mrs. k's day out | tower bridge london

And the story continues. Look I am tourist, in London. Did you ever wonder what to wear when you are a tourist? Let met tell you this, I suck at looking like a tourist. Pardon, let me rephrase that: I suck at looking good like a cool tourist (I just used the word tourist 5 times). There are so many things you have to take into account for a day out as a sightseer (synonym for tourist). A typical Mrs. K's day out in the city equals a survival trip in the Amazon! All in all, always be prepared for the worst case scenario. So what kind of disaster could occur? A flood, a mosquito attack, a Mars invasion, thunder and lightning, getting lost, bumping into the Sartorialist without being fashionable, losing a shoe or your hat, not minding the gap, ... .

Conclusion, dressing up for your day out is actually like a counterattack to prevent disaster. Always, and I mean always, act proactive when it comes to fashion and a city trip.  Let's start with the basics, les shoes. Praise the lord that sneakers are hip and trendy. Wearing sneakers nowadays doesn't mean that you put comfort above fashion. Nope you are just damn hot. Okay and here is another cliche: denim. Why do we want to wear denim to get in our comfort zone? A mystery to me because it's a cruel hunt to find the perfect fitting jeans. Look above and behold my perfect fitting jeans, it's a Marc!

Then we go up. Layers would be the answer to the cold and wet and dark climate of London. Aha, a tee with a message. The effect: people will notice that (a) you are a woman with a sense of humor (apparently that is pretty unique) and (b) you look like a funny cartoon which makes you utterly desirable. Tip of the day, wear cotton! But you will need a jacket. Now this is the moment where fashion comes in. For example, a colorful bomber jacket with a distinctive texture. Advantage (a), it makes your bootie shine. Advantage (b) you will be able to stop traffic because people will think you are the actual traffic light.

Top everything off with a scarf to give yourself even more attitude. And last but not least, the bag. Choose a comfortable 'not too big or too small but just right for the city' bag. Make sure that the volume of your bag is adaptable. After all, this baby is your survival kit in case disaster occurs.

sunnies essentiel/ jacket acne icon/ tee and jeans marc by marc jacobs/ scarf dior brussels/ bag sonia rykiel brussels/ sneakers nike bouncewear/ bracelets diamapti per tutti 

lucy in disguise london

Okay picture this: a fashion blogger goes to London. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what this fashion blogger's occupations will be. Yep, shopping (sorry, cannot make it sound any more superficial). Call it Mrs. K in the city. Now you have several possibilities in London to empty your bank account. Let's start with the high street. I am not a huge fan of mega stores and overcrowded sidewalks. Definitely pro a minimum speed for pedestrians. So what are the options? You can flee into those multi-million-dollar stores. Can you resist the temptation of neon flickering lights and overrated decibels? They are luring you in like the wicked witch of Hansel and Gretel. Sorry, marketeers I am immune for your tricks. All in all, not a huge fan of Oxford street, although there are two corners that do interest me (I will talk about these later).

There is a second option with several benefits. So plan B was to discover the quartiers that are surrounding Oxford street with a little help from a friend. What have Covent Garden and Soho to offer? Well, I asked London lover Patricia to tell me that. Hold on she said, how about vintage? Now that is more my kind of gingerbread house. Vintage in one word (going to use a lot more words, but you get the point) is a phenomenal way to emphasize your fashion personality, it gives you a unique and distinctive look and you can fool around with different eras. But above all: we are currently dealing with an economical and ecological crisis. Both our eco and bank system are fucked up, vintage to the rescue. My inner hippie is so proud of myself that I still do recycle. Unfortunately I did not recycle anything from Lucy In Disguise aka a high-end vintage store in London. I spotted an exclusive black velvet Dior dress, but it could not include my vivid hips. In other words, I was too fat for the dress! Oh well, better luck next time...

Lucy In Disguise 

jacket louis vuitton/ jeans marc by marc jacobs/ shoes miu miu/ bag sonia rykiel 

london it was

Our quick hop-on/hop-off trip to the other side of the pond to London! It was over in a blink of an eye. But let's talk about the most important part of your stay: the outfits. Always match your outfit with your itinerary. The plan was to wander through the central part of the city on a saturday afternoon. This means that we had to face large numbers of tourists on Oxford Street and the bohemian in-crowd in Soho and Covent Garden. But there is another primordial independent variable, the weather. This is the tricky part because we are talking about Great Britain for god's sake. Overall we can summarize the climate of this island in three words: too cold, too wet and too dark. Hold on, we did get lucky (yes I copied this title from a very famous electronic music band). It was warm, but not too hot. It was dry, which was a direct gift from the gods. And the sun came out to play also. The answer to all those weather elements: layers! So hear hear peeps, I present you bohemian layers. A sneak peek as they call it.

look I am wearing man jeans

Look I am wearing man jeans! Yes you have read it right, I am not talking about boyfriend jeans. Those are the cute, sexy and hip version. I am wearing second hand -oversized- man jeans from a flea market and they cost me €3! From the moment you start wearing these kinds of pants you can start daydreaming about the former owner, let's name him Mr. man. My guess, Mr. man was a grumpy old man who lived by the rhythm of his cuckoo clock and his afternoon beer. His perfect house, in the middle of an ordinary village, was a haven and his garden a sanctuary. Mr. man worked his ass off, but at the end of the day he wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet of his home. All in all an easy and somewhat predictable life with not too much fuzz going on. Did he need the outside world? Absolutely not! 

