Ah holidays. That time of the year when streets fill with tons of Christmas markets, and there're sweets and amazing food no matter what country you live in, and cold and chill stays the whole day... Well, that's about to come very soon! For the first time in my life, I will be "coming back home for Christmas" this coming December, and I'm sure everyone will expect of me to go back to Spain not only with tons of experiences, fun facts and a bit of italian in my tongue but also, loaded with new fun-tastic outfit ideas and crazy wardrobe changes with some florentine flavor attached. I can't wait!

So, now I can finally assure you that Firenze belongs to northern Italy, and that means that it's a much colder città than I ever expected. I was warned long before the chill arrived, because every single window in every single shop downtown was filled with fluffy fur coats and cozy sweaters I would have never imagined wearing back home. That should have given me the idea of what was about to happen in late October/beginning of November. But, as innocent as I am, I didn't trust those first signs and kept going out every day with my light sweater and blazer jacket because, "it's OK, it's sunny outside and the birds are singing around". WRONG. It's cold, deal with it. Even in this amazing pictures my friend and I took at the Tepidarium Roster here in the Giardino dell'Orticultura while being sunny and lovely.

That's why, my advice is... Why let cold beat you instead of battling it face to face with a warmer outfit? It's precisely in holidays and festive Winter days that one of the things I miss the most is pairing a cool, flowy maxi dress with just a pair of sandals and a nice purse. Well, with this green velvet dress I got from Lightinthebox now I can achieve that without freezing while staying super in-style. Velvet always feels so cozy, so classy and kind of glowing that it doesn't only travel me back to holiday memories, but also makes me want to show everyone that fiorentine je-ne-sais-quoi ligated somehow to amazing fabrics worn for centuries here, and that I'm trying to acquire every single day I spend in this city. So, a velvet maxi dress might be one of the best ideas I've ever had when picking a Winter-proof outfit that will also help me get through a long flight and crowded lines at the airport. Coming back this holidays is a perfect excuse to rock a great outfit!

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months already since I shot this pictures! My experience as a granted student with an scholarship to work for the whole Summer period passed at the speed of a races motorbike, and although brief, I can't believe how many things I learnt from the experience which will be of great use in this year abroad in Italy (all thanks to my super-boss. You rock!).

Today's post goes along the outfit pictures, as this dress I bought in Primark + the yellow sandals were something I wore non-stop to the office, so I wanted to write something accordingly to the look and not going too off-topic with more overwhelming Stendhal Syndrome experiences' in Firenze. In this post, I'm looking to use a little throwback as an excuse to encourage all of you who aren't very confident on taking any kind of internship or not. I don't know about any other College degrees or what is happening concerning this topic in other countries but, as things are in Spain, where not all university degrees have compulsory internships for their students, my advice is: get your guts, stand up of your chair and go out look for a place to do your internship right away!

At first, I was very low in self esteem and doubtful about my skills or knowledge in my field to be even taken into account. I thought I was a total mess, and that nobody would've wanted me in their office because I didn't know how to do anything. But some day, I decided to try and send my pathetic, short student CV to an office. That's when I got hired for the first time two Summers ago. Then, last Oct-Nov I applied for a scholarship to be granted by a private bank to promote young students to join the labor market for their first times, and that's how I got the internship at the last office, which was one of the best experiences I could've ever asked for. So, my first advice on this is: self confidence UP everyone! You are worth of whatever you wish for if you work hard and put every piece of your soul into that.

#1 Don't be shy and ask a lot of questions

I was very worried about being a pain in the arse at the beginning, asking so much questions EVERY-SINGLE-DAY. But, the boss told me about it being a natural thing due to my youth and inexperience, and that if it depended on her, she would've asked many more questions in her intern days. An internship is meant for you to learn, to expand the knowledge you acquire at University and put into practice a lot of things you can't test in class. Don't let your curiosity be flinched, and for God's sake, ask as many questions and express out loud as many doubts as you have.

#2 Getting up early in Summer isn't actually THAT bad

I must confess I didn't actually got up so early; as my bus to office literally stopped by our door. I got up at that precise time when if you've had a nice sleep night, you don't feel tired at all, and so, I acquired the habit of getting up early on weekends too. It felt great, because this way I forced myself to have at least 8 hours of sleep, and I could have all mornings for me to blog, go to the beach or for a walk every single Summer weekend. Being an early bird on Summer weekends wasn't my thing before!

