Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy year of the monkey everyone! Just like in Munich, there's not much going on in terms of celebrations in Bremen. What I did do was continue the tradition of wearing new clothes - starting the year new and all that. I chose to wear a red and white striped sweater/dress from Uniqlo and a duffel coat from Primark. Despite the relatively cheap aspect of my outfit, I was complimented! Does this say something about fashion in Germany? Heheheh

But here's a ghostly photo of me and my clothes.

My work doesn't have any full length mirrors so it had to be taken in the reflection of a door. 

I need this shirt

But I want it in a colour that's not brown :/

London shopping

Here's the entry most people want to read - what I bought on my trip! I've also ordered it chronologically so you can pretend you're shopping along with me!

Boots from Dune. Even though I bought some boots recently, I also wanted new heeled boots as my previous pair are pointy-toed and therefore a bit passe. I decided to head to New Change because I figured that if I were to buy boots, I didn't want to be lugging them around the Tube with me, and I knew New Change had Office and Dune, and that Jones isn't too far away. I zoned in pretty quickly on these guys even though I hadn't seen them on the website. The shortish heel (okay, it's about 5cm) is so damn comfy and £40 off. SOLD!!! 

Puffa and straight-leg jeans from Uniqlo. I love my Uniqlo puffa. Unfortunately, I made a tactical error when I purchased it because I wear it so much that the formerly dazzling white is now kinda greyish. This time, I have made no error and I purchased a new one in grey! And as usual, I got a new pair of jeans. It's hard to beat the fact that they make it in my waist size but also offer free tailoring to make up for the fact I'm pretty short...

Limited edition patterned thermals from Uniqlo. I really have no idea why this brand isn't in Germany because they make the kind of clothes I think Germans would love. Cheap, multifunctional clothes that work in warm and cold weather. COME TO GERMANY, UNIQLO!!!

Tops from Primmy. Last week, I was frustrated by the fact that most of my going out clothes are dresses meaning that I die when I'm out and it snows. Pooey counselled patience - just wait a few days and go to Primmy and invest in some dressy tops that I can wear with jeans. Primmy delivered like crazy. The one on the right with lace was a bit see-through so I also invested in a seamless camisole.

The white one on the left was also a bit transparent so I invested in a white camisole :D. Normally, I'm a girl who loves red but I've decided that I also really love this cobalt colour. I tried on the same top in hot pink but Pooey and I decided the blue was more versatile. Yes, it's true, while I was trying on the tops, I was sending photos to Pooey to get her opinion. Her opinion was that Primmy had a lot of good stuff this time around.

Costume jewellery, also from Primmy. I normally don't wear (or therefore buy) this kind of stuff, but I was wearing a dress last week and I thought it looked a bit plain. This ought to change it up a bit. 

Outlet shopping, ja!

There's an outlet centre along the lines of Bicester and Woodbury Common that's near Munich, Ingolstadt Village. It is about 45 minutes away but despite its proximity and the number of times that I've told Markus (who is from Ingolstadt) that he should take me and his gf there, I never seemed to make it. This has now been rectified. Last week I received an email telling me that due to my membership to an online community, I could have a voucher for an extra 20-40% off selected stores and a free shuttle bus voucher. With this news, I shot off a few messages to the girls, resulting in plans for Barbie, Demi, Ziad (okay, he's not a girl), and myself to take advantage of the free shuttle and head off!

First things first, IV is nowhere near as large as the other two. Secondly, being in Germany, it was loaded with German shops that I normally don't shop at. Having said that, I was still able to find everything I'd listed in my head for that I was to only spend my money on!

Those who have read my Antwerp entry will know that I've been looking for a new pair of boots! I got these riding-boots from GK Mayer. 

Chic to Peak ski jacket from Columbia! Or rather, it's two interchangeable jackets - the pink is the outer shell and it contains a fleecy/quilted jacket inside (green). The inner fleece is also reversible!  When we asked a shopgirl if this jacket was appropriate for skiing, it was pointed out to us that this is actually a kid's jacket, but then the looked at me and said it would fit. And it did, perfectly!

Nylon + leather trim handbag from Liebeskind. Despite my German friends being mad for this brand, I'm not a real big fan of the distressed leather look of Liebeskind bags, and to be honest, this  design is also a bit of a rip on Longchamp's le Pliage. But on the other hand, it's a small handbag that came with a shoulder strap AND there are leathery bits on the corners that will stop the fraying that occurs on the Longchamp bags!

Scarf and woolen shift dress from Hallhuber. These weren't actually on my list of things to buy, but I was within my (generous) budget so hey, why not?

