The Wanderlust got me again

It's almost 2am in Germany and my flight is leaving in 10 hours, I should go to bed at some point, hmm.. Anyways! I know, I did not post anything this week, but I was really busy with organizing my last and final things for a long trip overseas. Yes, I'll cross the ocean and it'll be a new country :) And yes, although the week was packed, I am excited and happy about this! Additionally, if you're friends with me on FB, you might have seen that I also had my very first skating accident this past week. So, this slowed me down a bit more.. still leaving the continent though.

Two years ago, I arrived from the U.S. after a 13-month stay and now, it's time again! How come? Well, I guess, if you're traveler it's hard to call a place home. Now, that I've been back for such a long time, things settle, you have you're routines, school is school and work is work. It was really hard for me to be back in Germany, I struggled with a reversed culture shock and felt misunderstood (still feel so sometimes, you start to adjust..). I was longing for that spark again, that feeling of happiness and freedom. But my mind was somewhere else, I was constantly thinking of going back.. back to travelling, and actually back to the place where I am heading. This is not a love letter to longboarding, but I must state here, yes, right here so that you know, that this sport gave me back a similar feeling!

Nevertheless, you cannot compare travelling with a sport, you must do it and experience it. And I think, Nike is just right: Just do it! Before I am heading to one of my favorite places on earth, I booked a ticket to Vancouver, BC!!! Why? Nature. I really want to dig into Canada, the Rocky Mountains, the National Parks and also, what the city and people have in store. I've never been and I am planning to be there at least for 3 weeks. So, for the next 3 to 4 weeks, I am trying my best to keep you updated with my travels until things settle again.. Stay tuned and follow me on twitter, instagram and facebook for daily pictures,

but most importantly

take care and don't hurt yourself!

Love,

Minh Huyen

P.S.: Oh and afterwards? You should know, it isn't that hard to guess :)

 Second Hand Shirt, Sandals & Handbag

DIY Jeans Shorts, H&M Bra

MBFW Berlin Outfits Day 1

As you can see, my friend Sandra and I played with the different backgrounds and wanted to see which one is the better fit. Now, reviewing the pictures I couldn't decide either, so here are both options and as the weather was getting hotter and hotter, I put my hair in a bun. Which wall do you think is better? 

Since I got myself new sneakers and decided to keep both of them, I was in a sneaker mood and went for the red Nikes. I kept the rest of the outfit beige, sporty and not too exciting. I got these beige Vintage Shorts ages ago, but they are still one of my summer all time favorites! And then, of course, there has to be a spark of gold somewhere.

UniqLo Linen Blouse, Vintage Shorts, Nike SB, Snash Jewelry

 

H&M Tube Top, Pants by [w/cmplt], H&M Sandals, 
Leather Handbag by Freygang, Casio Watch, Six Necklace

Sandra, a dear friend from my hometown, who is currently studying fashion design and accompanied myself during Fashionweek, was wearing a more elegant outfit. A color scheme I also love is black, dark green and brown. Isn't it super easy to throw such a lovely outfit together? I guess, black is your best friend forever. The green blazer she is wearing is selfmade, which I already fell in love with when I saw it on her the very first time.

Whites & Greens on Vacation :)

Here are just a few attempts from my boyfriend taking outfit pictures of me. I am not one of those lucky bloggers, who has a photographer as a boyfriend, but I think he did a fair job for his very first time, what do you think? :) That day, we did a lot of biking around Potsdam and Sanssouci Park and additionally the weather was really changeable, warm and sunny or cold and rainy, therefore I was trying to stay comfy and warm. 

I wore an old H&M blouse, olive greenish Uniqlo pants, my black Chelsea Boots and a Vintage Leather handbag from the flea :) I really love that handbag, but I only take it in the summer with me because in winter I shy away from too much color because I think this orange-brownish color is hard to mix in the winter, especially when I'm wearing lots of black and grey. But in the summer months, I like lots of white and also color mixes :) The golden bracelet is from Snash Jewelry NY.

Oh and the picture below is just me 

relaxing on the doorsteps of our holiday home :) 

All beige and white with a touch of brown & gold.

