Purchased in May

May has been one of those months
where I must admit that shopping got 
a bit out of control.

It all started with this black and white Anne Klein dress.
I had been lusting for months now after this YSL black 
and white skirt with the side pocket:
Image via 
The dress was soooo similar...
I hunted it down on line but could
not find it. Then after going to 4 stores
I found it, one piece in my size... for 117.00 USD
it's more than I usually spend on a dress,
if you follow these purchases posts you know what I mean,
but, I just had to have it.
.

Then I took a brief vacation and
walked into every single H&M
store I encountered. 
I have a weakness for this store.

While in Luzerne I bought this H&M flower top on sale for 20.00 CHF.

In the same store I picked up a pair of neon trousers.
Neon. Neon for 15.00 CHF. Neon.

Also bought on sale a pair of black and white trousers
on sale for 10.00 CHF.
I call them the orcas, they remind me of the orca whale.


While at the Zurich airport I walked into H&M
and picked up this striped dress for 14.90 CH.
How could I say no ?

At the same airport store I walked off with
a pair of blue printed trousers and matching sleeveless top,
each for 14.90 CHF.

While walking in Amsterdam my shoes got wet.
I entered an H&M store and picked up a pair of
grey sneakers for 19.50 € (25.35 USD)
I never wear sneakers, however I liked these.


I also picked up a pair of turquoise/green suede bow flats for 5.00 CHF.

While in Istanbul I fell in love with a simple pair of colorful silk flats I
saw in a store window, these were 30.00 USD
Another item I purchased were these tiny hand painted typical Delftware windmill earrings for 7.00 USD.


Also from H&M a bottle necklace for 3 euros and a round 
porcelain ball pendant necklace for 2 euros - about 7.00 USD total.


From Istanbul, a long thin silver necklace with zirconia
for 30.00 USD


From Amsterdam I also picked up a delft pendant (9.00 USD),
in Istanbul grand bazaar I picked up 4 silk bracelets (total 32.00 USD).
The original idea was to keep 2 and give the other 2
as presents, but I still have not made up my mind 
because I like them all so much.

Finally bags.
I picked up 4 bags for 410.00 USD 
(one of which I am considering in giving away) 
and a keychain for 7.00 USD-

This adds up to triple 7.
Yeah, I went so overboard.
 I don't even want to write the number down.

May's Closet Edits

It's funny how I hunted down "the perfect black turtleneck" 
and actually found it at Zara - this was quite a few years back.
It quickly became my go to item when packing for cooler weather.
It went with me to New York, D.C. and on several trips to Europe...
However now it's no longer black and I decided to part with it.


My number 2 Talbot jeans, it's funny how these are size 2.
I am not so they were always a tid tight, high waisted and the
wash was not my favorite.


A pair of grey trousers from A.Byer, these were actually a 
hand me down from a friend. 
I wore them at least a dozen times on the blog and there is
not one time I can say I loved how they look, so off they go.


My brown Dockers shorts also left.
Purchased 2 years ago and worn about 10 times.
They were faded, the length was different on each leg
and I was not happy with how they fit me.


My black BCBG wedges, were actually hand me downs from my mom.
I never wore them and when I did I was not fully convinced they looked well.


My Xhilaration jean bag.
I have had this bag for ages, really.
But from being kept in a close the jean fabric acquired a smell that
no matter how much Lysol I have sprayed on it and how many
times I have laid it out on the sun, it will still not go away.
In addition to that it was never comfortable to hold and
I almost never wore it because I did not know what to pair it with.


Also pjs from Victorias Secret.


Finally my black and white sunglasses.
I've had these for 8 years, they've been
to almost every island in the Caribbean
as it's the pair of sunnies I got when I started
my job as an area manager... however they
started falling apart.


 8 items, one month.
How are your closet edits coming along ?

Love Inspired

I saw it in a magazine,
I saw a similar on a fellow blogger.
It had to be mine: the Love cuff.

Image of December 2012 In Style magazine

I cannot tell you how many sites I searched looking for the perfect
Love bangle - until I found it at Forever 21 :)

Is there anything in particular you're hunting for ?

What's in a store name ?

