tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88783945975107984992023-11-15T16:51:30.327+00:00Off The Clothing RailsThis is not a personal style blog, it's a blog about items that make style feel a little bit more personal.
Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-8924967323852460502014-02-22T09:09:00.004+00:002014-02-22T09:11:07.301+00:00Zara's spring summer shoe extravaganza<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/zaras_spring_summer_shoe_extravaganza/set?.embedder=459747&.svc=blogger&id=114242208" target="_blank"><img alt="Zara's spring summer shoe extravaganza" border="0" src="http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/mTg0uhFpYkXD3hWoSynECQ/cid/114242208/id/JOwsQ5_b4xGN7a5HSbYPRA/size/c600x313.jpg" force="1" height="313" title="Zara's spring summer shoe extravaganza" width="600" /></a><br />
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Spending the last couple of weeks of the radar with a nasty chest infection that pretty much left me confined to my own bed, didn't really help much when it came to fashion inspiration. </div>
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However, shoes are one of these items that not even a nasty medical condition can stop me from thinking about and Zara's new spring/summer collection is full of some of the most exciting spring/summer shoes I have seen in the last few years. </div>
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I have to admit I'm terribly picky with shoes especially when it comes to summer shoes but it seems that this summer , the list of option is endless and quite exciting and Zara is certainly leading the way on the high-street in my opinion with plenty of choice. </div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-18091499169622840412014-02-05T23:36:00.001+00:002014-02-05T23:36:39.107+00:00Ray of light<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/ray_light/set?.embedder=459747&.svc=blogger&id=112572351" target="_blank"><img alt="Ray of light" border="0" src="http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/igPxySkD9FZAmay2G17Y3g/cid/112572351/id/-C7bS7yO4xG3hoHa6xSULw/size/c600x593.jpg" force="1" height="593" title="Ray of light" width="600" /></a></div>
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The theme of the past few weeks was a bit gloomy, the weather is horrible, getting to work is a nightmare and in general , fashion isn't on top of my list of priorities but slowly and surely new season collection are creeping into the shops and somewhere between all of the doom and gloom there are a few rays of light coming from the high-street and one of them is brought to us by COS, it's quite obvious I'm a huge fan as I mentioned my love for COS so many times before , but this season more than previously I'm excited by the new collection mainly because unlike many other high-street retails who seem to be riding high on the wave of pleats and mid-riff baring tops, COS actually produce an elegant and wearable collections that touch all of the trends without making you feel like a fashion victim. I mentioned before that I have yet to see any new season collection on the high-street that got me excited, luckily I can trust COS to produce a collection that I can actually get excited about because I can actually wear some of it without feeling like an idiot. So thank you COS for being a trusty fashion saviour in this mad trend-lead fashion world, this is my ray of light on this dark and gloomy February day and I can't wait to get my hands on some of these brilliant pieces. </div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-19004707538091149062014-02-01T20:38:00.002+00:002014-02-01T20:38:25.255+00:00Incognito <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since this winter , more then ever I'm wearing the same outfits and items again and again, my only comfort right now when it comes to my outfits is actually having enough accessories to shadow the fact I'm wearing the same skirt and jumpers over and over again most days of the week. I kind of love the combination of the scarf and wide brim hat right now, good for sheltering from the random gusts of wind and insane showers currently battering the UK, also serves as a great solution for hiding and covering my slightly hangover face after a couple of drinks too many last night with my workmates. I can already see this outfit is going to become a regular favourite for as long time (or until the weather warms up a little bit ...)</div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-14152908268789710282014-01-28T22:51:00.002+00:002014-01-29T11:18:55.917+00:00Printed matter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jMzdVXZU0Wg/UugfTUR55QI/AAAAAAAAFbA/33uz4AclwTM/s1600/leopardx2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jMzdVXZU0Wg/UugfTUR55QI/AAAAAAAAFbA/33uz4AclwTM/s1600/leopardx2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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I mentioned a few days ago that I'm really looking forward to adding a bit of print to my wardrobe after what feels like a long print-free winter and whilst I have yet to find anything in the clothing department that gets me excited, it seems like my obsession with bags, shoes and accessories has reached new heights and this week unintentionally I ended up with not one but two leopard printed items. The gorgeous and slightly outrageous scarf was my first find, I've seen it while browsing the <a href="http://www.stories.com/Accessories/Scarves/Leopard_pattern_scarf/582826-4192807.1" target="_blank">&Other Stories website</a>, which always seems to be a great source for exciting and sometimes slightly over the top accessories and this scarf is probably one of these items that's just the serves the right injection of print and colour on my lazy black dress days. </div>
