London.4 - Dress Me Up!

"Ever wished you could borrow a dress from Kate Moss for a big night out?"

Thanks to Topshop, this dream turned into reality for a number of London-based women. Between November 26th and December 6th, customers of Britain's most popular High Street retailer had the opportunity to hire dresses that had previously been donated by selected starlets. The benefit of splurging on one of the dresses for an unforgettable night of glamour (besides the fact that all profits went towards charity) was undoubtly that all worries about other girls showing up in the same outfit could easily be eliminated! An excerpt of the Topshop holiday season catalogue explains just how easy it all was:

While I was unable to hire one of the glamourous gowns (previously owned by Scarlett Johansson, Dita von Teese and many others) myself, browsing through the robes, feeling the different textures of feathers, sequins or tulle, and imagining what kind of events these had been worn to proved to be exciting enough. Photography was strictly forbidden, but I managed to secretly capture the lovingly decorated interior of the miniature fashion temple that had been set up inside the store on Oxford Street.

London.3 - no cinderella story

Sometimes, life is unfair and we can't do anything about it. Plain and simple.

I had to learn this lesson the past weekend while shopping in London with my friends. Apart from literally scrutinizing every single article of clothing in one of the many vintage shops, we came across a tiny shoe store on Camden High Road that sells low-priced imitations of popular designer pieces. Shoe heaven, so to speak. I was enraptured until I realized that they only carried sizes 36 - 39 (EU). Too bad I'm a size 40 and the shoes tended to run small. Subsequently, I had to sit and watch while my good friend Muriel treated herself to these gems.

Perfectly suited for dancing the night away in one of Berlin's many underground clubs (and not freezing to death on the way back home in the early morning hours), these £30 dark brown faux leather boots would have been the perfect addition to my ever-growing shoe collection. Looks like I'll have to wait and hope for a miracle...

London.2 - inSpiral @ Camden Lock

Clearly a magnet for tourists and locals alike, Camden (one of London's 32 boroughs) can't be fully discovered in merely one or two hours. Along Camden High Street and around Camden Lock, you will come across a plethora of little shops and market stalls, offering everything from scented candles to black leather plateau boots to fresh fruits and vintage records. Chances are you'll find funky gifts for everyone, grandparents and flatmates alike, if you just take the time to browse a little.

When entering Camden Lock, your eyes and tastebuds will most likely be overwhelmed by the variety of foods and beverages offered at the little stalls lining the alleyways.

No insider's tip but certainly a highlight of the area is the café/bar/shop/lounge inSpiral. Situated on 250 Camden High Street right across from Camden Lock, this venue is unique in its concept and implementation thereof.

"inSpiral combines personal and planetary health with creative media to achieve positive conscious change in a fun way for all!"

Apart from offering a great array of vegetarian and vegan dishes (ever tried hemp millet fricadels or vegan tiramisu cake?), inSpiral hosts parties and events every weekend... Why not pop by the Social Sunday Open Mic session and have a couple of organic beers while you're at it?

If you're still not convinced that is place is a must-see, take into consideration that this is one of the few locations in central London that allows you to have an amazing time while simultaneously benefiting your local community and our planet earth. Idealistic? No way. 100% of the electricity consumed at inSpiral comes from renewable engery sources. All packaging is either biodegrable, recycled or otherwise ecofriendly. None of the staff members own a car - most of them cycle to work!


Captivated by the concept and low-spirited because you live nowhere near London? Do not despair. The brand-new inSpiral website not only features an online shop and radio station, but also offers its advice on how to be ecofriendly and posts news and updates via the inSpiral blog.

London.1 - an interest in fashion

While the weekend spent in London included more than enough opportunities for shopping, sightseeing and discovering the local clubbing scene, I managed to dedicate a good amount of time to something which my mother would refer to as a 'good investment for the future': touring universities. And although that implied spending a lot of time in cozy common rooms, indulging in biscuits and coffee and chatting with various members of the faculty and the administrative staff, I was also delighted to gain an insight into what real uni life boils down to.

Just for the heck of it (and because the Journalism Department wasn't giving tours that day), I travelled straight from Stansted airport to visit the Open Day for Fashion Design at the Harrow campus of the University of Westminster. What I encountered was a group of open-minded, independent-thinking and friendly students, sputtering with creativity. I also learned more about fashion, its history, and the complexity of tailoring than Vogue could ever teach me. If you get the chance to attend a similar event at the university of your choice, go for it! Trust me, it'll be worth it.

Bye-bye Berlin, hello London!