" Pretty Portobello: April 2011

28 April 2011

Favourite stalls at Portobello market

Hi guys,

Today I'm sharing some pictures from one of the best second hand shoe shops in London, based on Portobello Road.
It all started as a stall on the market and then it became a lovely shop called 'Boots, boots, boots'.
I've met Claudia many years ago at her local stall at the market on Fridays, she's always been so lovely that when I started the blog the first person I wanted to talk about, was her. So, I took some pictures and wrote the very first feature of 'Fridays @ Portobello' about her boots stall. With an array of very well selected vintage shoes, Claudia always had one the busiest stalls of the market and she's always managed to have some fantastic new stock every week, therefore it's not a surprise that her stall and shop has many devotees like me.


'Boots, boots' boots' was born a couple of years ago at the iconic address
282 Portobello Road and it's open during the week, which makes easier for anyone who wants to visit the shop. Apart from shoes, you will also find some cool vintage clothing and accessories.
Oh, by the way I have spotted a few celebrities there on the weekdays too. If you are in London a visit to this place is a total MUST! Make sure to make a note of it.

See you soon.
x

23 April 2011

Trend- Yellow nail varnish

Hi guys,

With Chanel on the lead once again, the yellow nail varnish trend seems to be strong for the Summer. The first yellow attempt from Chanel was part of a special collection. The varnish was called L.A. sunshine, you still can buy it via Amazon but I suppose it didn't take off massively because I don't think it was an international release as Mimosa, which has been yet again another success from the French house.

If Chanel is too much for your budget, there are many options to chose from. Here is a selection of my favourites.

Yellow and not mellow! I shall try.

See you soon.
x

22 April 2011

A forgotten gift

Hi guys,


What a sunny, beautiful and hot day it has been. I went for a quick stroll down the Portobello market, which was reasonably quiet. Easter weekend is one of times of the year that a lot of people leave London, and sometimes is the best time to shop and have a good look around.

As I was getting ready, I was very much delighted for coming across this little bag, just what I was looking for and I found it right on my bag 'box'! My mum gave me this one a couple of years back and I had completely forgotten about it. It's just such an easy little bag, made of suede and leather with the perfect size for my sunnies case, wallet, phone and keys.


A basic black dress is always present on my Summer wardrobe, by the way I have just got a new maxi dress from Zara, which I will show you soon...


Dress: From Gap -found on a second hand shop, Hat and Belt: Jigsaw, Rings: H&M, Shoes: Clarks, Sunglasses: Chanel, Bag: from Brazil.

See you soon.
x

20 April 2011

Dita von Teese at Coachella

Hi guys,

I'm posting today some pictures from the fabulous and ever so inspiring Dita von Teese.
Every year she attends to the festival looking glamorous, wearing playful outfits in vintage style. Wearing simple but beautiful accessories to compliment her looks, she looks amazing at all times.


Chanel bag and a Moschino jacket with red cat eye sunglasses. Her nails red and gold are matching the top's detail perfectly and her hair is just an easy bun on top but still remains quite 50's pin up style.

In a Dior playsuit with a sailor hat. (My favourite look ♥)


This patchwork playsuit is gorgeous and her sunglasses are also matching it. Throughout the days she worn a pair of espadrilles which are stylish and comfortable.

See you soon.
x

18 April 2011

Casual

Hi guys,

We had a beautiful Spring day in London yesterday, it was already quite sunny in the morning and decided to bare my legs for the first time this year, wearing this very casual outfit for a walk down the park.


I managed to combine the colours of my outfit with my jewellery. :-)



I was wearing: Jacket: McQueen, Top: Primark, Skirt: All Saints, Belt: Jigsaw, Bag: Balenciaga, Plimsolls: H&M.

See you soon.
x

17 April 2011

Zara Spring/Summer

Hi guys,

Well, there is no doubt that this Spring/Summer will be a stripy one. Prada done on the catwalk and the stripes are strong on the magazine covers. I have found out that at least 48 magazine covers showcased pieces from the colourful Prada collection.

Stripes are easy to wear and you can currently find cool items in any shop around town from the classical nautical, white and navy to the colourful ones. If Prada is what you have in mind look no further.


