How to Make a Blue & White Outfit Look Fresh

I've said it before and I say it again: I. Love. These. Shorts. It's such a struggle to find shorts and then to find polka dot ones that fit like a dream - this is a real unicorn here, folks. Last time, I wore a red white and blue outfit but this time I wanted to switch it up and breath some freshness into the tried & true combo of blue and white. So pops of pink! This simple and easy color combo feels so new and fun! It also doesn't hurt to mix 2 simple prints: stripes and polka dots #FTW.  

I've also worn this peplum top here tucked into a midi but I resisted the urge for this outfit. As a pear shape, I've always been a little hesitant to wear more fabric on my hips but I've seen many bloggers embrace it and rock it. Color Me Courtney (one of my favorites!) rocks the peplum well. 

Another little surprise factor of this outfit is my beloved watermelon purse (also worn to the beach here). Everyone went gaga for fruits this summer and rightly so! I kinda feel like a little girl again wearing this purse, especially when putting my heart-shaped sunglasses in it and then the only thing in my purse is my wallet, a mirror and lipstick. It's like playing dress-up all over again! 

I wore this outfit on date night and we had the loveliest time. We walked through Chinese Gardens to take these photos (and the sun kept playing hide & seek, driving me crazy trying to get continuity with the photos!). We also played the how-many-monitor-lizards-do-you-spy game. Spoiler Alert: Stephen always wins. I have no idea how he can spot these lizards camouflaged so well! It doesn't help my cause that these suckers are SO BIG. Then we finally tried the hot pot restaurant that's been on our list forever. It was soooo good and we ate so so so so so much beef. We also made friends with the owners who were so incredibly sweet. Great outfit, great night in my opinion! 

What was on your last date night's itinerary? Have you discovered an quick, easy way to freshen up an outfit? 

Shorts, Top & Shoes: Thrifted | Purse: Abaday | Earrings & Sunglasses: Bugis Market | Bracelet: Lovisa 

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Santorini, Greece: Boat Trip

Sailing Away 
While in Greece, I wanted to take a small, intimate boat - perhaps a yacht - to spend the day exploring the neighboring islands.  Well, the cheeky Greek man working at the travel agency kindly reminded me that I wasn't Gary Pepper Girl or Barefoot Blonde. Hmmmph. (Okay, he didn't exaaactly same that but it was the same idea.)

So Kristen and I ended up going on a very very large boat with many people for 20 euros. And ya know what? It wasn't that bad! I do get sea sick though which I think is completely unfair given just how much I absolutely LOVE the ocean and being on the water. Has anyone tried the seasickness bracelets? Do those work?

The highlight of the trip was to go to a volcano where you had the option of hiking to the summit. Ha! No, thank you. However we did walk up the half way mark to take in the view and we were not disappointed. Across the deep blue water we could see the cluster of white buildings of Oia. We felt like we were aliens in a weird land with only rocky hills stretching out of view.

FYI, there are many mixed reviews on Tripadvisor about this type of day trip but we really enjoyed it. But honestly, I think Kristen and I could have enjoyed exploring a paper bag (I'm glad we got to see more than that though!) Funny story: when we were climbing up a suspiciously high and precarious edge of the volcano, Kristen stops to take a picture and then says, "Wait! I'm out of memory!" and I thought she proceeded to delete photos ON THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN-VOLCANO. After we safely arrived back on level terra firma we then tried to think of all the most ridiculous examples when a tourist would make people stop and say, "Wait! I need to delete my repeats!" (Can you think of any?) Just trust me. It. was. funny. We are available for re-enactments, if necessary. Have your people contact our people.

BTW, if you haven't already, be sure to check out my post about our first day in Santorini! 

The Outfit

The best part about being on the boat was the laissez-faire everyone had about clothing. I've become accustom to the general Asian mentality of boat trips: hide from the sun by any means necessary and unless you are a size 0, cover yourself. But the Europeans have a very different take that is very refreshing: they go for it. Every age and size was in varied states of dress. Some were in full bikinis sunbathing on desk, others in see-through cover-ups and then others were wearing non-beachwear. It made for a very comfortable holiday atmosphere! 

