Boo and I recently met up in London to go to an exhibition at Somerset House.

The exhibition was entitled ‘Cute’ and was well, based on all things cute!

Meeting up at Euston (not my normal stop) due to train strikes and works on the line, Boo came across and met me and we hopped into a black cab for the journey across to Somerset House.

On my Train to London

Joining the queue to enter the exhibition, there was already signs of the kind of people who would be drawn to this exhibition.

Children, tweens and young adults all dressed in varying levels of super-cuteness, personified in the kind of clothing that is popular with huge groups of people in Japan, under the umbrella of Kawaii (or cute/adorable in Japanese)

Ready To GO!

If you are not aware of this genre of fashion, think ruffles, pink, pastel, hair bows, knee-high socks, platform shoes and wigs. The fashion trend is called Lolita, and in essence the aim is to look cute and innocent, whilst being very  well turned out.

Cats Galore

The only way I can describe it, is basically like a little old fashioned China Doll.

So Sweet

Hello Kitty, Pikachu, Gudetama and a fair amount of anime characters all come under this umbrella.

Would You Wear These?

The young people that were at the exhibition were in lacy ruffles, short pouffy skirts and clompy Mary-Jane shoes. Furry animal hats and handbags abounded and I have to say, they looked really cool.

Hello Kitty!

As for me, I wasn’t looking to be a Lolita for the day, but I did wear my wonderful pink heart dress made by Devil and Desire clothing (bespoke) and matching turban. Topping it off with my pink duster coat, I think I achieved the brief.

Hello Kitties on Display

So, how was it?

More Stuffies

I have to admit to it being a little bit strange. The displays were all laid out well, with lots of information beside them but there were too many people and it felt a bit rushed so I didn’t get to read all of the placards on the walls.

Hello Kitty Merch

There were lots of anime books and posters, super cute unicorns and of course, the Motherlode, Hello Kitty.

Hello Who?

One woman had graciously allowed her Hello Kitty collection to be displayed and involved thousands of pieces, including televisions, clothing, homewares and lots and lots of stuffed toys versions of the character.

Disco Kitty

Literally hundreds of them all attached to a big wall display. We obviously had to have photographs with them, before moving into the “Hello Kitty” disco.

Sadly NOT interactive

When we say disco, this was pretty much a room playing cute music, with a disco ball and reflective walls. There was a DJ turntable with a moving LED screen which gave the name of the tracks, but it wasn’t interactive at all.

Hello Kitty Overload

Moving on, the second part of the exhibition was upstairs. This was a little more problematic as being in my wheelchair meant I needed to get up using a lift.

I want one of these!

This strangely was right back at the beginning of the exhibition, before the entrance desk.

Furry Lift

Of course, this meant going against the tide of people which was pretty tricky, but eventually we got to the lift which in itself was very cute, as it was completely decked out in pastel colour fur.

Awwwww

Getting off on the next floor, there were multiple video games systems with different preloaded games. Sadly multiple ones had crashed or were just a black screen and the queues for these were quite extensive. We didn’t bother waiting, and instead carried on going through the displays.

A Little Odd

The next section was looking at the stranger side of cute with monsters and spooks. I did love the big purple Monster archway so of course, I had to commemorate it with a photo.

Erm?!?!

My Little Ponies, Sylvanian families and lots of other children’s toys I didn’t recognise were all laid out on display and there was even some Lolita style clothing to be seen.

Sparkle Time

A large rainbow of lights led the way up some stairs, which was lovely and put a smile on my face.

Lolita Style

We took some more photographs with a backdrop of clouds and silver strands to look like rain, before realising we had finished all of the displays.

Brings Back Memories…

It had taken around 90 minutes to do the three floors, which was a good amount of time, I think.

Moooonster!

Boo and I weren’t ready to finish the day yet so we decided to head off to get something to eat before heading off to our respective trains.

Weird?!?!

Knowing that Kingly Court in the Carnaby area is wheelchair friendly, we took a walk through Seven Sisters, Covent Garden, Shaftsbury Avenue and into Leicester Square. Cutting across we entered Carnaby Street and found Kingly Court quite easily.

Stairway To Heaven

Getting a table at Pizza Pilgrims was relatively easy and we perused the menu.

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

It was only mid afternoon and neither of us wanted a massive amount to eat, so we ordered a multitude of starters to share;  Cacio e Pepe balls, smoked mozzarella, Puglian Burrata and a garlic pizza bread.

Irregular Choice Shoes

To say they were good is an understatement. The pecorino and black pepper spaghetti balls were hot and crispy, with such a great flavour. The smoke mozzarella bites came with a smoked chilli jam which just gave the mild cheese a bit of a kick. Our portion of burrata was massive and served on a bed of green pesto with a giant grissini bread to dip and scoop up the burrata

I want a pair of these!

We topped it all off with sour cherry drink, a real favourite of ours.

Splitting the bill we headed up towards Oxford Street where Boo and I were going to split up; her to get the tube from Oxford Circus back to the train station and I was planning on going along to Selfridges to grab some pastries, before getting an Uber to Euston.

Sweet Dreams

Sadly they didn’t have the cake/pastry that I wanted so I left empty handed.

Deciding not to get an Uber, I motored off in my wheelchair, towards the back of Selfridges, as I was convinced that I knew my way from there up to Euston.

Kingly Court

Heading off I hit The Wallace Collection, a large museum based in Marylebone and this clarified that I was on the right route.

Plodding on, I hit Marylebone High Street, with all of its little boutique style shops and eateries.

PhotoBomb Time

This was when disaster struck as the wheelchair started to beeping, signifying that the battery was getting low!

Deciding to not risk it as it was at least another 20 minutes to Euston. Grabbing an Uber to conserve the battery, I was dropped off outside the train station and made my way in to find the very next train home.

All in all it was a great day spent with Boo, but as for the exhibition……

Devil And Desire Dress

Well, it wasn’t my favourite, lets put it that way!

Till next time,

SPSG xxx