SKETCH LONDON

Here in London, the afternoon tea is definitely as important as dinner is. So today we will tell you about a beautiful place located in the centre of London (not far from Picadilly circus) called Sketch. Let's start at the very beginning: This place was recommended to us by hundreds of different people, nevertheless we didn't manage to check it out in the past years. So when Sabinna's family came over for a visit we decided that it's about time to see if Sketch is actually as awesome as everyone says. We didn't make any reservations and were hoping that it will help to arrive before the actual afternoon tea starts. Unfortunately we were confronted with quite unfriendly and snoby attitude right at the door, telling us to come back in 30 minuted, as no tables were free at that moment. We have to admit, that it's nothing special in London to wait for a table, it happens all the time in a huge city like this. So we waited, hung out around the area and came back after half an hour. Same story again: Unhappy and unfriendly guy, still no table and our mood down to zero. 

This weekend we gave the restaurant/bar a second chance and returned again for a "cream tea". Again no reservation, but this time everything turned out differently. Not only we got a table straight away, this time we were lucky to be served by super friendly girls who knew exactly what they have to do. We ordered scones and tea, the scones didn't arrive at the same time and as an apology we were given extra scones and macaroons! Yes, we admit, this gave Sketch one million plus points and we were willing to forget the faux-pas from our first visit. So when you are in London, check out the place, we are sure you will love it. But we recommend to make a reservation in advance as you never know if you will experience our first or our second visit there. :)

Ps: You definitely have to go to the lou, as the toilets are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Check picture number 1 and 6 (yes, we swear, that's the toilet! :) ). 

LUCKY FINDS

A while ago we wrote about the Burberry outlet in Hackney, London. We went there for the first time and have to admit that we got really lucky with our finds! Today we want to show you what we got and most important to tell you how much we spend. I (Sabinna) bought a suit (imagine how happy I was, I absolutely love suits and it's so hard to find the perfect one) and payed £29 for it, instead of £695! The price was so convincing that I even ignored the fact that it wasn't my size. So if you go there, make sure to try on everything, as the sizes vary a lot. I am a UK 8 and the suit is a UK 12, but it suits me perfectly, seriously, I have the felling it was made for me! :) David found this gorgeous jacket, that is a must have for the typical London weather. Strong wind and rain isn't a problem at all when you are wearing that beautiful dark blue piece. The first price for this jacket was £2,000 (insane!!) and it turned out that it was a show piece. The outlet price was £150, which is a very appropriate price for a jacket with this cut and perfect detailing. The burberry outlet is full of stuff, most of it is still too expensive and it's hard to find your size, but it's definitely worth checking it out, as you might be as lucky as we were. :)

ENGLAND SPECIAL - HASTINGS

Imagine a perfect little place, located right on the seaside, covered with beautiful hills and little houses. Imagine the smell of fresh food, sea and joy. Imagine Christmas, birthday and easter happening at the time - well now you know how Hastings feels! :) Hastings is only a short train ride away from London and is the perfect place to escape the busy city life. We discovered it through Sabinna's good friend Scarlett, who currently lives in Hastings. So the next time you come to London, make sure to plan a day outside the madness and recharge your batteries with fresh air, great food and perfect summer atmosphere (even in spring! :) ).

If you want to see more of England, we also recommend to check out Brighton, Oxford and Cambridge. We went there 2 years ago, can you remember our England special back then? :)

PLEASE EXPLAIN

In the past few months it was quite calm and silent here on the Broken Cookies planet and today we want to explain what exactly happened. As you know we are both in our final years at the moment, so David is having his final exams soon and is about to start his Master's dissertation with IBM (yes, it's pretty awesome! :) ). Sabinna already handed in her BA thesis and is now spending days and nights working out patterns, sewing samples, creating her own fabrics and putting all these bits and bobs together in order to come up with a final collection (only 5 weeks left until the show!! ). We know that you are used to more frequent content on our blog and we are truly sorry that we have been absent quite a lot. We hope that you aren't too upset with us, dear girls and boys and promise to keep you updated as much as possible on our exciting journeys through final years, especially on Facebook and Instagram. Sabinna has now another Instagram account for her fashion, so head over if you are curious. Also we have some major news for you, like super duper big, so stay tuned!!! And today we want to show you some sneak peeks of Sabinna's work. How do you like it?

