Zara goes to Berlin

Guten tag! It’s time for a outfit post from my recent trip to Berlin. Of course the Zara I’m referring to is my favourite New Thing, my reversible tartan/herringbone woollen scarf from Zara. I spotted this beauty a few weeks ago but foolishly didn’t buy it at the time, only to go back to Cabot Circus to find it had gone from the shelves. Luckily, it appeared again the day before we left for Berlin – perfect timing!

These shots were taken outside the Reichstag building after our free walking tour, which I cannot recommend highly enough if you visit Berlin. Starting at the Brandenburg Gate, groups of 15-20 tourists are led on foot around the city by knowledgable tour guides. We saw parts of the Berlin Wall, the Holocaust Memorial, the Reichstag building and the beautiful Gendarmenmarkt, a square housing two neoclassical cathedrals and the Berlin Knozerthaus.

Our guide, Inken, spoke about her childhood growing up in Germany and the dramatic effect communism had on Berlin. Visiting parts of the Wall and hearing how it went up so quickly really put the history of the city into perspective – seeing normal buildings pockmarked with bullet holes was certainly surreal.

For early November, the weather was similar to the UK, if slightly chillier, so I could get away with wearing this vintage pinstripe dress (one of the dresses I found at the kilo sale) with a pair of black tights and my favourite Chelsea boots. The scarf and bowler hat kept me warm, though the blustering winds did try to sneak off with the latter on more than one occasion…

Auf Wiedersehen for now!

Red pinstripe dress – Judy’s Vintage Kilo Sale / Tartan/herringbone scarf – Zara / Green bowler hat – H&M / Green leather belt – vintage / Leather satchel – c/o Dr Martens / Tan Chelsea boots – c/o Topshop, Cabot Circus

Bloglovin |Twitter | Facebook

Berlin Bound

Rokit 40s red garbadine dress, £120 / New Look Pink sequin vest / Topshop duster coat, £99 / Mango tartan leggings, £38 / The Cambridge Satchel Company 14″ Leather Satchel, £130 / Clarks Hamble Oak shoes, £54.99

Next month I’m heading to Berlin for a long weekend and I need your help. Having never been to Berlin – or Germany, for that matter – before, I’d love to know your favourite places to eat, drink, shop and everything else in between.

I’m going to visit a friend who works out there as a journalist, so I’ll be in good hands, but as far as I’m concerned, the more suggestions for enjoying Berlin, the better! Aside from the Berlin Wall and its WWII history, all I know about the city is that it’s big on art, vintage and music, all of which sound just dandy to me.

If I could afford a whole new wardrobe for the trip, this is what I would take – I’ve had my eye on the Topshop duster jacket for months, and the Hamble Oak brogues from Clarks toe the line perfectly between jazz dance and bookish. I think it will be pretty cold over there so any vintage I take with me, like this beautiful wine coloured garbadine dress from Rokit, will probably be hidden under layers of coats, jumpers and scarves, so colourful, fun accessories will be key!

So before I head off in search of a guidebook, what recommendations for this fine city can you give me?

Bloglovin |Twitter | Facebook

A Jolly Weekend in Cornwall

Do you remember yonks ago (ok, about a month ago) when I mentioned my surprise birthday weekend away in Cornwall, and how I’d post up some photos really soon? If you do then the phrase ‘better late than never’ would be applicable here.

Our poor old laptop has pretty much reached maximum capacity on the storage front, so apart from a few lomography shots, it’s taken me a while to make enough room to make space for these holiday snaps. Computer issues aside, the long weekend in Cornwall (and accompanying sunny weather) seems like a hazy memory now but is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Mr Ship-Shape took me to Mousehole, near Newlyn, which is a tiny pocket of a village close to Land’s End and Penzance.

