This Side of Paradise

Turban: Mu Du London

Dress: Anna Sui

Coat: Forever 21

Tights: Primark

Flats: Nine West 

This look was inspired by the Roaring Twenties because Zelda Fitzgerald is my spirit animal and F. Scott Fitzgerald is my unrequited love. To fully immerse myself in the 1920s, I curled my hair and sported dark red lipstick from Sephora. Felt very much at home in this ensemble and would really like to rep the vintage look more often, but let's be real, am I really gonna wake up an hour early to curl my hair every morning? Naw. 

Anyways, since I'm pretty sure many of you barely read these ramblings of mine, I've decided to break up my large chunk of text into more bite-sized, listicle-inspired pieces. That way, it'll be easier to digest and maybe you'll actually read my words. (This would mean a lot to me since words are very near and dear to my English-nerd heart.) 

I embarked on many adventures this past week so I'm gonna divide this post up by each adventure and write a little blurb on each person/place/food (saved the best for last). 

I want to say this will be in chronological order, but truth be told, it's gonna be all over the place so brace yourself whilst I slam y'all with all the shit I did around London these past 7ish days. 

Borough Market 

I went to Borough Market with some of the girls in my program after checking out the Chanel to Westwood exhibit at the Fashion and Textile Museum. If you're in London and you haven't checked out this exhibit, GO. Two words: Vintage Chanel. The clothes in this exhibit are pee-your-pants swoonworthy. Borough Market is also pee-your-pants (or salivate-profusely?) amazeballs. Think huge vats of paella. Think moist, chewy brownies. Think FREE SAMPLES. If you don't want to buy lunch, just pop on over to Borough Market and eat bread dipped in truffle oil, savory Moroccan rice, and sweet dessert squares. I mean, like, I can't think of any instance where any sane human being would turn down free food, so yeah. This place is the bombdiggity. 

Regent's Park 

The parks in London definitely blow the parks in the US out of the water. I felt like I was walking through some Jane Austen novel whilst strolling through Regent's Park. I honestly don't know how homegirl developed her sassy, ironic writing style in a place like this. If I lived in this beautiful greenery I would be euphoric 24/7. 

Standing atop Primrose Hill, gazing at the London skyline, was an unreal experience. One of the most serene moments of my life. Hands down. 

Saatchi Gallery

Charles Saatchi is a terrible person. In fact, he wrote a book titled, "Be the Worst You Can Be: Life's Too Long for Patience and Virtue". I was just talking to my lovely and gracious host the other day (Hi Amy!) about the time Saatchi got caught hitting his ex-wife, chef Nigella Lawson, in a restaurant. This knowledge paints a dark image onto his aforementioned book, but in art school one is taught to separate the artist's art from his/her misdeeds. In other words, the artist's horrible actions shouldn't negatively impact the viewer's appreciation of the art. I, for one, agree with this sentiment. Although I 100% do not support Saatchi's violence, I do 100% support his gallery. It's a contemporary art lover's dream! The whole building is filled with magical paintings/installations/photographs by lowkey contemporary artists. 

I'm obsessed with light installations and there is a whole room immersed in the blue electric glow of a neon "Blessing Hand". There's also a blacklight room filled with neon flora in mason jars. And in the gift shop, there are cartoon-looking backpacks and purses that are functional!! Yeah, I was the equivalent of a 7-year-old in a candy shop at the Saatchi Gallery. It might rival Tate Modern as my favorite art space in the whole entire world. 

Sloane Square

Ok so this is kinda cheating because Saatchi Gallery is in Sloane Square, but I wanted the art gallery to have it's own section, so here's what I did in Sloane Square after frolicking through Saatchi Gallery. I insisted on exploring Sloane Square because Chelsea from Made in Chelsea is in Sloane Square. Chelsea is a residential area where all the rich folk in London reside. Also, Jamie Laing from Made in Chelsea lives there so I was hoping I'd run into him whilst walking around Chelsea. This did not happen. But it's ok because I ate a raspberry macaroon and now I understand why all the fashion people are obsessed with the mini delicacy. IT IS SO FLUFFY AND IT MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH AND OMG I HAVE NEVER TASTED ANYTHING LIKE IT. If you're in Sloane Square, go to the market and buy one of these heavenly delights. They're only 2 pounds! 

Muriel's Kitchen

Muriel's Kitchen is the cutest vintage restaurant in all of London! They have swing chairs (!!), retro knick knacks scattered across walls, and just a precious interior design in general. The food is also incredible. I ordered a naked burger and was SHOCKED to discover that it came without a bun. Apparently, a naked burger means a bunless burger. I was unaware of this, but now I know. Bun or no bun, the burger was still delicious and I 100% plan to return to Muriel's Kitchen in the near future to order one of their brunches and sit in a swing chair. 

