Layer a turtleneck

The title of this post is pretty self-explanatory, really: I just thought I would bring my love of turtlenecks to your attention. They're like the swiss army knife of my wardrobe: super chic worn by themselves, but also incredibly practical for winterizing virtually anything I want to wear them with (I just make sure they're not the bulky kind). Turtlenecks keep you warm whilst giving your outfit interest and dimension -- and I love that even though you're completely covered up, they can look so sexy.

Here's a couple of ideas from the ways I've worn turtlenecks lately (aside from with a pair of jeans!...)

I'm wearing an &other stories dress, h&m top and topshop shoes (all old)

Gentlewoman

One of the rare times I had not one, but two people taking my picture...

Let me tell you why I love this jacket... 

Shopping list

So, I know I go on about how fashion is not all about consumerism, and that it's preferable to buy vintage/second-hand, and that style is not about how much you spend...

And i stand by all of it --if you look at my outfit on any given day, chances are half the things I'm wearing have been stolen from my mom's closet passed down/thrifted, and although I like experimenting with trends, I usually find creative ways to dip my toe in trends with things I already have. I only buy something 'fashiony' when I've been wanting it for a while so I'm sure I actually like it --not just because it was ubiquitous for a while (which is the reason why I gave into the Stan Smith craze about 3 years after everyone else... :P).

That said... there are also times like this when the sales are on, and you're craving a little bit of fast fashion. Like junk food, I've started to regard it as a guilty pleasure, especially since I'm becoming increasingly aware of the social and environmental impact of fast fashion --never mind the state of hysteria that the process of obsessing, buying and then hating clothes within the span of six months induces. And yet I do crave a quick fashion fix sometimes --the kind of thing I can browse for online and comfortably click home from my couch at 11pm after a long day, no dressing rooms, no digging through piles for hidden treasures. Add free delivery and returns and the deal is sealed.

With that in mind, I thought I would share the things that are on my mental shopping list this season --some are impulse wants, and some are bigger buys I'm mulling over (spoiler alert: it's not exactly these -admittedly gorgeous- Guccis...)

Optimal

Ah, those beautiful (few) days of autumn where it's cool enough for a cotton sweater, yet still warm enough for bare legs... It's one of those rare chances to wear a fashiony, usually-impractical outfit (like wearing a coat with sandals --looks great on the pages of an editorial, not so much so in real life...). Add a completely dreamy setting like this one and you're set. So how to best take advantage of optimal conditions? 

Business-y

So, this is another one of those times where I need to dress like a grown-up... I hate wearing anything that makes me feel like I'm in costume, pretending to be some older, respectable lady.

That said, it's sometimes necessary to wear something other than jeans... On the upside, I've discovered that I can make the same top I wore to drinks in Greece (feels like a lifetime ago now!) work for a professional look that still feels me. Id est, hopefully: modern and fashionable yet appropriate.

My Obsession: Double Denim x2

I have a new obsession... double denim. I just love skirting the line between stylish and kitchy (remember my Elvis moment?). This was my favourite outfit for those warm but not-quite-hot summer days I had in London. I paired my denim short overalls with a men's denim shirt; neck open, cuffs turned up, really relaxed.

casually posing in front of St Paul's... old men's massimo dutti shirt, thrifted overalls, crossbody bag from & other stories (bought in store -in the sale!)

Can't get enough: my shirt dress fixation

A couple of posts ago I talked about the versatility of the shirt as cover-up, and now I've become obsessed with the chic simplicity and ease of the shirt dress as city wear. I recently got one and I already wish I had five more... It solves all my sartorial summer-in-the-city problems in the time it takes to pull it on --a shirt dress can work equally well over your bikini for taking you from beach to city (hello Toronto beaches!), with white trainers for running around the city or with heels for a dressier occasion.  

