Tower Poppies

I'd been planning to visit the beautiful Tower Poppies for months and I finally got the chance to pop down to see them last weekend. What a gorgeous day it was to choose - London is always so much prettier when the sun is shining. The city just seems to come alive.

We hopped off at St Pauls and decided to walk along the river - with a detour to Borough Market which was shut for filming booo! - to the Tower. The Tower of London gets me every single time, it always has ever since I was a little girl obsessed with the Tudors. It always takes my breath away whenever I see it and it's by far my favourite building in London. So much history in one place - it's just a shame it's flipping £25 to go and visit!

We walked along Tower Bridge and immediately saw the huge crowds leaning over the fences to catch a glimpse of the poppies. They looked absolutely stunning. It was really humbling to stand there and take in the sight whilst thinking that there was a ceramic poppy for every single person who lost their life in The Great War. It really is mind-blowing to think there are 888,246 poppies in the moat. It's so hard to imagine such a horrific loss of life in only four years. It's an outstanding tribute to the 100 year anniversary.

If you can make it to the Tower before Armistice Day, make sure you go! I'm a massive history buff when it comes to the World Wars - that sounds very strange i'll admit, but I just think it's so important to learn from our mistakes. But even if you're not that interested in the history behind it, I personally think it's a great place to recognise the the sacrifices these soldiers made so we can live the life we lead.

Have you been to see the poppies?

Read more

Interning for dummies

When people tell me they're desperate to break in to the journalism industry and ask me for tips. I always say the best advice is to run away screaming and promptly choose another industry. At this point they stare at me wide eyed and you can see them struggling to get their head around it. 

But if you do decide to ignore me, you'll soon find yourself in one of the best industries in the world. I honestly couldn't imagine dong anything else. This is my dream job and all I've wanted ever since I was 11 years old. But it really wasn't an easy ride to get here. I have spent many a sleepless night worrying if I was good enough. But if you can ride out the storm and be prepared to work seven days a week - five of those days for expenses only - and throw your heart and soul in to making sure you're indispensable, then you're halfway there.

Interning is soul destroying. You spend hours doubting your abilities, your self esteem takes a severe battering and you break down in tears when you receive yet another rejection email - someone doesn't even want your services for free! After a year on the emotional roller coaster you begin question your sanity. I was two weeks away from jacking in all my dreams of becoming a journalist and fill our an application to start my PGCE before I got my job. But if you can jump on the interning train, i've got a few tips that could help you along the way.

Don't just go for anything - pick internships that you think you have an interest in. Vogue may be your dream but it's everyone's else's too. So if you want to work for a fashion based magazine then write to all of them to try your luck. Don't send out generic cover letters - make sure you tailor them and really get across why you'd love to intern there. Gorkana, Media Muppet and Fashion Monitor are great websites. Don't be afraid to ring the publication up directly and ask. They'll remember you more if they hear your voice rather than see a faceless email. 

Don't be afraid to go the extra mile and never ask to go home early. The interns that will be remembered are the ones who offered their services, never came back from lunch late and found office jobs for themselves to keep them busy. The journalism industry is very close knit and almost everyone knows someone at one publication so news travels fast. Be willing to put the effort as it will help you out in the long term.

Make friends and talk to everyone on the team. Like I said above, the industry is very small so keep in touch with everyone who you work with. You never know what information you could be fed on the grapevine. They can give you the heads up for potential jobs and put in a good word for you if needed. I have made some great friends over the years and still keep in touch with them now. It's always nice to catch up with them at events! 

Good luck! 

Read more

Return of the Mac

 

Outfit:
Red and white striped tee: c/o Florence and Fred (similar)
Light wash skinny jeans: New Look
Beige long trench coat: Zara (similar)
White chucks: Converse c/o Tower London

I went along to the Tower London press breakfast a few weeks ago - fell head over heels for the Melissa x Vivienne Westwood boots below -  to have a sneaky look at all the a/w gems they have coming in to store. They had some amazing boots and some really great brands. I was especially taken with the floral Doc Martens - the pattern is amazing right? Tower London are definitely a shop to look out for if you're looking to treat yourself to some new boots. They have something for everyone! I was very lucky to win these Converse in a competition they were running on the day and they've hardly left my feet! I opted for the classic white as they go with absolutely everything.

Read more