Week 27: The Start of 2017. A girl with a plan.

I am lucky that, in less than a year, my blog has received a great amount of attention from brands and companies, so now I am able to choose who I want to prioritise and to whom I have to say no.

3. Creating video diaries.

I am very excited to finally start my Youtube channel in 2017. My husband, Ben bought an awesome camera for Christmas, and I am very excited to share detailed reviews and videos from our travel adventures, and blog diaries from me and my other blogger friends.

So, there :) Now I have to accomplish all three of my goals! I promise I will try to keep you updated on my progress and share my other 2017 goals on my vlog diaries.

Are you a girl with a plan?

Check out my next post to read how I get things done and what helps me the most!

It is unbelievably scary and vulnerable to share your goals for the new year. People might laugh you off or will be able to point out your failure at the end of the year. However, here I am, sharing with you my top 3 blogging/writing-related plans for 2017:

1. Finish writing at least one novel.

I have always wanted to be a writer. I don’t know if I will get published this year or at the age of 80 when I am wiser and more proficient in the English language, but I know it will happen. I have several unfinished novels and tons of drafted ideas, and this year I plan to finally complete at least one of my novels and show it to a few agents and publishing houses.

2. Quality over quantity.

Since I want to write more fiction, I want to make my blog more about quality content rather than swamping you with myriad outfit posts.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Coat - MakeMeChic | Black Dress - SammyDress | Boots -  Steve Madden | Bag - Kate Spade

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Week 18: Summer in NYC. Living in a hotel full time!

Many of you don't even know that Ben and I actually live in hotels in New York. FULL TIME. For more than 7 months now! 

I am no Van der Woodsen, so usually we do not stay in a suite at the Palace Hotel, however living in hotels has been mostly pleasant and a very interesting experience I never expected I would have. 

Ben is a loyal Platinum member of SPG and it helps to make all of our stays at their hotels extremely pleasant. We often get upgraded to the best hotel rooms available, I get to have breakfast and snacks every day for free, everyone is there to help with picking up the mail, sending out our laundry or dealing with any requests you could possibly imagine.

At the beginning, back in January, when Ben and I moved in to one of the big suites at the W Hotel in New York, I wasn't really ecstatic about it. Growing up in a big house where the kitchen and dining room are a big part of family gatherings, I felt robbed of the new, little experiences like doing grocery shopping in NYC, cooking for my boyfriend, baking cookies to share with neighbours (do people still do that? I would!) and inviting people over for a board game night with drinks.

Also at that time it was extremely cold in New York and I didn't know a lot of people in the city. I felt extremely lonely and claustrophobic in the big, pristine, clean hotel suite that didn't have anything of my own except for a few clothes and coats I brought with me in one suitcase. I was missing small things like drinking freshly brewed tea, having my little library and ability to wash things whenever I wanted and instead of waiting for Delivery.com to pick our laundry up once a week.

Ben on the other hand was used to this kind of lifestyle as he was living in hotels for more than a year before he met me. He was trying as much as he could to make me feel comfortable and gain a sense of "home". 

He would send me flowers while he was at work and order me new books, even though afterwards I didn't know where to find a space for them.

At that time we had to leave our hotels every two weeks to go to Ben's parents' house in Park City, Utah. We would fly over for just a weekend, but every time we had to take ALL our luggage and repack there again. You have no idea how frustrating it was for me if I forgot to pack something and bring it to NYC, or if I didn't realise I would need it (especially if it was something important like a bill, a statement or a document). Also we would often switch from one hotel location to another and it would mess up all my mail and orders.

But a few months after we started living in hotels together, I adapted and started really enjoying our hotel hopping life! I particularly grew fond of SPG's Four Points Hotels.

My favorite one to stay at is Four Points Soho. Their rooms might not be the biggest ones, but they are decently sized for such a great location in Manhattan. The hotel staff are phenomenal and all of them became almost like our little family. I started to love getting breakfast every morning downstairs (Jay is an amazingly nice guy and his service is impeccable) or ordering food straight to the room when I felt I wanted to stay in or watch a movie while eat my regular porridge with latte.

Another perk of living in a hotel? Actually being able to focus on my website, on my relationships with husband and friends, writing, going to photoshoots and reading, and not worrying about cooking, cleaning and washing as in a hotel everything is taken care of!

How many people can say they have experienced full time living in a hotel with all its perks? I know one day Ben and I will get an apartment (might even be really soon!), but for now I am fully appreciating living in the heart of New York, surrounded by Four Points SoHo staff that are willing to help, and just enjoy LIVING. Hotel-hopping life might have it cons, but there is much more to love about it.

Week 18: Summer in NYC. NYC Shopping Guide + Rosegal Look

When I came to NYC for the first time I was amazed by how different the shopping experience is from the experience in London and Paris. Manhattan has one of the biggest flagship stores in the world (including a massive H&M), an exhilarating amount of department stores (who knew there could be so many in one city), and a really impressive range of designers and products. From the small independent boutiques offering a limited edition of 20s style pieces or even Medieval inspired clothing, to luxury evening gowns by famous Israeli designers, you can find practically anything in this city.

Today I am sharing some of my favorite places to shop in New York along with my look created in collaboration with Rosegal. Rosegal is an online store that offers a wide range of clothing and accessories for very affordable prices. They ship fast and so far everything fits me perfectly (I usually order a size XS or S, whichever is the smallest size in that style).

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SHOP THE POST:

top | jeans | similar bag (+ LOVE this bag) | Heels (similar here)

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NYC SHOPPING GUIDE:

In New York you can easily shop all over Manhattan, however I recommend you start in Soho (Spring or Bleecker St stations get you closest to the shops). 5th Avenue may be the most famous street for shopping, as depicted in films and TV shows, but it is more for luxury boutique hopping because and it has much less diversity in brands. 