FEELING LIKE A WIENKIND.

No matter how much we love living in London, we still miss Vienna a lot. It's a very special place for us: this is where we both grew up, where we met and fell in love. A while ago we were contacted by the Vienna-based jewellery designer Wienkind. She told us how she loves to take pictures of her favourite places in Vienna and then to transform those into beautiful jewellery pieces. We were intrigued and wanted to see them all! Sabinna picked a ring and a neckalce showing the Riesenrad, which is one of the first things she visited as a little kid, back then in the 90s, when she moved to Vienna. 

2 FAVS

Spring comes and with it the time to get out your favourite pieces for sunny weather. I have to admit I have troubles to say good-buy to my lovely vintage fake fur jacket, so I guess I might keep it until the summer will part us. Another piece that I currently love is this wonderful white leather bag by Vagabond via Sarenza. Perfect size, perfect shape - and obviously perfect colour. :) 

BURBERRY OUTLET LONDON

As you saw on Facebook, we went to the Burberry Outlet in London on Saturday. It is located in 29-31 Chatham Pl (London E9 6LP) and offers menswear, womenswear and accessories by Burberry Prosum, Burberry Brit and Burberry Sport. We have to admit that our expectations weren't that high. We thought that the discounts are not going to be that huge and that it will be very hard to find suitable sizes. On arrival we were surprised by the look of the outlet: It looks like an actual Burberry shop, everything is very organised, there is no sale or outlet feeling in the store. The first thing that we had to check out were the trench coats (what else! :) ). We found a lot of beautiful pieces but unfortunately not all of them fulfilled our discount wishes. But it's definitely worth it to take your time and dig for some treasures. After going through million of pieces we found a womenswear suit for £29 and a wonderful menswear jacket with the most amazing details. So we think that if you are in London any time soon, you should check the outlet out (let us know what you got! :) ). We are going to post soon the pieces that we bought, so stay tuned for that.

MEANWHILE IN LONDON

After all these years in wonderful London we are still busy discovering amazing new places! This weekend was a quite relaxing one - walks and restaurants during the day, parties in the evening. If you are in London any time soon, check out Dumplings's Legend in China Town and the new bar at Kimchee restaurant, both places are so worth visiting!

SABINNA

We spent the past 2 days and nights in front of our computer screens - why? Because we were working on my (Sabinna's) website! Finally I have a place to display my Central Saint Martins projects and some of my illustrations. I am currently working on my graduation collection, so make sure to follow my Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to be up to date! :) Oh, and head over to my brand new website and let us know what you think! David did an amazing job with the webdesign, didn't he? :)

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Some photos have this magical ability to bring you back in time and give you the possibility to re-experience certain moments of your life. We have a million photos like that and we love love love looking through them and go back in time. For the past 7 years, we shared our best moments in life with each other and we are looking forward to create more awesome memories in the future. Let's take a little trip down memory lane and check out the years 2008-2011. 

SCHELLA KANN, VIENNA AND OTHER LOVE STORIES

Everything amazing comes to an end - just like our stay in Vienna. It's time for us to head back to London and get back to work. As always we had an absolutely fantastic time here, thank you Vienna for being such a babe! We chilled, ate, partied, spent time with our families and of course we shopped. A lot of you frequently ask us where we like to shop in Vienna. So in this post we decided to show you our favourite Austrian designer Schella Kann. Before Sabinna moved to London to study Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins, she worked for Schella Kann in Vienna. Since then we are both head over heels in love with that brand. The quality of her clothes is fantastic and as Sabinna worked there, we can tell you that there is real passion behind every single piece of clothes. You can find her store in the first district of Vienna in Spiegelgasse 15. It's a beautiful and modern black and white store filled with fashion treasures. At the moment they are having some sale items in store, so hurry before it's too late! Ok, lovelies, we still need to pack, time to say good-bye Vienna! And hello London! :)

