Five Days in Austin, Texas: Things To Do, Places To Eat, Drink & Shop

As I noted in my recent post about Austin's specialty coffee scene, I'd never been to Texas before this year and was pleased to have to opportunity to visit the state capital as part of a trip for work. 

What's in My Bag: 9 Days, 2 Coasts Edition

I'm off on my travels again, this time on a work trip that will take me Washington, DC, for a few days before crossing the country to San Jose, California, for a conference.

What's in My Bag: 8 Days in Vancouver and Saskatoon

My little brother is getting married this weekend. Technically, he is already married, but this time they are having a big ceremony and I will be attending in person rather than via Skype. I'm flying to Vancouver with my parents and we will spend a few days there before heading to Saskatoon — the Paris of the Prairies — for the wedding. It's been almost seven years since my last trip to Canada and I'm really looking forward to it. Here's what I've packed.

My Japan Shopping Tips

Part of the reason I took a slightly bigger than cabin-approved suitcase to Japan was so that I could indulge in a little retail therapy if the mood took me. I was particularly looking forward to a) the stationery and b) the weird and wonderful 'only in Japan' type items. Here are a few of my favourite places.

A Gift That Fits the Bill

For my birthday last year, a group of my friends bought me a six-month subscription to Not Another Bill and I couldn't have been happier. I had come across the company a number of times before, including at DesignJunction, and loved the concept but it had always felt that bit too indulgent to treat myself to a subscription so I was delighted that my friends decided to treat me instead.

The idea is simple: you (or your friends/family/loved ones) select at least three categories from a list that includes jewellery, homewares and crafts, and you will receive a surprise present in the post once per month. 

The gifts are always immaculately packaged, and include a personalised message that tells you a bit more about your present and the brand; sometimes you even get a discount to use on other products from the company. You can also provide details about your working schedule so they know when to dispatch the package to minimise the pain of trips to the post office.

So far, I've received five of my six gifts and I've really liked them all. They are all things I would have chosen for myself and, in fact, I did almost buy one of them — the Ham screen prints — at DesignJunction. Based on the presents I've been sent so far, it seems that my friends selected stationery, jewellery and art as my categories, which is, of course, what I would have chosen for myself.

My first gift was the Hay plissé accordion folder from one of my favourite Scandi brands. It was in a cute mint green colour and perfect for someone who likes Scandi style and organisation as much as I do!

Gift number two was a gold wishbone ring from Astrid & Miyu (astrid in Swedish and miyu in Japanese both mean 'beautiful'). I recently rediscovered a wishbone ring that my grandparents gave me when I was ten, but sadly lost it when I went bouldering, so I was really pleased to get a replacement. The ring is adjustable and super-stylish.

The third gift was the screen prints from Ham that I mentioned above. I love bunnies and I love the playful, minimalist style of these prints, so I framed two of the three in the set and hung them in the hallway of my flat.

Sticking with the arty theme, my fourth present was a small, quirkily shaped mirror from Haidée Drew. I've been wanting a small mirror for my hallway for those last-minute checks before leaving the house, and this fitted perfectly next to my blackboard. Unfortunately, it arrived a few days too late for the selfie competition my company was running!

My fifth and penultimate gift was another piece of jewellery, this time a cute bracelet called 'Nine Lives' from designer Susannah Fairley. The bracelet has nine tiny gold hearts —if you like, you can make a wish against each one, and when the bracelet falls off they will come true. I hope mine won't fall off for a while, though, because I like wearing it!

I still have one gift to come and I'm thinking about extending my subscription by a few months. Not Another Bill isn't cheap (prices start at £60 for a three-month sub), but the gifts are immaculately curated and really good quality and, as I said before, I've loved every one. 

Compared to a beauty box subscription, say, which will set you back £12 each month and will likely be filled with samples you either don't like or won't use, Not Another Bill is much better value. It's also a great way to discover new designers. The presents you receive will often be limited-edition collaborations between the designer and Not Another Bill and if you like what you see, there are plenty of other products to explore.

