What to Pack for: The Beach

POLKA-DOT BIKINI | AMAZON, STRAW TRILBY HAT | TOPSHOP (see here), MEXICAN PRINT DRESS | ASOS (see here), WHITE OXFORD SHIRT | J.CREW (see here), ETHNIC BIB NECKLACE | REPUBLIC (see here), FLIP-FLOPS | HAVAIANAS, LEATHER SANDALS | J.CREW (see here), TORTOISE SHELL SUNGLASSES | WHISTLES (see here), STRAW BAG | TOPSHOP (see here).

To add to my Packing Lists (see What to Pack for a Springtime City Break), I bring you the beach holiday. Well, I wish I could give you the chance to go to the beach NOW, I really do. For the lucky ones who are preparing one in the near future, or for all the others who will eventually make it to the beach ONE DAY, here are my ideas. For girls.

Yes peeps, the J.Crew obsession continues... I recently told my mom I would like to have a fantasy life that took place in a J.Crew catalog. True story.

Image by Dee & Duke, via. 

What to Pack For... a Springtime City-Break

To all those living in non-tropical locales, I know you're highly anticipating Spring. Can't blame ya, I know exactly how you feel. Well, did that Spring Fever make you plan a weekend away somewhere? Awesome. Where to? If you're planning a short city break, I had an idea of showing you a few different things you could pack. We all need advice on that, don't we? Read on, girls and boys. 

GIRL

LEATHER JACKET | TOPSHOP, WHITE SHIRT | J.CREW, BLACK DRESS | ZARA, WHITE T-SHIRT | RAG & BONE, BLACK SKIRT | H&M, DARK JEANS | UNIQLO, SCARF | LEVI'S, CORAL SKIRT | OASIS, CARDIGAN | J.CREW, NECKLACE | KATE SPADE, MERINO SWEATER | UNIQLO, WATCH | PHILIP PERSIO VIA AMERICAN APPAREL, SUNGLASSES | RAY BAN, PUMPS | BCBGENERATION.

Some things you could throw in your suitcase:

- Spring jacket (I personally like the versatility of leather)
- White button-down shirt (to match with jeans or colorful skirt)
- Little black dress (for evening - nothing new here!)
- T-Shirts
- Woolly sweater
- Colorful cardigan
- Jeans
- Black skirt (perfect for day or night)
- Colorful skirt
- Statement necklace (to make any T-Shirt outfit pop)
- Watch or other wrist accessories
- Sunglasses
- Tights in a neutral color
- Pumps (for evening)
- Comfortable shoes for day (if you need suggestions, check out Shoes Made for Travelling)

TIP: To make sure outfits can be created easily with all the pieces in your suitcase, concentrate on one color palette. For example, the sienna and coral of the cardigan and skirt above make for some great color-blocking, no? 

BOY

JACKET | ZARA, CASHMERE SWEATER | UNIQLO, BUTTON-DOWN SHIRT | TED BAKER, T-SHIRT | UNIQLO, JEANS | LEVI'S, SUNGLASSES | WARBY PARKER, WATCH | FOSSIL, DESERT BOOTS | TOPMAN, CHINOS | J.CREW, DENIM SHIRT | BANANA REPUBLIC. 

Versatile jeans and chinos can be matched to any shirt/T-shirt/ sweater for easy daytime wear. At night, a nice slim-fitting button-down shirt will make sure you can wear your jeans out. The mix and match here is much easier for you boys! Add a colorful sweater to brighten everything up. Tangerine is Pantone's 2012 color of the year. Just sayin'. And what better to wear your denim shirt than with your chinos? You win bonus points in my heart if you bring a trilby hat, such as this one. (Yes, I do have a mild J.Crew addiction)


What would you bring? Did I forget anything?


Images by Dee & Duke via. 

Devil in the Details: Beach colors

I apologize in advance to all of you reading this in cold climates. Well, hang in there, you're almost done! Maybe you even have a little getaway planned... Or you will plan one after seeing these pictures. Who knows. 

