A little peek at what’s in my carry-on!

Sunglasses – Carrera by Jimmy Choo

Coat – Mango. Jeans – James Jeans. Shoes – Zara. Bag – L.K.Bennett. Rolly bag – Longchamp

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Rosamund, the gentlewoman that has been accompanying me on many flights of late. Has a soft suede heart, and capability of holding many stories (by way of Kindle) and secrets.

A cashmere scarf that fits in tight corners and folds out into a creamy cloud around your neck, should you wish to hide that double-chin on your snooze. Alternative to the U-shaped flight pillow I never remember to buy.

Carrera by Jimmy Choo – ready for landing, for that rockstar moment when you step out of the airport in a sunny country and you find yourself sporting two more carry-on’s under your eyes.

‘Shut up, I’m fabulous’ rose-gold headphones by Frends. Perfect for NOT hearing the We’re boarding announcements and being that ‘fashionably late’ passenger that gets all the attention in the world. Clever.

Limousine for key items for any trip: the Louis Vuitton Mon Monogram travel wallet – does not come with a mini-fridge with champagne, but does have compartments for different currencies. As if I’m going on more than one destination at a time, pffsh.

Airport pouch by the geniuses (geniusi?) at Muji – mine’s a small version but they come in larger sizes (within airport regulation) for shorter trips where you don’t wish to check-in one lone shampoo bottle.

Fences and Windows by Naomi Klein, amazing read – but sometimes used as alternative to sleeping pill on longer flights. Must’ve read the same sentence in that on chapter about five times now.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 S Pen only comes out above 10,000 ft – highly practical when re-thinking your life and writing down life goals that you’ll never read again. Also partner in crime for item .

Snacks – Because somebody is always too impatient for the food trolley to roll by. Plus, I’ve never seen a flight offer Coconut Water (more potassium than four bananas – try taking four bananas on board), and until that day, I will insist on bringing one aboard.

Trusty Casio on my wrist. I don’t want our plane to crash because I turned on my mobile to check the time, thank you. BECAUSE THAT’S A THING APPARENTLY.

Mulberry envelope pouch I got for £25 in Bicester Village, used as foreign currency wallet, or what is now a mixture of Yens, Euros, Dollars, Pounds and Wons, and a game of is this your country’s money at checkout.

Wearing: Trenchcoat – Mummy’s old Burberry from the 80’s. Jeans – James Jeans. Cardigan – Chanel. T-shirt – Supertrash. Glasses – Ace & Tate

I know I exaggerate a fair bit in this blog (i.e I haven’t slept last night so I MAY DIE), but I wasn’t actually kidding when I said I spent the whole week in Paris bumming in and around the rented flat, in my last post. The flat was on Rue Oberkampf, a third-floor walk-up just above a shabby bar heaving with ‘le cool’ after 10pm, all of which basically characterizes the entire neighbourhood. Oberkampf is a bit of a Dalston in Paris, a slightly grungier area on the fringes of a ‘hip’ part of town like Shoreditch, or Le Marais, in this case. Jin, his girlfriend and I met for dinner in the area and simply ended up shooting all these photos, mucking around in the neighbourhood. He shoots streetstyle by day (for Topshop and his own streetstyle blog), which is how I got to know him in the first place, but it was the photos he did ‘by night’ that I loved, and sure enough, by the time we were out of the restaurant his Contax was out from his jacket. I’d just recently found a great glasses brand called Ace & Tate via Fashiolista, and got a few pairs matched with a newly updated prescription for my ever bat-like eyesight, and wanted to share here somehow. This just turned out to be so much more fun way than the usual jazz – posing but not posing, just short of shooting with a baguette shoved up my nose, and visible or not, there’s a jelly worm in my mouth in each shot.

Photography Jin Oh; Edit and layout Park & Cube

Sweater – Chanel AW13. Dress – Next. Booties – Next. Bag – Couronne. Rose-gold star necklace – MyFlashTrash. Watch – Sekonda. Sunglasses – c/o Carrera by Jimmy Choo. Thank you Carrie for helping with the outfit shots.