If you've heard about Not Another Bill before and weren't sure whether or not to take the plunge, I'd highly recommend it, both as a gift and as a 'gift to self'.

What's in My Mini MAC?

I've always been a big-bag kind of girl, which is why I love my Mulberry Mitzy bag so much: it allows me to tote all of my worldly goods around with me. Earlier in the year, though, I fell for Rebecca Minkoff's Mini MAC and I bought it in black with gold hardware when I was in New York. I've had to make a few adjustments as to the things I carry around with me when I'm using it, especially if I'm wearing it to work, but to my surprise, I can fit most of the essentials inside.

Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC

My standard contents are: my iPhone and earphones, a hairband, umbrella (swapped with my sunglasses on the rare occasions when the English weather behaves), a fold-up tote, Soap & Glory hand cream, Longchamp purse, ibuprofen, chewing gum, keys, a pen and my lip balm. I can also fit either my camera or a 250 ml bottle of water (not pictured). 

The fold-up tote is essential because the rest of these items leave no room for a cardigan, scarf or shopping, and I have to use the Longchamp purse because my usual Mulberry wallet and Oyster card holder won't fit. Another sacrifice I've had to make is carrying around a book. If I'm going into the office, I will either carry a book or make sure I have an e-book on my iPhone. Now that the Olympics have started in London, I've been walking to and from work a lot more often, which means less time for reading on the go, anyway.

Getting full

I've really got used to convenience of the hands-free Mini MAC. I love the versatility of the bag: it hits me at a good length wearing it either cross-body or on my shoulder and you can also double up the straps if you want a more traditional shoulder bag. I may struggle to fit everything in once winter starts drawing near and I will need to bring a scarf, gloves and a hat with me, but it's a great bag for spring and summer.

I can fit all of this (and a little more)

On a related note, walking through Selfridges yesterday, I spotted a series of "urban survival kits" they have put together for the summer season. My favourite, of course, was Emma Hill's Mulberry bag. For a mere £1,500, you get an Alexa-style backpack, card holder, coin purse, scarf, brolly, sweeties, keyring and Wallpaper London guide. The Kiehl's and Anya Hindmarch bags are slightly more reasonably priced.

Selfridges' Mulberry urban survival kit

NYC: The Rainbow Tour Part II

Fifty Shades of Grey might be the talk of the town, but most of my favourite New York shops seemed to be filled with fifty shades of every colour apart from grey. I love bright colours, so I was very happy. I didn't find much in my usual favourite store, J. Crew, although I picked up a pair of blue shorts (pictured below), which I wanted to buy in fuchsia but they were sold out in my size. I also picked up a leather belt with a pop of hot neon pink from Madewell (pictured below). 

A couple of green-hued tops from Loft (one pictured below), a purple dress from Bloomingdales (pictured below) and some cropped running leggings from Lululemon were about the only other clothing purchases I made on the trip, although I did get the seahorse necklace in the photo below free courtesy of Brooklyn Charm's promotion on Bedford Avenue last weekend.

I discovered a few new shops while I was in the city, one of my favourites being C. Wonder, which is on Spring Street in SoHo (they are opening another store soon in the Columbus Circle shopping centre). It's a little bit like a poor—or at least, slightly less rich—man's Kate Spade, mixed with a dash of Ralph Lauren or, perhaps, LL Bean prep. 

They sell a range of clothing, accessories and homewares, which come in many bright colours and most of which can be monogrammed. I really liked the initial bangles, but they didn't have a B in a colour I liked. The prices are pretty reasonable too, for the quality—more like J. Crew than Kate Spade. 

At the lower end of the price range is Joe Fresh, which seems to be a hybrid of Uniqlo and Cos. Like Uniqlo, they sell a basic clothing items in many different colours, but they borrow a touch of minimalist chic from Cos. I didn't buy anything on this trip but I'll be stopping by again on future visits.

