I've moved on...
...to a different domain. Why, what were you thinking? The truth is, I just woke up one day and decided it's time for a change—a metamorphosis, if you will; or, in layman's terms, if Britney can shave her head, then maybe so can I? Nevertheless, it's been a rather handsome 10 years of talking to you, and thank you for putting up with all my moodswings and terrible dad jokes. Fear not! The hormonal imbalance and jokes are more terrible on CUBICLE, see you there.

Breakfast at the airport with Chloé and it’s off to Milano!

An oogle inside the Bottega Veneta Boutique

Leather shorts – Vintage, Shoes – secondhand Alexander Wang viaVestiaire CollectiveTrench – Uniqlo, Bag – Marc Jacobs via Monnier Freres, Stripe Top – Uniqlo, Last pic necklace – DanniJo

Let me just answer that tickling question – did I peel off my striped-top and give it to Carrie while she waited topless on my bed? No. Not in that order anyway. I mean, no. We just happened to bring one top and they both happened to be striped – but picture us walking around Milan looking like girls who ran away from mime-school; amusing is one way to put it.

Anyhow. It always feels wonderful to be back in Milan, the intensity and… ubiquity of sunlight is really something here. Whenever someone tells me how a country’s climate make all the difference in a person’s temperament, I like to wave my cynicism stick at them (shaped like a frantically-purchased, over-priced corner-store umbrella, naturally), but in Milan I always stand corrected. I stood, in fact (but no miming, I swear), in awe of the well-dressed, well-groomed men and women, while happily soaking in the beauty of the sun-kissed city. It wasn’t necessarily hot or anything, but I loved the fact that light was so abundant until one moment around 9pm you look up to realise the sun has just quietly melted away. Whereas in London the sun is really just a matter of abruptly switching it ON or OFF – at  7pm the sun goes OFF; in October, the sun goes OFF. Sometimes it does disco-hour and does ON-OFF-ON-OFF for half the day, like how we all played with the light-switch when we were seven or eight. I tell you, if I find that kid who’s behind this perverted weather I will put it in a box and send it to Korea.

Thank you Ykone and Bottega Veneta for the much needed break away from cold & wet London; thank you Carrie for the shots of me.

More to come in Part II & III with Bottega Veneta Initials concept and a peek into Salone del Mobil!

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101 Comments

  1. As always, gorgeous photos! :) Milan looks gorgeous <3

    http://xpockiex.wordpress.com/

  2. Those AW shoes are interesting…I have to pick up a boat neck stripe top from Uniqlo when I go back up to NY ;)

  3. […] travel buddy Shini and I (who happened to be wearing awfully similar attire!) had a little time to explore the city […]

  4. Milan brings back memories of heat stroke and roadside prostitutes to me so its really nice to see it through the eyes of another

    Sunnie
    (.=

  5. :O is all I can say

  6. wish i would visit someday… you looked amazing!
    http://www.Tinacious.Me

  7. Your short is amazing !

    So rock, so chic ! Chic is the new rock for sure !

    See ya’ pretty Mademoiselle !
    http://www.anaiswho.com/

  8. love your pics so much!!!

  9. Beautiful photos! Wish I was there

    erica
    in the light of style

  10. looks like such an amazing city. i have never been but would absolutely love to go. enjoy!
    xx, http://wordbyjessie.com/

  11. I really enjoyed the photos in this post, more so than any other. There’s at least 10 images now saved on my desktop ;p The one of your shoes and your watch…simple, and sexy in an understated way; loved how all the accessories were black and how they contrasted with your skin color.
    and yes, weather does make a difference indeed. at times though, 24/7 sunlight has a way of making a person go loo-loo-la-la and a good dash of bitch-ass cold is sometimes needed to wake the f* up out of dream-land. But then again, could I trade in sunny weather for grey skies & ADD sunlight? hellz. no. Ironically, it’s been quite gloomy these past few days in CA…;p

    xoxo

  12. omg! You make me want to jet off to Europe soooooooo badly. Mighty jealous that you have the whole of it at the tips of your fingers :P

    I use Hanskin too!! Ain’t it da best?

