OOTD All New Everything

I have a little outfit of the day for you and it involves mainly new things. 

Aren't those outfits just the best?

I have written before how there is a hole in my wardrobe that only a faux leather pleated midi skirt can fill. I saw my sister rocking hers while we were in New York and it fueled my need for it even further. So it was meant to be when I spotted one in the new Zara collection (Link). There is some seriously dreamy midis in Zara right now like this green one and this one. I love the weighty feel of the faux leather and the perfect midi length. This is something I would totally wear with both flats and heels and it will add a lot of character to any outfit. Im so so happy to finally have it in my midi collection.

 

The tshirt is from Old Navy (Link) and its super lightweight. I got a few of them in different colors and slogans and I do suspect they will not last too many washes but it was cheap so I will enjoy it while I can. Not much else to say. It is just a tshirt after all.

 

Ahh yes and the bag! The "all my bag dreams have come true" Sophie Hulme Ziptop Bowling Bag (Link). My wonderful husband got this for my bday and I'm just so so over the moon. It is simply the most perfect day to day bag I have ever seen. Its so spacious, fits my laptop and manage to make anything I wear look a bit cooler. The leather is thick and textured which is my favorite look. Dont even get me started on the gold hardware and the long strap so you can also wear it cross body- the list can go on and on. 

This has now fueled my lust for Sophie Hulme and next on my hit list would be one of her Mini Envelope Bags. I mean how dreamy is this leopard version or this one? 

Whats on your bag lust list at the moment?

Sunny Days & More Shopping

So yes..I can not deny there was serious amount of shopping in NYC. In my defense almost everything I bought was on sale or just a really good bargain (or so I kept telling myself).

My mom wanted a new handbag and off to Kate Spade we went. We did good in Kate Spade. Like real good. As in she ended up getting two new bags and I left with a pair of new sunglasses and a cutest pocketbook ever. Pocketbook is hot pink and beautiful(Link) but sunglasses is what I really wanted to talk about. I own just two pairs of sunglasses and as Dubai is sunny every day I felt my collection needs to grow asap. Usually I will only reach for a black or tortoise classic shape no fuss sunglasses. Never in a million years would I have thought a pair of pastel pink and gold cat eye sunnys will steal my heart until this pair called Harmony(Link) was handed to me by a lovely sales assistant in the store.

 

In other wardrobe related subjects the dress and the bag are new as well. The dress is summer collection of Banana Republic and was on sale. Hence I can't find it online anymore to provide you a link. Its well made and perfect length, coral striped, has pockets and I feel pretty in it. In other words-it had to be mine.

 I would rather focus on the bag to be honest. This ladylike Max Mara JBag was a birthday present from my family. Its the perfect 60's style bag that still looks modern. I feel oh-so mad men when wearing it and never before have I had people ask me on the street where is my bag from. The light grey shade goes with everything and I just love love love it. Its roomy and has the cross body strap if needed. With 3 great new handbags I feel like maybe some "Whats in my bag?" videos are in order? What do you think?
Oh and the best news is that if you like the JBag its on sale at the moment and you can find it here.

Don't we look pleased with ourselves?  Looking at these Sephora bags I think its high time the for a beauty post next so stay tuned.

OOTD Roaming in Brooklyn

Here comes another outfit from New York. This time a very easy going comfy one.

We spent the day in Brooklyn eating great food, having amaaaazing coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee . I mean like really really good coffee so do make a trip there if you are ever close to one.

I wore some new purchases and some old favorites. The white wrap blouse is new and I have worn is so much already. Its just one of those super versatile pieces that works with jeans and heels for a night out but can easily be worn with sneakers for a casual look. Its by Pleione and I got it from Nordstrom Rack but online store only shows printed versions of it (Link). I did find a similar feel white blouse from Revolve (Link) and this one on sale (Link) if you are interested. For me this is one of those wardrobe staples.

 

Jeans are my well loved Paige Jimmy Jimmy Skinny Boyfriend jeans (Link). These will forever go down as THE BEST boyfriend cut I have ever seen. I never thought I can pull off the boyfriend baggy look even if I loved it on other people but the skinny boyfriend jeans is where its at. Totally wort the investment in my book.

Moving on to the new Slim Low Top Converse (Link). I have owned Converse in many colors but in the end grey ones are my favorites. They just go with everything and I feel the slim cut makes them better to wear with skirts.

If you follow me in Instagram you maybe saw this photo. I couldn't decide which Marc by Marc Jacobs bag should come home with me. In the end the winner was the "Washed Up The Nash" Crossbody Bag in raspberries (Link). I love the pebbled leather and the perfect length of the strap and I think Marc by Marc bags such a great value for money. Okay I also love that it was 50% off in Century 21. Woop woop!