Vintage Finds in the Streets of NYC

A new old Outfit Post for today :) I know that I am lacking on posts at the moment, but I'm in the middle of my exams and there are also other activities I'm doing beside of blogging ;-) But you can check my Instagram and Facebook Accounts for bits'n pieces of health, fashion and food :-P I've been thinking a lot about my time in the States lately and when I strolled through old NYC pictures, I found these :)

Here are some shots of me at the Hell's Kitchen Fleamarket in Manhattan. That moment I was really! indecisive about the purchase of this Vintage Oversize Blazer. I bet you know how it is: there's a super special item and then you don't really know if it fits to your wardrobe.. hmm.. and then you start thinking and thinking and doubting and well.. are you going to buy it? Hmm.. Sorry to all my lovely friends who go shopping with me and know that I do need my time to decide, and thanks guys for your patience ♥ 

So, it was a yellow-plaid LaFayette Blazer, which I threw over a Forever 21 shirt, black skinny jeans, my beloved and unfortunately worn-out Blowfish Boots and a brown scarf, paired with some brownish jewelery :) 

How do you guys like this rather colorful mixture on me? 

P.S.: I did end up buying the blazer, but since then I only wore it once for an art exhibition. I've decided to sell it at a flea market last year ;-) It was supposed to make someone else happy ;-)

Mindful Monday: Shopping Challenge Month # 3

How am I doing with no shopping? :) Actually pretty well! The picture underneath was taken at the 2nd flea market I went to this year and there, I was able to sell some of my stuff. My closet shrank a bit, but it wasn't that good as the first one. There weren't as much people coming to the flea, but it was okay. I still had fun with my two friends next to me :) especially because they've never been to a flea market to sell their own stuff before. So, it was funny seeing them selling and trading with their clothes :) 

Oh, okay, I have to admit, I did buy something.. but it's from my friends and 1 € each. It is a grey scarf and a shirt/dress, so yeah I don't really count these items ;-) hope that you're okay with it! But I still need to figure out what I am going to do with the leftover stuff I brought back home.. maybe my 3rd flea session this year or should I sell some on the Internet? Do you have any recommendations? :)

What's more important is that I do not have the need to go shopping anymore. It's like: whenever I stroll on fashion blogs or shopping sites, these pictures trigger my need to buy, buy, buy, but if I stay away from those, I don't even care and hey, I feel much better about it :) I think that I am really saving a lot of money and reflect more about what I want to spend it on. 

For example, I saved some money..

1. to buy me a new Camera:

Yes, finally got myself a Canon DSLR EOS and 

I am still superduper excited about it because taking pictures, 

especially food pictures ;-) is waaaay more fun!!! :) 

Check out my instagram :-P 

2. to join a regular Yoga Class again:

I've also started a new Yoga class this morning to get back deeper into it :) 

because I know, it makes me happy and calm.

3. for the special moments:

activities with friends'n family,

 and travelling :) 

Oh my, that's actually why I am saving for.. travelling this summer :) :) Cannot wait to tell you about my big plans, but what about your New Year's Resolutions? Did you have any, do you stick with it or did you already quit?

The Brother's Sweater

As the title says, I've did it again and borrowed this light-grey sweater from one of my family members. When I woke up this morning, I've checked my schedule and did not feel like wearing something too fancy for school and my date with a dear friend. 

Hmm.. what to do when most of your clothes are still in the washing machine? Look around and see what you can find :) This morning, it was my brother's sweater and I've knocked on his door - he was still sleeping - and asked for permission like 'Hey there, can I have your sweater?' Haha, he answered with 'Just do it then!' :D I guess, he was a bit annoyed because it was 6.30am, but had no problem with me wearing his stuff. He really finds it weird that I like wearing Men's Clothes :D :D Teenagers -.-' duuuh :D

Having this relaxed and sporty item, I've tried to work everything around and put my personal touch on it. Oh and layering also mattered because the weather here is changing every second. So I first put my Urban Outfitters Tank Top with the NYFucking City Print on and then a more chic-item - the dark-grey sweater from Vero Moda - really don't know how to say it, but I usually wear that in a different combination, see here and then actually some blue jeans, which I didn't like, you know how it is, right? ;-) I've changed my mind and my running thermal pants made it to this outfit. Black sneakers, golden Vintage jewelry from and &Other Stories and a bit of Neon by Maugold did the rest ;-) Today's outfit was more comfy and sporty, but still had an edge, you like it? :)

This is one of my favorite summer shirts because on the day I've got it, the Urban Outfitters Store in Soho, NY had a promotion event going on and they were printing shirts and bags with different NYC prints for the customers for free!! :) Read more about my last days in NY back in 2012 :) Oh and you should go out and play ;-)

Thanks for the pictures K - OFFCOLOR.

The Vintage Military Jacket..

