Iceland! A Retrospective

As I mentioned way back when, my family spent a few days in Iceland between Christmas/Beyoncé visiting and the New Year. And as has now become family tradition, I filmed the trip to add to the growing collection of Strasburger trip movie memorabilia (a concept which I have discussed at length here) alongside: Southeast Asia, Cuba, the Stans, and Brazil.

Just a few months later (okay, seven), I've finally got around to editing it! But the tricky thing about this little Icelandic production is that we were no the island for approximately 62 hours, only 4 of which contained actual sunlight. Because Iceland in the winter is essentially the shadowland, it's a short film, but one full of the odd and beautiful sounds of Iceland's own Sigur Rós. Enjoy the stark scenery, and let it serve as a friendly reminder to embrace summer's warmth before we go back to the hell that is cold weather.

P.S. Stay tuned for the India video! But maybe don't hold your breath...

A Song of Ice(land) and Fire

Okay, so I didn't get around to following up on my gift guides which is INFURIATING because I had carefully chosen all the products for each person, but family time got the best of me and I decided not to spend my precious holiday time in front of the computer screen (one of my New Year's resolutions). Speaking of holidays, my parents surprised us with a trip to ICELAND which was AMAZING. It's a very cold, dark country (the sun rises at 10:30am and sets at 4pm in the winter...) but with beautiful people, stunning scenery, and delicious food. Also, fun fact, many of the Game of Thrones scenes is filmed there (think North of the Wall) so we even went on a GOT tour, I kid you not. In fact, the way our parents told us we were going was by gifting us a map of Westeros on Christmas Day. Needless to say none of us guessed "trip to Iceland" from the illustration, but cousin Harry was quick to point out our shortcomings. The cherry on top of the trip was the knowledge that Beyoncé and Jay Z had just been there to celebrate his birthday, so we were walking on hallowed ground indeed. I even swam in the exact same waters Queen B did at the famous Icelandic Blue Lagoon. I'm never bathing again.

A photo posted by chantal strasburger (@chantagold) on Dec 12, 2014 at 7:54am PST

Here are a few more snapshots of the Viking land.

 Thrift shopping with Selina at the must-visit Spuutnik in Reykjavik. Don't worry, I bought the coat.

 Explorer Roy

 Trolling the town's local music scene. The fam loved this band--def check them out: 1860

 

 THE NORTHERN LIGHTS!!! Not the best picture ever but insanely mesmerizing in person. 

 An example of a waterfall you would not want to fall into.

 

 

We spent New Year's in London and it was a wonderful end to an exciting and busy year. Here's to 2015!

Brazil + the World Cup!

Sitting on the shelves upstairs in my house in Austin are albums after albums filled with photographs of various travels from my childhood. Trips to Bali, Thailand, and the UK have thankfully all been physically manifested into books because my memories wouldn’t do them justice. But towards the late ‘90s, the documentation stops. Photo albums just aren’t a thing anymore. Sure, we still take pictures, but how many are being printed and placed methodically into heavy leather-bounds? Even the culture of picture-taking has changed. Freshmen year of college, I remember having my trusty, little red digital camera glued to my hand for EVERY SINGLE THING I ever did (interesting or not, and let’s be honest, most of them were not) before I gleefully uploaded them all onto Facebook. Today, however, you could be at the most exciting event of your life, but you're only limited to one Instagram. Just the one. Any more than that is seen as over-sharing or annoying and will just "clog up your friends' news feeds". 10 years from now, we will all look back at our major milestones with only one (highly-filtered) image to remember it by. 

What I’m trying to get at is that I can no longer rely on photographs as fulfilling souvenirs, so I have turned to video. Capturing little moments while traveling and putting it all together at the end is so much more satisfying as a means of looking back than your occasional #tbt pic from studying abroad in Shanghai. My only regret is that I didn’t start doing that sooner (imagine the possibilities!), but I now have a (hopefully growing...) collection of videos from trips around the world. The first one I made was for my dissertation on my textile research grant in Southeast Asia, followed by a family trip to Cuba, then the Stans, a Catskills adventure with my friends, and now (drumroll, please): the World Cup in Brazil!

This past summer the six of us spent some quality time in Recife, Brazil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Watching the games was exciting, to say the least, but there was also plenty of coconut water-sippin, food-eating, and beach-lounging that needed to be done as well. Returning from that country was not easy; once you get used to the lifestyle of fresh fruit on every street corner and spending your days reading and being with family, it’s makes coming back to the concrete jungle that much more painful. But I'm so thankful to have been given the chance to be in the middle of such a global phenomenon, even if it is the only sport-watching I do all year…

Check out the video below and try to forget about the depressingly cold weather outside.



And now I will conclude this post with the exact tendency I mentioned above: singular Instagrams!

That time that Teen Vogue regrammed this picture of Selina, Lorelei, and myself:

Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸Celebrate the red, white, and blue in style with tips from TeenVogue.com/fashion. #regram from @chantagold.

A photo posted by Teen Vogue (@teenvogue) on Jul 7, 2014 at 6:48am PDT

Re-hydrating:

Mondays, amiright?