Guess who feels all grown up buying baguettes at the local boulangerie and eating them straight out the paper bag in her own Parisian flat? Me. Sometimes I alternate a chomp with a lick off a spoonful of French Nutella on one hand and feel like I’ve cooked a meal. Renting an apartment in Paris for one week sounded harmless at first – it’s a fraction of the costs of a hotel room, has a kitchen, and get this: my own room service rules. The Kit Kat in the fridge would be plentiful and would not cost €3,000 + my first-born on check-out. But three days in, I feel like I was getting just too comfortable; the internet was unbelievably fast for some reason and Carrefour supermarket would only sell dessert pots by sets of 6, so I was dutifully employing myself to chain-eat chocolate pudding while streaming Korea’s Next Top Model episodes, back-to-back. I’d make it to a PFW show at 10am in the morning, then come home and do this until it was time to go to the next 10am show. THIS particular set of photos were shot on the last day at the flat before a dinner with a few of my gal friends. Like coming out from a cave, I emerged in this feminine, first-date outfit. An attempt to join society again, I suppose. Even wore my new Carrera by Jimmy Choo sunglasses to protect my out-TV’d eyes, although I’d like to say it was a style choice because, well, aren’t they pretty cool, yo? Good thing I was packing and going home because otherwise I’d really have eaten €3,000 worth in pudding and perhaps even had my first born in there. How Parisienne-chic.

Forever classics

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Creamy cashmere staples from the White Company

Airbag for everyday cycling safety thanks to Chanel (Cocoon collection) of course.

Barely there – Chain ring by Iwona Ludyga, Green sapphire necklace by Laura Lee and mummy’s old gold rings

Second skin T by Alexander Wang (grey | black)

Superhero cape for any woman – black stilettos by Christian Louboutin (Corneille Kid)

The perfect red – YSL La Laque Couture 01 Rouge pop art

The leather jacket (Shearling for colder seasons – Muubaa Aurora)

I had it all figured out – I built a machine (The Winchester) that would guarantee survival for myself and Emma Stone (and Jennifer Lawrence, if she’s up for that kind of relationship) when the first fiery meteor of the Apocalypse hits the world. We’d sit in it, have a pint and wait for it all to blow over, then we’d step out onto a charred earth and repopulate and generally live happily ever after. And these are a few things I’d have packed – timeless pieces so I don’t unnecessarily exchange food for the latest alien trend, but I understand old habits will die hard (i.e see me shell out kebabs for a pair of Charlotte Olympia kitty flats this season).

It takes a while to understand which pieces are Forever classics for you, and I believe we all have different sets, but for me it was seeing what I took into the shower every day, and the kind of clothes I wanted to slip into the minute I dried off. Not to forget of course, little accents like red lips or a pair of Louboutins (my first!) that help take on the day. I’d also add the Isabel Marant sneakers as a Forever classic, but I’ll save that for if & when I’m doing ‘What’s in the diaper bag’ post, as I’m convinced it’ll be the only thing I’ll wear from ‘fashion’ once a junior is born in the far future.

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Daytime tote’n: 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli satchel via Monnier Freres

Front/rear lights for my bicycle that I never realized I had – I swear this bag belonged to Mary Poppins

Cutler & Gross sunnies, window reflection sadly does not come with.

LC-A+ camera because I’m too cool for school, or too poor for the Canon EOS M.

3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli satchel in pine green, AKA our Christmas tree this year.

Urbanears in ‘do-not-disturb’ tomato-red, and best noise cancelling headphones.

Spare battery and memory card for the beast that bears the name of Canon + business cards for this enterprise.

Samsung Galaxy SIII – another one of my horcruxes.

House keys and oyster card, if I’m clumsy enough to lose this I should be put into jail.

Fashionary planner 2013 (also featured in first image) and assortment of pens + portable watercolour kit

Wallet from Chloé, red for ‘warning’ or ‘danger’, or would yellow wallet be a better reminder that I don’t have unlimited funds?

Tapestry pouch, stolen from mummy who had it since we lived in Austria in the late 80’s.

Leather gloves from ASOS with slits, for knuckle dusters, naturally.

Not pictured, but the main culprit for carpal tunnel and all known diseases, Canon 5D Mark II + lens

… and a compressed version of that for the evening: DVF Carolina lip bag via Monnier Freres

Stella McCartney Falabella zip pouch as a thin wallet alternative.

YSL travel compact, bought at the airport under pressure of ‘duty free’

DVF Carolina lip bag, bumping strangers in the tube with the lips and being awkwardly intimate.

YSL Touche Eclat for lightening touchups, perfect for under-eye baggage.

Samsung Galaxy SIII – another one of my horcrux.

Chanel ‘Laser’ lipgloss for the impromptu jedi battle, naturally.

Balenciaga Eau de Parfum purse spray (mini vial), also can be pepperspray, depending on situation.