THE FASHION COMEDOWN....
Half way through fashion week I realized I had agreed to go on a trip to the alps the coming weekend. NOOOO.... who can get me out of this, I started wondering?! Can I fake illness? Surely I'm too weak for high altitudes...? A 7am wake up call on Sunday morning, followed by 2 trains to get to Grindelwald, then two more trains followed by a two hour hike (while carrying a sled), just to get to the top of a mountain and sled down. Seriously, kill me now. I've only been sledding down a real mountain once and I hated it so much. It was right on the side of a cliff, in a tiny plastic sled with brakes that barely worked. I was so horrified. Everyone I was with zoomed off without me... I thought I was going to die and pulled as hard as I could on the brakes the whole way down. When I got to the bottom everyone was gushing with excitement. Instead of joining in their joyful merriment, I slammed the sled into the snow and repeated 'I hated it, I hated it' until I got back to the lodge. I stayed on the couch in my pjs the rest of the day while the rest of the psychos enjoyed themselves outside.
All this to say, I was not excited about the sledding trip.
Thankfully, there were avalanche warnings which meant we couldn't do the hike. Hahaha. While all the outdoorsy types were standing there, downtrodden, I literally broke out into my 'excited dance' (it involves a certain booty shake, arm flap combination... I'll show you next time I see you, if I'm feeling excited). That was the first blessing of the day. Second blessing was that we had awesome Swiss wooden sleds... which felt safe. Third blessing? I got struck by some sort of warrior fearless bug and took to the mountain like a psycho-killer. Literally I was the fastest one (okaaay, fastest of the girls). I was so freaking hardcore that at one point (when we were at the VERY top of the ski slopes... I'm talking 2,000 metres up the Eiger) I went so fast that I went flying past an older man and went straight of the edge, flipped off my sled and landed right on my head in the snow. Seriously, I am now covered in bruises and my body is still sore. But it was worth it.
The whole trip was out of this world. Technically I should have been knackered but I was full of unnatural amounts of energy. After being in London for a week, surrounded by fashion/fancy pants events, the great outdoors were straight up my alley. I was feeling so anti-fashion, in fact, that my husband packed more clothes for the two day trip than I did (please know, this is UNHEARD OF).
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Important things I learnt from this trip: UGG boots are not appropriate winter boots (especially not if the snow is wet and you accidentally step in a slushy spot and it goes up to your thigh - doh). Happy Socks are the best socks in the world and the only kind I will wear (all others slide down my leg and get bunched up around my ankle). Ray Ban aviators should never be overlooked - they are timeless and especially perfect on ski trips. It's always right to have a cashmere scarf with you. The one I'm wearing above is from Muriee and it's so good. Impossibly soft but it's also ribbed - which gives it a sturdier feel. It's long enough to wear over your shoulders or wrapped around your neck a couple of times. Seriously, I'm obsessed - I want one in every colour. And finally, nothing (I mean nothing) beats an oversized mens jumper when you're feeling a bit fragile. The only jumper I brought on the trip was this Guvnor one from London designer Elizabeth Lau. It is my absolute favorite. It gets fashion points for the quirky Cockney slang print but is also perfectly oversized and snuggly.
Please note: it is stupid to carry a Fjallraven Kanken on your back while sledding... mine got dragged along on the icy ground so much that the bottom is completely destroyed. Silly girl. It was a gift from my in-laws in Sweden. Hah, at least my birthday is coming up soon so I can ask for another one.
the end is near.
The last few hours of 2010 are upon us. As it winds to a close it feels as if we are hovering in a state of twilight. Christmas is over, it ended with a torrential thud, and the holiday season is almost entirely behind us. With the new year will come a fresh pile of resolutions. Mine is currently so long it reaches down to my toes. As I sit on the sofa gobbling up ham sandwiches and Swedish sour sweets I mumble about how I will join the gym upon arriving home... but the words are muffled by the shoveling movement of my hands. Ah well, such is the charm of lists... they are just as easily made as they are thrown away. I hope everyone looks back on 2010 with a sense of happiness and appreciation. It's been a great year in my books and I'm looking on with great anticipation for the new one that lies just ahead. Wishing everyone a joyful new year!
Wearing: Cruz boots and Ragna dress both by Monki, Fjallraven Kanken, and Jigsaw scarf.
p.s. I will join the gym.