Rachel McAdams meets Barcelona

on me: scarf (worn as headband) coach; sunglasses, tom ford; shirt dress, pepe jeans; cardigan, j.crew; flats ruby & bloom; bag, botiker 

When visiting Barcelona my boyfriend and I decided that the most romantic and easy way to sight-see through La Rambla and the Port Vell would be to rent bikes (you don't have to be a couple to rent bikes but it is so fun!). The city was a perfect place to have a complete Rachel McAdams moment like in Wedding Crashers or in her day to day life. In all her movies she is a flawless girlie-girl and I absolutely adore her so, it was not hard to mimic her lifestyle real or not in the gorgeous city of Barcelona. 

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Keds & Tights

When walking around the Vatican in Rome I saw so many different outfit combinations. The one that stuck out to me the most was sneakers with dresses or skirts. It is a different way for the comfortable tourist to rome around Rome (hehe) and still dress cute. The combination of sneakers and tights look the best with Keds. Keds are smaller, thinner, and a little dressy which makes it the perfect sneaker for tights. Personally, I would still stick with flats they are cute, versatile, and almost as comfortable as sneakers so, you can tour the city but still look un-touristy and adorable. But after seeing how cute Mischa Barton looks in Keds I may just have to buy a pair. How do you dress to sight-see?

Sunday Shopping; Barcelona

 Park at Port Vell 

 Casa Batllo

Museu Picasso 

sweater & shirt, j.crew; skirt, 344; bag, botiker; ray ban wayfarer sunglasses

Sunday used to remind me of one thing; my busy week ahead so, I dressed it up to be the funnest day of the week. With an earlier curfew, relaxation, and de-stressing on my mind I look forward to my favorite, shopping. 

Sunday in Barcelona stirred up my day with almost every shopping boutique and store closed. So, I took the day to visit the gorgeous museums by Gaudi (which reminds me of window shopping in a way because you get to see all the art but not take anything home with you) and just relax in the park by Port Vell with my boyfriend. How much better can Sunday get?

My favorite Barcelona Sunday stops:

Casa Batllo- an apartment complex built by Gaudi with no straight lines. there are fireplaces shaped like mushrooms and a beautiful rooftop. i can't imagine actually living there!

Museu Picasso- a collection of mansions lined with pictures by Pablo Picasso. there is a whole room dedicated to his version of Las Meninas which is so creative, in his own way.

Port Vell- this Port reminds me of the Baltimore Port but with couples and groups laying out everywhere to soak in the sun

Park Guell- when I entered the main entrance there were two large gingerbread houses on each side which made me feel like I was Gretel from Hansel and Gretel
La Sagrada Familia- Gaudi's church created to look like a dripping sand castle

Designer Favorites

 Gratacos store, Barcelona

Barcelona is a beautiful city for the city life, shopping, beach, and atmosphere. Passeig de Gràcia is the perfect street to see all your favorite designers and to add designers to your favorites list. After one day here I already added three designers to my list that I cannot live without.

1. Armand Basi- I liked the men items a little more than the women which makes it a perfect place to shop for my boyfriend!

2. Gratacos - the store is walled with different colored fabrics to choose from to make any kind piece you could ever dream of

3. Bimba & Lola - some of the pieces look as though they are knock off of tiffanys, longchamp, and even chanel but they are so cute! (and is still a little pricey)

Packing Light

sweater, j.crew; jeans, joe's jeans; flats, staccato

With my vacation slowly approaching I decided putting my essentials aside with the mentality of "packing light." As the week went on I tried my hardest to leave my clothes in the packed section of my closet. Yesterday was finally the day I packed. I put all of my essentials on my bed and had no room to even sleep! Looks like my idea for packing light was a failure but at least i'll have my travel esstenials 

My top travel essentials are:

passport- when traveling you can never leave home without this. I keep mine in an adorable Juicy Couture cover. 

LUSH ¨body bomb¨- my favorite is sex bomb. the bubbles create an ultra relaxing bath and they even have ¨bombs¨ that have confetti and sparkles. bath are so relaxing and help you refresh yourself and clean off your day good or bad.
ipod- with my ipod touch I can keep up with my favorite television shows (like gossip girl and re-runs of sex and the city) and keep myself entertained

travel books- lonely planet books are my bible when traveling

laptop- how else would i blog? :)

lip gloss- the lipstick tint in my Kielhs lipgloss makes me feel cute no mater where I am

 

What are your travel essentials?

Arrivederchi Tourists

 

When traveling to London I was gifted with the Louis Vuitton London city guide. The outside is adorable and is full of amazing places to see, shop, and indulge. The book gives tips on what to wear and who you can hopefully get a glimpse of. No more looking like an unfashionable tourist! There are currently 8 books total (New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Rome, Paris, Miami, Tokyo and London) and one European collection that you can collect. I cannot wait to get my hands on them all! Next city guide: Rome! I'll be traveling Barcelona & Italy for the next week and a half so check back to see my fashion forward adventures! I look forward to a shopping spree on Via Borgognona, open markets, gondola rides, the list is a mile long. Who knows I may even run into the Beckham family in Milan!