A photo posted by chantal strasburger (@chantagold) on Jun 6, 2014 at 1:57pm PDT

The most spectacular sunsets:

Not tryna leave.

A photo posted by chantal strasburger (@chantagold) on Jul 7, 2014 at 5:21pm PDT

What we woke up to every morning *sigh*:

The Last Breakfast #tchau

A photo posted by chantal strasburger (@chantagold) on Jul 7, 2014 at 5:24am PDT

Stay tuned for the next installment—who knows what it will be! Perhaps India, or Bhutan, or maybe even Nepal? One can dream xx

Gift Guide Part III: For Your Sisters Who Write Novels in Spanish Villas, Skis Black Diamonds Like a Pro and Weekend In Bali

1. Anthropologie Florabunda Sleeping Bag  $188 Because if you're going to camp in the Colorado mountains you might as well camp in style. 

2. Anna Rabinowicz Agate Coasters $64 Making guests use coasters = official adult status.

3. Crosley Portable USB Turntable $160 So that they can try and be as cool as me (I have this one in orange.)

4. Fort Standard Bottle Opener $80 Saw this at the Of a Kind fair in Brooklyn last weekend. They are SO chic but just a little too pricey.  I was was dying to get one for the oldest sister even though there's currently an alcohol ban in Little India due to rioting #singaporeproblems. 

5. ASOS Foil Print Knit Beanie $10 I think this would genuinely make me leave my apartment in a snow storm just to be seen in it. And when you don't have an option because you have to go to class (sucks to suck) it'll ease the blow.

6. Ariella Elovic Illustration Pet Portraits $30 My roomate is the MOST talented- get one of these incredible personalized pet portraits (and the wrapping isn't bad either)! I think our dog Prada would like it. If she had emotions.

7. Angel Face Botanicals Flower Power Healing Salts $24 One of those gifts that would never be used because it's too beautiful to actually put in your bath. 

8. Marc Jacobs Nail Glaze in Snap Orange $18 It might not be fresh of the runway, but it's a small price to pay for a *designer* gift.

9. Aha Life Naked Sports Bra $40 THIS BRA LETS YOU TAN WHILE YOU EXERCISE. Vitamin D intake and calories burned? Yes please! (But don't forget the spf obvs.)

10. Sahalie McKenzie Fluff Knee Socks $21 More socks. A luxurious wool, cashmere and angora blend. mmmmmm.

11. Kate Spade Saturday The Small Weekender Bag in Cross Dots $160 The perfect feminine bag for those weekend getaways to the beach that they seem to take every weekend.  

12. Frank & Eileen Polka Dot Corduroy Bary Shirt $198 For that J.Crew lovin' tomboy in them.

13. Love Mae Reusable Deer Wall Decals $75 For when the little one goes off to college next year! Gotta snazz up the dorm room. 

14. Seventh Tree Soaps Owl Shaped Soap $13 Soaps in the shape of their favorite animals. Another product that you wouldn't actually ever use. 

15. Penguin Hard Cover Classics $20 Because when books are that pretty, you don't want to put them down. 

 xx

Gift Guide Part II: For Your Father Who Tuned Into ALL Of Your College Radio Shows No Matter What, Buys CDs From Local Musicians In Every Country He Travels To, And Somehow Knows Everything About Everything.

1. Random House "Rise and Fall of Apartheid" by Okwui Enwezor and Rory Bester $75 Just seems like one of those poignant and thought-provoking gifts in lieu of recent events (RIP).

2. Jonathan Adler Brass Devil Pencil Sharpener $95 It's gold and would look lovely on his desk.

3. Are Naturals Fresh Organic Bay Leaf Wreaths with Rosemary $40 Hang it up on the kitchen door for the holidays and continue to use it in your cooking for the rest of the year!

4. Blue Tree 14kt Gold-Plated Slinky $150 For that inner child.

5. J. Crew Marled Socks $17 Isn't it funny how when you're young socks are the worst gift ever and now they are literally the best?

6. This is Ground Cord Tacos $25 for five These leather pouches will stop all his chords from getting tangled. Also they're called tacos. ha ha.

7. Jawbone Mini Jambox $180 Upgrade his old Jambox to these brighter and shinier ones.

8. Mike's Hot Honey $10 Chili-infused honey made in Brooklyn. So whenever he eats it he'll think of his daughter and start crying.

9. We See Beauty Aphrodite of Milos Candle $190 Because why not.

10. MistoBox Case Coffee Roasters- Decaf Marvailla $16 "Fig, Raisin, Comforting" from Guatamala. For the man who only ever drinks decaf, which I will never understand.

11. Boutiques de Musées Leonardo Da Vinci Luggage Label $10 He'll look sophisticated and intellectual as he travels the world.

12. Fantastic Man Magazine $33 for two The older brother to The Gentlewoman (see Gift Guide Part I).

13. Two Tickets to the Monty Python 2014 Reunion Tour $300 Because this man taught you the importance of British comedy. 

14. Lone Flag Bradley Mountain Traveler's Mug $20 For when he visits me in Brooklyn. To fit in with the locals. And be hip.

