Lurex

Euro-spiration Part 7: Berlin

Happy Monday to you all! It's that time again and this week I am featuring Berlin in my weekly post.

If you're just joining me, you can click on the 'Travel' tab at the top of my page to view all my previous posts. The basic story is that each week I've been posting on a different city that I will be visiting over June/July this year. Mainly for my own enjoyment and to get myself pumped up, but also for anyone reading to enjoy.

Like Amsterdam, Berlin wasn't initially on our itinerary for our trip. As explained previously, we were initially only going for about five weeks and added another three on top. After this happened, there began a great debate on where to go. Amsterdam or Berlin? I asked as many people as I could, scoured Trip Advisor endlessly, and tormented myself with trying to make a decision. Seeing as I am literally incapable of making a decision by myself (us Librans are notoriously indecisive. It drives my mother crazy), I eventually chose both.

Also like Amsterdam, Berlin was somewhere I had about 15 places down on my bucket list. Somewhere I wanted to get to eventually, but would probably save for my next Europe trip whenever that may be. It wasn't until the decision was made to visit this time that I really learned how much there is to see in this rather large city.

Between World War II and the Nazi Regime, as well as the Cold War which lasted for over 40 years and ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Berlin has had an extremely tough road. The resilience of its residents has seen the city restore and rebuild itself, and it now sees millions of tourists visiting each year. The monuments and memorials attract history buffs and remind us as humans of what can happen when power falls into the wrong hands, while Berlin's thriving arts and music scene is one of the best in the world.

As always, any tips are greatly appreciated and can be left in the comments section.

Blinded by the Light

Jeremy Scott 'Wings' / Karen Walker 'Super Duper Strength'

Karen Walker 'Orbit' / Karen Walker 'Harvest'

Ray-Ban Aviator / River Island 'Mirror Cat Eye'

Evie Knight 'Sandy' / Miu Miu 'Geometric'

 

 

I am a self-confessed sunglasses junkie and always have been, although this has been made possible by always buying cheap pairs. A few months ago I invested in a pair of the Karen Walker 'Harvest' glasses, and feel satisfied for the time being after shelling out more money than I would usually spend on things. I did get them heavily reduced though so it was definitely a win-win. I also very shamefully own a rip-off pair of the 'Super Duper Strength's that cost me $2.80 on eBay...

 

The above are some that I am loving at the moment, including my beloved Harvests!

Enjoy!

 

 



Insta Life 23.04

Euro-spiration Part 6: Amsterdam

It's everyone's favourite day again. Monday!

Now, now, no need for grumbling. I'm here to make it all better with my weekly Euro-spiration post, which I know you all love.

Amsterdam is somewhere I never really thought I would go. The reason for this is (sadly) that I only ever really saw it as somewhere that boisterous, rowdy tourists went to smoke a joint or two because it makes them feel a little bit naughty. What they don't realise is that it also makes them look a little bit idiotic. And I say that very openly. My reason being that I don't understand why you would go to the trouble of visiting a foreign country to do something you can do at home. The only difference is that you can do it in public. Such rebellion!

The only other thing I knew about it was the Red Light District, which interests me even less than the marijuana.

Initially, we were only planning 5-6 weeks for our trip and therefore were not intending to go to Amsterdam. After we decided "eff it" and planned for 8 weeks, we started to look at adding places to make the most of our time. It was around this time that I also got Pinterest and realised that I quite liked the look of it. A few visits to Trip Advisor later and BOOM! Amsterdam was on the agenda.

Now, I'm excited for wandering the beautiful canals for three whole days where our only concrete plan is to visit Anne Frank House and perhaps a little trip to the Rijksmuseum. As always, any tips are much appreciated and can be left in the comments section.

For now, I just need to concentrate on remembering the difference between a Coffeeshop and a cafe...

