summer-uniform
By On In Shopping, Wardrobe1,473 Comments

Hi there! Long time no see. I have been M.I.A. for quite a while and I figured it was time for a comeback. I will keep the reason for my sudden absence short; I have been taking care of my grandfather who sadly passed away in April.* Surely you’ll understand, blogging was the last thing on my mind. But hey, let’s give it another go! Let’s talk summer uniforms while we’re still going through a heat wave.

Above I present to you my current summer uniform which mainly consists of new purchases I made last month. Even though temperatures have risen to an extreme, I still want to look somewhat put together, and for me, this outfit does the trick. I panicked a little when I read the weather predictions and realised I had hardly anything to wear. Jeans were definitely not an option and the few tops I owned had been literally worn to death. As much as I’m all for careful wardrobe planning and thoughtful purchases, I quickly decided I wasn’t prepared to spend a small fortune on a pair of designer trousers and t-shirts that will be washed over and over again the upcoming two months. So instead, I opted for more affordable options.

1. H&M white t-shirt. Even though I usually prefer a round neckline, I really like the fit of this particular shirt.
2. Weekday Ella trousers. You can never go wrong with a pair of gray classic trousers. They’re supposed to hit just above the ankle (If you’re two metres tall maybe). But cuffs work just fine and I like the look with sandals.
3. Tiffany Diamonds by the yard bracelet. I bought this bracelet years ago after I saw it on Geraldine Saglio from French Vogue and I landed my first ‘real’ job. It’s delicate and subtle, just how I like it.
4. Chanel Illusion D’ombre eyeshadow in Mirage. This eyeshadow is pretty awesome. It has a silky cream texture in a beautiful gold shimmery shade. It comes with a small brush, but fingers work just as well.
5. H&M sandals. A tiny bit of colour to spice things up. They’re actually pretty comfortable for just €25. I bought them on a whim, but so far no regrets.

Those last two sentences pretty much sum up my recent shopping experience by the way. When things are cheap, they’re can be pretty hard to resist. Just €8 for a t-shirt? Let’s get three of them. Do I really need those sandals? Well, they’re just €25. But trust me when I say I’m back to my old responsible self again. I will soon start planning my fall/winter purchases.

Now tell me, what do you prefer to wear when we’re dealing with temperatures as high as 36 degrees celsius?

* Sorry for casually mentioning such a sad event in a post like this, but I did want to give you guys a short explanation for my absence without writing a separate post and going into details.

macbook-marble
By On In Shopping420 Comments

So Thursday evening was pretty interesting, to say the least. I finally made up my mind and decided to go with the Mansur Gavriel bucket bag. What I didn’t know is that it’s very hard to get your hands on one of these bags. What I assumed would be a piece of cake, turned out to be a real test of patience. MG didn’t announce a particular launch time for the apparently, much anticipated restock, so I refreshed every thirty minutes at work (how naive). But when it was time to go home, still no sign of those pretty minimalistic bags. At home I sat down with my laptop and decided to keep an eye on their Instagram for the announcement of the launch. If I was able to get one, great, otherwise, too bad. Better luck next time. But as the day passed, more and more people started to get anxious and turned to the Mansur Gavriel Instagram to express their frustration. Especially when the E-shop went online somewhere between nine and ten in the evening and everything was sold out in a matter of minutes. I had my eyes set on the black/ballerina bucket bag, but every time I wanted to check out, it was no longer in stock. I gave up. Luckily I have an amazing boyfriend who doesn’t take no for an answer, and he managed to get through.

It’s strange what a simple product can do to people. Some people stayed up the entire night, others took a day off from work or called to say they would be late. Even I started to stress a little when I had to sign up for an account, which would take another couple of minutes. Of course this is nothing compared to for instance Black Friday. Another example of how materialistic we sometimes are. I know I am occasionally and I’m not proud of it (I felt like such an idiot, refreshing that website every five seconds between nine and ten, but at that point there was no turning back). I honestly can’t wait for my bag to arrive but I will never put myself through such a time consuming and frustrating process again. There’s more to life than a bag or a pair of shoes.What is the craziest thing you ever did in order to get your hands on something you really wanted?

Image: Pinterest
mansur-gavriel-bucket-bag
By On In Shopping2,251 Comments

Ok, so here’s the deal. I would love to be that person that owns just one or two bags until they completely wear out before considering another one. But who wants to wear a Balenciaga bag to death? Not me. I want to use it for as long as possible. So I need another medium sized bag to rotate with. Below you’ll find some of my favourites but I still haven’t made up my mind. Although I’m starting to feel some pressure ever since I received an email from Mansur Gavriel that new stock is coming up in a couple of days. And we all know what happens when something is a. limited or b. hard to find. So what to do!?

Mansur Gavriel bucket bag (€495)
It’s everywhere. Well, at least online. I have never seen this bag in real life. Consequently, that also means I’ve never been able to feel the leather and to see how it looks on me. A big plus though, is the design. Very clean yet still interesting and different. And don’t forget the price! Expensive, but more reasonable than another Balenciaga bag.

Balenciaga bag (€1245)
I know, I already own one. But it’s an ongoing love affair for almost four years now. So maybe I should consider getting the same brand bag in a different model of colour? The Velo looks interesting and seems to be able to hold a lot. I already know that the craftsmanship is excellent and it hardly shows any damage. Unlike that Mansur Gavriel bag with it’s smooth leather. But still, I already own one.

Everlane Petra bag ($365)
Another bag that’s a little more budget friendly but unfortunately not available to anyone outside the US or Canada. I might be able to get my hands on it when we go to New York but that won’t be until the end of August or the beginning of September. The soft, smooth leather looks beautiful and I usually love a nice tote bag, but maybe the design is just a bit too simple for it’s price? Hmm…As you can see, all very different bags with price tags ranging from rather affordable to completely ridiculous. But please note that I can afford the occasional splurge and I have no problem with investing in a bag that will last me for years to come. An expensive brand is definitely not a must. I’m pretty sure hardly anyone recognises either my Céline bag or Balenciaga bag. And I’m totally fine with that because I don’t want to explain to anyone why I spent €600 on a small cross body bag. Yikes! But I do have a penchant for beautifully designed bags that are of outstanding quality. And I think I can find both in the options mentioned above. Let me know if you have any other suggestions or maybe even a favourite out of these three bags.

Image: Pinterest