Im so happy to be back blogging and I cant wait to have a weekend to catch up with all of you guys.

Thanks for the lovely bday wishes. You are the best!

OOTD Brunch in NYC

Hi lovely humans,

I have totally neglected the blog and I'm not happy about. Its just that time flies when you are having fun and fun was what I had in New York and it has continued into this week in Estonia. Thats what vacations are for right?

At the same time I can not wait to share all the new goodies I got from the big apple (a haul video is in the making) and it also happens to be my favorite day in the world today- my bday! My amazing family and husband have spoiled me rotten with great present that will need to be recorded for you asap.

For today I have a outfit from my last day in New York. We went for a lovely family brunch and I wore a new dress from COS. Its a light weight jersey with draping that makes a super simple silhouette a little more interesting. It seems to be sold out online store but you could get a similar feel with this Asos number or this BCBG one.

Shoes are old Zara sandals still going strong and sunglasses are Gucci (Link).

Hope you are having a fantastic first day of September. Things are very much autumn like in Estonia so I'm totally enjoying wearing my coats and boots for a few more days.

All Black OOTD

Another summer outfit in all black. 

Living in Europe I almost never wore black in warm months. I remember how much you crave for spring/summer colors and fabrics. I wear white, patterns and colors all year around but for summer months in Dubai I feel most comfortable in all black. The totally unglamorous reason is the swetty-betty situation that desert temperatures and humidity bring.   

This post shows a combo of my favorite black items at the moment. They have won this esteemed title because both pieces are so incredibly versatile. Lets take the River Island strappy top (Link). Its so basic but the straps in the front make it a bit cooler than my normal cami. It looks awesome under a blazer for work or with jeans on a night out. Its super lightweight and I am seriously considering getting a few more colors as I have been wearing it a lot.

The skirt is a classic for me.  Pleated midis are the bomb and I love the ASOS one (Link). I have it in coral as well and it comes in pretty much every color you could want. We are talking bright pink or yellow to more toned down options like this one. I'm sure a pleated midi is not a staple for everyone but they hold a firm place in my wardrobe for years. I just feel so lady like and pretty in them.

The shoes are my trusty heels by DvF. I call these patent beauties my work shoes. They are classic and as comfortable as it can get. I'm gonna put it out there and say that the DvF Anette pumps are one of my favorite shoe style ever. I have them in leopard print and in black patent but unfortunately both options are constantly sold out. I could find them in black suede (Link) and if you are after a classic shoe I can not recommend those enough. My love for this style is everlasting! Its so strong that if I saw another leopard pair sold anywhere I would buy them for back up!

So that's it from the outfit front today.

Well actually I have to confess of an online order that is on the way to me and if you are the same shoe size as me (Eur 38) you might want to consider. The Topshop pink suede mid heeled shoes (Link) are on sale! Getting shoes almost 50% off is like getting them for free if you ask me..

OOTD - Pale Pink and Faux Leather

First of all before you get shocked on further scrolling I need to tell you something. Im wearing faux leather shorts in this post (!!??). Me- the girl who almost never wears shorts and whose wardrobe is made up of flowy, feminine dresses actually owns a pair of those and wears them out of the house! This is just cray-cray I know.

But lets ease you into this by starting with the top. Remember in this post I told you how I enabled myself into buying some tops from Mango. The pink strap top is one of them. It is now on sale and I'm tempted to pick up a few more colors cause its great. Thick material that falls nicely, it has inner lining so its not see through, great length to also wear with jeans, pastel colors to choose from- ticks all the right boxes if you ask me. Mine is a very pale pastel pink but as the pictures were taken at sunset the sky was a bit pink as well and the right color doesn't really show on these photos.

 Should we address the shorts next? They are a few years old from Blanco so I cant give you a link. I tried to find something similar that is in stores atm but everything is too short( like these..soo teeny tiny!). You see the thing I love the most about these fake leather shorts is their cut. Its high waist, slouchy leg and its end almost mid thigh. So even if the leather material suggest an edgy sexy vibe the cut is not ass skimming or tight.

Honestly I dont wear these shorts very often but once in a blue moon I feel like it and this weekend was one of those times.

The cuff is from COS. I dont see the exact one in stores now but this is pretty similar. Earrings are tiny rock crystal squares from Rocking Halo collection by NVbyK. They go with everything and are at the moment my most worn earrings.

Whats your "faux leather shorts"? I mean do you have an item in the closet that doesn't really match with the rest of your style but makes you feel great once in a while?