Hey guys, don't get me wrong all the stripes are cute but in the end, I could not help falling in love with those trousers!

AND... another reason why I can't wait to go to Zara, is because I want to try on these gorgeous wooden sandals.
I have recently tried on a pair of wooden clogs, although that were very comfortable I didn't feel very secure with them on. Then, I saw these sandals and they ticked all the boxes for me. I love the colours for starters, the clog-ish style is exactly what I was looking for and they just have some simple leather straps across the top which seem to be comfortable, at least from the pictures they look amazing!

I am slightly scared of wooden shoes as many years ago, I had bought a pair of wooden Dr. Scholl sandals, the trend was on and oh my God(!) they killed my feet. The leather on the top was so hard and the worst thing was the metal clip, there is no way that area was ever going to get soft! In the end I had to give them away, there was no point having so many blisters. So be aware of that kind of style, it looks amazing in theory but reality is always a different story.

Off to Zara tomorrow! Wish me luck ;-)
See you soon.
x

14 April 2011

New in my wardrobe

Hi guys,

Today some pictures of what's new in my wardrobe! Come and have the first peep...

The last couple of weeks I have been tempted by the sales and also by the sun, the weather is getting warmer and so some new things for Spring/Summer were needed.

-Click on the picture to enlarge.

From Jigsaw, I got this lovely trilby hat. I really loved it because of it's bi-colour black and brown ribbon and I also had my eye on this heavily studded belt for a while so I just had to get it too. It's already one of my favourite's in my belt collection.


From H&M, I bought a couple of druzy rings! They are pretty cool and they come in 2 different colours, brown and peach. As you can see I could not resist and got both. Adding to my basket a couple of plimsolls, I was looking for something simple and cheap to wear for Summer, I must say I have never worn a pair of plimsolls before, although I have not gone out with them yet they seem to be very comfortable. (Let's hope they are.)

From Topshop, I bought stuff that was on the sale. So, I was over the moon when I found the Navajo poncho (on the floor) but looking brand new and I managed to find a cute skull tshirt too. It's my third Navajo poncho I know but I could not resist in a new colour!

See you soon.
x

13 April 2011

Hair ideas for bad hair days

Hi guys,

A quick post with 4 quick hair ideas which are fantastic for either bad hair days or when your hair is dirty and you need to hide.
The best thing to do in the latter (and if you are in a hurry) is to spray your hair with dry shampoo. Dry shampoo is basically some of the good old talcum in powder, in a spray version. It works really well, as the powder absorbs the oil and magically makes your hair 'clean'. The secret is to spray it far from your roots and then shake the hair about afterwards to remove any white patches. Dry shampoo is also good for giving texture to the hair and it will make your blow dry last longer.

So, after spraying your hair you could try some of these styles, as I said your hair will have texture and most of the styles will easily stay the way you have planned.

The messy plait

A loose, easy plait will do, then just run your fingers a few times upwards from the tip of the plait to the top in order to lift some strands. Messy and chic, as seen on the runaway.

The easy chic hair bun.

To achieve this bouffant look at the back, I tip my head upside down and then I make a ponytail quite high up, paying attention not to make a tight ponytail. You must hold your hair loosely otherwise there will be nothing to puff. The rest is easy, I just leave a loop of the end of my ponytail and spread the hair around.

The ponytail with a twist.

One of my favourite and the easiest, a small detail that adds a polished look to a simple ponytail.
Leave a section of your hair out of your ponytail and then just wrap it around afterwards, secure with a hair pin.

Knotted hair. (A ponytail variation)

Divide your hair in 2 sections and knot them twice. I think this would work better with coarse/dry hair but it's worth a try even if your hair is on the softer side, bearing in mind that you might not be able to achieve the same look as you will have to secure it with some pins and if your hair is very soft the knots may slide.

Another tip if your are using dry shampoo is to detox your hair once a week, because the dry shampoo leaves residues on your scalp which can block follicles and cause hair loss. It's very important to use a shampoo that will clean your hair and scalp properly.
I recommend shampoos with menthol or eucalyptus, one of those that will make our scalp tingle.
I use a shampoo called Phyto Neutre, from a French brand called Phytologie, it leaves your hair squeak clean. I don't mind the fact that it does stripes my hair colour a little bit, but most of shampoos with that formulation will do it anyways and it's very slight if you use it with moderation. It's also ideal for people that use hairspray, gel or wax frequently.


