EVIL EYES

Every time I tell Christine that I am in Zara I usually get “tutted” at or she will laugh at me because, yet again, I am most likely browsing the sale racks. I always find it worth it, though, because sometimes I will find beauties such as this top. I had actually previously spotted a dress in the same print but I was not quite happy with the way it sat on me. There are a few girls who can look good in anything, even in a potato sack, and I am definitely not one of them, especially not in a potato sack with a print as loud as this one. Lo and behold, I spotted the same print but in shirt-form. One of the things I aim to do this year is experiment with more colour combinations as well as daring to try more exciting and unusual prints, and not solely dress myself in monochromatic geometric prints.


Chaques fois que je dis à Christine que je me trouve encore une fois devant les rayons soldés de Zara, elle ne peut pas s’empêcher de rire.  Ça vaut quand même la peine, car il y a toujours un petit trésor à découvrir dans les tas d’articles soldés, ce top par exemple.  Il y a quelques semaines j’avais déjà trouvé une robe au meme imprimé, mais je n’étais pas sûre qu’elle m’allait bien.  Il y a des filles pour qui un rien les habille, et elles ont un look épatant.  Mais moi, je n’appartiens pas à ce groupe de filles chanceuses et j’ai décidé de laisser la robe aux cabines d’essayage. Mais voilà, j’ai trouvé par chance ce top au même imprimé.  L’une de mes résolutions pour cette année c’est d’expérimenter avec beaucoup plus de couleurs et d’être plus audacieuse en portant des tenues avec des imprimés insolites.  Je voudrais éviter de me mettre toujours des imprimés monochromatiques.

MISSGUIDED CELEBRATES WITH KARINA

Last week, I met up with the new YLC Luxembourg fashion editor to discuss our ideas and visions and how we could develop the fashion section for YLC. We have some cool things planned which I cannot wait to share with you guys. This was the first time we would be coming face-to-face so I, of course, wanted to make quite a good impression! Luckily, Missguided had recently sent me this blue & white jumper. I have been wearing so many monochrome outfits lately that this is the perfect way to inject a little colour into the outfit. The skirt I am wearing here was an accidental find. When I was in London a couple of months ago, I stumbled across this skirt in Primark. It is the perfect one to wear all year round as you can wear it under a jumper and with a pair of tights for the colder months, or under a crop top for those spring and summer sunshiny days. I am on the lookout for a pale pink or mint blue skirt which falls at the same length so do leave any recommendations below!

I am also excited to say that Missguided are giving me a voucher of 100 GBP to giveaway in celebration of the blog re-launch. Click the read more button below to see all the details on how you can enter.



La semaine dernière, j'ai rencontré la nouvelle rédactrice de mode de YLC Luxembourg pour une échange d’idées et de visions afin de développer la section de mode à YLC.  Nous sommes venues à des idées géniales dont j’ai tellement envie de vous faire part.  C’était notre première rencontre et je voulais bien sûr faire bonne impression.  Heureusement, Missguided m’a récemment envoyé ce pull bleu et blanc.  Ces derniers temps je porte tant de tenues monochromes mais ce pull-ci me permet d’ajouter un peu de couleur.  Quand j'étais à Londres il y a quelques mois, je suis tombée sur cette jupe dans le chaos ahurissant du Primark . Elle est parfaite durant toute l'année, car on peut la porter avec un pull et des collants durant les mois les plus froids ou avec un top court aux jours plus doux. Je suis à la recherche d'une jupe rose pâle ou bleue/verte menthe de la même longueur. Faites-moi savoir si vous en trouvez quelque chose!

Je suis aussi ravie d’annoncer que Missguided m’a donné un bon de 100 GBP pour fêter la relance du blog avec un giveaway. Cliquez sur le lien "Click to read more" pour les termes de participation.

FOG ON THE FIELD

In the run up to the re-launch of the blog as KARINA, Christine and I trailed through all the shoots that we have done together so that we could make a selection of photos for  the Blogiversary post. One of the things I realised was that we were a lot more creative back when we first started collaborating. These photos were taken back in December. They were originally going to be standard outfit photos but, as per usual, we decided last minute to experiment and play with the movement of the skirt. Now, you would think walking around in these heels is difficult, but try jumping and attempting pirouettes in these bad boys!


