There are just so many forms of media out there! I'm getting swallowed up! So instead of having a blog on Blogger, I will be moving over to Word Press. Please follow me over there, or just save it as a bookmark! Just come on over to What Would Magellan Do? to learn more about travel!
I decided to take the easy root in launching Friday Fashion day, I decided to go with the city I lived in last spring... Dublin! When going to Dublin I didn't know waht to expect, I sort of assumed it to be like London, or Boston, but I was proven wrong. I realized that it is very stylish and very unique. The fashion there isn't always over the top, but people still like to bring out their personal style. Tights and boots were a great staple to many outfits, along with tights and Brogues. The looks they had were simple and had bursts of colors when they wore black.
One brand I found to be everywhere that I never heard of was "Paul's Boutique".
Paul's Boutique is an English design company from Middlesex created by paul Slade. Paul began designing 20 years ago when he went to a club and took a suit he bought at an Oxfam thrift store and tore it apart and made it inside out. He was spotted by a top london designer who bought some jackets, and have been growing around The United Kingdom and Ireland ever-since. The first place I noticed this brand was heading to the local produce stand and walked past a store that sold knock-offs, the time I didn't know it, because I saw Paul's Bouttique quilted jackets hanigng up, but I soon learned that this was a popular brand and many girls were wearing the quilted jackets that had patches saying "I <3 PB"
Not only is it known for quilted jackets, but his purses have both wild and subtle patterns along with some really cool tassels hanging from the side. These coats at first were a little much for me but then I really started to take a liking for them. They currently do not ship to the US but if you are in the UK or Ireland you should check them out! there is a whole floor devoted to Paul's Boutique located in Brown Thomas on Grafton Street.
One of my favorite photo shoots from Vogue shot in Africa with Keira Knightley
For the past 2 years I’ve been trying to find a fashion blog I really enjoy, and I realized that the blogs I have found, are great and a lot of time was put into them, but they didn’t have that bizzaz that I was looking for. That “bizzaz”, is traveling and fashion. Many of the outfits I wear have been inspired from what I’ve seen whilst traveling. For example, when I went to London back in 2005 I saw that many girls were wearing skinny jeans tucked into leather boots, a year later that was the style in America, and before that was the style my friends thought I looked funny, six years later and the style is still around (with some adjustments).
For awhile now I've been wanting to create a blog that focuses on fashion and traveling. Not just what are the essentials to packing, which is very important, but also to let you know what the style is like in different cities and countries. This way you can keep your eye out whilst there for places to shop and see what they wear at your destination.
I am now going to make my dream into a reality, I will be posting every Friday something to do with fashion and travel. Keep in mind that I’m pretty bad at keeping up with something like this HOWEVER I will make sure to do my best to stick with this promise!
s from Run Lola Run. When I actually do go to the gym I listen to this soundtrack!
I am currently on the bus coming back from Boston and I realized something very important at 6:20 in the morning…. I need to go to the gym. It wasn’t one of those moments when you see someone with a perfect figure, because I like the way I am, a lot actually, but one of the moments where you are booking it from the T stop to South Station and you see that you have 3 minutes till the bus leaves. You can give excuses that it’s early, you are carrying too much, or that it was. Cold but at the end of the day it really comes down to the question… When was the last time I went to the gym?
I am not ashamed of this; my boyfriend was in shock though. He knew that I used to play Frisbee all the time, however he forgot that it soon began to not fit into my schedule. In Dublin I was used to walking everywhere and over the summer at the camp I worked at I ran everywhere in 100 degree weather. I guess now I just have been so buy that I haven’t put time into thinking about me. After all the years I’ve been traveling I’ve been running through airports, train stations, subways, and even mountain trails. So this is not something new to me. I usually am always on time but when I go somewhere exciting I usually get caught up in the moment and start to run a little late.
So now… I will go to the gym in the morning after my 8am class. I’ll be on campus and will be ready to get moving. So in the future when I visit Boston or wherever in the world, that if it’s a 5 minute run I will know that I will get there in time and not be stuck on the bus sweating and being overheated.
It's been 6 months since I've ben in Ireland and I am really beginning to deal with homesickness for Dublin. I miss walking around busy Henry Street and hanging out at the Porterhouse and getting a pint of Porter Red. I miss having the ability to just take a plane and land in a different country every weekend, and I miss going window shopping in one of my favorite stores, AWear.
