Travel Style Diary: Spain & Italy

Rather than bore you with 15 outfit posts, I've put together a virtual style journal about what I wore on my recent trip to Spain and Italy. I always get inspired by the stylish women of European cities so, even though we were walking around all day, I wanted to look put together. I packed full skirts, printed dresses, and flowy tops in bright colors for a fun vacation wardrobe. Everything was simple but also cute enough to look fancier with some accessories. I've tried many different packing methods for longer trips and this time around my system was simply: throw your favorite bright, summery pieces into a suitcase and make sure each one matches something else.

I'm leaving tomorrow for Maine, which as you might guess involves completely different clothes. Hopefully I'll keep another style diary, but what I've packed so far are more casual outfits with minimal accessories (don't want to loose them in the sand!). Think shorts, bright summer tops, and sandals. Makeup will consist of sunscreen and my main hair product is lakewater. Can't wait!

Stubborn

I've learned that sometimes you dress for the weather and sometimes you dress despite the weather. Was it 80 degrees out today? Yes. Was it over 60% humidity? Absolutely. Yet, I wanted to wear denim capris so I wore denim capris. The reason behind this insanity was that I was dead set on wearing this new top from Spain. I found it at this really inexpensive and trendy store called Lefties. It's grand. I already liked the shape, texture, and color of the top so I kept accessories to a minimum. The gold chain is from H&M and the earrings were a gift from my mommy.

I tried to outsmart the heat by staying inside most of the day with my fan on high. Little did I know, by the afternoon it was a good 5 degrees cooler outside than inside. Great. Maybe I'll start wearing clothes from whatever season I feel like and let the weather adapt to me for once.

Hope you're staying cool this summer! I find copious amounts of ice cream help :)

My "so happy it's summer" face

{top-Lefties; necklace-H&M; capris-Old Navy; shoes-Khol's; earrings-Nordstrom Rack}

Home Sweet Home

Besides the fact that my hair is now wider than it is long, I'm absolutely in love with this look. I bought the skirt at Zara in Spain for only 8 euros. I've been obsessed with this bright cobalt for a while now so I was happy to find a piece where I loved the color and shape. I'm on the prowl for a long-sleeve silk blouse in the same color, but that's too hot for summer anyways. The skirt also has lots of tiny pleats which give it an interesting flowy feel. Oh and can I just say this cream blouse must have magical properties because it not only matches everything in my closet, but it makes every piece look better. I'm not one to repeat pieces often, but I might wear this almost once a week.

The red bag is from a small Italian leather store in Venice. After walking through the beautiful canals until our feet went numb, we decided a little shopping was necessary. I also got a glass ring and some gifts for friends and my sister got a cool carnival mask. It was my first time in Italy and I absolutely loved it. We went to Rome for a few days then returned to Spain to see our family, where I did a little more shopping. I was going to do a post of everything I bought, but I think its more interesting to see how they fit into my existing wardrobe.

{shirt-Primark; skirt-Zara; shoes-Loft; bangles-Devon St; bag-Italy}

Ciao Roma!

Hello friends! If it seems like I haven`t been posting much this summer, you´re not imagining things. What you are imagining is that those apostrophes in the last sentence are normal. Lemme tell you, Spanish keyboards are strange (Woah, I didn´t realize until proofreading the post that the apostrophes go in different directions....wtf). Ignore my awkwardness as I try to finish the rest of this post without using contrations. Just imagine I am e-nun-ci-a-ting with a chipper British accent, those make everything better.

This summer has been so weird because I have three trips with nearly no time in between. I posted earlier about wearing casual clothes in Costa Rica, but I now that I am in Spain (and Italy, briefly) I can dress up. Get ready for some mega outfit posts when I get back! I hope everyone is having a sunny and leisurely summer. Be back in a week!

And the Obsession Continues...

I'm not sure if its obvious to anyone else, but I have quite an obsession with turquoise and coral. Something about the two colors is inherently summery and fresh. It's pretty toasty over here in Chicago so I've been loving airy dresses and skirts. I toned down the coral dress with a light denim jacket and black sandals (after begrudgingly putting back my turquoise flats). Lately I've been throwing on random jewelry. As long as it's pretty and doesn't completely clash with my outfit, I'll go for it. I used to meticulously match my accessories, but that gets boring. A simple summer dress and interesting jewelry makes for a fast, pulled-together look that I plan on doing frequently during my upcoming trip to Spain. Maybe upcoming isn't the right word- we're leaving tomorrow and I have nothing packed! Clearly my inspiration for outfits stems from laziness and procrastination.

I needed a small bag so I grabbed my black leather wristlet. Isn't it interesting how you can have millions of bags yet each has it's own specific purpose? I was talking about this with a friend over lunch. Even bags that are seemingly the same (because of size, color etc) can have different vibes. I rarely get to showcase my clutches and wristlets because most days I'm wearing a very attractive black backpack. Maybe we'll have a little bag show-and-tell....

{dress-Old Navy; jacket-Wet Seal; necklace and bracelet-gift; shoes-Target; wristlet-Coach}

Back to Normal

I have never been happier to see a cute dress and sandals. While it was comfy and easy to throw on athletic clothes everyday and not worry about makeup, I didn't feel like myself. I think I actually uttered the word "ahhhh" as I was putting on my necklace. I think I'm always going to be a dressy kind of girl.

Even though I'm back in my normal clothes, I'm using my Costa Rica trip as outfit inspiration. I got this F21 dress as a hand-me-down (may I add that I haven't gotten hand-me-downs since I was about 8? Its a genius idea!). I contemplated going with bright pink or turquoise shoes, but I kept it simple with these black Target sandals. My aunt and uncle bought me this bag on their honeymoon in Peru and it's become my summer go-to. Finally, being me, I had to add a little shine. I have a few of my great-grandmother's old brooches so I put one on a gold chain for a simple necklace. I still feel beachy and comfy but I'm dressed up enough to feel like myself. Happy Fourth everyone!!

Costa Rica!

Ahh paradise. I just got back from a 10 day (and some unplanned travel days) trip to Costa Rica and it is probably my new favorite place on. We traveled around a lot so we got to see different climates like the rainforest, cloud forest, a temperate forest, and the beach! I went with a school trip so a bunch of my friends went and I also got to know a lot of new people.

There's not much to report in the way of fashion because I was wearing t-shirts, running shorts, and rain boots most days, accesorized by binoculars and a flashlight. On the last night we went out to dinner and got a little dressed up. I wore this floral print dress I bought earlier that day at a shop by the beach. It's a little too tropical to wear to school, but I have plenty more beach opportunities this summer. At the nearby shops I also got a cool backpack and a gorgeous necklace that I'll be posting here soon.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country filled with kind, welcoming people and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to visit. I learned a lot about tropical ecology, got to practice my Spanish and enjoyed the time away from my normal life. I hope to go back some day but for now I'll try to live by the Costa Rican life motto: Pura Vida!