O U T F I T | Free People Bell Sleeve Dress

30 September, 2015
Dress: Free People King's Road // Hat: ASOS // Boots: New Look (old) // Watch*: Daniel Wellington // Necklace: Vintage // Rings: H&M

It's been a while since I last shot an outfit post. I've been suffering with a pretty big ol' confidence crisis lately, so the last thing I've wanted to do is have my photo taken and then sift through around fifty photos highlighting my flaws (there's plenty o' those, I tell ya!). As bloggers I think we can all be guilty of comparing ourselves to our peers, especially when there's so much pressure to post these almost perfect, editorial photos of ourselves and the witty, intellectual copy to match. But, this weekend I decided to man-the-fuck-up and drag James out to shoot my favourite dress in the world right now. I mean, I'm preeeeetttyyy sure that it has been scientifically proven that the remedy to a low self-esteem is popping on the most magnificent, floaty dress you own, right?

This particularly romantic dress of dreams was bought from the Free People King's Road pop-up shop on it's very first day of opening. I'm not one to shy away from my feelings for Free People as I'm besotted with them. I wore it the weekend immediately after I bought it to an old friend's wedding and also wore it whilst exploring the cobbled back streets of Amsterdam. I'm all over anything absolutely anything with a 70's-esque bell sleeve, especially when they're as extravagant as this!

Daniel Wellington watches are a favourite amongst bloggers and I'm no exception. Their classic, analogue design makes them appropriate for everyday wear. This is the second DW watch to grace my collection, but this time I decided to opt for something with a bit more colour in. As an adopted Sotonian, I felt obliged to choose the Classic Southampton model, but I'm just not the kinda girl that can pull off pink. Red is more my thing, so I decided upon the Classic Canterbury instead. If you fancy 15% off of your own Daniel Wellington watch just use the discount code 'foxandfeatherblog' at the checkout. No need to thank me!



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T R A V E L | Where to Stay in Amsterdam: Motel One

22 September, 2015
Motel One Amsterdam
Motel One Amsterdam

Europaboulevard 23, 1079 PC Amsterdam, Netherlands // Website
Location: 4/5 // Value for Price: 4/5 // Cleanliness: 5/5 // Staff: 5/5

Our visit to Amsterdam a few weeks back was brief, but beautiful. During our first night we were kindly invited to experience the brand new, plush Motel One hotel, which opened a less than two months ago. Motel One is a chain hotel that originally began in Germany, but has successfully stretched itself across Europe. The Amsterdam hotel is the company's first venture into the Netherlands.

Motel One are essentially budget designer hotels meaning that you can get the comfort and quirks of a boutique hotel at an affordable price. Rooms start at just €69 per night for a single room and €84 for a double, which is on the cheaper end of the spectrum when visiting Amsterdam. 

We were a little disorganised with the planning of our trip, which meant waiting 7 hours overnight in Gatwick Airport for our 6am flight. Stupidly, we didn't sleep the afternoon before (although we did plan to, but time slipped away from us), which meant by the time we arrived in Amsterdam at 8am we were walking zombies surviving only because the constant caffeine we were drinking. We arrived at Motel One around 10am even though our check-in time wasn't until 3pm. We just planned to drop our luggage off at the hotel and then doze off in a park somewhere for a few hours until our room was ready. However, the staff were absolutely wonderful and ushered us into the lounge for some complimentary coffee and had our room ready within the hour - a whole 4 hours earlier than our specified check-in time! For that, we're forever grateful as we sunk into the bed for a well-needed 4 hour nap before headed out to explore.

The hotel is just two stops away from Schipol airport on the train, which was only around 10 minutes travel time. It's closest station is Station RAI, which is situated on the main GVB metro line. We were pleasantly surprised at just how close the hotel is to the train station as you can easily walk it in under 3 minutes or so. I mean, you can literally see the hotel as the train pulls up to the station, so you really cannot miss it! Although it's a little further out from the city centre, you can jump on the metro and within 15 minutes you're at Amsterdam Centraal station. It's a perfect distance to escape the bustle of the city centre in the evenings.Unfortunately, we didn't get much of a chance to explore the area surrounding the hotel itself, but it's directly opposite the RAI conference centre. Although we didn't get a chance to have a look for ourselves, according to the staff at the hotel there are a few restaurants and a supermarket located less than a 10 minutes away.

