Designer Love of the Moment

Hi everyone, 

Sorry for the fairly long post-break, I've been busy savoring the last few days of holidays with my boyfriend before heading back to university.... The sadness of long distance relationships!!

And as you all know, Kym is still driving around in the US and shopping til she drops, haha!

Anyhow, today I thought I'd write a little about a designer brand that I love, which I thought might be interesting, as I tend to talk mostly about fairly cheap and affordable brands and not so much runway fashion. I'm sure you've heard of it: KENZO Paris, a luxury designer label that was founded in Paris by the japanese designer Kenzo Takada in 1970. Having been a little forgotten in past years, Kenzo made a huge comeback this season with an incredibly trendy new collection that has inspired many brands to copy them (I'm looking at you, H&M, stealing all the prints!!)
I have spent houuuurs looking at their gorgeous designs. The collection consists mostly of fairly abstract prints: Salvador Dalí inspired tiger prints, big, bold, black eye prints, dreamy cloud prints and bold letterings of the brand. I'm especially taken with their jumpers. One of them, the green Kenzo Tiger jumper, has become all the rage among fashionistas in past months, and I really understand why!
The color adds a statement to any outfit, the slightly street wear inspired design screams individuality and glams up any outfit, and the KENZO logo print insinuates luxury. I want one soooo bad, but at approx. 300€, these babies are just waaay out of my budget. You can check ebay, however, a few fairly good dupes are on sale up there for about 30 to 50 euros. Definitely worth it.

If you'd rather go for something less iconic than the green Kenzo jumper, there's plenty more gorgeous pieces in the collection. More printed jumpers, embossed boots, embroidered bags, shiny skirts, funky parkas, beautiful scarves. I am genuinely really in love with all of them. The only problem, once again, is the more than hefty price tag. At 300 to 600€ per item, all of these gorgeous garms at far out of my reach. For now, at least. In the meanwhile, I will continue swooning over the brilliant cloud-printed jumper in soft colors, the knitted logo jumper, and especially the tiger embossed leather booties.

If like me, you are really impatient to get your hands on similar items, there is plenty of fashion houses that have been, if not completely ripping off, then at least inspired by the Kenzo prints. Check out some of the items H&M has recently released, such as their all over eye-print leggings, the eye-print skirt, their dupe of the green tiger jumper (which I have to admit I own), or some of their eye-print tops. Seen this before, anyone?
While I do think it's shameless (and actually surprised that it's legal?), I am still grateful that I can buy similar prints for a tiny fraction of the price. Kenzo, make a cheaper line for poor girls like me!!

Any luxury labels that you are in love with? I'm thinking of making my "Designer Love of the Moment"- and where to find dupes, a kind of monthly article. Interested? Comment below!

B's Monki Haul

As promised, a little quick picture haul of a few of the items I picked up from Monki (and other random stores) during my week of holidaying in gorgeous Finland. I keep going on about them, but they truly are my very favorite brand, ever. Wish they did free shipping to Europe on their website, argh! Probably going to head to Utrecht or Amsterdam or Rotterdam one of these days to pick up a few more things, I am just too crazy about them not to.
One thing which I've mentioned before but will mention again as it's quite important, though: their sizing runs a little different than for most other stores, I find. I think it's great, as I actually think it's a lot more accurate and representative of real life, but basically their size XS is about a UK size 8, their size S is about a UK 10-12, their size M is roughly a UK 14-16, and their size L is more like an 18, so be careful not to buy anything too big! I, who sometimes struggle to find something that fits nicely in other stores because they run quite small (Forever 21 runs pretty tiny in my opinion), buy most of my Monki clothes in a size M (or wow, even the odd piece in S) and only get the L sizes when I deliberately want the item to be extra long, or extra slouchy. They also use average or 'normal' size models a lot of the time, which is really refreshing and is part of why I rate this brand so highly. Anyway, here goes: 

"Tough Love" print jumper, 30€ via Monki (love this, as it's very similar to the muuuch more expensive jumpers with prints and slogans by Wildfox Couture. This is such a steal if you compare the prices!) And I could really use a bit of a pop of such a bold color in my wardrobe, as it's usually 99% black and the odd bit of blue or white. This is also 100% cotton, which is great quality for this price.