Pour la préparation de la relance du blog comme KARINA, Christine et moi avons regardé minitieusement tous les projets que nous avons fait ensemble afin de faire une sélection de photos pour l'article « Blogiversary ». J'ai remarqué une chose : c'est que nous étions beaucoup plus créatives lorsque nous avons commencé à travailler ensemble. On a fait ces photos au mois de décembre. Au début, on voulait faire des photos d'un de mes look-du-jour, mais comme d'habitude nous avons décidé au dernier moment d'experimenter avec le mouvement de la jupe. Si vous vous imaginez que marcher avec ces talons soit facile, faire des sauts et des pirouettes est encore plus difficile!


ON THE AVENUE



Here we have yet another back-lit photo which was taken just before the sun disappeared over the buildings on the avenue. It has been so nice to see the sun make an appearance instead of hiding behind the grey clouds. How often have we all heard people joking about the drizzly weather here in Brussels? Whenever it does rain, you may hear people mutter about how typical it is but so far the winter has actually been quite mild. Sometimes it is even a little too warm to be bundling up in a chunky scarf and so a turtleneck like this one from Zara and a long, open coat is the perfect solution.


Voici encore une photo prise juste avant le coucher du soleil sur l’avenue.  En fait, j’ai été assez surprise de voir le soleil après des mois qu’il jouait à cache-cache. Chaque fois qu’il pleut on entend des gens qui murmurent que c’est typique de Bruxelles, mais jusqu’à présent l’hiver a été effectivement très doux.  Parfois, il fait même trop chaud pour être emmitouflée dans une écharpe, et un pull col roulé comme celui de Zara sous un manteau long mais laissé ouvert est donc la solution parfaite.


MONOCHROME BLAZER


I have such a love for blazers as they can instantly pull together a more polished outfit with such ease. You only need to slip into one, over your otherwise casual T-shirt and leggings, and you are ready to go on that evening date or to that coffee meet-up with friends. I of course love a blazer even more when it has a monochrome print. I was sale shopping a while back and I found this blazer which has an unusual and yet beautiful one. The print is slightly blurred which actually made it a bit difficult for Christine to be sure that our photos were in focus! Along with bags and shoes, I think a good blazer is one of those items to invest in. There will always be an occasion to wear one, whether it be to work, with friends or when you simply feel like stepping out in a sleek look.

  

J'ai un tel amour pour les vestes. Ils peuvent instantanément me donner un look plus sophistiqué. Il suffit d’en mettre une, avec un T-shirt et leggings, et on est prêt pour un date night ou une rencontre avec des amis. Evidemment, j’aime bien une veste encore plus lorsqu’elle a un imprimé monochrome. Il y a quelques semaines je faisais des soldes et j'ai trouvé celle-ci avec un imprimé qui frappe tout de suite à l’œil. L’effet est un peu déconcertant et Christine avait du mal à mettre au point la prise des photos! Une bonne veste, comme les sacs et les chaussures, est un article qui vaut la dépense. Il y a toujours une occasion d’en porter une, que ce soit pour le travail, pour un après-midi avec des amis ou tout simplement lorsque on veut sortir avec un look élégant.

GOLDEN HOUR BY THE GOLDEN LADY

One of our favourite places to have brunch and a brainstorming session is Coffee Lounge, right in the heart of Luxembourg City. If you manage to make it there before midday then I highly recommend ordering the combination of a bagel, bacon, scrambled eggs and maple syrup, along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. We ended up spending a decent amount of hours cocooned in Coffee Lounge on the second floor in the corner, furiously typing away and jotting down our ideas, before we realised that we were losing the little sunshine we had left of that day. We hurried off to the Constitution Square, where you get a brilliant view of the city, and took these golden hour photos before the sun set on the Golden Lady and the Pétrusse Valley.


