Monday Mood: Royal Gold

As we're entering the last week of this incredible summer, I want to stay optimistic and feel inspired! That's why I thought I should bring back the type of post I initially wrote when I started this blog. It's sort of a visual mood board with fashion, art, history, food and decor.

This week we're talking about ROYALTY. I got this idea while stumbled across this incredible picture of a Marie Antoinette painting, and it all came back to me. When I was little, I wasn't one of those girls who wanted to be a princess. My Barbie doll always had to be a fashion designer or a doctor (funny how I anticipated my biggest passions since such an early age). I loved to hear a good story about a princess, but that was all. Everything changed when I was twelve and I saw the "Marie Antoinette" movie directed by Sofia Coppola. Sure, maybe Marie isn't the best queen to take as a model, but it somehow woke my love for history. I started reading biographies and watching documentaries and well...the rest is history haha!

I think it's incredible to see how much of the royal history is preserved and how talented film directors make a movie every once in a while to wake that thirst to learn more about the past. To combine history and fashion, I chose the first picture from the Dolce & Gabbana 2013 fall/winter campaign, featuring Andreea Diaconu, Bianca Balti and Kate King. I was so excited to see Romanian model Andreea on their campaign because when I watched the runway show a few months ago, where she wore that amazing red number I thought she would be a perfect match!

My selection also includes a shot of lovely Kristina Bazan, dressed in white with an impressive Parisian background behind her, The Gates of Paradise, which I was so impressed by in Florence, Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly (she looks like a modern duchess, okay, minus the pose) and Leighton Meester as the elegant and feminine Blair. What about a royal wardrobe? A princess should have Elie Saab and Maria Lucia Hohan gowns. I couldn't help but include a photo of Olatz Schnabel’s bedroom, you'll see how it matches the theme. Perhaps you'll wonder what a photo of the cool blonde Abbey Lee Kershaw has to do with this?  Her style reminds me of Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones anyone? Also, it wouldn't be a real royal post if I didn't include the flawless hairdo of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. 

My inspirational posts contains photos from TUMBLR , and I credit the blog that I found them on. However, if you own any of them, please contact me so I can remove it/credit properly.

On friendship and teenage years

♪ Fergie- A little party never killed nobody ♪

1. Me and my best friend D. in our best friend's car / 2. Lunch with my best friends , had the best sandwich spiced with tons of laughter and joy / 3. My best friend M. just got her licence and she's a natural! / 4. Me and my best friend S. at a fabulous party / 5. Gifts I, my mom and sister got for my father's birthday / 6. New obsession- there's a new cake shop in town!

Photos taken from my Instagram: marymanaila

Oh well, my past two months were so intense I can't quite sum it up accurately for you. A lot has happened, school proved to be more difficult ( I still got one more important test coming up, fingers crossed) , there were lots of parties, trips, changes and even a public speech was involved (thank God I didn't embarrass myself!). Still, there's one thing I'm certain of : I feel thankful! Thankful I've been able to go through so many interesting things, thankful I have my best friends and such a supportive family. I've also come to realize that there's only one year left of high school, which is thrilling and frightening at the same time. 

Now, let us go back to the best friends label for a bit, because I've been promising to blog about it for ages. When I was little I found the notion of  a 'best friend' confusing. It felt like such a privileged and fancy title, such a weight on my shoulders to pick only one person who I can trust with everything.  But what happens when you find 4 girls who are equally trustworthy, fun , dynamic  and who you can completely trust and relate to?  You are once again, thankful (I know it's not Thanksgiving!), you don't question the reasons why you are so lucky, and just try to make sure they know how much they mean to you! 

Oh, and let's not forget an important detail: you have fun! TONS OF FUN! You create memories, you party, you watch all the good movies and discuss all the interesting books because your teenage years and magical and you have to remember them- even the drama, as "we are who we are because a lot of reasons", written  brilliantly in The Perks of Being A Wallflower.

I find fascinating how I have with different things in common with each one of them, and that's why I have to quote C.S. Lewis :  “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

Do you have more than one best friend? Do you believe there is such thing as a best friend? And, if you finished high school , do you still keep in touch with your friends? 

Blue hue

Hello my dear readers, I'm so happy to blog again! I didn't have any issues with my laptop or anything, it's just that my visting schedule has been so crowded because there are so many incredible places to see in Tuscany! I took these photos in three places actually because we visited all of them in    one day! It was intense for sure, yet so incredible and rewarding!

Our first stop was San Gimignano, just the typical Tuscan village, with beautiful historical buildings, surrounded by loads of vegetation and with the most lovely residents! The second place was a widely popular city, Siena, where I was astounded by the Palazzo Pubblico and the central square, but also by the Duomo. I am really fond of all the Duomos and the Baptisteries after this trip in Italy, I can't even pick a favourite after seing the ones in Florence and Pisa (still, the 'gates of paradise' of Firenze's Baptistery will always remain in my heart ). In Siena I also found for the first time ''L'Officiel' Magazine. I am hooked, it's so bad they don't sell this magazine in my town, I really enjoy reading the current issue I bought!

In the afternoon it was about admiring the famous Chianti region. We stopped to eat in the famous Radda , where instead of buying pastas or pizza (which, by the way, are really the best in Italy!) I wanted two of their special torte (cake), one with forest fruits and a cheesecake, the best one I ever had because it is typically drier than American styles.

It was a whimsical day, and I also felt so incredible because I wore a super comfy outfit, with a colorlocking effect. The H&M cobalt dress is just the perfect dress for summer trips and the lavender flats were just a joy to wear, because all the streets were cobbled.

H&M dress,  H&M sunglasses, Bata flats, Fossil watch Wholesale bag

 Duomo

Secret streets of San Gimignano

The sublime panoramic view of Chianti in Radda.

And the incredible cakes( follow me on Instagram @marymanaila)...