over streets that pass the houses where you've stayed

Hello again. I was supposed to be going to Hereford today to visit my friend, however the extreme weather and flood warnings we are having at the moment left us with no choice but to remain in drizzly London. My parents woke me up at six thirty this morning with the intention of travelling, but after watching the news and checking various weather websites we decided getting stuck on a motorway somewhere in a storm wasn't really the best way to spend a saturday... and so, since I was actually up and awake for once, I thought it a shame to waste a perfectly good opportunity to nip down to Brick Lane and spend my Blitz voucher that my parents had bought for me for Christmas.
Blitz is a huge vintage department store on Hanbury street, just off of Brick Lane. I discovered it sometime two summers ago, and I remember being completely blown away by it's size and variety of retro pieces. It stocks hundreds of wool jumpers and cardigans, baseball jackets, shirts and dresses, alongside an amazing selection of secondhand leather shoes, sandals and bags to match. There is also enough Levi 501s and denim jackets to clad an entire army of 90's obsessed teenagers, and a great selection of records to satisfy any vinyl obsession. They used to have a gorgeous homewares collection too, filled with all sorts of bric-a-brac...however that seems to have been replaced now, much to my dismay. I wasn't too disheartened though, as they had a huge sale on, which brought their occasionally slightly higher prices down into a much more purse-friendly range. Not that I have anything against their pricing, as I am more than happy to dole out an extra three pounds or so on an item purely as the shop, it's decor and it's staff are fabulous and make shopping there an extremely pleasurable experience.

For some reason I spent ages getting ready, and didn't even manage to come up with a very interesting outfit despite all my fussing. I did manage to wear about seven layers, which was lovely and really kept that january chill at bay. I wore my River Island coat (which everyone, even the shop assistant in Blitz, thinks looks vintage) cardigan from Blitz, collared shirt, floral top, dungarees and shoes from Rokit, and socks from Banana Republic. My backpack is from Rokit too...I have been after a leather bag like it for ages and literally pounced on it when I found it in the sale.

I wore my fox necklace and eye necklaces from Clothes Show, eye earrings which I got for christmas, and hoop earrings that used to be my mum's. Pretty much all of my jewellery once belonged to my mum, as when she was my age we had very similar taste. I found an old jewellery box of hers back last spring, and since then have adorned almost every outfit with a badge or pin from it.

 Louis Vuitton's Resort 2014 collection (pictures from style.com) really fits with the kinds of colours and styles that are really inspiring me at the moment. I cannot get enough of those autumnal brown and olive hues, especially when combined with mustards and oranges. It's all very 60's in shape, with those fabulously rich colours of 70's interior designs that I just love. Louis Vuitton have it perfectly; the sophisticated silhouette combined with the comfort of more relaxed items such as clogs and shift dresses. It is smart-casual at it's finest, and will surely be the preppy, french schoolgirl-meets-boho trend that will carry us through the winter and into the new season.

I had gone out with the intention of getting myself some good old retail therapy, and that I certainly did. I managed to get some gorgeous bits and bobs with my voucher, and nab a few other purchases with my leftover birthday money (the joy of having a birthday just before the January sales). All the clothes, minus the shoes, are from Blitz, and with my voucher only cost me £15. Score.
The shoes I found in the Rokit sale, and not only are they a perfect fit but they are the cutest mary-jane style shoe that I have been lusting for since, like, forever. I can't wait to wear them with white socks or tights and cute skirts.

 I found the cutest jumper in Blitz with a Mallard duck motif, and, animal obsessed as I am, I couldn't not buy it. It also looked fab with the tartan skirt and scalloped shirt I found too.
On my wander around Brick Lane I had a rummage through the underground market and managed to find some amazing records...from Abba, Tracey Chapman and the Pet Shop Boys to Elvis and the soundtrack to Cabaret...frankly, I think I reached musical Nirvana (pardon the pun).

I also found the book of The Commitments, and intend to begin it as soon as possible as I finished Fight Club the other day. I have to admit it wasn't as enthralling as I had hoped, and despite being a fast-paced and thought-provoking read, I felt the extreme sexual violence was a little overplayed. I did enjoy it though, and would definitely recommend it as the plot is fantastic. It is one of those books that needs to be read a second time to be fully appreciated, and so I'm sure in a few weeks I'll read it again and probably fall in love with it a little more.

Above are a few pictures from New Year's Eve, which I spent with my family at my Auntie's house. I wore my incredibly 70's top from last week's rummage through the Rokit sale, with my Beyond Retro checked skirt, Rokit shoes and Banana Republic socks. My tights are from Aldo and were reduced to £2...which is annoying to remember as I now wish I'd bought a few more pairs.
On New Year's Day I ventured out in the incredibly strong wind and rain to a very desolate Winter Wonderland. I hadn't been able to go before Christmas and so was pleased to have been before it closed. It was actually really nice to visit in bad weather, as there were no crowds and you could walk about at your own pace, looking at all of the lovely little stalls. There were also no queues for anything and tables free in the covered seating areas, where I enjoyed the most amazing cadbury hot chocolate ever (it had cream, sprinkles, marshmallows, even a FLAKE) so it ended up being a pleasantly relaxing trip, despite us being blown along by the wind a little (and breaking an umbrella).

I hope you all had a lovely holiday...I'm back to school on Monday (ugh) and have a day of work to get on with tomorrow. My only consolation is the fact that I will finally get to see my school friends again...I have literally become a hermit this holiday. Maybe that will be my New Year resolution, to try and organise my life a little so I can try and be sociable like other normal teenagers. That would be a good idea I think! Anyway, lots of hugs,

ellie xo