Thursday 30 August 2012

buttons abroad lisbon: alfama district




Hello everyone! To continue on from day one in Lisbon, the second day of our trip we explored the Alfama district. We started of in Praca do Comercio, which is a pretty square with a monument in the centre, i'm not quite sure who the monument is off, so if anyone knows then do let us know! We found that Lisbon was full of lots of squares with monuments, which was rather nice. At the end of the square is the River Tagus, and you can see the 25th of April bridge and the jesus christ monument on the other side.

From there we decided to tackle the Alfama district on foot. If your not a walking person then the other option is via the notorious tram 28. A lot of literature on Lisbon warns you regarding the pick pockets on this tram and this was one of the reason's we decided to avoid taking the tram. The other being the Alfama district is one of Lisbon's oldest quarters, made up of postcard perfect white houses with orange roofs, on hilly narrowed cobblestoned streets, and the ideal way to explore, we thought anyway, was via foot.

We walked uphill towards St Georges castle, which sits high up in the hills, overlooking the city. On our journey we stopped off at various viewpoints or miradouro in portuguese, which offer stunning views over the city and river. We also stopped off and browsed in little touristy shops that are dotted around the castle. On the way up we came across Lisbon cathedral, which is beautiful building both from the outside and inside, and definitely worth a look in. 

One of the great things about exploring on foot is that you always discover hidden gems. One of the places we discovered was a terrace of a restaurant that we can't remember the name off! Well the restaurant used used part of the terrace for outdoor seating and the rest was free. We visited on many occasions during our trip and there was only ever a few other people there, mostly locals. This was one of our favourite places to sit for a while and enjoy the view, if you look up you can see St George's castle, to your left you can see the Tagus river, 25th of April bridge, jesus christ monument, the cathedral, and over the Alfama district and in front you have views over the city, and the best bit was it wasn't overcrowded with tourists. 

If you want to find the terrace then you need to go onto Rua da Madelena, you can get onto this street from Praca da Figuera which is one of the main squares (next to Rossio square),  if you find the tram stop for tram 12 and then walk straight ahead of you (away from the square) and then take the second right you will get onto Rua da Madelena, walk down this street as if your going towards the river, and on your left, not on the street but a little way in, you will see a supermarket called Pingo Doce, you want to head into the supermarket and  find the lift, take the lift to the top level, come out and to your left you will see the restaurant walk towards the restaurant and you will see the terrace on your left just past the lift.

We actually found the terrace from wondering around the streets near the castle, and then saw that there was a lift, thought we would take it down to see where it went, discovered the supermarket, decided to buy some ice cream, went back up to the terrace and enjoyed our icecreams with a nice view. If anyone knows the place we are talking about then please share details with us in the comments!

If you are keen to take a tram, there is another tram that goes up into the Alfama district, it's tram 12, we took this one just to experience a tram ride through those narrow hilly streets!

We hope you found this helpful and we'll be back next week with more pictures and stories from Lisbon!

Sita & Radha xoxo

Monday 27 August 2012

weekend up north


Hello Everyone! Hope your having a great long weekend, alternatively hope you had a great weekend if you did not have a bank holiday where you are. 

I went up north this weekend to visit some family. Now typically for a bank holiday weekend and classically for the north (well every time I go anyway)...yes you guessed it, it was pouring down with rain all of Saturday! Our first stop was Manchester, we actually did not go out anywhere due to the rain.  Instead we opted to stay indoors and I had a nice time catching up with my cousins, and also playing with my youngest cousin who is 4 years old and absolutely adorable! 

On Sunday we headed up to Morecambe to visit my aunt who recently moved there. I've been to Manchester many times but this was my first time visiting Morecambe. Luckily for us, the rain decided to settle come the afternoon and the sun made an appearance! we took the opportunity to head out for a walk along the coastline. The coast is actually quite beautiful and it was a shame that we didn't have more time to visit the lake district. Hopefully I will get a chance to go there again. I have travelled to many places abroad, but I feel like I haven't really explored the UK, even thou I live here! 

What did you get up to this weekend?

