Neutrals. Lace. Red tops. And red carpets.

I hate to admit it. Every time I promise I will write on a regular basis I get overwhelmed by my stressful routine. So I end up analyzing boring Math functions insted of posting. I end up watching the most stupidly hilarious shows on TV while reviewing my history notes, instead of posting. I even end up procrastinating for hours, instead of posting.

Fortunately, when I opened my wardrobe this morning at 7 a.m. before the scariest Math test ever, I had the good inspiration. Neutrals. They are invading my closet. They are invading my life. And, guess what? I’m loving it. After the sales started, I was lucky to find most of the items I had craved for since the beginning of winter. I usually am a “bold colors girl”: I love strong yellows, intense greens and I own all shades of purple. But when I walked through the automatic doors of Stradivarius and H&M I understood that there was something about the softness of neutral tones that was calling me. They are delicate. Classic. Good for winter. And always sophisticated. I love how cozy and chic my new beige chunky cardigan is (it’s very similar to the one in the middle of the second row). And I adore the simplicity of the cream tee I found at Zara the other day.

When neutrals and lace (clearly my latest obsessions) meet, it’s pure heaven for me. I got a long sleeved top with lace shoulders that I think I will marry when I grow up!

It was even better (how could it get better when you find the top you’ve seen in your most pleasant dreams? I thought I was going to cry!) when I found the same top in red. Here’s a peek of how I looked when I wore it for an informal dinner at the Chinese restaurant with two of my best friends: I chose to pair it with blue jeggings and chocolate boots.

Last but not least, the Golden Globes. What did you think about them? The red carpet was wonderful as usual but I was a little disappointed by the abundance of sequins and sparkles. Many of the outfits (Olivia Wilde’s, Carrie Underwood’s, Anne Hathaway’s) were stunning, but so unbelievably and sadly boring. My personal favorites were Dianna Agron and Leighton Meester.

Glee’s evil cheerleader looked like a queen. Those curls were the most beautiful frame for her naturally gorgeous face. The dress was stunning. And the necklace was fabulous.

I usually am not a big fan of Leighton’s fashion choices but this took my breath. Wow. Those shoulders. Those sleeves. The color. Plus she had a great point of strength: she was unique. It wasn’t what we’ve seen a billion times. It was new and effortlessly chic.

So what did you think about the Golden Globes’ red carpet? What’s your current fashion color? What’s your latest fashion obsession?

Martina

Thrilled for sales

Yummy Christmas food and New Year’s Eve crazy parties are not the only reasons why I’m inhumanly in love with winter break. If you live in Italy and you’re a woman you probably already know what I mean. SALES, baby! The first week of January is literally the best time of the year because every single store, from the biggest malls to the little vintage shops gives the opportunity to humble fashion lovers like me to buy any kind of items from this season for less. I can’t even describe how thrilled I am because I’ll finally be able to get my hands on all the things I’ve been craving for since the season started without spending a fortune.

My goals are more than clear.

• Chunky knits and lace have undeniably been my obsessions for a while so one of the first thing I’ll be looking for when I cross the automatic door of ZARA or Stradivarius are a cozy sweater in neutral tones and a precious lace dress that I can wear on Saturday nights to go clubbing with my friends.
• I am an unbeliavably faithful  fan of earrings (ask any of my friends: I turn into a potential killer everytime I lose one and I feel naked when I am not wearing them) and I currently need a pair of big earrings to make me shine like Beyoncè even when I am wearing my usual jeans-cardigan- boots combo. I hope I’ll find something studded or floral and incredibly beautiful!
• The loyal purple wallet that I’ve own for over a year is literally falling apart. It’ll be sad to replace such a good investment. The first options that I’ll be looking for are lace or floral but I wouldn’t mind a new wallet in a bold color so I’m ready to see what the sales offer me.
• I’m also looking for a pretty circle scarf  in a strong color and it wouldn’t be bad to find a long-sleeved sweater dress to wear to school with my chocolate boots: I’m looking for something simple yet chic that I can pair with oxfords and knee-high socks as soon as the weather gets a little warmer.
• Last but not least, I want a bag. It’s been so difficult to find the perfect piece to replace the vintage leather tote that I got from a neighbor this summer! I am in love with satchels (you can infer it from my gravatar) but since I obviously can’t afford a Proenza Schouler unless I sell my soul to the devil, I need something less pricy with the same geometric shape and fantastic allure.

Cross your fingers for me!

