Shop: & Other Stories

I have discovered a new store! Well, it's only new to me. & Other Stories actually opened in April. Where have I been?

This place is huge! It's a total of four floors and sells just about everything a woman could need, including clothing, jewellery, bags, shoes, hair accessories, make-up, and even hats. I didn't know where to begin browsing because there were so many items catching my eyes. I managed to scour over each piece of jewellery in the store; it was all so unique. Much of the merchandise was very fashion forward. Some of the clothing looked like things I've only seen during fashion or design week, for example chunky black platform sandals, yet the prices were totally affordable. Even still, I just couldn't bring myself to try on the scuba skirt and matching hoodie in the summer heat! I ended up leaving with a pair of earrings, some hair clips, and nail polish in a colour I've been coveting. 

The friendly salesperson who rang in all my purchases placed the items in a paper bag, and then placed the paper bag in another paper bag. I am not a fan of the unnecessary and wasteful extra paper bag. On further inspection of the outer bag, I discovered that & Other Stories is under the H&M umbrella. That kind of burst my I-found-an-haute-couture-store-with-teacher-budget-prices bubble. Ah well, I'll still be back!

Here are the goods:

All images from the & Other Stories website: http://www.stories.com


Store information:

ADDRESS:

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 1
Lombardia 20122 Milan

OPENING HOURS:

Monday-Friday	10—20:30
Saturday	10—20:30
Sunday	12—20

Phone: +39 02 890 963 03

You Heard It Here First: Woodkid

Woodkid-Teatro Franco Parenti-April 2013

I'd like to introduce you to the artist who is currently taking over my Spotify, Woodkid. We first discovered Woodkid back in April at Teatro Franco Parenti during the Design Week Festival. The first word that comes to mind when describing Woodkid's music is EPIC! Just click on the link to his website and you'll hear what I mean! The two men beating huge drums conjures up images of tribesmen preparing for battle. The Franco Parenti theatre venue really complimented the dramatic feeling of the music. The ceiling is sloped so that the further into the hall you go the higher the ceiling gets. The black-and-white films projected behind the band matched the monumental sound of the music perfectly. This is no surprise since Woodkid, aka Yoann Lemoine, is a music video director. He has directed videos for artists such as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Lana Del Rey, just to name a few.

Woodkid - Villa Arconati - July 2013

Woodkid - Villa Arconati - July 2013

On Wednesday evening, LL and I drove to Bollate to see Woodkid at the Villa Arconati Music Festival. The Villa Arconati is an 18th century villa that looks like it's trying to be Versailles. The outdoor stage was set-up beside the villa. Since this was only our second time seeing Woodkid and he only has one album, I wasn't sure what to expect. The show was a mix of mellow, melancholic ballads and larger-than-life anthems. LL and I both agreed that Woodkid's music should be the soundtrack for the next Batman film! Woodkid cracked some cheeky jokes and engaged the audience by shouting out, "Wake up, Milano!" 

Woodkid - Villa Arconati - July 2013

The best part was the surprise at the end. Woodkid and his band came out for an encore after what seemed like a short show. He invited some people to come dance with him on stage. I'm not sure if this was planned or not, but the whole crowd rushed up to the front and no one stopped people from hopping over the security barrier and climbing the speakers to get on stage. After watching about a dozen people do this, LL and I decided to take the risk and get on stage too! We danced, we sang, we jumped, we screamed! LL brought his GoPro and got the whole thing on video. We'll be watching that years from now when Woodkid is too famous for his fans to climb up on stage!

Happy birthday, LL!

Sunset in Ibiza

Yesterday was LL's 31st birthday. I am not always around for his birthday because it's in July and I'm usually travelling. Two years ago, my best friend and I took a trip to Spain and Portugal. We planned to be in Ibiza the same weekend as LL's birthday so he and his best friend could come meet us. We soaked up the sun on the beach and ate fresh, delicious food during the day and then partied all night long.

