I now have this spare room in my apartment that I want to turn into my very own (tiny) walk-in closet, but I still can't decide whether I want to go with the whole black/white clean Scandinavian look, or with the more classic, warm and soft style (the room is quite small, only 12' x 6.5', so I don't think it's wise to go with the dark and dramatic look :-P). What do you think? 

All pictures I found on Pinterest and are part of my 'Wonderful Walk-in Closets' board. If you're looking for some Closet 'Pinspiration' (or just want to look at ridiculously gorgeous closets), don't forget to check it out!

It has been hot as hell here in the Netherlands these past few days. Don't get me wrong, I love the sun! But having an A/C in the house right now would be SO nice. But although it is a bit too hot for it, I couldn't resist wearing my Tory Burch replikate to work this week, because, you know, it is just such a versatile and awesome dress! :-P

Unfortunately I don't have a good close-up of the earrings, but I bought them last month when I visited Mount Etna in Sicily. They're silver with matte black lava rock, so they match the dress perfectly! 

T.G.I.F.! 

The dress Kate wore when she visited the Blue Mountains during last April's Royal Tour was one of my all time favourites on Kate as soon as I saw it. It is perfect for both formal and informal occasions, making you look appropriately dressed both for the office and for a family barbecue, depending on what accessories you combine it with. 

Kate's original dress was quickly IDd as the 'Patrice' dress from Diane von Furstenberg (US$ 450), which features 3/4-length sleeves, a cross-over wrap front with self-fastening waist tie, a hidden side zipper and two pockets. The 'Patrice' is made of 100% no-stretch cotton and is unlined. 

Several weeks ago a few Kate blogs posted about this replikate on Ebay, that looked almost identical to the original one, but for a fraction of the price: US$ 59. That sounded almost too good to be true (replikates made in China tend to be too short for me, to not even talk about the abysmal quality), but I gave it a shot anyway and ordered it.

The package arrived very fast! After payment it only took about 10 days to arrive in the Netherlands. It came however, in a very tiny package, so I was afraid the dress would be very thin, and also: very wrinkled. Luckily though, both were not the case. 

Just a few facts about this replikate, to compare it to the original dress: it is made of 80% polyester and 20% silk and is lined with a white fabric made of 90% viscose and 10% silk. To be honest, I mostly notice the polyester and viscose, and not really any silk :-P The replikate is a faux-wrap dress, with a separate sash, a hidden zipper on the left side, and no pockets. But although there are a few design differences with the original 'Patrice' dress, I must say the Ebay dress is a really good replikate (I only noticed the differences when I researched the original dress for this post). 

I am 5'9" and usually a US 8, sometimes 10, and the XL I ordered fits me great, leaving a bit of room for me in case I gain a few pounds, so I'd say the XL is a solid US 10 (UK 14), which matches the size guide in the Ebay listing. 

The verdict:
I won't lie, so I'll tell you you won't fool anyone who knows a bit about fashion into thinking this is a real DvF dress. The craftsmanship and fabric are both alright, but definitely not DvF quality. But is it a good replikate worth your US$ 59? Absolutely!

You can buy the replikate here.

Hip, hip, hooray! I wish you a very happy 1st birthday, little Prince George! (My God, that year went by fast!)

It is always so lovely to see how inquisitive children can be! I feel that for parents it is really important to always stimulate their children's natural curiosity. William and Kate's choice to go to the Sensational Butterfly exhibit is really great in that aspect. I was always that child that kept asking "Why?... But why?.... But why?", which can be very annoying for any parent, I'm sure :-P But my parents always tried to answer me anyway. That way I knew it is always good to keep asking questions and never take anything for granted. Keep exploring, George!

As for the fashion in the photos: Kate wore her green 'Budding Heart Silk Tea Dress' (including baby spit on her shoulder, how cute :-P) by Suzannah (US $ 810) and her Kiki McDonough '18ct Yellow Gold and Diamond Hoops' (US$ 850)  and Annoushka 'Pearl drops' (US $ 505) combination earrings. 