MBFWA 2013: Camilla

As with my last post, this one has also been delayed due to losing Monday to being unwell and also freaking out about my impending resignation from my job before heading off to Europe (which has now been executed. Relief!) Luckily for me, MBFWA fever has not yet disappeared, so this post remains just as relevant as it was last week.

There were two major stand-outs for me from Australia's major fashion week, one of which was Alice McCall. The other stand-out was the collection from Camilla, aka. The Kaftan Queen.

It would probably pay to note at this point that in my own sense of style I am equal parts Joan Jett, Gwyneth Paltrow and Janis Joplin. The Camilla collection shown last week definitely satisfied the Janis part of me. Even the setting for the show looked completely spectacular, and I loved the idea of holding a show outside as a change from the usual indoor runways.

I could happily float about in every single one of Camilla's pieces for the rest of my life and never tire of it. It doesn't hurt either that the stunningly beautiful Georgia May Jagger wore pieces for the show. My gosh that woman is genetically blessed.

 

 

 

 

Euro-spiration Part 5: Nice, France

Yesterday I was unfortunately not very well, and therefore was unable to update with my weekly travel inspiration posts.

Thankfully, today I am back to being fighting fit and have found the energy to complete the post I started drafting yesterday.

Those who have been following for a while will be familiar with the weekly series I have been doing where I post jealousy-inducing images of distant lands where for just a moment you are transported to the location and can feel the breeze, smell the smells and hear the noises of somewhere very different from where you are now. Well, at least that's the effect my posts have on me. I don't know about you guys...

The locations I post about are based on the places I will be visiting with my dear friend over June/July this year, and we are now up to the halfway point (click the 'Travel' tab for my previous posts)

Bienvenue à Nice! Or for those who don't speak French (I cheated and Googled), "Welcome to Nice!"

The heart of the French Riviera, where the Mediterranean water is crystal blue and the chair-filled beaches come at a price (if you prefer not to lay on pebbles). While the city was founded many a year prior, Nice was brought to the attention of aristocrats and the English upper classes in the late 18th century, and a number of families began spending their winters there. The picturesque surroundings also inevitably attracted some of the world's greatest painters, who found inspiration in the clear air and beautiful coastline. Nice was actually established by the ancient Greeks and is one of the oldest human settlements in the world.

Nice is perhaps the only place on our trip where we really have no set plans except to wander around Old Town, lay on the beach and perhaps visit neighbouring towns like Villefranche-sur-Mer or Cap Ferrat and use their beaches for the day.

I'm not quite sure what to expect from Nice, as reports tend to differ depending on who I speak to. Hopefully I'm just pleasantly surprised and can refrain from making too many "Nice is nice" jokes.

MBFWA 2013: Alice McCall

Bombs Away

Every now and then, a trend comes along which surprises you. It's not something you would ever have thought of wearing personally, but you actually start to really dig it.

This is how I feel about the bomber jacket trend.

Usually, a bomber jacket would bring to mind a mixture of school uniforms, American sports games, and 80s waterproof sprayjackets. They will bring these things to mind no longer! A trend has arisen using the old bomber style but recreating it into something fashionable and versatile.

Suddenly we have floral, oriental and brocade bombers, which *gasp* can actually be worn with a semi-dressy outfit and be perfectly socially acceptable.

Sure, the old varsity style still exists, but I'm diggin' that too. Especially with a little bit of leather in the mix.

As always, I've used trusty old asos and their stellar record of being on trend at all times to help you find the perfect bomber.

(Click image to be directed to source)

'The Saint Laurent Music Project' by Hedi Slimane

There has been quite a response to the latest campaign from Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent, with the masses seeming to divide between loving it and hating it. In saying this, the haters' only reasoning seems to be: "Ew. Courtney Love/Marilyn Manson. They're gross" (Also featured are Kim Gordon from legendary 90s band Sonic Youth and some apparent LA-based rockstar called Ariel Pink, who I had never heard of until now).

