🔖 Little Black Book #2
Indulgences of a Woman About Town.
Thank you so much to everyone who liked/shared/commented/subscribed to
after I shared the first issue of this new Little Black Book column! I was weirdly nervous about it, but the feedback and encouragement has been lovely. Here’s hoping you enjoy the second issue just as much.As a reminder, this column is part diary, part directory, sharing a monthly dose of insights and recommendations - not with the intention of sending you out to spend hordes of cash, but to encourage you to spend mindfully, whether that be money, time or energy. And give you a little more insight into what this Valleys girl is up to in the big smoke.
So, let’s get to it!
👗Wearing
En route back to London from Wales last weekend, a stop off at Swindon Designer Outlet was another welcome reminder of how mindful shopping, for whatever reason, allows me to be. Totally immersed in fabrics, testers, gift ideas, I could have easily doubled the five and a half hours spent there. Plus, the sales were incredible. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth a visit.
That said, given my approach to not going wild for buying things I do not need (while maintaining a loose sense of the term) the only item of clothing I left with was a pair of Tommy Hilfiger blue skinny jeans. I’d had in my mind for a few months to look for a new pair, though only really took these into the changing room on account of the incredible discount. £27 down from £90! As it turned out they slid right on and did right up, which honestly is SUCH a rarity with any denim trouser – amiright ladies?! They are not perfect, of course, there is the pesky gaping at the back on account of no jeans manufacturer ever seemingly able to get the tailoring right for the different kinds of curves on different women’s bodies (if you have evidence on the contrary, let me know), but alas, I snapped them up anyway.
I have a weird relationship with jeans, any trousers really, linked to a weird relationship with my thighs, stemming back to, gosh let me see … childhood?! I didn’t wear a single pair between the ages of about 15 and 24. Literally. I would always be in some form of skirt or dress, regardless of the occasion/activity (aside from perhaps a pair of leggings for exercise). Slowly but surely I crept out of the mindset that I simply “couldn’t” wear jeans, and now enjoy styling them with boots and blazers as much as with sandals and slinky tops. And so, if I find a pair that fit, especially if that pair is discounted by 70%, I will indeed be snapping them up, please and thank you.
If anyone is reading this while in a weird phase with an item of clothing or related body part, honestly just don’t even worry about it. Please. Life is too short. Have a body, go to the beach, and all that.
The other notable mention on the fashion front this month are a wonderful pair of wedges I incidentally also bought discounted from Bicester Village on an autumn shopping trip last year, as a gift for my summer self to enjoy. I picked them up in The White Company, in one of those last-pair-in-my-size moments, but the brand is Gaimo. Handmade in Spain, blending craftsmanship tradition and contemporary design, the brand set up by a husband and wife in the 1970s is now, apparently, a global favourite.
I got my pair for £15 (!!) but can promise they are worth a lot more. They are genuinely comfy, even for stomping around the city and hopping on and off the tube (though after one day-to-night function I did find myself hobbling slightly on the last leg of the journey home). I’ve worn them with blue wide-leg trousers, a black leather pencil skirt, a white summer dress - and can confirm the possibilities are endless.
If you’re in the market for a pair of wedges, or even lower espadrilles, this summer, Gaimo is worth checking out.
💄Applying
The Swindon stop off included a few beauty purchases, including Estée Lauder Futurist Skin Tint Serum Foundation with Botanical Oil Infusion SPF 20, because a. my current (much less fancy) foundation is running out and b. a bargain price at £17 down from £49, plus some goodies at Molton Brown, including mini perfume spray bottles. These ones were extra mini, but I always like to keep a scent in my bag in case of feeling the need for a freshen up or being met with unexpected plans.
I prefer a roll on to a spray, because they last longer, and my previous go-tos for these have been Zara and sometimes Mango, though not all their stores seem to have them. They’re also usually only around 10ml so perfect for a flight carry-on bag. The one I’m currently using was actually picked up in an Athenian Zara on holiday last year!
🎁 Gifting
The gifts I have given this month, some for birthdays, some for ‘just because’, have mainly come from trips away, abroad and in the UK, which I always think is a nice way to shop for presents. It means the receiver likely gets something a little more unique, along with the knowledge that someone is thinking about them while on their travels.
These have included a handmade purse/make-up bag for a lovely friend’s birthday, picked up in a tiny treasure trove of a shop in Albania back in May, as well as some fancy soap from a gorgeous boutique in Bourton-on-the-Water, and a jar of cherry curd from Daylesford Farm, for some family members.
There was also a gift from my bookshelf to another, when I met
for coffee; a few months ago she had kindly adorned my own bookshelf with something from hers.All went down like the treats they deserved.