Top: J. Crew on Fifth Ave. Bottom: C. Wonder and Joe Fresh

Another favourite new discovery was Henri Bendel. I don't know why it took me so long to venture inside this Fifth Avenue department store, but I'm glad I did. It's probably most similar to Liberty in London, especially because of the ground floor, which is devoted to frivolous girly things, such as make-up, handbags and jewellery. They also sell a beautiful range of own-branded bags and accessories, many of which are really stylish and would make lovely gifts.

I've left my favourite purchase until last and I'm still very excited by it. Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that it is a handbag, although it wasn't an impulse buy; I have been lusting after this bag for a few months and even considered ordering it online from the US. I saved about £60 by buying it in New York though. 

And it is Rebecca Minkoff's Mini MAC in black with gold hardware. I have rediscovered black lately and I wanted a smart black clutch bag for the evening. I love the classic design, but the added edginess of the studs and the animal print lining (slightly annoyingly the lining was supposed to be blue with black spots, like the dustbag, but in his efforts to get me the bag with the nicest leather, the Saks sales assistant managed to give me one with leopard lining instead).

Mini MAC

Better still, you can wear the chain strap full length for cross-body looks, you can double it up to wear it as a shoulder bag (pictured) or you can remove the chain altogether and wear it as a clutch. Very versatile, then, and, after a few years of a Mulberry obsession, relatively reasonably priced, for a designer leather handbag.

What's in my (NYC) Suitcase?

I feel like I have been doing a lot of travelling over the past six weeks or so — not that I'm complaining — and today I'm heading off to Manhattan. I haven't been since last September, over nine months ago, and I'm very excited to be going again for a whole week. We'll be staying in the NoLIta/Lower East Side area and the weather is looking good: hot and sunny all week, with Wednesday and Thursday potentially reaching 35 degrees. 

Scorchio indeed. I'm using the same suitcase as for my Istanbul trip, my carry-on-size purple spotted Kipling case, which I will check in, but I'm taking a bigger bag, namely Mitzy, as my carry-on. These are the clothes I'm bringing:

Top left: two cardigans (royal blue from Mango, heather grey from J. Crew); black blazer (Zara); two scarves (pink jersey from French Connection, royal blue from Galeries Lafayette); three pairs of shoes (black ballet flats from Banana Republic, nude ballet flats from Minelli, tan leather flip flops from Steve Madden). 

Top right: four dresses (orange floral and coral lace from Tesco, grey jersey from J. Crew, black jersey from TopShop). 

Bottom left: four tops (purple vest from Uniqlo, pink cami from J. Crew, bright pink top from Anthro, teal top from Anthro); gym kit (top and skort from Lululemon, sports bra from Nike, Asics trainers from Sweaty Betty, bikini from H&M). 

Bottom right: two skirts (polka dots from H&M, royal blue from TopShop); shorts from Miss Selfridge. My undies are already packed.

There are enough outfit combinations for my trip in there; I will probably also buy some new clothes while I am out there, as I am wont to do. I packed a bikini because our hotel has a rooftop terrace, which I'm really looking forward to using, especially if it is going to be so scorching.

My toiletries and make-up are pretty much the same as for my Turkey trip, although I've got some new sun cream and travel shampoo and conditioner. For jewellery, I'm taking three necklaces (purple and gold pendant and gold star from Market NYC, turquoise from a street vendor in SoHo), two pairs of earrings (my Kate Spade signature spade studs and a pair of turquoise drops from Aspire), a new pink and gold ring from Portobello Road, and all of my recent bracelet haul. I keep my jewellery and assorted bits and bobs in the turquoise Tumi travel wristlet, which has lots of pockets and compartments.