Arrivederchi!

Edgy Gossip Girl gone Cute

 cardigan, j.crew; top, anthropologie; skirt, express; pumps, aldo
retiro park, madrid

After watching this Monday's Gossip Girl episode I woke up feeling edgy. With Jenny's badass attitude in my head and a small feeling of home sickness I put on a Taylor Momsen inspired ensomble and headed to what feels like New York City's Central Park in Madrid, Retiro Park. My black tights added a Taylor Momsen edginess to my peep-toed shoes but the purple color kept them girlie and fun. I wonder who will inspire me after next week's episode. Which character inspired you this week?

 taylor momsen

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Afternoon Cupcake

juicy couture zip-up, tank top; j.crew, jeans; true religion, bag; longchamp, ring; david yurman

After hitting my snooze button a million times & sleeping until 1:30 pm, I decided to enjoy the rest of the day with my favorites; an afternoon cupcake, Starbucks, & magazines.

The day was gorgeous so I threw on my ruffled juicy zip-up and walked to my favorite sweet shop in my spanish neighborhood, Happy Day. The frosting on the cupcakes are always bright and fun. Each time I go in the store there are different colors and designs that bring a smile to my face. It is simply the best cupcake in Madrid. Oh, happy day! I then grabbed by daily mocha latte and snuggled up to my magazines. My perfect ending to my lazy tuesday.
While flipping through my Cosmopolitan magazine (UK edition) I found Redfoot a cute website for flats that fold into velvet bags. So when your feet are killing from your hot 4-inch heels you can make an exchange and slip into their cute flats. They created an official Sex and the City 2 line inspired by the movie's main characters. The "Charlotte" flats are my favorite, she reminds me a lot of myself so if the shoe fits wear it!  I cannot wait to get mine in the mail! Which is your favorite? 

From top left, the Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha 

Charlotte flat folded in half

sources ; courtesy of Redfoot's website

A Madrilena's School Day

In Plaza Mayor & Gran Via, Spain
shirt, flee market-el rastro; cardigan, j.crew; jeans, joe's jeans; ballet flats, ruby & bloom; sunglass, ray ban wayfarer; ring, david yurman

I cant say the student life in Spain is "tough" or that I am not one for dressing up, but today I threw together a casual "school" outfit.  A comfortable ensemble for class, yet still acceptable by the fashion-conscious Madrilenos. No more lululemon yoga pants and over sized tee-shirts for me! So, I put on my favorite joe's jeans and wandered Plaza Mayor and Gran Via after class, of course.

Fashion Week Fiesta

dress: black house white market; shoes: aldo, bag louis vuitton speedy 25

After thinking fashion week was over in Madrid I got a pleasant surprise from my boyfriend when we got invited to the after-party for Cibeles Fashion Week hosted by the Art Lab & Talents. The party was hosted on the top floor of the Hotel Puerta America in Madrid. I loved everything from the room full of lively designers and models to the complimentary champagne. The hotel was so gorgeous we almost stayed the night! But to fulfill my wanting to stay we sneaked away from the party to the bar where I had the most amazing champagne mojito.

elite for chic women room at the hotel puerta america, madrid

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Happy 21st to me!

 scarf burberry; coat freepeople; bag botkier longan bag; reva tory burch flats

My twenty first birthday creeped up on me suddenly. I did not expect to be the age I desired for so long so suddenly. My boyfriend and I spent my birthday weekend in London. We had a weekend full of sights like Big Ben but did not pass up shopping on Regent Street where we went into my favorite London store; Ted Baker. Their Alice in Wonderland theme fits perfectly with the new love for Alice in Wonderland pieces due to the release of the movie. (Which I will be seeing with my boyfriend thanks to Johnny Depp)

dress M by M. Kalan

After my feet were sore from shopping all day in my tory burch flats, we went to Hibicus for dinner. The french menu simply listed how many course you were willing to dive into and the rest was up to the chef. Each meal was a complete surprise which made the night fun and exciting. The one thing I did pick and could not resist was the strawberry champagne! Yumm!

Cheers!

Amore Look Book: Winter Kate by Nicole Richie

Nicole Richie puts her own boho style (which I adore) on her new clothing line; Winter Kate. The pieces are chic boho pieces that are wearable and can be mix & matched. And dont think you cant get your paws on her clothings! The line will be sold in Bloomingdales,Nordstrom,Saks Fifth Avenue, Intermix, and more. And for us Europeans it will be sold at Harrods, Doyle’s, Cricket, and Kurt Geiger. Thank g-d!! The piece I cannot wait to get my hands on is:



Black Leather Harlow Jacket $495.00 at shopkitson.com

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