Walking the streets of Amsterdam I came across some
interesting stores, with odd names - which I honestly
had never seen or even imagined !


One of them was Supertrash, I have no idea why
this name would be appealing or attract people 
wanting to purchase clothes.


The same goes for Scamm... 
I feel safe making a purchase here with my credit card.


How about shopping at Sissy Boy ?


Finally, my favorite one was a store called "OPTIONS".
The funny thing here is that you had no option when it
came to paying as it read: "No Cash - Cards Only" !

Any weird store names in your area ?

Dutch

I'd never been to Amsterdam and quite frankly
I had been missing out on a lot.


The museum offer is one of the best I have been able to experience.
The Rijksmuseum is an example, it reopened to the public after 10 years
of being closed renovation... It's a must.

Of course the touristy things are worth doing, 
like visiting the Volendam cheese factory where
you can sample cheese until your stomach hurts.
Or until you run into the First Lady of your country
(like I did). Weird, huh ?

Blue trousers Jones New York - Blue shirt H&M - White sweater Papaya - Black flats Vera Wang Lavender
The windmills, you've got yo visit those specially because 
they are almost extinct.
There use to be over 10,000 windmills in Holland and now 
there's about 1,000 - luckily now they're protected.


The views of the country side are astounding and you can bet you'll make a new friend.


I came across a place that had the fish pedi which I had been
wanting to do forever, so I jumped right in.
It was a like a nice massage for tired feet-



Finally, a visit to Amsterdam would not be complete without
walking the Red Light District, a true example of a liberal and tolerant attitude.


Istanbul

If I have not said it before, I have to say it now:
I am terrible at using public transportation.


This, mostly because where I live public transportation sucks so
much that it's not even an option...

Kensie girl dress - White H&M Cardigan - H&M flats

So being able to ride the metro from Sultahanemet all the way 
to Besiktas to visit the Dolmabahce Palace was a true accomplishment for me.


I was quite happy with the fact that for once - just this once, I did not get lost !



Now that I think of it, maybe I did not get lost 
because I simply followed everyone else who looked
like a tourist and who seemed to know where they were going...

Where east meets west...


After work you have to have some fun.

Gap jeans - Forever 21 flower top - H&M White cardigan - H&M flats
So I figured Constantinople was the way to go.


If you like history like me, you'll know that where east meets west and Constantinople only mean one thing: Istanbul.


The city did not disappoint -

Grand Bazaar

The weather was perfect, the food was fresh and amazing.

Spices at the Grand Bazaar
The people were extremely nice, 
there are sooo many places to visit, wonderful things to see, 
shopping is interesting as there is a lot to buy but you have to haggle.
I can't haggle, period.

Blue Mosque
Regardless of the haggling...
I truly loved every minute of it !




Catching the train


My visit to Lucerne is over and
I honestly enjoyed every minute of it.

Gap jeans - Gap black trench - H&M scarf - H&M flats
Now, it's time to go to the train station and
head to Zurich.
Luckily for the the train station is right across the street.

Lucerne

I spent the day in Lucerne.

Gap jeans - Papaya white sweater -
White cardigan H&M - Flower scarf H&M - flats H&M
Once again, it was rainy - and bloody cold -
so it seems like I will be wearing the same 
clothes day after day...

Black trench coat Gap
But, the weather did not stop me as
I had great food, got to learn about the
city in a walking tour, had a private chocolate
tasting and even shopping...
I cannot complaint ! 

In Schwyz

So I finished packing and traveled
to Ibach, Switzerland.

Jones New York blue trousers - Papaya fuchsia sweater -
White cardigan H&M - Black flats Vera Wang Lavender
The weather was even colder than
expected, it seems like the Swiss are being
cheated out of spring.


I had planned to wear a different top
but with the weather being so cold I 
had to trade my red fun blouse 
for a so-so a blah sweater.


I hate it when I have to do last minute changes 
on things I had planned on.


H&M gold tone necklace - Love ring Christian Lay
Now that I look at the pictures
I should have just sucked it up and frozen, but at least I 
would have frozen wearing a nice red top.

Gap black trench - H&M scarf

Nevertheless it was a great day,
I had forgotten that work could be so much fun.