Again, the 'miscellaneous' section of my suitcase is similar to that of my Istanbul packing list, so I didn't bother including my sunglasses, wallet, iPhone and so on. I have my tech kit (iPad, chargers, converter, SD card iPad converter and a new GorillaPod), a sleep mask, my small pink Longchamp tote, my purple Longchamp purse for my US currency and cards, reading matter (book for the plane--and several more on my iPad — and my New York Moleskine city guide and a few other quirky guide maps), a small pink water bottle and a brolly — just in case.

What's in My (Istanbul) Suitcase?

Other than my brief visit to Bristol in March, I haven't managed to fit in much travelling so far this year and it's definitely time for another adventure. And today, I'm heading off to Istanbul, so I can experience two continents in one day, Turkish delight and, of course, the joys of agglutinative languages. 

I had planned to put together a proper what's-in-my-suitcase post but by the time I escaped from work, it was starting to get dark and I needed to eat dinner. Also, some of the clothes I'm taking needed a wash and aren't yet ready for packing. Instead, I've taken a few photos of some of the things I'm taking for a five-day trip to Turkey, starting with make-up and toiletries:

Bex's Christmas Gift Guide: Bonus Totes Amaze Edition

I had only planned to do three Christmas gift guides this year but since I posted the last guide, I've spotted a couple of cool tote bags. I included one in my gift guide for girls but I also culled a couple of others from my original longlists, so I thought I'd do a special round-up of my favourite tote bags. These make great gifts: they're stylish, light, eco-friendly, easy to wrap/mail, and you can even put several smaller Christmas gifts inside them — definitely much cooler than a stocking!

Bags for readers and writers
1.  Kate Spade New York for Strand canvas tote. $12.95. Stand Books in New York are famous for their tote bags, which are ubiquitous in Manhattan and beyond but Kate Spade's collaboration with Strand is a much more colourful, girly version. It's also a nice way to give someone a Kate Spade bag without breaking the bank.

2. Daunt Books totes. £1.50 and £8. When I first moved to Marylebone, I realised I had to buy a new it bag. Fortunately, the Daunt totes, which I've spotted in Cannes, New York, and beyond, as well as well as in the quartier, are a bargain at only £1.50 for the smaller, natural cotton version and £8 for the larger, sturdier, green version (which also has an interior pocket for your phone or keys). If you buy enough books, you may also get one of the bags thrown in free. Either way, I use my green tote almost every time I do a big shop and it's showing no signs of wear and tear. 

Edit: I spotted someone on Marylebone High Street today with a dark fuchsia version of the large tote, which looked totes amaze, as they say in Chelsea, apparently.

3. Vintage typewriter tote from TheBoldBanana via Etsy. $10. Perfect for a writer — or would-be writer.

Stylish sacs
4. Grey alphabet tote from Oliver Bonas. £12.50. These totes have a bright yellow zipper, which looks gorgeous with the light grey fabric of the bag (very Philippe Starck) and provides extra security for your belongings.

5. 'My other bag is made of solid gold' tote from Rob Ryan. £22.95. This double-sided tote has the same anti-bling slogan and star on both sides, blue on one side and pink on the other. Blue and pink are my favourite colours, so this would go with all my outfits! Ryan's contrary 'I love what you hate' design is also nice.

6. Liberty print tote. £20. These bags are a relatively inexpensive way of buying a Liberty print accessory. I really like the subtle band of print at the top of the bag and in the lining. Another version of this tote has the print on the straps and side panels (£15).

Totes for foodies and oenophiles 
7. Bordeaux wine tote from Maptote. $13. These totes are the perfect size for slipping in a nice smooth red and would be a great way of making a bottled gift more interesting. Maptote also has different designs for other regions.

8. Pun-tastic tote from Puncontrollable via Etsy. $17. Puncontrollable's totes have minimalist designs and cute captions; 'whisky business' and 'you Chinook me all night long' word work well for a gourmand.

Miscellaneous
9. Modern Toss tote from Magma Books. £5.95. This bag, which displays the command, "Buy more shit or we're all f*cked," may well have been commissioned by George Osborne.

