Funky Jungle

I do not think this comes as a big surprise, but it is the conclusion I've drawn for myself after doing the two rounds of capsule wardrobes during winter & early spring last year and documenting them for this ol' fashion blog. You can find the outlining articles and outfit posts here. Like many other things in life, personal style is an evolution and some things are tools that help us along the way. Alas ...

A Capsule Free Spring & Summer ... or why I won't repeat the Capsule Wardrobe Experiment.

Short answer: It is just not for me.

A Capsule Free Spring. Or why I will not repeat the wardrobe experiment.

It looks like I've already found my long black skirt that was on my "Funky 12 Piece Wardrobe" fashion wish list. Even tho some might consider this a midi skirt, at my height, borderline petite, the tulle part arrives at the ankles. I've already worn it for the first time on Sunday 21st when I went to watch the Mille Miglia.

La Mille Miglia

This year saw the 90th anniversary of the Mille Miglia. The Mille Miglia is a famous and historical car race that was held for the first time in 1927. Nowadays it is a "race" for old timer cars, none of which can be from after 1957 and, I if I understood correctly, must be models that were used in the original editions. But back then those cars where just fresh on the market and the Mille Miglia, that goes from Brescia to Rome and back to Brescia, was still an actual race. Two fatal crashes in the 1957 edition spelled the end of the Mille Miglia in its original format. You can read up more on the history here at the official page.

Brescia Mille Miglia 2017 Ospitaletto Old Timer BMW 328

That was my first thought when seeing the pictures of this outfit. It had a very different effect from seeing it in the mirror. I knew the tights where eyecatchers, I just didn't expect them to be that much of one. They are old, but previously I used them mostly with all black outfits, where they didn't quite pop out that much.

Fall look. Striped dress, grey cardigan, red tights and edgy wedge booties || Funky Jungle, mindful fashion & personal style blog

Last Sunday we visited Bergamo Alta, the old medieval & renaissance town part of Bergamo, which is located upon a small hill. You can reach it by foot or a small train, as in general only people who live there are allowed in with the car. Much easier to just park in the city below.

It's beautiful and definitely worth a visit should you happen to be in the area and time permitting. If you do, I would suggest to at least go back down by foot, as I found it nice to go through the old city gate and follow the old stairs. The view on the city down below is great as well.

Here now some pictures from the second wedding of the same couple, which was held in a restaurant with a very scenic, romantic garden attached to it.

I was wearing my go-to dress for weddings. It's been bought for attending a wedding many years ago and I've worn it for two other weddings since, plus this, makes four. Admittedly, it's pretty much the only time I wear it. The jacket is attached to it and putting it on is a bit of a hassle that doesn't quite vibe right with my innate love of simplicity. It's beautiful, mind, just not something I wear very often. Fact is, it's one of those dresses you keep despite all the rules & questions for good wardrobe maintenance.

I think it works well color wise as I hadn't had any problems with the color of the bride and whilst it is bright, it's not extremely flashy. Talking of colors, it's one of the very few things I own in "pink/fuchsia". The little jacket covers the shoulders and arms in case it is a bit more on the chilly side in regards to temperatures, or if you like it a bit more modest. It's also made out of a material thin enough to not get too hot. Alternatively, one could wrap a shawl around the shoulders.

The place is called Villa Giardino and if you want to see some more pictures, check out this post from December 2014. The food was great, I just wish wedding lunches weren't so damned long. Still, it was a very beautiful wedding in a beautiful setting and my best wishes to the happy couple.

I was doing a sort of photographer behind the scences.

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Und hier jetzt ein paar Bilder von der zweiten Hochzeit des gleichen Brautpaares, welche dieses Mal in einem Restaurant mit romatischem Garten stattfand.

Ich trug mein Standardkleid fuer Hochzeiten. Vor Jahren fuer eben diesen Zwecke gekauft ist es ein treuer Begleiter auf weiteren Hochzeiten und jetzt eben dieser gewesen. Ist auch zugegebenermassed so ziemlich die einzige Gelegenheit bei der ich es trage. Das Jaeckchen ist oben an den Traegern des Kleides befestigt und erschwert das Anziehen doch sehr, was sich nicht so ganz mit meiner Liebe fuer Einfachheit vertraegt. Ich finde es toll, ist aber wirklich nicht etwas das ich sehr oft anziehe. Faellt in die Kategorie der Kleider die man behaelt obwohl es gegen Regeln & Fragen fuer gute Garderoben Instandhaltung verstoesst.

Die Farbe funktioniert bisher immer gut, hatte noch keine Problem damit in der selben Farbe wie die Braut aufzutauchen, was ja angeblich nicht so der Bringer sein soll (wer hat's erfunden?). Die Jacke bedeckt genug wenn es etwas kuehler ist, gleichzeitig ist das Material aber duenn genug, dass es nicht zu heiss wird darunter.

Das Restaurant nennt sich Villa Giardino und fall Ihr noch ein paar Bilder sehen wollt, koennt Ihr mal hier in diesem Post vom Dezember 2014 schauen. Das Essen war super, ich wuenschte mir nur, dass Hochzeitsessen nicht immer so endlos lang waeren. Trotzdem war es eine sehr schoene Hochzeit und ich wuensche dem gluecklichen Paar alles Gute.

Aperitivo - I picked the vegetarian version

Statue in the Garden at Villa Giardino Paderno Franciacorta

Outfit Sources:

Pola Dot Dress / Gepunktetes Kleid - Max&Co (years old)
Wedge Espadrilles / Espadrilles mit Keilabsatz - Bata
Bracelets / Armreifen - Marc Jacobs Skinny Logo Bangle via Shopbop c/o
Rings / Ringe - Super Magic Ring & Gift
Smile - Alexandra

I've been, admittedly, out of the loop with outfit pictures this past week. First because I was away and then, this weekend, my husband was away on a camping trip with our son.

So here's another one from the archives. You've already seen me wearing this leo print dress in winter, here it is in a late spring version. And you can find a tutorial for the bracelet I'm wearing here.

Leopard print shift dress, comic shark print clutch, butterfly socks and heeled sandals | Funky Jungle, fashion and personal style blog

The day of the Summer Solstice, when day and night time are of equal length and the Sun ingresses into Cancer, I just spent doing pretty much nothing but enjoying the day at a slow pace. Gosh I was so tired from the day before when I did my black belt exame.

I put on my new fancy tie dye maxi dress I found at Shopbop Sales. Let me tell you, it's beautiful, lovely to wear and it was marked down 70%. Definitely worth taking a look. Dang, I said that recently already ... But you agree that the dress is beautiful, yes?

So I wore this maxi dress and my gladiator (or slave or whatever) sandals for lounging on the terrace, sunbathing, water pistol duels and grabbing an ice cream in town. It was perfect for each of these, and would have worked just as well going for a pizza in the evening. Going to say it again, a good maxi dress is worth having in your wardrobe.

I was not exagerating when I wrote that I've been and am wearing these jeans quite often. And you know that I am ~~not so~~ secretly happy with having a small but well picked wardrobe where exactly that happens. Where I would wear any single item everyday. Of course, that doesn't happen and there are still things I am wearing considerably less than others, but going with the rules when shopping and continously eliminating stuff I am really not feeling, I am slowly getting there.

Anyway, it was time for another coffee date with D., which is a monthly fixture in my calendar. So I headed over to the city and this is what I wore. Much to my dismay I later saw that the top had bleach stains at the bottom and not just one, but several all around. I have absolutely no idea how that happened. It's a real shame, because I loved wearing it.

This lace trimmed crop blouse is the last of the pieces I've gotten during the Shopbop Sale in early April. You might remember that I had been looking for a dressy top as well as wanting to get in on the lace trend action for summer. Well this one here, caught my attention right away. What I love about it is the broad lace trimming, which turns it into the perfect crop top if you aren't into outfits with freestyle baring your midriff anymore. It's like the Boho Ladies version of a crop top. So there you have it. One fashionable way to wear a crop top over 40. Or, whatever your age, when you feel like wearing but don't want to show your belly.

White cropped lace blouse, black culottes & wedge espadrilles || The Boho Lady Crop Top | Funky Jungle, fashion & personal style blog

And what I really liked about ordering from Shopbop was their friendly customer service. Quick to reply and very helpful. I have had to cancel my first order because I had made a silly mistake, and even tho it was already in the "shipping" stage, they e-mailed the warehouse to hold up the package before leaving, cancelled the order for me and refunded, all within a short time frame. Professional and efficient. Just the way we like it.

Here is what I wore on Mother's Day for lunch at my in-laws. Not many (or very good) pictures as I was suffering from a medium allergy attack that day. If you look closely you can maybe see that the eyes are smaller and more tired looking than usual, although I trashed the worst pictures. Of course. I'm all for authenticity but one doesn't have to exaggerate.

Military green shirt dress, shark clutch, striped hoop earrings and roses || Sharks, Khaki Knit & Allergies on Mother's Day - Funky Jungle, fashion & personal style blog

We had a wonderful Sunday about two weeks ago and we used the occasion for a little Sunday family trip to the Lake. This was the first time this year I wore short sleeves, with sequins nonetheless, for some extra sparkle in honor of the sun. Unfortunately by now, adhering to April's un-predictiveness, we are back to long sleeves and jacket. Brrrr.

Sequin Shirt, Grey Skinnies, Black Bag, Mirror Sunglasses at Iseo, Lake Iseo | Sparkle and Mirrors - Sequins for Sunday, Funky Jungle, fashion & personal style blog

I've realized the other day that I have an enormous (for my wardrobe size) amount of button down shirts. True is, I love using them, especially in winter together with either sweaters (as talked about here) or with cardigans, like in todays look. For this fashion love, in part, I blame the fact that I am drawn to dressing like a man. There, I said it.

A (striped) button down shirt with a kerchief / small silk foulard pretending to be a reverse tie. A grey cardigan, dark wash denim, ankle booties, an emerald bag | Ain't She Dapper - Funky Jungle, fashion and personal style blog

Do you sometimes have days were no real coherent thought wants to form when you need it? This is one of these days for me. I find it very hard to concentrate on the matter at hand today. So please excuse me if the post is as much of a hodge podge as the look is.

Wideleg pants, short white ribbed sweater, layered flower top, triangle necklace, red shoes, red hair / Slouchy Pinstripes That You Don't See | Funky Jungle, fashion and personal style blog

I have been searching for a pair of futuristic seeming visor sunglasses like these for what accounts for ages in the lifespan of a fashion trend. Of course, if we measure it compared to the in lifespan of a sun/star, then it sort of didn't even happen.