Early Warmth: Spring’s last Look, Summer’s First Look

My fashionistas, I am just back to work today after a three days long bank holiday weekend. How was your weekend? I can’t wait to share with you all the exciting places I have visited over this weekend. With temperature rising to more than 20C, we have quite warm weather for the very first time this year but slightly wind-ish. So, this improvement in weather over the bank holiday weekend has actually inspired many of us to get out and about and make the most of it. What a relief for a sun-seeker like me to make up for the disappointly wet Easter we had last month.

So, from dawn to dusk- exploring the soul of British spirit that lies in the heart of countrysides-historic palaces, lush green valleys, fairy-tale like upmarket mix of designer boutiques, quaint cottages, exceptional restaurants, garden weddings, county cricket, traditional Tea-rooms, stunning sunset from the highest point of the district and many more discovery voyage…all in a day’s palette. Starting with a history tour at the birth place of Winston Churchill – Blenheim Palace, then to Broadway village that attracts weekenders like us who want an easy-to-reach rural retreat. Later, went to Stow-on-the wold -famous for its bucolic setting, stylish manor houses, the local honey-coloured limestone, used for everything from the stone floors in the houses to the tiles on the roof, has ensured that the area has a magical uniformity of architecture. Strolling along the pretty little venice running along Bourton-on-the-water, rambling through the romantic road from lower slaughter to upper slaughter, ending the vagabonding on top of Cleeve Hill watching the Sun go down in the lap of the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside. On this bank holiday weekend, The Cotswolds, was an influx of a new generation of Londoners, one of England’s loveliest areas, is now also one of its most glamorous.

I have managed to visit some outstanding, unique and supremely creative vintage designer boutiques on this road trip. I have shared few pictures here of all the boutiques you MUST visit if you ever make a trip there. My takeaway moment has to be the time I visited this boutique called ”Whatever the weather”- an inspirational ideas for gifts and decoration items as their tagline says, I was browsing through their stuff and clicking few pictures here and there, the landlady came upto me and said, ”you look fabulous, (she was examining me from top to toe) where do you live? you belong to those high-profile fashionista category and everything you are wearing today, I love it, you just ‘fit’ into a the world of fashion”, I really didn’t know what to say except thanking her. It is such a blessing when strangers have to say these kinds words! I have given her my visiting card of the blog and requested her to take a look, she was very convincing and assuring. God bless her (if at all he exists)!

I will soon don the vintage 60’s rainbow stripes halter neck top (the one I bought from Monet-another vintage boutique for clothing and accessories), show you how I created a Look with it, what i team it up with share the Look with you all.

Top tips:

A. Wear a comfy flat footwear when going on holiday/ walking tour/ road trip/ day trip. I LOVE wearing heels but I can’t deny the fact how much comfort flat sandals gives to my feet while walking. Why I wore a brown Gladiator? Notice the straps of my bag-they are brown, that is why!

B. Find one or two similar accessories to match or create a contrast with them- just like I did with my shoes and bag’s straps.

C. Go light in the eye make-up during the day if you are wearing red lips, I just did here. Just a dash of eye shadow and mascara, no eye liner or defined lower line with kohl pencil. Alternatively, if you wear eye-liner, drop the eye shadows. Have the balancing act right:)

Know-how to make your own DIY vintage basket bag:

I picked this straw basket from a beachside stall in Ibiza, I have taken the brown straps from one of my old hand bag that I no longer use, I tucked them in, I then open my accessories box and took 3 of my flower hair clips and pin them diagonally in the basket, they are not permanent, I can take them out when I need to wear them in my hair, for rest of the time they can ornament my DIY basket bag:) It’s this simple!

If you like this retro-is-style (as rightly put by a linguist senior back in college, when commenting on my photos on Facebook), vintage fashionista-meets-rural fairy (a term my partner coined the moment he saw me in this avatar), then try it, leave me your thoughts at the comment section below, I like to hear what you have to say:)

Wardrobe:

Zara colored jersey blazer | DIY basket bag by Moi | Vintage watch bought from Sunday Upmarket, Spitafields, London | Primark floral print dress and polka dots headband | Barratts gladiator sandals | Illamasqua red lipstick Maneater | Clinique eye shadow surge quad palette | Vintage ring bought from Sunday garage sale in NYC | Anna-Karin Karlsson inspired eyewear from Primark

“I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine.”
from Caskie Stinnett