wearing zara dress, greek sandals, vintage just campagne bag

On-screen to real-life style

We took these on my last day in Mallorca. I had a quick errand to run (euhmm return a couple things at Zara because I'd gotten carried away euhmm) so of course I decided to dress up in tribute to Tilda Swinton's sartorial tribute to old Hollywood style in A Greater Splash (a cinematographically great, but plot-wise mediocre film if you want my opinion... worth it just for the costumes though!). In essence, all her outfits look super elegant and refined, yet they are simple and strictly comfortable…

zara body, ivivi trousers turned into culottes, sandals bought in greeve, rayban sunnies, &other stories bag

Summer essentials (incl. iced espresso, the Greek way)

Greece was amazing. I got the sunshine, technology break (well... a not so radical one ;)) and time to catch up with friends that I needed. Not to mention finally having access to proper iced coffee... I carefully observed how it's made so I can tell you how it's done --check it out at the end of the post ;)

John P shirt (a Greek brand), h&m shorts (old), & other stories crossbody bag (bought in the sale!), leather shoes bought in Spain 

Back-of-the-cupboard, perfect-plane-snack bars

Ah, what to eat when travelling. You end up spending so much money on overpriced, average airport food, and while nowadays they do have plant-based options, I actually (how old-school of me) enjoy trying to creatively scrape together the random bits I have left on my shelf into something that will keep me happy while I travel. So, after showing you how to pack, I thought I would get you covered on the cupboard-emptying, travel-fuelling snack department with these cereal bars I made. Try them out; they make for a very satisfying snack. They are easy to make and turn out much cheaper than those tiny bars that sell for about 2 euros a piece ...though whether there will be any left by the time I actually board my plane remains to be seen, because this experiment actually turned out --if I may say so myself- pretty delicious. The ingredients list is very flexible and can be adapted to whatever you have lying about in your cupboard.

My perfect plane companions: a home-made snack and a good book... So far I'm really enjoying The Casual Vacancy!

A guide to packing like a minimalist + my travelling hero pieces

In view of the summer holidays, and because I consider myself a bit of a packing magician, I thought I would share a short guide for fitting everything you need into your seemingly tiny carry-on case. Not only will you avoid spending on baggage allowance rather than your actual trip (or your clothes budget, you know), you will also -by necessity- end up with a more compact, edited selection of clothes to build your looks from, which will make it much easier to get dressed!

&other stories sunhat (on sale now) and my old favourites: my dress-up-or-down zara jumpsuit and my tommy hilfiger denim biker

Status Update: Things I've Fallen In Love With

Forgive the radio silence for the past month while I...

-celebrated my birthday (v. important!)
-finished and handed in my master's thesis
-applied, got and started a fashion-related(!) internship in London.
Did I mention London? I'm so excited!

I've had no time to sit and write until now BUT I'm as determined as ever to keep up with regular posting, so keep checking this space!

To catch you up, I thought I would round up a few of the things I've (re)discovered and become to some degree obsessed with over the past month.

Why I Focus on Vegan Food (& Why Labeling Things Is Not What Matters)

Maybe you've noticed that, in the past few months, I have been posting almost (if not entirely) vegan recipes. Or maybe you've noticed nothing at all, which is cool; I don't really intend you to see the food I talk about as vegan -just delicious food you can make too.

If you know me in real life, by this point we've probably already had the discussion on why I call myself a vegan these days (and what that means)...

chili stew with avocado dip (all vegan) courtesy of JO and my roomie

Un Café con Hielo (Por Favor)

We had a heatwave in Amsterdam last week -crazy, huh? 

I'm hoping this means only decent weather from now on... so I can wear all the summery things I love: Sandals, shoes that would *definitely* get ruined in the rain (OK, I actually sprayed them with waterproof spray because you never know), backless tops and airy cardigans and cropped jeans and... yeah. 

The only problem remaining now is educating Amsterdam cafés to the concept of iced coffee! I'm tired of getting a milkshake instead of what sounds pretty self-evident to me, so I've decided to share how I make my favourite summer (coffee) drink along with what I wore to go argue with the baristas at the local café -come along!

