first shop stop in the US

image via forever21

Alright, so sequins are the best party outfit addition, they glam up any outfit. And since I'm gonna be partying a lot in Miami I thought this would be great for hot dancing nights in tropical Miami! Or in the Bahamas (below :))

I'm moving to Miami!!

source

Yes, that's right. I'm moving to a beachy place! It all happened pretty quickly and I haven't even realized what it all means...  for example: beach days, pretty ocean pictures, amazing party locations and shopping at all those store I haven't had access to in Europe. I am SO excited. A new chapter of my life on another continent, my first "real" job, my first apartment without a roommate (so I hope), my first car that's not technically owned by mommy or daddy. Exciting times. Stay tuned...

Rocking the Harley with Balenciaga

After falling in love with their motorcycle bag I could not wait until Balenciaga came out with their motor cycle leather jacket. It looks really nice and it must be so soft (it's 100% lambskin), but to be honest, I was expecting something a bit more extraordinary.

image via Balenciaga
Balenciaga Biker Jacket $2595

Looks like for now, I'll stick to my H&M cheap chic version which sports the same kind of asymmetric zipper, but has ruffled shoulders.

image: own

boots: zara / leggings: topshop / scarf, faux leather jacket, shirtdress: H&M

Fly fly away

End of the weekend: I just came back from another trip to Poland, to visit my family AND I just booked another flight ticket... leaving next week. Pictures will be posted soon :)

 

image via airliners.net

Where is YOUR next trip taking you?

Around the World: I amsterdam

Today I'd like to finally start on my series of blog posts about travel destinations "Around the world". I'm not sure whether I should include my dream destinations - places I'd like to visit in the future - what do you think? For now I'll stick to sharing my experiences, photos and memories of places I've actually been. Obviously I will include many beaches - my favorite place! :)

Traveling literally means the world to me. Since I was little I always loved going on trips and luckily enough my parents already gave me the opportunity to see a lot of places across Europe when I was a kid. When I turned 15, nothing could stop me from pursuing my dream to go to the US for a year - my American dream. And this year, being young and away from friends and family, has not stopped my hunger for more and more travel adventures. I've made new friends, no matter where I went and although I'm not one to experiment much with foreign cuisine, I do appreciate all other facets of foreign cultures so much. In fact, it is my - maybe silly sounding but at least ambitious - goal to see every country in the world during my life. What can I say, little girl, big dreams: that's me!

A as in ..... Amsterdam.

After this intro to my destination series I'd like to share impressions from my latest trip: I just got back from sunny Amsterdam!

  

 

All images: own

My favorite things to do and see in Amsterdam:

• Van Gogh museum
• Current exhibition of elephants all over the city
  
• Bikes everywhere
• Barhopping around Rembrandt Square
• Walking around the whole city by foot across thousands of beautiful bridges over the canals
• Shopping at Bershka (part of the Zara empire, hasn't made it to Germany yet)
  
• Going to see Anouk live in concert (she's Dutch and my favorite singer, you MUST check her music out if you don't know her already!)
• Walking by all the little flower shops und buying some beautiful tulips
  
• Park&Ride - ecofriendly & fresh air!

Milan & Fall Smiles

Another simple and chic outfit. It's so casual yet so sophisticated. Amazing! Need to get myself a pair of black converse shoes to dress down an outfit including my boyfriend blazer which would otherwise be too dressy for some occasions.

 image via the sartorialist

Rachel & Fall

Fall outfit of the day: slouchy boyfriend blazer, black jeans and sleek grayish boots.

image via stylebakery

Rachel, I want your Jane Mayle boots!

Colorful Life

image via coolspotters

Once again I'm in love with Lauren's look (this one is from yesterday's 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards). Her Mara Hoffman dress is GORGEOUS! It's so colorful and so different from your usual black/ blue/ cream/ red red carpet dresses and looks great on her tanned skin. Ugh, I really wish I lived in California now!

Lately I've seen a lot of colorful and bright clothes on her, like this American Apparel tie-dye tank or the watercolor top from her own line for Kohl's.

images via coolspotters

Living green

image: own

Jade is new nail polish color of the season. I've been a fan of nail polish ever since I was little - my best friend S and I used to paint our nails in the brightest colors with letters and details that involved hours of work - for our each of our birthdays one would paint H-A-P-P-Y on the left hand and B-D-A-Y-! on the right hand of the other one and we were always on the look-out for the most glittery and most outrageous colors, preferably green. We were such big dorks! Good times that will always be remembered, though.

This new nail polish color trend was started by Chanel's Fall/ Winter runway looks and is more like a green for adults, more subtle than any of the flasks we owned and collected back then ever was.

 image via Nitrolicious

I really like it! It's a nice way of prepping up a casual outfit or to go with black and white outfits that I love so much. Since it's limited edition it might not be as easy to get (and at $25/ bottle too pricey for many wallets), so you could also try mixing your own DIY-version using green and white lacquers. They also came out with a Jade Rose version, which, in my opinion does not look much different from any of the traditional rose nail polish used for French manicures if you ask me. But Jade! I could totally see myself wearing it to the beach, it would look so nice with tanned skin and my Matthew Williamson for H&M bikini! Ooooh, I miss the beach, and summer for that matter *sigh*.

