just wanted a fresh start.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Fashion haul
So, was in London over the weekend and spent way too much money.
Kind of depresses me how much I spent, but I'll probably get over it. Always do.
Walked up and down Oxford Street, numerous times, 2 days in a row and here were some of my finds: (I apologize in advance for poor lighting / positioning)
H&M
I don't particularly like shopping at H&M because I usually end up never wearing the things I buy. This is probably due to the fact that the material isn't amazing and I realize only after -- which is why I promised myself that I would only buy designer clothing. TOO BAD my college student budget just does not cut it.
Bought this fringed knit poncho for 10£ ($16.00). Seems much cheaper in pounds, so I'll stick with that instead of converting into USD.
I have been OBSESSED with KNITS since I've been in Europe for some reason. I don't care -- I'll wear knits throughout the spring coz I do what I want. Yaheard? Um, okay.
Urban Outfitters
is way pricier in the UK, but what isn't pricier in the UK...?
So, for those of you who know me, my whole wardrobe consists of BLACK, BLACK, and more BLACK. And frankly, I've had enough. I don't want to wear black anymore! (Currently, I'm wearing white, gray, some black, and blue!)
This Kimchi Blue, floral print dress caught my eye because I could see myself prancing around the streets of Italy with the wind blowing through my hair. (Yes, Italy for spring break in 10 days!) 20£. Worth it? Not so sure, to be honest, but at least it adds some color to my wardrobe.
Topshop
My favorite store of all time, aka money stealing scoundrel.
I regret not saving all my money for topshop. It was closed the first day we went shopping due to some riots / strike on Oxford Street so we went back the next day. However, the next day I didn't have enough money to buy a whole lot so just decided to go with this dress.
Goldie London 'Jelie' Dress 30£.
There was actually another dress that I wanted to get -- another floral print one that I could yet again see myself seeing in Italy, on a warm, romantic evening, at a dinner for two next to the river.....but as soon as I tried this one on, I was sold. It's so me -- a juxtaposition of edgy and soft, if that makes sense.
This dress will be the one I float around in.
Primark
Motherboard of all discount shopping.
It was INFESTED with people. It was IMPOSSIBLE to breathe, but we went both days. (Sunday was better than Saturday).
Playsuit. 5£. Yeah, you got that right. Only 5 clams.
The fit isn't perfect, but it'll do. Also, couldn't try it on because everybody and their mother was on the fitting room line.
7£. I don't know why I bought this. The material is not too great, but I guess I needed a brown bag? I don't know. I regret this purchase.
5£. One thing that I don't regret buying from Primark. (Also bought 2 pairs of flats)
I didn't even know these beauts were only 5, I thought they were 10. So imagine my surprise and delight when the cashier rang me up. Also, by this time I was literally down to my last piece of cash.
---
Overall, shopping in London was awesome because shopping is always awesome, but I regret buying so much and spending too much. These items are only a few things I bought...Yes, I bought more.
Things I learned (and am still learning):
1) Have to be a smarter shopper -- 20 Pounds does not = 20 USD.
2) Have to budget better.
3) You should try on things before you buy them.
4) Less does not always equal more...
5) It's better to save up for ONE thing of good quality that you love rather than buy a few things of lesser quality that you just like.
And one promise I hope to keep -- No more shopping until I'm back in the states. (Chyeah, right. But I'll try)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Eurotrip
Finally, a much needed update. Haven't updated in nearly 2 months. That is just plain SAD! Bad Christine.
But in my defense, I do have plenty of other sites I update pretty regularly including twitter, tumblr, and xanga.
So, so far Paris has been amazing, awesome, splendid, superb. The weather is also warming up which very pleasant. The other day, went to the Tuileries Gardens and had a picnic next to the fountain while watching cute little kids playing with sail boats. But this update will not be about Paris, but about the trips I've been on within the past months to Brussels/Bruge, Madrid, and London (hence "Eurotrip").
Belgian Waffleeee!
The Aftermath.
This is what alcohol does to you. Don't drink and drive kids.
Bruge by train, baby. Sat in first class by accident and was told to move after a little while. Was pretty embarrassing.
Bruge! Very picturesque, no?
