Iconic Ireland

   

Dress: Topshop, White Coat: M&S, Black Coat: Topshop, Boots: H&M.

Howya (Irish way of saying hello)

Just back from Ireland! Love Ireland! It’s not very often that I will return to the same place, my theory: there are too many places to visit in this world so why see the same place twice? Dublin falls into the very elite group with Morocco and Salzburg of places I NEED to see again. I even made it up to Belfast for the day, which was just like being in Scotland to be honest. Saw the cranes that held the titanic before she made her way to Liverpool.  I mean with beautiful men as far as the eye can see and pubs called The Bleeding Horse how can one not fall in love with pretty Ireland? I’ve always said Scottish and Irish have the same spirit inside, the same fire, so I feel very much at home around my Celtic brothers and sisters.

Each and every time I leave the Netherlands and come back, it seems harder and harder to feel settled again, I have the restless feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’ve been here for 7 years now, bear in mind I came with a bag pack for the Summer only! It’s very clear its time for me to move on, in 159 days my new adventure will begin down under. I am starting in Sydney but aiming to put down roots in Melbourne. YAAY!

This is just a quick post to say holla, I got some inspiring pictures whilst I was gone so you come back now you here! 🙂

Have a nice Tuesday and I’ll see ya’ll soon.

Sciintilla ❤

Women who are difficult to love.

Dress: Topshop, Jacket: ASOS, Scarf: Topshop, Bag: Topshop, Trainers: Nike.

Ah love.. the one thing that can make you feel happier than you ever imagined possible and in the same moment break you.

We are more familiar communicating through devices, happier with our phones in our hands, so we forget how much work relationships take, love is simple, relationships are complicated. A strong relationship requires our care, attention and hard work in order to flourish. Relationships need sacrifice and compromise, not everyone is willing to give that. You are capable of love and being loved but in order to be happy you first need to love yourself.

My parents have been married for 30 years now and although I wouldn’t say they have been madly in love the whole time, they have the fundamentals down, they appreciate the hard work, make sure they take the time for each other and still feel like they won. This concept is lost, now a days we want easy, quick, reasons to complain but at the same time strive for a stress free existence. Doesn’t that seem like madness?

And what if you are difficult to love? I certainly am. I know not everyone can get my kind of love and I’m totally ok with that. I want to leave you with a poem I found recently:

you are a horse running alone
and he tries to tame you
compares you to an impossible highway
to a burning house
says you are blinding him
that he could never leave you
forget you
want anything but you
you dizzy him, you are unbearable
every woman before or after you
is doused in your name
you fill his mouth
his teeth ache with memory of taste
his body just a long shadow seeking yours
but you are always too intense
frightening in the way you want him
unashamed and sacrificial
he tells you that no man can live up to the one who
lives in your head
and you tried to change didn’t you?
closed your mouth more
tried to be softer
prettier
less volatile, less awake
but even when sleeping you could feel
him travelling away from you in his dreams
so what did you want to do love
split his head open?
you can’t make homes out of human beings
someone should have already told you that
and if he wants to leave
then let him leave
you are terrifying
and strange and beautiful
something not everyone knows how to love.

-Warsan Shine

If you ever had a broken heart this one is for you ❤

Sciintilla X

Delirium Amsterdam.

Dress: River Island, Boots: Zara, Coat: Topshop, Bag: Topshop.

Here I am again wearing my flat OTK boots. Cant get enough of these babies. But seriously how cute are they? Especially with a nice monochrome ensemble and some lippy!

Finished work Friday and voila ready for some drinks, no outfit change necessary. If you haven’t been to Delirium in Amsterdam GO, they have 720 beers and a beautiful terrace facing the water, was a lovely evening.

As well as my OTK boots you have probably noticed my coat popping up more and more, well its my favourite! More on coats next time 😉

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a nice start to the week.

If you’re into coats make sure you come back next week.

Sciintilla X

Boyfriend jeans yea or nay?

Boyfriend jeans yea or nay?

Boyfriend jeans yea or nay?

Boyfriend jeans yea or nay?

Boyfriend jeans yea or nay?

Boyfriend jeans yea or nay?

Boyfriend jeans yea or nay?

Jeans: Topshop, Top: Topshop, Shoes: Zara, Coat: H&M, Sunnies: Valentino.

