Leather and wool

This outfit was inspired by the cool outfit Marie of the blog Blame it on fashion wore back in December.

I'm so glad I finally found these leather trousers in HM - their shops in Bergen are always sold out of their leather pieces, but I had my luck when I visited one of their stores in Oslo just before Christmas. Leather pants prove to be brilliant when the weather is cold and wet - they are windproof and more or less water repellant!

I have teamed the leather trousers with a denim shirt and a wool sweater, both to keep me warm and to create a relaxed and boyish outfit. The necklace, watch and earrings add some glamour to the look.

On my feet are the newest addition to my wardrobe - Acne Pistol boots. I can't believe how comfortable these boots are! The girl who sold them to me confessed to having three pairs in her closet. After wearing them out, I understand why! In the comfort department they are the total opposites of these Cypress Acne boots, which are killing me softly... The boots also run quite large, so the 41s fit my large feet perfectly.

Leather trousers // HM (sold out)
Sweater // Weekday mens
Shirt // HM (old)
Boots // Acne Pistol
Handbag // Mulberry Bayswater
Necklace // Dyrberg Kern (old)
Watch // Michael Kors
Earrings // Accessorize (old)

Party dresses

I thought I'd show you some options for what to wear to a party. It has just been NYE and on Friday is my birthday, so it's party all week for me! This means decisions, decisions, decisions when it comes to what to wear. But I have come up with three different options for my parties that I'd like to share with you, to hopefully give you some inspiration for your own parties:

1. A statement dress

For my MBA graduation party I decided to wear an unexpectedly bold dress, as I was so happy to graduate and finally have the time to exercise and blog again! This Red Valentino (who else, right?) dress was bought in the My-wardrobe sales, after weeks of lusting and deliberating. Since I wore it both to my graduation and NYE, I guess the dress ia great investment - and basically a write-off by now (just kidding)!

What I fell for in the dress is the cute ruffle at the bottom, which makes it very playful. It actually has a layer of tulle underneath the skirt that poufs it up. To make the dress as elegant and classy as possible, considering its bright colour, I have matched it with black opaque tights and red heels. For the graduation party I wore it with black heels, but that was too predictable for NYE!

A black clutch, a gold cuff and bright earrings complete the look.

Dress // Red Valentino (similar)
Tights // HM
Shoes // LK Bennett (old, similar here)
Earrings // HM (but I really want these)
Cuffs // Accessorize and Hermes
Clutch // Artisan in Bali


2. Sparkly separates

An all-over sequins dress is a bit too much in for my taste, considering I'm 6 feet tall (and not in a good shape at the moment. Need less attention coming my way, thank you very much). A sequins skirt, however, carries just the right amount of bling, and is a lot more versatile than a dress. You can dress it down for day with a denim shirt or black t-shirt, or dress it up for night with a more fancy top.

This gold sequins pencil skirt is elasticated, so it's really comfortable to wear. I was aiming for a classic look and teamed it with a flowy black chiffon blouse, black opaque tights and black studded heels.

Top // HM (old)
Skirt // Cubus (old, but similar here, here and here)
Tights // HM
Shoes // Stuart Weitzman (old)
Clutch // Mango (old)
Necklace // Just Cavalli (old)
Earrings // Arts & Crafts (old)
Bracelet // Mulberry (old, but similar Mulberry bracelet here)
Ring // Dyrberg Kern (old)


3. Classic separates

In case gold sequins is not your thing, I will also show you a failsafe classic - and comfortable! - outfit. And by classic, we mean black. And lace and ruffles. And let's not forget stilettos!

I like that my lace pencil skirt has a pale pink backing. This limits the number of colours I can team it with, but I also think it makes the skirt more fun and less predictable. I have teamed it with a very comfortable t-shirt that has a lower-cut neckline and a cute ruffle. Both t-shirt, tights and shoes are kept black, to let the skirt do the talking and keep the look streamlined and classic. The top would also look cute with an embellished belt at the waist, but then I would loose some of the jewelry, to keep the look sleek and not overdone.

Look for comfortable t-shirts that have something special about them, like ruffles, subtle print or sequins. These shirts are great to match with more fancy skirts, jackets or trousers to create stylish, yet extremely comfortable outfits. As an added bonus, the t-shirts also look great with a pair of jeans.

Top // HM (old)
Skirt // HM (old, but similar here and here)
Tights // HM
Shoes // Christian Louboutin (old, but similar here)
Clutch // Furla (old, but similar Furla clutch here)
Bangles // Unknown designer
Earrings // Snö (old, but similar here)
Ring // Dyrberg Kern old)
Necklace // Unknown

Now I'm off to buy a remote for my camera, so I can hopefully improve my picture quality. It starts getting dark in Bergen at about 2:30 in the afternoon, so it is really dark by the time I get home from work.

Tall girl's back

Taken on holiday in Bali, spring 2012

For the last two years I have been studying for an MBA in strategic management in addition to holding down a full-time (sometimes time-and-a-half) job. While I tried to keep the blog up and running while working and studying, I soon realised that there weren't enough hours in the day, so I had to take a long break from blogging. It's great to be back now, though - I sure missed talking and breathing fashion!

The thing is, when you run a blog and document your outfits, you are, in the most positive way possible, forced to be creative about what you wear. This is definitely a good thing, when you live in the wettest part of Norway and often hate the idea of getting out of bed in the morning, as you can hear the rain hitting against the windows! The easy option is to reach for jeans, a thick sweater, rain boots and a rain coat - yet again.

