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

Sleepy Hollow, New York

I’m just back from New York, and it was nothing if not an adventure! The unexpected arrival of a certain Hurricane Sandy may have put a stop to the majority of my plans (instead, my NYC BFF Nicolette & I basically had a four-day slumber party in her perfect Williamsburg apartment), but we did manage to cram in a few adventures on either side of the storm.

Top of my list for this trip had been an autumnal day trip somewhere on the East Coast; I didn’t mind where, so long as the leaves were orange, the scenery picturesque and the activities centred around idyllic American ‘fall’ fun. Which is how we came to spend the weekend before Hallowe’en in the town of Sleepy Hollow in upstate New York.

I hadn’t actually realised that Sleepy Hollow (of the Headless Horseman legend) was an actual place until Nicolette suggested it as the destination for our roadtrip. Now, I’ve always been practically obsessed by Hallowe’en (given it is barely recognised in Australian and England, I’m rather fascinated by the American-centric tradition), but when we pulled into the town I got so worked up in excitement I actually squealed.

The little town of Sleepy Hollow needs none of my rose-tined romanticising, for it was so hauntingly charming all on its own. Every surface seemed covered with the confetti of fallen flame-coloured autumn leaves, each lampost and wooden porch decorated with scarecrows and spiderwebs and candlelit jack-o-lanterns, while costumed trick-or-treating children criss-crossed the little streets.

We visited haunted cemeteries, and the house where Washington Irving (author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and some say the founding father of American fiction) spent his days, and watched dramatic performances of haunted tales, and threw ourselves in giant piles of crunchy leaves (that someone had so kindly raked into leafy mountains that were practically begging to be jumped in), and picked pumpkins from the patch, and drank apple cider and ate s’mores and candy corn and stroked black kitties that crossed our paths in the garden – and generally relished in all the wonderful Hallowe’en traditions I’ve ever wanted to try – until the stars twinkled in the dark sky overhead.

Thank you Nicolette and Sara and Sleepy Hollow for fulfilling all my autumnal and Hallowe’en fantasies!

Wearing: Opening Ceremony cat sweater (the best gift from Nicolette which I’m completely obsessed with; now sold out, but similar style here), Uniqlo Oxford shirt, Camilla and Marc dress (worn as skirt), Chanel handbag, Marc Jacobs chain belt, Ash boots, Mimco necklace, ring and cuffs, Zara sunglasses, bow headband from Tokyo (similar style here), MAC ‘Ruby Woo’ lipstick.

I’d love to hear what seasonal activities you have been enjoying in your corner of the world!

Love, Miss B xx

* Thank you to everyone who sent kind/concerned messages during the hurricane!

Thank you Nicolette for helping with these photos!

October in Pictures

Jumping in piles of crunchy leaves and all my other favourite autumnal pursuits. The arrival of autumn bringing out my Cambridge-centric preppy wardrobe. Bike rides and second hand bookstores. Buying big bunches of roses at the flower market. My first little orange Hermes box in the form of this vintage ‘H’ cuff from Vestiare Collective. Cambridge looking especially beautiful as the leaves change colour. Cosy evenings indoors as the nights grow longer.

Dressing up for black tie dinners and theatre dates. Tim Walker’s marvellous London exhibition. My favourite view view of the Thames from the terrace at the Houses of Parliament. Dandy embroidered slippers at Penelope Chilvers. Appearing in a new London campaign for Michael Kors. Tea, cake and excellent people-watching in the teeny covered arcades of Brixton Village. Sparkly Miu Miu ballet flats that I wish were in my wardrobe.

Flying to New York for adventures with my NY BFF Nicolette (see my New York adventures from last year here). Yellow taxis, Broadway and the bright lights of Times Square. Pumpkins and Halloween decorations on every block. Halloween parties in Chelsea. Laduree macarons and picnics in Central Park. Rowboats on Central Park Lake. Walks all over the Upper East Side. Window shopping on Madison Avenue. Riding out Hurricane Sandy in the most positive way we knew how: with candles, cocktails, card games and Audrey in How to Steal a Million.

I hope you all had a wonderful October! (And to all of you on the East Coast, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and sound after the Hurricane).

Love, Miss B xx