Home Sweet Home

Hello All,

It was a beautiful day in London today, about 50 degrees and sunny! I am settled into my little flat and have even taken some pictures to show you all! Here is my little humble home for the next six months.

 

Here is my cute little kitchen! It has a stove top, microwave, sink, small fridge and lots of cabinet space!

Here is my bedroom! I have a twin bed, a closet, and a desk! It's the perfect size with just enough room! 

This is my desk, which is huge! I didn't bring enough stuff with me for it to look put together. It is all lovely Ikea furniture.

Here is my closet all put together. Everything fits perfectly! I am excited for this place to feel a little bit more like home, it needs a few things though, it's still pretty empty. 

Today I jumped on the tube at Ladbroke Grove in Notting Hill and went over to see my school. It's a very easy commute...about a 10 minute walk to the tube and then 15 minutes on the City line takes me right to Baker Street where the Westminster Business School is located. I walked around for about an hour and explored the area and then jumped back on the tube towards home. It got a little chilly once the sun went down (which was about 4:00 pm) so I did a little bit more grocery shopping and headed home. Tomorrow I am going to hit up Kensington High Street and Knightsbridge to get my shop on, then head over to Hyde Park to frolic and work on my skipping technique....Jim Pixley, you better practice too, we will have skipping battles when you are here in April! Hope everyone is doing well and thank you for taking an interest in my London adventure, I promise it will get more interesting soon!

Minor Turbulence

Alright, so this whole traveling thing didn't go as well as it should have. Mom and I arrived at Metro Airport on Wednesday at 3:30pm, I was all ready to go, I had already psyched myself up for the flying (I hate flying...I cannot wait until teleportation is invented...it would save me a whole lot of stress). I go to the little kiosk to get my boarding pass and the computer wouldn't let me check in...it said it was not 24 HOURS before my flight. So being the smart person that I am, I looked at the date of my flight. It was January 4th, and my flight was January 5th, we were a day early. For those of you who know me well you would know I freaked out...I usually never make mistakes like that. I start crying and apologizing to my Mom, who said every one does it and it wasn't a big deal. Luckily the friends house where my mom was staying that night had enough room for me and I was able to spend some time with my college roommates (Thanks Shealyn and Renee!!), which definitely improved my mood. So I went back to the airport the next day boarded my plane, and here I am, in the beautiful city of London. I just woke up from a little nap (it's 2:23pm here) and I am about to go get a bite to eat and hopefully grocery shop a little bit. I am living at a student apartment building in Notting Hill with a roommate named Angie...we only met a short time because she was leaving for the weekend but she was traveling and wearing 4 inch heels...I knew I would like her! Thanks for sticking with me of my London adventure...hopefully I will get in some fun adventures before I start school on Monday....Oh yea, I threw up in the cab after leaving the airport...got car sick for the first time ever...great way to start out!! Things can only go up from here!

Londons Finest

Being one of the many fashion obsessed people in the world, I am thrilled to being going to the country that houses many of my favorite designers. I have such an appreciation for British fashion houses because they are so eclectic. You have the iconic Burberry, whose famous plaid patterns are as important to the city as Big Ben, and on the other end you have the vibrant and fearless Vivienne Westwood, who never met a bright color or crazy pattern she didn't love. Below I will feature a couple of my favorite British designers, some are very well known and some a new to the scene, but promise to leave an impression on the fashion industry.

 

Matthew Williamson - Spring 2009

Mr. Williamson, originally from Manchester, began his career in the 90's as a designer for companies such as Marni, Monsoon, and Accessorize, all popular British clothing stores. He grew to fame when he premiered his first collection in 1997 at London Fashion Week and have the likes of Kate Moss, Jade Jagger, and Helena Christensen rocking the runway in his designs. He is known for his extreme use of detail, bright color, and intricate patterns.

Ted Baker 

Taylor Swift wearing Ted Baker

Kourtney Kardashian wearing Ted Baker

Ted Baker is my favorite British Design House, mostly because the designer let the clothes speak for themselves. Managing Director, Ray Kelvin, founded Ted Baker in 1988 and refused to do any advertising for the line, but hoped the line would succeed due to word of mouth. It is now an international brand and has stores all over the world. Ted Baker is known for taking classic pieces for men and women and adding detail through design twists. Taylor Swift and Kourtney Kardashian are huge Ted Baker fans and are often seen wearing their tailored dresses and flowing blouses. 

Anya Hindmarch - Beverly Metallic Hobo

 Olivia Palermo carrying an Anya Hindmarch design

Anya Hindmarch is a fantastic handbag and accessories designer who is known for her practical and stylish designs. Her career started when she was a teenager and her parents gave her a Gucci bag before attending university, but she was so inspired by the bag she went to Florence to study Italian instead. She noticed the styles of the women in Italy, went back to England, made her own line of bags, and sent them to the editor of a major fashion publication, who printed an article on the up and coming designer. She says all of her designs are based on exceptional workmanship and her design motto, British, humorous, bespoke. Anya Hindmarch has also designed a moderately priced line for Target, and the I Am Not A Plastic Bag tote, raising awareness for environmentally conscious fashions.

Pre-Departure

Hello All,

Thank you for taking the time to check out the first official post of my London blog, Pearl of London! It is the first day of 2012 and there are many great adventures in store for the next year. I will be heading off to London in 3 days for graduate school at the University of Westminster in the heart of London. It has been over 5 years since I last visited the great city of London and am excited to experience the history and culture of one of the greatest cities on the planet. Many people have asked why I chose to pursue a Masters degree abroad instead of attending one of the many fantastic Universities in the United States, so I have provided a short list of the reasons why.


1. The English Accent...I hope to acquire one while abroad, or at least be able to fake it well...I will then no longer be made fun of for my Midwestern accent...and my coolness factor will go up greatly....you will soon notice a change in language on this blog...I will now use works like "posh", "brilliant", "capital," "fit", "bloody", etc.

2. I get to spend more quality time with my bff...Pippa Middleton. I look forward to being stalked by the paparazzi...taking personal exercise classes...and being famous for having a far more useful older sister....I already do the last one pretty well ;)

3. TopShop....we all know I have a serious fashion problem....I did not say "shopping problem" because 90% of the clothes I want I cannot afford!

4. Prince Harry, we all know I have a thing for Gingers...I would also take take either of the Weasley twins, or both.

5. Free Culture....no fee at any of the Museums...that way I can save more money for shopping!

6. French Fries...the official Food on the United Kingdom...yay!

I am very excited to begin this adventure and hope you all will come along with me. I will be posting information on my daily life as well as things I am passionate about including theatre, film, fashion, cultural exploration, almost anything I find somewhat interesting!

Thanks all!