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The second item which was quite an exciting find is a the leopard print camera bag from <a href="http://blacklilyshop.dk/" target="_blank">Black Lilly</a> that was deeply discounted when I found it, I was on the lookout for this bag for a long time but it seemed to have sold out everywhere online and I had absolutely no idea any shops here in London stock their items until I visited <a href="http://www.themercantilelondon.com/" target="_blank">The Mercantile</a> in Spitafields, this shop is pretty incredible and deservers a post of its own dedicated to it as they have an incredible selection of Scandinavian fashion brands.</div>
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I'm really excited with my new finds, although I may be lacking in new season items I'm feeling that my recent accessory discoveries might be the key to re-working my tired and boring wardrobe without having to purchase any new clothes for a while (I'm going to be slightly more strict with myself until there is actually a reason to buy some new season items).</div>
<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-21669189387327470802014-01-26T19:44:00.000+00:002014-01-27T11:32:51.037+00:00Sunday's stripes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I did a little bit of a wardrobe clear-out today and found this stripy jumper I forgot about. I have to admit my wardrobe is in state, it's clearly been built for a guy who has 3 t-shirts and one pair of jeans, it's so tiny that I usually can't fit more than a few jumpers and basics on the shelves which means that every once in while I need to refresh my memory and pull some things for a bit of a wardrobe refresh, I usually then take a few items from my clothing rail and put them back to the wardrobe, I try to do this at least once or twice a month so I can get a good view of what I have, especially at times when I get really bored wearing the same over and over again so I was really happy to find this stripy jumper although I have to admit it wasn't my best purchase this winter, I got caught up for a bit with the stripes trend but eventually forgot this jumper at the back of my wardrobe which was actually not such a bad thing as now I can finally enjoy it now that I'm a bit sick of the sight of solid roll necks and oversized jumpers which I have far too many of.</div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-34668768473933167832014-01-25T20:00:00.000+00:002014-02-01T23:38:51.520+00:00Paint it black<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After my last admiration post dedicated to the gorgeous Stella McCartney shoes and my disappointment that I will probably never have a chance of actually owning a pair, I remembered this pair of black pointy block heel shoes from Zara that for some strange and mysterious reason Zara only had in green, although a lovely shade of green, when I first saw them I kept saying to myself how much I would love to own a similar pair in black, the green was just not convincing or worth the investment, but it's funny how things have changed. A couple of days ago I popped to Zara to have a quick look around and noticed they had a few pairs of these green shoes in the sale and thought to myself whether I'll be taking a giant gamble buying them and painting them black. Now I can honestly say, I'm really terrible doing any type of DIY work and usually stay away from anything as it would probably end in a disaster, but after a quick online search I realised there are plenty of simple shoe dying colours which are quite affordable ( 5 pounds in comparison to the 20 pounds the local cobbler asked for). The colour I used was <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dylon-2100310101-Leather-Shoe-BLACK/dp/B003KNBQNO" target="_blank">Dylon black leather shoes dye </a> and the process was quite simple , albeit a little messy because the dye is really watery, almost like ink which means it gets a little messy and splatters everywhere, my biggest worry was having the dye leaving marks on my floor so instead of newspapers I used old plastic water resistant envelopes which seemed to be a safer option. Overall I'm really happy with the result, the dye didn't leave any nasty marks or residue, and a little bit of shoe polish helped getting rid of the matte look after the dye and I now have a great new pair of black pointy shoes.</div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-30982176412664269992014-01-21T22:28:00.000+00:002014-01-21T22:57:36.672+00:00No change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Black and white again, same outfit over and over again, it's been going for far too long, can't even get a decent shot nowadays because my camera is constantly playing up. I'm in a dire need for a change, fresh colours, new cuts but there's nothing that's captivating or exciting enough at the moment for me to want to spend my money on. </div>
