The First Week of Term

There is something so wonderful about the first week of the new academic year here in Cambridge. Being a University Town, there is a noticeable shift in the mood of the city when the students flood back for the new year after the summer break.

I’m long out of university myself (though I live rather vicariously through the Clever Boyfriend, who has just started as a fellow at the University after graduating from his PhD this summer), but I can’t help but smile at the sight of the new students, wide-eyed with freshman enthusiasm, wheeling little wooden trolleys laden with all their worldly possessions through the cobbled alleyways to find their new dorms. Thankfully, lectures and essay writing never factor into my current life (studying three degrees was quite enough!), but I treasure the fact that I still get to experience the fun side of University life by merit of living here; there are wonderful start-of-term dinners, garden parties in courtyards that overlook the river, magical libraries I quite happily get lost in for hours, and candlelit dining halls that look straight out of Hogwarts.

And of course, the Oxbridge collegiate lifestyle has influenced more than just my social life. While in summer I’m all about florals and white lace dresses, by the time autumn comes around I’m craving a more preppy uniform (give me a rope of pearls, a bow headband, a crested blazer and a crisp Oxford shirt and I’m happy). The Clever Boyfriend and I took these photos the other day (after lunch in Kings College and a visit to the college library) and it struck me just how much that preppy sensibility has permeated my wardrobe. For here I was dressed like a grown-up version of a stereotypical Cambridge student, with a dose of irony (in the form of my toungue-in-cheek accessories) thrown in for good measure.

And you know what? I kind of love it.

Wearing: Camilla and Marc dress, Uniqlo shirt, Lulu Guinness book clutch (borrowed), Charlotte Olympia kitty heels (past season, but similar version here), J. Crew crystal necklace, Jersey Pearl necklace, Mimco cuff, Chanel crystal camellia ring and earrings (worn as collar studs), bow headband from Tokyo.

How does your style change at this time of year?

Love, Miss B xx

September in Pictures

Putting on my favourite Mulberry and pearls for a fabulously decadent brunch at Bob Bob Ricard (‘Press for champagne!’) with girlfriends. Playing tourist in London never gets old. Putting on my new pink Prada heels to make household chores a little bit wonderful. Frequent trips to Chinatown for custard buns and watermelon bubble tea. A surprise delivery from Lulu Guinness (a new pink lips clutch that made me squeal with delight). Pretty pink cocktail earrings from ASOS to brighten up a day. Stopping to smell the roses on the way to the Parliament office. Adding a little extra sparkle at my desk with my favourite Chanel ring.

A serious ‘pinch me!’ moment in my blogging career: joining forces with Jimmy Choo for a fabulous Fashion Night Out party in London: shoes, cocktails and wonderful party-goers (thank you so much to everyone who came to say hello! I’m still grinning at the memory). Packing all my favourite clothes for London Fashion Week. My two favourite Fashion Week accessories: glittery and cake. Garden gnomes in a fantasy garden at the Mulberry show. Soaking up all the action backstage, on the runway and everywhere in between. Beautiful dresses that wardrobe dreams are made of at Erdem and Temperley. Getting to attend the shows of all my favourite designers (and not being able to wipe the smile off my face the entire week).

Making the most of the last of the Cambridge summertime. Evening bicycle rides are more fun when there is a baguette, a bunch of flowers and a Mulberry bag in my basket. The last of my summer days smelt of garden roses, Annick Goutal’s Petite Cherie perfume and Diptyque’s Mimosa candles. Sunny weekends spent lazing on the banks of the River Cam with picnics, good books, my sweetheart and picture-perfect views. Pastel dresses and girl dates at the ice cream parlour. Pretending I go to Hogwarts with Sunday lunches in the Kings College great hall (with a suitably bookish and witty Lulu Guinness clutch bag).

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful September! What are you most looking forward to in October?

Love, Miss B xx

April Showers

I don’t know what it’s like in your corner of the world, but here in England the sun does not want to put his hat on. Instead, the weather is choosing to be grey and drizzly each day and the pavements are embellished with glistening puddles. While I wait for spring to make it’s sunny return (spring, if you’re reading, I’d love that to be soon if you could possibly manage it), these are my favourite ways to find cheer when skies are grey:

Lulu Guinness birdcage umbrella, scarlet Hunter wellingtons, Benefit PosieTint, Burberry trench coat.

What are your favourite ways to cheer up rainy days?

Love, Miss B xx