In light of the weekend’s events this Sunday Edit comes to you a day later. My heart goes out to all those affected and I also want to make sure all of you know about a brilliant app called Citizen Aid which tells you what you need to do if an attack happens and how to help others.
It feels strange to be leaving London this week but a small island in Greece awaits and the prospect of exploring and learning all about it with the lovely Arianna feels like a proper treat. We had a fantastic trip to Athens last year together and gelled so wonderfully as travel companions we jumped at the chance to do it again. We’ll be leaving later today so tune into Instagram Stories to follow the fun…
The prospect of white sand & blue seas, exploring ancient ruins and 27ºC plus has had me planning a mainly swimwear and tourist-in-sandals based suitcase. Which is nice and simple really. And a few little extras thrown in…
One of things I love best about London is its warm spring and summer. You really get that summer feeling and opportunity to wardrobe it properly. This from someone who for many young adult years bemoaned the three-day summer you get in Edinburgh and complete superfluousness of anything resembling summer wear. Now that I’ve more or less archived anything resembling a jacket for the next few months, the only thing of need is a soft knit for travelling, for when you lose your bodyheat on the plane or spend too long in over air-conditioned areas. This beautiful Filippa K wool/alpaca rib knit I will stuff in my shoulder basket bag along with a soft cashmere scarf and look forward to snuggling up in on flight with a book or podcast. Also they’ve got some lovely packing/travel editorial here, so do take a peek, always my favourite type of pieces!
I’m short-sighted and for many years have worn a mixture of lenses and specs. More and more these days, I’m wearing my contacts less and glasses more. The way my quite mild short-sightedness works is that I tend to feel more comfortable on screen without any sight aid, so I take my glasses off or lenses out if I’m working on laptop or phone. Which makes specs the easier option. Which makes sunglasses with prescription the absolutely perfect option come summertime. Although it does mean if you only have your sunnies on you that you can end up wearing them indoors, quite unaware of how odd/inadvertently too cool for school you may look. Apologies in advance. I should mention my Dad is way ahead on this one, and has long worn Rayban aviators with prescription lenses which darken when outside and lighten when indoors. Cool, huh? These frames are by Ace & Tate, one of the new breed of frames companies who are offering a pair of glasses for £98 and with prescription £148, which as prescription lens users will know, is pretty good going.
Knit | Fillipa K
Sunglasses | Ace & Tate
I’m super obsessed with bandeau bikini and swimsuit tops at the moment. I just love the minimal chicness of a straight line. This swimsuit is by the brilliant Bodas – love their minimalist palette and designs – and it’s in a dark green, which I think you can just about see from my desaturated edit, ahem. They advise if you have a longer body to go a size up, so this is a medium when I would normally go for an S. The stretchy nature of swimsuits means it still fits fine.
I’ve also got a bit addicted to adding a little of my own sun-flecked colour, most recently with this parabens-free coconut oil spray by Utan, which is just too ridiculously easy to squirt on pre-bedtime or in the morning once you’ve applied moisturiser etc. Even easier than a cream as you don’t need to worry about washing your hands. If you’re after something organic too, then I continue to recommend the Chocolate Sun range you can find at A Beautiful World and which I talk about in this You Tube vid. Works really well, but I have to admit the ease of a spray is extremely addictive and this will be coming with me to Greece!
Swimsuit | Bodas
Coconut tanning water | Utan & Tone
Woven goods in the shape of bags, hear my call. I nearly fell over my digital self trying to get my hands on this lovely little bag via Instagram’s @tidystreetstore – they had just got a few back in stock and I DMed immediately to reserve one to buy the following day over the phone. I’ve since been using it practically everyday as that easy bag that’s so flat you hardly notice it under your arm, but you can get quite a few things in when needed, including camera and, something I find I need more and more in a bag, quick and easy access. They come in various shapes and colours and around the £200 mark. So much love for this bag and will be perfect for a spot of sightseeing too.
Bag | Tidy Street Store (order by phone)
Usually a travel candle is not something I would take with me. But the old-fashioned vibe of our two ladies on a sun & history holiday somehow calls for one I think! Along with our Baedeker guides 😉 This little travel jar from Essence & Alchemy came via the nice-things-curator-in-chiefs at Inka Gifting London, you can find some of their cute little gold screw-top ones here.
Bleating on at length about summer sandals in yet another video, I’d completely overlooked digging out from under the bed these classic Isabel Marant espadrille style sandals which I bought last year in the sale. Basically one of those impulse sale purchases where the fact they don’t have your actual size seems neither here nor here. So I did wear them a couple of times, but rather uncomfortably because although length wise they fit, the strap is for the more slender of ankle size 38 and so the buckle chafed rather badly on my ankle bones. But then a year wiser and older, I pulled out one of my most useful purchases to date – a leather hole puncher – and made a hole right at the end of each strap giving my ankles more wiggle room and voila, problem solved! About which I am extremely pleased, because they are damn gorgeous and were a brilliant sale purchase that I actually want to celebrate and wear! I couldn’t find this exact style online, but here’s a selection of current Isabel Marant sandals.
Travel candle | Essence & Alchemy
Sandals | Isabel Marant
There are some beauty products that really do wondrous things, and Pai’s rosehip oil is one of them. You’ll have heard a lot about Pai already from me – certified organic and super pure – and I find the products so incredibly gentle and soothing and love the whole story of and operation behind the brand – see my factory visit here. In preparation for baring skin, I’ve been using the oil on my problem areas – my chest or maybe you would say decolletage area is not that great, prone to the odd breakout and rash and so I’ve been applying a few drops (ok, maybe several!) to that part overnight and immediately seeing an improvement in the quality of skin there. I’m also loving the new balm product, thick, but not too thick and using on heels and other dry parts, my scaly calves being another problem spot! The calendula body cream is also a saviour for me as it’s great on the various heat and sugar rashes I come out in around my ribcage.
Skin oil | Pai Skincare
I’ve been pretty boring on the shorts front for the last few years, relying solely on denim cut-offs which always are just fine. But occasionally I’ll see a photograph of someone looking insanely chic and elegant in a tailored pair and bemoan the fact I have nothing similar in my wardrobe. Enter a pair of green shorts – really into green right now – maybe because it’s Gus’s favourite colour… – by Ümran Aysan; a London-based but Turkish born designer focussed on sustainability with a gorgeous selection of resortwear and coastal designs born out of Ümran’s perception of self-identity as a world-citizen. Which with my mixed background is something I connect with!
I’ve been focussing on improving my necklace collection with a view to successful layering and am working in choker length chains and longer medallion styles. This choker is by Mejuri and the gold disc by Molly Debiack, both based in the US. I ordered direct from the Mejuri site but found Molly available in the jewellery section of Inka Gifting London. The lovely natural soap is by Honest.
The little bottle of Vitamin C serum is by Nuori, a brand new to me but 100% free from preservatives and other synthetic additives and also very effective due to its freshness. I’m excited to try this out because I’ve repeatedly read over the years all the wonderful benefits of Vitamin C for the skin, so I will let you know how this goes!
Shorts | Ümran Aysan
Choker necklace | Mejuri
Disc necklace | Molly Debiak at Inka Gifting
Soap | Honest
Serum | Nuori
Post any journey I love a hot bath with salts to wash away the travel weariness, and I’ve been trying out Bramley – a small range of products made in small batches from all natural ingredients grown and made in the British countryside, with no nasties or chemicals and no testing on animals. The lavender scent is wonderfully fresh and the salts dissolves nicely!
Bath salts | Bramley
