London | Part 1

I thought i'd try out something a little different on the blog today and share my holiday snaps with you all. You guys might be aware that i won the Beyond Retro styling competition in March; where you had to style your favourite pieces online for the chance to be styled in a Beyond Retro photo shoot & a gift voucher to be spent in store. ( you can view my entry here)  I was lucky enough to be able to spend the day in there HUGE Brick Lane store where the stylist Naomi - from Two Shoes One Pair, worked her magic creating era outfits for the 20's, 50's - 90's and a folk look. I'm trying to get hold of the images from the shoot to share with you all so stay tuned. 

Using the excuse that i had to go down to London, i decided to be completely naughty and book to stay down for four days -  to SHOP; what girl wouldn't. I am honestly so jealous of all the Londoners; there is so much to do there that i struggled to cram it all into such a small time frame. We stayed in Westminster; the land of the beautiful white town houses and dream doors.

I'm so in love with the Beyond Retro store in Soho. It's like a treasure trove of vintage wonders. It's fair to say that i was like a kiddy in a sweetie store. The rails were packed with gems from the decades, full of beautiful day & evening dresses, psychedelic patterned shirts, heavily beaded 80's tops, plaid & fur coats; I mean the list goes on! I was even brave enough to shop different eras. My bank account took a bashing and i increased my jacket obsession, adding another two to my collections as well as three dresses and two pairs of trousers… ooops! My new routine consists of checking their online store daily, just incase i miss something that i obviously need. Oh and the mannequins were styled a-mazing, completely wacky and wonderful.

No trip to London is completed without visiting Notting Hill & Portobello road. If you love vintage and hippy jewels then this place is for you. I have to mention the best store for gypsy jewels, Crown Arcade - HEAVEN! The guy who owns the store designed all the jewellery with authentic materials from Afghanistan and Tibet. Some of his pieces were from the 70's, He had won me over at this point and i couldn't leave without one of his rings. I Snapped a tiny percentage of his collection to show you the beauty. 

Note: To the guy who owns Crown Arcade, i have a few people who are interested in buying some of your products wholesale, could you email your details so i can pass on the information  - rachaeldobbins@hotmail.co.uk



I heard that there was a 'not to be missed' vintage store not too far from Portobello. A high-end vintage gem, full of Dior, Isabel Marant, Vivienne Westwood - to name a few. Rellik is a little off the beaten track but worth the wander. It's a little on the pricey side but everything is stunning and in perfect condition, keeping in mind the likes of Kate Moss and Lana Del Rey shop there, it's easy to see why. Who wouldn't want a one-off piece. The embellishment made me cry, i had separation anxiety when it was time to leave. 



I have so much more pictures to show you, i acted like the ultimate tourist snapping pictures of my lunch; which kraig detests, the most amazing cocktails, parisian desert at Laudrée and pretty architecture. I didn't want to bombard you all with my irritating holiday snaps so part 2 will be up later next week.

P.S   Did i mention i  wish i lived in London?  Cue the violins. *Sad face*