Kalverstraat (Amsterdam #1)

Jumper: Charity Shop & DIY

Jeans: Monki (sale - 6 euros)

Necklace: Primark

Socks: Primark

Backpack: Primark

Shoes: Topshop

Just under a month ago, I hopped on a plane with my friend to Amsterdam for a short break over Easter. It's taken me so long to conjure the energy to write up this post because I miss the Netherlands so much, well that, plus deadlines and a nasty case of the norovirus which I contracted the minute I stepped back on British soil.

From the little quirky alley ways to getting lost in a city which always seems to lead to the same place in the end, Amsterdam is a dream. It wasn't just the beautiful city I had imagined it would be, but so much more. Little details, from the cleanliness of the streets, the the laid-back attitude of those who frequent the city makes it into a place I can only dream of living one day. 

Like any city, Amsterdam was ripe with kitsch little shops and boutiques. It takes really losing yourself to find some of these hidden gems though. Upon arrival I immediately thought about going shopping, to my dismay, most of the shops available were ones that you would find in London anyway. The outfit pictures in this post were taken in Kalverstraat, the city's main shopping district.

In hindsight, taking away the aspect of retail therapy (a little bit, I still managed to bring a very tightly stuffed suitcase back) enabled me to see so much more and appreciate the finer details of the area. I decided not to dress to the nines for this trip, I threw some comfortable shoes in my case and an array of slouchy jumpers and mom jeans, which I fell in love with over the course of the trip. I seem to be straying from my fashion content a little bit at the moment, but I suppose it will all fall into place. I don't love fashion like I used to, but I really appreciate personal style, and this trip called for a laid-back approach to my style.

Layouts

Outfit 1

Bodysuit: Forever 21

Skirt: Gap (via Charity Shop)

Jacket: Forever 21

Jellies: Primark

Jewellery: Old family pieces

Outfit 2

Jumper: H&M
Jeans: Charity Shop
Bag: Charity Shop

Jellies: Primark

Necklace: Topshop

The end of the semester typically means more outfit planning than outfit wearing. I long for the day I don't have to wear my hair in a dishevelled topknot anymore whilst sporting ill-fitted pyjama bottoms to match. One week left until I finish my second year of university and I'm eagerly anticipating the summer. 

Portobello

  

Last week I ventured to London and while I was there I decided to take a stroll down to Portobello Market with my camera in hand. I hadn't been since I was very young, and I naively didn't stop to think how crowded it would be on a Saturday, tourists were stopping to take pictures here, there and everywhere, a brave few even crossing the line of social etiquette and posing for photographs inside people's gardens. 

Portobello Road and the surrounding area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in London, but unlike other areas, for example Camden, it hasn't been touched with too much "I Love Big Ben"tat, which is refreshing.

I went with an open mind and a closed wallet, I knew most things I would find could easily be found by digging around in a charity shop or at a car boot sale, and for a snip of the price. But it was so refreshing to see all the collections of glass ornaments, silver trays or floral tea pots all lovingly refreshed and cared for in one place. Even stalls selling new items exuded a bric-a-brac vibe, with items carefully mixed and matched together.

My favourite part of the market was a far trek from Notting Hill station, and that was the food. The further you get in, like most markets in London, the cheaper things become. I still feel embarrassed that I was conned out of £4 for a glorified potato on a stick, when further along there were fresh fruit stalls selling 3 boxes of strawberries for £2. But, you live and learn.

I'd love to return to Portobello, however I'll definitely avoid the weekend rush as it potentially tripled the amount of time I was wandering around for. It's an eccentric world, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life in the capital, and an essential destination for anyone who's heading to London.

Outfit Layouts

Outfit 1:
Shorts - TK Maxx
Top - Primark (& DIY)
Sunglasses - Primark

Bag - Charity Shop

Necklace - Charity Shop

Outfit 2:

Skirt - Monki
Shirt - Charity Shop

Bralet - F21

Bag - Tenerife
Hair pins - Barcelona

I very stupidly fell off my skateboard last week on the way to uni, so no outfit pictures while my leg is in a state of disarray. I decided to take some pictures of outfits I had planned out for next week instead, provided that the weather is nice enough.

The first outfit is almost all black, which is very unlike me, but I've been pushing myself out of my comfort zone a lot recently and really enjoying the results. I cropped this Primark tee from it's original state as a peplum top, it's much easier to wear now as it goes well with all my high-waisted bits and bobs. The second outfit is much more bold, with black and white as the base colours and neon accessories piled on top. I'm excited to wear this to uni, it's a lot more put-together than most of my outfits have been for a while, I'd like to start experimenting a bit more as I feel like I'm choosing comfort over expressing myself on a more regular basis recently. There's nothing wrong with that, but I'm heading away for 4 months this summer and wont have access to all my ridiculous clothes so I would love to wear them as much as possible up until then

Life In Pictures

Tattoo
"You Suck" makeup bag - Forever21
Lake
"Smash The Patriarchy" tee - Lookhuman
Sky Dancers
Mirror Selfie
Makeup
Frames
Jacket - F21, Top - Topshop, Collar - H&M
Pinboard
Dungarees & Necklace - Ebay
Polly Pocket
Time with Friends

Here are a few little snippets of what I've been up to since the start of the year. I had a rocky 2013, but this year has been one of the best yet - and it's only March! I've enjoyed spending time with friends, pushing myself to meet new people and feeling confident in my personality, knowing who I am. 

I'm also pushing myself to post outside my comfort zone on my blog, without straying from fashion content, I'd like to post more personal things, including lifestyle and travel. I'd really like to create some more wordy content too, but that's something for a time when I've got a little less going on. For now, I'm starting a feature every few months, like this post, where I include miscellaneous pictures and have a little ramble. 

As a journalism student, I'm enjoying branching out, learning new things, such as broadcast journalism, presenting skills, PR and so on and so forth. With these new skills comes a thirst to drive my blog and create more content. I reply a lot on Youtube to be the hub of most of my ideas, however this limits me a lot as video content isn't the only thing I'm interested in, but it has been the thing I have enjoyed most as of recently.

However, I've been writing posts for the fashion section of hitthefloor.com  (who have recently had a ridiculously cool rebrand, so check it out!) and really enjoying producing content weekly, watching my writing improve and generally mastering the skills to create topical posts quickly and efficiently. I'd like to apply this to my blog too, slowly, but surely I need to create a schedule and broaden my content. With travelling all Summer, I don't know what will happen with my blog, but I'd like to gently make a start to improving the depth and scope of this little space I frequent on the internet.

Oh wow, I've really gone off on a tangent! What I was going to say is, over the last few days, I've been creating a new blog design and having a little rebrand, which is in the works for the end of March. Hopefully a fresh new look will push me to let my blog take it's course and flow in lots of different directions, we'll see!

That's all for now, Hermione