While the dreary rain that has descended upon London is making the days ahead seem bleak at best, the team here at Wonderland have come together once more in a bid to save your weekend. Offering inspiration in the form of quaint west London bars, 70s-inspired drops courtesy of Dickies, and music from the likes of Wolf Alice and Jessie Ware, we have rounded up everything we have enjoyed doing, wearing and eating this week. Head below to see the full list of ways to save your weekend in this week’s Wonderland Loves…

Wearing: Dickies Life Natural Reaction Collection
If, like me, you love print but are averse to anything garish, Dickies has served up an earthy drop with a 70s feel via their Natural Reaction collection. Think muted splashy tie-dye tones akin to what I imagine the water’s surface looks like gazing up from the ocean bed, and lemon sorbet garden stripes (the print is inspired by a pair of the brand’s gardening gloves from the archives in a nod to their rich workwear history), emblazoned all over starchy shirts, shorts and a divine playsuit I’ll be nabbing pronto.

Listening: Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
If you find me reverting back to my angsty teenage years, there is no one else to blame but the dreamy storytelling falsetto of Ellie Rowsell and the glistening reverb paradise that is Wolf Alice’s latest album Blue Weekend. There’s the fever dream soar describing a mental taxi ride in “Delicious Things”, the post-grunge strum of Puddle of Mud-esque track “Lipstick on the Glass”, and absolutely magical “The Beach II” which feels like the brain fuzz you experience after spending the day boozing and in love and happy on holiday – all meeting, combusting and incinerating the world in one heavenly shoegazy, folksy, alt-rock offering.

Eating: The Little Chartroom
There’s something about Edinburgh’s sloping cobbled streets, quaint bookshops and tucked-away vintage stores that imbue the Scottish capital with this undeniable air of magic – not to mention, the city has been earning some serious gastronomical kudos in recent years with its spread of award-winning restaurants. Leading the charge is gorge neighbourhood bistro The Little Chartroom, which I had the pleasure of visiting last week while I was up visiting my rents. Can I just say wow. A lush Spanish skin-contact wine in the sun in front of the unassuming exterior replenished about 30% of my London-depleted serotonin, but it was the smoked eel, aged Scottish mutton, wild pheasant mushrooms and caramel peanut banana bar dessert that followed – why is my mouth watering! – which had me ready to pack my bags and move in.

Wearing: Telfar’s Large Black Shopping Bag
I have to admit, I have always been Telfar obsessed. And ever since I got my hands on the brand’s elusive Large Black Shopping Bag during one of their drops, that obsession has only grown. The smooth vegan leather, dual length straps and the bold embossed logo all washed over in an inky black hue is everything I could want from a bag and more. Thankfully with the world re-opening and events beginning to line up, I am finally able to wear the accessory the way it was intended (aka not to Tescos in my joggers). I will take one in every colourway, please!

Doing: The Hawk’s Nest
Nestled away in Shepherd’s Bush Market, The Hawk’s Nest is a must if you are in search of a casual bar to visit on the weekends. While the bar offers an enticing array of classic cocktails with a twist and freshly baked gourmet sourdough pizzas, its buzzy atmosphere is the main attraction. Exuding an al fresco dining feel, the tented environment sees hanging lights and rustic wooden benches come together to offer a warm ambience. You will definitely catch me there sipping on Passionfruit Mezcalitas for the rest of summer.

Watching: Peaky Blinders
With the news dropping that Peaky Blinders has officially wrapped filming for its final season, I couldn’t help but become overwhelmed with excitement. Having been a die-hard fan of the Birmingham-based mob drama since its beginnings, I have been anxiously awaiting the releases of the explosive final season so I can finally explore the fates of the intimidating yet undeniably handsome family. And, as we gear up for what is looking like an autumn release, my housemate and I have decided to embark on a marathon of all of the previous seasons, meaning I will be enjoying the scenes of a flat cap-wearing Cillian Murphy for months on end.

Watching: Dance Moms
I actually dread to think how many hours I’ve spent watching Dance Moms, re-watching Dance Moms, recapping Dance Moms on YouTube, re-recapping Dance Moms on YouTube… you get the vibe. My algorithm just knows me too well, and for the last week I have been OBSESSED with the compilations of their biggest fights, meanest comments but also the heartwarming ones too – I’m not a total bitch. I think I’d die for Christi Lukasiak and Holly Frazier too. In retrospect I totally get the show must’ve been horrendous to film, but I really think it’s such an apt portrait of the post-reality TV show boom, when this type of television was no longer novel so, as Americans do, they had to majorly hype the drama and turn it into total chaos.

Buying: Record Store Day
So Record Store Day was last Saturday, and I managed to return back from the pub in time to grab some of my favourite picks from Banquet Records. The first is t.A.T.u.’s debut album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, on a beautiful bottle green vinyl. Despite one of the band members being mildly problematic about the gays, this album is full of early aught’s chooooonage, and I absolutely need to hear “Not Gonna Get Us” through a heavy speaker. The second was Shygirl’s “ALIAS remix” EP, which soundtracked the majority of my Couch to 5k journey in the last lockdown. Support your fave artists!!

Listening: Jessie Ware – What’s Your Pleasure? (The Platinum Pleasure Edition)
If Ware’s o.g. What’s Your Pleasure? wasn’t one of your major (if not ultimate) musical highlights of 2020, then you’re either lying or you didn’t listen to it – soz! Well she’s only gone and one-upped herself and given us a re-up hasn’t she. Immediately, “Eyes Closed” jumped out as a favourite, making me yearn for a sweaty dance with my girls and my gays under the strobe lights as you’re being whacked in the face by some proper pounding bass. The whole album is just fab, and I look forward to picking a new fave single each week! Love you Jessie <3