It’s not every Wednesday that’s as full of beauty as last Wednesday was. Mostly, I think of Wednesdays as being pretty mediocre. Often grey, often full of tedious jobs (the ones you’ve been putting off during Monday and Tuesday), and still too far away from the weekend to be hopeful. Last Wednesday though? It was a whole other kettle of fish.
Boden press days are always a sight to behold. Their eye for detail extends way beyond each season’s clothing collection, and encompasses every part of the world Boden create. Shoes are placed alongside potted flowers that match their shade of pink exactly. Vintage gardening books are sourced and strewn (artfully, always artfully) around a handmade neon ‘greenhouse’. Mini-workspaces are set up to create the perfect Instagram backdrops. White garden gnomes are given hats that match fabrics taken from the new season’s collection.
It blows my mind, and never fails to inspire and encourage my own eye for detail. The Spring Summer 15 collection is entitled ‘Great Boden in Bloom’, and is, as you’d imagine, horticulturally-themed. As always with Boden, there’s a pattern and a shape to suit every taste imaginable, and let me tell you, the collection suited a LOT of my tastes! A few photos from the day are below, but I’m afraid I must’ve been on a major shoe kick as the vast majority of photos are of footwear. Then again, I never need apologise for shoes, right? ;)
^^ Mini Boden yellow boots! Aren’t they gorgeous? ^^
^^ Lizzie, who works at Boden, was wearing the pink pair of heels on the right on Wednesday, and they looked completely amazing on her. Already at the top of my wish list! ^^
I met up with my loves Kathryn and Natasha at the press day (we hadn’t seen each other since our last Boden-related escapades in July!), and after having had our happy fill of floral prints and Diptyque candles and vintage gardening tools and being able to log in to the wifi, we kissed our friends at Boden goodbye and headed on our merry way. But the fun wasn’t over! Natasha had suggested a couple of weeks previously that we go for afternoon tea at the Berkeley after the press launch, and since I’m never one to say no to afternoon tea, to the Berkeley we went!
I’d heard such great things about the Berkeley’s ‘Pret-a-Portea’, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Beautiful service, best afternoon tea sandwiches ever (the smoked salmon especially was delicious!), and the most flamboyant and colourful sweet selection I’ve ever seen! I will say that the sweet things (biscuits, mousses, and the like) weren’t as delicious as the ones I tasted at Ladurée or Pennyhill Park in Surrey, so I’ll deduct a star for that on my totally arbitrary and just-this-second-instated rating system ;) The English Breakfast tea was divine though, and since that really is the best tea of all time (Earl Grey, be gone!) I haven’t really got much to complain about!
It’s always so lovely to see Natasha and Kathryn, not least because it always reminds me once again how amazing the internet is. Kathryn’s based up in Yorkshire with her three gorgeous babies, Natasha lives in Oxford and works at the university, and yet we all found one another (with a little help from Boden, of course!) through the magic of blogging. It always leaves me with a serious case of the warm and fuzzies, when I think about how these little creative online spaces can help us find our kindred spirits.
And after so many hours of talking, tea drinking, photo taking, and macaron eating, it was time to leave this most beautiful of Wednesdays in London behind and head on home. I would’ve been sad, but with a mini neon lunchbox filled with sweet treats to eat on the train home, who on earth could complain? :)
What I wore :: Coat || Scarf || Jumper || Top || Jeans || Shoes || Handbag
p.s. A little heads up! Boden have a 25% off EVERYTHING sale on right now! I’ve just snapped up a couple of bits for myself, it’s too good to miss out on! Ends Thursday eve. Just click on the promo banner on the homepage to apply the discount to the entire site- go go go!