Summer Whites

Those of you that know me and/or follow along here, know that I basically live in black (actually, I’m wearing a black tank dress right now). What I’m lacking in my summer wardrobe, however, is white. I found that the pieces I do have are either so crisp that I can’t bear the thought of wearing them down into the subway on a gross hot/humid summer day or are dramatic and not really meant for frequent wear.  I need to stock up on a few basics and work those into my day-to-day because white really is more light and airy in this crazy heat. A cute little white dress won’t hurt either, it would basically be the solution to the problem of what to wear for every brunch, lunch and even summer dinner.

 

DRESS / LIP BALM / SHORTS / T-SHIRT / SNEAKERS / RING / HAT 

 

 

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Kyoto Photo Diary (pt.2)

 

Like I said before, Kyoto was like stepping into a magical land where everything is beautiful, and also kind of in the past. After visiting so many insane temples and gardens, you just kind of start to go numb and stop outwardly freaking the way you did for the first few, especially when you’re so tired you can’t even see straight. Kyoto is seriously quaint, and there really aren’t many big, shiny hotels like in other cities, although there are more under construction that will open in the next few years. Without too much to choose from, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency, which turned out to be awesome. This was the second hotel (after the Park Hyatt Tokyo) where I was greeted with a bouquet of flowers from the front desk. We had an amazing corner suite,E but the hotel was so overbooked that they could only give us a room with two beds. After several apologies, they sent up some people to push the beds together, which I thought was hilarious because when we got upstairs, each bed was definitely bigger than a queen. After about a half-hour of work, the two guys were done “pushing the beds together” and we went back into the bedroom to find the most gigantic bed we had ever seen. It was basically two king-sized beds made into one and, in true Japanese form, they made the bed so perfectly that we couldn’t feel the crack between the two beds. I have no idea how they did it, but it was flawless.

You would think with so many zen gardens and Buddhist temples that we would be relatively calm in Kyoto… that would be normal, but that was not the case. As usual, we had a lot to see in limited time and we both get insane cases of FoMo if we don’t get to see everything we’ve deemed to be important in a city. I was literally dragging my tired ass around, and I was definitely reflecting that, as well as the laid back vibe of the city in general, in the way I was dressing. I sort of gave up, and it felt so good. I stuck to the most basic and comfortable clothes I had with me, and covered it all up with a giant green tent of a windbreaker. Boom.

JEANS / AVIATORS / RAINCOAT / SCRUNCHIE / LONG SLEEVE TEE / YOGA PANTS 

 

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Tokyo Denim and Leather

I thought I did pretty well and stayed level-headed while shopping at the biggest Uniqlo in the world the day before our lovely stroll in the beautiful Hamarikyu Gardens. I only picked up a few basic things that will definitely come in handy all the time. I couldn’t wait to wear this cute denim dress from their collaboration with Ines de la Fressange and it was the perfect thing to pair with my trusty sneaks for another day of walking around like crazy people. It was casual enough to be comfortable and nice enough to go into any restaurant or tea salon without feeling like a hobo. Click on the links below the images to shop similar:

Topshop Denim Shirtdress / Helmut Lang Leather Jacket / Adidas Originals Stan Smith Sneakers / Ray-Ban Original Aviator Sunglasses / Free People Slouchy Tote 

 

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Singapore Adventures

I haven’t been able to stop raving about Singapore since I’ve been back. Aside from being beautiful, everything about it fascinates me – from the government to the laws to the mix of cultures that make up this city-state with four official languages. Walking around and exploring the various neighborhoods felt like taking several small trips all in one day. Also, running around to so many spots with limited time is no joke, especially in that heat.

We started with the Arab Quarter and had an amazing time walking through all the textile stores and seeing all the beautiful and colorful fabrics (I have yet to figure out what I’m going to do with everything I bought). Following a recommendation from the concierge at our hotel, I went to find the tiny, but amazing JR Fragrance House to buy perfume. I had made my way to the one the Louis Vuitton travel guide recommended, but not only was the sales person not nice, everything there smelled just a little bit generic and way too musky for my taste. The woman at JR was so nice and very helpful, telling us everything she knew about every blend and letting us take our time to decide what to get. All I can say is that I should have gotten more – even though my tiny container will last a while I’m definitely going to be sad when its all gone.

Next, we made our way through little India where we got lured into a lovely shop by the bright colors but stayed because of an ice cold bottle of water I got from the owner. The flower garlands were amazing and I wanted to buy one in every color but they wouldn’t have even made it back to my hotel room in that heat.

By night, hitting the Maxwell Road Hawker Center for some food was a lot of fun, cheap and delicious – also a great time to wander around China Town for extra snacks and Chotchkies. A nice walk led us over to the pubs by the Fullerton Hotel at the Singapore River and then ended the night with a visit to the Merlion by the water.

Lots of walking in the heat calls for comfortable shoes and breezy clothes – don’t forget the sunscreen! (click the links below to shop)

Free People Slouchy Vegan Tote / Kiehl’s Sunscreen SPF 50 / Adidas Originals Stan Smith Sneakers / Ray Ban Original Aviator Sunglasses / ONE by Pink Stitch Resort Maxi Dress

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Duomo Dreams

Before NY and real life gets crazy again in March, I was able to escape to Italy with my husband for a few days. Neither of us had ever been to Milan so we decided that was the perfect place to go and explore. So, having barely unpacked from our trip to Toronto, we were off again less than two days later. Of course, first stop was the Duomo and it completely blew me away. To say I was geeking out the entire trip is an understatement, and I’m sure any Art History major can back me up on this one – there is something completely mind blowing everywhere you look.

As usual, we were on a tight schedule with so much to see in so little time, so we would usually leave early and not get back to the hotel until before dinner to change then it was back out until after food + drinks. This was the perfect opportunity to really break in my Stan Smiths because (other than the fact that I’m in love with them) we were walking around at a brisk pace for the entire day. Milan was also a nice break from the deep freeze back home, so I was able to actually layer with nice pieces to be warm and comfortable rather than hiding in a giant parka. The fur vest was key – while it wasn’t technically that cold, it was damp, and that will chill you to the bone. The classic white button-down is so versatile and something I never travel without and also, my new 3 x 1 jeans were perfectly comfortable and the clean wash pulled the entire outfit together.

button down shirt: Gap / Jeans: 3 x 1 / Shoes: Adidas / Coat: Theory / Vest: 525 america / Bag: Cappio              (Click to shop similar)

 

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