Will you pour me one for the road?

eBay Dirndl (blouse, dress, and apron, probably not the technical terms, but essentially a three-piece german lady suit): €24.90. Topshop monk shoes: £27. Brezel: c/o Lauren.

Photos by Lauren.

PROST

I had to save the best till last, didn't I?

When you ask the average person what they think of Germany, the typical answers will be beer, sausage, and the war. After living in Munich for just over six months, that's a pretty accurate trio, and they all boil down to (well, not the war so much) the traditional beer festivals that happen throughout the year. I was absolutely gutted to miss out on Oktoberfest, but my fellow Stylight girls were pretty up for getting a dirndl on and drinking our own weight in helles of a Saturday afternoon. I bought my dirndl from ebay for just over €30 once P&P was added, which is about the same price as a t-shirt in Topshop. You can buy more hardwearing handmade ones from many of the trachten shops (tr: traditional national costume) dotted around town, but with these coming in at well over €100 this was a much more intern-friendly option.

Frühlingsfest takes place in the same park as Oktoberfest, Theresienwiese, in the centre of Munich for about two weeks. We sat inside the main Hippodrom tent without reserving a table, but if you want one for the evening that's definitely a necessity. A one litre Maß costs €8,90 making it a darn sight cheaper than London, and a few of those certainly helped persuade me to head on a few of the fairground rides outside. I'll be back for Oktoberfest, but Frühlingsfest was possibly the best way to end my time in Bavaria in the most cliché way possible.

If all goes to plan (it normally doesn't, so I'm not holding my breath), this ought to be published while I'm up in Liverpool for the weekend. I'll inevitably be instagramming a food diary as it's all so GOOD, so be sure to follow me here, I promise I'll make it look pretty with a couple of filters.

Read more

One day baby we'll be old.

Ark collared shift dress. Marks and Spencer bag: £43. Shoe Zone wedges. Brandy Melville necklace: €6. Brandy Meville heart ring: €4. Jana Reinhardt bird ring.

Photos by Carmen.

Looking back at these photos makes me realise just how lacking my town is in architecture (and Zara, Munich town centre had THREE). This is Marienplatz: the station I changed at to get to the airport, the place I'd often end up at the end of a night out, and pretty darn aesthetically pleasing to boot. Like the Houses of Parliament, it's a political building, but they moved across the square a while ago and now it's more of a landmark than a location for important decision making. Nevertheless, on my last evening in town (sob), I met up with Carmen for some outfit photos in Munich's most famous square - better late than never, eh? Afterwards, we headed to Hans im Glück for burgers and a final farewell to all my favourite Münchners (and got a cheeky snap with Carmen and Anni who both have fabulous blogs) before the next day's flight back to the UK.

Hey, I might not have Marienplatz any more, but I do have an M&S and a tesco express.

Read more

I ain't saying you're perfect but you're really, really good.

Boohoo baseball tee: £10. American Apparel skirt: £30. Shoe Zone wedges. Asos over knee socks: £3.60. Charity shop belt: 20p. Marks and Spencer bag: £43. Brandy Melville necklace and ring: €6, €4.
Photos by Lauren.

oans, zwoa, g'suffa

This is definitely a "when in Munich" scenario. It took me six months, but I finally ended up going to Hofbrauhaus: the ultimate and most touristy of all of Bavaria's breweries. Just a stone's throw from the town centre, Hofbrauhaus is home to all things brezel and you can get a litre Maß for €8, which makes it marginally cheaper than Frühlingsfest and Oktoberfest (more on that soon!). Surprisingly when you consider its tourist target market, there seemed to be a lot of Münchners in there, and although I don't think I'd personally make it my local I can certainly see its charm and why people keep returning. Before heading to the beer capital of Europe I was definitely not a fan of the hops-based drink, but there is something about throwing yourself into a culture which makes you accustomed to tastes that you'd otherwise pass on, and can you really not drink beer when you're in Hofbrauhaus? That, and it often costs less than a soft drink, damn you UK duty rates! Now, how to go about ordering a helles in wetherspoons...

Speaking of being back, isn't the weather amazing? Of course, it's set to tip it down this evening and for the rest of the week, but I've been making the most of the sun by snapping some truly British outfit photos which I can't wait to share with you all. But with two more Munich posts to come you'll just have to wait that little bit longer! Other than spending time out in my garden editing away, I've been getting myself back into a routine of eating cheddar and having good ol' catch ups. However much I miss Munich, it is good to be back.

Read more

You had me hooked again from the minute you sat down.

Brandy Melville "Trouble Maker" tee: €26. American Apparel blue skirt: £30. The Kooples leather jacket. Shoe Zone wedges. Charity shop belt: 20p. My Optique frames. Lion mask: conveniently found nearby.

Photos by (a hungover) Lauren.

You know those nights out which just seem to go on forever? I got to Lauren's around ten, and didn't end up getting back to mine till gone six. It may have been almost the length of a working day, but I'm pretty sure none of my daily assignments would involve bumping into friends in bars in the small hours unless I go for a serious career change. The day after, I felt surprisingly able to function so headed over to an irish pub for some pastry-based food and a couple of photos; some people might go so far to as to call this outfit post a miracle. I did, of course, pluck for my comfiest clothes, with Primark's super cosy tights, my new Brandy Melville T-shirt which is made from the softest material ever, and a decision to not bother with contact lenses. Then we found a lion mask, and that pretty much told us that we'd made the right decision to leave our duvets behind.

