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London in A Day

Monday 15 October 2012
me2
Etoile Isabel Marant Kady jacket (similar here), Uniqlo sweater (similar here), Uniqlo jeans (similar here), The Kooples wedge trainers (similar here and US here), Louis Vuitton stole (similar here or here) and Louis Vuitton Speedy 35cm
VA
Cristobal Balenciaga polka dot cocktail dress 1962, Pierre Balmain (silk, ostrich, sequins and rhinestone) evening gown 1950 and Charles James printed dress 1938
liberty-tea3 liberty-tea2 liberty-tea4 libery-tea3

There are days when I feel like a little hamster sprinting round and round inside a large wheel but going nowhere. I see friends in passing. Text messages or emails have become a norm. Life happens. Before you know it, you realize it has been 6 months since you last saw a good friend despite living just down the road from you. Sara and I have talked about ditching the husbands and kids for the day and letting them fend for themselves while we cavort around London. Two years later, we realized that we hadn't made good on our promise. It was a rather spontaneous decision and after a flurry of texts flying back and forth between two iPhones, we were on our way to London.

It was a day of window shopping, museum hopping and feasting. We walked along Brompton Road and peered through the windows of Harrods. We oohed and aahed over the exquisite designer dresses from Balenciaga, Balmain, Catherine Walker, Alexander McQueen and many others at Victoria and Albert museum. Lunch was at Oriental Canteen, just across the road from the museum where we scarfed down authentic Malaysian cuisine.

We strolled along the narrow sidewalks of Chelsea Kensington suburb to gawk at the imposing townhouses that lined the streets. We gasped and felt faint after seeing the number of zeros under every listing at the real estate agencies. £1.4 million for a 2 bedroom flat!! I silently squealed at the sight of the ubiquitous Chanel and Hermes bags swinging on the arms of many statuesque beauty queen lookalikes.

One of our favorite spots in London has got to be Liberty where clothes are carefully edited and beautifully displayed. We chatted over afternoon tea and re-fueled with a strong cup of latte. We wandered through the department store for hours. Thanks to DeadFleurette , I decided to check out Tonkotsu, a ramen restaurant near Chinatown. We nipped across Piccadilly Circus dodging young teens wearing impossibly short dresses while we shivered and huddled deeper into our coats. We slurped up fresh noodles and gulped down the thick and tasty broth. The chicken kaarage was one of the best I've ever had. By the time we staggered back to the train station, it was nearly 10.30pm. Our husbands and kids thought that we'd ditched them permanently. We vowed we'd do this again. Hopefully, while we're still young and not decrepit.






Liberty London
Great Marlborough Street
London W1B 5AH
Tel: 020 7734 1234
Tube: Oxford Circus

Oriental Canteen
2a Exhibition Road
South Kensington
London, SW7 2HF
Tel: 020 7581 8831
Tube: South Kensington

V and A Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
Tel: 020 7942 2000
Tube: South Kensington

Tonkotsu
63 Dean St
London W1D 4QG
Tel: 020 7437 0071
Tube: Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus
 

29 comments:

  1. A little time out from the family is good!
    I have an impulsion to make myself a cuppa tea when I saw the finger sandwiches and scones!

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  2. That sounds like such a lovely day and you are so right, I haven't seen my best chum for months.

    You are such a cool cat stylista!

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  3. Oh what fun!!! Writing down all of your recommendations for my trip! Must go to Liberty to snag a classic print blouse!

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  4. I want that scarf!!! I think we all feel like hamsters sometimes. ;)

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  5. What a lovely day! And nice jacket ;)

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  6. How delightful, your little adventure sounds perfect. There's nothing like escaping responsibilities for a day to make you feel alive. You're outfit is perfect too for a girlfriend getaway. I just adore your jacket. Hope it wasn't too bad for the fam without their anchor around.

    xx Jenee C.
    {camo meets couture}

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  7. Sounds like you had a nice girl's day out Marlene! I really like the wash and fit of those jeans on you and of course your awesome Kady jacket. You look pretty sweetie and I always get all happy seeing photos of you! ;) Perfect outfit to go strolling around in! :)

    xxTheresa

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  8. Sounds like a perfect day! Love the pictures and that Kady jacket looks like it was made for you. Oh, and we're scarf twins! :)

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  9. This sounds wonderful! Girl's days (and boy's days for our husbands) are so good for the soul. I love your scarf.