Motel One Amsterdam
Motel One Amsterdam


Our room itself was on the 9th floor, which is the highest floor of the hotel. It was really hard to photograph the room well enough to do it justice. But, when we first walked in, in our tired haze, we both gasped at the large pane windows, which emphasised the view of our favourite city. The huge window walls run across the two outside walls of the room, which let as much natural light in as possible. This wasn't a problem when we decided to take a nap as you were able to block it out with the floor-length blackout curtains. Our room also had a television, which popped on in the evening with some munch we bought from the supermarket.

The bathroom, although small, was chic, sleek and modern with black tiles and chrome touches. The shower was absolutely huge and was pretty swish for a relatively budget hotel. For a few days away, the bathroom is ideal and you couldn't ask for much more. A nice touch came in the form of USB ports in the walls meaning you could charge your phone directly without a EU plug adaptor - absolutely genius!

Motel One Amsterdam
Motel One Amsterdam
Motel One Amsterdam
Motel One Amsterdam
Motel One Amsterdam


The real standout trait for Motel One Amsterdam is it's gorgeous, eclectic lobby and living area, which is also known as The One Lounge. Every Motel One hotel has it's own individual and unique lounge that is inspired by it's surroundings, meaning each hotel has a different running theme to the next. The Amsterdam hotel had bicycle parts decorating the walls, including creatively using the racks to hold notes and compliments from previous guests. The intentionally mismatched interior had a real home-from-home feeling, especially for someone like me! It just feels more like a communal living space rather than exclusively being a standard bar and breakfast area. It certainly makes a difference in a hotel to not feel confined to your room for general relaxing. In fact, it would be the perfect place to read a book or catch up on your work as the hotel offers free FAST wi-fi to every guest.

The staff are some of the most warm and welcoming I've ever come across and really helped make our stay special. Even the hotel sales manager herself made the effort to introduce herself and was on hand to answer any questions or recommendations about what to see or where to go in Amsterdam. Although we didn't get a chance to have a drink at the bar, we did have a nosey at the menu and everything is fairly priced with a cocktail costing around 8 or so - certainly cheaper than a cocktail in London!

Motel One Amsterdam Outside
Motel One Amsterdam Bar


I would thoroughly recommend Motel One Amsterdam to any traveller or couple on a budget as it's reasonably priced, but feels far more upmarket than your run-of-the-mill budget chain European hotel. I particularly love that each Motel One hotel has it's own character and it certainly creates a draw to visiting their other hotels. Next time we're in Amsterdam (let's face it, we're always drawn back!) or anywhere in Europe for that matter, I'll certainly be considering Motel One again.

If you want to catch up on the rest of my Amsterdam travel posts you can read more here.

Motel One Amsterdam Bicycles



*Disclaimer: We were given a complimentary stay at Motel One in exchange for an honest review.

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O U T F I T | In Amsterdam

19 September, 2015
Suede fringe Jacket & Embroidered Bohemian Dress
Suede fringe Jacket & Embroidered Bohemian Dress
Suede fringe Jacket & Embroidered Bohemian Dress
Dress: Zara // Suede Jacket: Zara // Rucksack: Maison Scotch //
Sunglasses: ASOS // Necklace: Primark // Boots: Vagabond

A few weeks ago I visited Amsterdam with James for the second time this year (more on that later!). I actually only managed to shoot one outfit post whilst we were there, which although is kind of annoying. Although, looking back it was simply because we were too busy navigating our way through the cobbled alleyways and became too carried away exploring our new home from home. Plus, I have a lot of travel content lined up for you on where to stay, eat and shop in Amsterdam in case you fancy visiting.

By some miracle we timed our trip to perfection because as soon as we touched down the sun appeared from behind the clouds and stayed in place until the day we left. This meant it was one last time in 2015 to put my summer wardrobe to work. This entire outfit actually all happen to be sale bargain including the embroidered dress, which was a menial £9.99 from my one, true love, Zara. The suede, fringed rucksack form Maison Scotch was another sale snatch at £60. It's absolutely everything I wanted in a bag and was the ideal size for daytime wandering.

Have you been to Amsterdam before?

Suede fringe Jacket & Embroidered Bohemian Dress


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R E V I E W | Glamoriser Portable Freestyler

18 September, 2015
Glamoriser Portable Style Straighteners
Glamoriser Portable Stylers*: HQ Hair

It should have become pretty obvious by now that I love a festival. Also, I love to dress up at festivals: fancy dress, hair, make-up... the whole shebang! Maintaining my hair at a festival can be an absolute nightmare though, I tell you. The majority of it tends to form into this wavey, matted mess, which I can deal with.... but, my fringe - OH MY FRINGE - is an absolute pain in the backside! If there's one part of my hair that always needs taming to stop it looking ridiculous, it's my fringe. After sleeping on it at night, it decides to form some sort of ski slope quiff. I'm a sight for sore eyes in the morning, don'tcha know?!

