firenze

Hello bloggers! Sorry this post is delayed, I've been at work all weekend! I'm trying to catch up with all of my Italy posts. So here's the latest from Florence.When I saw this dress in the window of Free People, I was immediately drawn to it. I love the colors together and he tribal print quickly worked its way into my heart. I went back and forth about buying the dress three different times. And then one night I dreamed about it. I know. So I went back the next day and bought it. It was meant to be. 

Outfit Details:

Dress: Free People 

Necklace: Express

Bracelets: Florence street market 

Sunglasses: Free People

Shoes: BP Nordstrom

Bag: BP Nordstrom

My friend Lisa and I got to visit the Gucci Museum in Florence which is in Palazzo Vecchio, right by the Uffizzi Gallery. It was awesome. There were 14 different rooms each with a different category such as jewelry, lifestyle, evening, logo and more. 

Florence is one of those cities that is beautiful by day and by night. I love how the duomo and the baptistery feel lit up against the night sky, and the Arno River reflects all of the lights along the bridges. There's usually a great street performer by the Ponte Vecchio. When we were there it was a singer who played the guitar as well. Walking along the Arno at night is like a scene from a movie. 

Keep Calm and Chiffon 

street style: the best of florence

Okay, I'm not going to beat around the bush and say "there are so many amazing things in Italy I just couldn't decide.. blah blah blah." No. Florence is undoubtedly my favorite city in Italy. I absolutely love it! Why? Well, it's set right in the heart of Tuscany, it's the perfect balance of a busy city and a place you feel at home, and everyone there is so fashionable! Because of this, I gave out more business cards here than any other city, and, because of that I had to be extremely, EXTREMELY selective with what I chose to post here. I couldn't get over how pulled-together everyone managed to look. Some of these photos were taken at eight in the morning and some of them close to midnight. I just love the vibe of the city. I love the Pilazzo Vecchio and the Uffizzi art gallery and the Ponte Vecchio and the street market and the people and the bread even though it's unsalted. I'm seriously thinking about studying abroad here in college.

All I need is a plane ticket and I'm sold. Who's with me?!

Keep Calm and Chiffon 

venezia part 2

Hello gorgeous readers!

I absolutely loved walking around Venice! The city itself is so easy-going and laid-back, two things that I almost never get to experience living in the suburbs of one of the busiest cities in the world! I love that every building you see has it's own story and it seemed that each little bridge that we walked over had it's own character. The flavor of the city is undeinably wonderful and something that I would love to experience on a day-to-day basis now that I'm back. Being abroad made me realize that it's good to slow things down every once in a while, and not everything has to be full speed ahead. So, to go along with the relaxed nature of the city, I kept my outfit simple and played up the no-heat hair (something that I definitely need to do more of).

The pictures from below are from St. George's island, a little island right off of the coast of the mainland. A group of us took a taxi over to see Tintoretto's Last Supper and then the taxi didn't wait for us, so we illegally hopped on a water bus back to San Marco's square (shh!!).



Outfit Details

Dress: Topshop
Shoes: BP Nordstrom

Necklaces: Free People

Bag: BP Nordstrom

Sunglasses: Free People

Scarf (on bag): Pashmina, thrifted

I could totally see myself spending a summer in Venice. My two favorite islands other than the mainland are Murano (island of glass) and Romano (island of LACE!!! one of my most favorite things in the world, if you haven't figured that out yet.) Speaking of lace, are any other fashionistas out there getting those e-mails from Mood Fabrics about the lace sale? If anyone has been let me know if it's worth it! ( keepcalmandchiffon@gmail.com ).

street style: the best of venice

Had to narrow it down because there were so many great fashionistas in this city, so here's the best of the best from the city built on water. 

Also, if anyone has any questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to  my new e-mail address keepcalmandchiffon@gmail.com 

Keep Calm and Chiffon 

venezia part 1

Hello all!

So I've decided that since I took over 500 photos in Italy, it was only right to edit them down and make sure you're getting the absolute best of the best. Which is taking a reaallyy long time. So I've decided to try to break the posts down into city, but I found myself needing at least two entries for each city so far. So here's part one of Venice, the first stop on our trip. The photos below were taken at Saint Mark's Square in the center of Venice. The Byzantine church in the back is the church of Saint Mark and it is absolutely incredible to look at; even the inside is all gold. And the best part about Venice is that no matter how lost you get in the winding, twisting alleyways trying to pass as streets, you can always find your way back if you can find a sign for "San Marco." On this first day we sat by the canal and made watercolor postcards to send home. I've always considered myself two-dimensionally challenged when it comes to art, but my postcards weren't a complete disaster. Anyway, Venice is one of my favorite places in the world and I had the best time. 

Outfit Details

Black tank: American Apparel

Lace top: Forever 21

Crochet Shorts: Free People

Necklace: Free People

Shoes: Toms

Sunglasses: Free People 

Below I've posted some of my favorite snapshots from this amazing city on the water! 

Pigments that are crushed and then made into paint

A shot from our water taxi on the Grand Canal 

Our tour guide stopped us on the Rialto bridge to point out these locks to us. Apparently, couples put the locks on the bridges to show that they are locked together for life. So cute!

This statue of the four tetrarchs from the Roman Empire is one of my favorites. Instead of depicting certain people, the emperor Diocletian wanted to project an image of the concept of the tetrarch as a ruling power. The statue is divided into two pairs, each consisting of one older and one younger man, as if the older one were instructing the younger. This statue also shows a shift from naturalistic figures to a more stylized image with stout proportions. 

Keep Calm and Chiffon 

italia!

Hey everyone!
I just got back from an amazing two weeks in the most beautiful country in the world. I'll be posting pictures really soon of places, food and some incredible street style pictures I took! So if you got a card with my URL on it, stay tuned and your photo will be up soon!
Until then,
Keep Calm and Chiffon

oldies

Here's the thing I love about summer: you get to do things that you normally wouldn't do or wouldn't have the time for (in my case). My town does this thing where every Thursday night they have a free music concert, each week it's a different genre. This past week was oldies which was awesome. It was also an oldies night for me- I got to catch up with an old friend who I haven't seen in ages!

Outfit Details:

Dress: Target (I couldn't believe it!!)

Bracelet: Forever 21

Belt: Urban Outfitters 

Shoes: Jeffery Campbell

The band that played in the park was a local group (unfortunately didn't get their name) but they had a lot of energy. . A bunch of couples who are no longer twenty got up and danced together, which was really cute! I hope I'm like that when I'm older. Here are my favorites that the band played. My a capella group performed The Drifter's song last year! 

Anyway, like I mentioned in my last post, I'll be away in Italy for a few days so I'm not sure if/when I can post. So if I can, expect a post from overseas, and if not, expect a monster post when I return. Until then,

Keep Calm and Chiffon