..from my dad's. When we celebrated the new Lunar Year with all the other Vietnamese people around town, I noticed that some of the fathers were wearing those kind of military jackets. Big, slouchy, square-shaped and khaki. It was really funny seeing them with the same 'uniforms'. So, I spoke to my dad the other day: Hey, where did you guys have those jackets from? I want one, too! =D My mum was laughing.. and my dad was like: Well, yeah, I have another one, just bought it a few weeks ago from an old lady, who was in the military. Oh really?? You aren't kidding? 

Here it is: the oversize Vintage Military Jacket! When I first threw this on (my instagram followers already saw it ;-) ) I wasn't sure about whether or not to keep this item. I luckily didn't pay anything for it and really needed to get use to this big jacket, but hey, step out of your comfort zone and try something new, right? :) I've thought since this jacket is a bit bigger in shape I have to pair it with something slim. I chose my Vintage Object Jumper, my patterned Zara pants, the Zara boots, and the Urban Outfitters Backpack for school :) Oh, not to forget the black fleece jacket underneath from Mazine, a German streetwear brand, to keep me warm these days. Bracelets are also from my dad's and & Other Stories.

How do you like it? 

Should I keep the Military Jacket or return it to my dad? :)

Pattern Mix Vol. 2 x Black Leather

Another recap from last week when I met up Anh from thadarlinh for lunch. If you don't know her yet, check out the interview with her here. Yes, I am here in Berlin over the holidays and spending a few more weeks to be together with my loved one. 

Anh and I actually wanted to grab a bagel and to catch up a bit, since we haven't seen each other since the summer. Unfortunately the bagel place we headed to was closed (holidays..) and we weren't as hungry yet, so we've decided to take some outfit pictures first. 

That day it was pretty warm and the sun was shining, I didn't know until I stepped out the door. I wore a H&M basic shirt, some old Hollister jeans (yeah, I know.. -.- =D but bought them back in 2011, Hollister is just so superdupercheap in the U.S. and they fitted me perfectly), a vintage necklace, the vintage Christmas scarf by Kenzo, a H&M coat from the winter sale (bought it in Dec. ;-) ), Zara boots (on sale!) and my Zac Posen handbag. 

I've called this pattern mix volume 2 because it's quite similar to the one I've posted a few weeks ago. I really like this grey leoprint which you can see a lot on H&M and Monki Clothes. The combination of the grey and red checked pattern works very well and paired with some black leather you can style it up for a lunch meeting :) We ended up at Zeit für Brot in Berlin Mitte, where they have their delicious cinnamon rolls =P

Armparty: & Other Stories rings and bracelet (sale!), Snash Jewelry ring and bracelet plus daddy's vintage bracelet and a handmade Brazilian ring.

Pictures taken by Anh from thadarlinh.

New In: Kenzo Scarf and Object Jumper

These days I was looking for a plaid scarf and found the one from Zara very appealing. The ongoing grunge and punk trend this autumn is really cool but I wouldn't buy a whole new wardrobe full of plaid stuff. I didn't find the perfect plaid shirt, so I've decided to go for a scarf. Zara it was... until.. I saw the very first girl sitting in one of my classes wearing the particular one. Okay, hold on: Do I care? Haha, one would say: No, why would you care if someone wears the same clothes?

Doesn't matter anymore because I have found the perfect one for ME :) Yes!!! Where? Last wednesday I happen to go into two vintage stores close to Uni for the first time and one of my friends found it: a Kenzo plaid scarf. Red, green, white, that's all I've wanted in the scarf I was looking for. Not too punky, but still edgy and perfectly fine with christmas time :)

Additionally I've found the perfect comfy sweater I was looking for years, no ages now!!! An Object Sweater made its way into my wardrobe. Great length and superduper fluffy, love the relaxed oversized fit :)

Yes, this was a super shopping spree and I can warmly recommend you: Check out Vintage Stores and Flea Markets every now and then, you will find lovely and unique clothes. Another reason to support 2nd-hand, vintage and flea markets is that it has a better impact on our environment and I am way happier to find pieces 2nd hand rather than new. It also adds up to my process of 'I want less. Here and Now.'.

Have fun shopping ;-)

Mindful Monday: I want less. Here and Now.

I want less, here and now started with my decision of becoming more and more aware of what I buy, use and really need. I've wanted to clear my clutter, to get rid of things which weigh me down and I'm still in this life-long process. You're very welcome to join me, to give me tips or we could help each other. I'm just trying to practice and test myself in consuming less.