New coat!

I was surprisingly restrained when I went to Antwerp for shopping. Probably because I was after boots and I couldn't find a pair that I wanted :( I ended up with a few pairs of stockings and this:

New coat! Bright, bright green, chic cut and fit. I hope it's warm enough for the winter!

A tale of two dresses

Before Wiesn, I went to H&M to find some things for Spuey and I ended up purchasing a dress. The price was...shall we say, surprising. Even the shopgirl was surprised when it came up on the register to the extent that she made a double-take.

And here it is! A striped jersey dress. 

Then last weekend, I was walking around Lehel with Ames when I passed by Lacoste and saw a dress in the window. "That's a nice dress!" I said to Ames and she agreed that it was a dress that suited me in cut and colour. So I went inside and I tried it on - and it did! I decided to purchase it because it's a perfect dress for winter...but we were both a little gobsmacked by the price although it wasn't beyond my means.

And here it is! Soft merino wool with stripes scarlet and cranberry.

So despite the similarity of appeance, all I can say is that the Lacoste dress is approximately...oh, 34 times what I paid for H&M. So figure it out!

London Shopping

Noelia once complained that whenever she asked me where I bought some item of clothing, I would reply with, "London." In order to continue that annoying tradition, check out what I got this time around!

Dresses! Black one from Therapy (House of Fraser), and the other two from Primmy.

Cropped cobalt legging trousers and jeans from Uniqlo 

Laduree shirts from Uniqlo! Uniqlo seriously needs to come to Munich

Candy pink court pumps from Hobbs (House of Fraser). While I was trying them on, a French woman came up to me and asked which brand they were. Score, French woman thinks I'm chic.

Radley clutch purse to replace my slowly dying Oroton purse :( 

Pooey also got me the cooler lunch bag from M&S because it's cute and awesome!

 Also, the sunnies that I'm wearing in various photos were purchased from Primmy at the crazy price of £1. Hotdamn I love going to London and shouting at people to take my money :D

New dress!

Probably not something I should have done at the start of a new fitness program but I wanted a new summery dress!

It looks orange but it's actually a strawberry colour.

Stories from the Salon

I finally got tired of my long and romantic layered flowing locks and decided to get the chop...

so here I am with a fringe/bangs!

I was thinking of getting a bob and cutting my hair to my jaw but chickened out. Also, bierfest season is coming and I'll need it to be long enough for braids.

New boots!

Amy and I have decided to visit Davos for our NYE celebrations - HOORAY! But the downside is Davos is a ski resort and it is guaranteed to be covered in snow. Thick snow. Specialist boot-requiring snow. People used to the amount of snow I would be facing looked at the boots I currently wear in the snow and basically said, "You are going to slip, fall, and die." That could only mean one thing - TIME TO GO SHOPPING!!!

But snowboots aren't exactly the cheapest of shoes, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest in a sooper-dooper pair if I was to never to go over 1100m again. However, having been created to be functional, snowboots are also not particularly chic - and if there's one thing I strive to be, even when it's -10C and blizzarding, it's being chic. Once everyone stopped laughing and telling me to go to Prada, Christine told me there was a sports outlet store, near the Ostbahnhof and perhaps I'd get lucky.

Well, I got lucky! 

Behold - my proper snowboots!

Okay, they're not *chic* in the standard sense, but a pair of hardcore Columbia snowboots reduced to €70? Sold! And paired with Garfield/Basketball, my bright orange North Face backpack, I look the right snow pro! But that's not all folks! We also headed over to Kaufring on the other side of Orleansplatz and I found these boots which were reduced 50% to €50 :D

As Amy said, "They're like giant, mutant uggs...that snow pattern is cute!"

Two pairs of snow-appropriate boots for €120? I'd call that a mighty successful day's shopping. 

NYC shopping

And now, part 2 of the things you really want to see - THE THINGS I BOUGHT!!! Before everyone goes *Mooey, you didn't buy that much*, I'd just like to make a comment regarding that. When I travel, I like to take cash out from a machine as soon as I hit an airport. Sure, you might get slugged a non-bank ATM transaction fee, but you get the cash out at the rate and there's no commission. This would not work for my German account. Knowing that my bank is owned by Deutsche Bank, we headed there to solve the problem. No dice - the answer given to me was that I could have to RING GERMANY to tell them I was in the US and could they unlock my card. It didn't happen and I ended up having only my credit card and it's 1000 euro limit for the entire week. Bleh.

In the end, we decided to limit most of our shopping towards the end of our week there, and it was a good decision because we went to Woodbury Common! 