I like how the little things, and color combinations, cheer me up and make me want to take pictures of random inanimate objects. Last weekend in Koh Larn was a nice little getaway from the major CHAOS that is Bangkok. 

Special guest appearances: my Greek leather bag, gift from the man friend. An my sunburnt feet (WHY do I forget to apply sunscreen there so often? Grrrr)

Sorry if these pictures are obnoxiously sunny, and hope you enjoyed anyways!

Photos by Dee & Duke. 

24-hour Flower Market

I went for a stroll in the Pak Khlong Flower Market last week. Located in the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown, it is the best place in town for all kinds of colorful, fresh flowers. And it's open ALL DAY. 24 hours. Everyday. Prices are easy on the wallet. And, I've never seen so many orchids in one place before. 

Bonus points in my heart: two original Piaggio Vespa scooters parked between the stalls. Looove.

A few minutes from the market, you can find a different kind of market in the Pahurat district, Little India. Textiles and all kinds of craft supplies, sold to individuals or wholesale. The ethnic color combinations are incredible. The stripe textiles shown below are 100% cotton!

All photos by Dee & Duke. 

Hotel Quirk

Spotted in the hallway at Wake Up Copenhagen hotel.

Photo by Dee & Duke. 

The Ancient Capital

A few pics from Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. Temples in ruins, old chedis, forgotten Buddhas. It's a very peculiar place, perfect for a glimpse into the Kingdom's past.

And a pic of the delicious pork noodles that we ate at a random noodle stall. Always the best lunches.

Photos by MP for Dee & Duke. 

Shoes made for travelling

I read Joanna's post about the best shoes for travelling, and I was interested. My feet blister easily and so I read her suggestions. I personally use Converse All-Stars for most occasions, as well as Hunter boots for rainy, fall days. I would add classic flat leather sandals to her list for anything from a city break to a beach vacation in the summer. Also, I've always been wanting to try out the Repetto flats that everybody seems to rave about. And if you're looking for heeled ankle boots that don't feel like heels, get the Dolce Vita pair seen below.

Would love to know what people are wearing when a lot of walking is involved... Drop me a line!


Photos CONVERSE LO-TOPS / CONVERSE HIGH-TOPS / BALLET / SUEDE. Edited by Dee & Duke.

Pictures of Suburbia

I love finding a photography series that really makes me travel via my computer screen. With the Internet democratizing pretty much everything by making the world accessible to, well, the whole world. (Yes. I know.) Travel photography can sometimes be over-the-top and difficult to relate to, and well, while being inspiring, does not make me feel like I now have a better understanding of what it would be like to actually be there. 

I recently read about a very cool project: 52 Suburbs Around the World, by Louise Hawson and her 8-year-old daughter Coco. The blog shows photos taken by Hawson while she explores major cities' suburbs across the globe. She is originally from Sydney and realized, in 2009, that she did not know her own city that well. This inspired her to go on a one-year photography tour of all its suburbs to get better acquainted. The idea evolved into a blog, which then became a book. Oh, and an art exhibit. And she’s back with this new venture that’s definitely worth checking out. Her new project's itinerary includes Hong Kong, New Delhi, Istanbul, Paris, Berlin, Rome and New York, which she admittedly calls "famous, over-photographed cities", and wishes to show under a more intimate light.

Hop on over to her site and check out the HK pics now! 

Photos via. 

Brunch in Copenhagen

Today is my lovely bf's birthday! Auguri :) A few years back, I made him the following present: a 3-day city break in beautiful Copenhagen. We both loved it.

In all this humid Bangkok heat, sometimes I daydream about cold. I know it sounds so wrong, and most people will think I'm crazy, but sometimes I would like it to be cold enough outside to snuggle up to a nice cup of hot coffee. I never thought I would say this, but blame it on the Canadian blood, I guess. And well, this all leads to me thinking about the following... 