Red Valentino Knitted lace mini dress, $795
J.Crew Alexis lace-trimmed silk dress, $200
Le Mont St. Michel / Chunky Knit Sweater, $137
Sweater – So you, 67 EUR
Monsoon Accessorize, 30 GBP
Floral Enamel Stud Earrings, 8.50 GBP
Accessories – Minicci – Lace Hardcase Wallet – Payless Shoes, $9.99

Marc by Marc Jacobs Pandora mohair-blend sweater dress, $270
kraso [クラソ]｜外でもおうちでもやさしいミックスカラー　エコ繭（まゆ）シルクのくしゅっとソックスの会｜フェリシモ, 1,200 JPY
Canvas Oxfords, $28

Proenza Schouler / PS1 Pouch, $1,225
PROENZA SCHOULER Bag, 1.290 EUR
Proenza Schouler / PS1 Medium Bag, $1,485
Paula Biance Wrap Scarf in Blue | Paula Bianco Wrap Scarf | Paula…, $83
Knit Circle Scarf, $25

What are your thoughts about my current fashion cravings? Any advice?

Martina

From the bottom of my heart

Happiness. Satisfaction. Peace. I wish to all of you the very best and I truly hope that everybody can spend the most amazing Christmas ever, surrounded by lots of love. Christmas is such a magical time of the year, please enjoy it as much as you can. Here is just a few of my favorite Christmas songs, three of them are really recent and they’re all by artists that I adore to death (have I ever told you about this guy Chris Martin from Coldplay? That he is my future husband? Yes, Gwyneth you better be ready;))

Felicità. Soddisfazioni.Pace. Auguro a tutti voi il meglio e spero con tutto il cuore che ognuno possa passare il più fantastico Natale possibile, circondati da immense quantità di affetto e amore. Il Natale è un periodo meravigliosamente magico, per favore assaporatelo più che potete. Vi lascio giusto qualcuna delle mie canzoni di Natale  preferite, tre delle quali molto recenti e tutte di cantanti e gruppi che amo da morire (vi ho mai parlato di un certo Chris Martin dei Coldplay? Mai detto che è il mio futuro marito? Ah sì, piccolo particolare…Gwyneth Paltrow preparati!)

I know what you are thinking. The ugly sweaters they are wearing are atrocious. And I know what else you may be thinking. Yes, the Killers are authentic geniuses.

 

I’m convinced that 99% of the population would feel like hugging someone after listening to this song. Pure emotion, perfect music.

 

Again, Merry Christmas to everybody from the bottom of my heart.

Cozy sweaters and hot chocolate

I AM OFFICIALLY FREE. For real. No physics homework to do. No German philosophers to study. No French poems to analyze. Nothing! Today is my first day of Christmas vacation and I’m so happy that I don’t know what to do with myself! These three months of school have been so full of work (and I think you could see it because, ehm, yeah my last post was like a century ago–sorry about that!) that really I couldn’t enjoy vacation more deeply than I am right now. It’s also a little sad because this was my last time saying “Merry Christmas” to my classmates: I can’t believe how fast these five years of high school have gone by and I don’t wanna think about how weird it will be next year when we will all be in different universities. But it’s Christmas, right? Definitely not the good time to be melancholic or sad. In my vocabulary Christmas equals energy, smiles, hugs, family, hot chocolate, good movies and cute, cozy clothes. Talking about winter fashion, may I say how much I’m in love with this season’s chunky sweaters? They are pretty, incredibly chic yet so warm and cozy. I was shopping with two of my best friends yesterday and I’m convinced that H&M and ZARA were conspiring against me and my wallet by showing me all those atrociously cute chunky knits. Here’s a small collection of the kind of warm sweaters I’m craving for this Christmas season.

warm chunky sweaters by tina106

Miu Miu Bow-back cashmere knitted sweater, $640
Sweater – So you, 67 EUR
Tr, 67 EUR
Camel Knitted Animal Jacquard Jumper, $90
Bodkin / Quark Sweater, $200
MIX-BLEND SWEATER – Knitwear – Girl (2-14 years) – Kids – Zara, 36 CAD

There’s also another reason why I believe they embody pure perfection: they go with everything! My favorite option would be a simple sweater with a sophisticated skirt, but I also think chunky knits work beautifully with dark pairs of jeans and warm boots to go out or leggings, slippers, a hot chocolate and a Disney movie to stay on the couch on a cold day!

Are you in love with chunky sweaters? What is your favorite winter piece? ARE YOU SUPEREXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS?

Miroslava Duma: Pure Awesomeness

Confidence? Check. Unbelievable style? Check. An awesome job that involves writing and travelling around the world? Check. This woman owns everything that I woud like to have when I grow up. And most importantly she’s my current style crush.

Since I noticed her photos on fashion blogs and magazines, I’ve been completely spell-bound by her figure. Her style is wide-ranging but always stunning. She can go from classic and preppy to tomboy, from rock-chic to hippie and bohemian but she always manages to have undescribable charm.

