Fingerwaves and Moving London Lights

Yesterday we went into the city for some pre-Christmas cheer. A real Christmas market and some shopping for present components were the theme of the day, and I wanted to feel fancy. My hair is growing out to a flapper’s length. I’ve had long clips for about two months whilst trying unsuccessfully to finger wave it. Add to it some darkened makeup and a drop-waist dress, and it’s 1927!

Of course, it required a black and white filter for the photos. I haven’t done a fashion post in forever (disliking my weight at the moment and not really having much in the way of money/time/dedication/charged camera have made it difficult to say the least). But here I’m wearing:

• Orange wool sweater: Second hand, from Rags Consignments in Boulder, CO
• Black shirtdress (it’s both): Second hand, from Common Threads in Boulder, CO
• Fluffy hippy petticoat: Target (in 2005!)
• Leggings from H&M
• Orange Booties: Clarks in London, England

I’ve been trying to get back to Consignment-Only style, and it’s a whole lot easier here in London than anywhere I’ve ever lived! There are charity shops on almost every corner! If only I had disposable income….

We went down to my least favourite underground station, Tottenham Court Road (it looks like something out of the Apocalypse down there) and from there to Chipotle! Yes, one of the few things for which I get homesick while living abroad is here in London, authentic and exactly like at the shop just down the street from my parents’ house. I can officially make this home now. 

We stopped at a bead shop for supplies in Covent Garden, and then walked down through Trafalgar Square toward Embankment. It was a beautiful night in the square, with tons of people! I had been meaning to take some long exposure shots of downtown London for ages, and it worked out amazingly. 

It gets dark at about 16:00 these days, so even though it looks like the dead of night out there were far more people than the slow shutters managed to capture. Russ got some good times in being a ghost in the frames! 

There was a large memorial to Nelson Mandela outside the South African Embassy. People had been crowding outside for hours and were singing hymns. They’d tacked a South African flag to the embassy doors. 

Finally we made it down to the Christmas Market on Southbank and it was really fun! We ate roasted chestnuts so hot they burned my fingertips and pushed through the crowds, stealing looks at pretty jewellery and soaps shaped like jello shots. It was a bit too crowded, but at least that kept us warm! 

It was a beautiful and mild night on the Thames. In the distance, we heard a fireworks display (or perhaps a fireworks depot exploding, although it hasn’t been in the news or anything). St. Paul’s loomed huge over the river and glowed in the lights so bright, birds were singing in their confusion of night and day. 

A beautiful start to the Christmas season!