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I spent Saturday with my friend who's already piled a ton of spring/summer pieces but I just didn't feel excitement at the pieces I've seen so far and eventually ended up buying this<a href="http://www.stories.com/Ready-to-wear/All_ready-to-wear/Loose-knit_pullover/590771-975880.1#975880" target="_blank"> jumper</a> at &Other Stories, it kind of reminded me of an old jumper I once got when I was a teen on my first visit to London , obviously back then it seemed a lot more rebellious and exciting to wear a jumper full of holes, right now it just seemed more of a safe but slightly quirky addition to my wardrobe. I'm honestly feeling like I need a major wardrobe overhaul after wearing pretty much pretty much one outfit in different variations all winter :) </div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-2542137332458161822014-01-20T22:18:00.002+00:002014-01-20T22:18:56.192+00:00It's the shoes!!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zB7LJWSjOU4/Ut2H3viCAGI/AAAAAAAAFTg/SzwsFrKgDcg/s1600/stella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zB7LJWSjOU4/Ut2H3viCAGI/AAAAAAAAFTg/SzwsFrKgDcg/s1600/stella.jpg" height="452" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: <a href="http://www.stellamccartney.com/experience/en/the-collection/autumn-2014-2/" target="_blank">Stella McCartney - Fall 2014 Lookbook</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">There were plenty of sighs of happiness and joy on my part when I first saw Stella McCartney's Fall 2014 lookbook. It's pretty clear going through my posts archive that I'm quite a fan , so there's no wonder I kept going back to the lookbook looking at every detail and every item, getting excited about prints, the cuts and the gorgeous bags but somehow I managed to miss these fabulous shoes until I had another look last night. I've become quite obsessed looking for the perfect pointy shoe and these two pairs are exactly the sort of pair I would love to own, but unfortunately Stella McCartney shoes are slightly over my budget so I guess I will keep dreaming of these perfect pointy shoes and maybe start saving so one day I can get a pair like that for myself. </span></div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-67337788829559707012014-01-19T16:59:00.000+00:002014-01-19T17:57:00.086+00:00Wide-brimmed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the risk of looking like an idiot, I find it hard to keep away from this wide-brimmed hat that I found in my local charity shop. I have been going a little crazy with hats this winter but I absolutely love wearing hats, especially now that I'm trying to get my hair back into shape after months of absolute mis-treatment, so hats have become must have for me and a wide-brim hat was certainly a welcome addition, especially for the grand price of one pound from my local charity shop's bargain bin, this hat still had it's tags on so I couldn't be happier with this find, although I'm not sure about the overall look (a bit of a hassidic vibe going on here according to my friend) but it's all about the hat after all.</div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-88116440879788850542014-01-18T23:15:00.002+00:002014-01-18T23:15:45.531+00:00Monster<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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Whilst I still get myself to properly think about what I'm wearing now , I can quite easily build a fantasy summer wardrobe in my head and at the moment I'm having a serious discussion with myself about which of these shoes would fit into my imaginative summer wardobe?</div>
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I have a soft spot for chunky and somewhat clumsy looking shoes, some might consider those as a bit of a fashion monstrosity but simplicity and practicality always seem to come first on my list, so no wonder I'm slowly becoming captivated by this trend and whilst I really can't see myself jumping on the Birkenstok-mania that is slowly unfolding, these sandals from Zara are certainly tick the boxes as to the type of sandals I can see fit for my imaginary summer wardrobe. </div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-14130123187016242542014-01-17T14:13:00.002+00:002014-01-17T14:13:57.023+00:00The fashion snore<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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My lack of posts recently can only be explained by the fact I have now officially entered that phase of the year which I call the 'fashion snore', I experience this every winter just after Christmas when the shops are still full of last season's sale items and all you wish for is to see something bright and new that hints that in a few months time spring will come.