Weekend OOTD

Its getting hot in herre! (obviously you need to sing this in Nelly voice)

The thing with Dubai summer is that even though I am fully aware its the desert and it will be unbearably hot for months, the first weeks of true heat and humidity still shock me. To the point where I have to moan about it daily until I can accept it and the life that it brings. I will be spending all my days indoor and running from one AC powered building to another for the foreseeable future.

Keeping that in mind- this weekend we made sure to use the sweet golden hour of sunset to take some picture outdoor. The pavement was still not burning the soles of my feet so I considered this a mild evening. Mate got to come along and we had lovely (read: short) walk that called for a shower afterwards.

 Let me just tell you in advance. I would never wear anything like this to a mall. Showing off ones midriff in a public place in Dubai is in my opinion rather disrespectful. This is something I wear around my house, to the beach or a BBQ party at friends place.

The sleeveless palm tree print shirt from Pull&Bear is one of my current favorites. The material is linen mix making it so lightweight and a pleasure to wear. I love the subtle print and the muted colors. Also it works perfectly totally buttoned up tucked into a pencil skirt and that's how I have worn it to work.

The skirt is ASOS Midi Skirt with Bold Pleats. Its thick ponte fabric that falls nicely and I do like the peach color. However if you are thinking of ordering I would say size down. My usual size 10 sits on my hips whereas I would have loved it to stay put on the waist. Other than that it has good quality and no surprise that Im still all about the midi length.

 

 I have high hopes that next weekend would let us go for one more early evening walk but we shall see.

Hope the summer has arrived in a bit milder manner to wherever you are. Have you bought any summer clothes you are especially loving? Do let me know.

OOTD and chitchat

Firstly this is a quick OOTD from yesterday morning.

The cats woke us up earlier than needed which left some spare minutes to take these photos before work.
The new bits here are the super basic white T-shirt and the jewelry.

I am always and forever on the lookout for new basic t-shirts. I go through white ones so fast and although my favorite basics come from COS, I also like to have various styles to choose from. Maybe its weird but I totally notice when people have a cool plain white tshirt on, so when I saw this rolled-up sleeve t-shirt on my friend Diana I marched to Mango the next day and bought it in both black and white.

It has a high neck, short raglan style sleeves and a raw edge hem which rolls up a bit. Its a true basic but something about it just makes it more special than my other shirts. Maybe because I find the high neckline perfect for playing with jewelry.

 

The skirt is an old sale find from Reiss and the shoes are these Topshop beauties Im still totally smitten with. Not to tempt you or anything but in addition to many other color choices they now also come in baby blue suede (OMG! I WANT!). The heel height is just perfect for day time and I'm very much considering ordering another pair.

The bling is layered New Vintage by Kriss as always. The shorter one is my beautiful and treasured dainty Love necklace with a bright pink jade drop on it. The longer one is a new addition and I'm kind of in love with it. It is the Miss Coco Goes Rebel from the COCO Collection-white cultured pearl with a golden spike is exactly the way I like to wear pearls.

Now for the chitchat- if usually I am enabled by other blogs to buy more things then this time I did it to myself. When I went to find the link for the Mango shirt I obviously had to browse some pages of the online store. How hadn't I noticed there was so much pretty tops in this season Mango selection? Well I never really go into Mango lately so that's how. But look at this one or this one and that one as well. So yeah what that little "research" did, was make me go straight to Mango after work and purchase two tops. I fully accept that I'm hopeless case and will just happily continue shopping.

Will show you the new things soon but now I really have to start this long weekend with a trip to the beach.

Hope you have a great day!

The Topshop Jumpsuit

So heres what happened yesterday evening.

I was dying to show you the new Topshop purchase because I love it so so much. At the same time I knew that:
a) I wount be home to take outfit pictures in daylight until the weekend
b) I will definitely not be going anywhere to wear it this week

So I put it on as I imagined styling it for a night out and asked the husband to take a few snaps near our house. Street light is far from perfect for this kind of ventures but as I said..I cant wait another 3 days to show you my new Topshop jumpsuit.

The thing with me is that as much as I enjoy wearing girly dresses for daytime, nothing makes me feel sexier than a cool jumpsuit. I have 3 at the moment that I love and wear a lot and this new one was a no brainer addition. I anyway love strapless clothing and the tailored bandeau with the pleated loose fitting trouser part just made it all perfect. Did I mention it has pockets!

Another surprise is that it fits like a glove- not too baggy harem pants style and not too tight so I look like wearing a cat-woman Halloween costume. And no need to constantly keep pulling up the bandeau, its fitted and stays put.

