OOTD: Paris

Back in January I whizzed over to Paris for a short (work) trip. As I was travelling solo I was able to choose my own accommodation and decided to stay at the newly opened Le Pavillon des Lettres, which is an amazing boutique hotel near Madeleine. Each of the 26 rooms corresponds to a different letter of the alphabet, encompassing the spirit of a poet, a writer, an impassioned virtuoso or a genius, with extracts of each chosen artist printed on the walls. My room was X for Xenophon.

Despite the drizzle and cold I took full advantage of the few hours I had spare between meetings to wonder the streets and do a teeny tiny spot of shopping. In the evening I made a quick dash back to the hotel to freshen up for a client event. My experience last year taught me that this was quite a formal affair, less like the cocktail party described on the invitation, and more of a corporate networking evening. Rather than opting for the same grey/ black suit I decided to wear a lace dress accented by a formal, well fitting tuxedo style blazer.

French Connection Angela Lace dress (On Sale £55 here).

Despite my lack of sightseeing time during the day as the event was held in the enchanting Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine museum I was lucky enough to have an amazing view of the Eiffel tower on my stroll back to the hotel.

Bisous xxx

Coombe Abbey

The bf and I had a perfect, romantic weekend in the icy countryside so I thought I would share some photos!

We stayed at the beautiful Coombe Abbey Hotel near Warwick/ Coventry, which was originally a 12th Century Cistercian Abbey.

The freezing temperatures created some beautiful landscapes and as the hotel is set within 500 acres of breathtaking parkland, there was plenty for us to explore!

 The hotel itself was absolutely amazing, with lots of original features and period interiors.

Our room was also full of antique furniture and accessories, which made it even more special. We even had a bathtub on a plinth next to our bed! I don't think I have seen anything similar before... but I shall certainly miss watching tv while in the bath ;).

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day my lovelies! xxx

Snow flurries!

I have just spent the most lovely week in Austria with the bf. We had such a fun time skiing, relaxing and filling up on Gluhwein, strudel and lots of hot chocolate ;).

And it looks like I have brought the snow back with me to England... perhaps I was a bit too speedy in putting my thermals away! xxx

OOTD: Tangerine

I'm not sure if it's just me, but from my brief jaunt 'up north' I have discovered 3 things.. The tans are deeper, the hair is bigger and the shoes are definitely higher! Saturday nights in Liverpool are a very glam affair so when in Rome...

 Dress: H&M, Shoes: Dorothy Perkins, Watch: Michael Kors, Clutch: Mulberry.

I need to invest in some bigger platforms for my next trip.. giraffe style ;)!

I hope everyone had a good bank holiday weekend! xxx

Côte d'Azur

Last week I returned from a fabulous extended weekend in the South of France to celebrate my mama's 50th birthday. Unfortunately I was only able to get 2 days off work (boo), but sticking to mama's very full daily timetable I feel like I made very good use of my, albeit limited, time. Even the shortest trip can reinvigorate you!

We stayed at a beautiful villa between Nice and St Paul de Vence (which you can just see above). This was the view from my balcony - absolutely breathtaking!!

This was one of my favourite views while driving from Nice to the tiny, picturesque village of Eze. Apparently this little peninsula boasts the mot expensive land per sq.m. in the world! I guess it's not hard to see why - plus it's perfectly placed between Nice and Monaco.

 Motel Emilia dress in Pretty Rose Navy (£52)

With the sweltering heat I tried to keep cool in lots of summer dresses. The above was gifted to me by Motel and worked perfectly as it protects shoulders from the sun, while still being floaty, light and feminine.

Ted Baker Maxi Dress (£229)

I had my eye on this Ted Baker maxi for quite some time and finally caved while in T5... hehe ;). I absolutely adore their dresses as they make them long enough for a giant like me!!

No trip to France would be complete without wine tasting!!

At the Chateau de Cremat in Nice we spotted the Chanel 'CC' logo embedded into the architecture and found out that in fact the signature was invented by the original owners of the chateau and Coco Chanel actually first saw it there. The owner gave her the logo and let her trademark it at the opening of the first Chanel store!

 

Unfortunately I documented most of the trip on my mama's brand new camera, but I hope you enjoyed my little selection of snaps :).

We had such a fabulous time in the south of France and absolutely can't wait to go back! xxx