December in Pictures

Indulging in all my favourite wintery pursuits: nights at the ballet, ice skating and getting delightfully festive. Donning sparkles for a trip to The Nutcracker. Listening to the Rat Pack Christmas album on repeat. Westminster looking majestic after dark. Girl dates at Laduree. Playing in the Cambridge snow. Trips to my favourite Cambridge bookshop with this darling Lulu Guinness book clutch. Peeking in twinkly Christmas windows. London all dressed up for the holidays. Trips to Liberty for Christmas decorations, flowers and small pleasures. Hot chocolate and ice skating (and falling!) at the outdoor rink. Christmas movie marathons and mulled wine.

Window shopping in the beautifully glittering Burlington Arcade on Piccadilly. Suffering from a glitter nail polish addiction. Burning Diptyque’s Christmas spruce candle each night. Buying cheery bright flowers for my home. Valentino studs and sugary pastel lace loveliness on a trip to Bicester Village. My favourite festive party shoes (golden-heeled Chanel mary janes). Pink blooms and vintage Chanel parfum bottles on my windowsill. Sparkly jewels and snuggly sweaters.

Cambridge looking hauntingly beautiful as the church bells echo over the moonlight cobbled streets. Getting goosebumps sitting beside the choir at Christmas Eve Carols from Kings College. Christmas tree shopping and decking the halls (well, at least my tiny flat) with baubles and garlands. Chiswick brunch dates: earl grey tea icecream at Jamie Oliver’s Union Jacks and afternoon tea beside the fire at High Road House. Father Christmas gingerbread men from The Biscuiteers. Spending Christmas with my family in Chiswick. My Uncle’s magnificent feasts. Walks along the Thames to see the the mansions all dressed up for the season. Board game marathons. Presents. Family trips to the theatre. New Year’s Eve fireworks over the Thames. Celebrations.

I hope you all had a wonderful an festive December!

Love, Miss B xx

Wintery Pursuits

This week, the first snow has fallen, Cambridge is resting beneath a powdery blanket of snow, and I am officially in wintery mode.

I always think there is something so magical about this time of year; the peacefulness of the English countryside frosted in white, the sound of the Cambridge college chapel bells ringing out against the lamplit cobbled streets, bundling up against the chill in snuggly layers, and the excuse to spent cold, dark evenings hibernating indoors in style. These are a few of my favourite ways to spend the season:

1. Indulging in all the most wonderful festive traditions. Deck the halls (or at least your own living room), go ice skating at an outdoor rink, listen to carollers singing outdoor, drink mulled wine, bake gingerbread, and snuggle indoors with hot chocolate and the most wonderfully cheesy holiday movies you can find.

2. Spending chilly evenings at a wonderfully grand old theatre or concert hall. Each year since moving to England, I look forward to the English National Ballet performing The Nutcracker (my very favourite ballet) at the London Coliseum, and this year is no different. My favourite Christmas tradition (I feel like an excited small child being read the most wonderful bed time fairy tale as I watch the ballerinas leap and twirl around the stage).

3. Play in the snow. If the snow falls where you live, make the most of it; build a snowman, have a snowball fight, take pictures of your favourite spots beneath a fluffy white blanket and wear your sparkliest jewels and snuggliest layers (but don’t forget the sensible footwear!).

4. Spend an entire weekend blissfully hibernating. When the weather is too cold and grizzly to fathom venturing outdoors, practice the art of blissful hibernation instead. Light your favourite scented candles, put on your favourite tunes, take a bubble bath, drink champagne and watch back-to-back Audrey Hepburn movies.

5. Throw a fantabulous soiree. Host a small but darling dinner party (complete with whimsical party favours), a movie marathon (with a popcorn bar), a board game night (with retro snacks and scrabble boards) or an afternoon tea party for your girlfriends.