Happy Spu after our time at Woodbury (okay, some of the bags are mine)

I specifically wanted to buy things from NY companies because I could go to Paris, London, Milan or wherever to get European stuff. Here are my Kate Spade shoes. As soon as I saw them in the store, I did think *THEY ARE MINE!!!* It was the last pair in my size as well :D

And I also got some Kate Spade sunnies

Some tops from Loft

This is actually the rear side of a t-shirt I got from Ann Taylor. I think it's kyoots! I do love bows.

When we were at Woodbury, Spu said he got a $US300 cashmere jumper from Lacoste for...$60. I think I screamed something along the lines of *HOLD MY BAGS!!!* and ran off to the outlet. They didn't have any in my size :( but I scored these two cotton ones instead

My pair of Tigers - upon arriving home, after I'd put them on the communal shoe rack, Fabi asked, "Are they new Tigers? I was thinking of getting a pair." :O THIS IS WHY I ASKED IF YOU WANTED ANYTHING BEFORE I WENT!!!

My lightweight puffa from Uniqlo

And finally, the real prize from my NYC shopping - my Marc Jacobs bag!!! Another item that caused my head to say *THAT'S MINE!!!* as soon as I saw it!

And so to end all the NYC stuff, here's a pic of the shirtless guy of the day from Abercrombie & Fitch 5th Avenue. We had a short chat about work/travel and it's possible he's not as much of a douche as his job makes him seem!

12 Days, 6 Cities - Shopping!

And now what you've really all been waiting for - the things I bought while travelling! Plus bonus San Sebastian pieces!

San Seb - I love these coolway flats. So comfy, so airy, and so cute! They remind me of strawberries! Patri took one look at them and said, "Did you buy those today?!" when we met up :D

San Seb - Never have truer words been plastered over my torso. (For those who can't read it, it says "I really like to eat cookies.") I also bought another t-shirt but I wore it before photography and alas, it's in my laundry basket.

Barcelona - Ma looked at these shoes from Campers and wondered if I was simply wearing an odd pair or if they were meant to be coloured like that :D

Barcelona - I needed a handbag since the zip on the bag I was carrying broke :( But this bag was a bit too small to handle all the things I needed to carry in it (passports etc).

Paris - I'd actually tried on this dress from Comptoir de Cotonniers in THREE different countries. Ma saw me in it and finally said, "You should buy it." The same thing was said by the random French woman in the change room opposite me!

London - Peplums are all the rage now (Primmy)

London - Me and Pooey both got this dress! (Primmy)

London - another kid's size t-shirt to add to my wardrobe! (Primmy)

London - I'm hoping this will be an inter-season coat for the transition to Autumn. (Primmy)

London - And these half-gumboots as well. While we were at the checkout, the shopwoman actually commented that we were lucky to get these boots because they'd been flying off the shelves! She also thought they were cute. Can I just say, BEST SHOPWOMAN AT PRIMMY EVER?! She was so different from the usual grunts we get!

London - And another Cath Kidston bag to replace the one with the broke zip. Sigh, it's not the same though, and not because it's actually a nappy bag - the satchel flap is kinda annoying :(

And these red converse/one stars. So funky.

And it has occurred to me that most of my clothes now seem to be purchased in London or at least while I'm on holiday. It's probably cos it's the only time I really get to do nothing except shop. But that's okay - I'm just helping the European economy!

Es freue mich!

Remember these shoes?

Well I finally got them soled this past weekend, along with a pair of black mary janes that I got in Paris! I was so happy to finally get them done that I actually smiled and clapped my hands like a little girl. The shoemaker was quite amused and said, "Du bist gluecklich!" (You are happy!) to which I replied, "Ja, es freue mich!" (Yes, it pleases me!)  

 My new Paris shoes. Note the chunky heel that will stop me from falling between the grills of the Munich u-bahn and the cobblestones of Munich streets!


So in the spirit of this entry, I will post other pairs of shoes I've acquired recently, all of which are from Primmy and the last three I got on my most recent visit which led to me having to check in my luggage. I hope they were worth it! And if not, the three did cost about as much as checking in luggage does anyway!

Got these back in Oct with Pooey. They'll look nice with the blue apron I wear with my dirndl!

Something naval to wear with the Amsterdam blazer this Spring/Summer

These are not very me but I got caught up in the Primmy shoe frenzy and ended up trying them on.  They looked good with my black jeans!

And these ballet flats actually slightly padded. Also something I can wear with jeans in the Summer!

Also, I did a count. Including my gym shoes but excluding my house slippers, I have 28 pairs of shoes in Muenchen. I'm actually kinda impressed with that!