Quinoa Tabbouleh Super Salad

The other day I thought of making a tabbouleh-inspired salad, replacing the traditional bulgur with quinoa. Quinoa is an awesome superfood (as we are all aware by now :P), and I think it actually works even better than bulgur because it gives the tabbouleh extra texture and 'bite'.

This salad is very satisfying, yet at the same time zingy and fresh -perfect for spring (can you tell I'm excited?)! I supercharged my tabbouleh with roasted vegetables and chickpeas, but it's up to you to play with the recipe: leave out the oven veggies or add diced peppers, for example. The Mediterranean-inspired herbs and spices are what really makes the tabbouleh literally burst with flavour...

My Kingsday Stall & 5 Tips for Wardrobe Decluttering

Happy belated Kingsday! For the non-Dutchies amongst you, Kingsday is a crazy Dutch national holiday where everyone wears orange, sells their things on the street and parties in celebration of the King's birthday.

Rather than entering the topic of whether I think celebrating monarchy is weird (to say the least), I wanted to share an (unusually maximalist) snapshot of my Kingsday pop-up stall!

our improvised Kingsday stall

This was my first year selling things on Kingsday (yes, I'm slowly becoming Dutch...) and it was really fun! Everyone is out on the street and you sit in the sun and drink wine and chat to people and next thing you know six hours have gone by and hey, you've even made some pocket money -with the additional benefit of decluttering your wardrobe.

I thought it was so cool how my old, unwanted clothes found new, (hopefully loving) owners. If that's not the perfect way to do a spring clean, then I don't know what is.

Spring in Paris

Yeah right, don't I wish! Well actually, spring has been pretty good in Amsterdam this year: The days are suddenly filled with sunshine and last way past dinnertime, the trees have started to bloom and markings are beginning to appear all over the sidewalks, which can only mean that Kingsday is just around the corner! 

wearing h&m top, &other stories skirt

Dressing in this weather can be a bit tricky -you might want to wear your shorts when you look out your sunny window, but obviously you'd freeze in a second if the sun hid behind a cloud. On the other hand, I hate being wrapped up in dark, heavy and depressing winter clothes when the sun is out, so finding myself in this situation the other day, I turned to Parisian chic for a little inspiration. I think this was probably also a case of my Instagram feed resurfacing from my subconscious, because these pictures from @lizachloe's Instagram (at least she really was in Paris!) definitely inspired me...

Summer Box

Do you like the #flatlay I've got going on?

weekday swimsuit, h&m shorts (old), shoes bought in mallorca, ray ban sunglasses and avene sunscreen (as always)

Angie's soup

My friend Angie is kind of a nutrition freak -I always have to ask her for clarifications at least once per sentence once she's started to explain something food-related, which is how our conversations usually go since she's determined to educate me to be healthy through my food choices. She recently had the chance to impart a few lessons since she came to visit... And I got to see how she puts them into practice with some delicious and super-healthy dishes, like this fragrant red lentil soup that I've been making on repeat ever since.

my roommate and I are book lovers so I always have naturally occurring props...

Party Favourites (that also work in real life)

Here's a party outfit that pretty much sums up everything I've been obsessed with lately -and I do mean that quite literally, this is not just fashion speak! Read on...

zara trf body (12,95), &other stories liquid lipstick in munjeet fig (15), but I paid  a bit less because I returned an old nail polish ;)), vintage polo ralph lauren jeans & earrings

Beauty and all that

I haven´t really talked beauty since mentioning the graphic eyeliner look that I experimented with over Christmas -truth is, when it comes to beauty I tend to stick to the few things that I know, because the world of makeup/beauty seems vast and confusing to me...

That said, I have been trying to explore a little bit more -nothing crazy or over the top, just small twists to get me out of my routine -or make new ones! ;) Read on to see what I've been trying out over the past few weeks...

happy child with different hair

The jeans cut I've been loving lately

Due to the difficulty of finding jeans that fit me in combination with my lazy attitude when it comes to finding the 'golden pair', I don't own that many pairs and tend to stick to the same cuts when I buy them (high-waisted skinny and what my guy friends call 'potato sack' aka mom jeans)... maybe you can relate.

wearing zara jeans and sweater, adidas sneakers, just campagne bag and oliver people's sunglasses, both vintage 

Zen bowls

So, a healthy, feel-good lunch (or dinner) that you don't need to fuss much about? Challenge accepted.