Step #1:

Two weeks ago I've managed to look through a bunch of clothes, sorting them out and actually selling them. It wasn't me selling my clothes; I was at school when a friend of mine took my clothes and sold them at a big flea market in town. Again, thank you very much for that!!! She herself was moving and also wanted to get rid of a bunch of stuff she doesn't need anymore. This year I've already sold some stuff at different fleas and I'm always glad about the fact that my stuff will find a new and good owner. 

Yes, it's strenuous to stand there from 5 or 6am until 2pm to see people strolling by, stopping by, not buying and just looking. However, it's super funny when there are actually people wanting your stuff and immediately loving it. Be it scarves, bags, clothes, accessories, pick them all together and go look for the next flea market to sell them! 

If you haven't worn anything in one or two years: Say Goodbye and leave it for someone who will wear it and appreciate it! I'm also thinking of opening up a FB-Page to swap my stuff, be creative, call a friend who'll join you for a flea and you'll have a lot of fun, I'm sure! :)

Watch this now: When you're from France or Germany, you definitely have to watch this documentary: Less is more from ARTE. Super interesting how a few of us live alternatively, completely without the need of others and happily together.

Less meat, more vegetables, less plastic, more paper or reusable glasses, less driving, more biking and so on. I'm looking up to those; I think this video is up for seven days, so don't wait!

Recap: Mulack-Street Festival

As you might know, I like to spend my weekends with street festivals, good eats and yeah, a bit of shopping if there's something special going on. Last saturday then there was the Mulack Street Festival here in Berlin the shops were opened but had some special sales outside on the street. It's definitely worth a shot because in this street there are stores like: Lala Berlin, adidas SLVR, C'est tout, the Green Tea Mamecha Café, The Shit Shop, World's End and many more. 

Strolling through the streets we've stopped at a shop called: Das Neue Schwarz. It's a vintage shop with well-known brands and they've had a small sale in front. I was lucky and found this: An American Apparel skirt in bright orange red which looked very familiar to me. Why? I've bought the same model in an olive green in a Vintage shop in Brooklyn actually one year ago! And yes, I just had to have it because this skirt is just so comfy and a good summer-go-to. I just love everything vintage :) but I try to stay away from handbags and purses since my collection of old bags is becoming bigger and heavier. When I'm back home, I will show you some of them ;-) 

So, let's see if the weather allows me to wear it this summer.

Flea finds at Soho House Berlin

 
This passed sunday I went to the flea market at Soho House Berlin which just takes place twice a year. This is when they open their doors for the public since you need to be a member to be part of the Soho Club. There's one in the summer and one in autumn I guess. There were not many vendors, maybe just ten but a lot of good stuff, like clothes from Chloé, Lala Berlin, Strenesse or small designers. Definitely worth going! The best way to find out the best fleas and stuff, check LesMads for their weekly recommendations for weekends =P 

So, I found this necklace by Tom Shot and this summer pants from Zara. Already had the stuff on because I was searching for some summer pants like this. They bring some colour in my wardrobe and I love combining these with just basic shoes, shirts and bags. No more effort needed and it's a nice alternation to shorts and skirts.

Happy strolling through fleas guys!

Meet & Greet with Susie Bubble :)

Through work I had the opportunity to meet the lovely Susie Bubble from Style Bubble during the Berlin Fashion Week. We were at the Bread & Butter fair and were talking about her life and how she actually started blogging. I've had a really nice interview with her. She was super nice and really down-to-earth, funny and inspiring as well.

Read the German version on LesMads and enjoy :)

How come, that you've started blogging? In your blog you're saying that you wanted to rebel against your parents, why was that or when was the point that you've decided to start blogging? Was there a special incident?

  

Well, with fashion I wanted to rebel. Getting into fashion was quite rebellious for me because I’ve attended an academic girl’s school and my parents were quite conservative; I lived in suburbia in London. Fashion was my way of rebelling against that and then later on when I was working in advertising, like right after I graduated, I didn’t want to be  a person who has a boring 9-to-5 job and being content with it. So I started the blog as a hobby, as something on the side, as something to really indulge in and to reenjoy. When I first started blogging, it was like: I’d do it before lunch, before work, during lunch hours, after work and it was like an obsession. I studied history at UCL, that was like my academic state.

I was reading blogs at that time but there weren’t as many like Fashionologie and blogs that don’t exist anymore. I was also on the Fashionspot a lot, the forum. So yeaht that’s kind of how it started really, it was just supposed to be a hobby. I didn’t really care about who was reading it, I just wanted to do it for myself. I always been into extracurricular things, I’ve also did things just to get a different experience.

How did you end up with Dazed and Confused and then later Elle?