Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Hoy en España

Today I finished my midterms and that, my friends, is a great feeling. It's pretty late here in España, but I did want to share a few photos from today. We had some pretty cool 14-16 year olds roll through my school today for a pumpkin carving workshop. Halloween isn't really a thing here, so this was the first time that they had ever carved pumpkins. Only really young kids celebrate and a few adults. While it has become more popular over the years, it has yet to become a staple in Spanish culture. The big day is November 1st, Día de Todos los Santos. I'll be headed to the students' school next week to learn about Día de Todos los Santos, so when I know more about it, I'll let y'all know, too.

When I got to school today, there were literally five other people wearing chambray shirts. I'm always lowkey blown when things like that happen. But, I guess great minds think alike??


To save myself from being an outright repeat offender, I layered my sleeveless H&M chambray shirt under a Banana Republic sweater. I never wear tops that have dropped shoulder seams and exaggerated necklines because I don't think they're particularly flattering on me, but I kind of like this one. In reality, I just accidentally ordered this sweater online and was mad surprised when it came in the mail, but I was leaving for Spain the next day and couldn't really do anything but keep it. Yay for happy mistakes!


Like I mentioned in a post last week, I decided I could be more interesting with accessories. I bought this necklace at Akira for like nine buckeroos or something. It's actually a long necklace that has been wrapped around twice to create a double-collar effect. Not even gonna front, when I wrapped this necklace twice around my neck and saw the final result, I pretty much thought I was a genius. Okay, maybe not a genius, but fairly skilled in the art of getting dressed. I wore this with cream colored J.Crew jeans and Topshop chelsea boots. 


Some of these kids were suspiciously skilled with knives and really outdid themselves for first time carvers. 

There's also this crazy classroom at my school that has an insane view of the cathedral. Toledo's cathedral is the fourth largest cathedral in the world (!!!). When I looked out the window the first thing I said was, "Aw hell, that's pretty as f**k." Sometime you just have to drop that f-bomb. This was one of those times. 


¡Que tengas un buen semana! 
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Thursday, October 16, 2014

90's Girls Rejoice

If you were a real 90's girl, you probably wore a choker necklace at some point. And that is nothing to be ashamed of. Despite the semi-violent name, the necklaces were pretty common and, dare I say, cool during the late 90s and early 2000s. I have a pretty vivid memory of a picture of me and some other girls at someone's sixth birthday party and most of us were struggling to breathe wearing these necklaces. And just a thought: we should collectively come up with a better name for these necklaces, like neck huggers or neck buddies, basically something that isn't inherently awful.

Yesterday, I popped into a vintage shop here in Toledo. They had a solid selection of skirts, but they were priced at about 35 euros and up and ya girl wasn't about that life. But, I did find something else...

Ooooooooohhh yaaaaaaa. Y'all should have seen me snatch this thing off of the little jewelry holder thing. Tried it on and immediately said, "I'm buying this." I had no idea how much it cost, but it was one of those pieces that I knew I had to have. I ended up purchasing it for a solid 9 euros.


The colors are literally everything. And not to be a super douche, but I knew it would look dope af against my skin.


In an attempt to make sure my necklace was the most interesting thing I was wearing, I wore a navy Madewell maxi skirt, white F21 crop top, and white Birkenstocks. Seriously, these white Birkenstocks are life. I went on a hunt for them over the summer and have been living in them ever since. So comfy. I be on my granola grind sometimes.


This necklace is definitely one of the coolest things I've bought in a while just because it's so unlike anything else I have. And it brings up memories of childhood *sheds one tear*. Nah, but actually, it's such a fun piece. It's the grown-up version of the stretchy, oddly patterned chokers of yesteryear. Ya feel meh?
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Sunday, October 12, 2014

Fall Blues

Question: When the weather is unseasonably warm or oddly cold, do you immediately assume it is a result of global climate change? I do. And I'm gonna say that that assumption is probably the truth. With that in mind, I'm over here in Spain screaming, "¡Calentamiento global!" while also basking in the glory that is sunshine and 75 degree weather. I've definitely worn more skirts and dresses in September and October than I did throughout the cruel cool summer in Chicago. I lowkey have all of these sweater that I'm tryna bust out, so I wouldn't be mad if it suddenly dropped 20 degrees.


Ever since Kanye killed that GQ spread, I've been into the idea of wearing the same color. I decided on a blue chambray sleeveless top from H&M and MM6 Maison Martin Margiela navy cotton & linen skirt. Clearly not on Ye's level, but just wait on it. Ya girl is on the come up. I picked up the MM6 skirt for 40 bucks secondhand in great condition from Vaunte, a site to buy and sell designer clothes for the low low. When I'm buying secondhand, I always compare the item to things I already own and how much I bought those comparable items for new. When purchased, the skirt was in "like new" condition, so I was 'bout it for 40 bucks. 

Before I skipped town, I decided that I could try to be more interesting when it comes to the use of accessories. You can usually catch me wearing small hoop earrings, a watch, and maybe a bracelet if I'm really tryna do something. I picked up the earrings at a small store here in Toledo and even had a small conversation with the woman who made them. If you know me, you might know that I'm totally into that type of shopping -- where you can have a conversation with someone about where the product came from and have them know with certainty that it's well made. I got the cord necklace when I was visiting a friend and an AWO founding member, Caroline, in Michigan from a store called Pitaya...I am pretty sure there is one in Chicago, too, but I'm not certain.

Not to crap on Spain, but I'm not that into the shopping here. Maybe I just haven't found the right places yet ~~ hit me with them suggestions doe ~~. The small, artisan stores are mad cool, but the chain stores are only alright; they're not very different than the ones in the US. On the bright side, I'll get to save this guap. 

Also, big thanks to my best friend/partner-in-crime Natalie for taking these pics. She's also the Creative Director of Blacklight Magazine. So, when the magazine snaps (and it will), you know who to thank. 

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Monday, October 6, 2014

¡Barcelona!

Traveling has its perks: new experiences, new people, new places. It also has its downsides: missing your friends and family dearly. But, I can say this: Spain has been fantastic. I've been here for about three weeks. I was in Barcelona for a while, then Madrid, now I'm in Toledo. Toledo is a town of about 80,000 people. Maybe Toledo is a city...not sure, but coming from a place with a couple million people, 80,000 seems like a town to me.

I was in Barcelona with my mom and my cousin, Patsy. Barcelona was packed with tourists and we gladly joined the masses. My favorite spot that we visited was La Sagrada Família, which is a church designed by Barcelona's reigning architecture king, Antoni Gaudí. All of Gaudí's spots were dope, but this church was pretty incredible. I feel like I am always visiting churches in Spain and I think that feeling might be the truth. So, when I walked into La Sagrada Família, my idea of what a church should look like was shattered.


The church is actually still under construction and your entrance fee serves as a donation to the project. Whenever you look at Barcelona from atop a mountainside, you can always see the towers of the Sagrada and the cranes. It's one of the few particularly tall buildings in the city.


The ceiling 



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