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  10. I get that sometimes living inwellington, life just flies by. Sounds like you two had fun, and I adore your outfit!

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  11. What a delightful day you had! I've copied that useful list for when I eventually make it to London - comfy shoes are a must, no?

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  12. What a great day you have! I miss my girl friend in this post. Gone where the days when we meet on brunch hopping from one place to another and leave by 8pm. Life changes as well as responsibilities. And yes technology is a great help to strengthen the bond. You're wearing such a pretty scarf.

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  13. what an awesome day you had!! jealous!

    xo,
    Sandy
    Sandy a la Mode

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  14. Wow! Sounds like fun.
    Your outfit is awesome with the jacket and leopard scarf!
    Those sweet treats in the 3rd pic is making me hungry!!!!
    Drop in at my blog too sometime.
    I'd love your comments & if your follow too! :)
    FASHION PANACHE BLOG

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  15. Lovely outfit and I am NOT NOT going to take out a small loan to get another one of your jackets even if it is divine and I would love it to come and live in my wardrobe next to the Zara one! I'm so pleased you had a lovely day out, it sounded wonderful, wish I could have come with you as it sounds like my perfect day. When you left a comment after my York day out post, I thought - awww - that Marlene need a good girls day out with gossip, good food and shopping. I would oblige if I lived any nearer. I love Liberty - it's my favourite shop in London and I always make a pilgrimage there. The hubs almost fainted when I told him I'd bought my wedding tiara from there - his first words after "gulp" was "how much?". Love your outfit posts - it's nice to see the clothes montages come to life on you.

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  16. Sounds like a great day...! Hope to do the same with you -soon- in NY, HK, or Paris :)

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  17. How wonderful that you ladies finally did it! I don't have a good friend close by to do these things with but I love getting out and doing things on my own. Marlene, I've been meaning to email you to see if you'd like to be part of my A Perfect Day In...series. I know you're already taking part in the couch talk series but perhaps for later on, if you're interested? xoxox

    Win a handbag valued at $130: New Giveaway on the Blog!

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  18. You lucky ducks - looks like you had the best time! I'm looking forward to going to the V&A and the restaurants recommended in a couple of weeks. I don't think I will get the luxury of a trip alone until 2013 :-( Thanks for sharing!

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  19. Sounds like you had a great day! Sometimes you just need to get away and have a day out with a girlfriend, can't beat it!

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  20. My best friends are in Paris and Tallahassee (FL)... What a good time we would have if i could meet them, just like that ! I wonder if London is any closer but the adresses you give could probably fill in a day trip to London !

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  21. I just found your blog through Susie and am so glad I did.
    You'll be my regular read from now on. :)

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  22. V&A was one of my favorite places to pass an afternoon away. Where did you have afternoon tea? It looks delicious!

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  23. Hello Marlene, you look GREAT! Please don't tell me you will be 40 anytime soon! That Kady is perfect for you and so is the LV stole:)

    Glad you fount time to chill out with a friend and just recharge. We all need to get away once in a while to find ourselves and come back better.

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  24. LOL "fend for themselves" - that's so funny Marlene.. love all the food pictures and tea and scones, how very English! Glad you had a nice day out in London, sometimes we all need that (both days out, and London!)

    steph / absolutely-fuzzy.com

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  25. I love your simple laid back outfit. Great suggestions for visiting London! I love the V&A. xx

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  26. Perfect look for a day in the city:) So glad you took a well deserved day for YOU! There are so many things that I love about this. The V&A and Liberty are two of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon. And of course tea and scones is always nice. This reminds me of my mother/daughter dates with my mom;)

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  27. Absolutely the perfect day even if the hubbies and kids were still in contact via phone. It's so nice to have a girly day out to enjoy the the amazing V&A and Liberty's treats! I miss the UK and our trips. Next year!

    xx Mandi
    www.findmeamuse.com

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  28. Lovely post. I understand so well what you say about seeing friends only in passing and keeping in touch only by email / sms even when the friends in question live relatively close to you... I'm constantly doing that. Shame on me.

    Your day in London seemed perfect. I want to see that exhibition in V&A museum as well. Hand't heard about that ramen place in Soho, but I'm adding it to my list of places to try. I visit Soho invariably every weekend, on my way to the cinemas around Picadilly Circus, so it's great to know about good places to eat in that area.
    (Our current favourite in Soho is a little burguer house called Honest burgers, by the way. If you like burgers, you should give it a try.)

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