L'un de nos endroits préférés pour un brunch et d'une séance de brainstorming, c'est le Coffee Lounge, en plein cœur de la ville de Luxembourg. Si vous arrivez avant midi je recommande fortement de commander un bagel, du bacon, des œufs brouillés et du sirop d'érable, le tout accompagné de jus d'orange pressé. Nous avons passé des heures au fond du Coffee Lounge au deuxième étage, en échangeant passionnément nos idées, avant de nous rendre compte que nous étions en train de perdre le peu de soleil qui nous restait. Nous nous sommes élancées vers la Place de la Constitution, d'où on a une vue magnifique sur la ville. Nous y avons pris ces photos-ci à l'heure d'or avant le coucher du soleil sur la Gëlle Fra et la Vallée de la Pétrusse.

BLOGIVERSARY

Finally. All these sleepless nights seem completely worth it now! Whilst you can read more about why Christine and I have decided to relaunch as KARINA in our about section, I wanted to take this chance to take you through a photographic journey of a lot of our past shoots and little projects. We had our first ever shoot together on the 10 February 2007 (that photo was a little too embarrassing to publish to the world!) but our friendship goes back many, many years. Our parents were friends before we were born so, in fact, I have known Christine all my life. It is so wonderful when we take photos together or when we are simply hanging out like two ordinary gals, because often we need very little communication to understand each other. So, without further ado, continue below to check out our photos - each of which has a little description to go with it. Enjoy, and welcome to our new project.

We have also made an entirely new facebook page which you can access here.

MAURICE

A long while back (a very long while back...) someone asked me to demonstrate how I put my bun, otherwise known as Maurice, together. Yes, the bun has a name. It somehow managed to pick up this nickname back when I was in school. I went through a long phase where this would be the only hairstyle I would do. Back then my hair was relatively short and so I backcombed a lot but now I think we can all agree that I have more than enough hair which, if backcombed, will turn into a Maurice who had a little too much to eat over Christmas. Below I have added a step by step series of photos.

CLASH OF THE PRINTS

At this point in time, you could probably declare that this is a personal style blog purely dedicated to monochrome looks. But here, I decided to change it up a bit, with a heavy emphasis on "a bit". I actually quite like the clash of the prints here because both pieces are not as in your face. If the crop top was a T-shirt, or jumper, and the bag was an all-over leopard print then perhaps I would have needed to tone it down a bit by taking one or the other out of my outfit equation. Or, who knows, maybe I will be daring enough to go all-out and wear full on print on print!

If you have been following my Instagram then you may be aware by now that I have been dropping major nudges about my blog relaunch, which you may now know will be this Sunday. In the meantime, though, do check out my most recent YLC Luxembourg article about Christine!

MONOCHROME TARTAN

On one of the last days the famiglia was all together we decided to take my grandmother to do a little bit of shopping before she made her way back to Japan. I knew at some point I would browse the sales so I decided to go for some comfy shoes. I was about to slip into my Converse but then I realised that laced shoes are not exactly the most practical if you are going to be in and out of the changing rooms. I had a cheeky look around our shoe shelf and found these velcro shoes which my grandma had bought my brother years ago but were still unworn. Yes guys, velcro. I never thought I would come into contact with it again after the age of 11! My reaction to velcro wallets is akin to that of Ryan Gosling's character in Crazy Stupid Love. But I actually much prefer the way these look than laced trainers and nothing beat the face of the shop assistant at the changing room when she heard the KRRRRRTSCH.

DAISY LOVE

I am heading back to Luxembourg for a short visit but before I ran off to catch my train, I wanted to post this look. I have worn this outfit so many times but I think I have never actually featured it on here before - correct me if I am wrong! It is mainly down to the fact that this is my go-to evening outfit for drinks or dinner and so it usually never makes a day-time appearance. What I love about this top is that it is such a great way to wear floral print in winter thanks to the dark colours in it.

