Get the Cool Girl Look: Silk Scarves

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If there's one trend I've seen in Europe that I can seriously get behind, it's scarves. Silk scarves are back people. And with a vengeance. A simple, chic, and ultra-cool vengeance. Leandra Medine over at Man Repeller has also been rocking silk scarves in creative ways for a while now and everyone has just started to get the bright silky picture. I'm lovin' it. Throw one of these scarves over an otherwise simple outfit and you're ready for NYFW, or even better Milan Fashion Week (shoutout to the temporary hometown)! 

Everyone has a few of these square scarves tucked in the back of their closet, or their mom sure does, but with absolutely no clue how to wear it. Well, here's your guide and it's simple: Any way you can imagine. Around your neck and over a striped shirt, tied on your wrist, wrapped around the strap of a handbag, substituted for a belt, go wild. Think monochrome or mismatching patterns. Seriously everything goes. 

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I'm dying over this trend and if I bring one thing back from Italy I'm determined for it to be a bright silk scarf. Vintage scarves are all over the Milano markets every weekend and not to mention in so many beautiful store windows. So while you might not be in Europe, you're still in luck. I've got link after link here so you can snatch one up yourself! 

If you're looking to spend a splurge on one of these timeless accessories head to sites like {My Theresa}, {Liberty London} or go for the gold {Hermes}! Want something extra fun? I'm practically drooling over this square scarf {here} by Cleo. They have the spunkiest prints and are not completely unreasonably priced! See the site {here}! Otherwise... you can get the same look with a $22 satin scarf from ASOS {here}! Gosh, I love that store. Praise!

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Another tip: scout your local vintage stores and summer marketplaces. Look around and you can find one-of-a-kind scarves at prices that should be considered theft! Now, shameless plug for my actual hometown of Lexington's {Street Scene} and Memphis' {Flashback}! 

So what are you thinking of this style? Have the guts to do it? If you've written a post previously showing your styling of one of these ultra-cool silk scarves link it below, I'd love to see! Go scarves!

Emily 

Blogger Postcard Travels Linkup: Ciao from Italy!

Hi guys! And greetings from the Blogger Postcard Travels Linkup! Bloggers have been doing traveling to some amazing places this summer so why not show them off?! I'm actually writing today from Rome, Italy! Actually, I've spent the whole summer living and working abroad in Italy, Milan to be exact! It's been a crazy adventure but so very worth it! Italy is everything I imagined it to be: amazing pasta, fast Vespas, beautiful buildings, slow waiters and gorgeous suits and ragazzi! But it is also so much more: incredible hospitality, views that will take your breath away, gelato that will give you life again and a constant sense of humble yet passionate Italian pride.

I've gotten the chance to do some super cool things and see coastlines that I will be dreaming about for years so today I'm happy to give you a few snapshots from my summer in the most beautiful country on earth!

Verona, Italy: Romeo, oh Romeo! Yes I shamelessly had to take a photo on Juliet's balcony!

Lake Como, Italy: There's a reason this place was just voted the "most beautiful lake in the world"!

  

Lago Maggiore: With Switzerland in the background, this is one of the prettier views I've ever seen

Cinque Terre, Italy: The colors, the coast, the pesto oh my!

Venice, Italy: Can it really be called a trip to Italy without seeing Venice? Wow, this place was as beautiful as I had imagined!

Burano, Italy: This place looks like a fairy tale, a very colorful fairy tale. Now ranked on my top 5 places to visit in the world!

Florence, Italy: I could have spent all day in the Uffizi Gallery. Oh wait, I did..

And just being in the city of Milan I've gotten to do some pretty neat things! I've visited the World Expo, eaten at Wes Anderson's cafe Bar Luce, visited the Missoni exhibit and of course climbed on top of the Duomo!

Anna Akhmatova had it right when she said, "Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life". I know this place will be with me long after I leave and I know that it will be waiting for me patiently till I return!

Check out where other bloggers have been traveling to this summer! Click below to find the links to the rest of the posts in the Blogger Postcard Travels Linkup! Also use the hashtag #bloggerpostcardtravels to see all of their photos on Instagram! Ciao ragazze!

An InLinkz Link-up

Tell Me Something Good!

Let's start Monday off right! Tell me something good! 

At home there is a morning radio station that features a segment where listeners call in to tell them any and every bit of good news they've recently had. So why not have that here?! Monday's aren't the best but they're at least a little bit better with some good news tucked in your back pocket! So here's my good news to start off this Monday!

1. I visited Venice this weekend for the first time and it was incredible! 

2. We stumbled across a fireworks show so I finally got my fix from the fourth of July!

3. We have a surprise class field trip to a museum I've been wanting to see!

4. I celebrated National Ice Cream day with some great peach gelato!

5. And lastly, I learned my brother is coming to Italy next week!!! Eeep!

So, tell me something good! What's your good news from this weekend or coming up?!