By now my fashion snore situation is so bad that I can't even look at myself in the mirror in the morning after I get dressed simply because I know that seeing myself wearing that black roll neck again might send me back straight to bed.<br />
To keep it short, I'm feeling a bit fed up with my dark wardrobe, the same boring black dresses and solid jumpers that I've become so used to in the last few months, I just feel that I'm in an urgent need of a colour and print injection but deep inside I know I'm not brave enough to make that switch yet, so I find myself scouring the internet for the most eye-popping prints and colours in a hope of finding something that will finally help me conquer my craving for a little bit of colour and print and save me from this fashion snore.<br />
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-79179505168561119552014-01-10T14:46:00.001+00:002014-01-10T14:46:47.857+00:00Essentials and non-essentials<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recently I've noticed a pattern in my approach to shopping and the sales period this year was a proof that there is a slight change in my approach to shopping and spending which I'm actually very happy with. Probably the best evidence for that is my reluctance to shop the sales, not because I hate the stress of diving into messy sale rails and pushy customers but because I truly got to the conclusion that there was nothing I really needed to spend my money on, at least nothing that I can consider completely essential to my wardrobe at this time of the year. I have plenty of basic items, knitwear and by now, enough jackets and coats to last me a few good winters but one thing I noticed I can't get enough of recently is shoes and handbags, these shoes from Topshop and Maanii handbag have been two items I marked quite a long time ago as two pieces that I will buy once the end of season markdowns start and I'm quite happy I managed to hold myself until the sales and save some money but I was also really happy that I bought exactly the two items I set my eyes upon and didn't get distracted by any other sale items that I simply didn't need at this point. </div>
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One of the things that I noticed is that pretty early on in the season I had a list of items that I wanted but didn't want to pay a full price for and with that list also came a more sensible outlook on what I need or don't need so when the sales started, most of those items I thought were essential at the beginning of the season, suddenly disappeared from my list simply because as times passed I started realising I did not really need them and eventually I was left with just two items on my list - a pair of shoes and a bag, certainly not big sale scores but definitely more practical then most other items I set my sight on when the season just started.</div>
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I'm hopeful that I'll be able to keep up with this as the new season arrivals start to hit the shops, it was certainly something that not only saved me a lot of money but also taught me to evaluate carefully what I need and what I can live without. </div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-70701492182681887682014-01-08T20:59:00.000+00:002014-01-08T21:53:35.985+00:00Darker shades of summer<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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It’s usually around this time of the year that the new Spring/Summer trends slowly start appearing in shops, magazines and blogs and although I’m usually quite keen on seeing how these trends are translated by the high-street chains, the real thing that is usually on my mind is how do I work my mostly dark wardrobe with the usually light and colourful spring and summer trends. </div>
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I recently joked with my friend that my biggest fashion nightmare will be the disappearance of black and dark colours from the catwalks and shops in the summer. As I mentioned many times before, when it comes to getting dressed, summer is definitely my least favourite time of the year, especially because suddenly everything seems to turn so bright and colourful so last night, I had to reassure myself that not all summer clothes this year will be washed in shades of pastel and wild prints and so I gathered my favourite black and grey designer looks from the Spring/Summer shows in celebration of the darker shades of summer and now the only thing left to wish for is that the UK will actually be blessed with a real summer this year.<br />
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-37842884882045938732014-01-06T21:52:00.000+00:002014-01-06T21:52:21.557+00:00Coat Check<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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According to the newspaper's today is the most depressing day of the year but for me the day after the Christmas break is actually one of the happiest days, it's the day in which I feel a great relief in going to back to my daily routine and it's always mixed with a little bit of excitement and anticipation for the new year. </div>
