Recently I’ve been on the road quite a lot. From London to The Netherlands, and all the way to Honk Kong and back. I’ve just started my Erasmus year abroad in Leiden – a small beautiful city in the South of Holland, and it was about time to update everyone with facts about my new home.

Leiden is also known as the hometown of Rembrandt and the seat of the oldest University in the Netherlands – Leiden University. Ranked the 8th in Europe and the 32nd in the World Ranking for Law, I am so happy to continue the 3rd year of my bachelor degree in such an amazing place.

Moving all my stuff from London was a struggle, and this was mostly due to my wardrobe… Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to half of my shoe collection and send them back to Romania, but I know we’ll be happily reunited when I return to London for my 4th year of studies. Therefore, my new collaboration with MAHI LEATHER  (Instagram: @mahileather) came exactly when I needed it the most as they helped me with an insanely spacious leather duffle travel bag. I had to transport almost my whole apartment to a new country, but I still did it with great style. Mahi Leather specially personalised the bag with my initials – KB. They also have a variety of leather items such as bags, laptop cases, make up holders, and they can all be personalised with any type of writing or logo. For any of these you can use my code: “WATERS”  for 5% discount!

They are the perfect brand for an active busy traveller.

For my outfit of the day, I worked around the bag as a central element and I created a sporty chic look. The Netherlands can be freezing cold, and because I really wanted to use the oversized Marlins t-shirt in combination with the mini fringe skirt, I had to put underneath a tight black turtleneck. Layering can always make your outfit look more interesting and unusual. On top I added my favourite metallic-pink puffer coat from TopShop and went for a pair of leather knee high boots.

Even though we are not part of the 70’s punk crowd, the 80’s grunge trend or trying to copy the typical Madonna style, 2017 had been all about reinterpreting fishnets. Fishnets are back in trend as a key piece for anyone who wants to add a little extra edge to their outfits.

I want to say a big thank you to my friend Caleb M, whom did such a great job in shooting and editing these photos — check his work on the @testshotmedia Instagram page.