Packing for London Fashion Week

by Maria

1. Striped jacket, Lindex. 2. Wook tank tops, Pierre Robert. 3. Nude body (for under things), Primark. 4. Stiped top, Cubus. 5. White button-down, H&M. 6. Body w/deep V-neck, vintage. 7. Brigitte Bardot-body, ASOS. 8. Wool blazer, Lindex. 9. High-waisted chinos, vintage. 10. Simple navy dress, H&M. 11. Body-hugging dress (can’t remember where it’s from). 12. Flared grey skirt, H&M. 13. Drapey black skirt, Indiska.

I’m back! I’m back, and completely and utterly exhausted. I need a few days to breathe and edit photos, so in the meantime I thought I’d show you what I packed. Because of that silly cold and absolutely no ability to think, I stuck to basics, and relied on accessories, makeup and cool hair (I have bangs now! Courtesy of Cookie the Courageous) to do the trick. A colour palette of white, grey, navy and black meant I had almost endless combinations available, as everything went together.

1. M-necklace, gift. 2. Lion necklace, Accessorize. 3. Big pearl necklace, gift. 4. Old military pin from when I worked at this huge gun in Harstad. 5. Tiny sparkly bow from when I was little. 6. Jewel pin, vintage. 7. Amethyst pendant, from a stall in Bergen. 8. Big stone ring, Gina Tricot. 9. Wrapped metal ring, Gina Tricot. 10. Plain silver ring. 11. Belt with tiny bag, Lindex. 12. Elastic belt, Primark. 13. Crystal headband, Gina Tricot. 14. Sephora leopard nail polish, gift from Maja. 15. Watch, Casio/ASOS. 16. Big pearl earrings, gift. 17. Crystal earrings, gift. 18. Chandelier earrings. 19. Sunglasses, Primark. 20. Elastic belt, vintage.

Yeah, I know, quite a lot of décor, but I do find that accessories make all the difference. For instance, combining the leather elastic belt with ring 9 and 10, and the Casio watch, and a plain outfit suddenly looks a bit masculine. Swap for the huge pearl earrings and the vintage belt, and the look is completely different. Oh, and those nail thingies? It’s nail polish, except it comes in flakes that don’t need drying time. These were fantastic (I do love a good leopard print!), and lasted the entire trip without peeling. Thank you, Maja, darling!

1. My favourite pens, I cannot manage without them. 2. Notebook from Maja. 3. My favourite city guide, borrowed from Ingvild, and headphones. 4. The new Mr. Kindle, he’s called Tim (after Tim Gunn, naturally). 5. Home-made business cards. 6. Lipstick case and Chanel lipstick. 7. Lip balm with mint. 8. Lemony Flutter from Lush, for cuticles and a sore nose (bloody cold!). 9. Nose spray. 10. Card holder. 11. Umbrella, Accessorize. 12. Anti-bacterial gel. 13. Passport.

I don’t go anywhere without my new darling Tim. The old Mr. Kindle sadly passed away in an accident – he was hiding beneath a blanket, and had an unfortunate encounter with my elbow. That card holder is pretty brilliant, too. It protects my cards from being de-magnetized by my cellphone, which can easily happen if they’re together in a small bag (such as nr. 11 from the accessories picture above). Imagine being stuck in London without your card? I just wasn’t going to let that happen.

1. Cables for Tim and my iPhone. 2. iPhone, huzzah! 3. Bank cheking-thing. 4. Extra lens for my camera. 5. Spare battery and 6. remote control for camera. 7. Power adapter. 8. The plug for the cables, so I can charge things directly from the wall. 9. Charger for camera batteries. 10. Needle and thread, in case something tears or needs to be hemmed. 11. Custom made earplugs. I got these when I studied music, and they’re priceless for loud parties, concerts or even stores. 12. Measuring tape, for super-fast shopping. 13. Sleep mask, for the plane.

What can I say, I’m a gadget girl! I’m already addicted to my iPhone. I “inherited” my father’s old one, and it is a whole new world for me. Finally, my phone and my computer can communicate properly. I’m sad to say the sleep mask didn’t work, though. Well, I did get some sleep, but not a single kiss for the entire trip. I guess Ed Westwick was too busy filming more Gossip Girl to come to London Fashion Week this year. Don’t worry, though, Ed, I’ll find you some other time, some other place – and it was still quite a wonderful trip.