If Anna Russell were alive today she'd be the ultimate dream babe, #goals and likely to be part of Britain's coolest girl gang. If you have no idea who I'm banging on about (like me 10 minutes ago...) prepare to be enlightened. Anna Russell- aka Queen Victoria's bezzie, was the brains behind the afternoon tea. Yep. This means before this babe stepped on the scene, the concept of sitting down with trays of finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and endless cups of tea whilst having a good old gossip with your gal pals wasn't a thing. Just imagine! For me, my absolute favourite treat is tucking into the perfect afternoon tea. It's just so quintessentially British! I mean where else in the world is it considered sophisticated to slap on layers of clotted cream and jam and demolish a tray full of cakes before 5pm?

Now if you're like me and love a spot of afternoon tea, you HAVE to go to the Ritz at least once in your life. There is no place better in the world in my eyes. Yes I adore sketch, (the interior, the bathrooms, the food- it's just the dream) but if you want something a little bit more old school fancy schmanchy, then the Ritz is absolute perfection.

Upon our arrival we were quickly met with a fresh glass of rosé champagne before the prettiest floral china tea set was placed in front of us, filled with finger sandwiches, warm scones and delectable cakes. I mean talk about #instagoals- I couldn't not snap about a million pictures right?

Anyway when a gal finds herself with an invite to the afternoon tea of dreams there's only one thought that enters my mind- OMG what can I possibly wear?!? But fear not gals- Joanie has it covered. As soon as I saw this dress back in November at the Joanie shoot, it was love at first sight and when it landed on their site, I snapped it up as fast as you can say Victoria sponge! I mean it may as well be called the Harriet dress because it's as if someone read my mind and created my ultimate dream dress. 

Where do I even start. A collar adorned with red love hearts, a massive white bow with the cutest 'I left my heart in NYC' embroidery, the perfect sixties shape, Monochrome AND pockets. I mean, I have to hand it to the gals at Joanie- they are absolutely killing it at the moment. Teamed with my favourite red strappy heels from Zara, a cute vintage red bag (I mean let's go all out with the red accessories here...) and of course a coating or two of red lipstick, my perfect Valentine's Day outfit was complete!

So go on gals, treat yourself. Book that afternoon tea, wear that red lippy with your favourite dress and you'll honestly have the best evening of your life! In my head you feel like a princess as soon as you walk through the doors and what girl doesn't deserve the princess treatment every once in a while?

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Ok, so instagram is a dangerous place. One minute you're posting a photo, the next it's been an hour and you've scrolled through the entire feed of 'man buns of disneyland'. But sometimes, amazing things come from instagram. And today I accidentally stumbled across the page of my dream clothing brand. Once I found their page I had to check out their website and oh my goodness, it's unreal! The brand is Claudie Pierlot, and it is heavenly. Seriously, if I was lucky enough to be able to create my own clothing brand, this would be it. It's definitely got 60's, school girl, parisienne vibes. Think Anna Karina meets the cast of clueless. Classic yet modern, wrapped in an A-line, pinafore, suede skirt, floaty blouse dream land! I just want it all, but as it's amazing quality the price tag is a bit hefty for me to splurge on everything. Here are some of my favourite picks from the site but seriously have a look on their site and you'll spend all day thinking of ways to justify buying everything!

Check out their website here