Emily 

10 Things I Can't Live Without in Europe!

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Packing a bag for a whole summer was a fairly daunting task. I would be lying if I said it didn't take me a week to finally finish all of my little decisions, even down to choosing between taking my black or brown heels. (Spoiler: I took both) But I ended up doing it and I only carried two suitcases onto the plane. With all of my belongings for the summer totaling 50 pounds combined it really made me choose my most practical and essential belongings. I've made a list of the 10 things I absolutely could not live without during my time here. Seriously they've been lifesavers!

Neutral Flat Sandals // {Here} Wow, flat sandals are saving the day. Definitely make sure you pack comfortable shoes that you can wear for days at a time. I brought both a brown pair and a black pair to go with all of the clothes that I packed. I've gotten so much use out of my embellished Target sandals and have held up amazingly through cobblestone streets and surprise downpours. Unfortunately the exact ones aren't available anymore but here are the same style only with turquoise embellishments {here}!

Simple Dresses // {Here} It's no secret I'm a J. Crew a-line dress fanatic but these are seriously saving the day. Did I mention it's consistently over 100 degrees here? Dresses are the main thing keeping me sane and simply styled on these super hot days. I made sure that I only packed dresses with versatility that were appropriate for a day in the office but also to throw on over a bathing suit for the beach!

Sunglasses // {Here} I really wanted a pair of matte black sunglasses before I came on my trip. I like the chic simplified look and it's definitely on trend right now. I've seen so many amazing sunglasses since my time in Milan and the Browser glasses {here} by A.J. Morgan definitely hold their own. And guess what? They were only $20!

Small crossbody // {Here} With all of the walking that you do in Europe it's definitely a pain to have to lug around a giant tote bag. I got this Kate Spade cross body for Christmas and it's the perfect size to fit everything I need. I like the bright red pop of color that it brings to many of my simpler white and black (but versatile!) outfits. Oh so "European".

A Great Bathing Suit // {Here} Did I mention it was hot here? Well the best way to survive the heat is to head to the shores! Just narrow it down to one suit that you really love and save some space in your suitcase. This J. Crew one is to die for. I'm loving the bandeau cut and the classic stripes!

Superga Sneakers // {Here} These are "the people's shoes of Italy" and there's a reason why. I have the color Pink Peach and they were one of my best buys before the trip. They go with absolutely anything and the thing I love about European style is that they match scuffed up sneakers with formal dresses for just a day look. This is definitely something I'm hoping I have the guts to bring back to the USA for but now I'll just keep rocking it here!

Pocket Umbrella // {Here} European weather is notorious for being unpredictable. I'll head to work in the morning with a beautiful sunny sky outside and end up walking home in a downpour. I have already made the mistake of underestimating this unpredictability and got absolutely drenched so now my little umbrella goes everywhere with me. Throw one in your suitcase, I promise it will come in handy.

Texturizing Spray // {Here} With minimal access to a hair drier and straightener I've been air drying my hair almost every day. At first I'll admit I was terrified of this predicament. I try to stay away from doing this at home because the combination of my short hair cut and my naturally frizzy texture that can never decide to be either straight or wavy very rarely turns out to be an acceptable look; however, I've learned to deal with it. This Bumble & Bumble texturizing spray gives my hair sea-salt texture that creates softer waves and body without the use of styling tools. I can get the effortless Italian look and my hair is getting the added perk of some much needed relaxation from constant heat!

A Good Read // {Here} With long train rides and a commute on the metro every morning I've loved being able to have a book to pull out of my bag and pass some time. I started the trip reading Nine Stories and the short stories allowed me to easily break up the book into small segments for shorter reading periods. I just finished the book but I've recently found an American bookstore only a block away so I'll keep you posted on my next train read!

Camera // {Here} Obviously this one is a no brainer. You can't travel without a camera, especially with the unbelievable views in Italy. I invested in a Canon EOS a few years ago and I've never regretted it. These cameras are quite an investment but with proper care they will last forever and their pictures are unparalleled.

Oh hey look! These photos from the beautiful Lake Como has 6 of these essentials. (Shamelessly counted my bathing suit hiding under my dress, my book on the train and the camera that took the picture of course!) 

What are your ultimate travel essentials?
Emily

Currently Wanderlust-ing

Oh goodness. With a slower week of school ahead of me, I have a little bit of time to start planning out my plans for this coming summer. This past summer I got the amazing opportunity to study for a little over a month abroad in Belgium and it truly left me wanting more. I've been scouring around multiple international internship programs and the possibilities are endless. I would really love to be able to get a deeper taste of Europe and truly dip my toes in the water to see if I'd be interested in living there for a bit after graduation. I'm definitely having Lizzie McGuire Roman dreams but I'm learning more and more that it really is possible! Right now I have my eyes set on Rome, Barcelona, and Prague. These photos are not only making me drool but they're also giving me a big push to get my applications in!

Rome

Barcelona

Prague

Anyone else have any European summer dreams?

Emily