a personal style blog by Lauren Pfieffer

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Change of Heart.

Black Faux Leather Jacket, Navy T-Shirt: H&M.
Black Skirt: Aeropostale.
Sandals: TJMaxx.
Necklace: Thrifted.
Lipstick in MAC's Rebel.
Photos by Haley (@hchatlin on insta!).

Hi everyone!

A little in between outfit post before finishing up my last photos of Paris. Haley and I snapped these quickly today in the park right by our apartment. It's funny; throughout the nearly five (!) years I've been blogging, no matter where I relocate I find that God places an easy, accessible location for me to take blog pictures so I can continue on doing this. I just know it's on purpose, it's a for a reason. I would not have been nearly so dedicated if I hadn't had my open back yard for the first few years of blogging before I could drive to locations, a little forest beside my dorm both years at Kent, and now this perfect little park a few steps out the door. It's funny to see God help along and push areas of your life...I know he wants me blogging for reasons even above my own!

On another note, I have always LOATHED black and navy together. It was the most detestable of combinations for me to put together. Since I've come to Europe though no matter where I go, I've seen people dressed so chicly in black and navy. They make it seem so sophistcated, classic, and polished like I never imagined it to be, and it's completely changed my outlook on the combo. I had to buy some basics at H&M the other day because I literally have no clothes here (I brought about 3 x's less than everyone else; ouch, don't know what I was thinking), so I needed some good tops that would mix and match. Bought this navy one specifically in mind to wear with black. And although this isn't necessarily the way I want to style them together a la European style, it's a good start into mixing the two hues until I get back to the states with my full wardrobe and can play around :)

Hope you all are well! x

With much love, Lauren.
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Sunday, September 28, 2014

Paris Snapshots Pt 1.

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the lack of updates and getting around to posting all of my photos from Paris. I really have no excuse other than I've been, erm, really lazy -___- Lauren needs to get her behind in gear though and start being a better blogger! I give ya'll permission to be on my case, ha. 

So! Here is a first set of photos from my first day in Paris. I'm going to combine the other days into a part II since I didn't take near as many photos all of those days. Besides seeing the Eiffel tower this first, day, it was fun to just get lost around Paris and explore the streets. Paris is charming, that's for sure. It was cloudy the first day I was there and the gray sky blended in perfectly with all of the gray shaded buildings. We had a boat tour on the river to see the city, and then later on I went up close to the Arc, the Eiffel, and Notre Dame.

Although Paris is charming, I....kind of have to say I like Florence more? Don't get me wrong, Paris is a dream! It's very romantic, just as everyone says. But in some ways it did not live up to my expectations. It's kind of dirty and just feels like the same repeated cafes and buildings over and over again...whereas Florence is always full of vivacious life of street performers, musicians, beautiful Renaissance architecture/color, and varying restaurants, cafes, and bakeries...Maybe I'm biased because I live in Florence, but I'd have to say I find it more charming than Paris.

I did quite enjoy the metro stations of Paris though! The constant walking in Florence gets quite old, and I had never rode the metro before so it was my first experience in Paris. I greatly underestimated how large Paris was and how you really can't get place to place without the help of the metro. It's fast, fun, and intricately exciting. The first few days I always rode with a group of my classmates so I made sure of where I was going, but in the final few days of my stay in Paris I found it fun to hop on myself. People watching on the metro is just the best, really, and I always met some kind of memorable character along the way.

Also, besides site seeing the first day, we went to the high end shopping districts of Paris to do some studying and looking at (no buying for me of course, ha). Now, the stores of Paris were surely impressive and did not disappoint. Seeing store front after store front of famous designer houses and the impeccable creations in the windows was mouth watering. We did go inside some of them when feeling bold, and the insides were even more immaculate than I could have ever imagined. I LOVED the inside of Dolce and Gabbana, styled like the inside of a wardrobe with beautiful baroque details and a huge chandelier in the middle. Chanel was surprisingly a little underwhelming, but the head quarters and founding store of Dior was spectacular with all of the opulent surfaces and reflecting fixtures. I also went in LV, YSL, Balmain, and Celine and all of them were beautiful of course... I was kind of shocked at how nice all the sales people were in these places because I thought the designer stores of PARIS of all places would be so snobby you could hardly stand it...but I thought they were even 10 times nicer than the ones here in Italy and even back in Ohio when I've gone in some. I'd have to say Paris in general had very nice, helpful, friendly people which I found surprising because I had heard French dislike Americans even more than Italians.

I'm not an adventurous eater and usually just had quiche every day while in France, ha. But on the first day I did get that muffin and coffee pictured above at a cool cafe and it was very good! I also had Starbucks one day which was awesome because they have any here in Italy and I've been craving, ha. Don't even care how lame it is. It was probably the best cafe mocha I've ever had at a Starbucks! Oh, I also had my first crepe, with nutella inside,  at a little stand where they make it right in front of you (the process was fascinating). Have to say though, was kind of meh. At lot of people hyped it up for me so maybe I set my hopes too high. Or maybe Italian gelato just reigns over all (yeah, I think that's it).

Whew, have I bored you all with details enough already of my trip? My apologies! Just so much to document and want to document it all on this little blog of mine :)

Part II coming soon! 

