Craziest shades 2013

"I wear my sunglasses at night..." - this song has been playing in my mind since the weekend, and indeed, I often wear my shades for late night parties - it`s a great trick to keep the sharp look no matter how wild the nights gets (the true party monsters will understand). Of course, like all normal people I primarily wear my sunglasses to protect my eyes from the sun, but surely there are much more uses for them. In general sunglasses are great to hide behind, be it in the morning, when you sneak out for some fresh croissants or go shopping on a weekend afternoon, without bothering to fix up your face. In general I prefer classic glasses (wayfarers and aviators are my regular choice), but at times I feel like something quirky and original. Luckily this season there is no shortage of really crazy and amazing shades.

Prada

Dolce & Gabbana

Karen Walker

Anna Sui

DSquared 

Freaks and Troopers

Recently re-watching "Freaks and Geeks" (and yes I do believe it to be one of the best TV-shows ever and one to be most unjustly cancelled so early on), I realized that the main character Lindsay Weir`s look became significantly cooler than it was when I watched the show for the first time few years back. Why, she`s a clean-cut modern day fashionista! Her father`s old military jacket that hangs loose around her skinny shape and makes her look all freaky is one of the hottest must-haves of the season and apparently the next one too.

Who knew that the military trend that got hot several years ago wouldn't die as suddenly as it returned, but instead would grow far and wide until it blew out  of proportion. Khaki and camouflage-colored thick shirts and jackets dominate then stores, along with tops, pants, dresses and bags - all paying tribute to the military fashion. All that put together makes a gal look like a new recruit in an ill-fitted army suit, or, in worst case - a hobo.

As much as I`m a fan of tomboy style, I don`t believe that a hobo look is ever a good choice or has anything to do with good taste. And believe me, I tried. Seeing Lindsay Weir in the show inspired me to give the overhyped hobo jacket another chance. I went to my favorite stores and tried some of them on and result was the same - I just don't see it. But relax, I`m not really trying to kill the buzz for you - if you do enjoy the grunge army look, totally go for it. Just please, pair it with skinny jeans and converse, not baggy army pants and chunky boots with spikes - unless you`re indeed going to fight a war or joining a neighborhood gang. 

Though, I must confess, my rant about aggressive fashion trend with all those military outfits, spikes and leather has become too mainstream, and the true freaks (to which I do refer myself in some sense) can no longer wear any of that with pride. So I can`t help waiting for the day when the fashion world switches its focus to something else, and give all those cool attributes back to the wild kids.

Pajama party

Today is one of these autumn days that make you finally realize and feel in your bones – summer is over. It takes much longer to depart from Greece than some other places but it still inevitably succumbs to the conquering march of autumn. Just the other day you could still prance about in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and today I was freezing while hanging the laundry out to dry on the balcony, wearing leggings, a denim shirt and socks. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy it in many ways – I love watching the turbulent skies, thick clouds floating across it and the dark red sunset. But I enjoy it even more when I don’t really need to go anywhere on such a day – like today. In that case the best thing to do is get cosy on the bed or on the sofa, wearing a soft and warm pajamas, heating my hands on a hot cup of coffee or tea, and thinking of cooking some hearty warm-up meal like a tomato cream soup or a stew of ochre and meat. So that’s pretty much what I did – minus the cooking, since it would have required a trip to a supermarket (lazy, lazy me).

Speaking of pajamas, I have lived without one all year in Greece – yes I will certainly miss its warm climate – but now that I’m moving, I will most certainly need one. And it so happens that just today I spied the October lookbook of nightwear by OYSHO – I’ve always admired this brand’s boxer-shorts for girls and other pieces for causal home wear. But never went further than buying some underwear and a top from them. So I guess now the time has come to pick out one of Oysho’s pajamas.

And to complete the perfectly cosy outfit – I might go with this pair of boot-slippers by H&M.

Fall must-have list

Apparently the hardest part of the moving (see previous post) is over and I’m currently somewhat caught in between two lives – the one I had in Greece and the one I will have in this new place where I’m headed in less than two weeks. Having given up my flat in Athens I’m now chilling out at a hospitable home of my friends, with my bags stashed in every corner of the room. In the meantime September came to an end but I still made but a few (very few) seasonal purchases. What can you do, moving sometimes involves unexpected expenses plus I already have too much to ship and carry with me as it is, so it only makes sense to do all the shopping in the new place. Also, I’m moving into a very different climate and wardrobe will have to be adjusted accordingly. Either way I have a pretty good idea regarding the things I certainly cannot do without this season – some of them I already own, others are to be obtained “ as soon as.”

1. Leather biker jacket

Looks like the studded black leather jacket which I got two years ago at Zara was a very smart investment indeed. Surely I wouldn’t mind having this one from Balmain as well, but, apart from being unaffordable to me, it’s also a bit too flashy while mine suits any occasion and goes with everything.

2. Mustard Yellow

Completely in love with mustard yellow this fall. And since I don’t own a single piece in this color yet, I need a splash of this in my life ASAP! A sweater or a cardigan for starters, probably tights too and maybe even a bag.

