The Fourth Abroad

Though I may be in red coat territory, I did my fair share of celebrating America’s Independence Day. I kicked off my weekend of birthday festivities in Hyde Park with two fellow expats at the O2 Wireless Music Festival. I rushed straight from work to meet a friend of mine from WashU (who had called that morning with news he had extra tickets! HOORAY!) and a friend of his, coincidentally from New England himself. Among the three tents worth of performing artists we managed to catch two of my favorites: David Guetta followed by the Black Eyed Peas!! It was massively worth braving the immense, bordering insane, crowds: two amazing shows. Before leaving the park we stopped by for a complimentary crepe, made with love especially by a girlfriend of mine who had been flipping those thin flapjacks for hours on end – she is quite a pro now I must say.

And since by this point it was 11:00pm and none of us had truly had any dinner we opted to celebrate the red, white, and blue with a quite All-American spread at Byron’s Burger on Earl’s Court: a burger each, fries, onion rings, mac and cheese, all to be shared, and oreo milkshakes – of course! Quite satisfied I then fell into bed.

Sunday, in an effort to imagine myself at a pool, or lake, or ocean stateside, I took a dip my building’s Jacuzzi – clad in my most patriotic swimsuit.

And for the real deal day I sported (with quite a lot of pride) an American flag t-shirt borrowed from my mom’s closet before I jumped across the pond (see photo). I had to work, though my colleagues were quite amenable to my slightly aggressive ensemble, but also to my “America Rocks” attitude all day long. After I finished for the day I ran home to change into a slightly more stylish, but equally patriotic outfit to meet my godmother, a New York native, for dinner. We took a slightly more gourmet approach to Independence Day this year: burgers and fries at the wonderfully chic Bar Bouloud in the Mandarin Hotel on Knightsbridge. After a chocolate mint dessert that had me floating on cloud 9 I met some younger Yankees on King’s Road at Henry J Beans for celebrations and plenty of tunes honoring the stars and stripes.

Overall, while I still wish I had been stateside yesterday, I think I did a fairly decent job celebrating in the enemy’s territory. Hope you all had a HAPPY HAPPY FOURTH as well. God Bless the USA.

Keep your eyes pealed for some back blogging on my trips to Paris and Cambridge last month…

slowly, but surely I will update you

Well I have been completely MIA from Belles and Bobbins for far too long – hold on to your hats for some serious updates.

I need to go back as far as June 1^st. That Wednesday was a dear friend of mine from WashU’s last night in London after an entire semester here so, of course, we needed to celebrate. Our choice for dinner was a hole in the wall spot that she had heard raves of: The North Sea Fish Company, near King’s Cross. Upon arrival I quickly realized it was one of those place that without a recommendation I would walk right past, disregarding it as a dive with dodgy patrons and subpar sanitary standards. But, my word, was I surprised to taste not only the absolute BEST fish and chips I have ever had in this country, but also a quite spectacular homemade, real English bread pudding. My mackerel filet came out whole, battered with a light crispy crust, accompanied by proper chunky chips which I enjoyed dunking in spicy mustard.

After we sufficiently stuffed ourselves, we two blondes snapped a photo (see left) and headed to check one final hotspot off this new Anglophile’s list before she jumped back stateside. Another recommendation, Bart’s, was our next stop – supposedly a favorite of Daniel Radcliffe. A prohibition themed bar tucked away behind an unmarked door, in an inconspicuous building (otherwise known as the Sloane Hotel), once inside you cant keep your eyes from bouncing from one trinket to another, on the walls, on the tables; the speak easy boasted knick-knacks in every corner, not to mention a dress-up chest for the booze hounds and dancing queens who have the pleasure of knowing about this secret spot. We met several friends there who happened to be close with the owner of not only Bart’s, but also one of London’s hottest clubs, Maggie’s. So our night did not end at the bar, but rather we went on to Margaret Thatcher’s namesake and enjoyed VIP treatment and refreshing 90’s throwback tunes. The lines around the block would be worth it to go back!

All in all a pretty successful Wednesday night, though I do wish my partner in crime was still in Britain for more excursions! 