Do I need the outside world? Absolutely! Constantly I am connected to the world outside with all kinds of devices. From my macbook to my iphone and back. Yes, designed to meet my needs. So every hour of the day I am exposed to a hell of a lot of electricity. Can you image what would happen if you would not be connected every minute of the day? You could miss the tweet of the day, a catastrophe, the end of the world (or maybe just my world). Excuse me world but I do not take that risk. Now my man jeans are not only uber trendy, they keep me connected so I won't have to take the risk. They are equipped with oversized pockets,  excellent size to hold your beloved smartphone. Let's put it this way: one man's trash is another man's treasure!

jeans flea market/ shoes miu miu nyc/ jacket acne icon/ umbrella dvf brussels/ sunnies essentiel 

diy birkenstock | céline

A long long long time ago I had a plan! I was convinced that I was going to marry a man with a massive beard and an endless love for Neil Young. We would build our love nest, a second hand trailer deep into the woods. Because of our respect for the Woodstock era our house on wheels would be carefully renovated according to the 60's philosophy. It would be the home to our 6 children raised on the rhythm of nature. No need for a city or a supermarket because besides being boundless wanderers, we would be farmers too. 

As I said, that was a very long time ago. In the end I could no longer restrict the magpie in me and had to evoke it. So today I am married to a massive man with no beard who is not endlessly in love with Neil Young. We live in a brick house- that was build from scratch and by professionals- not so far from a city. The only thing I do cultivate is weed, legal weeds that is. 

But I just realized that there was still a tiny hippie living inside of me (PS still hopelessly in love with Neil Young). And this is the explanation for my diy Birkenstock sandals. When I wear them I feel as free as a bird. They take me away on a day trip where I dream of my trailer in the woods. Oh if only... . Now what do YOU need to realize the same daydream? All the supplies are listed below. 

birkenstock arizona €58,95/ faux fur 1m veritas €16,95/ textile glue veritas €4,25

south place hotel

Just a few more days and we will cross a very small pond to a very large metropolis, Lo Mo Do Fo London. Due to my future elaborate reviews about that city, I will leave you with some images of our LDN pied- à-terre aka South Place hotel. 3 visits, 3 times South Place hotel, that is like a 100% match between the hotel and Mrs. K. Toodles!

south place hotel review/ south place hotel/ scarf and iPhone-cover marc jacobs/ bag and coat DvF

PS check out their instagram battle! Dear people of the world, keep your eyes on the prize, a luxury stay for 2 at South Place hotel... . more info here!  

glitter shoes are my drug

How about glitters? In a way they are so last year (well they actually are). You could see them popping up everywhere: glitter heels, glitter soles, glitter toes, glitter sneakers, glitter diy. A trend that was taking over the shoe universe. I believe we have to blame mister red sole for that. Of course I could not control my inner sweet little pony girl and had to dig in. Every lady needs a subtle touch of glistering sparkles on her feet. But what is actually going on here? Why are we fashion victims so much in love with the glitter movement?  

First of all you cannot ignore your physical reactions. From the moment glitters are reflected on our retina an explosion of uncontrollable physical reactions occurs: dilated pupils, sweaty palms, irregular heart beat, goose bumps, hypertension, saliva production, ... . Secondly, we all know that they refer to some other-  slightly more expensive- carbon stones, better known as 'a girl's best friend'. The fashion gurus of our universe are well aware of the fact that there is a living a magpie in all of us. In other words glitters become irresistible to every single lady. 

But there is a far more important explanation. This clarification is based on research of the mind and a classic film. Glitter shoes can simply transport us to a magical world. A cosmos where you are in control. You have the ability to create your own story just by wearing your glitter shoes. They are the portal, the key, the doorway, it's as simple as that. Whatever they tell you, The Wizard of Oz is not about finding courage, a heart or your way home. It is about shoes, glitter red magical shoes to be more specific. So we do not need acid to take a trip to far far away. Nope, all we need is our inner Dorothy and a pair of enchanted Ruby slippers. It is a civil right for god's sake! Come on ladies, click your heels and tell me: are you there yet? Shoes are my drug, but fortunately for you peeps I still don't lick them. 

shoes miu miu nyc/ sock marc by marc jacobs nyc/ wizard of oz