On the dry shampoo side, I use Batiste. It sells in most of drugstores and it's really cheap, just over £2 for a 150 ml can.

See you soon.
x

12 April 2011

Smythson shop - London

Hi guys,

I was passing in front of the Smythson shop at Westbourne Grove when I saw this gorgeous window.
I love flamingos and I would love to have one of those in my house!

Green is one of the colours for Smythson's Spring/Summer collection, being vibrant shade of green too, you will find classic bags, wallets and fabulous clutches all in this lovely shade and following the flamingo theme you will be able to buy the flamingos stationary sets, which are so very cute!

I loved everything, how about you?







I hope you have enjoyed and see you soon.
x

10 April 2011

Favourite stalls at Portobello market

Hi guys,

It's been a while since I wanted to write a post on some of my favourite stalls at the Portobello Market.
I am finally getting started on it and today I'll share some pictures from Paul's stall, which I have been visiting for years.
His stall is like a mixture of vintage pieces and some very exciting bric a brac. There is a lot of jewellery, we are talking of full boxes of it in fact. From necklaces to bangles and loads of antiques, Paul's stall is like an Alladin's cave to me.
Every week, I used to visit Paul and very rarely I would leave empty handed. I have bought of him a few vintage bags, from the 50's and 20's and loads of jewellery, the majority being bangles, together with a few odd bits, like a leather organizer, which I gave to my mum as a gift and she was delighted. I also bought my bowler hat of him, you see the list can go on and on...

Prices range starts around the £3 mark, with loads of items available to around £70 for example. There are plenty of bargains, so go with plenty of time to look at everything.


This time there was no exception, I ended up buying the Chinese umbrella, which you can see on the picture above and some other bits such as...


This bangle, which really reminds me of YSL arty style, was £5.


And a big amethyst stone ring... I also got a 1920's distressed belt and an old rhinestone choker, which are meant to be used to fix a bag (Which I also bought of Paul a few years back!)

Paul is on Portobello Market on Fridays and it's very easy to find his stall, which is right at the entrance of the Portobello Green gallery, under the bridge. If you pass by, please tell him you saw him at Pretty Portobello and he might even give you a discount!

See you soon.
x

08 April 2011

Guess Who?

Hi guys,

I hope you all have been well. Today it was a lovely sunny day and also my day off so I headed off to the Portobello market and came across this very fashionable young lady filming on Portobello Road. Can you guess who she is?


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Well done if you guessed Ferne Cotton!


Wearing a cute red dress.

See you soon.
x

05 April 2011

Pink and purple

Hi guys,

A colourful outfit post. Pink and purple are some of my favourite colours and are perfect for the sunnier days that we have been having in London.
The Navajo poncho is proving to be great at this time of the year as it's still cozy and protective against the wind and not very heavy. In fact, I have just bought a third poncho a few days ago (if you follow me on Twitter you already know it) from Topshop, it was on sale for £18, I just had to have it.









I was wearing, Poncho: Asos, Top: Religion, Leggings: Primark, Shoes: from Brazil and Bag: from Florence.

See you soon.
x

01 April 2011

Street Style

'Friday at Portobello'

- Click on the image to enlarge.


Abigail, on Portobello Market.
She looks so sweet and kooky with a yellow school satchel and carrying a sewing box which seems to part of the outfit but it's just something she had just bought it.


Lucy, near Paddington.
Her cropped trousers are great for sunnier days combined with a lovely poncho and an oversized scarf. The detail was on her satchel with a scarf on it, very charming.

Seema, on Portobello Road.
Wearing a cute sheepskin jacket combined with a lovely high waisted skirt. I like her leopard print scarf, it's gorgeous.

Senem, on Portobello Road.
The hat caught my eye and she looks great with a kimono style jacket and a pair of wellies.

Becky, on Portobello Market.
Wearing a lovely combination of nude and neutral colours, I think the contrasting tights are great. Her shoes also had gold studs on but unfortunately they are showing on the picture.

See you soon.
x