All over kitty-print canvas tote bag, 8€ via Monki. I am and always have been a cat lady so I genuinely just couldn't resist this. I'm also obsessed with totes, so it's pretty much perfect for me. They're so cute!

Grey acid wash 3/4 length sleeve tshirt, 15€ via Monki. I love everything and anything acid wash, and grey is such a nice transition color to wear in late summer all the way to winter. So gorgeous tucked into some jeans with some cut-out boots and a piece of statement jewelry. Love the high neckline, too.

Did I mention I am genuinely obsessed with socks? Here's a few I picked up recently. The first ones are from a random store, but the chain and the pattern ones are from Monki, too, for just 3€ each!! 

Black and white patterned vest, 15€, via Monki. I love all things monochrome and rarely wear color, so this crazy patterns is a great way to include a bit of pop into an otherwise boring outfit i.e. jeans. 

And here a few other random things I picked up while in Finland: Moomintroll postcards, glass and keychains, because I really love them! Finnish postcards from the Design District, as well as the goooorgeous Monki payment receipt (it's got cute little birds and adorable figures printed on the back!) as well as the gorgeous plastic bag that my clothes came in. Did I mention I loooove that shop?

And finally, the velvet-y biker jacket which I picked up from H&M on the main shopping street in Helsinki. I actually just went in to buy a boring pair of black basic tights, but saw this, then thought it would be waaay to expensive, but had to get it when I realized it was only 19,95€. Genuinely one of the best bargains recently. Lovely material, I really love the shoulder detailing, too. It's also a perfect transition piece to wear on chilly late summer nights all the way til autumn and even winter!

So yes, that's what I picked up, sorry for going on and on and on and on forever about Monki, I can't help myself, it's become a little of an unhealthy (for my wallet) obsession. I keep and keep and keep buying more of their stuff! The quality is just amazing, and the designs so fresh and new and gorgeous. You can find all of the above items on their online shop: http://www.monki.com/

K's Outfit of the Day!

Hello sweeties!

I am really sorry I have not been posting for a while, I was a bit stressed with taking care of my boyfriend and preparing everything for the festival I will be at in the next few days. There will be a post coming up afterwards of course!

cardigan: h&m

oversize top: h&m

leggings: asos

bag: forever21

shoes: zara

necklace: primark

sunglasses: asos

I love this outfit because it's so chill and it's really flattering. I wasn't sure about the leggings when I ordered them off asos since they are really shimmery and this could be a disadvantage for my shape, but when they arrived and I first put them on they felt a-m-a-z-i-n-g! I am so in love with them!

The shoes are some years old already and they are actually falling apart, I still wear them though. Real leather and black with studs, I also own them in grey.

There is a short but funny story about this necklace. I have bought it  at Primark a few months ago for 5€ as far as I remember, typical Primark-cheap prices. I was so happy although it's a bit heavy. Some weeks ago I was at Bijou Brigitte and they offered the exact same pendant with a shorter chain for three times the price! I still wonder how this can even be possible!

The oversized top and the cardigan are really casual and perfect to be combined with anything in my wardrobe. So are the sunglasses, that I also own in brown, and the bag, since it's a simple tote bag, but what caught my eye was the big question mark which makes me feel really nervous when I stare at it for too long...

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy my outfit and I hope you will also have a wonderful week!

K's Weekly Wishlist #3

Nail polish | Clutch | Towel | Coat | Loafers | Dry Shampoo | Bag

As you may have already noticed I am quite a big fan of the color black so it's no surprise half of the items on here are this color.

I have not always been a fan of see-through bags since to me they seem like an invitation for thieves: hey here's my iPhone, and wow look my wallet is so big! Although I still have mixed feelings about them, I grew into being a fan lately. The clutch shown above is a bit dimmed and one side isn't see-through at all so it would be the perfect bag to get used to the idea.

Confetti nail polishes have been on my mind forever since I am totally into glitter nail polishes. It is a different kind of glitter and I am certainly always excited about change!