  13. Totes bestttttt, can’t get off it! They’re being discontinued though, is that right??

  14. I was actually wondering if this post was a promo for the striped shirt! Haha, all my questions have been answered.

    ~F

    p.s. Lovely photos, as usual!

  15. You and Carrie look so chic in your striped tops! Milan is such an extraordinary city. Glad you two had such a beautiful time there.

    P.S. Those Alexander Wang heels are wondrous.

    http://www.TheFancyTeacup.com

  16. waow.. i love your looks especially your shoes.. hehe.. and i love all your pics.. its coool.. and the camera, waow..

  17. Dan

    ON OFF ON OFF was hilarious as well as sending it to S. Korea! :D

  18. The designer I work for studied at the European Institute of Design in Milan. I have very fond memories of that city, every time I see the Duomo I get at bubble in my chest! Great photographic work.

  19. It looks like a wonderful trip away! I am completely in awe of the beautiful architecture – wow wow wow!

    x
    Lost in the Haze: A Fashion Photography Blog

  20. all of the photos are so charming, the atmosphere of Milano is depicted so accurately!
    the shoes are amazing

    http://nastya-said.blogspot.com/

  21. breathtaking pictures!

  22. I love that you think of Milan as a sun-drenched city, because in Italy it has quite a reputation for being the greyest place on earth! There are countless songs about depressing Milanese weather… ;)
    But yeah, everything is relative. Great pictures!

  23. REALLY? wow I never knew that, we might as well call Milan AFRICA compared to London…

  24. Beautiful photos, i love those a. wang shoes (they remind me a bit of the studded valentino ones)…

    & ugh, don’t even START me on the weather/lack of sunshine here in london at the moment.

    Katie x

  25. Gabriela

    What kind of lens do you use? Seems to create a gentle blur, which I’m totally loving. At the moment, I’m looking for similar one, could you give me a feedback about yours?

    xx
    Gabi

  26. Hi Gabi, I use a 50mm lens with my 5D Mark II! If you have a crop-frame body (i.e EOS range 300-600D, 60D, 7D…etc) then I recommend the 30mm f1.4!

  27. Gabriela

    @Shini,
    Thank you so much ! The one that you reccomended seems to be perfect for me. Since I have recently done some research, I think I’ll decide on this one. Thanks once again!
    Gabi

  28. lovely mix of london city and fashion! the first pic of pret, the most yummy thing was ur purse hahaa… and how lovely r those celine heels, so gorgeous!! ;D

    xx nathan.niche

    -FIND YOUR NICHE-
    http://style-niche.blogspot.com

  29. that great big white church type building looks, really looks like i’m going to have to try get to milan at the first op. really enjoyed these images

  30. love the photos!!!
    http://bonnieclydemarni.blogspot.com/

  31. Ryoma Sakamoto

    It is always nice fashion.
    Woman of the world, will get into your charm.

  32. ooh these photos make me want to not have exams and have the time to stumble around the city…

    x Anna
    fairytalefrocks.blogspot.com

  33. Love all all the pics!!

  34. I love the necklace… :)

    http://www.FaShionRoLLa.com

  35. I’ve been following your blog for a little while now, and even though I never commented I wanted to say that I always find great pleasure when reading your posts. I love the humour and sarcasm in your writing, and looking at your photos makes my brain so happy. You make the cities you visit much more tempting to me than a tourism brochure would :)

  36. Funily enough, I just read Carrie’s post on the trip, knew that you guys we were wearing the same top and got confused when I saw her lying on a bed as at a glance i thought it was you, it’s also because you’re both wearing bright lipstick too!

    Love these pictures, you guys both look awesome and the pics of the shoes in the window is my absolute fave xx

  37. tammy

    hahahahaha love your sense of humor. I needed that. Thanks. Oh, BEAUTIFUL pictures of Milan.