Sita xoxo

Friday 24 August 2012

peplum casual


Outfit 1: Top £28 Miss Selfridge | Jeans £38 Topshop | Earrings £4 Accessorize | Bag £120 Asos | Boots £70 Topshop
Outfit 2: Top £25 Topshop | Jeans £40 Topshop | Earrings £6 Accessorize | Bag £48 Accessorize | Boots £65 Asos

Hi everyone! Are you glad it's Friday? We are definitely glad it's Friday! It has been a very hectic week. It's bank holiday weekend here in the UK so we have Monday off as well! Yay! 

As promised we have two casual peplum looks. Hopefully they will give you some inspiration on how you can take this trend into autumn. Be sure to check out our dressy peplum looks to :) 

Which outfit did you like best? 

Enjoy the weekend everyone :) 

Sita & Radha xoxo 

the peplum: dressy outfit ideas

Outfit 1: Dress £50 Warehouse | Bracelet £16 Accessorize| Clutch £40 Accessorize | Shoes £50 Debenhams
Outfit 2: Top £32 Topshop | Leggings £18 Topshop | Earrings £2 Accessorize | Clutch £18 Topshop | Bootie £90 Aldo

During spring/summer we had a flashback to the 80's with the peplum making its way back on trend, quickly becoming the must-have silhouette for the season. The peplum trend continues into autumn/winter, and it's not hard to see why, with the attached overskirt helping to give that hourglass shape. 

We have two dressy looks for you, to provide you with inspiration on how to wear the peplum trend, from a girl's night out, to a date, to a party!

We shall be back tomorrow with some casual outfit ideas :) 

What do think of the peplum trend? Love or hate? 

Sita & Radha xoxo

Wednesday 22 August 2012

buttons abroad lisbon day 1



Hi Everyone! You may recall that we went on holiday to Lisbon during July, we have finally had a chance to go through the pictures, so we shall start sharing then with you!

Our first day commenced by waking up around 4am in the morning in order to get to the airport for our early flight. Suffice to say we mostly slept through the journey!

Once we arrived in Lisbon the first thing to hit us was the heat (after getting out of the air-conditioned airport of course!) It was so nice to step out into the sunshine, seeing as at that time it was constantly raining in England!

We decided to take the aerobus service to the hotel. The ticket is very well priced at only 3.50 euros, in addition you are able to use the ticket for 24 hours. There are three separate lines, going into the city centre, oriente (which is the Parque-das-Nacoes area) and  the third going to the financial district. They have a leaflet with a list of hotels and which stop you will need to get off at, and the stops are called out, so its easy enough to get off at the right stop.

The hotel we stayed at was the Hotel Miraparque, this is located near Marques de Pombal square, we got to the hotel two hours before the check in time, however they were nice enough to get our rooms ready for us early.

After freshening up with headed back out to explore, we decided to make use of the bus passes, and headed back to the airport and took the bus to the Parque-das-Nacoes area. After getting of the bus, cross a couple of roads, walk through the metro station area, and you'll come out on the other side and opposite, you'll find the Vasco Da Gama shopping centre.

Obviously we could not resist having a look in the shops, but surprisingly nothing was bought! If you head towards the end of the shopping centre and come out the other side, and head towards the river you can see the Vasco Da Gama bridge (the longest bridge in Europe).

This is also where the cable cars are located, you can see Radha in the picture above carefully manoeuvering herself along the walkway alongside the river. (In my defence there was a loud creaking sound as we walked over so was scared I'd fall in!)

The cable cars cost four euros to go one way, we decided to go only one way, but you can come back to where you started if you want. To be honest having sat on the cable cars we would not recommend them, you basically see what you see if you just walk along the river, there are no spectacular views.

After getting off the cable cars we walked through some gardens, to get back to the shopping centre and make our way back to the hotel on the bus.

The Parque-das-Nacoes area is also where the aquarium and casino are located, if that's something your interested in visiting.

We hope you found this useful. more pictures to come soon!

Sita & Radha xoxo

Tuesday 21 August 2012

different shades of grey




 cream polka dot peter pan collar blouse: ASDA £5
 grey scallop bottom skirt: Urban Outfitters £5
 grey studded and jewelled belt: Miss Selfridge £7
 grey pinstriped jacket: Urban Outfitters £20
 cream crocheted brogues: Debenhams £7.50 
grey leggings: El Cortes Ingles (Lisboa) 1.99 Euros

My outfit today matched the weather and my mood. Although I added some sparkle with the studded jewelled belt which I think completes the outfit. I absolutely love this jacket as it is tailored and a modern take on a tux jacket. I bought it from Urban Outfitters a few years ago in the sale for £20 and was gutted when it was further reduced to £10 a few weeks later! Just my luck! I hate it when that happens, don't you?!

