Country life

Hello you beautiful person,
I hope you are doing well.

This dress makes me think of country life, of vast wheat fields that are begging to be frolicked in, of the sun softly burning your skin and the scent in the air that is unmistakably 'summer'.

Instead I settled for a huge and lush tree as my backdrop whilst out playing Pokémon Go. It wasn't too bad either.

This dress is one of my favourites from Miss Patina. I adore the sweet collar and the soft pale pink is wonderful against the vivid colours of summer. It is also one comfortable and breezy dress to be worn when the weather is just too hot.

Dress: Miss Patina (here)

Hat: ModCloth (here)

Flats: Daisy Street via Asos (old)

I was thrilled when I found that the lace around my new hat matches the dress exactly. This hat keeps my dark head of hair cool in the warmth of this season. And the dainty roses add the right touch of femininity to the look.

Summer is coming to a sharp end here. In fact I could almost claim that the seasons have changed and my favourite time of year has begun. But I have lots more summer outfits I want to share with you, so I am going to pretend that it is still summer!

Have a beautiful and sunny day.
Much love,
Mona

Vintage Joy

Hello all you wonderful, beautiful people.
I hope you are all doing well and that the sun is shining where you are!

The dress I'm wearing is my first ever vintage dress that I've worn (I have two other vintage dresses that I bought before this one, but have yet to wear them). When I saw this dress on instagram I knew I had to have it. The floral print is beautiful, and the nipped in waist gives a gorgeous silhouette. The dress is from Simplicity is Bliss (IG @sibvintage).

One thing that I find is difficult with vintage is to know when to buy and when not to buy. Obviously, since it's vintage the likelihood of ever finding the same dress again is quite small, however you want to still get value for your money and vintage can be quite expensive.

If the vintage dress is my size (or bigger), the rule for me has been that I buy it if I can't stop thinking about it. It won't ever be "restocked" so you need to act fast, so if I find myself thinking about the dress after I've seen it, I will purchase it. How about you? Calling all other vintage-wearing ladies (and gentlemen), how do you decide what to buy when it comes to vintage items?

Dress: Vintage from Simplicity is Bliss

Gloves: Vivien of Holloway (here)

Petticoat: ModCloth (here)

Flats: Machi via ModCloth (Stylish Surprise)

I'm very happy to have ventured into the vintage world! Do you wear vintage? Why? Why not?

Hope you have a splendid rest of the week!
Much love,

Not found in Fantastic Beasts

Hello all you wonderful people!
I hope you are having a splendid weekend.

Today I am wearing a blouse from the old Book of Deer collection from AW13 called Sea & Selkie.

I wanted something from this collection very badly so when I found out there were a few blouses left I jumped for joy. Not only is this feminine blouse beautiful with it's high collar, but it has a delicate hand-drawn print on the bell sleeves.

Another reason why the Sea & Selkie collection interested me so is that I adore selkies.
Selkies are mythological creatures found in old Scottish and Irish folklore. A selkie is a seal in the water that turns into a human on land. They are different from other creatures that you would think are similar, such as mermaids, because selkies are shapeshifters, and can have a completely human form. Selkies are for example not found at all in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.

What ignited my interest in selkies was the beautiful animated film Song of the Sea. The film came in 2014 and was nominated for an Oscar. It's about a young girl that discovers that she is a selkie and her quest to recover her seal coat and to find her voice, with the help of her human brother. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful and simply beautiful this film is, both in animation style and in the story. I find myself watching it almost once a week.

Blouse: Book of Deer (old)

Skirt: Miss Patina (here)

Flats: Asos (here)

Hope you all have a beautiful day, don't forget to check out Song of the Sea.
Much love,

Once in a Blue Moon

Hello all you lovely souls!
The weather is warming up nicely. It is quite hot here, and all the trees are finally green and lush.

These photos were taken in the beginning of May when it was just starting to get warmer and the trees were still bare.

I wore this when I was holding a speech for a group of biomedicine students (I studied biomedicine myself), talking about what they can expect of life as a PhD-student and giving some advice. I prepared, and was pumped up, but was met by a small group of uninterested students. Some international students that sat way back in the lecture hall even pointed at me and laughed for themselves, thinking I won't notice.

The whole experience made me realise what a hard job teachers have, that have to stand in front of students every single day!

Funny thing, this outfit was actually unintentionally inspired by a fictional teacher. As soon as I put on the blue cardi over the dress I felt like I recognised the outfit, but it wasn't until afterwards that it struck me! Jess Day from New Girl, wore a lovely green dress with a blue cardigan in the episode Fancyman Part 1 (1x17). Like I told you previously, Zooey Deschanel is a big style inspiration for me.

Dress: Swinging Chicks Shop (here)

Cardigan: La Redoute (old)

Flats: ModCloth (old)

Anyway, my experience with holding an inspirational speech for the students didn't quite go as I had hoped or planned. The whole thing was a bit disappointing, but there was one super interested student that came and talked to me after, so even if I only reached the one person, at least I did that!

Any teachers out there? How on earth do you amazing people do it day after day?

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I had a very rough week at work, so I am doing some major relaxing.

Also a quick reminder, there are still some days left on the giveaway that I am hosting together with Book of Deer. For more info check this post here.

Much love,