15. Alexander Wang Black Croc Embossed Coaster Set $55 Feel swanky with designers' more cost-effective luxury items. 

And today is a SPECIAL Gift Guide post because it's also my father's Birthday! So gotta double up on the presents. Happy birthday to the best father I've ever had!! 

Gift Guide Part I: For Your Omniscient Mother Who Is Queen Of Style, Keeps You Up-to-Date On Exhibits At The Met and Daydreams With You About Moving To India

1. Terrain Block-Printed Tablecloth $348 Because you can never go wrong with block printing.

2. Free People Sleeve Shelter Armwarmer $98 Free People is perfect for that bohemian winter look.

3. The Riads of Marrakech by Elan Fleisher $43 Always a good idea to read up on cities before you go there (and we will go there).

4. Knuckle Case The Original $125 Perfect for a woman whose number one accessories are her phone cases.

5. Anthropologie Maharaja Men Pillow $78 One can never have too many pillows, amiright?

6. Ruan Hoffman Plates These aren't actually for sale but he's a phenomenal artist and one can dream.

7. Della Vintage Coral iPad Case $39 A beautiful print handmade in Hohoe, Ghana.

8. Of a Kind Brass Rivet Bangle $119 Of a Kind is a wonderful website- check it out. Expect a post about them soon. 

9. Blade's Natural Beauty Mountain Woman Tea $15 Notes of lemon balm, oats, nettle, damiana, chamomile and peppermint? Sold.

10. Heidi Klein Coconut Beach Candle $36 Because if you can't actually be at the beach, the next best thing would be smelling it, right? But the romanticized version of a beach. Not like dead fish and seaweed. That would be gross. 

11. The Gentlewoman $15 One of my favorite publications. Perfect for the most gentle woman in your life. Which would be your mother. 

12. Tom Ford Sahara Noir $150 Because Tom Ford is her favorite perfumer and because I can then steal it because he is now also mine.

13. Krochet Kids Intl. the Dixon Coinpurse $16 A company that empowers Ugandans to rise above poverty through the production of their hand-knit products. A gift that gives! Double karma!

14. Barneys Fornasetti Silenzio Candle $165 Because candles are perfect and so are sassy victorian women. 

Next Up: Daddy-o!

Postscript: Check out Gift Guides Part I, II, III, IV, V and VI from last year on my old blog Glitterature. 

ACL Style or Lack Thereof

 As I mentioned in a previous post, I was home for Austin City Limits last weekend. I had a fantastic time romping about with old friends, eating Chi'Lantro tacos (THE BEST), checking out new bands and reminiscing with old favorites (cough cough Okkervil River). But this year I also went armed with a camera in the effort of trying to get some good style shots of the blithe and sunburnt festival-goers (try being the operative word here).

 I'm ashamed to admit that it was an incredibly difficult endeavor. I figured running off between sets to snap a few pics would be a slice of cake but instead I missed half of Lissie trying to hunt people down. Yo Austin: Step. Up. Your. Game. People go to Coachella PURELY to be photographed for style blogs and probably don't even realize it's a music festival. Sure, ACL is about the music, but lets have some pride in our style, shall we? What happened to Keeping Austin Weird? 

Below are the few shining stars I came across, but next year, let's do better hm?

(P.S. Anyone beg to differ with me on this? Maybe all the Glamazons were trolling about while I was at Grimes. Who was killer btw.)

I cheated on this one because she's my friend Lauren but she's also super stylish so bonus points. Hi Lauren.

She also took my picture for her atx style blog. (Ha! Please ignore awkward stance.)

She was so sweet. Great texture/print mixing.

This girl was on every ACL style blog post. Way to be.

        

Crop tops for daysssss.

 

That low-V. Daring.

 

mmmm GoodPop.

Oh and here's a little collage of some atmosphere pics from the weekend taken by both myself and my dear friend Skinney after he gently commandeered my camera. Look out for him, he's a NatGeoPho in the making (I just made that term up, I think).

Annnnd the half of the Strasburger tribe that could make it <3

The Stans

During the month of August I had the most extraordinary experience traveling around Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan with the fam. Needless to say, I knew next to nothing about this part of the world- we just don't tend to cover much of Central Asia in the American education system. But each country was uniquely fascinating, from their role in the Silk Road to the influences that impacted their cultures ie. everyone speaks Russian in addition to local languages due to their inclusion in the former Soviet Union. Turkmenistan alone was mind-blowing; it's considered the North Korea of Central Asia and deserves it's own post, so keep an eye out for it. (For a head start, check out the extremely beautiful but incredibly bizarre city of Aşgabat.)

My amateur interest in filming trips started last summer when I was awarded a research grant to study textiles in Southeast Asia. I decided to make a short movie covering my experiences in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand (I watched the sun rise over Angkor Wat three consecutive mornings to get the perfect shot for the opening scene). I found that the video was such a wonderful souvenir that I did the same for a family trip to Cuba last winter. 

Throughout the Stans trip I captured footage of the ruins, monuments, mosques, madrasas, deserts and markets that we visited. I figured it would be an interesting insight into an area of the world relatively unknown to the West. Enjoy!

P.S. Make sure to watch it in HD.