I've teamed up with Gorjana and Rocksbox today to show you this pretty, new, exclusively-on-Rocksbox set of layered necklaces from Gorjana. I thought they went well with a simple, easy weekend outfit: a jersey jumpsuit from Topshop coupled with my latest favorites: this denim jacket and these amazing lace-up shoes.
Have you signed up for Rocksbox yet? If you haven't, my code to get your first month's subscription delivered to your door for free is helloframboisexoxo. I love subscription boxes, especially when I get to expand my accessory collection and wear some cute pieces inexpensively to change up my usual look. Those who read here regularly know I'm not much of a jewelry chameleon, but Rockbox makes my day whenever it arrives, and it encourages me to incorporate new pieces. I've had my subscription since March and have had a lot of fun with it. If you have questions about signing up, email me, and I'm always happy to answer.
Congrats to Rocksbox and Gorjana on such a fun collab--glad I got to be a part of it! Hope you have a lovely rest of your week, readers!
The last week and a half since Sean and I returned from Greece has been a frenzy; unfortunately, this means I've had no time for recent outfit photos. Coming back from vacation is always tough, but this time was extra difficult as I only had about five days to do my final preparation for a week-long trial. Hope you don't mind another outfit post from Greece instead of a fall fashion look today. Colorado has been wonderfully warm and sunny lately, so I haven't been wearing much of my fall wardrobe anyway, but it looks like things should be cooling down this week.
These photos are from our last day in Santorini. A hazy morning turned into a beautiful sunny day that wasn't too hot. We spent the day wandering through some shops in town and taking lots of pictures of the stunning views. I love how serene all the blue and white looks everywhere.
I was pretty excited about wearing white on white on white so far after Labor Day. I'm on my second incarnation of these impeccable white jeans after wearing my first pair a ton over the last few years. The "slim illusion" fit is so flattering and comfortable, and they hold their shape really nicely. They are my go-to jeans for shorter flights (long hauls mean leggings for me). I still need to hem this pair, but rolling them up is easy and casual.
Dress: J.Crew | Shoes: Splendid | Clutch: Clare V | Belt: Madewell | Sunglasses: Karen Walker
Watch: kate spade | Earrings: bought in Greece
Today I'm sharing an easy vacation look from my stay in Santorini last week. To get these tourist-free shots, Sean and I got up early and caught the morning sun streaming down on Oia. This area was right outside our door--so pretty! I'm not much of a morning person, but these peaceful views were definitely worth the lost sleep. (For more info on where we stayed, what we ate and more, read my mini Guide to Santorini from earlier this week.)
I received this dress right before I left for Greece and didn't really give it a good try-on at home. What I realized when I unrolled it (always roll, don't stack clothes in your suitcase) was that it was pretty wrinkle-prone. Hanging it in the bathroom while showering helped, but it never seemed to get out the deep wrinkles. While J.Crew has it styled on their site without a belt and buttoned up to the collar, I found that wearing it that way visually shortened my legs and overwhelmed my frame--not to mention how it emphasized the stubborn wrinkles. I unbuttoned the top few buttons, belted it at the waist, bloused the top a bit, and rolled the sleeves for the most flattering fit on me. The shirttail hem is a cute on-trend detail, but I found the dress to look a little long in the front and a bit short on the sides for me.
I'm wearing my favorite summer shoes with this outfit. Those of you who have been reading over the summer have probably seen these quite a few times now. Although I mostly wore flats to better navigate uneven sidewalks, these platform slides were sturdy enough for shorter walks.
My leopard clutch is also one of my top must-bring pieces for travel. It fold flat for easy packing, it can add interest to simpler looks, and the leopard goes with pretty much anything else I bring. It's been a staple on my packing list since I got it earlier this year and still looks great after crisscrossing the globe with me.
One of the best parts of blogging is meeting other bloggers and connecting with people from all over. I've been following Fran and her blog, Franish, for a couple years now, and I was thrilled to realize we were in Santorini at the same time. Fran and her family joined Sean and me for some sunset-watching on our deck, a couple bottles of Greek wine, and a yummy dinner at Floga in Oia. It was so nice to meet Fran, especially because she is even sweeter and more genuine in person than she is on her blog. Make sure you check out her Instagram for more gorgeous pictures from her time in Santorini!
I'm back with more from Greece today! After our time in Crete (see Part I and Part II of this guide for more on that), Sean and I climbed aboard a Hellenic Seaways high-speed ferry and made our way to Santorini, one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Dress: J.Crew | Shoes: Joie | Sunglasses: Karen Walker | Watch: kate spade | Earrings: bought in Greece
Where we stayed:
After a lot of research, we rented a villa via AirBnB in Oia, the most picturesque of little towns with amazing sunsets every night. When we arrived at Villa Matilde, the stunning view pictured in these photos greeted us. We've had excellent experiences with AirBnB in Paris and New York, and we were similarly pleased with our accommodations this time around. Our host was friendly and helpful, and she had a friend who acted as a porter to help us carry our bags and get settled on the island. The house was clean and charming, and a maid came in daily to make beds, refresh towels, and do some light cleaning. We had initially wanted to book a smaller place and were disappointed when our top choice was taken. Because it was the end of the season, our host was willing to negotiate a bit on the cost of this larger apartment to make it more feasible for just two people.
Getting around:
We pre-scheduled a transfer from the seaport to our villa and from the villa to the airport on our way out. This was easy and hassle-free, especially given the crazy crowds at the seaport as hundreds of people made their way off the ferry. We worked out a price ahead of time through Maria, our AirBnB host, which was nice as the cabs and minibuses on the island don't seem to have meters or set pricing. Oia is visible from Fira, where our ferry docked, but it takes 45 minutes over winding mountain roads to get between the two.
