Travel Diary; Milano in the Rain

Our last day in Milan was spent exploring the city in the rain. We started with a stroll through the Indro Montanelli park which contains several beautiful buildings including a museum, and this picturesque yellow villa. The foliage in the park was really gorgeous, and the rain intensified the colors since the leaves shone with droplets. After a pizza/pasta lunch during which we tried to warm up a bit we wandered around via Monte Napoleone and the surrounding shopping area where many designer storefronts are located. Many of the streets around this area were narrow cobblestone streets lined with high end stores which made for a charming scene. It was kind of fun to see all the window displays, and I particularly loved the Dolce & Gabbana windows which followed a fairytale theme. The brand had several stores in the vicinity (mens, women's, kids, and two accessories stores were all separate) yet all of the stores continued the same theme incorporating elements from fairytales such as sleeping beauty and snow white in the displays. 

I wore this scalloped hem sweater from COS with my glitter sneakers and a vintage neck scarf for a casual but cool look with modern and vintage touches. I tied the scarf differently from when I wore it earlier on the trip, opting for a looser tie and more of a sailor vibe which also shows off the scarf's colors more. Even a simple jeans and navy sweater combo can be fun and girly with the addition of details like the scalloped hemline and accessories like the vintage-inspired scarf, glittery footwear and dainty choker necklace. Even simple doesn't have to be boring!

After our day of exploring, we headed back to the apartment to warm up for a bit before heading out again to a nice dinner. Then it was early to bed so we could be up before dawn to catch our flights back to the US!

Sweater: COS. Jeans: 7FAM. Scarf: vintage. Sneakers: Lipsy London via Asos 1/2. Necklace: similar. Earrings: Gorjana. Jacket: Tulle. Umbrella: Flying Tiger.

A villa in the park

Window shopping - check out these sneakers!

A Dolce & Gabbana window display

An adorable narrow street with Italian flags flying

xoxo, CC

Travel Diary; Capsule Wardrobe in Milan

Remember this dress from my fall capsule wardrobe? The cozy sweater material is a dream to wear, and this taupe color matches with so much, including pink and burgundy tones which I incorporated into this look with a scarf. Neck scarves like this have always lent a European vibe to an outfit in my opinion, and they are back on trend right now so I had to try out the look while in Italy. It's kind of nice the way they replace a necklace and act almost as jewelry while adding a touch of color to your look. 

I also love that while the dress is a long midi length it has a high slit up each side that adds a sexier flash of skin. I usually am careful to wear a heel with midi length skirts to balance the length, but somehow this dress looks awesome with flat sneakers too. And believe me, sneakers were necessary for a day walking in Milan!

We had a blast finding local street food for lunch after a morning of shopping. I had seen Spontini pizza on Instagram before the trip, and knew I just had to try it. It was SO worth it! (We even went back the next night to pick up slices for dinner!) After our Spontini slices we headed a few streets over to a spot my mom had heard of called Luini that serves mini fried calzones, which again were amazing. Talk about an indulgent pizza lunch!! And since it was my mom's birthday we had to top it all off with fancy gelato cones. Yum, yum, and more yum!
For dinner that night I dressed up this outfit by changing into these lace up flats, also from my capsule wardrobe, and we headed out for another delicious meal.

Shopping is cardio, I deserve this pizza.

Outfit // Dress: Ruche. Jacket: Zara. Neck scarf: vintage. Sneakers: Keds. Bag: Rebecca Minkoff. Sunglasses: Anthropologie. Lip: BareMinerals "Cherries on top."

Spontini Pizza at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

Double fisting fried calzones!

We found this cool courtyard with interactive colored circles all over.

The entryway to our Airbnb apartment building had such a tiny door! 

xoxo, CC

Vintage Printed

Happy Memorial Day!

I have been searching for months for the perfect pair of brown lace-up sandals that are simultaneously cute, comfortable, with a low heel and an affordable price tag. Well, I think I finally found them. These Steve Madden beauties will go with so many outfits this summer, but primarily I had them in mind to match with this dress. This fun printed midi dress is a vintage piece of my mom's from the 80's. Because of the longer skirt length it requires a heel, but I also wanted a shoe that was comfortable for regular use, so the low block heel on these sandals is perfect.

I like the way the cognac brown accessories modernize the look and really let the print and kimono-style sleeves do most of the talking. From afar it looks more like a checkered print, but up close the squares are a red zebra stripe which gives it an exotic and vibrant feel. A soft red lip really completes the look for a fun and sophisticated ensemble.
We have been having insanely hot weather in NYC all week so it felt nice to take a stroll through the shade in the park in a breezy dress and comfy sandals.

Dress: Vintage. Shoes: Steve Madden. Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (similar). Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters.

xoxo, CC

Vintage Kenzo & Bright Florals

 With NYFW just behind us and London Fashion Week all over social media, I've been thinking about was to style my more unique pieces such as this vintage wool jacket. This kimono style wool jacket has a similar effect to the recently popular capelets, since the oversized sleeves create the illusion of a blazer draped over the shoulders. By pairing the dark grey oversized fit with a bright feminine floral it creates a good balance of flowy and fun with structured accents.

I always like to pair a chunky bracelet with an oversized pattern since I think they compliment each other nicely and neither gets lost against the other. A gunmetal beaded clutch reflects the gray tone of the jacket, while my foxy phone case matches perfectly with the colors in this top!

Jacket: vintage Kenzo. Top: Anthropologie (similar options 1/2/3). Jeans: Hudson. Bag: similar. Phone case: Kate Spade. Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters. Bracelet: Ruche.

xoxo, CC

Vintage Chic

What a beautiful, sunny, freezing cold day!! I was freezing my a** off trying to get these photos done in the whipping wind -- but worth it, right? Ah, what we sacrifice for the sake of fashion. Luckily this vintage coat handed down to me from my grandmother is 100% wool and super warm. I keep seeing images from Paris Fashion Week Men's going on now, and so many of the ladies attending are wearing long tweed coats just like this one. 

I paired this coat with a navy blue teeshirt featuring a floral hemline for a touch of print mixing.  Simple black jeans and booties keep the look classic and clean when I'm all buttoned up, while pretty vintage-glam inspired earrings add subtle sparkle. From afar the coat looks like a navy and brown combo, but up close you can really see how pretty the jewel tone greens and blues are. I wanted to pick up on the blue and green in the coat with the navy tee and greenish earrings. This long straight silhouette is back in style these days so I'm embracing the vintage feel for a classic feminine look that adds a little print to my winter outerwear style. 

As I was writing this post the song Thrift Shop kept running through my head with lyrics like,

 "I'mma take your grandpa's style, I'mma take your grandpa's style,
No for real - ask your grandpa - can I have his hand-me-downs?"

"Is that your grandma's coat?"

Yes, child from the Macklemore song, it actually is. 

Coat: Vintage (similar styles 1/2/3/4). Tee: J. Crew. Jeans: J brand. Booties: Jessica Simpson via DSW. Bag: Kate Spade. Earrings: Ruche. Necklace: Kate Spade. Nail tutorial. 

xoxo CC