ROMA

CIAO!

First of all, if you're not caught up on my trip to Italy, make sure to catch my first post about it and all about how my very last minute adventures began.

Rome was a definitely a must-see. Knowing that we wouldn't sleep much on this trip, we crammed in everything we needed to. First up was the Colosseum and also the ruins that surrounded it. It was such an amazing structure and I didn't know really what to expect. I had no idea how large it would be and I also didn't have a clue what the inside would look like. It's hard to image this incredible building has been there 1,945 years. What are we even talking about?! So crazy.



Booking things without any time to plan for it was actually a really fun part of the trip. Each train ride, we'd whip out the laptop and just book something on the spot. It's fun having no idea what's next and I have to say that everything we found so last minute ended up being perfect. The Hotel Fiume in Rome was everything I dreamed of for a romantic Italian room. The gorgeous balcony that lead to sunsets and city views was magical. The roof top wasn't bad either.



Of course a stop to Vatican City was in order. Having a background in art, I was soaking up all the history of the paintings. It felt inspiring just to be in the same room. Although, I think my favorite part of Rome was stopping into a pizza place, grabbing a folded slice to-go and walking through this quaint little market full of color pottery, rugs, sauces and pastas. That was such a happy moment for me.

Next up, Venice.

ITALY AT LAST

So, I realize the Italy photos are a bit over do. Ever since I've returned it's been a whirlwind of getting my 16thColony spring/summer 2016 collection ready.

Anyway, as you know from my previous post from when I was staying in Bergamo, this trip was literally last minute. In case you were wondering, here's what went down. On a Thursday, my bae got a gig to film in Bergamo, Italy for a few days and was scheduled to leave the very next day. So we both bought tickets and within 23 hours we were headed out to our dream spot. Ever since we've been back from Australia a few months ago, Italy has moved into our #1 spot of travel. We knew we'd make it there someday but not in such a spontaneous way - that's what made it even more special.

Like I said, the trip started in Bergamo where he was filming and during that time I had the opportunity to explore and take photos solo. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the first day I was there and stumbled across an authentic little cafe. I sat outside, drank espresso and read a book. It was the most incredible feeling to sit there and think 'Whoa, I'm in Italy and had no idea I'd be here a couple days ago.' I honestly wanted to cry I was so happy.



After a few days in Bergamo and taking the train in to Milan a couple times to check out the Duomo we headed to Rome. Initially Rome wasn't on the list of stops but since everything was planned so quickly we actually didn't realize that there is a bullet train to get us there in 3 hours. So obviously, we hopped on that, drank some wine and ended up in Rome. The train was such a cool and pivotal part of the experience and traveling throughout Italy - I loved it.

Next up, a ton of photos from Rome.

BRB

Talk about spontaneous.

On Thursday I booked a last minute ticket to Italy and the next day I was flying over to Milan. I'll have a lot more to say about this later but for now here are a few images to hold you over. I'm currently staying just outside of Milan, in Bergamo. It's amazing and quaint. Since this was literally all planned just a couple days ago, the cities I plan to visit are a bit up in the air. But as of now, after exploring around the Milan area, I'll probably hit up Venice, Nice and maybe Rome.

Until then, ciao!

DESERT SCENE

Every once and a while you need to push the boundaries a little bit.

Recently, my main girl Amanda (feastfashionfaves) and I hit the road and did just that. Having both share the same affinity for creating and exploring new territories, we decided to document our adventures in Arizona. I threw a tripod and some of my camera gear in the car and off we were. Even though it was a bit tricky running the camera and being in front of the lens at the same time, I was up to the challenge and really happy with how this short film came out.

This was the ultimate girls trip and to be able to share my hometown with Amanda was pretty special. Prior to our getaway, Amanda and I had already been close but afterward I felt like we truly bounded over our passion to create, strategize businesses and analyze fashion (and of course the usual gossiping and boy talk).

As you can probably imagine, we spent most of the time laughing - so look forward to a short blooper reel from our trip coming soon.

LAS VEGAS: PROJECT WOMEN'S

Once again, I made the rounds at the bi-annual Las Vegas fashion tradeshows.

I turned it into a long weekend and spent some time in the desert soaking up the heat, laying by the pool sipping skinny margaritas and eating at my fave LV brunch spot, EAT.

Anyway, I mainly checked out this season's Project Women's and scooped some of the new goodness that brands like Flynn Skye, Nightcap and Jen's Pirate Booty were showing. Look forward to a lot of great boho vibes, lace and even sorbet colors in the mix for SS16.

THE GRIFF

A couple weeks back I spent the day with the most important person in my life.

When we first met he asked me what my ideal day looked liked, I replied 'Exploring, creating art and taking photos'. Here we are 4 years later spending most of our days doing just that.

On this particular outing, we hit up a cute little cafe in LA for lunch, peeked in our favorite antique furniture shop and then roamed around the Griffith Observatory snapping photos all afternoon. I was happy to finally knock the Griff off our list of about a billion places we want to see together. Anyway, these are the exact kinds of days that make extremely happy, fulfilled and grateful.

THE WINDY CITY

I really dropped the ball on this one.

Chicago slipped my mind and I forgot to post some of my fave images from the trip. Back in May a bunch of friends and I headed to the Midwest for a little Memorial Day Weekend fun in Wisconsin and Chicago.

Sadly, I don't really have any photos from the lake in Wisconsin. I think it's because I was truly present while I was there. Growing up as a kid my family and I would take trips to the lake for summer vacation and it was always so peaceful and serene. I experienced that all over again while staying at a friends cabin on Cedar Lake. We spent our days there BBQing and boating. I spent as much time on that boat as possible and by the end of it I didn't want to leave.

Although, it wasn't too terrible to be pulled away to go to Chicago afterward. It was my second time in the Windy City and it had been about 15 years. So this time around I really had a strong appreciation for the city and what it has to offer. It's super clean, there's great shopping and restaurants AND boat tours. I really loved the boat tour.