By Megan Forrester
Medill Reports
LONDON — Every Tuesday, with hot-pink rollers in her honey blond hair and a black “mob wife” fur coat around her shoulders, Abbey Sadleir records a few new TikTok videos about her home in central London. During the other days of the week, when she hits up restaurants and vintage stores, she gets her tally up to two dozen. Although the 28-year-old grew up in New Zealand, she has lived in the U.K. for nearly two years – where she became a 20-something’s “expert” source for where to eat, drink and play in the city.
@abbeysadleir quickly learning that there is too much life to be lived to be sad about any of it #londonlife #londontiktok #londongirls #londonlifestyle #londonaesthetic #londonvibes london lifestyle London aesthetic lifestyle London to do London guide London itinerary London travel Move to london
After countless solo crying sessions, Sadleir quit her 9-to-5 communications job last December for “a life that’s worthy of a vision board.” Despite her seemingly Pinterest-perfect position, she still seems relatable. Her daily videos might include rants about the price of hair care products one day or the durability of the paint in her flat’s bathroom another day.
Now with 80,700 followers on TikTok and 54,800 on Instagram, she is becoming London’s “It-Girl” — a title she recognizes as satire but is embracing more and more each day. She discusses her moniker, her fashion and dining recommendations and her goal-setting tips.
This interview has been edited and condensed for brevity and clarity.
You left your 9-to-5 job as a freelancer at Condé Nast to become a full-time content creator this year. Why do you think it is important to showcase these honest meltdown moments?
A lot of the content I do is quite aspirational. I’m very aware that this is so many people’s dream to live in a city like this. I think it’s important to be like, “OK, well, it’s not all stars and rainbows.” I like to be light-hearted, funny and talk about how stupidly expensive shampoo and conditioner are.
The “London It-Girl” has become your new persona on the internet. How would you describe this character? Is she common in real life?
(The London It-Girl) is someone who uses 50 million products of skin care just for the point of using 50 million products for skin care. She likes to think of herself as slightly better than everyone else but doesn’t say it all the time. She walks around like she owns the city. I don’t think that’s based on anyone I’ve met. Everyone in London has been quite genuine and wholesome.
You have a TikTok series called “The London Girls Club,” where you compile the best pubs, wine bars and restaurants in the city. Let’s say some girlfriends are heading out on the town in London. What should they wear? Where should they eat? Let’s hear the ideal itinerary for a wannabe London It-Girl.
I live in oversized blazers. They are timeless and classy. A cute dress, oversized blazer and sneakers — because you have to walk everywhere. A Samba (Adidas sneaker) would be great.
I would start at a wine bar like Dan’s on Tottenham Road, get your little snacks and drinks. Then if you wanted to go for dinner, Rita’s in Soho is gorgeous. Then, going to any pub in London is a vibe for a couple of hours.
@abbeysadleir its giving french girl @Teddy Blake *gifted pr #frenchaesthetic #ootd #parisianstyle #parisianvibes #fashiontiktok #outfitinspo
You said your goal for 2024 is to achieve a life that is “worthy of a vision board.” How can other people achieve that as well?
I’m a huge fan of the law of attraction. If you say things can happen for you, you have energy to make it happen for you. Saying it’s never going to happen, it won’t happen. Dream big. If you want something, focus and make steps toward getting that happening in your life. If you have something on your vision board that says you want to go to Italy this year, maybe you just have a gorgeous pizza party at home. You can find fun ways to make the goal happen.
What’s something that people may find surprising about you?
Probably when I say I have a master’s degree in human rights. I talk a lot about surface-level fashion stuff, and I don’t delve into it in my content. It’s a personal passion.
What do you hope people take away from your content?
I want people to achieve their goals, but I’m not one to give a mind map of exactly how you’re going to live your dream life. I just want people to have fun with content again, relate and enjoy watching it, and get lost in it.
Megan Forrester is a magazine graduate student at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter (X) at @meganbforrester.
