September 2015 / Organized Mess

A Look Back: September 2015

9.30.2015

I remember distinctively writing my Looking Back at August post and including that I would be sharing pictures of mine and Derek's new Old City apartment - yeah, never happened. There may or may not be a few more boxes to unpack.....it's only been, hm, six weeks since we moved in. But that's besides the point - here's what September looked like!

What I Wore:

Geometrics + Lace

Rompers: Fall Edition

Classics

Fall Colors - All Wrapped Up

What I Listened To:

Wildest Dreams - Taylor Swift

Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire

Bikes - Lucy Rose
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Back Home - Andy Grammer
Stand By You - Rachel Platten
I See Fire - Ed Sheeran
Just a Kiss - Lady Antabellum
Home - Edwarde Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Ship to Wreck - Florence + The Machine
If I Die Young - The Band Perry

What I Read:

The Vacationers - Emma Straub
This book took me awhile to get into. I wasn't feeling it at first, especially since I immediately couldn't stand any of the characters but as I read on I became eager to read what was going to happen next. The family is a little (eh, really really messed up) and they attempt to vacation in Mallorca together. Like any vacation, there are many sad, angry, happy and decent moments. In the end, you'll be rooting for them to solve their problems - even if you still can't stand any of them.

What I Did:

1. Baked pleeeeeeenty of chocolate chip banana bread. 2 - 3. Went to Longwood Gardens with Derek. 4. Got dressed up for a dinner date with my best friend. 5 - 6. Enjoyed a rainy day. 7 - 8. Went to NYC with a few of my favorite people for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer 5k. 9. Ate a caramel apple doughnut while pinning. Best. Afternoon. Ever. 10. Hung out with my new roomie ;) 11. Took time to make a breakfast I would absolutely love. 12. Ate more doughnuts. Naturally. 13 - 14. Art Museum date with Derek. 15. Drank wine in the middle of an afternoon with lunch because I had the rest of the day off and had a hectic morning so I totally deserved it. 16. Enjoyed a La Colombe date with myself!

Keep in touch on instagram! You can follow me @chelseaefinn!

9.29.2015

Germany is now one of my favorite countries. I got the opportunity to visit a family friend, Kathi and her wonderful family while I was studying abroad in London earlier this year. I packed up and made my way to the airport by myself for the first time and boarded a plane to Munich, Germany for a long weekend. Upon arriving, I could already tell how friendly everyone seemed! Especially thanks to the man who helped me find my way out of the terminal because I got lost. I have gotten lost in airports trying to find my way out on more than one occasion. Not sure if I should really admit that....

It snowed almost the entire weekend while I was in Germany which felt somewhat magical because I hadn't seen so much snow since the previous year. The day that we walked around Munich, Kathi took me to the English Garden. It was this massive park that's twice the size of Hyde Park in London! Despite the freezing temperatures and snow, there were SO many people out walking around. One of the things I was shocked to see during my adventures throughout Europe is how much more time Europeans spend outside compared to Americans. Living in Philadelphia, there's usually a decent amount of people out and about but when I think about the small town that my parents live in sometimes you won't see a single person outside unless they are headed for their car. Above, you can see the Chinese Tower Beer Garden as well as the Monopteros on the hilltop, which children were eagerly sledding down throughout the day. Also, above, you can see a glimpe of Olympiapark, which was constructed for the Summer Olympics in 1972! The architecture was unreal.

Kathi's family was so incredibly sweet, they wanted me to see another city in Bavaria so they drove out to Nuremberg! Nuremberg was absolutely breath-taking and there were so many glimpses into traditional Germany. One of my favorite parts was seeing this huge castle, Nuremberg Castle (Kaiserburg Nurnberg). Climbing to the top, there was a breath-taking, panoramic view of the city below. Knowing that parts of the castle were constructed further back than the year absolutely blows my mind! Being from the United States, our country wasn't even founded until the 1400's so seeing something that old is so surreal. The food was also so delicious - I had a variety of sausages as well as sauerkraut and potato salad which were unimaginably delicious (about 100 times better than any of those things that I've had here in the US). We stopped in another town in Bavaria on the way home and overall, Germany was so breathtakingly beautiful and looked like it was straight out of a fairytale! Seeing Kathi was also great because I hadn't seen her since she was in America a year or so before this trip! Maybe someday I'll get there to visit her for Oktoberfest.

More European Adventures....

9.28.2015

Fall is all that's on my mind. Especially when getting dressed in the morning! I picked out this fringed blanket wrap skirt from Loft two weeks ago and I've already tried it on with almost everything in my closet. It magically goes with almost every color! Also, I love the little fringed detailing on this skirt. It's a good way for me to hint towards the fringe trend this season without it being too much. For an evening walk around Old City I opted for a simple button-back olive green sweater, a statement necklace and comfortable over-the-knee boots. I bought these boots last winter and wasn't able to fit them in my suitcase when I left for my 4-month trip to Europe so I'm just now getting around to wearing them! Luckily, they seem to be even more on trend this year than last year.

Happy Monday everyone! I know Monday's can always seem so, well, blah but I try to always make them seem a little better by picking up a pastry or some macarons from my favorite bakery. It's also the start of a brand new week! I have a few fun plans set up during the week, it's always good to have things to look forward to. Here's to a new week, and a fresh new start!

9.25.2015

Going back to yesterday's post - my current friday favorite are cropped sweaters! I already have a long torso, so I try to avoid tops that are too long. Cropped sweaters with a high-waisted pant or skirt create the illusion of longer legs. It's a trend that's been around for ages, our favorite old Hollywood stars have even worn it! Also, above, Blake Lively wore them during the film, Age of Adaline.

Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner

I personally prefer cropped sweaters with a higher-neckline or mockneck but there are so many different variations this season. Below, the A.L.C. option seems so comfy and easy to throw on but the Topshop pick is so casual and would be cute to run errands or go out in. Lastly, I can't get enough of the color blocking this season and the Rag & Bone sweater below pulls off the two trends beautifully.

A.L.C. | Rag & Bone | Topshop

If you're looking for a super trendy way to pull this off, a good mix would include a 70's inspired skirt, stacked rings and heeled ankle booties. Happy Friday everyone!

9.24.2015

I love following trends, I love hearing about what's new best and what everyone is going to be wearing. But I don't know if I'm one to necessarily follow them when it comes to my own personal style. I like to pick good, solid pieces that I know are going to last me for seasons, maybe years. I'm very influenced by old Hollywood movies such as Roman Holiday or Funny Face. Sometimes when I'm shopping, I'll (not so secretly) ask myself, would Audrey wear this? Sometimes I'll mix in current trends (*ahem*, hi there platform sandals) with classic looks but with a limited budget it's important that I don't blow my personal clothing allowance on pieces that are going to be cycled through too quickly. That, and I love a solid, classic style and feeling like I could have just popped out of an Audrey Hepburn movie.

This cropped mock turtleneck is not only on trend, but it's also a classic and I love the little flair that these ankle-length pants have. I would usually go with something a little more tapered at the leg but I wanted to try something different. Also, these platform sandals are surprisingly comfortable. I bought this hat when I was living in London for less than 10 pounds at Urban Outfitters on High Street and it's been on constant rotation, I've worn it HERE and HERE on the blog. It's going to be a struggle to not buy all burgundy this season, it's always been my color weakness every fall!

LOFT SWEATER AND PANTS | NEW LOOK SANDALS | KATE SPADE PURSE | URBAN OUTFITTERS HAT | MICHAEL KORS WATCH

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