#3 Be a sponge and go on with a good attitude

Curiosity is your best weapon when doing any kind of internship. You'll have the priceless opportunity of learning TONS of things you didn't know even existed. That happened to me in my first internship, and happened on my second period this Summer as well. No matter if it's regarding technical skills according to your field, human resources or creative problem solving, among many other things. Be willingly to learn from your coworkers and bosses, and be always grateful and thankful for all those things you will be learning everyday.

#4 Be prepared to face last-minute schedule changes

Especially in creative professions, last-minute changes are inevitable. Deal with them, and try to re-schedule all your tasks the best way possible.

#5 Be yourself!

Last, but not least, put the best of yourself on your job and the tasks you're required to do. Stay true to yourself, and explode the best qualities you have. Are you a perfectionist, and a bit workaholic as I am? Try to apply your knowledge and get the best of your time to do the job not only in the best way possible, but also be efficient managing office hours.

#BONUS: Making cool architecture models. Which means, PATIENCE!

Leaving to Firenze tomorrow guys! I can't believe Summer is already gone, and with that, the internship at the studio, the weekends spent at the beach, the goodbyes. Oh gosh, I'm a tough girl and known to be quite reluctant to exteriorize my feelings, but I never thought it was going to be so hard to manage goodbyes to family and close friends. And I'm presumably coming back home for Christmas! Anyway, it's all fine, I'm super excited to get there, start living on my own at the rented flat downtown, finish all the paperwork that needs to be done, and start knowing more about Italian culture and lifestyle.

So, you might be wondering how the preparations for a year studying abroad have gone so far, and why I've been away from the blog (and almost all social media channels) for almost a week and a half. I landed home again after being totally away for a couple of months due to the Summer internship in town, which felt super awkward (believe me when I say I didn't remember properly where some things were stored at home) to be received by a huge empty suitcase that needed to be filled as soon as possible. Plus, dealing with another large suitcase filled with Summer work outfits and stuff that needed to be washed, organized and put back into place. Plus, paperwork and stuff that needed to be done in the city prior to leaving the country. That translates into two weeks of non-stop running from one place to another to get all done in time.

All this studying abroad craziness has led me to some interesting conclusions and tips that I needed to share with you before leaving to Italy. This is:

#1 Two hands, one luggage
Are you traveling solo, or getting to your destination by your own? If so, don't you think about embarking a huge suitcase and a taking a cabin carry-on. Will you be carrying all those things by your own, probably late in the evening, once arriving at a place you might not know at all? (Or even better when dealing with transfers). Instead, embark all your stuff in your luggage and get a cabin-sized bag which you can wear on your shoulders as a backpack.

#2 Get some info prior to your departure
Are you flying to an airport which is not in your town of destination? Are there any buses, trains or transfer at your arrival time? What do you do if your luggage gets lost or your flight delayed? Gather some information which might be useful once you arrive to your abroad destination (like complaint and information numbers, etc), and get ready for the worst situations. Even if they might not happen at all. Prevention is better than cure!

#3 Pack wisely
Back to when I went to Boston, due to flight connections in Madrid, my luggage got delayed a couple of days. Fortunately, that happened on my way back home, and not in my way to the US, as that could have caused a massive situation in my 17 year-old-self. Once that happened, I learned the hard way to always put in my cabin bag a couple of clothing changes, my most valued items (laptop, camera, tablet) and to pack inside the carry-on a little purse for the ID's, passport, money and phone.

For Firenze, I'm also carrying a set of bedsheets just in case the first night on our new home away from home things are a bit, let's say, nasty.

Even for the tiniest family event, I always feel like I have to dress the part. We shot this pictures in late March, on a very sunny morning going to my grandparents' for family lunch. Just my parents, grandma and great aunt on the table. Some might think it's a bit overdone, but for me, playing dressup is an everyday indulge. Every event and daily situation requires its own approach when it comes to fashion, always staying true to ourselves and following our own sense of style.

One of the questions I hear the most is, "why the heck you come so dressed up to university, even if you are just going to deal with a pair of presentations and you'll be seated the greatest part of the day working in your desk?". Well, is the way I choose to say out loud who I am without shouting. For me, wearing a pair of kitten heels to class is how I boost self-confidence to approach every situation the daily routine may keep. My lips covered in red lipstick help me articulate words when I'm in front of my classmates trying to explain why I choose to use concrete instead of wood, or why being involved as a student representative is such an important role. I might even feel more comfortable wearing a sleek suit than my sportswear (well. Not my white fencing equipment. That is something I wouldn't change, EVER).