My friends are now planning on going next semester and I am speaking at the pre-departure meeting and talking to parents at admission events. This is making it even harder for me. I need to go back!
Don't get me wrong, I love being back home and seeing my friends and family, and I'm glad to be back in Burlington, I just miss Europe and my time there. Going to class everyday amused me so much. on my journey to class I would pass the old city wall, Christ Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral all on my way to class! I also loved that energetic buzz in the morning that everyone has when they are walking to work. The women either ditch their heels for sneakers or speed walk in heels and the men are wearing perfect matching suits and still looking perfect.
I also miss having the people of Metro News hand out the morning paper with abbreviated news. "Maybe you're just meant for the city?" is what my friends say Yes I love big cities, they excite me and are full of hidden gems, but Dublin is something different. the fashion is another thing. I would walk around and get so much inspiration on new outfits that I can add to my wardrobe. In Vermont the styles are more on the laid back side with a lot of skinny jeans and flannels, and baggy sweaters. Dublin had this magic that I am really missing right now.
Here are some ways I’m “trying” to get over this situation:
Watching movies that take place in Ireland. It’s nice seeing where I was for the past year, I try to watch historical movies but a chick flick every once in a while isn’t too bad. I currently have that earning to travel.
I’ve currently had the desire to travel much more. So for that I am reading the book This Car is For Sale by Jeroen Van Bergeijk. This way I can at least read other people’s experiences.
I look at AWear’s website and read their blog. Here I can read up on current fashions, and tell myself that even though they now ship to the US I shouldn’t buy everything I see on there.
I still listen to BBC Radio 1 but I also listen to Dublin FM 98FM on my iPhone, thanks to the free live streaming app!
I talk up to anyone and everyone I meet to study abroad, if not to Ireland, then to anywhere in the world. It’s the best experience and a great opportunity for you!
Every once in a while I go to RiRa’s an Irish pub located in Burlington, and order a Smithwicks and argue with my friend that the “w” is silent.
With these steps, I can at least miss Dublin but not sulk over it. Today I took my yearning to go somewhere by heading downtown and going to a coffee place to do my homework. If anything I need a change of scene.
Sorry for not writing for awhile... I've been so busy with classes and the play that I manage. Thankfully, long video project and play pracices and performances have commenced, and I can now come back to focusing on "What Would Magellan Do?"!
To begin, my other job on campus apart from managing the shows,is to work on in the study abroad office. While working there I have come up with a few video ideas for making the program grow, and to make both students and parents either current of prospective, to look into going abroad! This leads me to some VERY exciting news...
I will be going to Morocco this Spring Break!!!!!!!!!
Yes, that did need ti's own paragraph and many explanation points! I am so excited about it! I've wanted to go to Morocco forever, I honestly want to say since I was 10, because I remember having a picture up on my wall of it. I'm getting to go here because there is a class offered at Champlain which allows students to go to Morroco during spring break and learn about the culture and apply it to their major! What could be better for a girl wanting to go into travel journalism? I am beyond excited, and can not wait till the spring! Now I just need to get through these classes!
When it's fall, you suddenly want to pick pumpkins, wear your warm colored clothes, and go apple picking! This past weekend, my friends and I went to Shelbourne Farms, which is located right down the road from our school . For one dollar a pound, you can pick as many apples that you want and as many types as you want.
Shelbourne farms offers different actitives year round from a tour of their vineyards, to picking pumpkins and strawberries. there is always something going on. One of the most popular events is apple picking. there are usually tons of people scavenging for apples. however the orchard is so large that it's easy to find a place hidden from the other apple pickers. We found this one tree that was covered in apples. I've never seen so many apple son tree before in my life.
Not only can you pick your own apples, but you can also go to the Apple Cafe located near the entrance and the store. You can get freshly made apple cider doughnuts, Brown Apple Betty's, apple pie, and nice cold glasses of apple cider. They even have one that has mint in it! It is very refreshing and really good, the only down side is that it's very sweet.
The next time you go to Vermont, make a stop at Shelbourne Farms. There are many great things to do there for all ages. You can also take in the beauty of the landscape. You can see Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. I've added a video I made from my trip to orchards.
