Summer in the fall

I know the leaves are falling and Autumn is here, but keep Summer alive and visit the Barbican conservatory. Its definitely an afternoon well spent.

Cactus lovin'

Outfit - Dress/Pull&Bear Bag/Mulberry Glasses/Quay

Keeping it casual

Pack away the parkers the suns coming out! I’m so glad it’s that time of year, the sunshine massively impacts on my daily productivity. I often find when I come back from work I am still in a relatively proactive mind frame to get something done, then after a gym session (max 1 hour) I feel fried. All I want to do is lounge on the sofa and kick back with a nice hot lemon tea.
On the weekend Gurpreet and I hit the town for a Sunday lunch date. I kept it casual in this jeans and t-shirt combo but dusted off my summer heels for the occasion.
When the days start to warm up I like to keep my hair au natural, taking a break from straightening gives the curls a chance to bond into ringlets instead of frizzing all over the place, so after a couple more washes the curls should be back to their fuller body; I’m now wanting to grow it out! Any tips on what I can do/use would be massively appreciated.

Outfit – Tshirt/Mango Jeans/RiverIsland Jacket/Zara (Old) Heels/Zara (Old but similar here) Bag/Gucci Rings/OttomanHands

Back to black

Wardrobe rehab is in full effect, all the items I am wearing in this post are basics that have been sitting in my closet for a fair few months, years even!
Im a self confessed animal print fiend, I bought the bag in 2012 it was rather pricey as it is leather and pony skin but I saw it as a staple piece, I still see leopard print make an appearance in the stores every autumn. So in my opinion a leopard print bag is definitely a keeper! The matching shoe combo might not be for everyone, but hey it works for me! Worn together or separately the leopard print adds colour to an otherwise plain look.
When I asses the clothes in my closet the realisation of black is timeless is becoming more apparent. Colours and prints are seasonal but black, black has no expiry date, want to look smart? Black is your colour, want to look sexy? A little black dress is your answer, want to look chic? Mix a block colour with black and bingo. I hate to admit it, but going back to black is the first rule I'm sticking to.

A couple of items that are new to my gold pot are these pieces from the Ottoman Hands AW collection. You all know I love my gold and how i like to stack it, the more the merrier in my case. Starting with the layered tear drop necklace, it sits beautifully above my Arabic name plate I picked up when I was working in Dubai in 2010. And their signature three stone ring has been reworked into a smaller version, I think this next week I might break down the pieces I have from the new collection and show you the deign features I love the most.
For now, enjoy the rest of the weekend and check back in with me in two days, I have some exciting news to share with you :)

Outfit – T-shirt/Primark Skirt/Zara (similar) Jacket/Zara (similar) Shoes/Dune (similar) Bag/Dune All jewellery/OttomanHands new collection, links and discount code to follow soon.

Pink Paradise

When I set my eyes on this pink paradise I was mesmerised, the walls, marble chevron floor, velvet marshmallow curved couches, gold accents, illustrated walls and quirky cutlery had me in a trance! Its rather magical inside Sketch London’s Gallery room and definitely takes you away from the real world for an afternoon.
I knew we were in for a visual delight when booking a slot for afternoon tea so why waste an opportunity to dress up!? ; ) I went all out and rocked pastel pink and mauve head to toe, I felt a little like a Malibu Stacy doll but loved it. A figure hugging skirt with an overhanging cropped top helps balance out the silhouette, this House of CB skirt is my absolute favourite, it definitely hugs in all the right places!
I mixed my metals in this outfit, the cropped top has a heavy silver diamante neckline which is a beautiful design statement, but you know me and my love for stacking right!? I teamed it with my Ottoman Hand gems which are all set in gold, I personally think the contrast works well and it’s always good to experiment with colours, you would be surprised what combinations work better and pull an outfit together.

So for those of you who are not familiar with afternoon tea, I’ll try and break it down. I actually have a fond experience of afternoon/high tea from a good 5 years ago, I was with my family in one of London’s prestigious department stores, after Christmas shopping we were feeling a little parched and went to the top floor to maybe sit down have a tea or muffin, after seeing a price tag of £45 + per person we quickly exited. £45 for TEA?! Can you take it home, plant it into your flower bed and grow a money tree afterwards?! Why was it so expensive?!
I now know it’s not a single mug of tea served, it is actually a meal, well sort of. Afternoon tea is a selection of sandwiches, cakes and pastries, fruits and tea. A real mixture of little nibbles, but believe me when I say it fills you up!!! It is actually hard to finish everything served and you end up leaving the experience with a well-rounded food baby.
It is one of those once in a blue moon experiences as you don’t go for afternoon tea that often (it’s a crazy sugar rush so I wouldn’t recommend that much cake regularly!)
Sketch London definitely topped my lists of venues for afternoon tea, I couldn’t fault it, also the cocktails OULALA! Very very tasty!
I would love to hear from you if you recommend anywhere else in London for afternoon tea!

Outfit - Skirt/HouseofCB Top/TedBaker Shoes/Primark Bag/Mulberry Earrings/OttomanHands Bracelets/OttomanHands, 2 Cuff/OttomanHands Rings/ OttomanHands, 2, 3