Back from Krakow

This is just a quick checking-in post.  I got back from Krakow yesterday and I already miss it. I had a wonderful trip and got to spend some time with my mother and see a lot of my old friends and relatives. My daughter had a blast sightseeing and I think it was quite educational for her.

When I left Poland over 20 years ago, it was the beauty of the town and its medieval charm I missed even more than people.  As it is probably the case with most old towns, when you grow up there, you always carry the love of the old architecture and its attention to detail in your heart.  Every place you see later in life is measured by its standards and often unable to compete.

I will be back later with details of some places we visited,  Mother's Day my mother's 75th birthday pictures, my musings on packing and what worked for me, plus some new purchases, but for now, I just wanted to quickly share a few pictures from the Old Town.

Map of Old Town  (source)

The map above shows you the center of Krakow, which was a walled city in the Middle Ages (fragments of the walls preserved are marked in red at the top of the map).  Krakow used to be the capital of Poland and you can see the Royal Castle of Wawel in the lower left corner.  In the center you can see Rynek Glowny (Grand Square) with the blue cross of Sukkiennice (Cloth Hall) in the middle and the red St Mary's Church to the right  of it.  The Old Town is surrounded by park-like Planty (marked in green) and is closed to the automobile traffic, except for service vehicles and local residents.  My mother once lived on Grodzka Street, where you could see Rynek Glowny from front windows, but she has since moved to a modern apartment, outside the center of town. 
 

Rynek Glowny (Grand Square)

Krakow is famous for the largest Market Plaza of the medieval Europe.  It is hard to capture it in the pictures, but is is a huge square, paved with cobblestones, surrounded by outdoor cafes and perfect meeting, shopping and gathering place for the Krakowians and tourists alike.
 

View of one side of Market Square (it is humongous) 

The shot above shows about one fourth of the space.  It is separated by building of Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) in the middle, part of which you can see on the right side.  It used to host merchants selling fabrics and now it has array of souvenir shops inside and huge underground museum in the basements that spreads underneath.

Maly Rynek (next to Saint Mary's Church on the map)

Smaller plazas in the Old Town have their own unique charm and delightful architecture.

Other side of Maly Rynek (Small Market Square)

Every street corner promises some surprises, details you did not notice on your previous walk.

Pijarska Street near old city walls

Florianska Street, old entrance to Krakow in the back

Almost any random street turns out extremely photogenic...

One of Grodzka side streets

Kanonicza Street leading toward Wawel castle

It was relatively cold in the first few days, forcing everybody to eat inside, but once it got warmer it was hard to find the seating, despite what must be thousands of outdoor tables available in close proximity.

Outside Cafes at Grand Square

Small plaza next to St Mary's Church

If there was such a thing as Krakow's town bird it would be a pigeon without any doubt.  They are omnipresent and you have to feed them with crumbs from 'obwazanki',  big round pretzels available on every street corner in Krakow.  Not sure if this is what pigeons should eat but they definitely seem to thrive on the diet.

Famous pigeons

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That's all folks!

I am off to do the laundry and catch up on my favorite blogs. Despite having a lots of fun I missed everybody's daily musings.  

I know I could never be a travel writer but at least I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures.

White and Silver

I think I have mentioned before that I was looking for a pair of white jeans and silver shoes.  Of course, I could look for them somewhere else but since I already knew the fit, I decided to order from J.Crew, using the 30% off CARDSTYLE promo.

midrise toothpick in white denim

I have previously ordered a few pairs of midrise toothpicks and I was hoping the white jeans would fit the same.  You can check my reviews of dark denim HERE and cords HERE.

They do.  I love the fit. The midrise is high enough to contain the muffin top...

avert your eyes if you are sensitive ;)

But not too high to result in 'long flat butt', the bane of my existence...

close your eyes again...

This is a size 28, which is one size up from my matchstick size.  I wear 4 in pencil skirts and trousers. They are very comfortable and I like the feel of the denim. Not sure if they will stretch out and sag but my cords and dark jeans don't, so let's hope for the best. 

you can look now...

The ankle length is perfect to show off your shoes.

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Speaking of shoes...

Miri midheel pumps

I was seriously lacking silver metallic shoes.  They are the 2013 new black and you cannot live without a pair of black pumps, can you?  These puppies are not cheap, even with a discount, but the are leather lined with leather soles and sensible, but not frumpy, 2 7/8 heel.  I kind of wish they were pointy but round is more comfortable.

I ordered my regular 8.5 and they are a perfect fit. When I first put them on they felt a little tight but even after only few minutes they adjusted to my feet.  This is perfect, because while nobody wants shoes that are too tight, I also hate the slip heel.  They seem stable and comfortable, as far as narrow heels go.

in emergency, use as a mirror

The silver is very shiny and indeed, they are not kidding when they say 'mirrored'.  I like that, as they definitely bring sparkle to any outfit, but just wanted to let you know that it is not subtle, matte silver.

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That's all folks!

Do you own silver shoes?

Anybody can please tell me that those toothpicks will not stretch? Well, if they do stretch also tell me before I wear them and it is too late...