  38. Stunning and beautiful pictures. Oh, Milan, Milan – fashion capitals of the Capitals. For me perhaps the best European city of fashion industry! And bags from Bottega Veneta beyond comparison!

    From http://www.xeanafashion.com

  39. Amy

    omg, are you still here? you’re like, blocks, from my place. gosh i’d love to take you for caffé. or to my favorite gelato spot. or maybe i could run into you at the Porta Romana market tomorrow (Friday) morning? i’ll look for The Girls In The Stripey Tops. i’ve seen some cute cheap scarves, and looking at last year’s Pradas always makes the trip worthwhile.

    and I must say, you got here at just the right time. we’ve had rain rain rain the last couple weeks, and may see more this weekend. it sure was glorious today, though, and should be tomorrow as well.

    if i’m not able to stalk—i mean, see—you somewhere, enjoy my new home. i sure like it here. :)

  40. amazing, I LOVE your style!! I live in Venice the city of Bottega Veneta and when I pass in front the windows of one of the two boutique of the city I dream on them bags and accessories! I think Bottega Veneta is special because is not only fashion but also incredible handicraft and art!
    from Venice…
    http://silviainvenice.blogspot.it/

  41. Lovely pics and wonderful city. I must return to Milan as soon as posible.

  42. Beautiful snapshots!

    http://www.littleredbook-thatshaute.blogspot.com

  43. Le sac Marc Jacob est divin !

  44. Absolutely gorgeous photos!

    http://www.thepursesnatcher.net

  45. Helen

    Amazing photos, esp of the cathedral!
    Your writing makes me literally laugh hehe

  46. How comfy is the A-Wang heels? And love it that you love Dannijo too xx

  47. What beautiful photos, I so wish I was in Milan right now.

  48. I know this back!!!!!! haha MISS U!!!

  49. Elodie.

    Heey,
    so funny to see that YOU (my favorite blogger) have bought the shoes I sold on Vestiaire Collective ! This a 38, right ?
    haha, I love this “hasard”.
    Bisous from Paris.

  50. HA are you serious!? It is a size 38!

  51. Elodie.

    @Shini,
    Absolutely ! My name is also Elodie on VestiaireCollective so you can check :)

    I also would to ask you a question : I am studying fashion design and I am doing a dissertation about fashion blogs and the relation between new medias and fashion, for my diploma. Would you agree to answer few questions about your blogger activity ? (like an interview that I can send you by mail)
    Merci

  52. oh girl, I love your pictures so much but the real candy for me is always your texts at the end of the posts. so. funny.
    “cynicism stick”.. amazing!

  53. I love all photos! Beauty beauty beaty! You look amazing!

    xx
    biskvittka.blogspot.com

  54. These pictures are awesome!!!!

    http://www.afrenchinlosangeles.com/

  55. great pictures, nice shoes, Milan oh, what a lovely place!

  56. So many beautiful things in this post; I love Carrie’s pencil ring. :)

    xxx

  57. You’re always being whisked off here and there! So lucky! Can you pack me in your suitcase just once? I promise I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.

    How’s your hair maintenance? After just 5 weeks I feel like I need to trim mine already.

  58. Those shoes you’re wearing are amazing! the whole trip looks lovely.

  59. H!, Milan…I’m totally jealous!, Amazing pictures in the perfect setting! By the way, You look gorgeous in that stripped t-shirt and bold red lipstick!

    ¡Abrazos!
    Inés

    SimplyClassyMe.blogspot.com

  60. ayy_ayy

    wow, and now you ‘brought’ us to Milan..

    nice shot like usual. :)

  61. love the new park n cube look! Well, i like the fact that it’s more site-y looking, rather than the usual blog look, but please bring the old typography back! Paragraphs and h6 tags beg you for their good old arial! :)
    great job, keep it up shini!