There are many ways to wear this style: they can be dressed down or up, as you know I’m a fan of multi-functional items. If I feel like comfort is paramount let me be lazy and throw these on casually, but if I’m feeling kinda fancy I can still make boyfriend jeans work. Wanna know how? Read on:

• Wear with double denim but, make sure the top and bottoms are different shades to avoid looking like you stepped out of a cowboy movie.
• With a tailored leather jacket to balance out the proportions
• For a chilled look, a crisp tee and non-bulky trainers, maybe a sneaky necklace if I’m feeling semi fancy 🙂
• With shaggy FAUX fur (always faux fur!)
• Then my personal fav: with heels

As you can see boyfriend jeans are winners! Don’t worry about looking too androgynous, it’s a trend that seems to be here to stay, plus it looks cute like you just stepped out in your mans trousers. So say “oh hello comfort” and please get in touch to tell me how you wear yours.

Sciintilla X

How to nail OTK boots.

How to nail OTK boots

How to nail OTK boots

How to nail OTK boots

How to nail OTK boots

How to nail OTK boots

Head to toe: TOPSHOP!

I love Autumn! It’s the season of falling leaves. Beauty everywhere. To see the canopy of red, gold, and orange leaves is so enchanting. Doesn’t it make you believe in fate? Like everything is as it’s meant to be. Otherwise why would the seasons change? Everything is pre destined.

Summer comes and passes in a blur, by the time Autumn arrives nesting time is welcomed in preparation for the Winter months.

So as you can see I am head to toe Topshop, representing! I adore Topshop, always have. I used to save my pocket money and go through to Aberdeen to buy my goodies. Recently I worked for them and even getting free clothes couldn’t curb my addiction. It’s never enough. I ❤ you Topshop!

Thigh-high riding boots first came onto the scene in the 15th century traditionally worn by men for riding, and were popular in Europe throughout the eighteenth century, in particular with London prostitutes. These boots can been seen as cheap, trashy but its quite the contrary, over the knee boots are luxurious, super sexy and empowering.

Go on give it a go, step outta your comfort zone (in OTK boots).

Sciintilla X

Wearing sneakers each day keeps the doctor away.

Top: Topshop, Skort: Zara, Trainers: Nike AJs, Kimono: Topshop, Necklace: Topshop.

Good Morning Monday people!

First things first: YAAAAAY what a lovely and fully satisfying weekend, more on that later this week.

Today’s lesson is all about sneakers, and for you UK folks I mean trainers. Long gone are the days when sneakers were worn exclusively for exercising. However there is a big difference between the sneakers I’ll run in and rock up to the office in. Up until now it was a bit taboo to wear your dirty trainers with your feminine dress, I remember one boss saying oh why did you ruin your dress with trainers. Trust me this combination will be your new BFF, and your feet will thank you!

After working for Nike you can imagine I have an extensive sneaker collection, I try to keep them on rotation so they all get a moment to shine but it’s tricky and pairing them with the right outfit can be testing. Lets embrace this comfortable trend, here are my tips:

• DO NOT wear anything else too sporty, this will just look like your heading to the gym not the office.
• The easiest way to pull off this look: a structured dress or a tailored blazer will set the look.
• Keep the trainers sleek with not too many colours or detailing.
• Even the most formal of dresses can be paired with sneakers and simple accessories transforming the dress into day time perfection.
• I love a little pair of socks with this look, frills, patterns, glittery… experiment!

Achieving this feminine low key look takes some practice, but it’s a game changer once you’ve nailed it.

Have fun!

Sciintilla ❤

Scared of flares.

Top/dress: Bershka, Jeans: Vintage Levis, Shoes: Topshop, Bag: Topshop, Necklace:  Topshop.

Well hello you!

Let’s talk about bellbottoms, flares, wide leg pants, you feel me?

Yet again I am aware these beauties were a trend for SS15, say it with me now “who cares”, wear your flares whenever your heart desires. They are classic, timeless, they will always be in fashion so go ahead.

The first record of flared pants was around 1864, sadly they did not gain momentum until the 1960s. They were aggressively replaced with skinny jeans, high-waisted jeans, boyfriend jeans, however a smart woman knows this style will never truly go away. I think it’s funny how this style is a go-to shape for women, giving tall skinny girls a better silhouette, and those with sightly larger hips will benefit from the flare by giving the illusion of a smaller waist. My question is: why are men so scared of flares? I did some research and discovered men are put off by the shape, its not natural (apparently) we should have an hourglass figure and flares destroys that notion. Whatever.

My Levis pair are vintage and therefore a 34 inch leg, which is way longer than what I would require, a pair of wedges are needed for this look, I would always suggest heels as flares tend to shorten your legs but by wearing heels it will have the opposite effect. Don’t be scared of flares they are completely wearable, here are some tips:

• Make sure your trousers are the correct length otherwise there gonna get ripped. No one wants a ripped hem.
• As mentioned heels, wedges, clogs, boots are a must, we are talking about length here!
• Play with colours and volumes.
• Keep the belt simple.
• A classic T-shirt works well for a chilled weekend look.

