Let the Games Commence....

I know, I know the number one sports event of the planet should not be about fashion, but it's so much fun to pretend. So let the 2012 fashion Olympics begin...

Bronze:  Britain and Germany 

I get it Britain,  you're hosting, you want to sparkle...  but there's a thin line between sparkle and "Hey dad can I borrow  the survival blanket from the car to build a spacesuit?", although I did love the  black version the kids in the ceremony were sporting.  And Pink and blue? Really Germany? Shouldn't the uniforms represent the country?  At least a little?  No?

Silver:  U.S.A and Sweden 

As much as I adore Ralph Lauren, the horsies are a little big, wouldn't you agree?  I do like the berets though, but then again I love everything military inspired.

You could have been awesome Sweden.  I love the Rugby shirts, and that you guys actually look all athletic and all, but those colors...  the gray should be white,  and that turquoise should be a royal blue or navy, just anything but this... 

 Gold:  Netherlands and Denmark 

 

Some countries that got it right are the Netherlands and Denmark. Especially Denmark, it might not be the most memorable one, but I love this clean and preppy look, it's timeless yet very modern - everything  an uniform should be.

So which countries where your winners?  Let me know, comment below!

Peace, Love and Sunshine

Laura

Fruity Shades of Earl Grey

It's healthy, full of delicious flavour and takes about three minutes to make. I present:  Fruity Shades of Earl Grey (special thanks to Jody for coming up with the hilarious name)

All you need is your favorite tea (I obviously used Earl Grey, but anything works...you're just gonna have to figure out a different name then...)  and a bag of frozen fruit mix,  again anything goes here. Since this is a summer drink I do, however,  recommend something tropical, pineapple, kiwifruit, melon  balls...  

Then brew your tea,  fill a tall tea glass halfway with the frozen fruit mix, and pour the hot tea over it.  The hot tea melts the icy fruits and  the result is something amazing and very refreshing.  Trust me.  

Some of my favorite tea/fruit combinations:

 Elderberry tea & Melon  

Chai & Strawberries

Green tea & Pineapple

Peace, Love and Sunshine

Laura

Seen On: "Remains of the A"

I haven't posted a seen-on in ages. Not because there was no time,  but because I did not see much  that I found post-worthy, until today. You can always count on the Pretty Little Liars to wake up the fashion detective in me... 

Floral Dr. Martens

Aria's outfits are either hit or miss - but these boots where definitely on the hit side. I used to have a pair of pink Doc's with green and purple dots when I was 12 or 13, and wore them every day, even in the middle of July...  But besides being totally badass, they were also very uncomfortable. So you won't find me dropping 200+ on these...no matter how cute they are...which is very, and they'd be so perfect for fall...

I want this...

Spencer, Spencer, Spencer... Can I just come over and raid your closet? Please? Our always perfect Spence rocked a few great pieces in this ep, but my definite favorite was this lacy top she wore at the end of the episode (that A sure likes to mess with you deary...)  

Unfortunately not even this skilled detective could track it down (I tried for the last 3 hours...). This Anthropologie top does, however, come close...sorta...well the cut is similar...

Erinus Halter Top

I'm gonna keep looking... 

On another note,  did anyone else notice Emily's "Hopper-esque" view of the Diner (I know what I'm talking about, there's a giant print of it in my dining room.)  And weren't it Hopper's paintings that inspired most of the scenic descriptions in Nabokov's Lolita?  Which happens to get referenced (subtle but undeniable) in every other episode? Theories? Go!

EDIT:  I Finally tracked down Spencer's Peplum Top, and I was actually spot on with Anthropologie  cause that's where this beauty is from. But sadly it's not available anymore, well  here's to ebay... 

Peace, Love, and Sunshine 

Laura 

Hump Day Homework: Reading English

The 3rd Hump Day Homework assignment this month - I think this whole weekly thing might finally be working out....

Listen To:  Ron Pope: Atlanta

Buy Me

It is no secret that I love Ron Pope (love meaning "can't go a day without listening to him")  - But Atlanta is by far his best work yet. Words cannot describe how awesome this album is, so just follow the link and get yourself a copy....

Highlights:  Tears of Blood and  One Grain of Sand, ...especially Tears of Blood, you can almost taste the Whiskey...  

Watch: An Education 

Watch Me

It might be because I'm a sucker for the 1960's, my girl-crush on Carey Mulligan, or the fact that I'm an English major myself (I can relate...)  but I'm in love with this movie.  I saw it for the first time this Sunday and am already craving a rewatch...

Read:  The Innocents

Read Me

I saw this  on the Juicy Couture Blog of all places, but it doesn't matter how I found this, all that matters is that I did. The Innocents is  a new  interpretation of Edith Wharton's The Age Of Innocence, that takes the characters from 19th century New York to modern day London and turns Countess Ellen into a Ellie, a 22-year-old model who returns home after being expelled from Columbia University.

If you're a fan of Wharton's novel, then this is a fun treat, but even if you're new to it you might enjoy Segal's take on the scandalous family drama.

Peace, Love and Sunshine
Laura

Hump Day Homework: Gilmore Girls 2.0

Okay I'm just gonna say it: I LOVE BUNHEADS!  

I basically watched this show because nothing else was on, and the pilot was a little "okay this is fun, but nothing special...", but  4 episodes in and I'm completely in love with Michelle and all those lovely people in Paradise.  

Showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino somehow managed to create  a 2.0 version of her iconic  Gilmore Girls. Quirky town, with even quirkier people,  amazing pop culture references (he Ned Starked her!), and of course Lorelai 2.0.

The scenes between Lorelai and Emily .…uhm I mean Michelle and Fanny  are so reminiscent of the Gilmore Girls mother/daughter quarrels that it really makes we wonder how Lorelai ended up in this bizarro  Stars Hollow with four Rorys (caffeine overdose?),  and why Logan's dad bought that run-down bar...

So watch, read (yes it's based on a cool book) and listen to (ok, there's no official soundtrack yet but this will do just fine): Bunheads!

read me

watch me

Peace, Love and Sunshine
Laura

D.I.Y: From Bag to Fab!

There's nothing I love more than a cool vintage accessory, especially  jewellery  - it is however not always easy to find cool pieces, so why not just make your own?

What you need:  

1) Vintage purses,  now do read on before you get a heart attack...

Yes I did destroy a Chanel bag (how very Tyler Shields of me), but this bag was falling apart  and not in the "oh this is a cute vintage look" way, but in the ripped to a point of being completely unusable way (the picture does show its good side), so  disclaimer:  

NO INTACT CHANEL BAGS WERE HARMED DURING THIS TUTORIAL!

2) Charms, chains and other knick-knacks: There's really no rule here, depending on which look you are going for  you can use whatever your heart desires.

3) Pliers: any pair of small pliers will do, but I recommend getting a little jewellery repair kit (also because extra links make everything easier).

How it works: 

1) Separate the straps from the purses, if you are not concerned about the rest of the purse this step is rather easy, rip it, cut it, do whatever...

2) Remove everything else that you want to use (in my case the Chanel logo)

3) start designing!  Just get creative. I kept mine relatively simple, as I always prefer a more classic look, but really there are no limits:

Bracelet: Chanel logo, vintage chain, gold purse strap.  I used he strap of the little black bag cut it in half, connected it to a vintage chain, and used the Chanel logo as a clasp - this also doubles as a necklace. 

This one is the simplest but my favorite, I connected the tag/serial number thingy from my favorite Mulberry bag to a gold chain and added  an "L" and a single pearl.  

And there's the Chanel necklace  -  I only used one strap,  but you could use both, wear them long short, braid them... or mix colors if you have more than one.

So hit a thrift store, flew market,  or your own attic and start designing!  

Peace, Love and Sunshine
Laura

Oops I did it again...

Roughly 2 years ago I chopped of my long locks  in favor of a chin length bob. Back then Chelsea Kane was the inspiration,  and I loved the style so much that I kept it for 2 years, but now it was time to move on...

So today (after a lot of research on google and tumblr) I took this picture of Emma Watson to my hairdresser: 

At first I was actually contemplating  a real pixie cut,  but since my hair hadn't been this short since I was 13 I figured that taking baby steps would be a good idea -  so the grown out version it was.  And my amazingly talented  stylist Maria did a fantastic job...

We kept the bangs longer (I wasn't quite ready for that change), and overall it is a tiny bit shorter than Emma's version, but my hair does grown pretty fast and I give it about 3 weeks before it will look more like hers.

So what do you guys think? Love it, hate it? Let me know, comment below!

Peace, Love, and Sunshine
Laura

London Rain

Ok, I can't believe that I'm typing this, but me the girl who lives for listening to Gloriana whilst sipping on an iced chai latte, and working on a story that involves a) a beach resort, b) a summer storm, or c) a combination of a) and b), is  madly, clumsily, shamelessly, agonizingly in love with...

...well see for yourself:

 

source: Burberry official Youtube channel

 

This campaign has me yearning for fall, cold weather, and well everything in it (including Roo). What I love most about this is, however, the Noir feel. It reminds me  of  the reason why I fell in love with Burberry at the young age of  5 - Detective Stories. 

  

All in all  A+ for making me wish that my favorite season would be shorter.  And even if it's still too warm for the clothes, the soundtrack is just as magical on a hot summer night: Indigo Home on iTunes and  Burberry Acoustic

 

Peace, Love and Sunshine

Laura

Hump Day Homework

It's time for your weekly (okay bi-monthly, okay sometimes only monthly...hey who has the time to read that many great books?) edition of Hump Day Homework:

Watch: The Deep Blue Sea

Watch Me

This one kicked The Amazing Spider-Man off of this week's list, which should speak volumes for the independent film. The main reason why this is on here, however, has blue eyes and the most radiant smile since the Chreshire Cat - Just do yourself a favor and watch this romantic epic starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston on a rainy night - and then go out to see Spider-Man (which is amazing, spoiler alert right there in the title).

Listen To: "Rabbits on the Run"

Buy Me

I had completely forgotten that this was out (I blame MTV, Whatever happened to these "out now" commercials? Or you know, MTV in general...), but at least the deluxe edition was available by the time I finally remembered. Sometimes forgetting things does have it's perks...

The album feels a lot more grown up than Vanessa's previous work, but still carries that signature sweetness that makes her sound so unique (and "wow" inducing). Personal highlights are "Get Good", "Tall Tales for Spring”, and "London" (this one just makes me want to put on some Burberry and stroll through the park on a rainy day).

Read: The Musings of My Best Friend

It does sound like a cool book title, but it's actually my best friend Ann-Catrin's Blog, which is predominantly about books (so there's your lit-fix). Treat yourself to a cup of tea, and browse trough her reviews and suggestions, it'll be worth it.

Peace, Love and Sunshine

Laura