How to dress in Rome, Italy

Rome in Aug/ Sept is HOT! Venice is a bit rainy and humid, cool in the nights BUT ROME IS SUNNY. Even though I wanted to dress up light, I realized you got to be stylish at the same time. So here are a few suggestions that I have put together on what to carry/ wear when planning a trip to Rome.

1. Slim Fitted Jeans  - I love straight fits and since it's a holiday, even the colors can be light! View it here
2. Carry a few light tops,they go with jeans or shorts, floral is perfect for summers! View it here
3. & 4. I absolutely love Diesel and love their light denims, I love the shorts and the dress (in case you go somewhere fancy, you may need a dress), taken these from SS 13 Diesel collection here

5. You'll need a few camisoles for sure, you can keep it simple yet stylish! View it here
6. Another airy top, although this one's a bit dressy. You never know where you may be heading in the evenings, casual yet chic. View it here
7. Other than Khaki & neutral shades of shorts, why not go for a something colorful and funky? I love these turquoise shorts and I think they look uber - cool. View them here
8. I love linens and I love the length of these shorts. Again, whites go with anything and everything, surely to add them in for any travel! View it here 
9. I'm a fan of Boat shoes and I think they go with Jeans or shorts and they are super comfy, there's lots to walk in Rome! Surely need them. View it here 
10. You can't just be carry closed shoes, you need those strappy sandals that go so well with dresses/ jeans/ shorts/ skirts and I love these yellow ones, they come in different colors - View it here


Now after all this planning, you surely cant go wrong with those accessories. Keep it simple and take stuff that goes with everything! Bags that can be carried on the arm, shoulder or can be a sling when required!

Check out the Coach Jewelry collection here 
Check out the Coach Handbag collection here

Macaron Love

Macaroons or Macaron - both are correct. One is the English way and the other French.

Macaron is a French/ Italian (origins are a bit confusing) delicacy, that is light, soft and creamy on the inside but crispy/ biscotti - like on the outside. It comes in different flavors and colors and is usually enjoyed during tea time.

Ingredients of a Macaron

The Macaron shells are made up of food coloring, ground almond (or almond powder), granulated sugar, icing sugar, and egg whites. The filling are of jam, buttercream, or ganache.

Laduree, the Parisian luxury pastry shop, invented the double decker macaron and the most famous Mickey Mouse Macaron.

The Mickey Mouse Macaron was made from three separate pastries: a large raspberry macaron for the head and smaller chocolate and vanilla macarons for the ears.

Another famous Parisian pastry chef, who is known for his exotic and bizarre flavor combination of macarons is Pierre Herme (who can make an olive oil and vanilla combination macaron?!)

(I love these different shaped Macarons with charms - Pierre Herme)

I particularly have only tried Fauchon in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, which I love and find extremely chic for chocolates, pastries, macaroons, breads and French cuisine (I love gifting people Fauchon), however I must visit the Laduree in Dubai Mall.

Fauchon

Locations in Dubai, UAE

Pierre Herme is located on the ground floor of Galleries Lafayette, Dubai Mall - it's a small yet stylish kiosk.

Laduree is located on Level 1, next to the Fashion Avenue, in Dubai Mall - it's a cafe and is an outlet by itself (+9714 339 8520)

Fauchon is located in the Fashion Dome section of Mall of the Emirates, Dubai on the ground floor (+9714 399 0289)

Fauchon In Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Pierre Herme in Dubai

Macaron inspired Fashion

Macaron Bag by Kenzo

Macaron Pill Box (Purchase it here - http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Macaron-Pill-Box/3303_014/519163.html)

Macaron Trinket Box by The Two's Company

Cosmetic Pouch [Buy it here - http://www.zazzle.com.au/french_macaroons_wristlets-223390700946018688]

Agree or Disagree?

Hotel Unico in Madrid

Reaching Madrid, we took a taxi to our quaint luxury boutique hotel - Hotel Unico on Salamanca Street, thankfully we had a print out of our reservation and hence, the location was easy to get to. Taxi drivers in Madrid barely speak English, or at least the ones we encountered. So it's good to always have your reservation print out or a location map of your hotel. 

Barrio De Salamanca, Madrid is a shopper's delight with high street fashion brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti & Mango to name a few as well as haute couture stores. It is a beautiful area to stay in with easy access to the Metro, bus stops or Taxis. There's lots of street side restaurants, cafes & bars and  it is surely an elite neighborhood.

Hotel Unico seemed like the perfect option for us with a very cozy waiting area at the lobby, creative black, white & cherry red interiors with a vintage - like feel, the reservation staff were friendly and informative and the breakfast was delicious and sufficient, served at the lawn. We took the junior suite, which had a small living area and a window. The highlight of the room was the bathroom as it was even bigger than our living area! 

Here is the website link - http://www.unicohotelmadrid.com/en/.

Street outside Hotel Unico, Barrio De Salamanca

The Breakfast area & the funky white chairs at Hotel Unico

Loved the flooring!

There's a reason why we never took the elevator..