10. Totes for geeks from Our Shop. £9 and £12. This tote with red or blue grid lines would make a nice present for anyone who has a bit of a graph paper obsession. This 'geek' tote makes a more obvious statement.

Stress Shopping

I can add yet another item to the list of things that are dangerous for me to be doing/feeling while shopping: checking the BBC Sport website on my phone every five minutes to find out whether or not my consistently inconsistent football team have been relegated. Although dear ol' Wolves have been hovering in or near relegation for much of the season, they've actually been doing reasonably well. 

The trouble was that this has been a rather high-scoring season for the bottom of the table and depending on the results of today's matches, any two clubs from Blackburn, Wolves, Birmingham, Wigan and Blackpool could have joined West Ham in being relegated.

The nerve-wracking relegation saga really began last Sunday. We'd already won our match against Sunderland and so on Sunday afternoon, Mum and I were listening to the weekend's other matches on the radio on our terrasse. We wanted West Ham to beat Wigan, Birmingham to lose to Fulham and Blackburn to lose to Man U. Having gone 3-0 up on Wigan, West Ham proceeded to lose 4-3. Man United, having just been declared the most successful team of all time, in the known Universe (well, in England, anyway), couldn't manage to beat Blackburn. At least Fulham did what we wanted.

Today, though, was Premier League D-Day, according to the BBC website (surely R-Day?). By the time I checked the scores today, mid-shopping, Wolves were 3-0 down to Blackburn, Blackpool were beating Man U (sounds like a variation on the Sports Illustrated jinx to me), and Wigan and Birmingham were drawing their matches. If everything had stayed like that, we would likely have been relegated on goal difference. 

And then came the desperate goals. The Wolves managed to pull two goals back — not enough for a draw but it at least looked a little less embarrassing. Luckily for us, Birmingham and Blackpool ended up losing too and so even though Wigan won, thanks to their late goal, we were safe, while Birmingham and Blackpool went down with West Ham. If Spurs hadn't scored a winning goal against Birmingham in extra time, though, we would have ended up on the same points as Birmingham. 

We would also have had the same goal difference — hopefully, the next criterion used to determine who stays up wouldn't be alphabetical order. (Incidentally, the names of the bottom seven clubs in the Premiership this season all begin with b or w — my initials — coincidence? I think not).

This was all rather stressful at the time and having been fairly good on the shopping front for the past few weeks, I indulged in some retail therapy, including a new skirt. I do blame my football-related nerves for going ahead. I must remember not to go shopping this time next year when my consistently inconsistent team will no doubt be in the very same position.

Turquoise Is COTY 2010

It's that -OTY time of year again: today, it's Pantone's Color of  the Year for 2010, which has been unveiled. They have chosen turquoise, which is my favourite colour and so I am pleased that wearing it next year will mean I am fashionable (not that I ever lose any sleep over this kind of thing). According to the press release:

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors.

Universally flattering as it may be, as a bright spring with light blue eyes, turquoise is also one of my best colours and although I'm not interested in its anti-evil properties, the thought of warm, crystal clear, turquoise oceans and a land far, far away, as modelled by Monsieur E on our holiday to Cuba, is definitely an appealing one. Of course, even the gorgeous blue waters of Cayo Levisa, in which I swam, scuba dived and drank milk from coconuts, had their flaws but then jamais n'est parfait.

La Vie en Noir et Blanc — Coco avant Chanel Review

I like to shop. Some might even call me a shopaholic (or, at least, a would-be shopaholic) but I'm not the most fashion-conscious girl in the world. Sure, I can give the name and shade of most Mulberry bags and I have some idea about Longchamp and a number of other brands, but I'm no expert. I'm no fan of Audrey Tautou either. It's not really fair to judge her just on the basis of The Da Vinci Code (which I saw on a plane while very jet-lagged) but Amélie grated deeply on my soul and I couldn't bring myself to see Dirty Pretty Things because of it.