MASSIVE REVIEW OF 2013

Tomorrow is the last day of 2013, and traditionally we are ready for a review of this fantastic and busy year. Last year we made a review of 2012 by choosing our best moments from all blogposts. This year we decided to wrap up our memories with the help of our Instagram account. Can you imagine that we made 913 photos in 2013? It's insane! :) That's the proof that 2013 was one of the craziest and busiest years we ever had. As the blogpost name already says, the review is MASSIVE, so be aware that it might take you some time to look through the all the photos. So, let's start in the beginning: In 2013 ... 

... Sabinna lived in Paris and worked there for Dior. Then...

WINTER HEAD

 Sometimes it can be quite hard to find perfect clothes and accessories for the winter season - they not only need to be pretty but also to keep you warm. Especially the head can be a problem: I (Sabinna) don't really like to wear hats, as it makes my hair look flat and weird afterwords. A few years ago I found a pretty little fake fur bag in a tiny store in Vienna. I really liked the colour and the shape, but wasn't in need of a bag at that time. So I decided to put it on my head (first just for fun) and see how it looks. And guess what? David and I both loved it! So I bought it and since then it became my favourite winter hat. Whenever I tell people that I am wearing a bag on my head, they get confused first. Then amused and surprised by the fact that it fits my head prefectly (I have to admit I have a huge head :) ). David keeps it classy and wears a beautiful knitted hat by Paul Smith. We guess no one can handle 2 people with bags on their head. :)

FEET IN SOCKS - SOCKS IN SHOES

We are always excited when it comes to buying shoes. We try to think about how they look with a certain piece from the wardrobe or how the colours will fit the time of the year. But when it comes to socks or tights, we are both quite boring, we have to admit. Yes, you will find a few funky ones with some glitter flowers and maybe even some that fit the Christmas jumper. But the rest is black, black and black. So we decided to give it a try and put our feet into cool socks by the brand ITEM m6, that produces their products in Germany. We had the possibility to choose 2 pair of socks from their website and were a bit confused first, as we had to give the exact measures of our feet to find out what size is required. It took us a while but it was worth it, as we ended up having socks with the perfect fit. It feels a bit like being bare feet. In the photos below you can see how different the look is depending on the chosen shoes. A new lesson learned: don't underestimate your socks and tights. :)

POP-UP STORE AND PAPERBLANKS

Those who follow us on Facebook, know that our online shop is back! It's a pop-up store for 3 weeks, so make sure to order on time. :) As it's Christmas time and we love giving presents, we decided to combine the shopping experience with a give away. Thanks to Paperblanks the first 4 orders from now on, will get one of these beautiful calendars/notebooks. So, dear girls and boys, hurry and shop!! :)

DAVID'S BIRTHDAY PARTY a.k.a. POLAROID OVERLOAD

Oh god, where to start? :) As some of you know, David's birthday is on Christmas Eve, the 24th of December. This means that each year we celebrate Christmas and birthday on the same day = party overload. Usually we would do a party in London (we live here) and then sometimes also one in Vienna (we go there to visit our families for Christmas). Today we want to show you the polaroids from our London party last Friday, which turned out to be a huge success. Thanks again to everyone who came and made this night so magical!