Moving on---
2) Madrid (photodiary)
Pictures can probably say it better than I can explain:
what would a trip to Madrid be without CHURROS dipped in HOT CHOCOLATE?
and of COURSE can't forget the paella! my tummy just growled.
suicide bridge. ><
little girl frolicking in the garden
amazing, amazing puppeteers
berry shots in edible chocolate shot glass
tapasss
Side note: My boyfriend asked me to be his girlfriend in Plaza Mayor (awww). Long story short, one skinny Australian dude managed to capture the attention of all the tourists in the square and so a huge crowd gathered around him to see him escape from heavy chains and what not. I was getting bored, so I headed over to another man in a clam suit. I then turned around to see my boyfriend had followed me. He then proceeded to ask me to be his girlfriend (awwwwwh).
3)London (photodiary)
Actually (surprisingly) did not take any photos for myself and relied on my friends because I didn't feel like lugging around my heavy-ass Nikon while on the tour / shopping. And spent WAY TOO MUCH MONEY on stuff...(will do a fashion haul on another post perhaps. pictures of what I bought, reviews, etc.)
Couple shots I stole from them:
We were lucky to have AMAZING weather. London is usually so dreary and grey, which is obviously not the case in this picture.
morning tea.
topshop/topman was closed on saturday due to the strike/riot. made me REALLY sad.
fish&chips baby.
please tell me they DON'T look like Diglet (pokemon lovers out there)
the squirrels were absolutely fearless! this one climbed onto my shoe and probably would have scampered up my leg if i didn't recoil.
But in my defense, I do have plenty of other sites I update pretty regularly including twitter, tumblr, and xanga.
So, so far Paris has been amazing, awesome, splendid, superb. The weather is also warming up which very pleasant. The other day, went to the Tuileries Gardens and had a picnic next to the fountain while watching cute little kids playing with sail boats. But this update will not be about Paris, but about the trips I've been on within the past months to Brussels/Bruge, Madrid, and London (hence "Eurotrip").
Since I do have a presentation to do, 2 10 page research papers, 1 photo project, french composition, I will try to make this snappy.
1) Brussels/Bruge (photodiary)
Aside from the fact that every other person we walked by said "Ni hao" and other racist remarks, the trip was good overall. Also, that weekend the weather was not too great. Was grey and rainy. To sum up Brussles -- waffles, pomme frites, beer, and shopping. Bruge reminded me of Disneyworld, but in a good way!
Belgian Waffleeee!
The Aftermath.
This is what alcohol does to you. Don't drink and drive kids.
Bruge by train, baby. Sat in first class by accident and was told to move after a little while. Was pretty embarrassing.
Bruge! Very picturesque, no?
Moving on---
2) Madrid (photodiary)
Pictures can probably say it better than I can explain:
what would a trip to Madrid be without CHURROS dipped in HOT CHOCOLATE?
and of COURSE can't forget the paella! my tummy just growled.
suicide bridge. ><
little girl frolicking in the garden
amazing, amazing puppeteers
berry shots in edible chocolate shot glass
tapasss
Side note: My boyfriend asked me to be his girlfriend in Plaza Mayor (awww). Long story short, one skinny Australian dude managed to capture the attention of all the tourists in the square and so a huge crowd gathered around him to see him escape from heavy chains and what not. I was getting bored, so I headed over to another man in a clam suit. I then turned around to see my boyfriend had followed me. He then proceeded to ask me to be his girlfriend (awwwwwh).
3)London (photodiary)
Actually (surprisingly) did not take any photos for myself and relied on my friends because I didn't feel like lugging around my heavy-ass Nikon while on the tour / shopping. And spent WAY TOO MUCH MONEY on stuff...(will do a fashion haul on another post perhaps. pictures of what I bought, reviews, etc.)
Couple shots I stole from them:
We were lucky to have AMAZING weather. London is usually so dreary and grey, which is obviously not the case in this picture.
morning tea.
topshop/topman was closed on saturday due to the strike/riot. made me REALLY sad.
fish&chips baby.
please tell me they DON'T look like Diglet (pokemon lovers out there)
the squirrels were absolutely fearless! this one climbed onto my shoe and probably would have scampered up my leg if i didn't recoil.