I only wore my long-sleeve button-up because I was afraid of being burnt to a crisp (not a good look, trust me). Underneath I wore my custom-made-to-fit high waisted swim suit from Surania which if you know anything about me, you know I'm absolutely obsessed about this suit; proof from this post and my instagram. You can see a better image of the suit here. 

What are your favorite pieces for beachy-travel & exploration? Got any go-to cover-ups? 

Shirt, Shorts & Hat: H&M | Shoes: Rack Room | Earrings & Bracelets: Lovisa
Sunglasses: Cotton On

Photos by Kristen

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Little India, Singapore

Little India 

My boyfriend and I are utterly obsessed with Little India in Singapore for a multitude of reasons. First of all, it is so colorful. These pictures (which you might have seen on my Modcloth Travel Bug post)  barely scratch the surface of this beautiful and dynamic rainbow-region of Singapore; the buildings, wall murals, street vendor wares, the marigold necklaces…  And don't even get me started on the saris! There's so much to take in and look at - not to mention buy! 

Another reason we can't enough of Little India is the food. Stephen is curry-crazy and eats it any chance he can get. For me, I'm all about the mint-corriander chutney and butter masala at Delhi Restaurant. Oh, and butter nan. (Basically anything with butter. You can take the Southern girl out of the South but you can't take the South outta the girl…) In between wandering around and shopping, we always get roti prata with gravy and lime juice for a snack at one of the side street hawker centers. We usually will grab a few beers at Countryside Cafe, too. It's this charming little bar on the backpacker's street where the lovely and welcoming owner, Shiree, will gladly chitchat with patrons. I don't think she's ever met a stranger! 

Stephen and I also always feel nostalgic when walking around Little India. Even the smell of incense takes me back to three years ago. In summer 2012, Stephen was planning a month long trip to Northern India and at this point, we had been dating for about a month. He asked me to go with him and I laughed in his face! I thought he was insane. But luckily, Kristen and he convinced me to go and I'm so glad I did. It was hard work traveling there and India is full of crazy extremes but we experienced so much there and created so many memories together. The beginning of a long-lasting relationship is incredibly exciting anywhere but to do that in India…! So Little India holds a special place in my heart, personally. 

For this particular visit, I actually went with my friend Lauren from Fried Green Kimchi. She had recently moved to Singapore so it was only too fun showing her my favorite little haunts and she did such an incredibly job capturing all the colors of the area! She also does amazing things with fusion food on her blog so I'm really curious to see what she'll cook up for the Singaporean-Indian-Western dishes... (**hint, hint**)

The Outfit

I bought this dress years ago on super discount at Target. I almost didn't get it because it's just a smidge too big for my taste. Or so I thought. But with the loose shift dresses being a huge trend now (and very necessary) for summer, it's just the ticket! And who can resist red and turquoise together in a bird print? No one in my book, that's who. To me, this dress is very much the style of many young Singaporean women I see: a fun and casual dress to easily throw on, a simple tote bag, great sandals. The girly little bow was a Lindsey touch, though! 

Dress: Target (old) | Shoes: Thrifted | Tote: H&M | Sunglasses: Cotton On | Ribbon: Coach 

Photographer: Lauren of Fried Green Kimchi

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Senorita Rosa

Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite holidays; who doesn't love an excuse to indulge in margaritas and loooots of queso dip on the patio? In Georgia, that's pretty much any day - there seems to be a Mexican restaurant on every corner - each one more delicious and cheaper than the next. But I definitely get a bit homesick on the 5th of May. 

Besides being addicted to queso, I love Mexican-inspired embroidery. This top worn with my new pink polka dot skirt & bowed-belt and I'm muy feliz! 

Skirt: Australian Salvation Army | Bag: Coach | Shirt, Shoes & Sunglasses: Singapore Pop-up Kiosks | Belt: Korean Underground Shopping
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Photos by Sara Moulton