Week One and the Long Weekend that followed...

And I’m back! After a chalk-full week of specs, print reflecting, rotating, and repeating, as well as digital illustrations to the max, I polished off my first five days with a little research on licensing. A relaxing Friday afternoon following a hectic, but oh-so-fun, first week on the job.

And what better way to celebrate this exciting culmination than with a three-day weekend? While those of you stateside are honoring our armed forces with burgers by the pool, I raise my proverbial glass to some obscure and quite generic “bank holiday” for which I did not have to go to work today.

Friday night ended early, with “In Her Shoes,” chocolate soy pudding, and z’s around 11:30. Saturday however, after some much needed sleep, I headed to Camden Passage to wander the markets and of course stop into my English Rugby equivalent, Jack Wills. While the markets were rather disappointing – partly due to the rainy weather I suppose – I naturally had the urge to purchase most everything I laid my eyes on in JW. One item in particular stole my heart: a wonderfully classic boating blazer, refined to an even slimmer silhouette, complete with three flap pockets, breast pocket, and donned with the iconic JW pink and navy stripes (I am including a photo). This branch dared to not stock my size so I made it my mission to find one later on in the weekend (I did.)

Sunday’s weather proved much improved. Sunny, 64, and a cool breeze blowing through the city streets – what better conditions for a trot through Hyde Park? I couldn’t agree more! In the afternoon I ventured to Lancaster Gate where the Hyde Park location of the Hyde Park and Kensington Stables resides. Though I grew up spending four days a week each summer in Queensgate with Oliver, Toby, or Toffee, eight years later I have found a new summer love in Balthurst Mews: Kevin. Dark and handsome, he took me for an hour and a half ride, reliving my childhood afternoons on the trails of the park. It would be an understatement to say I was in heaven: back in the saddle and it felt so good… Until I got off. I am not ashamed to admit the minute my feet hit the cobblestones I was sore. Which is why I came straight home to Roland Gardens and its wonderful health club Jacuzzi (only helped a little bit).

And with an extra day tacked on to my weekend I went exploring. It had been quite some time since I had been to Covent Garden, and in the meantime it has grown significantly, even adopting the Jack Wills Flagship store into its welcome arms. So I made a pilgrimage there and to the flagship Reiss store as well where I stumbled upon not one, not two, but three things I will now be watching for to go on sale. Including, get this, a purple jump suit – sounds like clown attire I know, but it isn’t close, it’s FABULOUS. Shopping was only the beginning of this exciting day however. I ventured with some fellow Dallasites to Knightsbridge to try one of four locations of a restaurant called Ottolenghi. While seating was minimal, and the wait was quite the opposite, our lunch was worth it. Ottolenghi prepares every dish fresh daily from mostly local and organic ingredients, and most importantly completely from scratch. Walking in the door you can feast your eyes on an array of color, all of the fresh salads, meats, and pastries for customers to chose from are in plain view. Eat in or take-away, either way the food is scrumptious. I enjoyed roast beef (they are known for it) with roasted sweet potato and red onion salad with orange, cinnamon and walnut salsa sprinkled with fresh mint; Tunisian spicy carrot salad with caramelized onion, pomegranate seeds, and coriander; and char-grilled broccoli with chili and garlic. Not to mention my flourless, butterless, orange chocolate cake for dessert! The best part of the whole adventure is that they have another shop less than a block from my offices in July!

And now with all of this talk of food I am starved and you are probably bored. Peanut butter, banana, and honey on gluten free bread it is for this chica tonight – and early to bed as work begins again tomorrow morning!

Speak soon!

Home!

I am officially settled in my flat so I thought I would share some pics of my home for the next 10 and half weeks – enjoy! And watch out for a post all about my first few days at work tonight!!

I had to buy hanging rods because my closet is so small...

Boundary and Bumpkin

That’s right folks, this blog isn’t only about fashion, it’s about cuisine, culture, nightlife and more – anything and everything associated with being young, and living in a big city. So here comes your first post on that front – as free of fashion as I can make it.