Fashion is the language I choose to track inspiration. I do not pretend to impose my sense of style to anyone, nor do I pretend it is imposed to me. Fashion helps us gain inspiration from our surroundings, embrace our culture and the marvelous elements it has to offer us and also, inspire and give ideas to relatives and friends when in need of advice. There's nothing more touching than a friend who asks for my fashion advice for her prom day. It makes me feel that my opinion into the matter counts, and that they really trust me for the task.

So, whenever you're having a super casual family event, dress the part with your truest self as I did here. Embrace your favorite pieces and rock them in the streets. Here I wore a pair of earrings which are typical from Extremadura (I bought them in Mérida. Remember my adventures around there?) and an asymmetric black dress which my grandma wasn't very fond of, as she hates it when I'm not wearing bright colors as she did on her twenties. 

Haven't you ever felt like you'd need a 72-hours day to accomplish everything you should be doing in just one regular, working day? That's me, currently. I must say that I've been like this since I started University, but in the last two years I just feel like I can't handle everything I'm up to. First, I was just looking for the feeling of belonging to something. Helping others. Joining and participating in exciting projects, activities and groups. And still manage to practise fencing, go out, keep up with the blog and of course, accomplish all the due dates with projects and homework. Impossible.

I feel like I've just got to the point when I'm absolutely overwhelmed and I'm not able just to accomplish everything I'm supposed to do, but not even half of the tasks I've planned for the day. My mind has just said "STOP IT", and my body is about to, soon. I still try to manage everything, and be consequent to the decisions I made in the past, to accomplish some promises I made to friends and work groups, but I'm just trying to take it as easy as I can or I'll turn nuts.

If you've been reading and knowing me for some time, you must know I'm a travel lover. Since I started studying Architecture I knew I didn't want to go outside Spain to finish the degree, but now things have changed a little, and the need of fresh air and taking a much needed time for myself has led me to the decision of leaving for an Erasmus scholarship next year. That adds a little bit of stress about the overwhelming routine I'm currently living in, as I enrolled an intensive course to get an advanced English degree by the start of December. If everything goes as planned, I'll be asking for a place at TU Delft, Netherlands (no need of Dutch by the moment, but I find very interesting to learn it too... Maybe if I get accepted there!) so I can finish my 5th year there and breathe some fresh air. Meet new people. Keep up with fencing, which I had to leave behind because of time lack. Learn new ways to approach architecture, design and fashion.

Although I'm already exhausted because of the times and routines I'm currently taking (and it's hardly mid October!), I'm super excited of having something to fight for and focus on this new course, as I feel like it was a very long time ago the last time I had the will of doing something as huge as this. Everyone who has taken an Erasmus always end up telling me how great and life changing the experience was, and I want to feel that as well.

Cruise boat around Manhattan. That's what we did on the third stage of our trip to NYC. Taking advantage of the great light around (it was a bit cloudy but still nice) and the awesome landscape near the pier, we took this pictures with the polka dot dress which was a little bit more dressy than the outfits I was been wearing those days. Wearing again my flats, I couldn't survive without them!

Actually, the weather has been one of our most formidable enemies these days. It's been cloudy, not cold at all, but still you had to take your umbrellas so you were prepared in case it started raining. Believe me: carrying with more things than you need when traveling it's awful. And then, sun shone. Crazy weather...

Truth is that the Statue of Liberty did not seem so impressive for me. We didn't go to the balcony, actually saw it from the boat, but there were tons of people and I really preferred the views of the city by the bay. One of the things I like most about this city is imagine its initial planning, how it came to emerge and be so organized.

Explorer. While you're reading this I'm on my way to Italy, ready to discover the amazing city of Milan and its streets. As a fashion and architecture enthusiast, I can't even wait to visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and Milan Duomo and the see the whole city scene.

Tricks to enjoy as much as possible the visits and tours? Comfy shoes (not necessarily sneakers, in fact I only took one pair of them), light clothes, sun cream and have fun!

This outfit is another perfect look to travel, although I must say that the shoes I'm wearing are not. This time I decided to change a little bit my usual outfit with dresses and flowy skirts to a pair of white shorts and a cute bow shirt. Wearing a sun hat always make me feel like my outfits stand out from the rest of the fashion scene in Valencia, I don't know, they have that old glamour look or something that make them special.