---
Spring break in 10 days! Milan --> Venice --> Rome --> Naples --> Barcelona --> Back to Paris.
Will most DEFINITELY be taking pictures and documenting my travels.
More blog posts to come within the next few days. I want to share all my purchases made in London.
And going to Marseille this weekend actually. Wow, I travel a lot. Interferes with my studies, but no worries. Haha.
Until next time.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Weekend Recap
If you haven't noticed already, I don't blog frequently and I don't really blog unless I do something interesting enough to blog about. And don't get me wrong, I do interesting things often but I get lazy!
Since I'm lazy, I'm going to do a recap on my weekend.
Thursday was the last day of intensive French pre-lims. We had 4 hours of French a day for 10 days. CRAZINESS, but I did learn a lot. To celebrate, our professor took us to his favorite bar with drinks on him (well, one drink a person). It was super fun!
Here are some pictures:
A bar. Yeah yeah you get the point.
Moving on!
On Sunday after church, my friends and I headed over to Les Arts Decoratifs, next to the Louvre, to view a fashion exhibition -- Les Annèes 1990 & 2000: Histoire Idèale de La Mode Contemporaine Vol. 2.
Amazing pieces from renowned fashion designers were on display for all to see. Being a student under 25, I got in FO' FREE. It was an amazing experience. I go crazy over things that I like -- fashion being one of few things.
Photography was NOT allowed, but I couldn't help myself. I took some ninja shots of the designer's works. I hope I don't get sued. The ones I couldn't get, I drew sketches of, which I can't share because I don't have a scanner.
Margiela Hair Coat!
Helmut Lang -- one of my favorite designers
Lanvin par Claude Montana -- EXQUISITE wrap cape thing.
E2 -- recycles material from other designers to create own pieces.
Jewelry Section
Additional pics can be found on my flickr. And not too shabby for ninja pics eh? There were guards to avoid! Didn't get caught once ;) Not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing.
To wrap up:
Went shopping all day Saturday. My mom wanted me to post some pics of my purchases so here goes nothing. The Paris Solde season is basically over, BUMMER. But, here is what I managed to snag --
The LAST one. Olive green cardigan w/ fur and gold buttons (Zara). Only 20€! My new favorite cardigan. I want to wear it year round, but too bad there's spring and summer in between. Bummer.
Needed heels because I stupidly forgot mine at home. The only pair I brought is YSL black heels that are impossible to walk in on Paris cobblestone walkways. Zara -- 30€. Bought them without much thought, but they're really beautiful! Love them.
Some cheapo 5€ shirt I bought at pimkie. It's cute though. And too be fair it used to be 30€. I don't do florals because they're too girly for my taste, but it's black and sheer which adds some edginess I GUESS.
Loving Paris thus far. Still have so much to do and so much to see!
Classes started today. I only have French on Mondays and my professor and class are still the same as pre-lims.
Tomorrow I have 2 additional classes -- Fashion and Power and Global Media Seminar taught by Rachel K. Ward. I'm reading up on her and she seems AMAZING!
Only problem is that these classes are back to back from 12:30pm - 7pm in the same classroom, with the same professor. Worst scheduling EVER nyu?!!?!?!?!
Excited and scared at the same time for the workload to come.
Going to finish my French homework and go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a LONG day.
Until next time (:
Since I'm lazy, I'm going to do a recap on my weekend.
Thursday was the last day of intensive French pre-lims. We had 4 hours of French a day for 10 days. CRAZINESS, but I did learn a lot. To celebrate, our professor took us to his favorite bar with drinks on him (well, one drink a person). It was super fun!
Here are some pictures:
A bar. Yeah yeah you get the point.
Moving on!
On Sunday after church, my friends and I headed over to Les Arts Decoratifs, next to the Louvre, to view a fashion exhibition -- Les Annèes 1990 & 2000: Histoire Idèale de La Mode Contemporaine Vol. 2.
Amazing pieces from renowned fashion designers were on display for all to see. Being a student under 25, I got in FO' FREE. It was an amazing experience. I go crazy over things that I like -- fashion being one of few things.