At this point we would also like to talk about living in foreign countries, far away from your family. I (Sabinna) moved away 4 and a half years ago and I have to admit that it's one of the most exciting things that can happen to you but also one of the hardest. To start over in a new city and build your social life there can be very difficult. I was very lucky because I met a bunch of gorgeous people that made my life in London so great. All these people became our London family. London is such an international place and most of our friends moved here to fulfill their dreams. So this is something that we have in common and can share with each other. Some of our very close friends changed cities for another time and are now living in France or USA. And even if we don't get to see each other very often, we know that we can count on each other. Initially we didn't plan this post to become a love letter to our friends, but it turned out as one. :)

KOYA BAR LONDON

Yesterday we went out for dinner and decided to try out a cute little asian restaurant in Soho, called Koya Bar. A few friends of ours posted some images of their dinners there on Facebook and all of them looked absolutely delicious. So the expectations were huge. Those of you who live in London, know that it's absolutely normal to queue for a while before you get a table in a restaurant - same thing at Koya Bar. We were quite lucky though and got a table within 5 minutes. We ordered a starter to share and 2 Atsu-Atsu (Kitsune and Niku), you can see all the dishes in the photos. And the best thing is that our expectations were fulfilled - everything tasted wonderful! Also the size of the portions is very generous, there is no way you are going to leave this place hungry. The atmosphere is very chilled and relaxed, and the staff is super duper friendly. The only thing that we would change is the fact that they don't serve any dessert. We have to admit that's the first restaurant we have ever been to that doesn't offer desserts. If you are in London, you should definitely check this place out. We know we are coming back for sure. :)

BURGUNDY

It can be really hard to pick colours that actually suit your hair, skin or eyes. I have to admit that most of the time I end up bying black, white and grey clothes, as they seem to be easy to fit with the rest of the wardrobe. A few weeks ago we went to the amazing Dover Street Market sample sale and I found this gorgeous pair of Jil Sander heels that have this absolutely prefect burgundy colour. I fell in love and bought them (as you can imagine the price was really convincing too as it was a sample sale :) ). At home I realised that I have a lipstick in the same colour - a match made in heaven. I kind of feel that it doesn't matter anymore what I wear "between" the Jil Sander heels and my MAC lipstick, as the focus lies on burgundy.

WISHES AND TIME

The year 2013 is slowly coming to an end and Christmas and New Year are not so far from us. We guess that we are not the only ones who are looking back and making plans for 2014 - what do we want to keep for longer and what do we want to change in the next year? Scrolling through old posts actually helps quite well to reflect on all the things that happened within just a year. 2013 was the year of travels and incredibly hard work. We decided to compare 2013 to 2012 and realised a significant difference: There was so much more party going on in 2012! Our label Nightlife is full of posts with awesome photos of us sneaking around the streets of London, Vienna, Manchester and Paris. Parties and nightlife is something that we were really missing out on in 2013. Maybe it's because we just got older, or maybe it's because we worked so hard this year, we don't know ... but what we do know is that it has to change for 2014! :) We want that awesome party faces back in our lives. Let's see how this will work out as I am currently on my final year at Central Saint Martins and David is going to graduate  in 2014 from his MSc at UCL. Does 2014 sound like party? Not really ... but we keep dreaming. :) To visualise our dreams we made a selection of our favourite nightlife photos from 2012. Enjoy! 

VINTAGE TREASURES IN LONDON

I love to look at clothes from other decades and get inspired by all the little details. That's why at least once a month I would make a tour through my favourite vintage places in London and hunt some treasures. Sometimes I am lucky to find a piece that I was looking for since ages. Just like it happened with these 2 gorgeous dresses, that you see in the photos. Both of them are original pieces from the 70s and are a great enrichment for my little vintage collection of clothes that I have so far. One day I am hoping to own a whole archive of these amazing garments that reflect the history of fashion. For those who are living in London or planning a trip to this magic place soon, here a little selection of my favourtite vintage stores:

1. Rellik: 8 Golborne Road, North Kensington, W10 5NW

2. Lucy in Disguise: 48 Lexington Street, Carnaby, W1F 0LR

3. Beyond Retro: 58-59 Great Marlborough Street, Central London, W1F 7JY

4. Blackout II: 51 Endell Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9AJ