As Bianca said, summer will be coming to an end soon... though is definitely still really hot here in Vienna and in September, I will be in the United States on a road trip from New York to Los Angeles (I will write an article about it soon), driving through deserts and other really hot places, so it won't be autumn for me until October. Despite all this upcoming heat, I have never been into summer, so I am already thinking about what to wear in autumn/winter. I was a fan of this kind of coat last year already and I will totally buy it this year. I love the contrast!

Studded loafers, booooring, I know, but I need them to match my wardrobe! Yes I have had some shoes on my wishlist already but as opposed to most women, I don't own an entire room full of shoes so my shoes barely ever match my outfits, unfortunately... This has to end soon!

Bianca has been a fan of Batiste dry shampoos for a while now and she totally recommended them to me. Unfortunately it's a bit late for me to order this for the festival I am going to next week, but I will definitely try it out anyway!

Now to the part of the list which might seem a bit boring to you: I have wanted white towels for ages now, I need them for my bathroom. My entire flat is really white and I do not even own white towels, shame on me!

Finally: the bag. Ah I wish I could give you a link to it but the bag above is from Mango and is sold out. I own a really similar one myself, from Zara, but sadly its death is near and I love it so much it's my absolute favorite bag! I am desperate to find a similar one, I really am, I really do hope I will find one in the US!

Do you know where I can purchase a bag like this? What have you been wishing for?

Current Obsession: MONKI

Morning everyone!

 Today I thought I would do a little review of one of my current clothing brand obsessions.  Lately, I've been slightly bored with the fashion labels I usually shop from (I'm not a fan of the current photographic print floral designs, nor of the digital prints, and I'm not too fond of the whole girly floaty lace thing in pastel colors either because, well, it's not the most flattering for a girl like me!). So I've been on the look-out for an affordable brand that would make me swoon again, and I sure have found it. Via Sammi from beautycrush I've been aware of the swedish label Monki for a while, but hadn't thought of buying anything until I recently saw that ASOS started stocking some of their new collection. All I can say is: love at first sight. ASOS so far features about 35-40 items. Some of their collection does also follow the photographic / floral / digital print trend (though it's not my cup of tea, they succeed beautifully at it!). What really made my heart beat faster are the clean-cut, simple, minimal and monochrome designs. Geometric cuts, simple lines, floaty materials in black, white, cream and grey. I immediately ordered their cream/white 3/4 length sleeve jumper dress because I literally couldn't hold back - even though I was really worried that a white short boxy dress wouldn't be the best choice for my body shape.

                   

Upon opening my ASOS package I fell moooore in love. All in all, it's the perfect casual but classy summer dress. It's a bit floaty and short for a breezy freshness during the heat. It's white to keep the sun away and make your tan look darker, and the material is soft and smooth yet thick enough to warm you up on a cooler evening if you throw on a cardigan. Shockingly enough, I didn't even feel like it is too inappropriate and unflattering for my size/shape (I vary between a size 12/14).

Since falling in love with the dress, I have been browsing the Monki Online Shop and their ASOS collection every day, and there's two dozen items in my cart at all times. Monki also happens to have a super amazing sale at the moment, with prices ranging from 2/4€ for some accessories to about 10/15€ for tops and dresses. My fingers are itching - I just want to have it all! Since Monki shops are hard to come by in a lot of places in Europe, I'm incredibly excited to be heading to Helsinki in a couple of weeks to hit their two finnish stores. Let's hope I don't return with a completely empty bank account though! I was even so impatient that I just ordered their black foldover faux leather bag - great size, beautiful and slick design, absolutely perfect for traveling to Helsinki ;) - and at such a great price, too!

                     

A lovechild of the brands H&M and Cheap Monday, Monki offers typically scandinavian coolness and minimalism for really affordable prices. The quality is great, the designs meet my tastes to 100% and are perfect for both minimalists and individualists. The plain, well-cut dresses and tops offer a perfect canvas for big statement jewelry, and the prints bring a pop of color or a splash of humor to your outfit. Basically: I can't stop raving. My only advice: be careful, because their sizing is slightly odd, so that their size M for example equals a UK 14/16, so make sure to size down and check their sizing charts so you don't float in your top! I will definitely let you know what made its way into my wardrobe when I get back from Finland! Have you got any experiences with the label? What do you think?

Shop Monki here and here.