Sunday 17 June 2012

Bologna Part Two: What I Saw


So, here's part two! And it's going to be pretty picture-heavy, as I saw so many amazing things in Bologna and all around Emilia Romagna, thanks to Blogville. Unfortunately I couldn't capture everything (I still regret not snapping the girl on a bike who had a cat wrapped in an American flag in the basket...or the woman who had a small dog asleep in a pram), but here are a few highlights just for you...

Beautiful buildings

Akeela looking lovely

Katie looking lovely

Church towers

Scary toilets

The lovely Helene and Gina on bikes

The nicest hostel in the world(?)

Gargoyle with boobs

Incredible ceilings

Pretty fancy glasswear

Sky high statues

A bordello!

Where the Italian flag was created

Nicholas, our wonderful Blogville host and guide, enjoying his position of power

Fancy lighting systems

Italian Mr Burns

Pretty squares

Brilliant shop names

Katie a midst poppies

Gina and Helene getting tanked in Brescello

Suave road signs

Incredible farmhouses that make balsamic vinegar (but more on that later...)

Stunning vineyards

Many a barrel of ageing balsamic


Genius statues

Patriotic protests

Gorgeous churchyards

A pretty lady holding up the ceiling at Art Hotel Orologio

Beautiful covered walkways

Akeela snapping away

Fancy cars

Epic doors (and knockers. Teehee, knockers...)



...and so much more!

Come back soon as I'll be posting all about the FOOD! And what glorious food it was...

Until next time...

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Why weight?


If you're the kind of lady who feels a bit self conscious when shopping sometimes (I believe we're known as "human"), or you simply don't know how best to dress for your body shape, fear not - there is somewhere you can go for advice, and you don't even have to leave your house!

How cool is that? Not only do you get to have your questions answered by people who know their style stuff while sitting around in your PJs (or whatever you wear around the house...you could even be naked...no judgement here), but you could also get your hands on Debenhams vouchers to make shopping even sweeter! I wish all parties were done this way...

Will you be at the Twitter party tomorrow?

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Bologna Part One: What I Wore


If you follow me on Twitter, you will already know that a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to travel to Bologna, Italy to be apart of their Blogville initiative. Blogville, created by the tourist board of the Emilia Romagna region, gives bloggers the opportunity to stay at an apartment in the centre of Bologna and Rimini and live as the locals do.

When I was introduced to the project by my good friend and fellow travel buddy Akeela Bhattay, I couldn't help but think the whole thing sounded a bit too good to be true! My sceptical horror movie-loving brain concluded that there had to be some sort of catch...either we were about to become the stars of Hostel 4 (how many of those films are there now? I'm very behind...), or we were going to sold into the black market of Italy. So I packed my bags and decided to go anyway - and boy, am I glad I did!

The UK blogger crew! From left to right: Katie Antoniou, me and Akeela Bhattay

I saw so much in the few days I was in Bologna, so instead of boring you with a single long winded 30 page blog post, I've decided to break them up into delicious bite-sized parts. I don't know how many parts there are going to be in total as I'm just not that organised, so keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of weeks!

This post is going to be all about what I wore on my travels around Bologna, as this is a fashion blog after all. I warn you now - there are outfit photos of me in this post. If you regularly read my blog (thanks for that, by the way), you'll know I never do outfit posts, but my thinking is that as this was a special trip, special allowances must be made. Don't worry, this won't happen often...

In order to keep my suitcase as light as possible, I decided to take staple pieces that I knew I could rely on whatever the weather. Arguably the most important piece in my travel wardrobe was this amazing maxi dress from HotSquash. Not only was it so comfortable and easy to wear, but it also features very clever material that keeps you cool in the heat! Genius or what? I really works too. I'll definitely be investing in more of their pieces for the summer...when we eventually get some heat!


I'm also so glad that I brought this hat from H&M, as it proved to be a hair lifesaver! My hair is naturally very curly and turns into Jane Austin-style ringlets at the slightest sign of moisture, so this hat covered up the mess and also kept my face out of the sun - perfect!

Photo by Katie Antoniou

I am officially in love with my London Retro prescription sunglasses. As someone who is a bit scared of contact lenses but still wants to be able to see in the sun, they really made my trip. I love the wayfarer style frame, and they were so comfortable to wear all day. I have the exact same frame (the 'Shoreditch' to fit my East London stereotype), and I can't recommend them enough. 

Photo by Akeela Bhattay

I also wore this paisley print maxi dress from Uttam, as I love the fullness of it. The low cut also meant that I could possible catch a little bit of sun, although with my pale skin reflecting the rays that was never very likely...

What are your summer travel staples? I'd love to hear them!

That's all from Bologna for now, folks! Keep your eyes peeled for more very soon...

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x