Perhaps ironically, I'm now writing this in my pjs, but it's completely acceptable on a Sunday morning in my eyes!

Read more

Time is on my side, yes it is.

Primark Rolling Stones tee: €10. Asos jeans: £28. The Kooples leather jacket. Shoe Zone wedges. Urban Outfitters hat: £26. Girissima clutch: borrowed from Carmen. Smashbox lipstick.

Photos by Carmen.

Based on the knowledge that whatever I'd end up with would have to be carted back to Munich and, in turn, the UK, I was pretty restrained when it came to buying souvenirs from Innsbruck, but when can I resist a good ol' Stones tee? The answer is apparently never when it's a mere €10 (about £8). When I went round Carmen's I stole her clutch bag to give this a bit of added oomph/make it look slightly more interesting than the standard jeans and t-shirt combination; did it work?

I'm back in the very same jeans today for my flight back to GB, but instead of a clutch bag I'm working the suitcase-bigger-than-me-plus-carry-on look, which is considerably less chic. Seeing as pretty much every single person who's enquired about the move has asked as to whether I'm looking forward to going back, I may as well answer it here too. I've got pretty mixed views on heading back: I'm looking forward to meeting up with j rox for lunch and Liberty tomorrow, cheddar cheese, and a trip to Liverpool, but the last six months have been a massive learning curve for me, and I think going back to what I've known for the last twenty two years will be a bit difficult. If there's one thing I've learnt  by being surrounded by such optimistic people (cringe), is that it's important to concentrate on what you enjoy doing, and then everything will turn out okay. I'm not entirely sure what that means I'll end up doing, but I do know that I'll be updating this blog while I work it out. Because it's always a good idea to document your quarter life crisis.

Read more

There's no need for you to say you're sorry.

Topshop gold lace blouse: £38. Zara asymmetric skirt: €30. The Kooples leather jacket. Little Nell stag necklace. Forever 21 cut out heels: €18. Rotary watch: gift. Jana Reinhardt ring.

Photos by Carmen.

Well, that's that. Friday was my last day at Stylight, and it'll be weird waking up tomorrow and not get the U bahn to Maillingerstraße. In the grand scheme of things, six months is absolutely nothing at all, but by the end of my time there I felt like such a part of the team and an honorary Münchnerin that it's going to be weird to head back to the UK next week (don't worry, I've still got a couple of Munich posts to come, you haven't seen the last of it quite yet!). So here's a little shout out, however cringe it may be, to Martijn, Stina, Nina, Willemijn, and Charlee (who has a lovely blog here) and all the other wonderful people I've met along the way, I'd never have learnt to like beer and drink it in maß-ive (hehe) proportions without you. It's not 100% concrete what I'm doing when I get home other than having proper fish and chips, so help a sister out if you're hiring - I make a dead good cuppa. I'm currently undecided as to whether I'll write a round up style post like I posted before I moved here, so if you've got any questions about my Stylight internship, feel free to tweet or email me and I'll happily answer anything from moving to Munich to what I did on a day to day basis to interning at Stylight.

Plus, for your delectation, here are some completely unrelated outfit photos.

Read more

My soul you can have it.

The Kooples leather jacket. Chi chi dress (worn as top). American Apparel circle skirt: £15, via ebay. Shoe Zone wedges. Marks and Spencer bag: £43. Charity shop belt: 20p. Topshop Really Ruby lipstick: £7.20.

Photos by Carmen.

Just a quick "hello, how are ya" from me today as I'm sneakily writing this up before leaving work for dinner (read: buffet, and thus pure joy). I haven't had that much time to take photos recently, so you'll have to do with these ones which were taken a few weeks ago. This is Odeonsplatz, which is in the centre of Munich, and home to my favourite Starbucks in town. I've wanted to photograph it ever since I saw Sarah's photos from her visit, but when the opportunity finally arose it decided to rain; some things never change. And, on that note, tempura's calling my name, but I'll be back with my last few Munich posts and more to say soon!

Read more

I got one less problem without you.

Topshop scalloped blouse: gift. American Apparel blue skirt: £30. Vintage Levi's jacket: mum's. Ark cut out boots. Charity shop belt: 20p. Little Nell bumblebee clips. Rotary watch: gift. Topshop "really ruby" lipstick.

Photos by Lauren.

Okay, I'll admit it, these photos are complete rip offs of Carmen's and Anni's, but when you have somewhere this cool literally just outside your office (one of the conference rooms is just to the left of these photos), then it'd be silly to not use it to your advantage. Or I'm just getting lazier when it comes to finding somewhere to take outfit photos. And, let's be honest, it's probably the latter.

I used to be a real Topshop girl when I was a student and rich (i.e. either had a part time job or a loan, plus student discount), but since its prices have risen and they add a good 15% for the novelty of paying in Euros, I've found myself looking further afield. My mum got me this blouse for christmas, and I've been saving it for a special occasion of sorts, so when the sun decided to shine I thought it was about time I debuted it.

In less sartorial news, I've managed to drag myself away from bed to get to the office to use their wifi as the router at mine's been playing up. Again. I would mind significantly less if Lauren and I hadn't decided to drink a lot of cocktails and end up in Atomic Cafe till closing time and I'd managed to get more than four hours sleep. That's dedication to getting myself into a blogging routine, if ever I saw it. I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me.

Read more