Spring Equinox
What's on my radar right now from Chen Danqing to spearmint coloured Chanel plus all my London tips
Happy Spring Equinox! I’m currently writing this from arguably one of the most comfiest beds I’ve ever encountered, which I had the pleasure of experiencing this week courtesy of my new favourite London hotel. I’ll give you a heads up, I have got a lot to unpack this week. We’re officially moving into the light and since Spring finally decided to start showing itself my inspiration radar has gone into overdrive. So keep reading for all my current fashion, design and art inspirations as well as my personal top picks for London.
First up are two painters that are firmly on my radar right now, you are probably already familiar with Florence as I interviewed her for last week’s substack, if not you can catch up here. But the above painting by Chen Danqing is another recent favourite, it perfectly captures a snippet of contemporary life, depicting two women locked in a shared act of doomscrolling. There’s something about it that feels reminiscent of Isy Wood’s work, another favourite of mine.
It’s no secret that Matthieu Blazy has officially unleashed full-blown fashion pandemonium - everyone, their uncle, their dog and their grandma seems to be queuing up for a slice of the Chanel SS26 pie. My slice? A spearmint green small tote bag that’s firmly at the top of my list, perfectly matched with a mint green pill box I spotted at Dr. Harris. Both have, quite frankly, captured my heart and scream hello spring!
My most favourite beauty discovery of late is the Signature Lip Blush from Merit that they kindly sent me to try. I’ve been wearing it non-stop the past week and quite enjoy pairing it with their Solo eye shadow in Matchbook for that low-key vampy look.
In my wildest dreams I would also like to try out this intergalactic Chanel french twist for my next event, have I lost the plot? I may have to sell one of my kidneys in order to own the small croc tote bag unless anyone would like to kindly start a gofundme/sponsor me… I’m currently accepting all leads.
I am a maximalist at heart but something about pairing a bright colourful bag or shoes with a more low-key 90s inspired outfit for a Summer look really speaks to me. In particular an all white first-layer set like one straight off a 90s Calvin Klein runway or the one Paloma wears to perfection below. I’d style this kind of look with a pop of colour, and some cute mules like the above ones from Chloé, ballet slippers or heels like these ones from Katt Fore (dropping soon) and some SBB diamonds for that cosmic sparkle.
When it comes to interiors, I’m currently very into contrasting white and blacks elements together (going heavy on the black accents). My husband recently painted our kitchen walls black which sounds unhinged but it actually turned out rather spectacular, if I say so myself.
I can’t wait to share more of our redecorating journey in more detail here once some of the dust has settled. I’m also tempted to introduce a bolder rug to bring a spoonful of fresh energy into the space, I particularly love this blue one that I spotted on Spazio Leone and this sakura pink one from Nordic Knots.
You’ll find two rather unexpected objects at the top of my wishlist this month. A crystal ball with a silver stand that I can imagine would sit rather nicely besides my tarot deck and a dragonfly cigarette holder. Trust Sophie Buhai to almost entice me back into smoking, if only to have an excuse to actually use it.
I’m also dreaming about this Gucci by Tom Ford SS2003 minidress, this Simone Rocha creation that Renate Reinsve wore ( it literally makes me want to get married all over again), these springy light green drop earrings, jelly mules (the chicer older sister of the jelly sandal) and this cute silk scrunchie that I picked up this week from one of my favourite stores in London.
Leaving you with my freshest and finest reccommendations for London right now:
Stay at Grand Bellevue Hotel
Stop by Isabella Burley’s Climax Books, for the best curation of books, magazines, stationary and cute merch. I picked up a lime green long-sleeve t-shirt because I’m in my colourful era ♡
Head to The Wolseley for lunch or afternoon tea
Order a Japanese Slipper cocktail and the tiramisu at Leo’s
Visit Hai for their beautiful silk creations—I picked up a scrunchie from their recent collaboration with Brooke Callahan
Have a schnitzel at Fischer’s
Pop into The Owl and The Pussycat for a cheeky pint
Pick up the lavender soap bars (they’re pink!) from Dr. Harris
And finally, don’t miss the Guinness ice cream at Cafe Cecilia
Alice <3
This was so much fun to read! Thank you for sharing, lovely! 🥰🌷💫