One of the best parts about my arrival in London is that I am overlapping for a week with all of my wonderful friends who have had the pleasure of living in this city since January. I got to rendez-vous with these abroadees that I have missed so dearly to celebrate a 21^st birthday – surprise style! Unbeknownst to the birthday boy his parents flew across the pond to throw him a special dinner – and not just any dinner – an all around wonderful evening event at one of London’s newest hot spots.

I must admit I can get stuck in my ways. The same bars and restaurants in central London night after night because I love them, and to be honest love their consistency – I can be confident about my service the minute I walk through the door. That being said, when I was told to meet the ol’ crew in Shoreditch, my response may not have been as tactful as it would be having now been there. This re-vamped, re-furbished, re-juvenated part of London clearly slipped under my radar. When I’m wrong, I’m wrong – the Boundary hotel/bar/restaurant sure showed me.

We began our evening on the rooftop terrace bar, proceeded downstairs to a dim lit, delicious three-course meal, and finally resigned to a two-story suite complete with balcony. The weather could not have been more beautiful to watch the sun set over the city from the rooftop and the ambience in the lower level dining area made for a wonderfully chic but not too formal atmosphere to commemorate a coming of age. While the pâté spread appetizer won me over in the savory department, the triple chocolate number that came out with candles took the cake so to speak. I admit: I ate my piece as well as the icing off of not only one but both of the gentlemen’s plates sitting next to me. Wonderfully company, fabulous food, and an all over immensely enjoyable evening.

But my night did not stop there. With one of my favorite partner’s in crime by my side, we met up with her brother in Piccadilly at a club called Cuckoo – equipped with colored lighting, a jamming DJ booth, and just enough room to dance. The chesterfield style booths were an especially nice touch in such an eclectic and modern atmosphere glowing every hue of indigo, azure, and magenta. Home at 4:30 am – I call that a successful Saturday night.

My weekend of impeccable cuisine didn’t end there, however. Sunday night, my mom and I went one of our newer favorites, Bumpkin, which happens to be only 3 minutes walk from my new flat. A comfortable and casual dining experience, this place is as close to “home cooking” as one gets in the UK. Servers wear jeans and tees with “Country Boy” and “Country Girl” scrolled across their backs in blue and pink respectively. To my surprise the Kensington hole in the wall was buzzing on Sunday night – families, couples, friends catching up on the weekend’s events: you name ‘em they were there – not an empty table in the place. I knew it would be a great experience the minute I walked in as the maître dee wore a pink polo (collar popped) and charmed both my mom and I with sparkling conversation and welcome menu recs. What else could I order but the Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding? Top it off with the short-season rhubarb crumble and this anglophile may as well have been in heaven.  

The beginning of an AMAZING summer!

Alright ladies. I will start this blog.

So I got home a few days ago and I must say my trip back was AMAZING. Or at least Jen will agree with me :) Chan I know you're not fond of hiking or grizzly bears. Haha.

I took this picture right outside of Yellowstone from my car window at 80 m.p.h. but I still think its beautiful. Jen you were right... I love that area. So so so pretty!

I haven't started my internship yet but I will keep you guys updated as soon as I do!

Love you guys! Miss you already!

~ Co

Hello!

Hello World,

For those of you who don’t know me or who don’t know what I am doing this summer allow me to introduce myself.

This blue-eyed blonde Texas girl is venturing outside of the studios of The Sam Fox School of Design and testing all that she has learned in the Bixby basement in the real live world of the Fashion Design Industry. This blog will track not only my experiences in London, but also the journeys of Corissa in Portland and Jenny in NYC. With a year of intensive hours and sleepless nights sewing, illustrating, and making patterns, we are ready to dive into the murky waters of this business we love.

My first position begins tomorrow. I am interning at a label that is feminine but modern; an edgy approach to the classics with a fairly neutral palette of colors – or so I think. I will be there for four and half weeks, will be on a short break back in the US and then will be back for a second four and half week internship the end of June and all of July. So while I have no idea what’s in store for me tomorrow I do have more to share with you. Unfortunately for tonight I must get some sleep before my big first day!

But watch out for a jam packed post tomorrow night – Day Number 1 + my weekend update – quite a lot to tell.

Ciao for now!

Channy