Is it possible to fall in love with a city? In my case, the answer just may be yes. London is by far my favourite city that I’ve ever spent time in. There are so many personalities that you encounter each day, and each borough of the city has an incredibly unique atmosphere. Having lived an hour away from London for four months and then in the Paddington area for another two, I think it’s easy enough to say that this is my favourite place that I’ve ever lived. I’ve always loved the city atmosphere – I should, I’ve lived in one my entire life. Whilst I like small villages, I much prefer to live in the organized chaos of a city’s limits.

Shoes Aldo // Tee Similar Here // Denim White House Black Market // Leather Jacket H&M // Sunnies QUAY 

A city lover at heart

If I had to pick my favourite area of London, it would not be an easy decision to make. However, two boroughs pop into my head whenever this questions is asked. I’ll start by describing Camden. This area is so full of colour and life and reminds me very much of the part of Minneapolis in which I grew up. The vibrancy is unparalleled, both in passerby personalities and the blooms in the many gardens here. Camden is also home to some of the most divine coffee shops in the city, including The Espresso Room and the Bloomsbury Coffee House. These shops are great, not just for the lovely drinks and cakes, but for the cozy atmosphere that they both provide. Camden is also an incredibly walkable area of the city, whether you just want to go for a stroll or have to find an easy way to get somewhere. At one point, I had gone on a search for a salon to repurchase a favourite product – yet, I managed to get quite distracted by wandering about and adding to my already miles-long ‘Restaurants to Try’ list. Not to worry, I still found my salon…three hours later.

The Look

The other favourite area on my list is very different from the vibrancy of Camden, but that’s part of the reason I have come to love it so much. The Kensington/Notting Hill area is one of pristine whites, contrasting blacks, and soft-hued pastels. If I had to match an area of London to my personal aesthetic, this would be it. Kensington is a lovely area for photography – and especially popular for bloggers – because the crisp backgrounds always make for incredible photos. Life moves at a slightly slower pace, which makes it a lovely place for garden strolling, looking through market shops, or a lovely glass of wine in the evening. The buildings in Kensington/Notting Hill inspire my aesthetic, which is very simple and clean, yet incredibly luxurious. If you happen to be in this borough of London and are looking for a place with incredible eats, I couldn’t recommend Farm Girl Cafe or Farmacy enough. Both are primarily suited for a vegetarian and vegan diet, however if that’s not your cup of tea, there are an immense amount of amazing pubs nearby as well. No. 65 & King is one of my personal favourites.

Shoes Aldo // Tee Similar Here // Denim White House Black Market // Leather Jacket H&M // Sunnies QUAY

Opportunity Knocking

There are many opportunities that come with being in a large city – London is no different. One of the aspects that I love about London specifically, is that it’s not only an inspiring place to be, but also a place that fulfills my career ambitions as well. London is a multicultural hub; walking down the street you could hear over one hundred different languages every day. I love being able to experience so many new cultures all in one place – it makes the opportunity for experiencing diversity that much greater. Opportunity doesn’t just have to be for career ambitions – it can be for personal growth as well. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t always take an earth-shattering opportunity in order to grow – sometimes it can be as simple as walking down the street and realizing just how confident you are in yourself and truly owning it.

Shoes Aldo // Tee Similar Here // Denim White House Black Market // Leather Jacket H&M // Sunnies QUAY 

A Fashion Lover’s Dream

Many large cities are fashion hubs, London included. In a recent post, I chatted a bit about why I adore Fashion Month as much as I do. In that post, I’d mentioned that I’d attended my first-ever runway show during the A/W17 runway season of London Fashion Week. Honestly, I believe that this was the catalyst for the level of appreciation that I have for English brands as well as many of the trends that you see on the street. These trends have taken their toll on my wardrobe, really beginning to define what I would consider to be my personal sense of style: tailored, elegant, edgy and sophisticated.

Not every trend fits these descriptions, each part of London that you may wander in to has a very different personality – therefore an different overall fashion personality. The difference in fashion personalities all over London reminds me a bit of New York City – but some of the trending aspects that you see are uniquely London, through and through. Experiencing so many new trends and fashion personalities allow for more experimentation with my personal style – and I’ve got to say, I’ve really been enjoying experimenting with my style and wardrobe choices a bit more lately.

Shoes Aldo // Tee Similar Here // Denim White House Black Market // Leather Jacket H&M // Sunnies QUAY 

If I keep going on about why I’ve fallen hard and fast for London, this post may very well end up being the length of a short novel. But, if I have learned anything about living in this incredible city, and treasuring every moment spent there, it’s that one can be happy anywhere in the world; it just so happens to be that London is the place where I’ve truly lost my heart, and this city made me the happiest that I’ve ever been.

Have you ever fallen for a city? I’m often curious as to why people choose to live where they do – is it because of the opportunity? The culture? Proximity to family? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments. Until next, xoxo.

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