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As I was feeling extra cheerful this morning I decided it will be a good time for a bit of a lighter touch to my outfit with the help of my new coat. It did feel a little strange to wear such a light coat especially as I'm used to so much black in my wardrobe so decided to wear my biker jacket underneath to add a little bit of an edge to this classic coat, I felt I needed the extra detail to help me feel a little more comfortable shifting away from my usual black coat. I feel really happy with this new addition to my wardrobe now despite my initial reservations, it certainly made me want to add a bit more colour and lighter shades into my wardrobe.</div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-58802249188083522262014-01-05T21:00:00.000+00:002014-01-05T21:00:25.525+00:00Postcard perfect - A quick stop-over in Zurich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Still intent on revisiting my holiday which was over almost a week ago, I decided to take a look at some of the photos I took while on a stop-over in Zurich. Most people think I'm crazy, having a stop-over when I'm going back home, a flight to Tel Aviv from London would usually take about 5 hours, but I absolutely hate flying so in recent years started booking in-direct flights with a stop-over, that way I can get a break between my flights and also step out of the airport for a few hours and explore a city I might have never been to. My favourite stop-over city has always been Amsterdam but this time around I found a really cheap flight through Zurich and it was a great opportunity to visit a city I last been when I was 6.</div>
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Zurich is a great stop-over city as it's just a 10 minute train ride from the airport and the airport authorities actually encourage passengers on a stop-over to venture into the city if time allows. </div>
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I have very fond memories from my first visit to Zurich when I was a kid so I was really excited when I got into the city and had a chance to walk around. Despite the cold weather it was still a great way to take a break between flights, I had a chance to walk around the city centre and munch on some great Swiss chocolate and pastries (which I deeply regret not buying more of to take back to the UK!). I have to admit the city was even prettier than I imagines and the air felt so fresh and clean, the very few people I had a chance to speak with were lovely and it made me think of how much I would love to go back for a proper visit to the city. </div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-57316188170294657432014-01-04T11:37:00.000+00:002014-01-04T11:37:52.308+00:00Something unexpected<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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During my visit at home for Christmas , I had a couple of nice surprise gifts from my mum and one of my friends which I was really happy with. My mum bought me this nice woolly coat and matching scarf from H&M, quite a surprising choice since both my mum and I usually stay away from such light colours so when my mum told me that she got me a new coat I was quite happy, but then she mentioned that I might be a little disappointed with the colour but I wasn't actually, I was quite happy she got me a coat that is not black for a change , I probably passed next to it many times during my visits to H&M and simply ignored it because it's really not a colour I would choose myself but I actually really love it, it's beautiful and elegant and I really love the lighter touch of colour.</div>
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My second surprise was this Opening Ceremony letter jumper carrying the first letter of my surname, it was a very late birthday present from my friend who I haven't seen for months and it was an item I really didn't expect but absolutely love. I can't say no to a quirky jumper so I'm pretty much over the moon with this choice of a present!</div>
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I think those are probably the most exciting presents I got in a very long time and they both have a bit of a sentimental touch , I think the waves of emotion that carried me through my visit back home are still in full effect even now almost a week after I got back to England.</div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-11021306865643377802014-01-03T11:14:00.001+00:002014-01-03T11:14:59.273+00:00Routine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year, once the holiday season is finally over, I feel like a giant weight was lifted of my shoulder, the holiday season is usually quite stressful for most but for me the worst part of it is the sudden impact on my routine. There's nothing I hate more than having my daily routine broken by the holiday madness, I love the stability of knowing what I will be doing Monday to Friday and where I will be and the holidays always seem to shutter this stability. Celebrating the return to work this week has also meant celebrating the return of safe and comfortable wintery outfits and after spending the week in sunny Tel Aviv where temperatures reached 26 degrees during the day, putting on a fuzzy cashmere jumper on a rainy and windy day felt like the best thing ever. Call me crazy but I always preferred dressing up for winter and after a long holiday at home being able to go back to my comfortable wintery wardrobe and get back into my routine were exactly the two things I needed after this slightly crazy holiday season.</div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-48399098691494488182014-01-02T21:30:00.001+00:002014-01-02T21:30:51.310+00:00Resurfacing - Goodbye to 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iDhwPtdPEEY/UsXPLmE-vDI/AAAAAAAAFHo/8CFe9Z8XkQk/s1600/2013-12-26+03.03.09+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iDhwPtdPEEY/UsXPLmE-vDI/AAAAAAAAFHo/8CFe9Z8XkQk/s640/2013-12-26+03.03.09+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Happy new year !</div>
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It seems like the past two weeks have flown faster than I could imagine, only two weeks ago I was still doing a mad 72 hour shift at work which ended just hours before I boarded the plane to Tel Aviv to spend Christmas with my family, it was a trip I planned months ago that was meant to be a happy and relaxing. Little did I know that in the time between booking my tickets and boarding the plane my trip would turn from happy and relaxing to a trip full of sadness and reflection on life. </div>