I love the idea of assembling yourself a bowl of goodness. It's all about some minor prep, so when you want to eat, all you have to do is open your fridge and put your bowl together however you like it. Which is why it's a zen bowl ;) More than a recipe, this is a guideline / inspiration so you can build yours... Obviously arranging prettily is an optional bonus! Read how I do it after the break ;)

avocado, sauteed garlicky spinach, roasted carrots, brown rice, and tahini dressing

Style moods

Today I thought I would do a round-up of my latest selfies style fixations and the things that I've been wearing &thinking about lately...

a few of my favourite things: black lace bra (oysho), white V neck tee and long cardigan (both weekday)...

Ice Cream for Breakfast!

Ha, that title got you, didn't it? I'm not even kidding though.

The thing is, I really like starting my day off with a breakfast that is jam-packed with healthy goodness (so I can have all the wine and chocolate later, haha). At the same time, I often use breakfast as an incentive to get myself out of bed, and there are days when I need a particularly sweet and tempting incentive to get out of said bed...

In other words, I want to have my cake and eat it too, and as it turns out, I've discovered that ice cream and a healthy breakfast are not so irreconcileable after all...

The perfect...

Today's outfit is about one of my biggest (fashion-related) afflictions -which at the same time is, as these things usually are, one of the things that make me who I am.

Sky's the limit

Here's an unusual post for you, in which 

a- there are actual, blogger style pictures of me
(thanks Yana -check out her blog!-, and thanks sun for making a guest appearance) 

b- I'm wearing, like, a really short skirt. Omg.

Interview stories

As I realized some time ago, transitioning from being a carefree bachelor’s student to a young professional that applies to jobs internships is not always easy… And I’m not just talking about being on time and budgeting for things other than beer and partying (I’ve always been more of a wine and Grey’s Anatomy kind of person anyway ;) The fact is, when you go to a liberal university you can wear pretty much whatever you like; a privilege one only fully appreciates in retrospect, when you suddenly realize that you have nothing resembling work attire, and crop tops aren’t gonna cut it at a job interview.

Not too long ago, I was caught in the same situation: an interview to go to but no suit, pencil skirt, sheer tights, or anything like that. Luckily the interview was not for a very formal environment, so I could still be a version of myself –here’s what I ended up wearing.

Ankle boots &other stories, jeans weekday, vintage shirt (marbles), zara sweater and old wool scarf.

Signature style

I've been thinking about 'signature' style... Personally, I like to experiment with how I dress, so I don't really have a specific style or a 'uniform'. What I think is really nice, though, is having that one 'signature item' you (almost always) wear, so it becomes your thing. Kind of like Miranda Presley's white Hermès scarves in the Devil Wears Prada book ;)

&other stories gloves, essie 'Park Avenue' nail polish , all else vintage/unknown

Five minute lunch wonder

It's been some time since I did food here, but this is too good not to share. I made this out of the random things I had in my fridge and it was delicious. It also happens to be really good for you (vegan, GF, full of good nutrients etc.), so here you go.

remembering to photograph halfway through the meal... 

Status update

Soo. Here's what's been up in my life lately...

I spent the winter holidays in Greece. Hung out with my mom, totally avoided work, met up with friends and generally got the rest and relaxation I needed.

Fancy dress

Sooo, this is what I should've worn on New Year's Eve...if I'd bothered to get out of my pyjamas that is, which I didn't. Instead I improvised dinner for my mom, which was really nice! So I'm showing you what I wore on Christmas instead -we went out for dinner by the way, I didn't just hang out on the couch in this ;)

happy wearing weekday top, vintage trousers and old &other stories shoes