In Photos: Oh, England.

I'm back! I flew into Seattle on Thursday night, and I must admit, I'm still a little jet legged. I fell asleep at 7:30 last night, woke up at 6am, was up for an hour, then slept till 9:30! My poor internal clock; it's so confused.

Crab apples in Winchester.

My trip was wonderful. Thanks for asking! I really lucked out with the weather. It was incredibly cold, but sunny and mostly dry. I did wake up to a dusting of snow on Tuesday, though.

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I lived in England in 2006, and my dad works over there a lot, so it's like a second home. I stayed with my dad in Farnborough and my friend Abi in Basingstoke. I got to see so many wonderful people that I haven't seen in years! My old neighbor Claire took me to the Christmas Market in Winchester (where Jane Austen is buried). It was fun seeing England at Christmas time. I sampled many Christmas puddings and brought back Pimm's to make a Winter Pimm's, which I discovered at a pub in Surrey. It's a hot drink that involves brandy, apple juice, and fruit & spices

The day before I left, I made a trip into London to see my friend Mike. We wandered around Liberty's, which is quite overwhelming; full of so many beautiful things. Afterwards, Mike gave me a little tour of Soho and took me to lunch at Soho Joe. They make great burgers, if you're ever in the area.

Carnaby Street

My only regret is not being able to meet up with my friend Erin over at 365. We've been friends and penpals for more than 10 years, and have yet to meet up in real life. One day, though!

Marmite Christmas lights in Oxford Circus

Now for my next trip, I want to see Iceland for more than a couple hours! It's so beautiful. IcelandAir has an entire music channel for Sigur Ros, so I listened to it as we flew into Reykjavic around sunset. Sigur Ros really is the soundtrack to Iceland. Flying over the frozen plains and spectacular volcanic land-forms, it just made sense.

Color Trends: Fall/Winter 2012

A couple weeks ago the Wall Street Journal had an article in the Off Duty section titled "There Will Be Oxblood." It was their tepid review of NYFW. One thing they pointed out was the prevalence of the color known as oxblood. It's a deep red, and reminds me more of ketchup than oxblood (I'm more familiar with the former).

After pouring through the photos of LFW, I noted some color trends for Fall/Winter 2012. Here is my prediction:

F/W 2012 by fleur-d-elise on polyvore.com

Orla Kiely

Mulberry

Maria Grachvogel

Mary Katrantzou

Acne

Don't forget the Mac and Cheese! This yellow reminds me of the powdered cheese in those little pouches. It's day-glow delicious! (Seriously though, I love it!)

Bora Aksu

Moschino Cheap and Chic

To the nines

I'm trying to remember the details of a memory I have. It's only a couple years old, I was maybe 22 or 23. I remember being downtown somewhere; an urban setting. I could have been in San Francisco visiting my mom or in London visiting friends. What I know for sure was that I walked past a stately old woman. She was one of those women who seem almost ageless, or like she had been one age for all of eternity. She had a strong, important gate, and walked easily in her heels. Dressed all in black and fur, with a pillbox hat and a clutch, she was wearing her best; the outfit she saved for shopping downtown. She is what I think of when I see fur stoles. Her presence is hard to place in a real time and place, but she is a charmed memory.

In this series:
Antique rabbit fur stole
GAP Cardigan
Vintage polka-dot top
Thrifted belt
J. Crew wool pencil skirt
Madden Girl pumps
GAP clutch
Vintage cuff