What I Wore : Brussels Day 1

A week ago today we were mid-way through our four day pre-Christmas weekend in Brussels. It's now three days post-Christmas and it all feels a bit of a blur. 

Time is the one thing you can never have more of, so it seems a waste to not go out and do things and see the world. The only thing I really want to do in life is to see everything every country, city and tiny little village has to offer. Unrealistic, I know, but I'm yet to spend a holiday lying around doing nothing when I could be exploring...

We mainly decided on Brussels for it's Christmas markets, where we spent most of the weekend drinking gluhwein and amaretto. It's such a beautiful city and the locals are so friendly and helpful and I think we literally walked a hundred miles over the four days just trying to see and cram in as much as we could! 

These photos were taken in the botanical gardens just by our hotel - so worth a visit. The turquoise blue statues stand amongst fountains, mazes and winding tracks that lead downhill into Brussels city centre. The main attraction is of course the domed greenhouse, where inside there is a bar and a roundhouse where they hold gigs every week or so!

I'm so glad I found this coat in the Urban Outfitters sale last year - I hadn't worn it until last week and turns out it's perfect for the cold Belgian weather. I also wore my Vagabond boots all weekend which I'm pretty impressed about, especially with the amount of walking we did. Comfiest-shoes-ever.

Gig Guide : Xfm Winter Wonderland

The Apollo isn't my favourite venue as I find it near impossible to see over anyone's head. Apparently there's a lot of tall people in Manchester and I'm not one of them.

I'm also repeatedly disgusted by the carpeted gangways which squelch when you happen to step on them. 

However, for such a small venue it doesn't half have a great line-up all year round. This Monday I went to Xfm's Winter Wonderland, which happens in Manchester and London every year. The Manchester line-up is always better though obvs. It started at 6pm which was a bit of a mad rush and we ended up missing the majority of Bear's Den which I was a bit gutted about. The rest of the line-up went as follows: Circa Waves, Jimi Goodwin of Doves, Liam Fray of Courteeners, Catfish and the Bottlemen, George Ezra, Wild Beasts, and, of course, headlining was Ben Howard.

George Ezra is one of my favourite people at the moment, his voice is timelessly brilliant and he's ever so talented. After seeing him on Radio 1's Introducing stage at Glastonbury this year it's kind of insane how popular he's become in a matter of months! 

In fact, everyone was incredibly good, even though they were each limited to a tiny 20 minute-ish slot. But of course, Ben Howard just topped off the night perfectly. I Forget Where We Were is probably my favourite album at the minute - it's so atmospheric and totally different from Every Kingdom in the best possible way. The stage looked like a set of ghosts as Ben and band picked their way through the new album and the stage lights lit the crowd.

All in all, for 30 quid, Winter Wonderland is one of the best mini festival types I've ever been, the line-up was ridiculously good and it was all in aid of such a good cause; War Child.

Top 5 :

ASOS Borg Biker Jacket

This is soooooo much cooler than the leather alternative and it looks ridiculously comfy. Almost teddy bear esque.

Cheap Monday Roll Neck Dress

Simply so I can keep pretending I'm Scandinavian.

Adidas Originals Mini Bag

I'm already a promo-girl for Adidas, so it's only natural that I'd wear this with absolutely everything. I'm just not a handbag type of girl...

ASOS Snakeskin Boots

An ode to my cornsnake. He's named after the main guy in the Lion King 2 - Kovu. Don't ask me why.

Kiss The Sky Flares

Remind me why I ever wanted to wear skinny jeans? These might not be denim but for short legged gals like myself, flares are everything. Plus these are all-year-round wearable. All the more reason to book a ticket to a another festival abroad...

Inspired :

All images taken from Pinterest.

What I Wore :

Before I say goodbye to my hair, I've been plaiting it and corn-rowing it like there's no tomorrow. I've still not mastered the art of neat lines, or not getting a dead arm whilst in the process, but perhaps when it's short I might have a better chance...

This sweat may be a dupe but I didn't realise it had potential as 'favourite thing I've ever bought' until this last couple of weeks. I bought it last autumn and stuck it at the back of my wardrobe because it was too boxy and everyone else in the world was wearing it. For me, I think that's the ultimate deterrence for a piece of clothing.

HOWEVER... As the weather's been dancing around the 0 degrees mark and I'm having to de-ice my car of a morning, all I want and need from life is just want to be warm. I never am mind, because I think I might actually be cold-blooded... 

And it's got a turtle-neck, so in my eyes there's nothing better.

Sweat : SheInside