P O R T O B E L L O

Living just 16 minutes from the centre of London means that I travel up there a lot, and yet there's still many places I don't know! Places such as Covent Garden, Soho and Carnaby Street and all around the West End I know like the back of my hand, and yet somehow I had never made my way to a very famous place in London until now; this being of course, Portobello Road.

My boyfriend and I were expecting Portobello Market to be a bit like Camden, which isn't really our vibe as its a little too messy and punk-y for us, but we were mistaken! Although there are some Camden-style parts, the market has a more positive and uplifting atmosphere, with lovely antique stores and food that looked divine. Also.. some of the houses were a dream to look at!

In addition to all the lovely market stalls, we stumbled across a lovely shop we are definitely returning to next time. It was more put-together than the others, and called itself the 'general store'. It sold everything from Kinfolk Magazine, to espresso cups, to minimalist stationary, and what's more there was coffee, pastries and a little spot to sit and eat at the back.

Across the road we got to sample a little slice of pizza from a shop called Tomola, which we will DEFINITELY return to; that slice was heavenly.
All in all it was a sweet trip, and we will absolutely go back even if just for the General Store and the pizza!

P H O E B E  G R A C E  //

S T R I P E L I F E

One of my all time favourite things to throw on are striped tops. They're versatile, pretty and 100% Parisian which is always a good thing. There are also so many different types of stripes! Never let anyone tell you that you have enough striped tops, its just not possible.

 

I paired my striped top with black jeans and this coat is from Topshop, which has been a staple this winter. It's surprisingly warm, the perfect light grey, and the boyfriend/blazer coat styles are something I have been loving in general. The shape adds a little extra smart-ness to an other wise very simple and casual outfit. Additionally, can I just say I LOVE THESE SHOES. For ages I had been walking around in loafers freezing my toes off, until I found these beauties. They come right up to my ankle, almost like little boots, and keep my feet relatively warm without loosing the look that a pair of flat pumps or loafers give. Oh, and I love the buckles.

On another note, hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day if you're into that sort of thing. These pictures were actually taken on Valentines, whilst out with my boyfriend, before he cooked us lovely and tasty fillet steak for a sweet candlelit dinner at home. He's a love.

P H O E B E  G R A C E  //

I N T R O D U C T I O N S

Hey there,

So being the type of person who would class their main hobbies as 'shopping' 'pinteresting' or 'going out for the day', I figured it was high time I started the lifestyle blog that I'd been dreaming of for a long time. My friends, and a quote I saw the other day that said 'there are 7 days in a week, and someday isn't one of them' finally motivated me to quit dreaming and start doing.

As an introductory post, I thought I'd list a simple 5 things about me, to kick-start this page.

1) Morning person or night owl?

I am an early riser. Although I'm quite outgoing and I love people, the idea of a late night out at a party usually ends with me pining for my bed and wishing I was snuggled up watching a movie or eating a decent dinner instead of cheap alcohol and party snacks. Whereas, I cannot seem to stop myself from waking up by 8am even on a Saturday. I don't generally get up and start my day, as I like to sit in bed browsing over a vogue with some breakfast, but I don't like to waste the morning, and I'll usually be out of bed and ready to go by 10am.

2) Tea or coffee?

Both. Is that allowed? I love a cup of tea before bed or when reading a book, but I could never pass up my enjoyment of a good cappuccino or espresso in the morning or at a coffee shop in London (my current favourite being 'notes' situated near Covent Garden).

3) Books/magazines or films/TV?

I think I'd put books and magazines way above films and TV. I love to go to the cinema or to watch a good film on the sofa, but I don't get round to it often, and sometimes I get so bored I end up switching the screen off or getting distracted by my phone. TV is definitely a no for me too, as I rarely ever watch it! This sounds like bragging but I honestly forget to watch, or loose track of TV series, and aside from the Great British Bake Off I wouldn't say there's any TV I genuinely love. Books however, I could read for hours (and yes they are always better than the film versions), and magazines are so lovely to flick through or cut out for inspiration.

 

4) Cooking or takeaway?

Takeaway is a rare treat in my house, so I would go with cooking 100%. The occasional Chinese or Indian is always amazing, but I always regret the amount of unhealthy greasy food I intake afterwards! I have a few recipe books that I really love to cook from, such as 'Sunday Suppers' by Karen Mordechai, and I also think that making the food is half the fun, which you miss out on when ordering food.

5) Cats or dogs?

Cats cats cats! I have nothing against dog owners, but in my opinion dogs are lovely when they are someone else's, but rather smelly and time consuming as your own! Cats however, are hilariously aloof, come and go as they please, don't smell, don't need walking, and are still adorably cute!

And there you have it! 5 pretty random things about me. Thank you for reading and I sure hope to see you here again for the first proper post.

P H O E B E. G R A C E //