So... Do you have any essential clothes when traveling? Do you wear hats?

Vichy pattern really reminds me of lovely childhood dresses, picnic and countryside. With polka dots and tartan fabrics, I consider these the TOP 3 of my favorite and most classy patterns in clothing that have ever existed.

Specifically, I like this fabric because besides being very light, there is a lot of variations of colors and shapes. You can wear it on a knot or cropped blouse, on a bow like an accesorie, on your shoes... Sometimes I like to take some ribbon with this cute pattern and start creating and devising crazy DIY projects that will rarely see the light. I like the old touch that the earrings and dress shape add to this outfit, but  at the same time balanced with the sunnies and sandals, much more modern.

Okay, and finally you might be wondering... Why that orange/californian look to the pictures? Well, I'm currently super-obsessed with Michael Kors shootings, with that sunny, warm colored blur on the pictures, and I did my best to edit the pictures and make them similar... I think there's still lots of practise for me to do that...

Today we're attending to Hotel Astoria Palace in Valencia to YOUNIQUE.ES ONLINE SHOP launching event, from 8PM to 11:30PM. Come say hi and enjoy with us!

(Image from 5mimitos.com)

Black is no color for summer. As warm weather comes, my clothing habits change too, and that means pants and jeans are swapped for light skirts and shorts, black for navy blue in case of dark colors, and long sleeve T-shirts for soft and comfy blouses.

And of course, as season changes, navy style arrives every year too. Dark blue, white and red colors, ropes everywhere and anchors, straight dresses with sparkles of Chanel's style, big picture hats and so on. I really think this style is always a hit, a timeless and succesful way to solve that ''I have no idea of what to wear'' annoying situation. The key is keeping it simple but putting a few accesories that claim attention.

On my case, I mixed a zillion things from different seasons (some of them are ''old acquaintances'' around here, like the Springfield sandals), stole from mum's closet a cute bag (''Mateo'' from Carolina Herrera, such a love!), put on an stripes blazer, and created a soft makeup. And voilà, this is how the whole outfit looked like!

Spring underwater. It's what I think every time I see this scarf from Louve De Nordneg. When the team of AGORIQUE proposed me this collaboration for their project, I didn't think twice and accepted. Basically because I find it very important to support new designers and help give exposure to their creations. Second because, why not? Sofi Le Geron, the designer behind this brand makes lovely designs, inspired on surrealism, art and nature.

The scarf I'm wearing is named ''Seahorse bouquet'', and is so silky and light that wearing it on a sunny but cool day was such a pleasure. Its pattern not only reminds me of water but also some floral trees we saw last Friday on a trip to the park for our next class projects.

Another thing I love about this scarf is the fact that it's so huge so you can wear it on about 13817813765 ways. Haha, okay, just kidding. But seriously, I think I managed to style it on about 10 different ways on the same morning, you can see some of them below: like a bolero tied on the back, around the neck with a regular knot, like a belt, following the ancient Greek style with a brooch... The square shape makes super easy to play with the scarf and wear it everyday depending on your mood or the weather outside, in a different way of course.

So, because I know that after seeing this design you've loved it and you'll want yours for sure, I invite you to vote for me on AGORIQUE's Facebook and 

HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN AN SCARF LIKE MINE!

Since I'm a fifties and full skirt lover, I decided to go for the ''pro level'' getting a petticoat, so my full circle skirts don't look overwhelmed anymore. Let's face it: it's a bit weird, but I think this style makes an outfit very different to anyone else's. It was fun to see how some people on the street looked at me as I was a green little alien walking around with a petticoat, but I really liked how it were mostly surprise and curious faces, not in the bad way.

I think to get this old inspired but not outdated is essential to mix garments: classy and simple dress, a little bit more overdone makeup with soft colors, big and actual handbag in a bright color, some loose curls on my hair... It's about getting a shocking and fun outfit, but always without claiming for too much attention.

Every time I visit my grandparents house, my grandma turns nuts with me and my obsession with antique clothing. Imagine all my family running behind me, because I'm opening all wardrobe doors looking for any vintage treasure. True story.

Last time I went there my grandma found a really great gift for me: a polka dot 70's dress she wore on a family event about thirty years ago. As she doesn't wear it anymore, and she considers it ''old fashioned'' (I don't!) she gave it to me, and thought I would never wear it seriously. How mistaken she was!