  62. Thanks so much for the feedback! Always need to hear from users really.
    As for the font choice… I felt that NO ONE was reading the text because it was too tiny – especially the h6, so many people ask where xx is from while the information is staring at them in the face, well technically.
    WAIT- are you using mozilla? Looks like the new font isn’t rendering AT ALL, it’s not meant to be Times New Roman….ew

  63. It looks like such a lovely trip! You always make me want to go on holiday even if it’s for a short day trip. Love yours and Carries’s matching Breton stripes! Looking forward to seeing your Bottega Veneta bag!

  64. yes indeed, the font size was a little painful to read but it made the overal design very sleek, hehe.

    It was times new roman or something very similar and, yes, I am on mozila, but font changed now, so much better and readable.

    Also, two things about the comment section. The reply function doesn’t seem to be working for me and the form doesn’t let me leave the url area blank. :)

  65. Oooh yes, Firefox was just being a pain rendering font squirrel, but got that bug sorted!
    Regarding comments, I’ll have a look now!! I need to get you flowers or something for all this super useful feedback, thank you so so much!

  66. I love the new layout! So shiny and pretty keke great job Shini!
    However, in my opinion the always-visible top bar is a little redundant, I think I would just scroll up when I need it.

    Anyway, Milan through your lens was so beautifull, making me want to visit it once~

  67. […] enjoyed flipping through Shini’s photos from her recent trip to Milan on behalf of Bottega Veneta. What a beautiful city full of so many […]

  68. dsds

  69. Hehehe Love it! ^^

  70. Glad I can help! May I say one more thing? In my humble opinion, the background color and borders in the post page makes your beautiful photos look less classy than they are. The colors seem to work pretty well on the front page though. Have you considered making the photos full width (without the white borders) in the posts as well?

    Always with the best intentions ever! :)

  71. I really really appreciate that you’re giving me constructive crit, it’s so useful! As for the width of photos – the initial designs were that the photos fill the entire width (940), but because I’ve been blogging at 900px I’ve decided to leave it at that for consistency’s sake… I’ve considered for the width to simply be 900, but then that makes the page really narrow. HM, does it really take away the class? GAH.

  72. about the url thing, maybe you could edit the php so it doesn’t create a link when value is ‘Website or Blog’.

  73. Milan is always an inspirating font. Beautiful photos as always. I enjoy so much your posts!

  74. Woah, new layout! Overall, it looks a great, the typography works well. I also like that you put an option to read in classic view :) The only comments I have is that the change from light gray of the background to the white of the content area is quite jarring and the border emphasizes it. Maybe a slight shadow can lessen this? This is most apparent with the blog header (set in light gray) and then a shift to white when yo get to the blog post. Also, the comment box is a bit confusing. Hope my (unsolicited) comments help, hehe.

  75. Oh wow!! how beautiful images.. you are such a great photographer…. thanks for sharing your trip with us <3 .. Your shoes are fantastic too

  76. I might be going to Milan this summer…it looks amazing in your pictures.

    Txell.

    http://meriandtxell.blogspot.com

  77. alex

    yay for the white background! :) looks great!

    one last comment, i swear. If I were you, i’d make the banner photo narrower. Of course, the 10×15 size is the best for photos, but I think that proportion works a bit awkardly for a rotating banner and a cropped size would suit better, maybe something that is big enough but not too narrow like the Vice Style banner?

  78. Yay! Ah you read my mind, just working on a few slides now so it doesn’t fill the entire top fold, thank you for the pointer nevertheless!! Mind you, changing the mechanism behind the comments php was just… yeah no words. It was a bit like learning Japanese to order a nut-free dish. Wish I had a coder sit next to me and do all the jazz while I got cut papers into little snowflakes…
    Alex you’ve been ULTRA helpful, thank you for that – and please feel free to add more while you’re going through the site and finding discomfort! (still bits and pieces to be done, mind…)

  79. Seriously in awe of your photography skills and composition choices. So breathtaking.

  80. alex

    hehehe, I know what you mean! I’m no php-expert myself, but yay for google and the wordpress forum!

