Friendships, Clothing, and The City We Call Home

What are friends for, if not as an extension of your wardrobe? That was certainly the viewpoint of one friend group who found themselves invited to an obscene number of weddings in one year and without the necessary number of dresses to don themselves in. But a solution was near. After said wedding disaster, Claire Thomas and her favourite gal pals were added to a Google album that hosted a sprawling virtual wardrobe with one clear message: swap, share, and enjoy. 

Aptly titled “Say Yes to the Dress”, the album now holds over 130 pictures of beloved occasion-wear that can be shared and swapped simply because, as Claire puts it, “there are too many weddings and celebrations to buy or rent something fresh each time.”

There are a million reasons why this idea is genius – cost, sustainability, efficiency, to name a few – but when I caught up with the girls, they told me that one of their favourite outcomes has been the additional excuse to spend time together. “You’re not going to chat to your delivery driver or the person you rented a frock off – but going to collect your friend’s dress always turns into a cup of tea and a long chat,” Claire explains.

A friend group like that got me thinking. We all know the best ideas come from the women we surround ourselves with – so if one friend group can create an idea as genius as a clothes-swapping Google album. What other brilliant ideas do they have that we can piggyback off?

Favourite place to eat in London?

Claire: Marie’s Thai Cafe by Waterloo
Emma: I love Kricket in Soho – it’s delicious Indian-inspired food
Siobhan: Bone Pizza – get every homemade dip on offer and rotate for crust dunking
Ellie: A gorgeous family run Italian in Queens Park called Ida
Geni: Casa do Frango in London Bridge

Favourite place for a drink in London?

Claire: Thamesis Dock for summer sundowners
Siobhan: Gotta love Franks Rooftop
Ellie: Shoreditch House Rooftop by the pool when the sun is going down. Ask for an Eastern Standard Gin – you won’t regret it
Geni: Ochre in Trafalgar Square

Favourite bakery?

Claire: Milk in Balham for their tahini-topped banana bread
Emma: Dropshot Coffee in Southfields
Siobhan: If I didn’t shout out my mum’s Austrian bakery, Zuckermaus, I would be disowned
Ellie: Technically *not* London but only a 20 minute train ride. Pudding Stop in St Albans for their dreamy cinnamon buns and millionaire shortbread
Geni: buns from home

If you knew someone visiting London for the first time, what would you suggest they do?

Claire: Hop on the riverboat from Greenwich to Embankment, and then walk all the way from Westminster to Hyde Park via Horse Guard’s Parade and Buckingham Palace
Emma: In the summer, get yourself over to East London and take a stroll along the river to Broadway Market. Grab some brunch from one of their stalls, and hang out in London Fields right next to the lido.
Siobhan: Start your day with a sauna and ice bath combo at Sauna Social Peckham. Grab a lime bike and cycle to Borough Market for some grub. Then head to Soho Theatre and catch one of their comedy shows
Ellie: A walk along the South Bank ending down in Borough Yards, then explore Borough Market
Geni: In the summer, go and see something at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and take a picnic to have beforehand

Any must-visit tourist attractions?

Claire: Waking up at stupid o’clock to queue, M&S picnic in hand, for a day at Wimbledon
Emma: You’ve got to go to the West End to see a show! Or, if you’ve got kids, take them to The London Aquarium
Siobhan: Richmond Park, all seasons of the year. Grab a hot chocolate or a pint and watch the deer frolicking in the gorgeous surroundings
Ellie: The afternoon tea bus is a really cute way to kill two birds with one stone! Seeing the sights and delicious cakes and scones
Geni: National Portrait Gallery, every other Friday do free drawing classes – really fun!

Where would you go if you wanted a nice stroll in a park?

Claire: Richmond Park, then hit one of the riverside pubs
Emma: Wimbledon Common – especially if you’ve got a dog
Siobhan: Battersea Park – it’s nice if you want to turn your stroll into a jog too
Ellie: Hampstead Heath has it all, woodlands, the ponds, and wonderful views
Geni: Battersea Park

You want a day of shopping, where are you heading?

Claire: Spitalfields – and then a Brick Lane mooch
Emma: It’s got to be a shopping centre – Westfield Stratford is my go-to
Siobhan: Online… joking, I’d head to Shoreditch
Ellie: Seven Dials and the Pizza in Covent Garden. But for clothes, it’s got to be Bond Street/Oxford Street
Geni: Battersea Power Station

Time for a night out, where offers the most fun?

Claire: I’ve never left The Carpet Shop in Peckham disappointed
Emma: Any of the Little Doors – great cocktails, tunes, fancy dress, it’s a yes from me
Siobhan: K-hole in Stoke Newington on a Friday night – book ahead
Ellie: Bar hopping around Soho on a Friday night
Geni: The Book Club in Shoreditch

Want to get to know Claire Thomas even better? Read our exclusive Q&A with the sports broadcaster.