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In the two months before my trip my dear grandmother passed away, unfortunately I was unable to attend her funeral, it was one of these heartbreaking things I still find impossible to adjust to so on my way to Tel Aviv I spent hours crying because I just couldn't cope with the feelings, it got even harder when I finally got there and the realisation that I won't be able to knock on her door and sit down and chat with her. It was also hard because everytime I go back to visit I realise how fast everyone is getting old and how fast things are changing when I'm so far away from home. This lead me to spend a large part of my time at home trying to spend as much time as I can with my family rather then running around and sightseeing. I just wanted to feel at home for the week and it was a very emotional week but despite that I did venture out to meet my friends and walk with my mum in our favourite spots, I promise that next time, hopefully under happier circumstances I'll be able to spend more time and take more photos at interesting spots in the city. </div>
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I didn't want to go into too many details about my experiences of 2013, it was certainly a testing year from me, I moved from the West Midlands to London for a new job and managed to lose it, I went through a period of doing contract work which also had its ups and downs and eventually found a job in a place which I really hope I'll be able to grow in professionally, hopefully despite the sad events of 2013, the new year will be much better and positive, my main resolution so far is to try to learn how to think more positively.</div>
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In the meantime, until I recover from the events of the past two weeks and get used to 2013, enjoy some of my last photos of 2013, from my home-town Tel Aviv. Happy new year!</div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-68369115726293968542013-12-18T21:24:00.004+00:002013-12-18T21:24:54.654+00:00Trusted favourites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Time seems to fly this week and I can't believe it's only two days before my Christmas break officially begins. On Sunday I'll be on the plane back home but so far I have done zero packing or Christmas shopping, I'm writing this while taking my lunch break at work, the clock just struck 6 and we're still looking at at least 3 more hours of work preparing a new project to go live. Although I love moaning, I'm actually enjoying my time at work but unfortunately the crazy hours this week have stopped everything else in my life and all my plans outside work have now been put aside and just as my plans, the daily morning fashion exercise now consists of me picking up just about anything I can find, although I'm quite happy with my outfit today, a skirt and a trusty old men's jumper is probably my favourite items. I know I can pull them out of my wardrobe when my eyes are still half shut in the morning and still manage to get a sort of OK outfit that I won't feel ridiculous in. To challenge myself I decided to wear my chunky pair of shoes which I still haven't really broken into but so far so good. Now all I have to do is wish that the project we're working on tonight will finally be ready to go live and then I might finally be able to take a deep breath and hopefully finish all my holiday preparations in time.</div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-85339043572623768532013-12-16T22:00:00.001+00:002013-12-16T22:00:44.402+00:00The countdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last week before Christmas is probably my least favourite time of the year, mainly due to the fact that it's the busiest and most stressful week for me in my job, spending most of my time at work trying to make pre-holiday deadlines and conclude projects before the end of the year. It's one of weeks in which I spend most of my days and evenings at work in a mad race against time so on most days, I try to give myself a few extra minutes of sleep (or snooze) before the madness begins again so naturally getting dressed is not really a top priority which means I pretty much rely on whatever I can pull out of my wardrobe as fast as I can. Surprisingly those last minute 'in a rush' outfits are the ones I'm usually happiest with and my outfit for today is certainly one of those slightly messy but trusty outfits that I know I feel the happiest in, especially when I know I'm facing a very stressful week at work. </div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-20249748632037634762013-12-15T17:57:00.000+00:002013-12-15T17:57:13.054+00:00Bright splash<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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Although this winter has been very mild so far, I'm starting to get a little tired of winter clothing by now. It happens every year just before Christmas, the combination of holiday madness, grey and cold weather and short days are probably the perfect time to start digging deeper into the spring/summer collections and pass a gloomy winter after noon with some bright inspiration. I started this with a close examination of Stella McCartney's spring lookbook as her collection are always simple and elegant. I really love the mix of prints and pastel colours, can't stop thinking how beautiful the combination of the snake print bomber jacket with a delicate floral print dress, the sort of outfits I can only dream of actually pulling off but I guess there's nothing wrong with a little bit of bright inspiration on a cold winter afternoon to help banish the winter blues.</div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-31320211825448132982013-12-13T14:28:00.001+00:002013-12-13T14:28:10.972+00:00Work from home <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's no better way to start the weekend then actually working from home on a Friday ! My job gives me a bit of flexibility and in the run-down to Christmas things are getting quieter so today was the perfect day to take things easy and skip the mad rush into the office and setup my temporary office in my local cafe. To celebrate my work from home moment, I decided to dress appropriately for my work session and pretty much wear 'whatever' because no one would actually care. I always enjoy finding a good excuse for a lazy outfit and this one is certainly the mother of all lazy outfits, just put a giant cardigan on whatever you wear and you're sorted! I have no idea why but I decided it would be absolutely essential to wear a necklace to 'break all the black' before I packed my laptop and shuffled down the street to start my 'working from home' day, I suppose it does give a bit of a 'glamourous' touch to this outfit that could perfectly double-up as a pyjama any other day. </div>