This blog is a creative outlet for me to talk and visualise fashion and trends. I would like to give you inspiration to create your own outfits, not only from new and trendy clothes, but also to make the best use of what you already have in your closet. As a tall girl who loves to wear heels, hopefully I will also be able to give you some good advice, not only about dressing a tall body, but also about looking your best no matter your height.

Much of my inspiration comes from magazines, fashion websites and blogs. I am building up quite a collection of inspiration photos on my Pinterest board, as well as on my iPad and in good ol'fashioned ring binders. In the next few weeks I will share some of my inspiration photos with you and show you how I go about recreating the outfits from clothes from my own wardrobe, both new and (really) old.

Regarding old; I am a bit of a hoarder of clothes, and with a classic style, I neither like nor feel the need to have frequent closet clean-outs. Of course, I do give away/sell the odd mis-buys or things that just didn't fit me well (I'm a master at buying too small shoes; they seem to shrink from the time I try them on in the store until I get home to wear them!), but many of my clothes I've had for 5-10 years. If you keep clothes long enough, they come back into fashion, you know! Also, buy classic items of good quality, and you have a strong core wardrobe. Having enough closet space is a totally different story, however! Also, not gaining weight while being a part-time student, to ensure your old clothes still fit you... Now, where are my trainers?!?

See you soon with my NYE fashion options!

The charms of Antibes, France

Juan-les-pins and Cote de'Azur, France

Our neighbourhood watch hungry dog

Finally, I've arrived in France! We are staying in vieil (old) Antibes, exploring the region of Cote de'Azur. Having never been in this part of France before, I'm in awe of the beautiful beaches, charming streets and QE2-sized yachts!

Today, on our first full day in Antibes, we timed our outing with the sieasta, so everything was closed. Still, we managed to do a fair bit of window shopping, identifying shops we "need" to go back to later in the week. We took Les petite train, a charming little three-cart street train, through to Juan-les-pins, a small city just south-west of Antibes. In the 1920s, this was the first resort in Cote d'Azur to stay open in summer, with visitors such as Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Sadly, neither of these were around today, but we saw our share of overweight Europeans in gawdy track suits, through the haze of our very boozy lunch!

Handy mode of transport. Added bonus: VERY flirty driver!

The charming streets of Juan-les-pins

Juan-les-pins' boardwalk, great for people-watching

Nok 150/20 euro sunbeds, but too cold today

Massive seagull taking off picking up a fishing vessel

"Let's call for the chopper to bring us back to the ship!" 

Enjoying the good life 

Beautiful sunset

Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy

 Last summer I had the holiday of a lifetime, visiting Italy and Corsica, France. While counting the days until my next holiday - only eight days away now! - I thought I'd revisit Sirmione, an incredibly charming town on Lake Garda. Click on the photos to enlarge. Enjoy!

Bag lady on safari

Bags: Longchamp, Mulberry, Marimekko. Coat: Reiss. Boots: Gabor. Scarf: HM.

It's a well-known fact that I have a handbag obsession, but normally I try not to carry all of them at once. No such luck today, as I had to lug home my computer + workpapers, as well as my massive handbag and my (unused) swimming gear (forever the optimist). AND they were filled with my latest Amazon order. Needless to say, I was relieved when I finally reached my flat, after climing the hill and three flights of stairs!

I thought I'd be a tad more ladylike today, after yesterday's bright and comfy outfit. Combining my leopard shirt with a green skirt and black tights and top, my goal was to achieve just the right amount of safari. I tried it with leopard flats, but that was overkill! I could have added a necklace to create some interest up top, but I ran late this morning...

A pencil skirt is a wardrobe staple, as it looks good on all body shapes - just vary the cut and length. At the moment, skirt lengths are getting longer, but a shorter skirt like mine is generally more flattering, as you are showing some leg. This makes you appear taller and slimmer. Try and think outside the box when you shop for a pencil skirt. A classic black skirt is versatile and will last a lifetime, but a more unusual skirt like mine might actually get more wear, as it is easier to mix and match with other styles.

Shirt: Zara. Cardigan, skirt and tights: HM.

Rainy days

Parka: HM. Blouse: Zara. Scarf: Cos. Jeans: Zara.

So what do you do when the weather is horrible for the tenth month running and you are feeling...under the weather? You put on your brightest trousers and your comfiest cardigan and head out the door, gritting your teeth!

Wearing bright colours always cheer me up. Keeping warm is quite pleasing, too, and today was my first day wearing wool since spring. And wedges ensure that I can feel elevated without my toes getting too wet from the rain. Needless to say, the shoes are dripping in water repellant...

Wedges are a girl's best friend, tall or short. They are perfect for women (like my mum) who think heels are not for them. Heels need not equal pain. Wedges equal comfort and joy.

Try on a moderately high wedge and feel how they change your life - ok, maybe just your style and posture, but that's good enough for me. No fear of tripping or twisting your ankles, as wedges are both stable and comfortable. They also come in all heights, just like heels, so choose a low one when you are first starting out. Even if you are tall like me, a little heel is both elegant and feminine.

Wedges: Bianco.

Cardigan: Day Birger et Mikkelsen. Bag: Mulberry.

Should I?: Christopher Kane crochet skirt

Credit: www.net-a-porter.com

Above, Christopher Kane's 1.690 euro crochet skirt in patchwork style.

Below, my woolly blanket, handmade about 15 years ago by moi, in the softest baby wool by Dalegarn:

So, should I make myself a skirt right now? Or even better, should I start taking orders? I could save us about 1.600 euros, I reckon. Per skirt.

Anyone interested?!?