I feel like there has been a lot of theatre on the blog recently. I’m not sure I’ve blogged about anything non-theatre related this year and for that, I kinda apologise. It’s almost like I have a part-broken teen who will happily leave the house for theatre and not much else. So there have not been a lot of blogging opportunities. I do have a post I need to write about our Christmas mini-break to Bournemouth but that was like *hours* before the breaking occurred so it’s a bit challenging to think too much about. I also have another theatre review to write but that can continue to wait while I present you with….something slightly different.
Yes, it’s the London With a Teenager Best Dressed List! I don’t think I’ve ever forayed into style blogging before but there’s a first time for everything so here we goes. I’m not going to rank my best-dressed picks because they are all beautiful in different ways but here we go….
First up, Swiss Cottage. This one may or may not be related to the blog post I haven’t yet written but I was pleasantly surprised by how well dressed this little Jubilee Line stunner was. I’m a complete sucker for a bonus roundel so having both “Way Out” and “To Trains” roundels is A-game accessorising. And look at this tiling! If only the “G” was a bit more centred, it would be perfection.
Let’s go for something a little more modern next and this is not a tube station I would ever have put on any style lists a few years back. But the Elizabeth Line has given Paddington a real nifty facelift and I’m always wowed by the results:
Not to everyone’s tastes – I get that. But oh so airy and industrial at the same time. And this underground bit is giving “Jetsons” vibez:
From one extreme to the other and this is what I love about these stations – there is something for everyone. So let’s take a moment to drink in the cottagecore of tiny little Roding Valley, all the way up in the elbow of the Hainault loop:
It’s like the place that time forgot and you might feel like you’ve been forgotten if you ever try to catch a train there. But vintage chic never goes out of fashion, right?
And now to the opposite corner of London for another vintage-style treat. This one makes the list for that timepiece alone. But where Roding Valley is rural, Richmond is posh suburban. If RV was Cath Kidston, Richmond would be Coco Chanel. I think I took this photo when we stopped to use the loos on the way down to Winchester so that explains why I only have the one:
Let’s go just round the corner for our next style guru and this is one I thought I’d hallucinated until I checked back. Palm trees have an interesting relationship with fashion and most of the time, Hawaiian shirts are not an indicator of style…but Kew Garden somehow pulls it off:
I think it’s the cocktail umbrella accessory that really pulls the outfit together on this one and makes it pop.
Time for something a bit more sombre? Well, just around the corner from Parliament I give you the sombre businesswear of St James Park:
I don’t know why I loved this one. I caught a train there for the first time last year and the Art Deco solidness of the lines caught my eye. St James is not a party person but he has style.
A little more light wouldn’t go astray in this outfit but he certainly knows how to make a statement.
Another guy with a gloomy but classically styled outlook is Baker Street. Having not been there since we first moved to London, I’ve found myself there several times over the last few weeks. I regret not getting a picture of Baker’s signature print – the tiny Sherlock Holmeses – but there’s something I love about this accessory:
It doesn’t serve any function but it’s got that classic Johnston Sans font and a short list of random destinations. Much like those “I Love NY” t-shirts that were in vogue in the early 2000s.
While we’re in Central London, it’s probably worth nipping round the Met, Circle or Hammersmith and City Lines to Liverpool Street, which has had such a Lizzy Line glow up of late. I’m not keen on his choice of perfume – ngl, that musty smell is an unusual choice – but the polka dot detail throughout the outfit make for a stunning effect:
I feel like I’ve sung this guy’s praises before but wow, I am amazed every single time I pass through.
Back up the Central line for a candidate that’s much more subtle than you’d expect from the land of TOWIE. It’s her delicate lacy bridge that does it for me – such a pretty touch and really compliments the rose-pink brickwork. It was a toss up between Epping and Amersham cause their outfits are similar but Amersham has let her bridge get a bit tattered so Epping had the upper hand.
Quite a contrast to our next model, who comes from gritty South London. Another Lizzy Line addition and more bold looks to be found in Woolwich:
While the bottom half of the outfit is undoubtedly gorge, there’s a bit more of a “don’t know why I like it but I do” with the top half. Striking yes, but this look will not suit everyone:
So it’s just about time to come in to land on this couture runway. And anyone who’s read the blog for a while will be totally unsurprised by who I’ve picked to wrap this up. She’s classy, she’s cosmic, she’s famed for her looks. It can only be Southgate:
Everything about this look is just so on point, from the tiny hat to the retro roundel. And who can forget these beautiful escalator accessories:
Oh yes, it’s Find the Snap all the way home for this gal!