3. Leather pants

A definite must-have for a sleek rock-chick look that's so IN this season and has been a favorite of mine for years. Of course a pair of genuine leather pants of good quality (any other kind would inevitably stretch in all the wrong places and fast) would be pricy, but lucky for me H&M made a perfect alternative this fall - pants/treggings of faux leather with black elastane stripes running down the outer sides of legs. I wasted no time in getting my pair – I sense that H&M would quickly run out of them, at least in the popular sizes.

4. Long-sleeve shirts

Certainly shirts never go out of fashion, but with the whole androgyny trend now growing stronger every day, they really took center stage. To such an extent that even I, who never seemed to like myself in shirts before, gave in and added a denim number to my wardrobe still back in spring, and most recently a semi-silk champagne colored shirt that I snatched at Zara’s summer sale.

5. Kohl & Eyeliner

Sixties look is making a major comeback right now and what says “sixities” better than generously lined eyes and super long eyelashes? I’ve been an eyeliner fan for a while now, and with black kohl and black feltpen-eyeliner lying ready in my makeup bag, I’m anxious to experiment with even bolder lines this fall – at least for my evening look.

6. Lace boots

When moving to Greece I didn’t bother bringing more than a single pair of boots with me – it may have been a bit of an oversight, but I was already paying a lot for extra kilos in my luggage, and shoes are the heaviest part of the whole thing. So now that I’m going to live in a climate where boots are not just a fashion statement but also a necessity, I’m simply lusting over a pair of boots such as these. It’s practically urgent!

7. Boyfriend Jeans

I’ve been wearing ONLY skinny jeans for the past few years, always feeling that any other kind of pants made me look big. Well, I think now I’m finally ready to try on a grungier look, inspired by fall collections of Paul Smith and DSquared. Plus boyfriend jeans are a key element for cool urban layering that I’m so into this season.

8. Dramatic nail polish

The trend for bright, statement nails is clearly here to stay, however the neon shades that were so hot last spring/summer are now giving way to darker, deeper, more dramatic colors. Which means it’s time to expand my nail polish collection. Black appears to be the hit of the season, but I find it way too goth – dark blue, green and red is the way to go for me.

Moving house, moving countries

Yep, this is really happening. I’ve been in Greece only for a year and already have to move on. Whatchagonnado… Unfortunately the Greek job market situation is currently very unfavorable (to put it mildly), especially for young professionals who wish to earn their worth and be able grow, let alone the ones who barely speak any Greek (like myself) while actually dealing in the language business. What can I say, Greek isn’t easy and while I could surely learn to speak it tolerably, I certainly could never write in it, thus my job options as a writer here would always be limited. Anyway, new country – new start and I have a really good feeling about this one. As for what particular place I’m talking about, let me tell you when I get there;)

In the meantime I’m facing a pretty difficult task of moving house. I’ve done it once before (when I left for Greece), but then I was leaving my very own apartment, which means I could leave behind whatever I couldn’t take with me. The current situation is quite the opposite.

It’s most amazing how much stuff gets accumulated in the apartment after just one year! Especially if two people are contributing. And the necessity to remove all of that out of the apartment without simply tossing it in the trash is honestly overwhelming. First of all I need to sell my sofa, bed, fridge and washing machine. To be honest I find it decidedly annoying that Greeks only want to rent empty apartments, instead of furnished ones, which makes the moving so much tougher. By now I’m ready to shout from the window: “Guys, buy my stuff already!” because I kinda have to move out in two weeks… Another big task, besides selling, is sending all the remaining stuff (which no way can fit in plane luggage) over to where I’m headed. That’s why I spent today hunting down empty carton boxes next to supermarkets in the area – to pack up everything and get an accurate estimate of the shipment cost. But from the info I’ve collected already it sure isn’t going to be cheap either way. And finally I need to pass all the stuff that’s too inexpensive to actually sell as used items (like an iron, a blender and other kitchen stuff) into good hands.

Speaking of “good hands,” I’ve got two issues of British Vogue (December 2010 and March 2011) and three of French Vogue (March, July and August 2011) and also a bunch of Empires, and I as much as I love them, I just can’t afford adding some heavy magazines to my big pile of stuff. So, if any of you Athens girls and boys wishes to claim them, let me know! It’s an unconditional giveaway!

In the meantime I’ll continue daily digging myself out of the mess that my apartment is now, and sorting things in bags and boxes and dealing with other issues … and sleeping on the couch as if I’m just crashing here temporarily – that’s what it feels like these days anyway.

And one last thing. Permit me Athens girls and boys to ask you a favor. In case you’re looking to buy a washing machine, a bed or a sofa, or in case you know someone who does, be so kind as to check out the links  below. I’m sure we could come up with some mutually beneficial bargains. And, naturally, I would highly appreciate any advice in this matter. Help the poor foreigner, please!

http://www.xe.gr/epipla/kanapedes-salonioy-trapezarias%7Cad-5681166.html

http://www.xe.gr/spiti-kipos/plyntiria-royxon%7Cad-5680972.html

http://www.xe.gr/epipla/krevatia%7Cad-5882881.html

Heat & sales

This week in Athens has been really hot – and when I say hot, I mean HOT! it was the first such heat this summer, and I’m really finding it hard to handle. In this kind if weather you really NEED to be somewhere by the seaside, where there is at least some breeze to refresh you and you can jump into the water to cool off as often as you want. But sitting inside the apartment, constantly perspiring, unwilling to move and unable to think and really focus on anything – that’s quite a test. It’s like being mildly tired – but all the time. That’s also the reason why I haven’t written any proper posts for a while, and I do have ideas – but damn, realizing them feels like too much energy.

