Hi y’all,

Let me start off with apologies for my late start to the brand new blush blog. It’s not that I’m lazy, but rather as Meg mentioned in her introductory post I’ve been very busy having a ball in Italy the past few weeks.  It’s a rough life eh? Of course now I’m back home, and back to reality, I am super duper keen to share all the gory European fashion details on what I wore while on vacation, and of course what I purchased. (I can expense that stuff to blush.com right?)

Now anyone who knows me will tell you that my style is not subtle. I believe very strongly in the power of accessorizing, prints and textures, bright bold colors and I love love love buying vintage. I’m also a total bargain shopper so be prepared to be amazed at the volume of Target in my closet (totally had to bribe a coworker to purchase the key pieces from the Anna Sui Gossip Girl Collection while I was in Europe to round out my Fall wardrobe, but that’s another blog post).

We started off the trip in Tuscany. Which of course is all about vino vino vino. And don’t get me wrong, I love me some Chianti, but I was anxious to get my shop on too. The shops in Volterra, San Gimignano, and Montepulciano (little Renaissance hill town that has recently attracted the world’s attention due to the filming of an itty bitty movie you may have heard about called NEW MOON) were adorable.  I picked up fun goodies for my kitchen, a scarf I will wear all winter and a fabulous new burgundy faux croc bag that looks so real I feel like I need to explain my crocodile hatin’ self every time someone compliments it.

Here’s a pic of me later in the trip in Venice sporting both the new bag and the new scarf. Notice the shopping bag behind the croc purse and in my cousin’s hand. The spending opportunities never stopped!

While in Tuscany I made sure to hit the stores in attire that would allow me to walk for miles sans complaint and would make it possible to navigate the confusing rain/sunshine forecast that my blackberry predicted daily.  This simple little ensemble below was a big hit with the local boys in Sienna and includes a tank, sandals and striped purse from Target, Corduroy Shorts from American Apparel, black BDG denim jacket from Urban Outfitters and vintage silk scarf and beaded necklace.  Inside that fun yellow bag is a gorgeous purple knit hat with a giant bow. I oversleep more often than not, so a giant hat library is crucial to my success as a career gal with morning meetings.

Now, be proud, because I managed to take a small break from shopping to visit the Torture Museum in Volterra. I’m eternally fascinated with all things medieval and would have gladly spent all day there.  Of course there’s no reason to dress to match the subject matter of your day so I selected a bright and sunny dress from BB Dakota, white aviators from Ray-Ban and my trusty Target bag. The necklace is actually a Juicy Couture charm Pegasus charm that I hung on a chain. Not into Juicy as a general rule, but do love my little flying horsey!

After a few days of Torture and Twilight I was ready to focus on the food again. This picture proves that on rare occasion I do tone down the accessories, but only when I’m wearing something so fantastic and colorful that it claims the spotlight all on its own. A top like this one from Arden B looks so great with jeans and is a perfect first date outfit, even for a girl like me who’s always in dresses.

After exhausting Tuscany we made our way over to Venice to celebrate my 31^st birthday. Not a bad place to turn older.  Now completely in love with the comfort afforded to me in my “Shopping Shorts” I decided to rock ‘em again. This time paired with a simple Fruit of the Loom boy’s undershirt and straw fedora and sandals from Target. I love using scarves as belts and this one from Urban Outfitters a few seasons back. My favorite item here though is the turquoise necklace which I found at a flea market in South Africa a few years ago. Golden Taryn Rule 1: Never ever miss an opportunity to hit a local flea market when you travel!

Later this evening, my whole family took me out for my birthday.  We found the most fantastic spot complete with red checkerboard table cloths. After the primi and secondi piatti my dress was feeling ah tad, uh como se dice “snug,” but that didn’t hold me back from the Tiramisu. When in Venice right?! Now I’m not telling where I got my dress , for serious, a girl’s gotta have some secrets (Forever 21…shhh), but the shoes are vintage and have the most incredible lace up corset design on the back that is unfortunately not visible in this pic.

Having properly commemorated my 31^st, and purchased  at least half of the new arrivals at Intimissimi, we headed on to the Amalfi coast. Where it was raining. Boo. But, I once heard that true proof of style is figuring out how to look cute in a storm and I like to think I managed to nail it here in a skirt from Anthropologie (sale rack!), striped tank from Loehmanns and my trusty Target sandals.  And as you can see, that same outfit looked adorable paired with my corset backed vintage heels, and one of my mom’s old 80’s necklaces when we went out on a cute boy finding mission in Rome. (Clearly we succeeded!)

Another guy magnet outfit was this little number which I purchased on sale at Loehmanns. Paired with a brand new belt I picked up in Sorrento and a pretty ribbon in my hair it scored me 3 dates in one afternoon. Golden Taryn Rule Number 2: Never underestimate the power of a full skirt!

All in all I managed to travel with one suitcase and return with one suitcase. That was no small feat, especially when you consider I brought back 2 bottles of wine, limencello, pasta and spices galore, above the knee boots, the croc bag, and enough Italian lingerie to inspire me to actually use my gym membership this Fall! Well, no promises there…I’ve got 3 weeks of TV to catch up on!

xoxo,

Taryn

Tags: Fashion, Shopping

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 11:04 am and is filed under health&fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.