English Style

While I don’t usually tend to run the pieces I do for other sites on A Girl, A Style, I thought this one (that I originally wrote for Glitter Guide a while back) would be fun in amidst all the Jubilee madness/Britannia love that is flying around at the moment.

From Mulberry bags to Burberry trench coats, Hunter wellingtons to Oxford brogues, bow ties and tweed jackets to pearls and lace, Prince William and James Bond to Paddington Bear and Fantastic Mr Fox… I truly love the English and their eccentricities.

So here is my take on the best bits about English style (for all the Anglophiles out there):

Embrace feminine/masculine extremes. Channel you inner dolly girl by wearing a full a-line mini skirt or lace dress with a topknot, pink cheeks and a length of ribbon tied at your waist, or wear a men’s Oxford shirt with a bow tie and brogues. Even better, clash the two and wear that dolly outfit with a boyfriend blazer and ankle boots, or the Oxford shirt tucked into the skirt with a wristful of jewels on top.

Rebellious nostalgia. We English are terribly fond of our classics: the dandy gentleman, countryside pursuits, lawn sports, the Royal Family, James Bond and nostalgic children’s books. But none of these things would be complete without a little rebellion too. So why not wear your grandmother’s pearls with your favourite old band tee, your prettiest lace dress with bed hair, or your most gorgeous heels with faded old jeans.

Serious irreverence. Though they may have a library full of literature, Friday night theatre dates, an in-depth knowledge of politics and an annual National Trust membership, English folk are a self-deprecating, sarcastic bunch who like to pretend don’t care. Don’t be afraid to have fun with your fashion; wear things that literally make you smile (pink glittery nails with a grownup tuxedo jacket), are absurdly ironic (I live in Cambridge and like to poke fun at the preppy Oxbridge intellectual style by teaming my crested blazer with bright pink chinos and high bow heels), or just plain silly (hello, novelty Christmas sweaters).

Revel in the tiny sartorial details. A silk handkerchief in a breast pocket, bright pink socks poking out of turned up trousers, a tiny golden charm necklace, a perfectly constructed umbrella, or bright red lips on grey days.

…and don’t forget life’s small pleasures. Drink tea out of your favourite pink china, buy a vintage-style bicycle and go for Sunday cycle rides in your favourite dress (bonus points for a bunch of flowers in the basket), read a classic novel, have a picnic and then kick of your shoes and run through the grass, eat cake for breakfast.

Do you love English style as much as I do? What are your favourite things about the British?

Love, Miss B xx

Oh, I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!

Last weekend, I went to spend the weekend with one of my favourite blog friends, the divine Amanda (aka The Online Stylist), in Dorset. On Saturday, there were picnics, walks around castles, cocktails at the harbour and generally much giddy excitement. But on Sunday, when the sun was polite enough to be shining as hard as it could, we did what any self respecting girl from Australia would do, and made for the beach (it would have simply been rude not to).

So without further ado, we all bundled into the car, seaside-bound. I’m not sure who was more excited when we arrived: Amanda’s adorable little daughter – who made straight for the ice cream man – or me, who squealed at the sight of all the beach huts beneath the cornflower blue sky and made a beeline straight for the sand. And yes, I’m probably the only person in the world who thinks it appropriate to wear Marc Jacobs heels to the seaside, but to be honest I always kick my shoes of the instant I spot the sand, so it really doesn’t matter (besides, these heels are by now so loveworn that they are as comfortable as slippers).

Wearing: pink linen shorts (River Island, would you believe!), vintage silk and lace top, vintage London souvenir scarf (worn around wrist), Mimco bangle, vintage butterfly sunglasses, Marc Jacobs bow heels, Chanel yellow Mimosa nails (the only colour that would do for a day at the beach).

Although the dark sand and pebbles of the beaches here can’t compare to the gloriously fluffy white sand & neon blue waters of those I grew up with in Australia, there is something so gloriously fun and nostalgic about the English seaside. I love the colours of the little wooden beach huts that line the sand, the sound of ice cream vans, the lolly-coloured beach umbrellas and chuckling at the sight of pasty Englishmen lying bare-chested, already so sunburnt they look like skinny lobsters, on their towels (if you even attempted this in Australia, you would probably die of skin cancer in an hour). And no matter where in the world you find yourself, there are simply few feelings as lovely as the thrill of kicking of your shoes and running to the shore to feel the warm sand beneath your toes.

What are some of the best beaches you’ve ever been to?

Love, Miss B xx

Four Seasons: Pondering My Life in England Thus Far…

As the first snow of the Winter began to fall this week (isn’t there something magical about the first snow of the year?), it occurred to me that I’ve been living in England for 2 years. I can’t even say exactly why I decided to just up and move country (indeed, hemisphere), other than an overwhelming desire to see life from another perspective, to push myself out of my comfort zone, to experience new opportunities and to seek new adventures.

I remember discussing this idea with the Clever Boyfriend and, when a week later he’d been accepted to study for a PhD at Cambridge University, all the chips seemed to fall in one place. I graduated from my (multiple) University degrees, said farewell to my job and friends, and packed several weeks supply of all the creature comforts I knew I would most likely miss. And just like that, we moved!

Uprooting to a new country is not in any way like being on holiday. Though we did not have a language barrier to overcome (apart from several rather embarrassing episodes where I was completely unable to interpret the stronger British accents), everything else was, in many ways, foreign for several months. Settling in a new place requires one to hunt down new favourite places, new friends, and new jobs. I rather naively presumed I’d fall off the plane and everything would slip into place, but the reality was, of course, a lot more effort on my part.

And then, Spring arrived. I was comfortable with my new home, and ready for all the adventures my life here would hold. And watching the banks of the Cam become a sea of yellow as the first daffodils burst through was, I still recall, one of the happiest moments of my life. I realised that until I had endured a European winter (after which Australia’s 8 weeks of mild coldness seemed like nothing), I had never fully appreciated Spring.

As the sun arrived, punters filed on to the river, cricketers took to the green, romantics sprawled on the banks to spend afternoons reading the English literary greats, Market Square filled with jewel-like fruits and cheeses just begging to be packed for a picnic in the countryside, London’s parks filled with lovers and children, and the days grew blissfully long.

Now, being here well and truly feels right. I have a wonderful job, wonderful friends, and I love experiencing the wonders of Cambridge with the Clever Boyfriend. Though I’m not quite sure where ‘home’ is these days, I like the perspective being in such a position brings; I’m familiar enough to no longer feel like a tourist (and tut at the map-wielding flocks of tourists clogging Kings Parade and Oxford Street like the most seasoned of locals), but foreign enough that being here still feels like an infinite possibility of opportunities and adventures are just waiting to be had.

I firmly believe that the scariest leaps in life – those events that push one well and truly out of the comfort zone of familiarity – are also those that turn out to be the most satisfying, life-defining moments. I’m not sure where home will be in the future (and perhaps once I get too comfortable here, it will be time to move on to a new, as yet undiscovered city), but for now I’m enjoying all that life here, in London and Cambridge, brings with it.

So tell me, dear readers, have you ever taken a great leap out of your comfort zone or moved to an entirely new place? I’d love to hear how it felt for you.

Love, Miss B xx