I must say, that 'Budding Heart' dress by is really starting to grow on me. I didn't like it at first, but actually it is one of those rare dresses that looks flattering on pretty much EVERYONE, so below are a few replikate options.

So here is part two of my travelogue of Sicily (read part 1 here). After two days with quite some driving, the last three days the driving time was considerably shorter, traveling from Noto to Syracuse. 

We first wandered the (rather steep) streets of Noto, famous for its architectural masterpieces in Sicilian baroque style. Below a picture I took of the Cattedrale di San Nicolò di Mira, which has been restored in all its peachy glory, after it collapsed in 1996 due to structural weakening caused by an earthquake. It is just so beautiful!

Caffe Sicilia, in front of the cathedral, is world famous for its granita, so obviously felt obligated to order a few flavours (almond, wild strawberries and apricot), so I could report back to you (my life is hard...). Over the years I think I tasted my fair share of different ice creams, and theirs is definitely one of the best! Yum yum!

On the way to Sicily, we actually planned to stop for a swim at the beautiful Cavagrande natural reserve, but all the access roads were blocked. So when we arrived at Syracuse we checked their website to see what was going on. Turns out that the whole reserve was completely devastated by a large fire only a week before out arrival, and the entire Cavagrande reserve is closed until further notice. The fire was most likely started by arsonists. Why, why, WHY would someone do such a thing?!! These things make me so angry!

The rest of the day we spent in Syracuse, mainly on the island of Ortygia, doing some people-watching again at the Piazza del Duomo and eating spaghetti with ansjovis while enjoying the sunset. And yes, that pretty much was as heavenly as it sounds ;-)

In Syracuse I stayed at B&B Nostos, a modern and stylish small hotel situated a one-minute walk from the bridge to Ortygia. If you ever visit Syracuse, I would definitely recommend this B&B! It's affordable, there is free parking available, the service is great, the personnel speaks pretty fluently English, and the breakfast buffet offers a wide array of choices. 

The next day we tried our luck at another nature reserve, Pantalica, north-west of Syracuse. The reserve is known for the Necropoli di Pantalica, an extensive archeological site, with over 4000 rock-cut chamber tomb cemeteries dating from the 13th to the 7th centuries BC. 

The view there was really spectacular!

In the afternoon we arrived at our final hotel, Grand Hotel Baia Verde. It is situated on the lava rock beach of Catania, so it was the perfect place for a swim in the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean. 

I also tried to prove one can never be too white for a white bikini ;-)

Catania is situated at the foot of Mount Etna, which at almost 11,000 ft towers over the surrounding lands. So naturally on our last day in Sicily, a trip to the top was in order. 

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and so did my trip to Sicily :-( Luckily, I won't have to wait to long until the next trip, since I am going to England this August. So you can expect new travel posts pretty soon!

View from the plane of Mount Etna

And once again: I'm back, baby! Sicily was fun, interesting, and incredibly hot. Unfortunately, when arriving back home I was welcomed by wind, rain and Netherlands losing from Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals, so I'm a bit blue :-( 

Luckily I could look back to a great vacation with some nice holiday photos!

When we arrived at Catania Airport we picked up our rental car and first drove to Enna (tip: never hire from Greenmotion! We had an awful experience! We were ripped off, and they are totally oblivious to the term 'customer care', both at the counter in Catania and at their 'customer service' in the UK.) 

Luckily the rest of the holiday went pretty smoothly!

Jeans: Zara / Top: Mango / Shoes: Mint Velvet / Jacket: Tatiana's Delights on Etsy  / Scarf: Alice by Temperley
Belt: Mango / Bag: Longchamp / Sunglasses: H&M / Necklace: Cristalina 

Via the hilltop town of Enna we went to the Villa Romana del Casale, famous for its largest and most complex collection of Roman mosaic floors in the world. 

Dress: Mango / Hat: H&M / Flip flops: Havaianas / Earrings: Cristalina

If you ever want to spent the night in a hotel room that is completely over the top, B&B La Dolce Vita in Agrigento is a safe bet! I just couldn't say no to that awesome baroque bed when I came across it on Booking.com ! But apart from the crimson red and gold interior, their service is great too!