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<br />Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-85726392852197054212013-12-12T15:05:00.001+00:002013-12-12T16:41:57.042+00:00Pink haze<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/pink_haze/set?.embedder=459747&.svc=blogger&id=106805181" target="_blank"><img alt="Pink haze" border="0" force="1" height="511" src="http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/AhGiBwFeVzLx8GZdrbWU2w/cid/106805181/id/nt4Jyjlj4xGS9fHFZFZllw/size/c600x511.jpg" title="Pink haze" width="600" /></a></div>
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This morning, as I was walking to work from the tube station, I saw not one but 5 ladies dressed in all shades of pink, all looking gorgeous wearing their little blushed cashmere jumpers or fluffy pink coats and then it hit me, that feeling that I was left out of the pink party. As I was walking and staring enviously at the lady in the gorgeous boxy pink coat I asked myself 'why am I afraid of wearing pink?' and unsurprisingly immediately found about ten reasons to rationalise why I can't wear pink. The list of excuses and reasons could have probably filled a post on its own but I just couldn't help not being a little jealous in those that could so easily add a touch of pink and look totally fabulous and chic. But despite all of the temptation and all of the gorgeous items available, I still can't imagine myself in pink. Maybe it's just a case of going into a shop, finding an item I like and trying it on but maybe it takes more than just walking into a shop and a bit of love for pink, I think there's also a big question of practicality involved, at least for me, trying to rationalise why I suddenly want to wear pink is one thing but there is also the question of what will I be doing with that gorgeous pink jumper next winter, will I still wear it? What will happen to that fuzzy pink coat, will it still look fuzzy and pretty in a few months time? I suppose my answer to these questions is a very simple no. I just know that in a few months time I'll be looking back at this moment when all I wanted to do is wear pink and I'll probably be thanking myself for leaving this sudden fascination with pink where it should be (at least for me) - on the pages of magazines and shop windows. <br />
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-67121155110986519022013-12-11T20:49:00.000+00:002013-12-12T12:21:18.879+00:00A little bit of skirt love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's that black skirt all over again! I'm not going to apologise, it's simply my favourite item of clothing at the moment, the sort of trusty item that you know would pretty much work with any shirt, jumper or t-shirt you choose to wear it with. In many ways, this skirt has replaced the essential black dress for me and allowed me to play around with my outfits after a long period of relying on black dresses only because I was just too lazy to try harder. It seems that I get more wear out of this skirt than any other item in my wardrobe and I can't even imagine what might happen the day I can no longer wear it. If I didn't feel a bit strange about wearing it every day I probably would have but I guess even the best skirt needs a break every couple of days so while I feel like I need to apologise for constantly wearing this skirt, I also think it's a great example of an item that just becomes an easy wardrobe staple you just want to wear it everyday. </div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878394597510798499.post-23894105614384232912013-12-10T23:14:00.001+00:002013-12-10T23:14:45.567+00:00Gift search - part 2 - the little brother<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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My brother is probably one of my best friends, we have a seven year difference between us and growing up we definitely had our moments of bickering and arguing. He used to be a bit of a wild kid and definitely a bit of a nightmare when I was left alone at home as his babysitter, but through the years and especially since I have moved away our friendship has grown stronger and stronger so there's nothing I love more than buying a gift that will make him happy. </div>
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My brother's biggest passion is photography and unlike me, he's actually really good at it, but being a student, he's unable to invest in expensive photography equipment, so this year my parents and I chipped in and we got him a bit of photography themed Christmas and birthday present. I think my brother is probably the most fun person to buy presents for, he's always so happy and thankful no matter what he gets and since he's celebrating he's 25th birthday just before Christmas I think he deserves something extra special. I really can't wait to be back at home for Christmas and spend some quality time with him!</div>
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Ariana U.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11958762183923489851noreply@blogger.com0