    Just checked the new banner and it’s great. Plus, the typography works really well!

    On a unrelated topic, I think I read somewhere that you used to design websites for yourself in your early teen years. Were you in the nova boards forum community? And what was your personal website’s name? I was into the personal-teen-website-world too and I’m your age, so maybe I remember you. :)

  81. I am totatlly in love with your blog, your post and beautiful pictures… you are really able to capture fashion & places souls!!!!
    come to visit me if you want!
    bikeandheels

    xxx

  82. Suddenly craving a trip along with a Chloe wallet. Gorgeous shots!

    xo/Allison

  83. […] the potential clients they bring with them, to the point where fashion companies with the clout of Bottega Veneta and Chloe are seeking out bloggers to comment on an event, a new item, basically, to generate publicity. […]

  84. Milano is a ‘must see city of the World’…wish i was there

  85. […] 1 SAIPUA,  2 Marie Antoinette, 3 VK. REES, 4 Mokkasin 5 Park & Cube 6 Mokkasin 7 Garance […]

  86. Great photos!!!

    Lili
    http://natcosmetics.blogspot.com/

  87. All of your photos are awesome!
    I’m just wondering how you processed them.
    I’ve been trying figure it out with my poor photoshop skill and got nothing close to yours.
    Well, it’d be great if you can share some tips.
    :)

  88. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!
    You and Carrie both look amazing in that striped top…and I love the rest of your outfits too!

    Seeing you gives me a little bit of hair envy Shini. I’ve been contemplating cutting my hair short like yours but I don’t think it would look the same. Your hair looks so cute and fluffy (for lack of a better term….fluffy is mean in the best way possible of course)!!

    Also, I hope you don’t mind me asking but where is your watch from? I’ve been looking for one that is large and not overly extravagant for a while now. Yours seems to fit the bill perfectly! I hope you won’t mind telling me where you got it (and hopefully its not too far out of my budget). :)

    Have an awesome day!

    ~Alice

  89. Hi hi Alice, you’re lovely thank you!
    The fluffiness in the hair might be due to the digital perm, if you live in London do check out JHair (posted here! http:parkandcube.com/j-hair-salon/) – if not all Asian (specifically Korean/Japanese) should do the procedures! Goodness I make it sound like some medical thing.

    The watch is actually from ASOS! It was £20 when I got it, but I can’t seem to find it anymore… it’s a bit sad actually, I lost the watch on my way back from Milan, so I recently just got this one – http://rstyle.me/ftjwvk6c which is similarly good in terms of price.

    Hope that helped!
    S x

  90. LCM

    Ahh, love these shots and the scrumptious bags and heels featured

    http://one-daysome-day.blogspot.com

  91. Wait a minute, a blog with great style, beautiful photos, AND funny and well written text?! This just can’t be! Maybe you really are from a mime school…

    Adore your shoes and the general beauty of this entire post. And word on the Italian light. I fell in love the first time I visited and I miss it like mad.

  92. Some really nice pictures !

  93. Love your blog so much ! <3
    I love your style and photograph ! :)

  94. Love the look and feel of the website.

    Absolutely fab pics, my next place to go is Milano and having looked at these pics I cannot wait! Any tips?

  95. I would donate more than one essential organ to own a Bottega Veneta bag. In the meantime, I will hold my breath until Parts II and III…

  96. Love the red lip.beautiful

  97. Chris Choi

    HOW DO YOU POST PROCESS YOUR PHOTOS????!!!!

  98. Chris Choi

    HOW DO YOU PHOTOSHOP YOUR PHOTOS????!!!!

  99. Milano is a beautiful city and you should see this city immediately… i think, wish i go there :(

  100. Very good pic’s.

  101. I enjoy, lead to I discovered just what I was having a look for. You have ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye