What I Wore: Roman Holiday

Up until a week ago, I had only travelled to two countries in my life - Trinidad and England. I'm happy to say that I can now add Italy to that list. Rome, to be exact. I had been thinking about taking a trip for a long time but going to Rome was a fairly last minute decision.

I only stayed for 5 nights but that was more than enough time to fall totally in love with the Eternal City. Whether it was sightseeing at the Colosseum or strolling along Via del Corso, it was easy to see that this amazing city was thoroughly abundant with beauty, history, style and elegance.

My hotel was located in Central Rome and was in fairly close proximity to most of the major sites so therefore my main mode of transportation was walking. I don't know about you but if I'm doing a lot of walking I like to be comfortable, which means relaxed clothing and flat shoes.


Hence...

I have to say, most of the shopping on the high street was a little out of my budget range but ever the bargain hunter, I did manage to find out about a popular Sunday market in the area of Porta Portese. It was a longer trek than most of the other places I'd been to - 30 minute walk from my hotel - plus the rain was pelting, but it was all worth it. After rummaging through a number of stalls, I scored these two great pieces below.

Have you travelled to any exciting places recently?

Will post some Rome Street Style in the next post - paparrazzo style!

Birthday Spots and Stripes

I didn't get to go out on my birthday last weekend because I was feeling quite under the weather (great timing huh? Sheesh!), so I went out this Saturday instead with my mother and sister for dinner and a round of mini-golf. Here's the outfit I wore:

Vintage Leopard Print Dolman Sleeve Blouse - Etsy, Brown Cinch Belt - Thrifted, Black Cami - Unknown, Pinstriped Full Skirt - Express, T-Bar Sandals - Old Navy

Oh yeah, I got a fringe cut a few weeks ago and it was a spur of the moment decision actually. I was flipping through an old magazine that my hairdresser had in the room and I saw a model with a fringed hairdo which I thought looked cool so I decided I'd get one as well. Unfortunately, it looks a little weird in the pic below because the wind was blowing it out all night.




When it comes to birthday gifts, people tend not to know what to get me unless I let them know specifically, so most just usually end up giving me money - which, of course, is A-OK with me!

After a very long, seemingly hopeless search for affordable shoes in my size (11/12) that I actually like, I finally found these two pairs which I purchased with the money I received. Can't wait till they arrive!

Nine West Women's Lahdidah Shootie
Price: US$56.90

Fitzwell Fanny
Price: US$69.00

I am also eagerly anticipating the arrival of some recently purchased items from Love Colour- Love Tights (Thanks Marian!), Etsy and Ebay - here are a few of my favourite purchases below.

Pleated Bolero from konane

Vintage Griffin Belt Buckle from 5andDime

Black Long Drapey Open-front Thingie from cotton fields

Floral and Striped Tights from Love Colour, Love Tights.

Vintage Diamond-Shaped Sunglasses from Forever Vintage Sunglasses

Woohoo! I love birthdays, especially milestones like the 21st. Hopefully people will still care about me this much when I'm 30.

Speaking of caring, I can always count on my lovely friends in the blogosphere to make me feel appreciated. I recently received the Cute's Blogger and the Your Blog is Fabulous awards from Hiking in Stilettos and Searching the Inner Me, respectively. Thanks so much ladies!

Cute's Blogger and Your Blog is Fabulous Rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2.Nominate at least 10 blogs which you think are fabulous.
3Be sure to link your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received the award.

For these awards, I nominate:

Style Spot, The House of Style, Walking in Midgie's Boots, The Ongoing Project, Vain and Vapid, We Wear Things, With Love..., Wendiva, Africana in Atlanta, All in your Innerspace, Along the Shore, Aphex Nation, Asian Cajuns, Budget Chic, I Am Style-ish, Femme Rationale, Dapper Kid

You can pick one or have 'em both!

P.S Don't feel obligated to pass on these awards, especially if you've already received them.

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend, take care!

What I got - Thrifting finds

Many of the best clothes and accessories I own have been discovered while thrifting. When I say thrifting, I don't mean thrift stores because we don't have any of those in Barbados, unfortunately. Almost every Saturday, someone holds a garage sale or flea market and this is the thrifting outlet for many Barbadians who are looking to get good deals on various items. I try to go as often as I can, but many times, I'm either busy or I wake up too late and the sun is way too hot at that time. Trust me, scorching sun equals misery.

These past two Saturdays, however, I was able to go to a few sales and get some pretty good stuff. Now the things I get cannot be compared to the amazing clothes and accessories available in other countries for dirt cheap prices (I wanna go away so badly!) but they're reasonable. Below are the items I purchased.

N.B BDS $1 = US $0.50


Red, Navy and White striped cardigan - BDS$10
Pink turtleneck - BDS$5


Full pleated pink striped skirt - BDS$5
Full tiered pink skirt (not dingy as in picture) - BDS $5


Large Square Clock Scarf - BDS$7
Large Square Dotted Scarf - BDS$7


Yellow and teal drop earrings - BDS$5


Brand new Grey Striped Shorts - BDS$7
(There was also a pair of Ralph Lauren shorts for BDS$5 but they were too small for me. Pity!)


Wide Brown Textured Belt - Free

What I got - Moroccan Necklace

So I haven't got my owl pendant as yet but I have another great one which I may like even more. I finally received my most recent Ebay purchase yesterday and boy am I happy with it. I'm very intrigued by other cultures and the unique items to be found there. This Toureg Moroccan necklace truly is gorgeous and unlike anything I've ever seen.




These necklaces are handmade and even the little imperfections add a little character to it because it means that no two are exactly the same. Even though the necklace is large (approx. 15 inches but it looks smaller in person), the intricate detail adds a delicacy to the piece that prevents it from looking gaudy. *Sigh* I'm in love!

A necklace like mine costs US$26 from this ebay store but if you're looking for something with a similar style but less expensive, there is one available here for US$10.