While I was in London I fully intended on splashing the cash and though I did buy a fair bit of stuff over the course of the week I didn’t buy nearly half as much as I thought I would. I think I learnt a lesson visiting Oxford Street that it wasn’t really somewhere that impressed me at all and I now wish I had made the trek across to Camden Market and visited some more of the smaller shops because they were the places that had the best stuff in my opinion. At least I know for next time I visit exactly where I should go and where I should avoid.
Randomly stumbling across Spitalfields Market was a lovely little surprise that also turned out to be quite good for gaining my first purchases of my trip. Though it was dinner time and all the food from all the stalls and restaurants smelt gorgeous, I’d just eaten so food purchases were off the agenda leaving me time to focus on the few stalls that were set up. There wasn’t many people working as it was a Monday but I can imagine on a Saturday this place would be heaven and a market to spend hours in looking at all the lovely items and sampling some of the cuisine on offer. However all I did buy this time round was the two items pictured below:
Owl Vest from Spitalfields Market – £15
How awesome is this vest?! There was a really cool stall in the market that sold all handmade vests and t-shirts with loads of different designs on them. I love owls and I have a lot of owl related things and as soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it. There was a t-shirt too which was white with the owl in black but the vest with the slightly faded acid wash effect it just looked really cool and very on trend for now too but regardless of that it is something I really love and will wear a hell of a lot.
London Wooden Polaroid’s from Spitalfields Market – £12
These wooden polaroids are actually amazing! I love polaroid pictures and pictures of things such as city scapes, architecture and signs so these were right up my street. At £12 for 3 I think that was reasonable enough and they will make a lovely little edition to my room when we move. I have a set of 3 New York pictures and now a set of 3 London pictures summing up two of my favourites cities.
Records from Rough Trade East – £25.99
There was no way I was visiting London without a trip to Rough Trade. I adore vinyl records and over the past year or so I’ve been building up a collection of albums and singles on vinyl. Whether I made a purchase or not I was going but I did make a purchase or two. My Bloody Valentine’s latest release which is awesome and a limited edition 7 inch of Haim’s single ‘Falling’ which is probably my favourite Haim single as well. I left a very happy girl after visiting somewhere I’d always wanted to visit and adding to my growing vinyl collection with two brilliant releases from the past year.
Wednesday afternoon was the part of the trip that me and mum specifically designated for shopping. With so much other stuff to do we had to fit some time in somewhere so that was it. Admittedly one afternoon is not a long time to shop for in London but we covered plenty of ground, my feet certainly were aware of how much I’d walked and I built up enough of an appetite for two cooked meals in one day which is so unlike me and the tiny amounts I usually eat. Despite walking for miles I didn’t buy as much as I thought I would but I did pick up a few nice pieces.
Cheap Monday Shirt – £5
Cheap Monday is a brand I’ve heard so much about but I’ve never actually bought anything of their’s or really looked into the type of things they do. Looking around the store I was suitably impressed. Most of it was to my taste and all very affordable. I did toy with the idea of getting a pair of jeans as they seem like the type of brand that will last for years with plenty of wear and at £55 a lot more affordable than some other brands out there. However, all I walked away with was this shirt, in the sale at only £5, it is a pretty perfect lounge about the house shirt really. Though I have still got my eyes on a pair of Cheap Monday jeans.
Galaxy Shirt from Monki – £13.20
I’m a big fan of Monki clothing, when I travelled Europe last year I visited a few of the shops but had no money spare to buy clothes on such a tight budget and with there not being one in Sheffield my browsing so far has been limited to online. So with a store to visit and money to spend it was a nice novelty. I could have bought so much from there but I limited myself to 2 or 3 items. In the end I just bought this shirt which is the perfect sort of slouchy shirt I love and for a reasonable price. After my visit though I have a huge list of items I want so I think I will be making an order from the website very soon.
Floral/Brocade Skirt from Forever 21 – £20
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Speckled Zip Sleeve Jumper from Forever 21 – £15
High Waisted Shorts from Forever 21 – £14.75
Cosmetic Mirror from Forever 21 – £3.15
Forever 21 was the only place where I really spent a fair bit all week. There was a hell of a lot of good stuff in stock and not having a store in Sheffield it was the perfect opportunity to stock up on one of my favourite high street brands. A nice skirt and a new jumper is something that my wardrobe always needs to be improved slightly and these patterns on offer are something a bit different. I’m always after a nice pair of going out shorts as well, I’m always a fan of being comfortable on a night out so a well fitting dress or shorts and a shirt is usually my night out attire of choice. These shorts fit that catagory well, you can’t get much more going out chic than a pair of silver sequinned shorts. With Christmas coming up as well they will definitely be perfect for adding sparkle to a winter party outfit but they are easily something that can be worn all year round paired with a sheer shirt especially. For daytime they may be a bit too much unless paired with something a bit more basic like an oversized black jumper to play down the sparkle making them more acceptable for daytime wear. Either way I know all the items I bought are things I will wear a lot and I just wish there was a Forever 21 in Sheffield.
M&M’s from M&M World – £12.40 [yes I did spend £12.40 on M&M’s]
A serious issue when one of the most expensive things you buy while away is a bag of M&M’s but like I could pass up on the opportunity. It is quite expensive in M&M world however now I’ve visited and bought something I think I have got the whole novelty thing out of my system and the beautiful smell of chocolate that tempted me to buying something this time should hopefully not have such a hold over me if I ever visit again. It’s a brilliant place to visit and a totally touristy thing to do when in London but the expense of products [not just chocolate] is slightly over the odds I feel.
Mixtape Couture 