Summer In The City
Living in Cornwall, I have probably just done the opposite kind of holiday to many people in the UK. Instead of heading to the coast and sea for a summer break, we headed to Canary Wharf for a 5 day break away in London instead!!!
Yes it was hot – VERY hot and yes – we probably inadvertently picked one of the busiest weekends in the London calendar outside of Christmas for our little trip.
Wimbledon, Pride, British Summer Time Hyde Park Music gigs at the O2, Harry Styles performing at Wembley, Tracy Emin and Frida Khalo exhibitions at the Tate and the real reason for our trip – Metallica (and friends) performing at the London Stadium in Stratford!
London was absolutely heaving in the main shopping districts around Oxford Street and at Camden Market and lock, but we did manage to find some surprising oasis of calm just slightly off the main path or outside of the main commuter travel times.
Battersea Power Station area has been refurbished over the years and is still being further improved too. The once power house of turbines providing energy for the city has been reinvented to a large open and spacious shopping mall, with some big name brands and eateries including Gordon Ramsey and a fabulous experience of taking the lift up one of the iconic chimneys to pop out the top for a 360 degree view of the London skyline which feels like something out of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and The Great Glass Elevator!
The bonus of heading here is that there is air con whilst you shop, everything is on site really close and it was nowhere near as busy as the Oxford Street area of London too.
Outside there is a village feel to the area with smaller shops surrounding the main building, arty hotels, speciality coffee, a lovely little florist, riverside restaurants and water features by the Thames Path.
The Thames Clipper Uber boat stops here so this was a great choice for avoiding the heat and congestion of the underground, to take a river boat for fresher air, less people and a different perspective of the famous London landmarks as seen from the River Thames itself.
From our Canary Wharf base it took pretty much the same travel time to Battersea Power Station by boat as it would have done by the tube so this was definitely a cooler if slightly more cost option. Still a tap in and out way to pay and part of the Oyster Card network too if you have one. It was definitely worth the little bit extra in cost on a very hot and busy summer Saturday.
Its easy to think that staying amongst the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf may be boring, grey or corporately clinical, however, Canary Wharf is such a vibrant part of the City and the complete opposite to what you may be thinking if you haven’t been there before. There are many green spaces with water features, an art trail around the area, the beautiful rooftop garden at Crossrail Place, the walkway from the Jubilee Line to the sunken shopping areas that reminds me of the spaceship in Star Wars IV but with a very colourful makeover (I still half expect to see some Storm Troopers of Princess Leia everytime I walk across it!) and even an inflatable Lido has just opened at one of the docks giving you the feeling that you are lane swimming in the dock and with sauna pods by the side too.
I was surprised at how much wildlife there was in the area, we saw swans, moorhens, cormorants, butterflies …. and a few slightly sozzled “bankers” given the world cup football matches being shown on the TV Screens!! The area does feel incredibly safe and if I was travelling solo I would feel completely comfortable here.
Central London was just as vibrant with so many bright coloured artworks – some official at the tube station walkways, some unofficial graffiti style art, lots of patterns in the architecture of the area like decorative brickworks, metal gates, even the edges of the steps at the tube looked a bit like piano keys in one area!
As a base, our Canary Wharf hotel was cheaper than a central London hotel, five minutes walk to either the Jubilee or Elizabeth Lines which both connected us everywhere we needed to go (East and West) and the perfect spot for not too long a journey at the end of the night after going to a concert at the O2 or London Stadium.
So – the main dilemma was what to pack for 5 days (4 nights) in London, travelling by train with the plan for some nice dining, some sight seeing, the Frida Khalo art exhibition, lots of walking …. and 2 concerts at the Olympic Stadium to see Metallica (and their different friends each night!).
This is where the techniques in my last blog really come into handy – thinking about the Sudoku method for packing really helps with travelling as light as possible.
The Tortue clothing collection really comes into its own when travelling. All pieces in the collections past and present are designed to still work together so that you can build your capsule wardrobe over time. Apart from the jumpsuit which is from the current collection, every other piece of clothing that I took with me was from seasons past over the last 6 years or so. All looked as current and fresh today as they did from the seasons they were launched and I have worn all of these pieces so much over the years they really have stood the test of the washing machine as well as time!
I travelled in blue wide leg jeans and a plain white cotton shirt and trainers. Keeping it simple with the sleeves rolled up and a nice necklace.
Some similar options available in selected sizes from our half price vintage sale can help you achieve a similar look.
I packed a dark blue jumpsuit in a lightweight cotton material as I knew this would keep me cool, being practical enough to wear walking around with trainers but just that little bit smarter casual to wear for a sit down meal or if we decided to go somewhere a bit smarter.
This midnight blue jumpsuit features a high collar adorned with a decorative ruffle for feminine detail. The three quarter length puff sleeves add contemporary volume, complemented by an elasticated waist and removable tie belt helping you to transition effortlessly from evening occasions to elevated daywear.
Expecting the weather to be hot, I packed a gold 2 way sparkle vest top – this was so that I could decide which way around to wear it with 2 different styles of necklaces that I had packed up – some necklaces work with a scoop neck and others work better with a V neck. This gave me a strappy top but again, a bit more of a smarter/casual look with my blue wide leg jeans and white platform trainers whilst out and about.
Whilst these sparkle tops have sold out on line, the Tortue team do have some in their home boutiques so please do get in touch with your Tortue Consultant to see what is available.
For the Frida Khalo exhibition and for walking about in the parks and by the Canal, I had packed bright blue linen trousers with a plain white boat neck T shirt … with good old white platform trainers again!
For the Metallica concerts it had to be an all black outfit (as approved by my 16 yr old metal music fan). I knew it was going to be very hot so keeping hydrated with plenty of water had to be the plan. I had taken some very “rock” inspired coated straight leg trousers but opted for black wide leg jeans instead as a slightly cooler option with a V neck black sparkle top and tangled gunmetal steel necklace with a studded preloved All Saints black belt.
I thought the gig was at the O2, which wasn’t too much walking so for night one I wore my black ankle boots. However, after going the wrong direction on the tube, then the right direction, getting accidentally headbutted by a fellow commuter who hadn’t “mind the doors” (despite him warning everyone else to before they closed) and then walking into the O2 to the point of scanning our tickets where we were told “you’re at the wrong place luv”. The gig was actually at the London Stadium in Stratford which involves a lot more walking/standing so I switched to the white trainers for the second night which my feet thanked me for!
Wow! What a fabulous little holiday we had in the City. The time just flew by (except when hanging around in HMV for the third day in a row waiting for my teenager)!
Hope you are having a fabulous start to the Summer. Our Tortue team are still here ready to help you find your Summer Style and some bargains from our Vintage Sale both online and directly from our Team Sample Rails before our new collection arrives in the Autumn.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Angela
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