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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White Scalloped Top and Nude Pleated Skirt

Why haven't I worn this outfit sooner?? I was toying around with the idea of playing with this season's hugest trends - whites & nudes. And then it seemed like the outfit made itself. It's such a simple look but has so many beautiful details that I love! 

First of all this, this top. My mom pulled it out of a Goodwill rack and thank heaven's that that woman can spot quality from a mile away. This beauty has stunning embroidered flowers and scalloped edges. I resisted the urge to tuck it into my skirt (old habits die hard) and I'm glad I did. It would have been a pity to cover up any inch of this darling. 

I was kinda over this skirt for a while, thinking "Why in the world did I buy anything beige?? It's so not my color." But I think pairing it with white brings new freshness into an actually precious skirt. I love anything with pleats and it's got the extra clever little ruffled layer at the bottom.  

The shirt and skirt were a great canvas to wear some of my new favorite accessories. I found this gold pineapple necklace and I cannot stop wearing it - same goes for this tasseled-colorful-gold-chain-beaded collection of bracelets.  I wrapped a scarf around my bag for another pop of color, added a belt to accent my waist, slipped on a pair of nude heels (utterly and always obsessed with these) and voila! 

How are you wearing the white & nude trend these days?

Skirt, Shirt & Scarf: Thrifted | Shoes & Belt: Target | Bag: Coach | Pineapple Necklace & Bracelets: Lovisa | Sunglasses: Cotton On 

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How to Wear a Boyfriend Shirt

The other day I just couldn't handle my closet. I was just so bored, bored, bored with it. Lord knows why; it's not like I'm not lacking in clothing. But the idea dawned on me to take a gander into someone else's closet. What's the perk of living with someone if you can't peek through their wear-ables every once in a while? 

My eyes alighted on my boyfriend's button-up. I knew it was tight on him so there was a chance it might not swallow me up. And bonus! It had the cool hooks on the sleeves to keep them rolled up. 

When I think of the boyfriend shirt, I automatically go to Song of Style and Sincerely Jules. So I knew I wanted to embody their cool, effortless boyfriend shirt + shorts look. Here's how I think they pull it off and how you can, too! 

1. Wear lots of several pieces of basic but detailed jewelry. Jewelry pulls any look together. Wear simplistic silver jewelry you could get away with saying, "Oh, this ol' thing? Had it forever. Live in it." Jewelry you could have been born in.

2. Sunglasses & a killer bag. First of all, do I even need to explain the worthiness of sunglasses? Everyone - from age 2 to 87 - looks badass in a pair of shades. And a great leather purse keeps the outfit polished unlike a traditional backpack or canvas tote bag. 

3. Casual & comfortable footwear. Not that you couldn't wear heels with any of these outfits but what's the fun of wearing a comfy, baggy boyfriend top and chill jean shorts if you weren't at ease walking around? 

4. Own the shit out of your outfit. In my boyfriend's own words, "You cheated. That's not fair. You just put a belt on everything and then, poof! You have an outfit?" I feel most comfortable accenting my waist. That's what's works for me. So naw, I didn't cheat. I just beat the system. ;-)

There are only a bizillion other ways to style a button-up or your favorite fella's finery. How would you  wear it? 

Sincerely, Jules

Song of Style

Shorts: H&M | Shirt: Plato's Closet | Shoes: Rack Room | Earrings: Lovisa | Bag: Korean Thrift Store | Belt: Goodwill

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been trying to do a fall appropriate outfit here on the equator and third time is a charm! It was raining the other day so I took the opportunity of the cooler weather to wear one of my favorite long-sleeve shirts (and I only have three here!) Everyone says that animal print is a neutral so I tried out that theory with this cheery Modcloth polka dot skirt. It's a bit much but I ended up really loving the combo. To go along with the prim look, I put on my Mary Janes and tied a ribbon around my collar. 

I'd like to think that if I was home for Thanksgiving, I would wear something like this. Instead, my boyfriend and I ate pasta at the National Museum and then watched a modern dance performance (and NO, I did not drag my boyfriend - he really likes going to new things like this). The museum is so beautiful at night and the area is all decorated for Christmas. Although, it's definitely weird seeing Santa in his suit when it's blazing hot outside. Even though we had a yummy meal, extraordinary entertainment and I was with my boo, don't get it twisted - what I wouldn't do for some green bean casserole, buttery mashed potatoes, squash casserole and pecan pie. Mmmmm! Eat some for me! What are you doing for Thanksgiving? I hope everyone has a lovely time with their friends and family and has bunches to be thankful for! I know I do. 

 Skirt Modcloth (it's on sale right now! If you hurry, you can get it for $13!) | Shirt: Liz Clairborne (Goodwill, America) | Shoes: Homeplus, Korea 

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