Never make me fret Claudette (Hastings day 1)

Hello again. It feels like absolutely ages since my last post, especially as I've had a particularly busy half term and feel as if we have a lot to catch up on. London Fashion Week passed by in an exciting blur, and left me feeling a little dazed and out-of-place for the next few days. After being so caught up in the hype of it all, it felt odd having to go straight back to normal and get on with schoolwork again. It's been exciting waiting to see where my picture pops up - so far my outfits from Fashion Week have been featured on Beyond Retro's blog, Motelrocks.com, Grazia Russia, Mademoiselle-marie.fr, and LFW Daily. It's crazy how much exposure you can get by going to one event, and shows just how worthwhile nipping down to Somerset House can be!
In other news, I felt it was absolutely necessary to get away from London for a little while and have a break before having to go back to school on Monday. The recent floods have meant that a lot of places were off limits, but we decided on taking a little trip down to Hastings, as we'd heard there were some lovely antique shops and cutesy English-seaside places to poke around.

On my way home from Somerset House on Monday, I'd stopped by Pop Boutique in Covent Garden and picked up these amazing 60s/70s-esque shorts. The shop is so gorgeous and has a great selection of well-priced records as well as amazing clothes. I wore them to Hastings with a pair of white tights and dotty socks from Topshop, shoes from Rokit, bag from The London Satchel Company and shirt and cardigan from Beyond Retro. I've been hugely into white tights ever since I wore them to LFW, and am looking forward to wearing them more in the future. I think white and skin-tone tights are going to be seen a lot more frequently in the high fashion world too after lighter tones made an appearance in Vivienne Westwood's A/W14 Red Label show.

Hastings was absolutely gorgeous, and although the best part (the Old Town) is very small, there are so many gems hidden in the few old and tudor streets that make visiting worthwhile. Shops are old and crumbly, and probably quite definitely a health and safety hazard - but they contain such a vast mish-mash of antiques that they border on being like museums. Books are available in abundance, along with lots of furniture and collectable items such as victorian dolls and toys, chinaware, artwork and even a few old skeletons (that I really hope were plastic). Prices are incredible...it is so refreshing to be able to buy books for twenty pence each, and not be ridiculously overcharged as you are in London. Shop owners are lovely to, each seeming so into their stock...you can tell selling their treasures is their life and passion, and not just a way of getting money (as you sometimes get the feeling in London). If you like rummaging and searching through dusty old shelves and crazy old buildings, Hastings is literally Heaven. I could have stayed in some of the shops for hours.

For lunch, I stumbled across the most gorgeous cafe, called the 'Hanushka Coffee House', that seemed to double as an almost library, with books lining the walls from ceiling to floor and piled on chairs and tables. It was so cosy and kitsch, and served the most incredible food (and homemade iced tea that was to die for). I love finding independent cafes and restaurants, as they are so much more exciting than the usual chain coffee shops. The Old Town has a few lovely places to eat breakfast or lunch, however this one was definitely my favourite.

As usual, I decided it was necessary to try and do absolutely everything all in one day - which I somehow managed. After poking my way around the old town (and finding the cutest yellow jumper for £5) I walked along the seafront to Rock-a-Nore, and visited the Jerwood art gallery, the aquarium and the Fisherman's Museum.

Like Hollie said in her post, I've been falling a little bit in love with England recently. The seaside has a particular place in my heart as, like most of us, visits to the seaside have been part of my life ever since I could walk. The English have loved the seaside ever since trains and other transport made it accessible to everyone, and it's lovely to be back there and see that it is still as important to us as it's ever been. I kind of wish I could spend forever by the sea.

ellie xo