🥗 Eating
The foodie highlight this month goes to Aqua Kyoto, the location for a once-in-a-blue-moon date night this week, treating him indoors to an overdue job-related celebratory swanky meal – with 50% discount on food thanks to First Table! Still an expensive fare, with a wine list to make your bank card shiver and hide, but the food really was quite unforgettable.
We shared a platter of mushroom tempura with a truffle ponzu, as well as tofu tempura with crispy nori – which he not only ate but enjoyed! A win for my tofu-loving tastebuds against his usual disgust at a food made from soya, but I don’t hold much hope for myself being able to re-create that recipe.
Next came the yuzu and shiso marinated lamb cutlets, with kimchee and spicy mayonnaise, which at first looked like a questionable food to attempt to eat with chopsticks, but the meat was so tender that a knife would have felt like a sledgehammer. We also had skewers of Iberico pork yaki, and though the grilled peppers intersecting the pork were the highlight of that dish for me, the way it was presented on it’s own sort of mini barbeque was very fun.
We also ordered a tray of sushi made with Japanese aubergine, shimeji, sakurazuke daikon, avocado and dengaku miso, which was right up my street. I don’t eat fish but love veggie sushi, and this was fresh, zingy and utterly delicious.
Not convinced we needed, or indeed could manage, dessert, a last minute change of heart was a welcome one as it meant we got to indulge in the quite fantastical Sakura blossom tree. A bed of cherry panna cotta, topped with chocolate brownie and matcha crumble, surrounded a chocolate ‘trunk’ and candyfloss ‘tree’, with a side of raspberry sorbet. Quite literally like nothing I’ve had before.
A post-dinner meander to the outdoor rooftop area to polish off the last of our wine provided a welcome breath of fresh air after the feast, despite the dampness of a supposedly summer night. It is London after all.
Another great meal this month was at Milk Beach, where a friend and I enjoyed a long overdue catch up with a bottle of chilled red (a nice alternative for those warmer summer eves) and tasty grilled aubergine, mushroom dumplings, charred leak and crispy potatoes. A beautiful setting, laid back Aussie vibes, tucked into Soho’s James Court. The bill came clipped to a beachy postcard, complete with handwritten “thank you for dining with us” message on the back. Nice touch I thought.
And to round off this foodie section, a culinary tip, if I may. On an eve when I was looking to cook up a scavenger dinner (i.e. what’s in the cupboard/fridge that needs using up that I can make something out of), I settled on a pesto pasta bake, with roast pepper and tomatoes, and … pak choi. I had some left from the last time I’d been cooking a stir fry, but it was looking rather limp. I’ve never roasted it before, or eaten it with pasta before, but I threw it in the roasting tin, chopped up with the other veggies, drizzled some olive oil and topped with herbs, and honestly it worked pretty well. I’m not saying I’ll forever now include pak choi in my pasta dishes (and apologies if I am mortifying any Italian readers) but it was worth trying something new with this leftover, lackluster veggie.
🎭Visiting
I’ve shared a few snippets of my London meanderings on Notes this month, including a Substack meet-up down by the river, and a visit to the Royal College of Music for a live recording of the fabulously funny and equally intelligent podcast, Chat 10 Looks 3.
I also renewed my membership at the V&A Museum, after pausing due to a busy few months. Though I spent much of the day typing away in the member’s café, I enjoyed a wander around the Tropical Modernism exhibition, which gave me a new take on some of the seemingly colonial architecture I sometimes feel weird about liking, as well as taking in some beautiful tile art I’ve never noticed before, as I took the stairs down from floor four to zero instead of the lift. Making time for the Fragile Beauty and Naomi exhibitions are on the list for this summer (both of which were actually discussed at the Chat 10 Looks 3 recording, along with the Ricochets exhibition at the Barbican).
And finally, back to the mindful pleasure of perusing, on a balmy Friday evening earlier this month, I walked off a long week with an hour and 20 minute stroll down to Søstrene Grene, which I noticed a while back had opened as a two story shop near Tottenham Court Road. I first came across this gorgeous store on a trip to Copenhagen back in 2015, mesmerised by all the bits and bobs, trying to figure out what I could fit in my hand luggage to take home – which at the time, inspired by my travel companion, included some knitting needles and wool.
Now that it’s in London I will need to take care not to find myself on a stroll there every weekend, but if you find yourself in central London and are at all into kitchenware / cards and wrapping / candles / woven baskets / fresh tea / arts and crafts / notebooks / wool and thread / bathroom essentials / wholesome kids toys or Danish snacks – I would recommend a visit.
Anything to share from your Little Black Book this month?
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*Immediately bookmarks Aqua Kyoto.
Really love this Lauren - allll of it. Currently in my “avoiding jeans” phase so thanks for the reminder to catch myself on ❤️