TWIRLS

After raving in my previous post about my love for compartmentalising my life and carrying it on my shoulder, I thought it would be only perfect to show you this look featuring a bag with no, not two, but three different sections. I am usually not one to make New Year's resolutions but one thing I will try and work on is packing and travelling lightly. Now, you would think that someone who is obsessed with categorising her handbag items would be an efficient suitcase packer but oh no no no, do not let me fool you. Whenever I travel with my wheeled suitcase my Dad is convinced I am transporting a vast amount of bricks. One of my goals for when I am shuffling between Luxembourg and Brussels is to travel with only one medium or large handbag, like this one, making it less tempting to pack unnecessary items which weigh me down. It cannot be that hard, right?

MULBERRY SILK

When Christine and I met in town last week to shoot for an article I am working on for Your Living City, it happened to be the first official day of sales in Luxembourg and so we decided to have a little browse. I found this Zara coat on sale and because 15% of the coat is made of silk, the price was still slightly steep but worth it as 80% of it is wool which keeps me warm even without a thick jumper. This is great when I can quickly whip off my coat and cool down once I arrive at work after I pile out from the sardined-packed metro carriages with commuters, followed by a bit of a power walking from the station to work. Another sale find in Zara was this top which has leather shoulders details. I have never really been able to embrace the all-leather trend - with the exception of this skirt paired with my leather jacket - because I tend to prefer having subtle accents on clothing, like this top. My third, final and lastly but not least find was this bag. I love bags. But bags with several compartments? I love even more. Organising and sorting things into different sections of my bag gives me the impression that I am totally and utterly in control of the things in my life. Does that make sense? Probably not. On one side I keep my Filofax and gloves and on the other side I keep stuff which I will need to whip out several times a day such as my wallet or metro pass. This way I am not faffing around and searching in a bottomless Mary Poppins sack whilst holding people up. I like the idea of being able to categorise my handbag items into separate compartments and it is one of the reasons why I first fell in love with the Prada Galleria bag. A girl can dream.

LITTLE MISTRESS DRESS

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful start to the New Year. I of course had to wear my Little Mistress on NYE! I absolutely love the the detail on the shoulders and the light mesh makes feel like a bit of a figure skater. I am quite conscious about my arms so this heavy black detail acts as a form of distraction instead of being it being bold and all one colour. Like the first dress which I receive from Little Mistress, it has a small V-cut in the front which I think makes it all the more flattering. I celebrated Hogmanay with my family but then my brother, his girlfriend and I made our way into town around 1am which was really fun. My family and I usually always celebrate together so it was nice to do that (and watch the fireworks from our back garden) as well as go out until the wee hours of the morning and make the most of this dress.

CITY CENTRE

IMG_7153
Before heading into town the other day, I decided to put a great deal of effort curling my hair and I was beyond incredibly pleased with the result (have a look here) but unfortunately the curls loosened by the time I was able to have these photos taken. Underneath my long Zara coat which I got over a year ago in Köln, I'm wearing a cropped floral tucked into my favourite trousers which are also from and happen to make my bum look quite fabulous. I've been trying to spot them in the sale just so I can have another pair but so far no luck! Is it bad that when I like something so much I tend to by a second one or set? I did that with this Primark bag which was only 10 GBP because I predicted, correctly, that the straps and zip would eventually weaken. Although, I have actually been quite impressed with how well it has lasted considering just how often I used it. I feel hesitant to throw the old one away because it is not completely useless - it has several wears and tears which really only I notice and which other people would not unless I point them out.

JANUARY MUST-HAVES


Recovered
Autosave
Sales have officially begun in Luxembourg! I picked up a few things in Zara when I met up with Christine in town to shoot some looks. If you follow my Instagram then you can already take a peek at the amazing coat I found. I mentioned in my previous post that I would be announcing something soon and that is that I am now a contributing writer for Your Living City Luxembourg. The site is targeted towards anglophone expats in Luxembourg and so it is a great way to have a peek into my little home country that I keep mentioning here and there in posts! It launched only yesterday but there is already a great amount of content to browse and read through, although I would appreciate it if you have a look at my article here where you can read all about my must-haves for this month and the items which I have included in the collage above.