The next day though, I had rather a loud wake-up call....

After a yummy breakfast, the first stop of the day was at the 'Valle dei Templi', an extensive archeological site of ancient Greek temples and other architecture just outside the town of Agrigento. The photos pretty much speak for themselves. It was gorgeous!

After a 2.5 hour drive in our tiny Smart car, we arrived at the little baroque town of Ragusa. Very picturesque and a great atmosphere, so the perfect place to enjoy some 'Insalata Caprese'. 

After getting lost in all the wonderful small streets in Ragusa, we luckily still arrived just in time at the Kallikoros Resort, just outside Noto, for a quick swim in the pool!

To be continued in tomorrow's post!

My, my! We all do a lot of flying these days! So much so, that the 'airport outfit' is very much a thing. The thing to keep in mind though is that when traveling it is much more about being comfortable, than being fashionable. The perfect airport outfit combines both. But where to start?

Well, I'm off to Sicily for a few days, so expect some traveling posts the coming week! 

Just wanted to wish a very happy 4th of July to all my US followers! I might not be American, but hey, the Dutch flag is also red, white and blue, and I love the colour combination, so it's a good excuse ;-) 

Below some great appropriate items to wear. Maybe a bit late for me to post this today, but you guys seem to have enough other patriotic holidays during the year to get yourself one of these anyway!

While basically the whole world is watching the FIFA World Cup at the moment, we must not forget that there is currently also another iconic tournament: Wimbledon!

I really like tennis! And I love an event as tradition-filled as Wimbledon! So I really hope I will one day watch the Wimbledon Men's Finals at Centre Court (but that won't be anytime soon, have you seen how much such a ticket actually costs?! :-| ). Anyway, when watching a match at Wimbledon, it's actually less about the watching, and more about the 'being watched'. Which thankfully makes for some very stylish appearances, like today, when Kate FINALLY watched Andy Murray in the Royal Box! So, for some major Wimbledon outfit inspiration, lets take a look at three of the most stylish 'Wimbledon Women'. 

If your fashion motto is 'Make it simple, but significant', then Duchess Kate is your Wimbledon style buddy. Her outfits are basically always a combination of white and neutral elements. I am loving the 20s vintage tennis outfit vibe of the cable knit sweater dress! (Pssst! A great replikate of that dress can be found at the Tatiana's Delights Etsy shop!) 

Pippa usually goes for a somewhat more colourful look than her sister, although still very polished. Her go-to style is either a cashmere fine-knit dress, or a printed lightweight summer dress with complementing jacket. Both combined with a nice pair of wedge sandals!

As the girlfriend of Andy Murray, Kim Sears has been to an abundance of tennis matches. Her court side outfits are therefore a bit more laid-back, and she likes to make bolder fashion choices than the previous two ladies. 

I can't decide! I think all three definitely hit the mark when it comes to their Wimbledon wardrobes! 

Below you can find a few items that you can't really go wrong with if you're going to watch a tennis match in style.

And, the happy winner of the  'Pink 3D effect sweater' by Gasparre Cashmere giveaway is: Audrey Peace! Congrats Audrey! I've let Gasparre Cashmere know your address and size, and the sweater will be shipped to you within a few days! I hope you like it as much as I do!

In the end there were 662 entries, and only one sweater to give away, so unfortunately there were quite a lot of you who didn't win. And I so hate to disappoint people! :-( 

That's why I contacted Rebecca of Gasparre about this predicament I was in, and she agreed something had to be done. So thanks to her generosity I am happy to let you know that everyone who is still coveting this sweater, can now buy it with a 40% (!) discount, by using the code TatianasDelights at the check out.* That's right! That means you can now buy it for AU$ 216, instead of AU$ 360! (That's approx. US$ 205 / £120 / €150!)

So... what are you waiting for?! Get your ass over there and treat yourself to this amazing RepliKate! 

P.S. You should also really check out Rebecca McGeoch's personal style website. It's pretty great!

* This discount code only applies to the 3D effect crew neck sweater in pink. Please be aware that at Gasparre Cashmere, discounted items are not returnable.