Photography was NOT allowed, but I couldn't help myself. I took some ninja shots of the designer's works. I hope I don't get sued. The ones I couldn't get, I drew sketches of, which I can't share because I don't have a scanner.
Margiela Hair Coat!
Helmut Lang -- one of my favorite designers
Lanvin par Claude Montana -- EXQUISITE wrap cape thing.
E2 -- recycles material from other designers to create own pieces.
Jewelry Section
Additional pics can be found on my flickr. And not too shabby for ninja pics eh? There were guards to avoid! Didn't get caught once ;) Not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing.
To wrap up:
Went shopping all day Saturday. My mom wanted me to post some pics of my purchases so here goes nothing. The Paris Solde season is basically over, BUMMER. But, here is what I managed to snag --
The LAST one. Olive green cardigan w/ fur and gold buttons (Zara). Only 20€! My new favorite cardigan. I want to wear it year round, but too bad there's spring and summer in between. Bummer.
Needed heels because I stupidly forgot mine at home. The only pair I brought is YSL black heels that are impossible to walk in on Paris cobblestone walkways. Zara -- 30€. Bought them without much thought, but they're really beautiful! Love them.
Some cheapo 5€ shirt I bought at pimkie. It's cute though. And too be fair it used to be 30€. I don't do florals because they're too girly for my taste, but it's black and sheer which adds some edginess I GUESS.
Loving Paris thus far. Still have so much to do and so much to see!
Classes started today. I only have French on Mondays and my professor and class are still the same as pre-lims.
Tomorrow I have 2 additional classes -- Fashion and Power and Global Media Seminar taught by Rachel K. Ward. I'm reading up on her and she seems AMAZING!
Only problem is that these classes are back to back from 12:30pm - 7pm in the same classroom, with the same professor. Worst scheduling EVER nyu?!!?!?!?!
Excited and scared at the same time for the workload to come.
Going to finish my French homework and go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a LONG day.
Until next time (:
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Vintage Shopping in Paris
Today, I went vintage shopping with Betty and Zena in Les Marais (4th Arr. St. John metro stop.)
I had researched the "best" vintage shops in Paris in regards to price (#1) and merchandise and decided to take a look for myself.
First stop was Coiffeur, my hands down favorite place!
I didn't really get to take too many pictures because I felt awkward, first of all, my camera was getting too heavy, and there were just too many people.
Now this place isn't too big. The racks are pretty much right next to each other and since it was so cold out today, everybody -- me included -- was wearing huge jackets that wasn't making the room issue any better.
The one complaint I have about this place is that there is no room for breathing, although I'm sure today wasn't as bad as most days. I almost had a heart attack when I went into the store because I was mesmerized by how much merchandise they had and the cheap cheap cheap prices. You could find really nice things for just 10€, which I did.
I was eyeing a girl trying on a cute polka dot dress with puffy sleeves and as soon as she put it down, I asked her where she got it. Turns out she didn't want it so I walked off like a champion. However, I got home and tried it on. It is very cute, but it's just not me. I knew that at the store too, but I thought I would try to change up my style. It just doesn't work. I guess I'll have to give it to one of my friends or sell it. Whichever.
The clothes hanging are actually the curtains for the dressing room. Very cute, but very squished area. Notice how the picture is blurry from people being all around me and me not being able to focus. Or maybe I just suck at taking pictures.
Anyway, definitely check this place out if you're bargain hunting for nice vintage clothes in Paris. You WILL leave with something. Especially if you like eccentric knit sweaters (which I do). Only 10€.
And again, I don't have too many pictures because it was crazy and I was overwhelmed with excitement.
Next stop was Free'p'star.
Another HIT. There were also too many people here, but there's no question as to why. The ambiance was similar to Coiffeur's but they definitely had more things because the store was a tad bit bigger with a downstairs included.
The stairs leading downstairs were too narrow and kind of dangerous. It lead to a room FILLED with second-hand clothes, including extremely cheap but real leather jackets. I found one for 20€ but it didn't flatter my body. It was actually really annoying to dig through clothes, STUFFED and PACKED onto the racks and also dig through other people.