When HQ Hair offered me the chance to review their Glamoriser Portable Freestyler I don't think I could have been more eager. It seemed like all the answer to my festival fringe problems. I've seen gas operated straighteners for camping in the past, but they've never appealed to me as they're just too much FAFF! I can't be bothered to buy the replacement gas cannisters - I'm lazy, okay?! The Glamoriser stylers however are run on a rechargeable battery, which you charge for a few hours before using. From each charge you get around 40 minutes of power, which is perfect for a weekend away.

Luckily the stylers came just before my weekend at V Festival so I was able to put them to the test in the perfect environment. I did have doubts about how high the temperature would rise, but they actually reach up to an impressive 200 degrees. They also have a lower setting if you would prefer not to use such intense heat on your hair. I can't fault them at all as they did exactly what I need at V Festival and kept my fringe looking pretty swish!

The stylers are a perfect size to throw into your handbag as they come with a little, sparkly, heatproof case meaning you can put them away instantly rather than waiting for them to cool down. Due to the size alone, I would say they're probably not suited to people with thicker hair but they're the perfect tool for hair touch-ups on the go!

Even though these stylers have become a festival essential for me, they've also found a permanent home in my handbag. If I'm ever caught out in the rain or wind, I've got them on hand with me at all times.

Find the Glamoriser Freestyler here at £69.99.

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F O O D | National Burger Day #asdaMEATup

17 September, 2015


asdaMEATup burgers on grill
Burger Side Salad from the #asdaMEATup

A few weeks ago James & myself were invited along the coast to the nearby seaside town of Brighton to take part in some National Burger Day celebrations with ASDA & the coolest outreach gang on the block, Talented Talkers. Who were we to say 'no'?! If you don't know already, James and myself have quite an intense love for burgers. In fact, we've been recently working on a little side project together over at BURGERFACE. Yup, that's right. A blog dedicated solely to burgers. I did say it was an INTENSE love. In fact, I think burgers are probably the foundation of our relationship.

The 'MEAT UP' was held in a gorgeous, modern house not too far from the city centre. We were greeted upon our arrival at Brighton station with our transport for the evening, which was supplied in the form of a giant yellow bus run entirely from chip oil! It even had the distinct smell of a chip shop as it drove away!

After a little socialising and a lot more drinking, the burgers were finally ready so we all scurried down to the patio grasping our plates hungrily. Typically, like the keen beans we are, James and myself were right at the front of the queue - hurrah!

The full menu for the evening was as follows:

  • BBQ Pulled Pork Burgers with 'slaw & parsley
  • Vintage Cheddar Beef Burgers with bacon, mayo, relish & salad
  • Halloumi burger with red pepper, houmous, aubergine, lettuce & tomato
  • Mushroom Burgers with guacamole, mozzarella cheese, rosemary, tomatoes& rocket
  • Lemon & honey sea bass
  • BBQ-ed salmon with cucumber yoghurt
  • And desert was Eton mess or fruit salad

Just writing that is making me HUUUUNNN-GRY again! Luckily, we're eating burgers for dinner tonight - YES! We opted for a traditional vintage cheddar beef burger with all of the toppings to begin with, which was absolutely mouth-watering! Our second round of burgers consisted of the pulled pork patty for James and a vegetarian option for myself. I was pleasantly surprised by the pulled pork option as I've tasted some pulled pork patties before, which just haven't cut it. But, ASDA's pulled pork patty was absolutely delicious!

All of the burgers that were served were created entirely from ASDA's own products, which are available here.
*All photos from Talented Talkers as I idiotically left my SD card at home - whoops!
Fish option at the #asdaMEATup#asdaMEATup burger menu
#asdaMEATup Pimm's
#asdaMEATup Eton Mess

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S H O O T | Mero Retro Launch

15 September, 2015
Mero Retro Vintage
Mero Retro Vintage
Mero Retro Vintage

At the beginning of the summer, I headed back to East London to model for the re-launch of vintage boutique, Mero Retro

I first became acquainted with the Mero Retro family in Spring last year when I attended their intimate blogger gathering in the Clapton store. I instantly fell head over heels for the charm of both the store itself and it's charismatic founder, Sanju, who happens to be one of the most beautiful souls I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. What a girl! Now, I'm no model. In fact I'm the most awkward person in front of a camera ever, but luckily Lottie (visit her website here) is an absolute wizard with a camera and produced some incredible shots.