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I am off to visit my mother and I will be back on 5/15.  Most likely I will not have time to post or comment much, so I will 'see' you when I came back, hopefully with some good pictures! 

Buying What You Want

Back in August 2012, when  I posted about my wishlist crisis, this top was on my fantasy list.  You know, the style you aspire to and feel like it should be yours, only it isn't, for one reason or another. Well, during the months of my abstinence from J.Crew I was able to think of my style as more of an extension of my personality, rather than being driven by endless retail cycle. Actually, I did not think of my style too much, but I did think of who I am and what I want, and it only seemed natural that my clothes should follow me, not the other way around. 

A-Line Mod Top

I like to think that I am a modern, professional, urban women.  I value simplicity and quality in my life.  I hate anything fussy, uncomfortable, too ornamental but also too sweet or too cute.  I also want to feel a bit sexy without revealing too much.

Suddenly, I felt compelled to go ahead and place an order.  I don't know why I haven't done it before. Sure, it is expensive, but in the past, I easily spent the same amount in a month on a few tops from J.Crew.  Is it dressing for a fantasy life?  Much less, in my case, than 'walk in the meadows' flower dresses or Mad Men style skirt suits.  I also own way too much Glee style when what I really like is House of Cards Robin Wright character's wardrobe. 

But this top I can easily wear for a night out in the city and I think this is a perfect date outfit, even if it is a date with your hubby.  In fact, this is the type of clothing that I was lacking, since for long time I focused on my 'wear to work'  and 'wear to weddings' clothes. Well, I have more than enough to wear to work and nobody invites me to weddings anymore.  But I do go out, at least once every two weeks, sometimes more.  If I want to own my style I need to buy the clothes I love.

The package arrived after couple of days and once I took it out of its beautiful box, I knew it was exactly what I wanted.  The quality seems superb, as much as I can tell.  It is made of heavy and substantial cotton, almost like suiting items.  This gives it shape and structure, which is essential for this type of top. The way the armholes are cut is perfect, on me the fabric does not stay away from the body but it is not tight.  I don't know much about garment construction but I think it is because it is cut under slight angle, forming a slight v.  I love the geometric lines, it is such a sharp, modern shape.

Obviously, you cannot wear a regular bra with it, but a simple strapless bra will do.  In fact, the structure of the top will let you easily wear it without the bra, as long as you don't need a lot of support.

I think this top is best without a necklace, but I tried it with simple strand of pearls and I though it was OK, if I wanted to brighten it up.  However, chunky bracelet would be very nice with it.

My only pair of black skinny jeans is at the tailor's, being shortened to ankle length, so I tried it with white and I think it works well.  Really, any color skinnies would do, including blue denim for a more casual look.  I do think I would most likely wear it with black, the way they have it styled in the website pictures.

It looks good from the back, and the length is perfect.  I like how it is fitted under arms and only flares away from the waist down. I have followed website advice and ordered smaller of my sizes.  This is a size Small.  I would say it corresponds to numerical size 4-6 in J.Crew. You need it to fit in the upper part of your chest, then the rest should work.

I love the pockets, you can probably store your key, license and lipstick there if you'd want.

Details of the construction. You can leave the front open or close it with one or two sets of hook and eye. If you leave it open it reveals very little, it does not really come apart much.

If you are a sucker for nice packaging they will get you here. The top came in beautiful box, wrapped in tissue sealed with gold logo, your bill comes in elegant envelope and the package includes wooden hanger and lavender sachet.  The top is expensive but when it arrives it does give you that feeling of getting luxury.

The only problem is that  now I want the white version as well, but let's not be greedy here...

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Do you only buy the styles you truly like or do you often settle for things off target?
Is there something you always wanted but somehow never bought?

Review of Swoop Top in Punk Floral

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Swoop Top in Punk Floral

What do you think of the latest arrivals at J.Crew?  I have to say, there wasn't much that got my attention, despite the 30% off and free shipping promo.  Well, I did cave in and I ordered couple of items I wanted for a long tome. I will reviews those in my next post, but other than that, there wasn't anything I drooled over.  I wasn't surprised, because earlier this week I received a copy of the 'Style Guide' and I was very uninspired.

I did like the swoop dress in punk floral but I thought it would be too short on me. I copletely missed the top in the same print until I read about it on JCA.  I still did not think it was special enough until I saw the back view picture.

It so happened that I was that I was planning to go to my daughter's spring concert and was debating what to wear. This seemed a perfect top, providing it fits right.  So I called the store and asked them to put it on hold for me.

At first, when I picked it up, I was afraid that it was going to be too sheer, but it turned out not to be the case. The silk has a nice weight for the summer and it is not the slippery type or prone to a bad case of static cling.

Initially, I tried on a size 6, which is my regular size in J.Crew tops.  It seemed quite blousy, so I decided to size down to a 4, which almost never works for me because 4 usually ends up pulling at the chest, but this top had enough room and I thought it looked much better in smaller size, less top heavy and billowy. 

