Buckingham Palace
A trip to London, in the midst of England's 'Summer', would not be complete without a visit to the Buckingham Palace - one of the many destinations, I can say, would be on my list of destinations that could only be visited at the right time. The palace opens only in August and so visiting any other time would render it pointless; another reason I have steered clear away from this tourist destination and have not had the chance to visit.
It's so strange to think that in the heart of London lies a palace, home of the Royal Family. There's something quite uncanny about its composition: The Mall, Birdcage Walk and Constitution Hill all seem like the palace's 'front yard short-cuts' that make the thought of London traffic vanish.
We're in the heart of London, literally. And I’ve been to other palaces like Versailles and the Forbidden City. Though European palaces seem much calmer (or least, appear to be) and even more relaxed on their security; perhaps because Beijing was much more crowded and I had the pleasure of walking into a marching group of Chinese soldiers (and nearly got trooped over). I’d wonder what it would’ve been like had I not come to my sense earlier… possibly this? How is a landmark not completely surrounded by steel walls (on second thought, that would look rather off)? Going to the palace itself is like entering another world. The staterooms transport you to your childhood fantasies - every room had a different character as they served for various formal occasions. I could go on and on about the grandeurof the staterooms, if only pictures could be taken inside.
Wearing anything that doesn’t contain the word ‘smart’ would probably put yourself to shame - though the staterooms were designed to impress. I did manage to get completely dazed and confused on how I managed to lose a pair of black jeans during my trip (I never believed in losing items of clothing? Simply misplacing?). Though I was heading to the airport straight after the visit to the palace, so the Zara bikers had to do. Settling for a military jacket could only seem fitting, and although it could also seem like I was fishing for attention (or a few smirks/ pats on the shoulder/ ‘I get it’), it certainly worked when a member of staff complimented my jacket (a very, truly rare occurrence).
Though what really ought to be turning heads, other than the upset smart casual dress code nor the military-‘bell-boy’-like-jacket, should be the Loewe piece - the puzzle bag. Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe, originally found this bag from the archives, traced its lines and transformed the old sketch into life. Its origami-shape allows room for incorporating different colours and materials. I like to know it as a shapeshifting-chameleon. More shapes, more advantageous uses. The bag is unisex; the fact that they are available in different sizes and can be worn in different ways have meant that the puzzle bag have steered clear away from being tagged as a ‘vintage woman bag’. It's a mix-mash of a messenger bag, handbag and a crossover backpack. Win, win, win.