Couch Florals

August 9, 2017

Couch Florals Tied Sleeves Top - Couch Florals / FOREVERVANNY.com Couch Florals Tied Sleeves Top - Couch Florals / FOREVERVANNY.com Salvatore Ferragamo Belluno Flower Heel - Couch Florals / FOREVERVANNY.com Couch Florals Tied Sleeves Top - Couch Florals / FOREVERVANNY.com
I have a hate love relationship with everything that’s trending lately. As much as I’ve tried to ignore florals, they’re just somehow creeping up in my wardrobe one after another.

Of course, the term ‘couch florals’ is coined to summarize up prints that feel a bit more vintage - and I couldn’t help but title this post ‘Couch Florals’ because it reminded me of this flower-printed couch that my parents got when we first moved into our New York apartment.

Lots of good memories on that couch, like the time my childhood friend and I would use it as our stage and sing our grades school hearts out to Usher’s ‘My Boo.’

I guess the thing with what you want and don’t want, as I realized growing older, is that life doesn’t really let you choose, but it gives you just the option to make the best of it or not. And memories, especial dear ones, hold them close. So that when you are forced to reconcile with what you hate, you have something that keeps your heart soft.


Top:  Topshop via Nordstrom
Pants: GRLFRND
Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo
Bag: Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic
Accessories: Fendi Bag Bug

Photos by Sandra L. and Christina L.



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Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic

August 7, 2017

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Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic / FOREVERVANNY.com
I get a lot of questions about what’s my favorite bag, or about this bag that I wear basically all the time. Although I don’t have a huge bag collection (mostly because I’m a shoe girl) I do have severals that I just ignore and wear this one ALL the time. Honestly, when I first got this Proenza Schouler, I mainly just thought that the front of the bag resembles car grills and it would make a great signature piece that goes with my name - Van (I hope you caught that).

The Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic is my all time favorite bag despite how it squeaks like a mouse during the colder months when the metal clasps rub against each other. Despite being almost 3 years old, I fall in love with it more and more after every wear.

So, with that in mind - this is not so much a 'bag review' but a 'bag appreciation' post and I hope it’ll give you some insights into seeing what an aged PS11 looks like.
Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic / FOREVERVANNY.com Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic / FOREVERVANNY.com Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic / FOREVERVANNY.com Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic / FOREVERVANNY.com Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic / FOREVERVANNY.com Proenza Schouler PS11 Mini Classic / FOREVERVANNY.com
I’ll start off by saying that I got this bag as a 21st birthday present, so this makes this bag 3 full years old. It’s been to a few different countries with me and is basically worn 300 out of 365 days a year. Every rust parts and scratches bring me back to a memory and it’s even more of a reason why I cherish this bag.

Although this is a PS11 Mini Classic (OG because it’s the prior version that has the D ring attached to the base of the bag), it’s a really good size bag for everyday use. I know you’ll be surprised when I tell you that it fits my Polaroid and a card case/wallet.

There was a point when this bag was super trendy, but even though it’s not anymore, it’s still quite an eye-catching bag that’s low-key. I don’t think there aren’t many people who can recognize it if they weren’t in the know about fashion.

I really can’t say anything about this bag at all so I’ll cut to the chase and list a few things that absolutely love about this bag.

The magnetic button closure is such a gem, it saves me the struggle of trying to close the bag, which a lot of trendy bags right now lacks. (AKA - if you read my Chloe Faye Mini review, you’ll know that that one is a pain).

I love the medium width strap, not too wide and not too skinny - it makes for such a comfortable day bag and another reason why I always bring it with me on travel.

I’m not a big fan of mixing gold and silver but I really like the metal mixing on this bag. It’s super versatile with my daily jewelry. There are a lot of “it” bags and trendy bags in the market lately, but I just haven’t found another quite like this one. It’s quite easy to fall in love with a pristine, brand new bag that you’ve been dying for - but I just thought it would be resourceful to share an aged bag so that you can get an idea of how it’ll weather over time.

For exact dimensions and specifics of the bag, you can simply compare here.

Tip: Proenza Schouler often have an annual sale where these go on sale for more than 40% off, so I suggest you keep an eye out for that if you’re interested in this bag.



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Cappadocia, Turkey

July 31, 2017

Hot Air Balloon Sunrise / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com
I would be lying if I told you if I didn’t come to Cappadocia because of all the photos of rising hot air balloons that filled the sky. In fact, I’ve actually been saving my hot air balloon experience for this exact moment.

You would think that there isn’t much to do in this remote area of the world, but that’s actually the beauty of it all. Cappadocia is generally a stop in one’s Turkey itinerary solely for this purpose, but I’m so glad I made it our only destination for a full 5 days.


Galerie Ikman / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com Turkish Tea Carpet Shop / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / FOREVERVANNY.com Magic Carpet Shop Galerie Ikman / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com Turkish Carpet Galerie Ikman ZIMMERMANN Mercer Flutter Frill Top / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com
Wearing: Zimmermann top, Black Crane linen skirt and Common Projects sneakers.