And then there were more boots

How awesome would these Colin Stuart grey suede boots look with a pair of tights from my previous post? They give you three options of wearing them: scrunched up, over the knee (one of this fall's hottest trends) or folded over. Get em here. I never realized Victoria's Secret had such a great variety of nice shoes, especially boots!

Also found these pretty cute:

And these crazy ass wedge sandals:

all images via Victoria's Secret

On another note... I just found out that the Shopping Card promotion offered by the German Glamour magazine would give me 20% off on Hunter boots. Unfortunately the particular store only has them in purple or green. I'd really prefer navy or black. Maybe I should just wait until I can go stateside and get them cheaper and in a better variety ;) And: Can anyone tell me why in the world uggs sell for 219-269 Euros over here?! They're not even made out of any leather or something that would justify that price range.

Get out the vote

To all German readers: Today is Election Day and it is important for each and everyone of you to make your voice heard. Every vote counts. Just remember that in other countries, many people do not get to exercise this basic democratic right - we are very lucky to be able to go to vote without having to face any repercussions, be scared we could have our fingers cut off and other terrible things. I am not asking you to share my point of view or to vote for any specific party. Just make sure you do vote, because YOUR vote counts!

Hold me tights

Another staple in my wardrobe during fall are leggings and tights. Right before winter when it gets too cold and wearing skirts outside is not really an option anymore, I love to extend my summer wardrobe's life a bit longer by pairing at least my jeans/ dark skirts or a pair of dressy shorts with leggings or tights and a pair of boots or ankle booties. Here are some options for interesting tights if you're looking more something more interesting than plain ones (but not too out there) I found at Topshop, H&M and Forever 21 (click images to enlarge).

In love with this LBD

Seriously, is this an awesome outfit, or what? This fake-leather zipper dress looks so great paired with a casual cotton tee and the multi-chain pearl necklace. It combines two great fall trends: zippers and "leather". Best part: it's affordable, too. Gotta have it!

image via H&M

Currently Reading: The Kite Runner

Here's another - not fashion related - plus point of the upcoming season: Finally being able to curl up on the couch with a blanket or in bed with a cup of tea on the nightstand and read all those books you stacked up and never got around to reading because the weather was just too nice to not be outside being active, playing sports etc. This, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, is the book I just started to read - courtesy of one of the professors (with a felt age of 90 but such a good, energetic guy) I worked for part time at my university who thanked me for assisting him with computer-related with this lovely gift and a box of chocolates. My male colleague was gifted two bottles of wine. Such a nice guy!

"Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him.

The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of their lies. Written against a history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption." quote from khaledhosseini.com

L says the book really helps to understand the issues better, that have lead to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. Just another reason to finally curl up and stick my nose into this book! :) If you are interested too, you can order it on Amazon or directly off the author's homepage, where you can also find out more about his personal life story and his humanitarian foundation providing assistance to the Afghan people.

What is YOUR recommendation for a good read?

Ready for Rain

image: own

As of yesterday, fall has officially begun and it's time to trade in the flip flops, sandals and ballerinas that have been a staple in my closet for the past months. In search for comfy alternatives to my Jillian Harris inspired boots, I couldn't help but start craving a pair Hunter Wellington rain boots, which you can now even buy in Germany (starting from 66 Euros at Net-a-porter). They even have a limited edition croc skin version by Jimmy Choo for Hunter! I prefer the black to match anything in my closet or the glossy red ones to go with a simple black & gray outfit.

Keira Knightley with Hunter boots, image via coolspotters

images via Net-a-porter

Another must-have for rainy days in my opinion, that I already mentioned a few months back, is a clear umbrella - way cuter than any of those printed versions!

Emma Watson at Harry Potter movie premiere, image via zimbio

Lauren Conrad, image via latest beauty

Get one at Topshop ($30/15 pounds) or Target ($16.99) or a Burberry version at Saks Fifth Avenue ($95).

Happy Rain Days!

The Bandage Dress

Check out these beautiful bandage dresses, I've seen them on so many celebrities and red carpets this summer and I have to say, at first I wasn't really convinced... and then they started to show them in these beautiful multitone/ color-fading versions. I don't know what it is about multitone/fading colors that I love - maybe it's the different color shades of the ocean I'm reminded of? Well, usually multitone looks kinda...um, well, cheap, but in this case everyone should be convinced: multitone bandage dresses are GORGEOUS! The only problem now is: You really have to have a killer body to pull them off!

Zani Gugelmann in Hervé Léger, image via The Sartorialist

Hervé Léger dress, image via Esquire.com

Hervé Léger makes them look so chic! Mischa Barton looks stunning in it!

images via zimbio

Look, she pairs it with our new little friend, the cropped leather jacket.

Considering Hervé Léger dresses run at about 1700 Euros at Net-a-porter (e.g. here), I'm going to have to find myself an affordable substitute.

Wearing today: I Heart Palm Trees

I ♥ Palm Trees! Especially when they are found in unlikely places (this is Germany, people).

boots: zara/ shirt dress h&m/ leggings topshop/ bag aldo/ necklace & wayfarers noname

Goodbye Summer, Come Back Soon!

Goodbye summer! It's been a great few months of sunshine, laughter, toes in the sand, happiness, bikinis, warm evenings outside, trips to the beach, bbqs, sitting outside for dinner, salty skin, beach hair, crystal clear water... I'm gonna miss you. Come back soon!