Gelato Mio

Do I even need to explain this one? Just look at it. Creamy gelato atop a hot, crisp waffle dipped in rich chocolate. 

Harry Morgan

Tried English breakfast for the first time at Harry Morgan and I am sorry to say this, but it was disgusting. The lunch at Harry Morgan looked really good though and I really wanted to swipe someone's burger and fries to erase the taste of English breakfast out of my mouth, but I didn't do that because taking another human being's food is frowned upon. But yeah, I am never eating another English breakfast ever again. 

Harvey Nichols 

Dined at the rooftop restaurant in Harvey Nichols and felt like an Upper East Side New Yorker. It was my first time eating on a roof and I spent the whole time marveling at the novelty (at least for me) of eating on a roof. I got to gawk at the city nightscape whilst munching on my fancy burger and fries. It was so so cool. Slash, can you tell I like burgers? #fatfolyfe 

Conde Nast x WilliamVintage

 William Banks-Blaney from William Vintage (dubbed the "Vintage King" by Vogue) visited us last week and he brought a gorgeous collection of vintage dresses. The one above is a Dior dress from 1957. Sigh, it was magic. There's a reason why haute couture is haute couture. The material. The cut. The feel. All fantastical. 

Conde Nast x Fashion Foie Gras

 Blogger Emily Johnston of Fashion Foie Gras visited us this week and informed us of the darker side of fashion blogging. Apparently, there are such things as puppy threats. Yeah, someone actually threatened her pup. Why ya gotta be so cruel people?! She persevered through the hate though, which is really admirable. I'm also in awe of her ability to stay true to herself and remain honest in her opinions whilst working with huge, powerful brands. I think a lot of bloggers sell out to get monetized by companies, so it's really rad that Emily sticks to her guns. Oh, and after Emily's chat, we all got free limited-edition Anya Hindmarch Fashion Flakes aka the fashion world is not real and I'm just whirling in it. 

Conde Nast x Mary Katrantzou

Conde Nast hosted an event with It designer, Mary Katrantzou. The event featured well-dressed fashion people, dainty macaroons, hashtagged M&M's, bubbly champagne, and Mary had this really great quote, "All I want is to just sleep for a week but you never get that." In one quirky, lovable sentence, she perfectly epitomized the life of a high-powered individual in the fashion industry. And that's why Mary Katrantzou is the shit. She's talented, down-to-earth, and funny. It was such a pleasure to be in the same room as her and hear her thoughts on design and fashion. 

P.S. Tatler was there covering the event as well, so if you wanna check out more photos, click here. 

Street Style

It's no secret that London is the city with the most avant-garde, fearless style so I couldn't resist going around, snapping photos of my favorite outfits. Style.com/Vogue/FT Weekend writer and Interview editor, Davina Catt, is shot above in the chic jumpsuit. She wanted me to inform y'all that the jumpsuit is by her friend Charlie Brear, so if any of you want a sharp jumpsuit for fall/winter, go to Charlie Brear. 

It's still really crazy how I'm surrounded by such talented fashion industry folk on a daily basis and, to be honest, I'm still pinching myself over it everyday. To close, here are some is-this-real-life moments that have occurred in my life this past week: 

1) When President of Conde Nast International, Nicholas Coleridge, emailed me to tell me that he digs my blog and thinks it is well-designed. He also told me that he was amused by my recap of his GQ sex story. I definitely need to screenshot and frame the email or something. Maybe have it tattoed on my face? I kid I kid. 

2) Talking to designer Bella Freud (Lucian Freud's daughter and Sigmund Freud's great granddaughter) about fashion and poetry. 

3) Sara Hassan being so tear-inducingly supportive of not only my creative work, but also my boyfriend's art as well. This was such an overwhelming, am-I-dreaming moment for me. She's a huge inspiration of mine and I really value her opinion, so to hear her say so many positive things about my blog, my writing, and my photography just seemed too good to be true. It really meant a lot, especially since being an Asian in a creative industry is still quite unorthodox. But if I don't wildly chase what I love, it will haunt me for the rest of my life, so I shall continue to amble on this strange, oftentimes surreal path. 

4) All the super exciting collabs I have lined up for y'all! I can't reveal anything yet, but I can't wait to show you once it's posted. Stay tuned for something good next week! 

I never get tired of this view. 

“Let me wake up next to you, have coffee in the morning and wander through the city with your hand in mine, and I'll be happy for the rest of my fucked up little life.” 

xx