Wild Swimming

An hour's drive East from the flat - a much needed cool down in the river near Chelmsford. The kind of day you wouldn't believe actually happened when living through midwinter!

Outdoors

Social distancing has unexpectedly lead to a new styling opportunity... Camping last week in Cornwall... quilts and cushion made by Mum.

10 Years of 'What's She Like?'

It dawned on me this week that I've been writing 'What's She Like?' for 10 years! A surprise, even though I know I've kept this digital diary/scrapbook charting my sartorial (and beyond) journey through my 20s and into my 30s. Some posts make me cringe beyond belief - others make me smile at how confident and enthusiastic I was about the things I love. Here is my first ever post, aged 21 sitting in a cold student house in Withington, Manchester.

10 years later as a Fashion Stylist living and working back in my hometown of London, the young woman in Manchester wouldn't have believed what was to come... As the world seems to be looking at itself afresh and working out what's next - myself very much included - it's important to remember how far we've come, the people and places we have cherished, and of course - the clothes we have loved and worn to bits! Some faves from the early days (click image to read):

Picnics on the road

Boiled eggs and portable tin of salt... what more could you ask for? Also love my vintage embroidered napkins from ebay - bought as inspiration when thinking about embroidering my own. Watch this space!

Lockdown Polaroid 9

Roses outside my local corner shop

Bow, London

4/6/2020

Takeaway Saturdays

Last weekend while walking home from seeing a great friend of mine for the first time in 4 months, I came across one of my favourite local pubs open for takeaway drinks. It's reassuring to see it open and finding ways to keep going - and also to have a draft beer! 

Lockdown Polaroid 4

21/4/2020

Olympic Park, Stratford

Tie-Dye Mania

There is no shortage of tie-dye clothing available at the moment: both the high street and designers are furiously peddling their take on the trend. I got quite heavily in to tie-dye last summer. My first attempt since childhood took place in Camberwell, see here. Min and I were hooked. Here we are a few months later in Portugal and up to our elbows in buckets of salt and dye.

Pictures by Allegra Pilkington

It's a very fun, inexpensive project. If like me your white t-shirts don't stay that way for long, or your other half is chucking theirs out - save them up for a Dylon sink session. I get dye from eBay (or your local art shop, when it reopens), but the Dylon website is helpful to see the full range of colours.

Woven Wire

A beautiful and inspiring show earlier this year at David Zwirner Gallery in Mayfair - Ruth Asawa's woven wire sculptures and line drawings. I love the relationship between the two - and how one informs the other. Asawa's sculptures were inspired by a trip to Mexico in 1947, where a local craftsman taught her how to weave a basket out of wire.

Loved this picture of Asawa working at home surrounded by her children

1957

Photo by Imogen Cunningham

Anenomes

Wild anemones growing in my local park - Spring flourishing!

Cañas with Mum

With so much more time on my hands at the moment, and with so much to think about - I find myself turning to my sewing bag for some relief

I embroidered a photograph for my wonderful Mum for Mother's Day - cañas and calamari sandwiches in Madrid, a treasured lunch repeated many times over the years. Something to look forward to when the world calms down a bit. The food, drink and sun - but mostly my Mum.