On the day of shooting the weather was on our side as we raced around from Clapton to Walthamstow Marshes shooting and changing outfits along the way. What was most exciting for me was that I was able to try on some vintage looks that I would never normally have picked out myself. Let's face it, who doesn't love dressing up for the day?! Especially, when it involves gliding around in a floor-length, Japanese kimono!


I haven't had the chance to visit the brand new store yet, but I've been non-stop stalking the Mero Retro Instagram page for a peek! I'll definitely be popping by next time I'm in Dalston.

Visit Mero Retro: 2 Bradbury Street, Dalston, London N16 8JN

Mero Retro Vintage 50's
Mero Retro Vintage Festival Look
Mero Retro Vintage Japanese Authentic Kimono Look


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F E S T I V A L | V Festival with Boots UK

05 September, 2015
Just when I believed all of my festival adventures were over and out for 2015, Boots UK invited myself and a friend along to V Festival last month. Who was I to say no?! Being a V-virgin and a festival enthusiast I jumped at the chance and took along my Essex soul sista, Sam (follow her on Twitter here), along for the ride!


V Festival in Hylands Park, Chelmsford is actually pretty close to my hometown. In fact, it's only about 25 minutes away by car and yet despite it being my local festival back home I still had not ticked it off from my festival bucket list. Luckily Sam is a bit of a V-veteran herself, so she was ready to show me the ropes.


Before we headed off to the festival, the team at Boots sent us a generous pamper package full of essentials to see us through our heavy weekend at V Festival. It contained everything a girl could possibly need at a festival including a shed load of make-up, sun cream, dry shampoo and tons more. Thanks to Boots we were kitted out and ready to go! 


We arrived early Friday evening and managed to pitch our wonderful floral tent just before the sun went down and had a few drinks with our new tent neighbours to toast the first evening of the festival. Despite turning up quite late and strolling into the campsite (actually, it was less of a 'stroll' and more of a crawl underneath the weight of our bags) we managed to find a perfect spot that was close enough to the arena without being too noisy. 



V Festival is a two-day festival, which meant just the two outfits. Saturday morning we were awoken ridiculously early at 7am with the sun beating down on our little floral tent and roasting us alive. Despite this early wake-up call from Mother Nature, the weather was absolutely perfect as it reached highs of nearly 30 degrees throughout the day. Before heading off to V, I dug out a gold sequin slip dress* from the back of my wardrobe that I actually featured on the blog nearly 2 years ago here! I decided to layer it up with my new lace, fringed cape* from Ann Summers. It's supposed to be for the bedroom, but it doubles up as the perfect festival accessory.

The Sunday was another sequin-dominated look as I unintentionally echoed Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I wore this dreamy, rainbow jacket that I picked up from Episode Vintage when I was last in Amsterdam. I think I've carried it to every festival I've been to this summer but it had never left the tent, but at long last it made it's debut right at the very end of the season! The turquoise, suede skirt is something I picked up from Beyond Retro at the start of the summer and is another item I've been itching to wear all summer!





As well as just basking in the glorious weather and sipping on fruity ciders, we managed to catch quite a few sets including Sam Smith, Kasabian, Labrinth, Ella Eyre, The Kooks, Annie Mac, Hozier, Calvin Harris and Stereophonics. Hozier was a particular highlight for me as I listen to his album at least once a day, I'm obsessed with that Irish crooner I tell you! Also, we managed to beat the system with the Calvin Harris/Stereophonics clash as we caught half of each artist's set.

We really couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend. Huge smooches to the Boots UK team for sending us!




Until next year, V Festival!

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R E V I E W | Style By Portobello Subscription Box

01 September, 2015
Style By Portobello Vintage Box
Style By Portobello Vintage Box
Style By Portobello Vintage Box
Style By Portobello Vintage Box
Suscription Box*: Style By Portobello

You may have seen my previous post about my first ever Style By Portobello vintage accessories subscription box. A vintage subscription box is certainly a match made in heaven for someone like me.

As you can imagine, I was counting the days down until my second box arrived after I scored the most wonderful western cream and gold belt in my previous box. Part of the subscription box charm is the element of surprise and not knowing what you're going to receive - kind of like one of those lucky bags you had as a kid! When I opened my second SBP box I found three carefully selected vintage pieces including a floral bracelet, a very 70's disco ball inspired pendant necklace and a retro, nautical scarf. I actually love the eclectic selection in this box that is perfect for my own mismatched style. In fact, I was looking for a new vintage scarf to wear as a 70's neck tie, so SBP came to the rescue just in time?

Are you signed up to Style By Portobello? I'd love to hear what you've received in your boxes so far!


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