Like I said, the back was what got me sold on this top and I was not disappointed with the fit. The opening is not too low, so you can wear a regular bra, a definite plus. The tag has to be removed because it was sewn in on the side on the opening and sticking out but it was barely attached with two easy to cut threads. I am assuming this was done on purpose and it made the tag removal very easy.
 

The colors on the website seem accurate (yay!) and I think it is a very flattering, warm green.  I happened to be wearing white bottoms and I think the top looks good with them, but I like it with black and dark denim as well.

Overall, I think think this is one of better pieces J.Crew came out with recently. The only drawback might be that this top may be quite short for some. I does not bother me and I actually prefer it, especially if I wanted to wear it with the skirts but if you are taller (or with longer torso, mine is on the short side) or if you like to tuck in your tops it may be an issue.

Also, see it on Ema, here.

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That's all folks!

What do you think of this top, do tell!

Anything else you bought/ordered recently?

Sun Salutations

I have been doing yoga for the last 2 months.

Breathe

This is unusual for me, because although I am relatively fit person, I never in the past had patience for yoga.  I was also never flexible or balanced. When I said 'balanced', I referred to the physical sense of balance, but now when I think about it, maybe it has something to do with emotional/psychological balance as well.  

My yoga practice started after I went on Cornerstone retreat in the end of February, where it was part of the program.  There are many reason why yoga have resonated with me at this point of my life, like looking for inner peace and balance, but one of them was that we have a wonderful instructor.  Every session is a variation on a topic and she usually tells a little story in the beginning connecting practice of yoga with something happening in our life and then she keeps coming back to it as she guides us through different poses for hour and a half.  In the past, I was always skeptical when somebody said something to the effect that 'doing twists helps us with twists in our daily life', but somehow it makes perfect sense now.  I seriously think I am going through mid-life crisis...  

Trailhead Tee

The Trailhead Tee is current, from Athleta and my pants are from Lululemon (old).  Well, old habits die hard and nothing puts me in the mood of doing something like having some cute outfits to do it in :)   

select

select

select

The tee is size small and I love the color and fit.

As for the pants, I no longer see them at Lululemon, which is a shame, I hope they will bring them back. I know you are not supposed to wear your yoga pants outside of yoga practice but I have to admit of being guilty of staying in them after the practice on some days, they are just so comfy. One funny thing about Lululemon pants is that they have their logo placed in some weird places and people always tell me I have something under my left knee...

The sheering in front of the tee is great for camouflaging some imperfections but the sheering in the back makes the tee, imo.

On another note, I am so happy about the sunshine and warmer weather, I just love this time of the year! Every week I buy myself a bunch of flowers and this week I paid tribute to one of my favorite painters:

Flowers of the week :D

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That's all folks!

Do you do yoga?

Have you bought anything from Athleta or Lululemon?

Do you buy flowers for yourself?

Biker Chic

Uniglo Biker Synthetic Leather Jacket

You may remember that in the last few months I was strangely drawn to motorcycle leather jackets.  This was surprising to me, because even if a moto leather jacket is one of the iconic staples in woman's wardrobe, I never wanted to own one. I think that part of the reason for this new atraction was shopping too much at J.Crew in the last few years and, in consequence, getting bored with too many pencil skirts and cashmere cardigans.  Suddenly, I was craving something a little more 'edgy'.

I was still not sure how much I would actually wear it, so I decided to look for synthetic, not real leather.  When I saw this jacket at UNIQLO, I thought it was just the thing to try.  Overall, I think UNIQLO offers some excellent prices on basic items and it is worth checking out. I also tried on Celia Birthwell 3/4 sleeve dress, which was surprisingly nice and comfortable (and knee length if you style it with a drop waist, instead of hiking it up).
 

I got the jacket in size Medium, which is my regular size and was a good fit, with room for a sweater or other layer.  The cut is classic and simple without too many embellishments.  It looks good open and closed.  Sleeves are quite long on me, which is good news for most because I have proportionally short arms (I am 5'6).  Because it is synthetic, it is very light  and does not smell, two things I always disliked about leather jackets.  Plus, no animals were harmed in the process of making it :) 
 

The jacket comes in black and three other colors: brown, blue and ivory but I was going for classic, not original, so black was my choice, but I liked the brown version a lot.

I really like the shape of it and it is very comfortable in current weather.  Despite my initial hesitations, I have already worn the jacket several times, so I have the feeling that by the time this season is over, the cost per wear will already justify the purchase ($39.99).

I like it with jeans, heels and something longer on top but is also very cute over flower print dress. In general, I would usually try to add something feminine to soften up the look, even if it is just a pink t-shirt.

I think my style is evolving again and this time it is away from J.Crew aesthetics, that I am just getting bored with. I haven't bought and kept anything from J.Crew since December and the longer "the separation", the less I am attracted to it.  I probably missed many new arrivals that have debuted since I have last checked the stores, but after quick scanning of the website, the only things that I would like to wear now are the midrise toothpick jeans in white and a pair of silver metallic heels, both of each I can probably get at other retailers.

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That's all folks!

Have you bought anything at Uniqlo?

Do you wear moto leather jackets?

Are you craving anything at J.Crew right now?