6. Try a new recipe. I love putting my stove to good use on cold evenings (all part of the blissful hibernation) and have been baking homemade bread, pears poached in red wine and goats cheese tartlets. Delicious smells make a house feel like a home!

7. Indulge in decadent small pleasures. In winter, when hidden beneath thick, wooly layers, the temptation can be to hop out of bed and into the nearest warm clothes. But in my book, there is something so luxurious about slathering on a layer of decadent body lotion and slipping into the most gorgeous, silky lingerie I own (it’s all the more special because only I know it’s there).

8. Upgrade everyday essentials. As with the above, there is something wonderful about your everyday essentials having a touch of the fabulous about them. I’m gradually replacing all my tights, tshirts, sweaters, nightwear and other ‘ordinary’ wardrobe essentials with beautifully silky versions that feel a little more indulgent (hello, cashmere socks on icy days!).

9. Send a flurry of snail mail to friends near and far. Who doesn’t love getting post that isn’t a bill? Make your dear friends around the world smile with some delightful post in the mailbox. Hand-write a letter, make a list of all the things you love about them, spray it with your favourite perfume, pop in a few things you know they will adore and pop it in the post.

10. Do one thing in your own city you’ve always meant to try. It might be a wonderful museum you’ve always meant to visit, or a restaurant you’ve longed to try, or a neighbourhood you’ve never visited. Last weekend, I was lucky enough to go to the annual Carols from Kings service with the Clever Boyfriend (who is now a fellow at Kings College) – a beloved Cambridge tradition that I would watch on the BBC every year on Christmas Day with my family – and it was even more magical and moving in person and reminded me to always play tourist in your own city.

And with that, I’m off to put on my Ratpack Christmas album!

What are some of your favourite wintery adventures? I’d love to hear!

Love, Miss B xx

P.S. Just a reminder that you can now find me on Pinterest (I even have a board dedicated to my favourite wintery pursuits).

November in Pictures

Falling more and more in love with New York each time I visit. Old-world romance at the New York Public library. Pretending to be Eloise at the Plaza. Bouchon pumpkin pie macarons, chai lattes and ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre. Mast Brothers chocolate bars. Hopping from one teeny tiny Williamsburg eatery to the next; each more homely and wonderful than the last. Rowing on Central Park Lake. Stopping to listen to the sounds of a jazz band floating on the breeze at sunset. Gallery-hopping and peering in the windows of mansions on Upper East Side strolls. Collecting treasures at my favourite American stores: J. Crew, Anthropologie, Bergdorf’s. C. Wonder, Catbird and more. Jumping in giant piles autumn leaves. Pumpkin pie, apple cider and s’mores. Cat sweaters and haunted fun in Sleepy Hollow with Nicolette. The glorious view of the Manhattan skyline from Williamsburg.

Flying back to a wintery England. Cambridge looking like a postcard from another era under foggy grey skies. Preppy collegiate students in tweed blazers riding their bikes through the cobblestoned streets. Champagne truffles, pearls and gorgeous lingerie beneath wintery layers. Hot chocolate and good books for cosy evenings indoors. Jazz tunes at cocktail hour and a house that smells of Diptyque candles. My favourite Anthropologie owl vase and glittery brooches brightening my desk. Homemade smoothies and Lula at breakfast time. Twinkly jewels, cashmere jumpers and gorgeous perfume on cold days.

Glittery ballet flats and big bunches of cheering pink roses. Lunchtime walks along the Thames. Winter sparkle and burgundy lipstick. A family of gnomes at the Mulberry HQ (surely the funnest fashion office in the world). Feeling like I’m at Hogwarts with dinner dates in the Kings College great hall with my sweetheart. Glittery manicures and cocktail rings. Afternoon tea, inspiring talks, sparkly shoes and dancing until the small hours with London’s most beautiful and glamorous at the secret pop-up Miu Miu member’s club at the grand Cafe Royal. London all dressed up for Christmas.

I hope you all had a wonderful November!

Love, Miss B xx