And that’s not all. Have you noticed how she’s genuinely smiling in every picture with a naturalness that we rarely see in celebrities and fashion icons? Have you noticed the confidence that she shows? Miroslava Duma was an editor for Harper’s Bazaar and now is a freelance writer for numerous publications such as OK Magazine (Russia),  Tatler, Glamour, so she obviously has constant contact with the fashion world. However she’s never afraid to express herself with a very individual style and she clearly personalizes what she sees on the runways instead of copying and pasting like many It Girls like her do. She’s such an inspiring, interesting, independent working woman.

What? Are you thinking what I’m thinking? That she is STUNNING? Yeah, in case you haven’t noticed, I sort of agree =P

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

“I still believe in summer days. The seasons always change. And life will find a way.”

http://vimeo.com/4291488

Have you ever felt like a song is speaking directly to your soul? No, I’m not asking you if you have ever liked a song. Or loved it. It’s something deeper. Firmer. STRONGER. Have you ever felt like every single time you listen to it, it is breaking into your heart insisting like a thief but at the same it is caressing that same heart in the softest way possible? Well, that happens to me once in a while and it’s not a coincidence that I’m so relentlessly addicted to music. I’ve been listening to Winter Song all day. And every single instant of it is incredibly full of emotion. Every time.

First of all, it is a duet with Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. Two of my favorite indie pop singers. If you don’t know them please check them out. You’ll feel like you’re in a dream every time you listen to a song. They can be perfect to get in a good mood. And they are much better than ice-cream when your heart is broken.

But the most important reason is that it reminds me of America. Of my wonderful year in a sheltered, warm suburb of  Boston as an exchange student. Of pancakes and snow. Of fabulous people and sweet hugs. Exactly a year ago I was waiting for Christmas far away from my family and friends and I was listening to this track on my Ipod, missing my lovely Italy. Now I’m doing the same thing far away from other friends and other people that I love so much that I can somewhat call second family. It’s funny how winter is always the same and things always change. Fortunately, there is something else that keeps the memories of dreamers and travelers like me alive. Thanks to photos. Thanks to journals. Thanks to love.

Thanks to music.

Avete mai avuto l’impressione che una canzoni vi stia parlando direttamente all’anima? No. Non mi chiedo se vi sia mai piaciuta particolarmente una canzone. Nemmeno se l’abbiate amata. E’ qualcosa di diverso. Più profondo. Più potente. Più intenso. Avete mai avuto l’impressione che ogni volta che l’ascoltate stia irrompendo nel vostro cuore, con l’insistenza di un ladro, ma che nel contempo vi stia accarezzando quello stesso cuore nella maniera più tenera che si possa immaginare? A me accade qualche volta e non è una coincidenza che per questo io sia così inesorabilmente dipendente dalla musica. E’ un’intera giornata che ascolto Winter Song. Ed ogni singolo attimo è intriso di emozione. Ogni volta.

Innanzitutto è un duetto di Sara Bareilles e Ingrid Michaelson. Due delle mie cantanti indie-pop preferite. Se non le conoscete, le consiglio vivamente. Vi sembrerà di essere in un sogno all’ascolto di ogni canzone. Possono essere perfette per mettervi di buon umore. E sono molto meglio di merendine ipercaloriche per un cuore spezzato.

Il tratto più bello però è che mi ricordano l’America. Il mio indescrivibile anno in una dolce, protetta cittadina alla periferia di Boston. Pancakes e neve. Persone fantastiche e caldi abbracci. Esattamente un anno fa aspettavo il Natale lontano da famiglia ed amici, ascoltando questo pezzo dal mio Ipod. Sentendo la mancanza della mia cara Italia. Ora sto praticamente facendo lo stesso, lontano da altri amici e da altre persone che posso ritenere una seconda famiglia. Che buffo il fatto che l’inverno sia sempre lo stesso e le cose cambino così massicciamente. Fortunatamente c’è qualcos’altro che tiene in vita i ricordi dei sognatori e viaggiatori come. Per fortuna ci sono le foto. Per fortuna ci sono i diari. Per fortuna c’è l’affetto.

Per fortuna c’è la musica.

Cape Coats and Horrendous Songs

Hello gorgeous people! I have been meaning to write this post for three days but thanks to Math tests, English oral exams on Romantic poets (wherever he is, Samuel Taylor Coleridge can now be thankful of being dead because if he wasn’t, well, I would take care of it) and tons of homework, I can’t even recall how I found the time to breath. But I’m back and I have to tell you about something new I’m obsessed with. And something that is obsessed with me. Yes. You got the last sentence right. Shall we start with the latter? I’m being persecuted. By a song. Actually it’s not really song. I don’t even know why I’m calling it song. It has no melody. And conveys no emotions. It’s just a three-minute torture of a high-pitched woo-woo-woo on a regular disco dance mix with some people saying Barbra Streisand with the most neutral tone ever. Ok, the video is set in New York, which is the most wonderful city on Earth but apart from that, what kind of tribute to a star is this? What’s most annoying is that everytime I’m watching television -which I rarely do because of those annoying Romantic poets – that song is playing. It is clearly persecuting me. So am I the only one thinking that this track is horrendous?

