Living in between two countries.

"Missing someone gets easier everyday because even though you are one day further from the last time you saw them,  you are one day closer to the next time you will." 

It's been a while since I wrote 'lines of life' post, mainly due to ironically, being busy with life. Last couple of days I have been trying to complete my move and all of the vast documentation which comes with it and hopefully finally settle here in Budapest, Hungary.

Recently I have taken upon a new, international assignment in my company, working in communications department and covering the whole region for particular product category which now brought me to Budapest. From here, I continue to travel each month to Barcelona, Spain where I work from in order to be able to spend some time with my boyfriend who lives and works - plays basketball there.

Both of us have a quit busy working and traveling schedule, especially him who practices twice a day and travels at least two up to four days a week, during the whole season, having only about 10 days vacation a year - not as glamorous as many might think professional athletes life to be.

 I am also traveling for work quite frequently to countries in Central Europe, but also, after my work day ends which is quite often late in the evening, I am working on my blog posts and blog's Facebook page my monthly print column and my weekly weekend Stylebooks and trying to spend as much time as possible with my dog Papi, who is quite spoiled and demanding for a one and a half year old dog.

So, how does this arrangement work and how long it will go along?

        Well, will see. So far, it works quite well. Distance has been one of the sacrifices we, as a couple, decided to make in order for us both to do what we love and this is the way we manage to have both at the same time, each our own careers and our relationship.

Another reason why it works is that we are very similar, as people, we are both young, driven and we easily adapt to new country, sports club and lifestyle, neither of us wouldn't want it any other way currently, my boyfriend would not want to be with a girl who is always by his side and living of him, with no personal goals, life, work or career.

Photo: Vogue Hellas

"For anything worth having one must pay the price, 

and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice"

 John Burroughs 

On the other hand, as hard as it is, and it gets hard, I spend a lot of time at the airports, I need to be extremely organized with my work and travel, manage two homes at the same time, cook, clean and still do something for myself occasionally....and I get tired, I get very tired and want to have a deadline, the end of this constant travel and being in a long distance relationship which is emotionally, physically and financially draining and wish for it to be more of a 'normal couple' life.

So what I do, at the times when it is the hardest, I try to listen to my heart and what it really tells me is not to give up...not to give up because it feels right and because it is worth of it.

Until we decide to settle at one location together and live more of an ordinary life, I will continue to collect my frequent flayer miles and hope that my heart won't fail me.

Embalaje para España: 5 traveling tips.

After spending last five days here in Dubrovnik with my boyfriend at his parents house, our Summer holiday is slowly coming to an end. Tonight we are traveling to Barcelona where we need to find an apartment, furnish it a bit and make it a home for him/us for next couple of seasons. For both of us next month or so will be quite stressful, important and tiresome transitional period with moving to new countries, settling in new apartments and a new working environment. 

Since I am a quite an experienced traveller, traveling abroad in average 1-2x a month or more depending on business needs and having lived in more then 3 countries in last ten years, I decided to post 5 easy traveling tips for all of your frequent fashion travelers. 

1. Carry on luggage. 

Carry on luggage can weigh up to 10kg with most airlines but it is always useful to check on your flight carrier website before the trip. Since my daily Lei Lou purse is quite big I can fit all of my carry on items in it. I usually carry my laptop in it, passport, valet, phones, camera, books, business cards, planner, toothbrush and toothpaste and more valuable jewelry. Also - when I have a transfer flight I always bring a spar outfit in carry on for the cases when my transfers are cutting close and there is a chance my luggage can be lost. If you are flying with discount carriers like easy-yet or Ryan-air bring some Euros in cash since they charge food and water in the plane separately. 

2. Dressing for the trip.

What you wear for the trip will obviously depend on the time of the year and nature of your trip. When I go to business trips and I need to go straight to the office from airport I travel in heels, shirt and pencil skirt with a cardigan, however when I travel on private arrangement like today, when its warm I travel in flats - chucks or ballet flats with jean shorts and button up or I just put on a t-shirt and bring cardigan or a soft scarf like the scull McQueen one on the photo bellow.

3. Key fashion pieces. 

What you bring at any trip again will depend on the nature of your trip but there might be some staples which are always useful. This is what I discovered to be the safest things to pack as a base: dark skinny jeans, white chucks, denim shorts, one pair of tights and one pair of light sweats. Little black dress, floral dress, one blue or white cotton button up, navy 3/4 pants, blue and white striped t-shirt, gray t-shirt and white and black tanks tops, 2 bikinis (black and one in color), leather jacket, 4 pairs of heels, flip-flops, 2 cardigans, 2 purses black and brown, black cotton pencil skirt and on top of all this couple of additional items which add personality to your look like jewelry, scarves, hats etc.

