Ghostly drawings from Manning Cartell

Illustrations by Pippa McManus 

for Manning Cartell 

 

Florence |

From the beautiful blue waters of the French Riviera, we wound our way to the top of the hills to cross the border into Italy. The landscape changed as soon as the bus drove through the border into the countryside of Tuscany, and we were greeted with lush green trees surrounding quaint houses with the distinctive terracotta roof, nestled in sloping hills that resembled giant steps in the mountains.

Piazza di Santa Croce 

French Riviera |

Roomies - with Bec, Dahna and Annabelle in Monaco

One thing I love about Europe is how much the landscape and mood changes between countries. While Barcelona (see previous post) had a very festive vibe, lots of noise and things to see, the French Riviera was all about the luxurious beach lifestyle. 

runway faces|

Armani Prive Fall 2012 Couture 

 

Maybe it's the Spring racing fever that is sweeping through Melbourne right now, but lately I've been drawn to the various hats and veils utilised by designers to complete their looks for the runway. Each season, we focus on the clothes, the shoes, the bags, dissecting the shapes and colours whilst neglecting the faces; but I wonder if the looks will still have the same sense of drama and mystery if the accompanying hats and fascinators were removed...from Armani's bejeweled veils to Chanel's bandit lace mask, here is a look at some of the most iconic headgear on recent runways. 

Barcelona |

So after a few months of travelling I am finally back home and back to blogging! Although I'm still jet lagged after my 18+ hours flight, I can't wait to tell you all about the rest of my Topdeck trip and all the shenanigans we got up to for those amazing 28 days. Following on from the previous post where I took you all to Switzerland, our next stop was somewhere completely different in both language and culture. From the calmness of the Swiss Alps, we arrived in the chaos of Barcelona in Spain! 

After checking into our surprisingly nice hostel (equipped with ensuite bathroom and air conditioning!) we made our way to the Sagrada Familia, the basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi. It was a truly impressive sight to behold and the details, all of which carved in stone, were definitely worth craning our necks for.