I wore it with my new favorite bracelet my sister sent me as a present. Its the New Vintage by Kriss Time to Rock- perfection in the form of black agate and a double wrap leather strap. Such a cool and unique piece that always gets peoples attention. Shoes are old Karen Millen metallic stilettos. I love metallic shoes, really need to get a bit lower heel more comfortable option sorted for summer.

This little photo shoot also worked as a perfect reminder and not so subtle hint (those always work the best with guys dont they) for the husband to plan some fancy date night so I could debut my jumpsuit.

OOTD - What I Wore to Brunch

 As I mentioned in last Life Lately, last weekend we went on a great brunch at Armani hotel. A 3,5h brunch was followed by sheesha session at the Palace Hotel which is the backdrop of below outfit session.

 If you follow me in Instagram ( @thelauracarlson) you already got a sneak of this combo. I still have the unyielding love for midiskirt and this structured Topshop number is no exception. It makes me feel like a pink cloud ( in a good way because I like clouds! I dont mind being one from time to time). The cut of this is special as its not totally A-line neither is it a tulip skirts- its somewhere in between and that's what gives it such great shape. I dont see it online anymore so it might be sold out. I got it a few months back. The length is proper midi (so makes your legs look visually shorter) which means I always wear it with heels, even the lowest of heel will help you out here (mine are old Kurt Geiger ones).

Even if this skirt is no longer available there is some lust worthy option in Topshop. Like this textured knee midi skirt in lilac or baby blue. If they had these at Dubai store I would have already caved but as I would have to order online Im still going strong against temptation.

 The shirt is a new purchase made this week and I absolutely love it. Take a wild guess where its from? I dont even believe it myself but its GAP again! Its their Cuff Drapey Top. In addition to white it comes in various pretty pastel hues and I might have to go pick up a mint green option. The light material and relaxed fit combined with a collar makes it perfect staple to have in a few color options (or so I like to tell myself).

 Its great length to wear over skinny jeans but in my wardrobe will probably get the most use with various girly skirts.

The necklace is of course from New Vintage by Kriss. Its a light green agate slice on gold-filled chain and works equally great layered with some dainty pieces or worn under collars as the length is perfect for it.

I have a few excellent new necklaces from spring summer collection of New Vintage by Kriss so will show you soon. And yesterday as I was aimlessly browsing at Topshop (again!) I stumbled upon a gem. I mean really this piece will be my favorite going-out outfit for sure. And its NOT pastel nor a midi?! Might just have to throw it on and take quick pictures in my garden tomorrow cause I cant wait to show you.

Have you done some great spring/summer shopping lately?

Purple Maxi dress- Sri Lanka part 4

So here comes the last outfit post from Sri Lanka.

I honestly was hoping to snap one more but that did not happen.

Even this one is kind of a half effort if I am totally honest with you. Its because of the stormy rainy evening and night we had. The prettiest light for taking pictures was around 5pm (dont have to wear sunglasses and dont get the angry squint when trying to smize without them) and on the day I wanted to show you my new purple maxi dress it was thundering for hours. We did get the full lightning and heavy rain just after these pictures were taken.

So instead of wondering around we spent a super cozy evening reading, watching the lightning storm and drinking ginger tea on the balcony. Morgan was kind of just playing around with the camera when taking these photos but adding in a full length one and I think we get ourselves an acceptable outfit post.





Guess were this dress is from?

I almost cant believe I am going to say it but its Gap..again! Its their Cami maxi dress.. I swear my holiday wasn't sponsored by Gap (although I wish it was). I just happened to buy a lot of things in the last month and I haven't had a chance to show them to you. Anyway the color, the cut and the soft fabric all make for a great maxi dress and I'm almost regretting I didn't get the navy version as well. I always get so much wear out of simple maxis.

On another note I finished the book I was reading. Its Elizabeth Gilbert The Signature of All Things. I liked it a lot. Its totally different from her Eat, Pray, Love and Commited as this one is a novel but it has the same lovely style and flow.

 I have a few books ready on my to-read list but always happy to add more on to it. So please do let me know if you have read something lovely lately.

Also I have gotten a few emails form you guys asking recommendations and tips about Sri Lanka. Do you think its worth for me to do a small travel guide type of post telling about our favorite hotels etc?

A Day in Galle- Sri Lanka part 3

As after a few days when laying on the beach grew a little uneventful we took a day trip to Galle. Its a short tuk tuk ride away from where we are staying and we decided to have lunch and a small wonder inside Galle Fort.