CLUB MONACO

One shop where I ALWAYS find something I absolutely love is Club Monaco. The brand is surprisingly not as well known in Europe, and prior to moving to the US, I had never even heard of it. I usually shop at the 536 Broadway location, but check here for their other stores' addresses. 

What will you find in Club Monaco? Stylish minimalistic fashion made from high quality fabrics, items in delicious pastel palettes, and LOTS of whites.

Price range? $150-$300, but totally worth it!

Mystique Boutique

Mystique Boutique is one of these no-brand-stores that you may be a little embarrassed to shop at, but when you do, you end up leaving with quite a few cool items. I bought this grey bodysuit and pants in Mystique last January and was wearing it around the apartment.

I shop at 454 Broadway, but they have other locations. Here is the full list.

What will you find in Mystique Boutique? All the trendy, sexy clothes that insta-girls wear.

Price Range? Extremely cheap! $5-$30.

 

& Other Stories

Beautiful store located at 575 Broadway sells a wide range of fashion and beauty items designed in Paris and Stockholm. &Other Stories is a brand under the H&M group, but their collections are much more sophisticated.

What will you find in Other Stories? Original designer clothes and beautiful, stylish dresses of great quality, amazing jewellery and accessories.

Price Range? Very reasonable for the quality and design: $50-$150

Armani Exchange, Steve Madden, Brandy Melville, Zara

Armani Exchange (568 Broadway) is great for quickly finding a simple yet great-looking t-shirt or a classy, high quality dress for an affordable price. Steve Madden (540 Broadway) is my go-to place for any kind of shoes (amazing designs and love the price point). And I only discovered Brandy Melville (499 Broadway) a few days ago, but I already love their range of cool crop tops, sexy open back rompers and other fashion items for young women. And of course Zara. Well, do I have to explain why I love Zara?! The biggest Zara is located at 666 5th Ave, but I like the one on 503 Broadway.

Price Range? All four stores have a similar price range of $30-$100 on average.

REFORMATION

Eco-friendly brand that makes gorgeous, trendy clothes that don't kill the environment. Located at 23 Howard St.

Price Range? A little bit on the expensive side, but thinking about how you are kind of saving our planet while shopping is soothing ;)

 

ABC Carpet & Home

888 Broadway

One of the best and most lavishly decorated stores I have ever been in! You can not only find amazing furniture and decor items, but you can also shop for artisan clothes, jewellery and books. Also check out ABC’s restaurants - ABC Kitchen and ABC Cocina.

There are many department stores in Manhattan, including my favourite, Barneys, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, however I try to avoid being inside these stores for too long in the summer. But in winter time, they are my saviors!

On 5th Avenue definitely pay a visit to the iconic Tiffany & Co. 

5th Avenue also hosts the biggest H&M store in the world (589 5th Ave).

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FOR BOOK LOVERS

New York has so many great bookstores, big and small, general and niche, that I could dedicate a whole post to them. My favorite is the gorgeous and sophisticated Rizolli (1133 Broadway at 26th St), and the famous Strand, which is perfect for those who love getting lost in a sea of books.

THE HAT SHOP

120 Thompson St

Custom hat shop with a retro vibe selling an array of beautiful hats. They also take custom orders! 

Make Up Your Mind

Sephora is a paradise for beauty product lovers and they are located all over Manhattan, but I also love to visit the Tony Moly shop in Koreatown (35 W 32nd St) for moisturisers and masks in fun packages.

What about men?

RRL is one of the best men's store I have ever seen. Ben buys most of his clothes at Double RL to both my greatest pleasure (real gentlemen's clothing with a bit of a retro vibe. Yum!) and horror (everything is quite expensive). Go there for classic double breasted jackets, 20s style suits or American Old West inspired pieces.

Of course there are so many more places I could talk about and probably will in one of my future posts, however today I have tried to cover my main shopping destinations in Manhattan. What's your favorite store in NYC? And let me know if you have any questions. Please ask them via our Facebook page. 

Week 17: Rita Hayworth is a Babe. My Femme Fatale Look.

Inspired by Rita Hayworth's style (see here) and bold 40s makeup, I have created this modern look with a very glamorous Old Hollywood feel. I am wearing a Walter Baker beaded dress with an extremely sexy open back, and put on my ALL TIME FAVOURITE Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid matte lipstick in Sad Girl. This lipstick stays on the whole day and the colour is just pure burgundy perfection.

P.S. If you don't own a pair of Slithur heels by Steve Madden, get it now! It is the most comfortable pair of heels I ever had. I walked 6(!) hours on them that day. I give up on my Pigalles after just 30 minutes :)

Shop my look and similar:

On SALE! Now $156.60

$20

$89.95

$13.99

$395

$70

On SALE! $59.50

$40

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Week 17: Rita Hayworth Is a Babe. 40s Style Goddess.

When I received this polka dot top from Shein I tried it on with jeans and denim shorts first, and it looked really fun and cute. But I just knew I had to create a vintage inspired look when I saw how beautiful the top looked paired with my favourite ball gown skirt (similar here).

This outfit combo reminds me of Christian Dior's New Look from the 1940s and of stunning Old Hollywood actresses, especially Rita Hayworth who, in my opinion, deserves more recognition. Therefore, I am dedicating this Theme Week to 40s babe, Rita Hayworth! 

I first saw Rita in Gilda and she stole my heart. I will talk more about her and her style in one of my posts later this week, but today I am sharing my “40s Style Goddess” outfit inspired by a few of Rita's signature looks. Today’s look was shot in Soho by the amazing photographer DCP New York.

Top - Shein, Skirt - old, but found similar on Shein, shoes - Christian Louboutin, Bag - Kenzo (similar).

Hello, World!