A couple of years ago, after having been living in Italy for a year (yes, try to keep track! I have a hard time remembering where I am myself), I was yearning for a bit of winter, some snow and a hearty brunch, like us Northern people enjoy. Well, I grabbed the bf, decided his birthday-present-city-break would take place in a Northern destination and we headed to beautiful Copenhagen. In February. Needless to say I was happy to be back in the snow (only because it was for a limited amount of time) and the Mediterranean-blooded bf was not as giddy as I was. At first. But the brunch at lovely restaurant Bastionen and Loven was well worth the climate. It's cozily located by the river, in the Christianhavn district. 

I had WAY TOO MUCH filter coffee and had to make an excuse to the waiter, explaining that, you know, in Italy, it's not the same and well... Uh, nevermind. And then I dove into the all-you-can-eat buffet, full of salmon, bread and Danish butter (duh) and the classic smoked herring, a Dane's favorite. Bliss. 

Photos by Dee & Duke. 

Streetcar Beauty

I miss travelling around a city by tram, like I did in Milan. The old-school feeling of it, imagining that, back in the 1930's, the Milanese used the same tram I am currently riding. It gives a certain cachet to the city to see them zooming down the main arteries, under the complicated network of electrical wire. The original wooden interiors, the narrow-yet-surprisingly-comfortable seats, the glass light fixtures on the ceiling. *sigh* (I'm not going to talk about this year's 50% ticket price increase though, and instead will choose to keep this post dreamy and on a positive note. Ha.)

Photos via ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR. Edited by Dee & Duke.

Bangkok Tree House

I've been a bad blogger and went MIA again in the beginning of this new year. Well, friends were in town and we decided to keep travelling. So, I went on a little adventure in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. And it was great. I loved being able to get to know the country more and experiencing new things. I took Thai cooking classes to be able to handle a wok like a pro. More on that coming up! Promise. 

While browsing what was new in the Bangkok hospitality sector, I stumbled upon this and thought it was pure genius. If there is one main thing I can complain about in Bangkok, it's the lack of green. I know projects are in the works as I am not the first person to make this remark. Owner Joey Tulyanond was inspired by Henry David Thoreau's classic book Walden and created this urban resort called Bangkok Tree House in the "lung of Bangkok", a green area just off the Chao Phraya River. No air-con, no smoking, kitchen compost, bamboo structures and river cleaning program are just some of the features that make this new hotel stand out. With rooms/urban huts named "Tree House" and "Family Nest", this is all too tempting. Maybe a staycation is de rigueur. 

Photo via Bangkok Tree House. 

Southern Thailand Paradise

I have been MIA in the beginning of this new year, sorry! I took off on a last-minute trip to Phuket, Thailand for a few days of beach fun. Pics to come.

Photo via.

Ayutthaya

Hope you had a great New Years celebration! Off to Ayutthaya tomorrow with friends to discover the beauty of the former capital of Thailand. Pics to come.

Photo via Pinterest. 

The Town Painted Rainbow

I hope you're enjoying the lazy hours of time off on this holiday period. I bet you're stuffed, satisfied, and tired. Unless you're having an offbeat holiday like myself. Then you're just looking for more adventure.

Remember this? Well, I found another painted town, this time in Taiwan. The town of Taichung was entirely hand painted by one man: Huang Yung-fu, 86 years old. The village was originally built to house soldiers in the 1940's. As it became a permanent settlement, it also fell into abandonment and urban decay, that is now covered by the colorful paintings. 

Photos via Matador Network. 

Temple of Beauty

Thai Buddhist temples are such fascinating pieces of architecture. And Bangkok's Royal Palace is no exception.

Photos by Dee & Duke. 

Hitting the road

So, with the bf being away for work, I start to feel like taking a trip too! I wonder how a roadtrip would be like in Thailand... Of course, instead of stopping at a greasy diner, we would stop for Tom Yum and spicy papaya Som Tam.

Photos ONE / TWO via Pinterest.