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Wearing: Loup Charmant waterfall dress, Mango slides, and Cult Gaia bamboo bag.

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Wearing: Free People dress, Mango slides and Cult Gaia bamboo bag.

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Wearing: Grana silk tank, Aritzia pants, Chanel WOC, and Salvatore Ferragamo flower heel slides.

Museum Hotel Lil'a / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com

We stayed at a pretty cave hotel called Sultan Cave Suites in the town called Goreme. It was conveniently located to the Open Air Museum and a few other attractions (Underground CityUchisar Castle, and Pigeon Valley).

While we were there, we were lucky that our hotel's restaurant, Seten, is actually one of the best in the area. We ate at the dining place on the first night and for the rest of the trip, we discovered that they were able to bring the food directly to our room. Nothing like being able to fine dine in your bath robe underneath the open sky.

It was probably not the best place to stargaze, but that’s what we did every night we were there. We would set up dinner on our cave hotel balcony and shared some food with the stray cats that came by, while the stars replace candle lights.

I've actually already shared most of the stories along the journey via Instagram, so I won't bore you with them again. But for the most part, we were there during a time right when Ramadan just finished, meaning everyone had returned home (elsewhere) for the holidays. We had the whole town practically to ourselves and although the sky wasn't filled with balloons, we still saw some of the best sunrises we've ever seen thanks to the valley landscape of the town (especially from Sunset Point). It was actually really hard NOT to wake up every day just to witness and have a humble Turkish breakfast at our hotel's rooftop that's covered with beautiful rugs and featured the best balloon view in town.

Goreme itself is quite quaint and charming in its own way. The people are so just so lovely and kind (I know, so opposite of the things the media will tell you about Turkey). Like every tourist location, people will ask you to come visit their shop and check out their restaurants, but no one was pushy or was I ever overwhelmed by people approaching me. In fact, it felt safer than Europe in my opinion.

I had the magic carpet shopping trip of my life at Galerie Ikman. I do have to say, I got really lucky because Shun and I left a great impression on the owner and his father, so we ended up getting a really good deal on a silk carpet. I highly recommend just coming to a shop being very respectful and genuinely curious to learn about the crafts of the people. We also got the whole place to ourselves to photograph and they even brought us tea to enjoy while we looked at a million carpets.

By now, it should be clear that I plan all of my travels around the restaurants and food places that I want to try. For Cappadocia, it was no exception. We discovered a cute homemade clay pot restaurant called Dibek for lunch, but some locals also recommended Sedef. In our short trip, we also got to fit in Lil'a, one of the top restaurants in Cappadocia located at the Museum Hotel in Uchisar. But having experienced a real local meal cooked and shared with some locals the day before, we definitely didn't see much of a difference in taste.


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Wearing: Madewell top, Amo Denim jeans, Common Projects sneakers, Ray-Ban hexagonal mirror sunnies, and Proenza Schouler PS11 bag.

Clay Pottery / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / FOREVERVANNY.com Pottery Spinning in Avanos / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com Pottery Making in Avanos / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com Turkish Cab / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / Sultan Cave Suites Hot Air Balloons, Cappadocia Turkey, Hot Air Balloons Turkey, Turkey Travels, Travel Photodiary Turkey, Cappadocia Goreme, Sultan Cave Suites / FOREVERVANNY.com

Personal growth is something that's hard to notice. Although I was only in Cappadocia for a week, I learned so many new things and discovered some pretty interesting things about myself that made me feel like I grew a lot in just a short period of time.

On the morning of my hot air balloon ride (we went with Voyagers Balloon), my stomach was quite queazy. I wasn't sure if I was actually going to be able to do it, but it was actually so peaceful. You could hardly tell you were that high up and it literally feels like you're softly floating despite the wind changes at different altitude layers. It was as magical as I hoped it would be and one of the highlights of my life so far.

I found my new calling for pottery spinning in the town of Avanos near Goreme. When I quit my job last July, I remember signing up for a class and somehow forgot and never made it. So this was something that really made me feel like the past year had come full circle.

Although I'm not much a nature activity person, the rock formations and the views from the top of many of the attractions in Goreme and Uchisar opened my eyes to the thrill of hiking.

My ability to connect and communicate with others who are different than I am have also improved drastically. As someone who speaks really fast and doesn't have much patience, I've learned to observe a little more and be more mindful of the way I talk so that I can better express what I'm saying when having a meaningful conversation with a local.

Going to Turkey was a pretty last minute and serendipitous decision for Shun and me, as it was the only location between New York and Tokyo that we could meet up conveniently. This trip to Cappadocia wasn't just another check off my bucket list, but a fulfilling one that I'll cherish for a while.


Hot Air Balloon Rising Goreme / Cappadocia, Turkey Photo Diary / FOREVERVANNY.com


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