On a totally different note, winter has come. Yes. Fog. Frozen hands and red noses. Chills. Ice. All things I am not too crazy about. But guess what? If winter is here then it’s time to get out chunky sweaters and warm scarves and look for stylish boots. All things that I’m more than crazy about! I love winter clothing and accessories and my latest obsessions are cape coats.

(via  popcultureafternoon.blogspot.com, thevoguediaries.com, myfloorisred.com, carolinesmode.com/stockholmstreetstyle/)

I was a little skeptical when I noticed the trend at the beginning of this fall but the more I see them on blogs and magazines, the more I feel that they are my soulmates. They look so comfy but they still are unbelievably chic and sophisticated! So well if you’re one of my friends, or my sister, or you simply would like to see me happy and you’re struggling to choose the perfect Christmas present for me, here is a little hint =)! Have a good weekend everyone and tell me what you think about Barbra Streisand by Duck Sauce and cape coats!

HP7: May I Say How Amazing It Was?

Ta dah. I told you. I wasn’t joking when I wrote that I have too many things to say. So, guess what? Four hours after writing my first blog post ever I’m already back. May I say how awesome, inspiring, surprising, perfect Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows was? OK, I’m not going into details but wow, is it even possible that a story is so freakin fascinating? I remember getting my first copy of a Harry Potter book ten years ago. I was so excited and I thought that it was the best story ever. Can you believe that my heart beat at the same rhytm as it did when I was nine and I went to see Harry, Ron and Hermione looking for a philosopher’s stone? I don’t know what it is about that woman (in case you’ve never heard of her, she’s known as Joanne Kathleen Rowling). And I don’t know what it is about this novel. What I know is that everytime I see Daniel Radcliffe or Emma Watson on that screen or I re-read for the twentieth time my favorite chapters from each book, I understand why literature is the most powerful art on Earth.

Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real? – Albus Dumbledore from ” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I would like to say all sorts of things. For now it will just be welcome

Finalmente. Dopo dodici anni di parole sospirate ad un diario, frasi calcate su un compito in classe o versi scritti per qualche concorso di poesia quella testarda della mia mano destra si è finalmente decisa a scrivere in rete. Di cosa parlerò? Di tutto ciò che passa per quell’apparecchio complicato che si trova all’interno della mia scatola cranica. Potrei dedicarmi alla mia passione per la musica indie. O commentare gli impeccabili outfit della mia musa Alexa Chung. O convertirvi all’adorazione delle borse vintage. O elencarvi tutti i motivi per cui ritengo che Mulan avrebbe dovuto vincere almeno una dozzina di Oscar. O semplicemente deliziarvi con aneddoti della mia vita con quelle scimmiette pelosette dei miei amici. Lo so, ho troppe cose da dire. Non posso farci niente. Per ora mi limiterò a dire che sono una diciottenne di una cittadina lombarda che si nutre di sorrisi, numeri di Marie Claire, brani casuali che vanno da Bob Marley all’ultimo pezzo di Katy Perry, e fin troppe passioni. La più recente? I One Night Only. Che voto date a “Say You Don’t Want It”? – Il fatto che nel video appaia Emma Watson e che io tra esattamente ottanta minuti debba andare al cinema a vedere Harry Potter e i doni della morte non è del tutto casuale 😉 –

Finally. After twelve years of whispering words to my journal, of sentences put on a school essay and verses written for some poetry contest, that stubborn thing that is my right hand finally decided to write for a blog. What am I gonna talk about? Well, about everything that goes through the complex machine that is inside my skull. I could devote myself to my passion for indie music. Or maybe analyse all those perfect outfits that Alexa Chung, my muse, is always wearing. Or maybe tell you all the reasons why I believe that Mulan should have won at least twelve Academy Awards. Or simply talk about anedoctes about my life with my crazy friends. I know, I have too many things to say. I’m sorry. I can’t help it. For now I’ll stop myself and just say that I’m an eighteen years old girl living in a northern Italy town that can’t survive without smiles, issues of Marie Claire magazine, shuffle songs that can be Bob Marley’s or Katy Perry’s and way too many passions. My latest? The One Night Only. Here is the video of  “Say You Don’t Want It”. How do you like it ? – the fact that the lovely Emma Watson is in it and that I’m seeing Harry Potter and the deathly hallows in exactly 80 minutes is not too much of  a concidence by the way 😉 –

Martina