It is therefore perhaps rather surprising that I went to see Coco avant Chanel but a girlie-girl friend of mine was keen to see it and as Kermode and Mayo weren't around to diss Amelie Tautou in last week's film podcast, I didn't have a good reason at hand to say no. Going in, I asked the ticket booth staff member whether it was a good film. "Yeah, it's good. A bit of a chick flick..." You don't say... The well-heeled cinema-goers of W1 certainly agreed — unsurprisingly, I didn't see more than a handful of men in the audience. The trailers also agreed: The Real the Devil Wears Prada, Julie and Julia and the new, slightly edgier, modern and opposite scenario to Revolutionary Road.

So, Gabrielle Chanel and her sister Adrienne are presqu'orphelines (their mother died and their father buggered off) so off they go to the orphanage, aged nine-ish, hoping their father will come to rescue them. It is not to be. Fifteen years later and here we are in a French town near Paris in the heady, hedonistic '20s. Gabrielle and her sister are performing bawdy music-hall songs and dances in some dingy saloon. Their favourite song is called "Coco," hence her impending sobriquet. The sisters are going to head off to Paris to try to become famous but then Adrienne meets a baron (as one does) who secrets her away to his country abode with promises of marriage. Coco, meanwhile, meets a rich old man with a castle.

He also has lots of contacts so after he leaves the sticks and returns to the chateau, Coco decides to pay a visit. He isn't impressed because he has all his posh mates and actress friends visiting and doesn't want them to see this simply, countryside lover of his. At first they don't get on very well. She doesn't like being ignored by him or being used by him as a way of entertaining his friends (which is a bit rich given that she is using him for his money); he doesn't like her moods. She also has a habit of cutting up his clothes, particularly the crisp white shirts, and using the pieces to customise her clothes. Oh, and she nicks his trousers and refuses to ride side-saddle as well. Quelle brute!

Things start to look up, though, once Coco starts imparting style advice upon Lord Snooty's actress friends and, later, making them hats. They are doubtful at first ("Wot, no feathers? No corset? Are you mad?") but she's pretty good at it and starts to build up a relationship. Enter "Boy," an English wannabe business man who is trying to do some business with Lord Snooty involving coal. 

He also quite likes Coco but she's pretty hostile--to all men and most women, really — and it takes him whisking her away for a weekend at Deauville, by the sea, before she really falls for him. Lord Snooty is now a little jealous but luckily for him and unluckily for Coco, he knows a secret: Coco's Boy is a something of a player and is also soon going to marry the heiress of an English coal magnate...

That's OK, though, because he'll still finance her chapellerie and pop by for a quickie every time he's in town. This is seemingly quite often but he does complain she keeps abandoning him in favour of her hats, only for her to explain that if he stayed longer, he wouldn't have to keep leaving her. Coco doesn't need men, you see (apart from financially and even then only initially) because she has talent and determination and she will make it.

Yes, it was a chick flick, although at least I get some kudos for practising my French (that said, both Tautou's and Benoît Poelvoorde (Lord Snooty)'s accents were pretty hard to follow). The film itself was beautifully shot and surprisingly colourful apart from the protagonist with her black hair, alabaster skin and muted, neutral-coloured clothes (usually black and/or white). 

Contrasts were constantly being made with clever little shots — here's a beautiful autumn forest with the ground strewn with orange and yellow leaves and here's Coco in her light brown jacket, white shirt and black trousers; here's a ball where everyone is wearing awful, bright, gaudy dresses and OTT hats with ridiculous feathers and here's Coco in a gorgeous LBD of her own design. 

Ms Chanel is certainly an interesting character and I didn't find Amelie Tautou particularly annoying. The plot developed quickly enough and while both of the male leads were pretty irritating in their own ways, this was part of the point. It was, after all, 1912-ish and so women really should know their limits — even if they are wearing trousers. It wasn't the greatest film I've seen all year but it was an enjoyable enough way to spend a muggy Tuesday evening.