I personally am loving it. Usually when a campaign is shot with an 'edge', it consists of a group of models with a bit of smudged eyeliner and a messy mop of hair. Slimane has gone the extra mile and used actual rockstars, which really makes a lot of sense after reading that Courtney Love was the inspiration behind the grunge-themed Fall 2013 collection. I may be slightly biased in my argument as I am a huge fan of both Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson.

Both the campaign and the recent controversial name change feel very fresh and new. People are always going to be rubbed up the wrong way when an old faithful label starts to move in a new direction because it seems to be human nature to dislike change. We are creatures of habit after all.

But if a fashion house refuses to ever change, it may very well face a slow and painful death. And if the way to evolve is to continue to blur the ever-blurred line between the fashion world and music world, then Hedi Slimane has my vote.

 

 

Euro-spiration Part 4: Paris

Okay. Confession time.

I visited Paris 11 years ago when I was 13 years old and I didn't warm to it. I believe I used the word 'hate' at some point.

My 13 year old brain could not fathom how such a "grey and bleak" (direct quote) city with dog poo covering the footpaths could possibly have been labelled a 'romantic city'. I also seem to recall claiming that I would "never go there again".

All this in contrast with how much I fell in love with London, which doesn't quite seem to make sense when you consider how grey and bleak London is majority of the time. To say I was a weird kid would be an understatement.

The odd part of my last trip is that I actually loved all the things I saw/did, such as the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Musee D'Orsay. I just didn't warm to the city itself, which is the thing that most people fall in love with.

This time, however, I am over-the-moon excited to be visiting Paris for 10 whole days. I sit and stare at photos day after day, imagining myself there. I also can't wait to lose my macaron virginity, as I've been saving myself for the perfect real French one.

I've convinced myself that being older (but not necessarily wiser) at 24 means that I will completely fall in love with it, as millions of others do each year. And I am completely determined to do so, pain au chocolat in hand.

Insta Life 05.04

Salinger

 

3.1 Phillip Lim long sleeve sweater / Lover / Cutler and Gross eyeglass / Bond No. 9 New York Wall Street Candle

Euro-spiration Part 3: Dublin & Cork

Goodness gracious me. I have been so completely slack with posting, that my last post before this one was part of the same weekly series as this one. Truth be told, I have been so caught up with work/life that I've been way too exhausted and inspiration has been failing me. A huge part of this blog was always going to be outfit posts, so I know that once I get my backside into gear and buy a new camera that things will start to pick up.

But for now, on with the show!

Continuing on from last week's post, my best friend and I will be visiting Ireland for a week in June. Ireland is another country that I would just love to spend a whole year exploring, but as is always the way, there is limited time to do so. We both have an Irish heritage (amongst my additional French, Spanish, Scottish, Welsh, Swedish and who knows what else) so Ireland was always going to be a part of this trip. We chose Dublin just to be completely predictable tourists and then chose Cork due to my ancestors being from there (as well as Limerick). This isn't some sort of 'tracing my lineage' trip, but rather visiting a place that I have an interest in due to family history. Unfortunately, my friend has no record of where her family originated due to records being destroyed in a fire many years ago, so we have no way of knowing where to visit.

My vision of Ireland is a mixture of the greenest rolling hills, colourful people in colourful buildings, moss-covered castles, and of course, a pint of Guinness. I had the pleasure of spending a day in Oxfordshire in England the last time I visited, and coming from a drought-stricken country like Australia I couldn't even believe just how green it was in the countryside. I imagine Ireland to be even greener.
They also have a dark history, including the Great Famine of the 1800s and the unrest between the country's Catholics and Protestants. I won't go into a history lesson here, as I am admittedly not well-educated on the subject and many issues are still fresh wounds to many people of Ireland.

Below are some of my favourite images of Dublin and Cork and places which we will be visiting. I'll have a Guinness (or two) for you while I'm there!

(As always, any recommendations can be left in the comments below!)