Not to get all historical on you but just a few facts. The fort was built over 400 years ago by the Portuguese and then extensively fortified by the Dutch later on. Its is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses loads of little stores, cafes, boutique hotels and private houses. The architecture is an interesting mix of cultures and has a strong colonial feel to it. The narrow streets have loads of restored houses and old run down ones, funky cafes and more traditions hole in the wall places for curry and all makes it a perfect place to walk and wonder. It is without a doubt worth a visit if you are in Galle or anywhere near.

Last time we were in Sri Lanka we had such a lovely dinner at Galle Fort Hotel that we went back for lunch this time. Its a small boutique hotel with delicious food and is one of my favorite places to eat in Galle.

In matters of outfit I wore my fairly new French Connection Lucky Leaves shirt dress that was perfect for the weather (flowery pattern doesn't show the ever so charming sweat streams one gets in this humidity). The new season FCUK has been pretty awesome, fit and flare is my favorite style and there was a few dresses I would love to get even after I came home with this flowery number and the black one.

We are flying back to Dubai tonight. I do however have one or maybe more Sri Lanka outfits ready for you. And after that I cant wait to show you the little something something I picked up at Dubai Duty Free.

Mint Shorts I Never Knew I Needed- Sri Lanka part 2

I will begin this post making one thing clear.

It is about the most basic shorts ever. But you see..I have not bought a single pair of shorts in 3 years. Yes I actually stood in front of my wardrobe at home staring at the 3 pairs of shorts I own and realized they are all bought years ago and non of them have been worn for at least a year (minus my dog walking shorts but those don't count! dog walking wardrobe is a whole separate subject).

There are several reasons for that but the main one being that skirts/dresses just work so much better with my body type and my style. Secondly shorts are always sooo short! I feel uncomfortable as I would much rather accentuate my waist or show off my back than my legs- its a comfort zone thing.

Until I made the before mentioned random visit to Gap that turned into a wild shopping spree. It was obviously the color that made me even consider them and as I was lugging loads of things to the fitting room anyway I figured whats the harm in throwing a pair of shorts on.. and to my surprise I really liked them! Welcome to my life Boyfriend roll-up shorts.

 

The awesome thing besides the mint color that makes my heart beat faster is that you can cuff them up to whatever length you want. Here mine are double cuffed but I have worn them triple cuffed and they still dont look overly bulky. Material is super soft cotton and they sit on the waist. You could easily get them a size down if you wish for a more fitted look.

We took the pictures this morning on a small walk before the breakfast. I had intended to make it more of a -look at this paradise beach behind me- outfit shoot. But we had a proper storm with lighting and the whole works yesterday so the beach is full of seaweed and didn't offer the idyllic backdrop I was looking for.

In other important news. I miss my crazy zoo at home and therefor am stalking the hotel cat Calico constantly. She has taken a liking to me as well (it might have something to do with be the fact I feed her half of my dinner ever night) so I thought she could fill in for Zulu and Yalla in todays post.

We are off to a day in Galle so I will be back with more pictures soon. Have a great day!

Outfit and a half from Sri Lanka

Hi lovely lovely people! How are you?

Im relaxed.. I mean like taking 3 naps in one day kind of relaxed. I might have been snoozing more than I have been awake for the past few days.

Sri Lanka is as beautiful, welcoming and lovely as we remembered. Last time we were here for 2 weeks so we did a lot of driving around and saw most of the places we wanted to. So this time is mainly for lazy days and quick trips to surrounding villages. We might try to do a day in Galle as well which is one of the bigger cities in Sri Lanka but has a very cool vibe and lots of funky cafes.

We have been taking loads of pictures..mainly of palm trees and the awesome view of the ocean we get from our balcony. I might have to do a separate post for all of those pictures but for today I have a small outfit post and a half.

First up is this white dress that makes me look so much more tanned than I am and I love it. Its a oldie but goodie H&M Concious Collection from few years back.

 It has the perfect lenght and pockets (!!) I really love white and light colors for vacation even thou that means I have to bring twice as many clothes. Mainly cause I will stain them in a day but whatever..I totally wore that dress yesterday and only make one SMALL stain on it!

Now the half of an outfit is a new purchase made last week at Gap. Because when one is not wearing pants you cant really call it a full outfit can you?

I havent been to Gap in ages because for a while there was just nothing for me there. This season however I have bought a maxi dress (which I have with me here and will be in one of the the Sri Lanka outfits series), shorts and silver flats and then this easy breezy shirt:

Its such a versatile shirt as it works for beach cover up but can easily be worn with jeans for a city look. I love the fabric and the cuff up sleeves and well.. its pastel and has striped on it. Do I need to go on?

So I leave you with this picture of a monkey for now and will return soon. Hope you are all having a great Monday!