Although I don't usually like 70's clothing style (and don't dare to name 80's to me, please!) this dress is so simple, and the polka dot pattern in white and blue is so lovely and stylish that I couldn't avoid pairing it with some white and red accessories, to create my own navy style.

This is what vintage means to me: revamp old clothes. Give them a new life, and try to adapt this clothing to new trends and 21st Century. It's not about looking like you escaped from an old B&W movie (okay, it's great for some special events, but...), but always looking for the mix&match philosophy.

Fallas have already arrived. Every year from 15th to 19th March, Valencia celebrates its most internationally known festival, where you'll find fire, music, color and fireworks 24hrs a day. The most famous thing around here these days are the fallas, which are basically huge figures made of wood, sometimes cardboard dolls (called ''ninot'') on the streets, which represent human figures, animals, different sceneries... Then, on 19th at night we burn them, to symbolize that winter has gone away and a new year starts.

Tomorrow I'll be wearing my typical fallera costume (which is full of flowers and jewelry and things... Not following my usual ''less is more'' philosophy at all...) but for now, here's the outfit I wore to go for a walk around the neighbourhood this morning, to take some pictures of the nearest monuments and show you what is like.
Fashion also means tradition and culture, that's the only way you can understand why someone dresses like this or that. That's why I'm talking to you about fallas and how the atmosphere feels around my city this days.

(See that lady at the left of the picture, with that blue costume with full blue skirt? Tomorrow I'll be looking like her)

Fallas, our most internationally known festival are about to come. So, once a year, on the falla association we celebrate a Gala Ball, where everybody celebrates that is time for party, fire on the monuments and music on the streets. If you're curious about this festival in Valencia, here you'll find some useful info.

I think this is one of my favorite events on the year. It brings me the possibility of wearing long and awesome gowns, and feel once a year like I can walk on the Oscar's red carpet. This time I decided to go for a very ''Old Hollywood'' inspired look, like Rita Hayworth on ''Gilda'' on the 40's.  I found this outfit quite difficult to match, specially because I considered it a ''full'' outfit. I mean any thing I was wearing had some connection with the other items, so everything together creates the 40's look illusion. The makeup is a bit more overdone than usual, with a cat/winged eyeliner but light colors on the eyeshadow.

(Panoramic view of Madrid, from the ''Círculo de Bellas Artes'' building)

I always consider any vintage finding a little wonder, and all of them have a very special place on my closet. This is what also happened with this vintage bag, from Gelolas online store. My mum is also passionate about vintage clothing as I am, and we've been looking around for a little 50's bag like that for a while. As we didn't find it on vintage shops in Valencia, we started our search on the Internet, and finally found it! We also discovered a new great vintage store, with lots of interesting pieces. The deal was very nice, and we received the package only 48 hours after.

I decided to create a very vintage inspired outfit, with those spool heels in black, and which are very comfy and antique looking. The dress comes also from sales on C&A, and I love its skirt shape (it's like a tulip!) and the dots on the upper part. As I wanted to color a little bit the outfit and make it less serious, plus it was too windy outside, I paired this pink hat with an scarf of the same color (they matched pretty well. Incredible). I think the clue on this kind of outfits are the accesories and soft makeup.

And finally, my ''LeCorbu'' model drawing is finished. Here's the result, let's see if my teachers like it!

I'm not very much into animal prints. I think it's a tricky pattern to combine and wear, specially with some pieces. This leopard pencil skirt wasn't an exception. And maybe more difficult, because it's a peplum pencil skirt, which could make my outfit a bit sassy if I made a mistake with the rest of pieces. On this situations, I think black and neutral clothing it's the clue to create an elegant but still flashing outfit.

No more colors except on my red necklace (which is very simple with those little beads on it) and a little glitter on my bag (OMG, seems like I don't have any other bag, lately I've been wearing it too much...). This outfit doesn't need more, or it can look overdone and even vulgar. As it was windy, I chose this Mango black gabardine which I love because its classy shape and fabric lightness.

Oh, I'm also showing you on the following pictures an interesting class project I've been working on this week. That huge white thing/cube is a model of a house (which doesn't really exists, haha). It's called ''LeCorbu'' (of LeCorbusier, the architect. I'll talk to you about him maybe someday), and what I was supposed to do was draw all the house, it's exterior and interior, with shades and furniture and so on. You'll see the drawings soon!!