Hey there! Long time no see! That's right: I am finally back from the dead (or to be more precise: the sleep-deprived study hermits). The last two months I had to focus on writing my graduate thesis and passing my final exams in order to finish law school, and..... now I have! 

It is already the last week of 2014, so it is time for some looking back to this year's outfits. Hopefully I will be able to post a few more in 2015! 

Happy (Black) Friday everyone! I just wanted to wish all my American readers a belated happy Thanksgiving! I hope you ate lots of delicious food and had lots and lots to be thankful for! 

No Thanksgiving here in Holland of course, but only a week or so until Sinterklaas! As we don't have any small children anymore in our family we won't be really celibrating Sinterklaas this year. But maybe I'll just eat some (or a lot) kruidnoten and of course a T-shaped chocolate letter ;-) Unfortunately this year the whole celebration is overshadowed again with the whole debate about Zwarte Piet. If you'd like to learn more about Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet, don't forget to read last year's blog post!

Anyway, back to my outfit! During my recent trip to Poland,  I was very fortunate with the weather, although it was pretty cold. When visiting the Warsaw Uprising Museum I decided to ditch my new bulky padded winter coat from Zara and layer up instead. The black boots from Dune London are definitely my go-to footwear this winter! They are warm, sturdy and basically go with everything. 

If you are looking for some great-quality chunky knit sweaters, Banana Republic has some great options at the moment. I recently bought two, and I am wearing one of them here. Be aware though that they run big! 

I also think that H&M is really upping their game recently with a nice collection of good-quality affordable basics, like my current woollen gloves and chunky knit cap, so don't forget to check them out if you want to stock up on nice winter accessories! 

I love dressing for winter! :-D

I love how easy it is to dress when it is summer. You can just put on a dress and accessorise, and you're good to go! And of course a pair of platform wedges dress up any outfit! 

P.S.: Don't forget to follow Tatiana's shenanigans now on Instagram! 

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.

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!