If you follow me on Twitter, you will already know that a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to travel to Bologna, Italy to be apart of their
Blogville initiative.
Blogville, created by the tourist board of the Emilia Romagna region, gives bloggers the opportunity to stay at an apartment in the centre of Bologna and Rimini and live as the locals do.
When I was introduced to the project by my good friend and fellow travel buddy
Akeela Bhattay, I couldn't help but think the whole thing sounded a bit too good to be true! My sceptical horror movie-loving brain concluded that there had to be some sort of catch...either we were about to become the stars of Hostel 4 (how many of those films are there now? I'm very behind...), or we were going to sold into the black market of Italy. So I packed my bags and decided to go anyway - and boy, am I glad I did!
I saw so much in the few days I was in Bologna, so instead of boring you with a single long winded 30 page blog post, I've decided to break them up into delicious bite-sized parts. I don't know how many parts there are going to be in total as I'm just not that organised, so keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of weeks!
This post is going to be all about what I wore on my travels around Bologna, as this is a fashion blog after all. I warn you now - there are outfit photos of me in this post. If you regularly read my blog (thanks for that, by the way), you'll know I never do outfit posts, but my thinking is that as this was a special trip, special allowances must be made. Don't worry, this won't happen often...
In order to keep my suitcase as light as possible, I decided to take staple pieces that I knew I could rely on whatever the weather. Arguably the most important piece in my travel wardrobe was this amazing maxi dress from
HotSquash. Not only was it so comfortable and easy to wear, but it also features very clever material that keeps you cool in the heat! Genius or what? I really works too. I'll definitely be investing in more of their pieces for the summer...when we eventually get some heat!
I'm also so glad that I brought this hat from
H&M, as it proved to be a hair lifesaver! My hair is naturally very curly and turns into Jane Austin-style ringlets at the slightest sign of moisture, so this hat covered up the mess and also kept my face out of the sun - perfect!
I am officially in love with my
London Retro prescription sunglasses. As someone who is a bit scared of contact lenses but still wants to be able to see in the sun, they really made my trip. I love the wayfarer style frame, and they were so comfortable to wear all day. I have the exact same frame (the 'Shoreditch' to fit my East London stereotype), and I can't recommend them enough.
I also wore this paisley print maxi dress from
Uttam, as I love the fullness of it. The low cut also meant that I could possible catch a little bit of sun, although with my pale skin reflecting the rays that was never very likely...
What are your summer travel staples? I'd love to hear them!
That's all from Bologna for now, folks! Keep your eyes peeled for more very soon...
Much love,
Frankie
Swell Vintage
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