Dinner on the ATMosfera Restaurant Tram

This year, to top past celebrations, I surprised LL with dinner on the ATMosfera Restaurant Tram! I told him to meet me by the Duomo at 19:45 sharp. I almost blew my cover with the strict time constraint, but I think he was still a little surprised. The tram does a 2 1/4 hour tour of the central and historical parts of Milan. We ordered the meat based menu and thoroughly enjoyed the dinner. The tram conductor, chef, and waiter were all very friendly and the service was great. There were other couples on the tram celebrating different occasions. One girl even shared her birthday cake with everyone on the tram. It was fun to track our route while enjoying the dinner, wine, and each other's company.

The Birthday Boy

A birthday wouldn't be complete without presents. In the morning, LL called me sounding like a giddy child on Christmas. He had just received a GoPro camera mount in the mail from my family in Canada. I think I actually prefer giving gifts more than receiving them. I take pride in finding the perfect gift for someone. This year I gave LL a rack for his collection of sunglasses and a set of Tattly temporary tattoos, including these totally gangster knuckle tatts. I'm always on LL's case about dental hygiene. I don't floss everyday, but I definitely floss regularly. He, on the other hand, does not. So I threw in these easy-flossers for fun! 

After orchestrating a birthday like this, I am confident that I have secured the girlfriend-of-the-year award, at least in LL's eyes!

Restaurant App with a Map

There are many restaurants in Milan that I'd like to try. I've got them all pinned to my Milan-Restaurants board and I've got them all saved in a bookmark folder. The problem is that when I'm out-and-about I don't have access to all those restaurants that I've been meaning to try. Another problem is that I have a BlackBerry and an iPod touch, but no iPhone. 

I'm looking for a restaurant app that includes a map and a favourites feature so that I can save all the places that interest me on a portable device.

Any suggestions?

Forest, Music, and Lake Weekend

Forest Summer Fest 2013

This weekend my boyfriend, LL, and I took a trip to check out a music festival in the Bergamo area and the nearby Lake Iseo. Our motive was to see LL's favourite band, i Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti at the Forest Summer Fest in Foresto Sparso. 

Fishermen in Sarnico/Paratico

The music didn't start until 6:00pm, so we checked into our hotel and then drove down to Sarnico/Paratico. Basically on one side of a small bridge is the town of Sarnico and on the other side is the town of Paratico. There were a whole bunch of fishermen casting off the bridge, which reminded me of a scaled down version of the Galata Bridge in Istanbul. I got to partake in one of my favourite Italian pass-times, checking out the "bancarelle" aka market stalls. I'm proud to say I refrained from buying another pair of earrings!

Maria Antonie

Il Pan Del Diavolo

We eventually made our way up to the festival venue and straight to the food/beer line. We ordered a plate of assorted grilled meat and some Belgium beers. The music started with a band called Maria Antonietta whose lead singer is a small girl with a very big voice. We actually sat beside MA while we were having our second meal of the night, piadine! Up next was my personal favourite, Il Pan Del Diavolo. This band is made up of two guys who look like Italian versions of Elvis Presley, their guitars and a bass drum. These guys are 100% rock 'n' roll, from their look to their music. The night ended off with an almost-2-hour performance by i Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti. LL and I finally gave in and bought t-shirts like good groupies!

On Sunday we caught the ferry to Monte Isola from Iseo. I did a bit of research and decided to have lunch on the island. Lunch was a bit of a let down. We ended up having to walk 1.5km from Peschiera Maraglio to a restaurant that actually had a table available in Sensole. We ended up at Ristorante Residenza Vittoria. The food was great, the service was not. We waited over 30 minutes between our first and second courses. Luckily, our fish was fresh and grilled to perfection.

Lago d'Iseo

My favourite thing about going to music festivals is hearing new bands and picking up flyers for other music festivals! We also found out about wine and food evening cruises with music on Lake Iseo, which we look forward to checking out in the near future. Another thing we'd like to do the next time we head in the direction of Bergamo is to bike the Strada del vino Franciacorta. We had a great weekend surrounded by mountains, the lake, and music!

Take the Plunge

Today I take the plunge into the blogosphere. How fitting since it’s summer and it’s scorching hot! It is my intention to showcase my passions, experiences, and adventures on this lifestyle blog. I often come across events, shops, restaurants, music, art, places, products, and interesting sites on the web that I want to share with the world. I look forward to meeting and communicating with people who enjoy the things that I consider worthy of sharing. 

Take the Plunge