I'm back! We had a terrific trip despite the bitter weather; it was much colder in London than it is today in eastern Ontario. But neither bitter winds nor blowing snow and biting sleet (nor a very weird skin condition that erupted on my arrival) could spoil our enjoyment (at least for the most part). Thank goodness for the British tradition of tea, and for wise counsel from YLF friends. We were so grateful for our wool coats!

My skin's all better now by the way. I have no idea what caused the inflammation, but I needed to take some anti-histimines and could not use any creams.

My wardrobe worked out beautifully. I never did wear my trench coat (far too cold) and I also didn't wear a sparkly tank and a short sleeved striped top (ditto) and I didn't wear my Sam Petty booties or my pretty pumps --- but I certainly wore everything else I brought -- and wore it often, because layers were the name of the game. Every day I put on underwear, a camisole, a silk or knit button down, a sweater, a scarf (if the sweater was not a turtleneck), my taupe leather jacket, and my wool pea coat. I layered tights under my wool pants. And I wore boots.

I felt really well dressed for the things we were doing, and always prepared. Angie, thanks for recommending I bring the taupe jacket; the white would have felt really out of place, given the weather. Plus, given the amount I wore it, it probably would have picked up some grime. I don't really calculate CPW but for what it's worth, it's pretty low on that taupe jacket already. What a perfect jacket it is for me, and I'm so grateful to Shannon for wearing her black version so frequently that I finally took notice of a good thing!

I love my Vince Camuto pea coat. Zapotee has spoken about the importance of a great coat for travelling, and I could not agree more. Wearing that coat I always felt smart and sharp. It works with pants and with dresses. It is not too heavy but it is warm. Yay for the occasional spontaneous purchase; it wasn't officially on my shopping list but was a lucky early autumn find. So glad I bought it.

I didn't manage to take many photos of people's clothing. Everyone was bundled and not necessarily looking their most fashionable. Hubby was struck by all the black, navy, and other dark colours. But I do think the cold wintery weather had a lot to do with that. People were still wearing winter clothes.

Trends I noticed: Lots of snazzy sneakers. Some slouchy skinnies. Far more tall boots than I had expected -- again, perhaps in part because of the cold conditions. But I know they are returning again for fall.

I spent a full day shopping. I tried on many things, mostly at Cos. But nothing felt quite right. I admit, it was difficult to think about buying for spring weather when the temperatures were so bitter outside, but there were also fit and flattery issues, and in the end I decided it simply wasn't important to buy something for the sake of buying it. So, exercising the YLF principle of PPP, I walked away.

I bought only two things. One, a bra! If you've read my bra fitting woes, you know that I have a difficult time finding bras that work for me in my home city or even in Toronto. I finally was able to try on a Simone Perele bra, and walked away a happy woman! So comfortable and also pretty.

In the Courtauld museum I also picked up this fun cuff bracelet made of stone. I thought it would be a fun addition to summer outfits.

Next photo shows my trusty boyfriends for the trip -- Franco and Stuart kept me good company and made sure my feet were happy despite 14 hour walking and standing days. Well, okay. "Happy" might be an overstatement...but at least I managed to continue moving!

A couple of outfits, and you can also see the little flat we stayed in.

Glad to be back and looking forward to catching up.