A day at the seaside

Things have been pretty hectic for me recently and so I decided I needed a day at the seaside to help me relax. The only sensible choice was Brighton as it’s not far from London and there’s just so much to do there. You can spend the day sunbathing, riding roller coasters and eating ice cream, visiting museums, sitting in pubs, browsing in independent shops, or just having tea and cake. I suggested the idea to my friend Allie and she agreed, so I made a list of stuff it might be fun to do while we were there, and we booked our £10 train tickets. Saturday started rather cool and gloomy in London, but by the time we got off the train in Brighton it was beautifully sunny. We headed straight for the beach, enjoying the rest of the morning sunshine whilst sat on the pebbles chatting and painting our nails. Once things got a bit busier by the sea, we decided to head to the shops and I knew of a lovely place near by where we could start.

She Said Erotic Boutique is a wonderful little shop selling lingerie, corsets, hosiery and accessories, plus a nice range of sex toys. The decor is decadent, the staff are friendly and their stock covers such a wide price range that I’m pretty sure there’s something here to suit most budgets. After much rummaging, stroking of beautiful fabrics and hogging the fitting room, we decided to find somewhere for lunch while we pondered our potential purchases. Whilst enjoying tasty food and cocktails at The Mesmerist, we decided we were going back to spend some money in the sale. Allie bought a mesmerisingly sparkly green corset, and I am now insisting that she lets me help her plan her burlesque debut. I also nabbed a bargain as they had a Je Joue SaSi – that I’ve been eyeing up for a number of years – with a significant reduction, simply because it no longer had a box. If I’d still been doing the odd bit of burlesque performing myself, I would probably have bought a gorgeous teal velvet mini top hat too!

After that, I insisted that we look for the Dollydagger boutique. I’ve known the brand online for a while now but haven’t been back to Brighton since they opened their bricks and mortar shop, so I couldn’t resist the chance to check out their pretty dresses in person. I can now confirm that their halter swing dresses are beautifully made, and the straps are adjustable which is perfect for those of us with a short body. The blue gingham one is definitely on my wish list! We also eyed up the wiggle dresses, and I drooled over the vintage jewellery while Allie tried on some amazingly shiny skinny jeans. After browsing some beautiful diamonds that neither of us could afford in Number Ten (Saturday was all about the sparkle!), we wandered through The Lanes in search of cupcakes. I’d been to Angel Food Bakery once before and keep telling people how good they are. Thankfully they didn’t let us down and we enjoyed a tasty spot of tea and cake before heading back to the station.

It was the ideal way for two non-sunbathers to spend a gloriously sunny day – a relaxed wander around some lovely independent shops in a pretty part of Brighton. Next time I’ll have to hunt for the vintage shops in the North Laine area, go on some rides on the pier, or go inside Brighton Pavilion. Perhaps the next visit deserves to be a full weekend?

Images one and three by me. Image two by April at the She Said website, as they were moving stock around when I was there so I didn’t get to photograph the shop myself.