marble stones sinking in the sand

Ever since I can remember I've always gone away to the seaside with my family during the half-term holidays, and this year was no exception. It was a perfect excuse to get out of London for a few days, let the dog have a run on the beach and do some art without any distractions. We spontaneously decided on Margate as I'd been hearing lots about the Turner Contemporary Gallery as well as it's vintage and antique shops, so it sounded like it would be a nice spot to visit (like Hastings was last year).

As usual I couldn't help but wear as many patterns as possible. I think I've passed the stage of trying to match patterns and prints, and instead now just throw together individual pieces I like, regardless of whether they really go together or not. I wore a Beyond Retro top and jacket with my old velvet trousers, Topshop bag (that I bought in a sale about 5 years ago..!) and The Whitepepper mustard shoes I got for Christmas. I'm completely obsessed with their colour and how comfy they are.

We arrived in Margate around lunchtime, and so trawled through the small selection of vintage and antique shops before stopping in a cute café to get something to eat. The shops are all located in the old town and pretty much all in one street, which makes finding them easy and browsing between them much nicer than if they were miles apart. Prices were also so much cheaper than London - the high price tag associated with vintage here seems to have bypassed Margate, leaving most shops selling clothes at what they are worth, instead of slapping on a huge value simply because it looks slightly retro. I bought a few bits and bobs, including a new little film camera to play around with! There were loads of cameras for less than £20, so I couldn't help getting myself a Olympus Pen as I've never had an Olympus before, and it is so much lighter and more compact than my Zenit (which I love but is so heavy).

Lunch was from The Cupcake Café, a beauty of a place that served the chunkiest sandwiches and amazing hazelnut lattes. I spent the rest of the day strolling through the shops before hanging around on the beach watching the sunset with one of my best friends who was coincidentally holiday-ing in Margate at the same time.

On the second day we managed to visit The Shell Grotto, an amazing underground labyrinth of shell-lined walls, that no one knows the origins of. It is possibly the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my entire life - such ornate designs that must have taken years to construct on top of the years spent collecting the shells that make them. I wore my new jacket I bought the day before with a jumper from Polo & Mocha on Etsy, a Beyond Retro skirt and Topshop bag.

I visited the soon-to-reopen Dreamland arcade and a huge charity bookshop (I bought several £1 art books) and completely reaffirmed my love for quaint seaside towns. I stayed for two more days which I will post pictures from soon (probably along with the film photos from the weekend which are currently being developed).
In other news, I just got back from a week long geography field trip today, which was beautiful and crazy fun despite being incredibly tiring and cold. I can't wait to get those photos developed either, but in the meantime here are a few little coastal pictures to summarise:

I plan to get myself organised this weekend so I can post my last LFW and Margate posts...so have a lovely weekend and I'll see you on the other side!