As you can see, everything was a mess. A huge mess that I didn't want to deal with, so I just bought a belt for 3€ that is too big for me...and was meant to wear with the dress that I'm not going to wear anyway. LOL. FAIL.
But, I did manage to buy my FAVORITE purchase of the day in this messy pile of shoes --
I got this pair for only 10€! I asked the shopkeeper how much it was and he said something with an accent so I couldn't understand. I'm like..3...0? 30? He said no, adfjai;odjaisd. I'm like...uhhh. And he pointed to the sign that said 10€. I was dumbfounded! C'est fantastique!
Look at these beauties.
Can you believe it? Neither can I. Wonder why they were still there...Wonder if I'm the only one who finds them so intriguing. Anyway, they're mine now and they're so ME! WHOOOOT.
Anyway, here are a few more shots of Freepstar.
dresses only 10€!
Stopped by other vintage stores along the way but none were as good as these two stores. Prices were a bit higher and the merchandise was not as good.
It was too cold to go to another one (sister store of Freepstar) that I planned to go to, so we just ate and left.
More shopping updates to come!
I had researched the "best" vintage shops in Paris in regards to price (#1) and merchandise and decided to take a look for myself.
First stop was Coiffeur, my hands down favorite place!
I didn't really get to take too many pictures because I felt awkward, first of all, my camera was getting too heavy, and there were just too many people.
Now this place isn't too big. The racks are pretty much right next to each other and since it was so cold out today, everybody -- me included -- was wearing huge jackets that wasn't making the room issue any better.
The one complaint I have about this place is that there is no room for breathing, although I'm sure today wasn't as bad as most days. I almost had a heart attack when I went into the store because I was mesmerized by how much merchandise they had and the cheap cheap cheap prices. You could find really nice things for just 10€, which I did.
I was eyeing a girl trying on a cute polka dot dress with puffy sleeves and as soon as she put it down, I asked her where she got it. Turns out she didn't want it so I walked off like a champion. However, I got home and tried it on. It is very cute, but it's just not me. I knew that at the store too, but I thought I would try to change up my style. It just doesn't work. I guess I'll have to give it to one of my friends or sell it. Whichever.
The clothes hanging are actually the curtains for the dressing room. Very cute, but very squished area. Notice how the picture is blurry from people being all around me and me not being able to focus. Or maybe I just suck at taking pictures.
Anyway, definitely check this place out if you're bargain hunting for nice vintage clothes in Paris. You WILL leave with something. Especially if you like eccentric knit sweaters (which I do). Only 10€.
And again, I don't have too many pictures because it was crazy and I was overwhelmed with excitement.
Next stop was Free'p'star.
Another HIT. There were also too many people here, but there's no question as to why. The ambiance was similar to Coiffeur's but they definitely had more things because the store was a tad bit bigger with a downstairs included.
The stairs leading downstairs were too narrow and kind of dangerous. It lead to a room FILLED with second-hand clothes, including extremely cheap but real leather jackets. I found one for 20€ but it didn't flatter my body. It was actually really annoying to dig through clothes, STUFFED and PACKED onto the racks and also dig through other people.
As you can see, everything was a mess. A huge mess that I didn't want to deal with, so I just bought a belt for 3€ that is too big for me...and was meant to wear with the dress that I'm not going to wear anyway. LOL. FAIL.
But, I did manage to buy my FAVORITE purchase of the day in this messy pile of shoes --
I got this pair for only 10€! I asked the shopkeeper how much it was and he said something with an accent so I couldn't understand. I'm like..3...0? 30? He said no, adfjai;odjaisd. I'm like...uhhh. And he pointed to the sign that said 10€. I was dumbfounded! C'est fantastique!
Look at these beauties.
Can you believe it? Neither can I. Wonder why they were still there...Wonder if I'm the only one who finds them so intriguing. Anyway, they're mine now and they're so ME! WHOOOOT.
Anyway, here are a few more shots of Freepstar.
dresses only 10€!
Stopped by other vintage stores along the way but none were as good as these two stores. Prices were a bit higher and the merchandise was not as good.
It was too cold to go to another one (sister store of Freepstar) that I planned to go to, so we just ate and left.
More shopping updates to come!
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