavily amount of sauces that complimented but didn't overwhelm the star of the show, the chicken. I am no big meat eater, chicken being the only real meat I eat and even then only occasionally but here the free range chicken so carefully basted and roasted was absolutely delicious.

 I have to admit however that the real highlight of the meal was the dessert. Now I'm quite picky when it comes to dessert, having a sweet tooth I know what I like and don't like. This is why I was a little dubious when me and my friend rather stuffed ordered the apple pie to share I had heard so much about in other reviews. Having never had a proper American style pie and not usually a fan of pastry heavy desserts and cooked fruit this could have ended  badly but when the rather charming American waiter came out with a whole pie, cutting us what seemed like a ginormous piece despite us wanting to share my doubts quickly disappeared. Each slice is served with either ice cream or a jug of cream or both if you want and we certainly did. And oh my...it  was a great dessert; hot, cinnamony and delicious I was in absolute awe of this pie. Sitting in this cosy basement, eating quite possibly one of my favourite desserts I have had so far, as it happens a short walk from where I live (an area of London that admittedly previously lacked great eating out spots) , I had found a decently priced comfort food haven that I cannot wait to revisit and am more than happy to welcome to my neighbourhood. 

That pie.

RIP Dad

Two weeks ago tomorrow after my 9 am lecture I got a phone call from my mum telling me that my dad had died of a heart attack. I don't tend to write about my personal life on the blog yet on this occasion I shall make an exception. Anyone that knows me knows that I am quite the fighter and undying optimist which has meant that in the days that followed I tried everything to continue my daily life, following my fashion and university obligations and offering  my mum the support and  fighting spirit she needed to deal with the immediate aftermath. I don't like to open up about my feelings or show weakness and have only told a handful of people close to me, one reason in particular for this being my dislike of the resulting  well intentioned yet often awkward sympathy I would be at the receiving end of.  This blog post is hence more for me than you the reader, a way to pen my feelings that  I may not be able to share in conversation but that still need to be aired in order to process and eventually, as is human nature, move on. 

Me and my dad had a far from easy relationship, for one he thought I was wasting my time with fashion and failed to understand why I would choose it as career, something that especially since I moved to London for university two years ago meant we didn't talk a lot and caused me to develop a lot of resentment towards him. He was a very complex human being and far from the perfect father figure or family man which has made loosing him the more complex, the many unresolved issues I hold against him irrevocably linked with the loss of the dad that I spent few yet unforgettable childhood days with and who engrained my love for electronic music and Quentin Tarantino films in me. Despite our issues I have always sought his approval, whether achieving  straight A's or getting into UCL, something that I will continue to do, a drive to succeed that I have to thank him for. 

And that's what it comes down to I think, of course he wasn't perfect and a rose tinted view of him is impossible but its the finality of this loss and the fact that I no longer can prove him wrong about my love for fashion that despite all his faults will make me miss him dearly. 

Green & Blue

Hat- Topshop

Shirt- Dorothy Perkins

Earrings- H&M

Skirt- Topshop

Shoes- Bertie 

Neon Accents

Miss Selfridge Project 3

I had the great opportunity to style and model Miss Selfridge's new Project 3 collection which is designed by their assistant buyer team, alongside two other great bloggers, Jazmine and Amy. I hope you enjoy the final pictures, it's always a pleasure to work with my favourite photographer Phill Taylor who has shot me on numerous occasion and makes any shoot fun and relaxed! 

Check out the whole collection here 

Pink Lace

Dress- Richard Nicholl for Topshop

Black and White (and a bit Gorillas)

Shirt- Topshop

T-shirt- The Kooples

Skirt- 5Preview

Shoes- Carvela

Kipferl

Goats cheese and Lentil salad

Having grown up in Germany until the age of 12 I've always been rather critical of English food (even to this day i struggle to understand the concept of a pie filled with meat) so I have always been hunting for a place in London that offers me a little taste of home. Kipferl, though Austrian in its heritage , offered me exactly the kind of comfort food I have been yearning for. The problem of course I have with other German  places  in London is the tacky and stereotypical way they tend to present themselves, I'm not for example going to be rushing to the Bavarian beer house any time soon, but Kipferl has managed to keep its Austrian essence in a modern and understated way, cosy and with little touches like black and white portraits of well known Austrian statesmen yet not over the top. The menu is refreshingly varied, meaty favourites like Schnitzel and Goulash alongside delicious vegetarian options like the Käsespaetzle we opted for ( egg noodles topped with mountain cheese) , always served in an elegant way and with salads to cut through the richness of the dishes. Sadly this time I was too full to sample the amazing looking cakes like Sachertorte, apple strudel and desserts like the infamous Kaiserschmarrn that were on offer but as winter approaches this little gem in the middle of Angel's Camden passage's is sure to be a regular dinner spot of mine on cold evenings! 

The amazing Kasespaetzle