Now go flare it up and i’ll see you soon.

Sciintilla XX

Illusions in Amsterdam.

Trousers: H&M, Top: Topshop, Jacket: Zara, Heels: H&M, Earrings: Topshop.

M’dear,

Delighted you are here!

I was sure of only one thing, I was certain I wanted to wear my favourite dino t-shirt. Throw on some leather joggers, heels and execute a half knot bun. Not the neatest of outfits but I hate rules.

Last time I was at the skatepark on the Marnixstraat the bowl was covered in graffiti, so going there I was seriously expecting some street art but alas the bowl was being sanded and therefore graffiti less. Now I will tell you a secret, ready? Initially when I started out I wanted my name to be simply Scintilla but fate thought differently, with a friend we quickly decided to add an extra ‘i’ to my name. Sitting there I felt kinda sad, to have an expectation unfilled, especially when it’s something as big as my name! After being forced to go with the flow of the universe I undoubtedly love my name like this way more. And I love the end result of my pictures! Damn, kismet.

My point is this: Things don’t turn out like you thought? Yeah and? Managing your expectations is the keys to happiness.  Sometimes we can’t even see how good things are or could be cause we are caught up thinking about how we feel it should be. Instead we should just surrender, we have no clue how things will turn out but we need to have faith. Next time you have expectations consider this: Are these preconceived feelings just self inflicted suffering?

No expectations. Give it a try. Happy Friday!

Sciintilla ❤

Jump around.

Jumpsuit: Topshop, Trainers: Nike.

Good Morning!

How is everyone feeling? Refreshed and ready for a new week?

Ok ok I am aware jumpsuits were huge for SS15, but as I told you in my about section I don’t care, I don’t dress for anyone other than myself. It’s like Mr Lagerfeld said: “Trendy is the last stage before tacky”. You dress how you feel, you hear me?

But seriously let’s talk about how bloody awesome jumpsuits are. A functional one piece that saves precious time in the mornings, all you have to worry about is shoes, I can do that! Potentially intimidating to a jumpsuit virgin, and with reason, it’s a tricky fashion piece but the truth is jumpsuits ain’t going anywhere so instead of shying away I say: Let’s embrace.

The positives of jumpsuiting around:

1. As mentioned above a huge time saver in the mornings.
2. Is suitable for all body types and shapes once you know which cut to buy.
3. A versatile piece can be dressed up or down or almost any occasion.
4. Will always be fashionable (if you care about that).

As far as I see it, there is only one downside to wearing a jumpsuit, you guessed it, toilet time. It’s an absolute pain in the ass to roll the whole thing down to use the toilet, more so when using public bathrooms, and even more so when desperate to go after one to many gins. But lets not focus on the negative, we are all about positivity.

So go on, whatcha waiting for, dip your toes in the jumpsuit pool, I adore denim and proper boiler suit looking pieces, perfect for chilled weekends and can be worn with my Nikes or some wedges depending on how I feel.

Get jumping around!

Sciintilla XX

Vive la France!

Dress: H&M.

Bonjour mon amis,

I am just back from such an amazing trip, I can’t wait to tell you! I was only gone for a few days’ but managed to squeeze in a lot of activities. I was right on the boarder of France/Switzerland therefore I could enjoy the best of both countries. Wine drinking and playing with goats in France, chocolate eating and thermal baths in Switzerland. Oh la la.

First things first if you have not been to Evian-Les-Bains, go. It’s a relatively small village with plenty to do, the locals are shockingly friendly, the food is yummy and yes it’s where Evian water comes from. On a clear day you can see across Lake Geneva to Switzerland.

When I left my native Scotland the first place I arrived was Les Gets, France. Imagine my surprise to find out almost 9 years on I was unintentionally less than 1 hour away from Les Gets. Then to discover a little village in the valley of Avoriaz called Les Lindarets, aka Goat Village. During the Summer months the goats, sheep and cows walk freely in the village. You can buy goat sweets to feed them but watch out they will jump on you and their shit is everywhere, but hey, it’s well worth the adventure. One mischievous goat stood on my foot sadly I lost a toenail, that’s what I get for not wearing shoes. Lesson learned? Nope.

I don’t know about you but after being in a new place, meeting new people, hearing another language than what you have become accustomed to sets you free, resets your mind. I feel peaceful yet stimulated, and with that I’ll leave you with another quote:

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

A la prochaine, gros bisous.

Sciintilla X