With much love, Lauren.
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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Outfit Post// Paris.

Striped Shirt: Forever21.
Red Skirt: c/o OASAP.
Beret: American Apparel.
Loafers: TJMaxx.
Lipstick in MAC's Russian Red.

Hello! 
I had a chance to take some outfit pictures in a park by Notre Dame one day when we were in Paris and was wearing my best Parisian inspired outfit. I know this isn't actually how people in Paris dress, but I like to pretend, ha. I actually did get mistaken as a French girl quite a few times by tourists-- had to disappoint them that I'm very American, lol! 

I do love the way Parisians dress though. I had to take quite a few street style photos for a school project and enjoyed snapping pictures of the different ways of dress. Just because I'm not familiar with it living in midwestern ohio, I loved the super high end glamazon women who were dressed in head to toe designer. It was unreal to see that these people actually exist and aren't just pins on pintrest. I loved examining them and studying them when they shopped (as weird as that sounds) but it was so interesting to get a look into shopping habits of the wealthy who just but whatever they want. I sat in Dior awhile and watched women casually try on thousands of dollars worth of dresses like they were at Forever21 and add a hand bag on just because. Something I've never experienced and was really intriguing to see this side of the industry.

With much love, Lauren.
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Monday, September 22, 2014

La Tour Eiffel.

 1950's dress from a vintage shop in Florence.
Flats from H&M.

Hello
The Eiffel Tower is simply so beautiful I wanted to dedicate a whole post to it and the pictures pictures I took. Most were taken on the first day I was out and about, and the first time I saw it through the trees walking towards the river I could help but feel like a giddy little girl.

We took a boat ride along the river and saw the city and the Eiffel tower stands tall and pretty up from all of it. It's almost like it casts this spell on you and you simply cannot stop taking photos because it's just so beautiful and entrancing...I looked through all my photos and most are just of it, ha.

That evening we walked up underneath it and got to look at it up close. I never thought it would be so...big? It's absolutely huge! We timed it perfect because it was nearly sunset and we saw her light up at 8'olock, and then the first ten minutes of every hour she sparkles and glitters. I got to sit on the green in front of the Eiffel and just admire her, but it almost didn't even seem real to tell you the truth and it was hard to feel understand what I was actually looking at. From a young age we're fed all these images of the Eiffel and it's almost like we become desensitized to it and then when you see the real thing, you can't believe it or grasp truly what you're seeing because it doesn't seem like you could finally be seeing this IN PERSON. Despite my slight desinsitivity towards it while gazing, I thought it such a special and spectacular moment that I'll remember forever! x

With much love, Lauren.
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Laduree, Paris.

Hello everyone!

Long time no see! I am finally back from a five day trip to Paris. It was beautiful, nostalgic, and lovely...but I am very much so glad to be back in my Florence! I have LOADS of photos to share with you all and it's kind of overwhelming...so I thought first I post a little about a smaller trip I did to Laduree. 

I've wanted a Laduree macaroon since I first heard about them years ago. I don't even think there are any shops in Ohio, so it was a slim chance I could ever get to try one. I was really annoying, too, and would see macaroons all sorts of places but never wanted to try my FIRST one until it was a Laduree macaroon.

They don't disappoint. We went to the original store and it was impeccably beautiful and ornate. The site of rainbow colored macaroons displayed behind the glass and the delicious pastries was enough to send me head over heels before even tasting one. I've wanted to try these forever, so this is my one thing I splurged on while in Paris. I got a box of six for 16 euro which isn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. Although all of them looked delicious, I chose Rose, Salted Carmel, Raspberry, Chocolate, Mint, and Coffee. 

I ate the Rose one as my first macaroon ever and it was delicious. I was scared I might not like them because a lot of people say they aren't worth the hype, but I could pop macaroons in my belly one right after another. I saved the chocolate for last (hearing it was the best), waiting a few days trying to draw my purchase out longer. It definitely was the best, and now seriously can't wait to go get another one at the Laduree here in Florence! 

Ahh, makes me smile just thinking about the experience. Dream come true!

With much love, Lauren.
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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Mt. Vesuvius + Pompeii.

Inside the bath house which was the public spa.
The 2,000 year old stone streets are still intact!
A cast made from the bones of an actual person left in the position they died in.

That's Vesuvius in the background! 
The view from uptop of Volcano when we climbed it.
It was really hard to get good pictures of the volcano because it's just massive, but here you can see the gases coming up from the inside!
At the top of Vesuvius!
A ring I bought that has lava ash as the stone!

I've always been really interested and intrigued by the tragedy that happened in 79 AD in Pompeii. I watched a documentary on it then this summer which only made me more excited to see everything in person and study it! I absolutely loved climbing the volcano and touring the town, like I thought I would. It was an awesome experience to walk these 2,000 year old streets but also very sobering to see the casts of the bodies of residents who once lived here. Very grateful I had the chance to see this great city in person-- one of my favorite parts of this whole trip so far and something I always hope to cherish the memory of! x

Off to Paris for five days-- I won't be taking my laptop with me, so if you'd like to keep up with my adventures there you can follow me on instagram with @passingwhimsies :)

With much love, Lauren,
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