I spent time...starting a substack?
here we go I guess
well, here we are. seemingly we have all arrived to exactly where we started. figuratively I mean this in the sense that it feels as though we are at the early ages of blogging all over again with format-free emails. and I also mean this literally in the sense that as I write this I stand at the airport boarding a flight to take me home to new york after a year of studying in paris and traveling europe.
we’re gonna do a quick little intro and then get into the good stuff, and the reason we are all here in the first place. namely to just give an outlet for all the things I do, eat, read, see and shop that i’m sure my friends are tired of getting texts about.
my name is ellie groetelaars (@elliegroets to some who may be familiar with me on socials - instagram and tiktok ;)) . now that you can see my last name it’s easy to understand why it’s shortened. i’m a 27 year old who mainly hails from new york. that being said, i’ve really never lived anywhere long enough to call home so new york is somewhat self prescribed and i’m sticking to it. after I got pickpocketed on the subway, caught the guy and got my wallet back in front of the entire car I felt like I had the right of passage to consider myself a full-blown new yorker.
I just spent this past year studying fashion in paris and *chasing dreams*. now it’s time for me to put those dreams to practice as I promptly try to get employed upon my return wish me luck.
i’ve got a lot of things I love, but if I were to sum it all up, i’d say the thing I love to do the most is to live. and with that, consume. deep conversations, good food, music for the soul and perhaps most outwardly, great clothes.
I started a website a bit ago that need some definitive updating (working on it, don’t worry). it’s called ‘I spent time’ and it’s pretty self explanatory on what it centers around. to spell it out, it’s all the various things i’ve spent time doing and the information I have to share with the world about it. namely travel guides and internet finds but you never know what I may end up posting on there. seriously though the travel guides will come to be my bible for restaurant recommendations etc etc and hopefully will become yours too. I have a lot and I promise they’re good.
so I guess, now we just start..? here are some things i’ve spent my time consuming lately - enjoy and welcome!!
convincing myself I need a red sweater. along with the rest of the world. sue me.
hey, I used to say red was just not my thing, but I just don’t know if I can say that anymore considering one of my most searched for items in recent weeks has been for the perfect red piece to add to my wardrobe.
I don’t know if I can go full tomato though and feel as though chianti might be more my style. sharing both variations for whatever side of red you may fall on. after a bit of searching the existing wardrobe I have in my brain, I realized I do have a few great staples on the burgundy side of it all that i’m excited to break out for fall. one being a vintage suede duster coat and another being a cropped valentino blazer/top.
thank being said my google searches are still riddled with options and if i’m not going to buy them somebody has to!! front runner for me is this one from massimo dutti, the neckline is perfect and the color is slightly muted which I love. similar vibe with this one too. the wider neckline on the brandy melville option along with its color and most specifically it’s price-point makes it a must order (and in fact, I did order). also remembering I have a this waiting at my doorstep (reformation). if you’re looking for a little cardi action, ralph is not disappointing. also this.
if you’re not on the sweater bus but you are still looking for red, i’m loving this blouse from tae park (sleek and sexy) and also this simple tank that could be good under a blazer.
looping back to one more sweater and this one is men’s. which either means you buy it for yourself and wear it a bit oversized - or - you buy it for them and borrow (steal) it whenever you want. your choice.
that’s it for clothes for now because i’m realizing I could go on all day but thinking i’ll hold off on sharing my hunt for the perfect white tee for another time. also jeans and boots will come too.
how can I make my skin glow??
I was recently in copenhagen with a friend and man, everybody there is beautiful. the women are glowing and I simply need to know why. for one, they live in copenhagen and the i think the hygee lifestyle is simply paying off. doing my best to infuse that into my day to day. but for some real assistance, I asked a facialist in denmark what the secret is and she said peels. so I have gone down a hole and this is what i’m eyeing/purchased.
tata. vinoperfect. clarins. also these are some of the most highly recommended on the interweb but they are a bit pricey so do with it what you will.
and if you’re on the hunt for a cute travel bag for said peels (or other skincare) I am loving this bag. I originally went to purchase a travel cosmetics bag a month ago and wound up buying this instead which I now use as a clutch because who am I to let something this cute stay in my bathroom?
as I work through this i’m starting to panic about how to wrap it all up? do I just end it? do I have to include a concluding paragraph? what would my english teacher say?
don’t worry though i’m not done yet.
books! podcasts! music!
been consuming a lot of these lately between plane rides, long walks and just vibing.
this past month I have read some great books. there’s a mix of a few things which i’m always rotating between. it’s normally a mix of personal growth, novels and memoirs.
sunset - I came all this way to meet you - tell me how to be - heartsick - the school of life. I can truly recommend them all but sunset really touched me. and the school of life dropped some well timed knowledge into my brain and for that I am very happy.
if you want to see everything you can find what i’ve read and what’s next up here.
in my ears - listening to a lot of DRAMA and neil francis because i’m going to their concerts soon but also this is my early fall playlist where all my newest songs are going. I like them, maybe you don’t. I make a playlist or two like this every season. it’s a fun way to capture whatever vibe I was riding on at the time.
when i’m not listening to music or snooping in on random tourists as they try to navigate a new city, I am a podcast woman and these are a few i’ve listened to recently that I very much enjoyed. smartless doesn’t miss and neither does matthew mcconaughey. personal growth and mentality is big for me and both these hit the spot. also, I love allison bornstein for fashion advice and this episode was a good showcasing of her philosophies. forgot to mention i’m reading her book too (using it as a guide to slim down my closet).
okay the end is here and it’s not as stressful as I thought. thanks for reading!!
bouncing around topics for my next installment and will share one soon (aiming for either a weekly or bi-weekly cadence) but in the meantime you can check out my fall fashion essentials i will have on rotation and alllll links from this lil letter are here.
also daily outfits and random jargon are always up for the taking on my tiktok and instagram pages.
xx
e
oooo! one more thing, it’s my mom’s birthday today and I got her this lovely candle when in florence. the scent is truly made for fall with notes of spice and pumpkin and everything that makes you wanna get cozy. their holiday candle is next up on the list.