4. Packing luggage. 

I think after all these years I can say that I have became a pro in packing. I always bring one big red suitcase when staying somewhere for 5 days or more. I pack each of my shoes in a separate cotton bag, my underwear, bikinis and bra in its own cotton bags. First I fold the clothes (leaving a chunk of space for my cosmetic bag which is huge) and then I fill the spaces in between with wrapped shoes. I put purses and belts in  the big compartment in closing of the suitcase. 

5. Unpacking at destination. 

It is important to immediately unpack at destination, obviously not all of the suitcase but at least those pieces which wrinkle easily. Most of the hotels have spacey closets, iron available in the room, little net stand to lift up your suitcase and a clothing stand which helps keep your clothes which you plan to wear for the next day wrinkle free.

EXTRA TIP! 

Traveling with your pet.

Since I am moving to a new country where nobody will be able to babysit my dog while I am traveling, Papi will need to fly with me each month to Barcelona. Papi is a 14kg mid size dog so I am not able to bring him up with me in the cabin, he rather needs to travel in his cage as a luggage. I don't give Papi any food on the day of the flight, just water, I also don't give him any medicine to calm him down as I am not sure how the medicine would affect him during flight. It is important not to put any toys or any other items in his cage ( I suggest the one with plastic screws not the one with clips).

 If you plan to fly with your dog he needs to have a valid passport, update vaccinations and he needs to have a vet check (signed and stamped in his passport) done no longer then 7 days from the flight date. Here is where you can get all of the detailed guidelines for traveling with your pet. 

I hope you found these tips useful lovelies! :)

El hogar es donde esta el corazon....

The worst thing about going away 

is fighting every little piece of me which just wants to stay.

The hardest thing to do 

is leaving without being sure that giving my all is good enough for you.

The worst thing is the day before, 
when sadness silently floats around the room, 

next morning you come home to an empty house and can still smell around what's left of my perfume.

All the feelings which are left unsaid 

keep spinning around in different forms in my head.

While I am walking towards the plane 

trying to silence my heart and listen to my brain...

...I kind of wonder where is home?

….with you where my heart is …or there where I’m from….

Original or a knockoff?

Day: hot and miserable saturday
Emotional state: heartbreak( broken into pieces and doctors gave up on recesitating)
Guilty: knockoff who presented himself as an original


As Carrie Bradshaw said there are to L`s women look for in New York City, labels and love. I thought I found both. However, it is much easier to recognize a knockoff to experienced fashionista`s eye when it comes to labels than to love. Being hopeless romantic as I am I trusted, loved and cherished my New York found love. I cared for it better than for any shoes or a designer dress. I love it more than all the label pieces I have as well.


Unfortunately, when it comes to love there is no dry cleaning place, nor the detergent to clean it with, nor the store where you can return it for a brand new one or even the original, because when it comes to love pieces are unique. If you have bought a knockoff, trusted it to be the original, great quality and just what you needed and it ends up breaking and falling apart, there is nothing that can be done. Knockoff will stay a knockoff, that can not be changed.


So what to do now? You are left heartbroken, you feel disappointed, cheated on and miserable. Who`s fault is it? That is a hard question! Is it your fault for not knowing that this great looking, great quality original will quit on you the very first time it gets tough? Or is it his fault for deceiving you this whole time knowing that he is knockoff? But does it really matter?


At the end all that matters is money, right? It is the value of something you lost. I guess I found out what my monetary value is, how much am I worth to my "original" and that is what really makes me sad, that even love has its worth on the stock market.


~Kat

Long Distance Love

For more than two months now my boyfriend and I are forced to be in a long distance relationship. It is not easy, as you might imagine, but we are (read he is) handling it rather well. If we disregard the past four days which have been tragic, all in all I to managed the separation with minimal drama outbreaks (not counting PMS days).

Although I have never tried nor believed in maintaining a long distance relationship, when I met Ante, fell in love and we started planning our future together, the long distance period, which we knew it was coming seemed more like a puddle in the rain on our long walk to forever, where we knew we might get our shoes a bit wet, but they would dry before water would touch our feet.

Now, after stepping in the puddle I feel like I left home wearing my new purple suede Miu Miu flats forgetting all about the forecasted showers and I walked right through the middle of the puddle. I am actually standing in the middle of it right now. My flats are ruined, my feet are wet, I am staring at my feet and I can't move. Fucking rain.

While I am standing in the puddle, and staring at my ruined purple suede Miu Miu flats, I look up. Ante is holding my hand, standing on the edge of the puddle and smiling at me. He pulls me out of the puddle, tells me he loves me and promises we will go and get another pair of those purple flats.

We keep walking....and I realize...I would walk barefoot on the rain with him forever, as long as he would hold my hand.