We stayed in an old Coastgaurd’s cottage and woke up to the sound of the sea each morning, which was blissful. It was a tranquil, foodie ‘staycation’ that I could get used to every birthday! Since this is a photo-heavy post I’ll limit the chit-chat, but the weekend included, in no particular order; walking, photography, criminal seagulls, whole crabs, ice cream, fishcakes, reading, bacon sandwiches, St Ives, lie-ins, art galleries and some of the best seafood I’ve ever eaten…

Fat Face vs All Saints in Wales

Greetings from Wales! Ok, so I’m actually in Bristol right now, feeling ill and a bit sorry for myself, but for the August Bank Holiday weekend I went to cottage in the middle of the Welsh countryside, which is owned by my friend’s family.

I’ve been lucky enough to go to this cottage, formally a cowshed, every summer for the last few years, with a large group of friends. The agenda is always the same; cheese, hiking, boardgames wood burning fires and drunken singalong sessions. There is no radio, no TV and certainly no Wi-Fi, so a long weekend here is a great way to disconnect from the world for a few days.

I wouldn’t climb a mountain in this outfit but it’s great for pottering around the cottage. The chunky knit jumper is from Fat Face and the cream lace skirt is from All Saints. I’ve had the skirt for a few years and I remember that when I bought it, in London during a stint of interning at i-D magazine, I was nervous about spending so much money on one item. In reality the skirt only cost around £55 but at the time it seemed like such a huge amount of money to me.*

The jumper is a slightly newer purchase, from a shop that I rarely go in to, but I found it in the sale last spring and it’s so comfy and warm – perfect for this time of year when the weather is starting to turn. The scarf is one I picked up from the Ashton Gate vintage fair and the boots are my newest footwear purchase from Cotswold in Broadmead.

Being in Wales is so relaxing (apart from at mealtimes, when there is a scramble for the food!) and it’s really refreshing to be without a phone/computer/tv for a few days. I can’t wait to go back next summer!

*which it kind of does again, now that I’m a grown up with a mortgage and bills to pay!

Arrivederci Italy

This is the last outfit post from Italy, which saddens me as with it comes the return of hit and miss British weather! How lucky we’ve been over the past couple of weeks to see out the summer without any rain (or at least that’s been the case in the South West).

We were lucky enough to stay at our friend’s family house, which you can see below. It’s just a simple Italian home on the outskirts of a small town, but it is slowly being restored, rendered and tiled to bring it back to life. Further down this post you can see the incredible view from the back of the house, which looks over vineyards and lush green fields – surprising for such a hot, dry climate.

The outfit I’m wearing includes denim shorts from Primark, paired with a thick brown belt from H&M, and a beautiful embroidered blouse from Monsoon. I spotted it in the sale last year and I loved the scalloped edges and tiny string of bells at the end of each tie. Although I wore it to Italy, it makes me feel like I should be exploring a souk in Marrakech, thanks to it’s intricate details and 70s feel.

The sunglasses have actually been pinched from Mr Ship-Shape, and I picked the turquoise necklace up in Thailand a couple of years ago. This kind of outfit was ideal for the hot weather, which seems like a distant memory when I look out of my window now!

Ciao Ciao!

I’m looking forward to action packed day today as the Stokes Croft Market is taking place today, which I totally forgot to mention in my Something for The Weekend post, as is Bristol Doors Open Day, but before I head out I thought I’d share another holiday outfit from Italy.

These shots were taken in Ortona, a beautiful harbourside town that is packed with little cafes, ice cream parlours and a mix of architectural wonders, from pastel coloured apartment blocks to rickey old brickwork buildings like this one.

The dress I’m wearing is from Warehouse – I got it in the sale and I feel in love with the floral print and keyhole detail at the back of the dress. I picked up the sunglasses while in Italy, and the jewellery, an ampersand necklace and turquoise earrings, as a last minute impulse buy from the airport, along with a copy of The Great Gatsby. I loved the art deco inspired cover and I can’t wait to see the film version, directed by Baz Luhrmann, when it comes out at the end of the year : )

What are you up to this weekend?

