My Favorite Posts of 2011

With only five days till Christmas and 12 till the new year, I cannot believe how quickly 2011 is coming to a close! I started this blog in March 2011, but didn't blog very regularly until September. I love it!

After reading about IFB's next project, I decided to look through my archive and pick out my top five favorites.

#1. "Italian Fashion Post #2"

I wrote this during my time in Italy last summer - I saw these accessories everywhere. Italians are so classy and effortlessly glamorous. Click here to read it!

#2. "new jeans // studious"

The outfit I showed here is one of my favorite outfits I've photographed. I just picked out the jacket I wanted to wear and everything else seemed to fall into place. It is comfortable but still looks put-together. Click here to read it!

#3, #4, and #5. "Popular Prints" Series

I worked hard on this series and I am darn proud of how it turned out! It was my first time doing a shopping guide series and was a lot of fun finding the Lookbook outfits in the 3 prints. 

Click these links to read them: Animal, Plaid, and Navajo.

Enjoy! If there is anything you'd like to see me blog about into the new year, please comment or contact me and let me know!

xo

Italian Fashion Post #2

Time to talk about accessories!

Accessories can really dress up an outfit. Whether it's a necklace, a scarf, or the perfect pair of shoes, the accessories can define an outfit, make or break an outfit, and take a plain and boring outfit into something much more interesting.

Sunglasses, scarves, and belts are what I've been seeing the most in Italy lately.

The most common pair of sunglasses I've been seeing around Italy are the Ray-Ban aviators with the gold frames and black lenses. I like the mystery these shades add to an emsemble:

The summer scarf is another accessory that's been all over Italy. Even on the most scorching summer days, I'll find at least a couple women wearing the prettiest summer scarves. Lightweight and colorful, these have the power to totally transform an outfit.

This one from Topshop is similar to the scarves I've been seeing around:

Classic belts are another staple that the women wear with anything and everything that you can belt. Since Italy is known for its fine leather goods, brown leather belts are everywhere - especially Gucci and Hermes ones. Get a similar look with this belt without breaking the bank:

This is making me want to go shopping...

xo

PS- Ireland post coming soon

Italian Fashion Post #1

Photo Source

I am loving all the fashion here I'm seeing in Italy. While I've finally started shopping when I got to Florence, my bank account has taken a small hit. (Euros have much more value than American dollars!)

What I've been loving is how all the European people seem to dress - a little more put-together, a little more classy, a little more...everything. And I love it. I've seen plenty of fedoras, summer scarves, cross-body bags, men in awesome suits and ladies wearing heels on their vespas.

What I've been seeing all over the stores lately are summer brights. Super-bright color-blocking, like seen on the Gucci runway, were a hit in the Italian H&M and Zara stores. Color-blocked heels in neons were everywhere. I kept seeing "Gucci orange" and "Gucci green" all over the place - especially paired together, like at the Gucci Spring 2011 RTW show, below:

Photo Source

Loved this "Gucci orange" dress from Zara:

I also got a really cute white, sheer cropped-ish top from a boutique called Subdued. I'm excited to layer it with different tanks underneath - my plan tomorrow is to wear it with a white tank underneath tucked into high-waisted white shorts, a thick brown belt, gladiator sandals, and a straw hat.

The shirt looks a little like this one from Forever 21:

Here's a photo from the H&M Italy lookbook - that's the hat I got today!

Tomorrow I am going to Elba Island for the weekend (off the coast of Tuscany, no big deal...) and am super excited to wear some more tropical-feeling summer ensembles. I'll keep you posted when I get back from the beach!

ciao bellas,

xo