Brick Lane Market

On Sunday, I put on my edgiest outfit, paired with my edgy-don’t-care attitude and got ready to storm Brick Lane…. Well, not really, (I’m about as far from ‘edgy’ as you can get,) but I did go find Alli (my hereby labelled ‘actually edgy friend’) and headed across to East London to see what we could discover.

Now, I work in this area Monday to Friday, where I spend my time suspended between tall shiny buildings. Never before however have I been at a weekend when, suddenly, a whole new kind of life stirs up a little closer to ground level.

Denim replaces suits as people crowd down the narrow lanes. We followed the tangle of people to a huge warehouse, stuffed full of stalls selling everything from clothes and sunglasses to musical instruments and, most importantly, food. 

After trying on a couple of pairs of these…

….and quite a few of these….

…. we decided we couldn’t resist these any longer!

We sat down on the curb to enjoy our cakey treats. (This was the first time I’d eaten red velvet, believe it or not! And I can report, it lived up to the hype!)

We spent the day wandering in and out of different markets, taking in the atmosphere and picking up the occasional goodie. I came out with a new dress, some little earrings and some amazing teacups (okay, okay I cheated, these were from a nearby Anthropologie, but they also happen to be my favourite purchase of the year. Look at the little legs - they’re straight out of Alice in Wonderland!) Alli found some rings to add to her ever growing collection, along with some rather funky sunglasses, while I sipped on a large tumbler of bubble tea that had made me far too excited.

Brick Lane and the surrounding markets are definitely worth a visit. We were surprised by how much original stuff we managed to find (whether it was handmade jewellery, interestingly designed t-shirts or home accessories!) and it was all relatively reasonably priced, despite being a popular place! If you haven’t already (and lets face it, most Londoners already have!) head down there one sunny Sunday – I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love!