Subtle Summer Florals

I’m excited to see florals featuring in A/W trends this season – though looking at said trends does make me mourn for summer a little – because floral prints are so versatile.

I took a mix of floral prints with me on my recent holiday to Italy, and this dress by H&M is one of them.

I found it in the sale last year for a mere fiver, and I love the fact that it not only has pockets but also boning, which helps give the top half of the dress a bit of well-needed structure – not bad for £5. I teamed it with this straw trilby hat from Next, and the tan woven sandals and sunglasses are from Primark.

I’ll be adding a pair of leggings and some ankle boots to this dress to see me through the season. What summer trends will you be wearing through till winter?

Rock The Week

Fashion related (and totally non-fashion related) things that have made my world go round over the last seven days…

• So much as happened since my last RTW post, most notably a break from blogging while I went to Italy, and then to deepest, darkest Wales on holiday. I’m still sorting through the squillions of photos I took but you can see my first outfit post, featuring the stunning view from our villa, here.
• Live music. On Thursday I caught up with some friends who have recently moved back to Bristol, and we went to The Cadbury Sisters, above, play at The Louisiana. I saw the sisters play at 2000 Trees festival back in July, so I was chuffed to see them again on the last date of their tour, supported by the lovely Andy Oliveri.

• Rich Kids of Instagram. I may be a bit late to the party, but a friend at work tipped me off about this Tumblr account this week. The collection of social media posts is half amusing and half terrifying when you think about what you could do with the cash these privileged kids drop on bottles of champagne, pool parties and Cartier bracelets. Their ostentatious spending of Mummy and Daddy’s cash is quite shocking – read at your peril.
• Run, rabbit, run. So you may have spotted on Twitter that I’m currently training for the Bristol Half Marathon. I’m honestly a little surprised at myself that I’m doing a second half, but the Olympic and Paralympic coverage has certainly given my training a bit of a boost, and today I ran 15k which is the longest distance I’ve completed since the Bath Half. My legs are aching and I have my fair share of blisters (ouch!), but I love being able to push my body to see what I can achieve.

What’s been rocking your world this week? Let me know by commenting below…

Sunshine and Italian wine

The title of this post pretty much sums up my recent holiday. I spent a blissful seven days in Southern Italy, reading books, drinking the local wine and eating LOTS of pasta!

The holiday started on a low note when I realised I’d left my DSLR battery at home, tucked into it’s charger after I ran it down taking photos at CLIC Sargant’s Fix Up Look Sharp launch. Fail.

For me, photography is a key part of any holiday (regardless of whether or not the results end up on Facebook, Flickr or anywhere else) and I was gutted not to be able to use my DSLR. Thankfully I was able to buy a cheap point-and-shoot in the local supermarket, which went some way to satisfying me need to capture every vaguely interesting field/pizza/building that came into my line of vision.

These shots were taken on the terrace of the house we were staying in, and waking up to a view of lush, green fields and clear blue skies each morning was wonderful.

This floral print maxi skirt from Accessorize kept the mosquitos at bay, and the pastel fringed scarf from Upper 5th kept me cool in the scorching heat. The vest top is from Zara‘s recent summer sale, and I love it! The detail on the back is so intricate but it the cut and pipping gives it a sporty/functional vibe too.

As much as I enjoy A/W dressing, I do love wearing such bright colours and clashing patterns – this maxi skirt only ever sees the light of day about three times a year!

Sneaky peek…

 

Ship-Shape and Bristol Fashion is back from holiday! I have a mountain of emails to go through and several hundred photos to edit, so before proper posts commence, I thought I’d share this holiday snap, which has been given a suitably dated look (new age fun with a vintage feel, anyone?).

I’m looking forward to ploughing through all the blogs I’ve missed reading for the last couple of weeks and, crucially, trying to pretend that summer isn’t almost over…