Radha xoxo

Monday 20 August 2012

black & white: casual outfit

Black & White
All Items from Topshop | Rings: £10 | Bracelets: £10 | T-shirt: £22 | Leggings: £28 | Clutch: £18 | Eyeliner: £4 | Boots: £70 | Earrings: £12.50

Hey Everyone! How was everyone's Monday? Are you back to work today? I was back to work wishing the weekend had an extra day as it was so hectic!

I was attracted to these geometric black and white earrings on the topshop website, which inspired me to create an outfit around them, continuing with the black and white theme. I decided to stick with a casual, comfy outfit, but still keeping it stylish.I paired together a tee with some leggings (can't really go wrong), adding some boots and a clutch. For accessories I picked a few bracelets and rings, which can be stacked together.

Personally I don't think black and white is for me, I was really tempted to add a pop of colour!

What do you think of black and white outfits? Do you like them? Do you prefer something with a bit more colour?

Sita xoxo 

Saturday 18 August 2012

weekend wishlist

1. Boots £40: Topshop | 2. Dress £48: Topshop 3. Pearl Clutch £55: Accessorize | 4. Owl Purse £5: Accessorize | 5. Brogues £28: Accessorize | 6. Jacket £59: Monsoon | 7. Flats £26: Accessorize | 8. Earrings £8: Accessorize | 9. Shirt £37: Miss Selfridge

Happy Saturday Everyone! Hope your enjoying the beautiful sunshine :) One thing I enjoy doing when I have a few spare moments over the weekend, is having a browse online and lusting over pretty items that I may want to purchase when payday comes around. 

These are a few items I have my eye on. I definitely seem to be having a neutral scheme going on. I usually gravitate towards bold colours and my style reflects that, but recently I have been gearing more towards neutral shades and you will definitely be seeing more neutral shades in my outfits. 

Did you like the items on my wishlist? Which one is your favourite?

Sita xoxo 

Disclaimer: All images above do not belong to buttonsapart. Relevant links have been provided. 

Wednesday 15 August 2012

haul: primark, debenhams, monsoon, house of fraser

Debenhams £6.60 (sale) 
Debenhams £7 something (sale) 
Monsoon £13.50 (sale) 

Primark £10 
Primark £8 (sale) 

House of Fraser £24 (sale) 
Hey everyone! Over the last month I've not really done a big shop. However I have picked up a few things here and there, which I thought I would share with everyone. 

The items from Debenhams, Radha very kindly bought for me, so thank you. I have been wanting a pair of Wellie's for a while to wear when it's wet (which lets face it occurs quite often in the UK) and when I go for my walks out in the countryside, so I'm excited to finally have a pair! :) 

The items from Primark I just picked up last week so you should still be able to find them. Items from the other stores are sale items so Im not sure if they still will be in stores. I have already worn the primark dress so if you want to see how I styled it then be sure to check out my previous post


Hopefully you enjoyed my haul post. Which item was your favourite?

Sita xoxo

Monday 13 August 2012

pastel pinks, pretty florals and mercedes-benz world




My New Boyfriend 


My New Ride 
Hi Guys! Hope your well. I myself am very sad the weekend is over. I went down to Surrey for my friends engagement ceremony and decided to make a weekend out of it and stayed over at the Brookland Hotel & Spa for the night. The hotel is right next door to Mercedes-Benz world, so we couldn't leave without having a look around.

 I'm wearing a pretty pastel pink, floral dress that I just recently purchased from Primark. It's currently on sale for £8, so go have a look in your local Primark if you like it. I paired it with some white sandals from miss selfridge, some fake pearl earrings and my usual bag from urban outfitters, which you guys have seen many times now!

What did you get up to this weekend?

Sita xoxo 


Thursday 2 August 2012

purple shoes





Outfit Details 
Shirt: ASOS
Skirt: Primark 
Tights: River Island 
Shoes: New Look 




Happy Thursday guys! These are a few pictures of an outfit I wore before the move, but hadn't had the chance to upload. Do you like my purple shoes? (Please excuse the mess in the background!)

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Sita xoxo