Home Sweet Home

I made it home on April 16th! I've been catching up with jet lag and working this past week. I'm going to be whipping out all my clothes I bought in London as it gets warmer! (Because I bought all Spring/Summer clothing). I got to wear my new MinkPink dress from Urban Outfitters for Easter. It was great to see my family.

Things I missed about America;
1. BACON
2. Driving my car (even though I got a flat tire the first day)
3. 1 unit of currency not equalling 1.69 Units of my home currency. (Pound is really 1.70 ish)
4. Not having smoke blown in my face every two feet.
5. MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY and Brian of course.

Things I'm already missing about London;
1. Being on my own and having no rules
2. Not working
3. Tube rides... I liked the tube
4. Calling seltzer fizzy water just kidding
5. My flatmates and friends I made in London
6. Being in one of the FASHION CAPITALS of  the world. :(



Brian & I

P.S. Here are some failed pics of my outfit the day after I landed. My dogs missed me.







Saying Goodbye to London

So, the semester is over, and "graduation" is today from the London College of Fashion. I was really so lucky to be able to come here, and have my family supporting me. I learned so much valuable fashion knowledge, and I also learned that I CAN survive on my own in the city. I can't wait to see what is next for me. I'm excited to go home and see everyone, but I will miss London (especially Summer in London). I feel like I can do anything now. If anyone ever has the opportunity to study abroad, DO IT!

So here is a collection of sayings and things I want to remember about London (good or bad).

1. Tube= underground subway:
     - when you're going up or down the escalator, STAND on the right- NOT the left, so people don't run you over while they're running up the stairs. People in London are NOT lazy. (Fun fact while 1 in 5 American is obese, 1 in 3 Londoners is obese.... this is because of the tube).
    - . MIND THE GAP!!!- means don't fall between the train and the platform or you will die.

    - "Please stand clear of the closing doors" means "please stand clear of the closing doors"- not jump in. These doors WILL slam closing you in them, holding the entire mile long train up, and causing you great embarrassment and maybe some lost luggage.

2. Seltzer= fizzy water/ sparkling water/ sometimes soda water (but sometimes that's tonic)
    - this made it hell almost every time I wanted to order a Gin and seltzer.

3. Chips= Fries

4. Pants= Trousers, Underwear= Pants, Tank top= vest

5. Ask for student discounts at every store.

6. It is TRUE that more people have bad teeth in London than not (this isn't their fault, they have worse dental care than in the U.S.)

7. DJ's will NOT play Lil Wayne at the club. (Sorry Weezy, we tried)

8. Brick Lane is AWESOME for vintage finds.

9. Holland park is another world- the most gorgeous park I've ever seen, especially in
London.

10. Marks & Spencer should be the only grocery store in London. They have the freshest food.

11. Porridge is oatmeal with cream/ milk already mixed in.

12. They don't really sell wheat thins, cheez-its, or any snacks that I love (this could be seen as a plus because I probably lost weight here).

13. "Topping up"- means adding money to something- your phone bill, your oyster card (train pass), your Internet "it's time to top up!"

14. The London Bridge we think is the London Bridge, isn't really the London Bridge.... it's the Tower Bridge.



LONDON BRIDGE



NOT London Bridge- Tower Bridge

 15. Oxford Circus- where I got off every day to go to school, shop, shop, or shop. This is the busiest tube station in London, and Oxford Street is THE busiest street in the WORLD (I'm not making this up).

16. Topshop= my favorite store.

17. Guys tend to be A LOT creepier in London than in America. If I'm at my fugliest I will still get whistled at, kissed at, or stared at. OOOH LOOK A GIRL!

18. When in Paris, watch out for pick pockets, and con artists. We got to see Basia (our study abroad coordinator) tell one off in french.

19. Paris is beautiful. And full of bread and cheese- my favorites.

20. Do NOT cross the road in front of a bus.... like really people?

21. Hyde park mansions are right next to my flat.... I wasn't aware of this until about two weeks ago.

22. Flat= apartment

23. British TV= old seasons of American TV.

24. People are a lot more fashion foreword in London, and you can be yourself. No one cares.

25. However, I'm getting tired of the skirt with tights and flats and a trench coat and a bun (the non daring girl's uniform in London).

26. It doesn't matter if your hair is messy in London, you still look cool.

27. Rihanna= Goddess in London.

28. Justin Bieber= God in London.

29. TINIE TEMPAH is my new favorite rapper (besides all my American faves)

30. Piccadilly circus- a fun name for a mini time square- like roundabout. It's not a circus.

31. Bakerloo- The train line I took every day ( Passing Marlybone, Regent Street, Baker Street)

32. Leicester Square- Pronounced LESTER... oops

33. Shrimp = prawns.

34. Fashion school WAS a lot of hard work. I;
       -wrote three separate 30 page papers in Fashion Marketing Class with my partner Dylan
       - Wrote a 15 Page final Visual Merchandising Portfolio
       - Predicted two trends for 2013 and presented a final project on this- including silhouettes, colors, fabrics, and economic reasoning.
      - Wrote a press release, did two photo shoots, did multiple mini- press releases, learned what a fashion Icon was, and released a new perfume.

      - Filled a journal with my own sketches

      - Wrote a paper on " The gaze, Objectification, Consumption and their relation to Female Gender Roles in Fashion"

35. And I enjoyed every minute of it. BYE BYE London, I'll be back!

      

Newest obsession: the tribal beaded clutch

I'm loving that along with the tribal print dresses and tops, these new beaded tribal clutches are popping up everywhere. I really want one, and i'm even tempted to try to bead a plain black clutch myself... (I recently learned how to sew beads on to fabric, this project may be a bit out of my league). But there are so many beautiful versions, whether they be expensive or rather inexpensive, these all seem to have almost the same pattern. Check these out, they're some of my favorites so far. Is anyone else into these?

Forever21- $23.80

Aldo- $50

Maje- $245

Summer in London

I recently viseted a park in London called HOLLAND PARK. It was almost 70 degrees and sunny out. This park was beauiful and it was a much needed day of relaxation. How come when I'm going home in a week it gets so gorgeous out?? These are pictures of Kyoto Garden which is within Holland Park,  some of the Peacocks, (I still can't believe animals exist that are those colors), and some pretty flowers that have been in bloom.

Basket-case

So apparently I've been attracted to basket weave-like things and fabrics. Here are two of my latest buys. Shoes are from Urban Outfitters, and dress is from Topshop!

Multiple Personalities: Camden

I decided to go off on my own and explore the Camden area of London today. It was beautiful out today; about 65 degrees and sunny for most of the day. I've never been to a place that has so many different personalities. I saw suburban areas, different cultural inspirations, and some crazy outfits. This place was really cool. The Camden Stables are now a market. They used to be horse stables, along with a horse hospital when horses were needed in London for transport and pulling barges, etc. Its crazy how people find their way around here, but somehow I did! (Luckily I literally ran into my friend Dylan and we stopped and held each other for a little bit...no but really we did- it was a bit overwhelming being there alone.) I got out of the tube at Chalk Farm Road, and walked until I got to Camden Town tube stop. Here's everything in between. Amazing.

Homes in the area

Wall Mural

Entrance to the stables

Fresh squeezed OJ

Just an example of all the different jewelry places

PROUD Camden- Old horse hospital transformed into a BAR!

Each stall is decorated differently, and they can be rented out

Another stall

Dylan checking out the "Colonial Williamsburg" Lady

The canal

Dylan caught me struggling to find my phone in my abyss of a purse... if I looked frazzled it's because I was.

Mobs