In hindsight, I would recommend renting a car if you are up to the challenge of driving. There is a bus system around the island, but during peak times, bus queues are very lengthy and buses are crowded.
On our second evening, we had the pleasure of dining with one of my favorite bloggers, Fran of Franish, who happened to be in Santorini at the same time we were. Fran and her family were just delightful, and we loved our dinner at Floga with its upscale Mediterranean food and ocean views. (Update: see the obligatory blogger meetup photo and what I wore here!)
On our last evening in Santorini, we made our way down to Katharos Lounge, an out of the way spot which is actually on the water as opposed to on a cliffside, with a beautiful view of the sunset. They don't serve a traditional dinner, but they do small plates to share, which is one of our favorite ways to dine. If you can, snag a table on the oceanfront patio at sunset and watch Santorini work its magic while enjoying your meal. You could also go swimming at their adjacent beach during the day, with snack and drink breaks on the patio at your leisure.
Quick tip: finding good restaurants is always a fun challenge when traveling--I've found that checking TripAdvisor and reading through reviews there is a great way to refine the search and make sure we'll have a good experience while dining out. As someone with food allergies (tree nuts), I also make sure to look for reviews about how a particular restaurant accommodates dietary restrictions.
What we learned:
As I said above, I think this island is truly one of the most unique and beautiful places in the world. The downside is that many, many other people feel the same way. Even at the end of the season, Oia was very crowded, and there was a nearly-constant stream of tourists marching through the narrow streets and past our villa to catch a glimpse of the lovely view. We were happy to have our own private outdoor spaces to enjoy the beauty without the crowds, but venturing out of our little bubble meant joining the masses eager to see Santorini for themselves, especially at sunset. We found that the early morning was a great time to take photos and explore the island without the hordes of tours from the cruise ships that would come in daily.
Crowds aside, I felt very sad to leave Santorini and am hoping we'll be able to make it back sometime in the not-too-distant future. Cheers to gorgeous sunsets and bubbly Greek wine!
I'm excited to share more photos from Santorini and a quick guide to Athens in upcoming posts. Hope you enjoyed this installment of my Travel Guide to Greece!
Continuing with my Travel Guide to Greece, today I'm sharing photos from our time in Chania, on the beautiful island of Crete. Chania is an old Venetian port with a charming old city surrounding it. My last post had some photos of the harbor at sunset, but it was just as pretty during the day.
Where we stayed:
We spent our time in Chania at the gorgeous Casa Delfino, a 17th-century villa that has been renovated and restored to a modern boutique hotel and spa. We couldn't have had a lovelier or easier stay here. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and we loved having breakfast and relaxing in the quiet pebbled courtyard (see the photo below). We stayed in the Ottoman Suite, which has its own private hammam, or Turkish steam room, and we took advantage of the spa services available and booked a couple's massage. It was so nice to have an oasis to return to after a day in the bustling Old Town.
What we ate:
With the big, yummy breakfast included in our stay at Casa Delfino, we found we usually only wanted a light snack for lunch, and then a bigger dinner. We had dinner at Pallas, a contemporary restaurant with a fantastic rooftop dining area and view of the harbor. The food there was very good, and the service was relatively quick and attentive. Our second night, we ate at Oenopoeio, a charming little place off a pedestrian street in the Old Town. While the food was generally good, the service was poor, and we were somewhat disappointed since it had come highly recommended by a couple locals we asked.
Staying in touch:
Whenever I travel, I feel so much more comfortable knowing I can stay connected and in touch while out and about. I don't have an international phone plan at home, but Sean and I have found that we can easily and inexpensively purchase SIM cards while abroad. With a foreign passport, phone companies in many countries will allow travelers to buy inexpensive plans for 14-30 days with a few gigabytes of data and some calling minutes. When we were in Australia, our Vodaphone plans allowed us free international calls and up to 3GB of data for just $40 USD; here in Greece, we have 500 MB of data and 200 minutes of local calls for about $35 USD.
The weather was warm and sunny, so I pulled out some of my summer favorites to stay cool and comfortable while walking around during the day. I found the striped dress I'm wearing at an H&M in Istanbul a couple years ago after the airline misplaced my luggage, and it's been a summer standby ever since. I love my Longchamp totes or traveling since they fold up nicely for packing and can carry a lot of necessities for days of sightseeing or beachgoing without weighing me down.
I'll leave you with this lovely shot of the sunset that Sean got as we were leaving the beach in Chania. Hope you enjoyed Part II of my Travel Guide to Greece (here's Part I in case you missed it). I'm in Santorini at the moment and can't wait to share some of the photos we've captured of the picturesque scenery here.
If you've been following my Instagram and Snapchat, you probably saw that Sean and I are in Greece at the moment. It is absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous here, and we have been loving every minute of our getaway. Since so many of you have expressed that you'd like to visit Greece someday, I thought I'd talk more in-depth about our planning and our stay in case that's helpful when you plan your trip to this lovely country.
It took us about 24 hours, including layovers, to leave from Denver and finally arrive on the island of Crete. We spent our first night at the Lato Boutique Hotel in Heraklion, getting a much-needed full night of sleep in a comfortable bed. We were up early to head out for a day of sightseeing and making our way to our next destination. We stayed at the Lato for a night on our way out of Crete as well, and I can definitely recommend its yummy breakfast, good location, comfy rooms, and reasonable prices.
