7.30.2013

Shop: & Other Stories

I have discovered a new store! Well, it's only new to me. & Other Stories actually opened in April. Where have I been?

This place is huge! It's a total of four floors and sells just about everything a woman could need, including clothing, jewellery, bags, shoes, hair accessories, make-up, and even hats. I didn't know where to begin browsing because there were so many items catching my eyes. I managed to scour over each piece of jewellery in the store; it was all so unique. Much of the merchandise was very fashion forward. Some of the clothing looked like things I've only seen during fashion or design week, for example chunky black platform sandals, yet the prices were totally affordable. Even still, I just couldn't bring myself to try on the scuba skirt and matching hoodie in the summer heat! I ended up leaving with a pair of earrings, some hair clips, and nail polish in a colour I've been coveting. 

The friendly salesperson who rang in all my purchases placed the items in a paper bag, and then placed the paper bag in another paper bag. I am not a fan of the unnecessary and wasteful extra paper bag. On further inspection of the outer bag, I discovered that & Other Stories is under the H&M umbrella. That kind of burst my I-found-an-haute-couture-store-with-teacher-budget-prices bubble. Ah well, I'll still be back!

Here are the goods:





All images from the & Other Stories website: http://www.stories.com


Store information:

ADDRESS:

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 1
Lombardia 20122 Milan

OPENING HOURS:

Monday-Friday10—20:30
Saturday10—20:30
Sunday12—20

Phone: +39 02 890 963 03

7.26.2013

You Heard It Here First: Woodkid


Woodkid-Teatro Franco Parenti-April 2013
I'd like to introduce you to the artist who is currently taking over my Spotify, Woodkid. We first discovered Woodkid back in April at Teatro Franco Parenti during the Design Week Festival. The first word that comes to mind when describing Woodkid's music is EPIC! Just click on the link to his website and you'll hear what I mean! The two men beating huge drums conjures up images of tribesmen preparing for battle. The Franco Parenti theatre venue really complimented the dramatic feeling of the music. The ceiling is sloped so that the further into the hall you go the higher the ceiling gets. The black-and-white films projected behind the band matched the monumental sound of the music perfectly. This is no surprise since Woodkid, aka Yoann Lemoine, is a music video director. He has directed videos for artists such as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Lana Del Rey, just to name a few.

Woodkid - Villa Arconati - July 2013


Woodkid - Villa Arconati - July 2013


On Wednesday evening, LL and I drove to Bollate to see Woodkid at the Villa Arconati Music Festival. The Villa Arconati is an 18th century villa that looks like it's trying to be Versailles. The outdoor stage was set-up beside the villa. Since this was only our second time seeing Woodkid and he only has one album, I wasn't sure what to expect. The show was a mix of mellow, melancholic ballads and larger-than-life anthems. LL and I both agreed that Woodkid's music should be the soundtrack for the next Batman film! Woodkid cracked some cheeky jokes and engaged the audience by shouting out, "Wake up, Milano!" 

Woodkid - Villa Arconati - July 2013
The best part was the surprise at the end. Woodkid and his band came out for an encore after what seemed like a short show. He invited some people to come dance with him on stage. I'm not sure if this was planned or not, but the whole crowd rushed up to the front and no one stopped people from hopping over the security barrier and climbing the speakers to get on stage. After watching about a dozen people do this, LL and I decided to take the risk and get on stage too! We danced, we sang, we jumped, we screamed! LL brought his GoPro and got the whole thing on video. We'll be watching that years from now when Woodkid is too famous for his fans to climb up on stage!

7.13.2013

Happy birthday, LL!

Sunset in Ibiza

Yesterday was LL's 31st birthday. I am not always around for his birthday because it's in July and I'm usually travelling. Two years ago, my best friend and I took a trip to Spain and Portugal. We planned to be in Ibiza the same weekend as LL's birthday so he and his best friend could come meet us. We soaked up the sun on the beach and ate fresh, delicious food during the day and then partied all night long.


Dinner on the ATMosfera Restaurant Tram
This year, to top past celebrations, I surprised LL with dinner on the ATMosfera Restaurant Tram! I told him to meet me by the Duomo at 19:45 sharp. I almost blew my cover with the strict time constraint, but I think he was still a little surprised. The tram does a 2 1/4 hour tour of the central and historical parts of Milan. We ordered the meat based menu and thoroughly enjoyed the dinner. The tram conductor, chef, and waiter were all very friendly and the service was great. There were other couples on the tram celebrating different occasions. One girl even shared her birthday cake with everyone on the tram. It was fun to track our route while enjoying the dinner, wine, and each other's company.


The Birthday Boy

A birthday wouldn't be complete without presents. In the morning, LL called me sounding like a giddy child on Christmas. He had just received a GoPro camera mount in the mail from my family in Canada. I think I actually prefer giving gifts more than receiving them. I take pride in finding the perfect gift for someone. This year I gave LL a rack for his collection of sunglasses and a set of Tattly temporary tattoos, including these totally gangster knuckle tatts. I'm always on LL's case about dental hygiene. I don't floss everyday, but I definitely floss regularly. He, on the other hand, does not. So I threw in these easy-flossers for fun! 

After orchestrating a birthday like this, I am confident that I have secured the girlfriend-of-the-year award, at least in LL's eyes!

7.04.2013

Restaurant App with a Map

There are many restaurants in Milan that I'd like to try. I've got them all pinned to my Milan-Restaurants board and I've got them all saved in a bookmark folder. The problem is that when I'm out-and-about I don't have access to all those restaurants that I've been meaning to try. Another problem is that I have a BlackBerry and an iPod touch, but no iPhone. 

I'm looking for a restaurant app that includes a map and a favourites feature so that I can save all the places that interest me on a portable device.

Any suggestions?