But what do you do at a time like that (apart from showering every now and then, drinking copious amounts of water and being a total couch sloth)? Stalk the internet sales of course! That sure doesn’t require much brainwork – though turning off your head completely would neither do, cause you may easily overspend.

The real dilemma of sales for me is, however, that they kind of force you to shop (no matter what your financial situation is at the moment) – since if you don’t, you will feel guilty for missing out on all those great deals later. Also, during sales, I get easily seduced by things I wouldn’t normally consider buying – if they weren’t so cheap that is. So trying hard to stop myself from purchasing yet another pair of shorts (because I don’t yet own that particular style) or some kinda cute bag, I came up with the following shortlist.

On ASOS I “saved for later” those two pairs of ankle booties – I’ve wanted boots like that since February, and while I almost never buy clothes ahead of the season, the “saver” factor here is crucial. So now all I need is decide between Blink Western Boots (left) and Rocketdog Rancher Boots. Any thoughts?

I also think of adding this really cool top to the order:

With ASOS I really need to hurry – there is an extra 10% discount available that runs out this weekend!

I have also put away a few cute items at Topshop:

The dress and jumpsuit are incredibly sexy (adore), and the earrings and crochet shorts are so hippy chic. Also, since at Topshop you need to pay for delivery – 6 pounds for Greece (unless the order is 75 pounds or more, and I’m shopping “cheap deals” here)

Ah the sales, you really drive me crazy. On another note, despite all this heat, I will still go now and try to have a nice workout at the gym. Luckily it’s just a five minute walk away and air-conditioning is on in there. Since I’m seriously hoping to get away to the beach for a week or two (namely, to the island of Samos) – a bikini body is an order.

Some brand new summer necessities

This would be a second post dedicated to my recent trip to Cyprus. But I guess it only makes sense – as any faithful fashion and lifestyle blogger I couldn’t come back from a trip to a cool place like that carrying only impressions and photographs to share. I got some new goodies as well and, coincidentally, they all happen to be pretty basic summer necessities, and, I must add, all are good bargains! 

1. Bracelets

What ManRepeller likes to call with a charming word “arm party” is now fully on around my wrist! Bracelets are not all new – some of you may notice pieces from previous posts here – but three of them are, coming from an Indian Shop full of ethnic-themed goodies in Nicosia’s old town.

2. French Vogue

A proper Summer issue, as it covers both June and July. I have actually considered the other two latest Vogues (July issues) – namely British and American, but really, they were just way too thin and mostly filled with photographs that I’ve already seen online, therefore it didn’t seem like a good investment. In general I like the more provocative, somewhat arty and alternative approach of the Vogue Paris plus I can use it as reading material to improve my French – hence, added educational value! But there is an extra incentive to buy this issue – it’s totally dedicated to Greece. Vogue sure is romanticizing the Greek experience quite a lot – it’s mostly “movie Greece” that the magazine is describing, still if it manages to attract some extra tourists to Greece – way to go! Plus there are also quite realistic articles, such as those profiling a number of fashionably successful young Greek nationals. 

3. Sunnies

To be honest, these are not exactly my dream sunnies, but they were the best I could get when I desperately needed a pair. The story is simply this: my cheap sunglasses, which shape and color nonetheless was perfect for me, broke – a tiny screw went loose, and a part simply came off. I decided it was a sign for me to get that perfect pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers that I craved so much. But even though I found a store that sold them at a nice discount (!), there was nothing at all for me there. All the Wayfarer pairs that looked great from the first glance turned out to be strangely bent to the front in the glasses part – an absolutely unflattering design for my face. It was way too hot and I was too exhausted to walk all over town looking for new sunnies, so I ended up grabbing this very cheap pair at Stradivarius. After all I couldn’t stand all that sun without any sunglasses and I had still two more days in Cyprus and planning to go to the seaside the next day! So these little pair was my savior, and while I’m still on the lookout for my perfect sunnies, those will not be left and forgotten – after all they are undeniably cute. 

4. The Dress

What’s funny is that I actually came to Cyprus planning to buy a jumpsuit! I had an eye on the red, retro-styled one from Topshop (which they have in Cyprus unlike Greece), but as all other things I’ve spotted on Topshop website, it was completely absent from its two stores I visited in Nicosia. And then I came upon this dress at Zara – I actually posted in once on the blog, and have searched all Zaras in Athens for it, but it was nowhere to be found! And here I went into Zara shop in Nicosia, not really expecting to find anything I haven’t seen before, and there it was! It’s light, inexpensive and original – the outfit post starring it to follow sometime soon!

5. Rum

Now, I don’t want to sound like some sorta alcoholic, but really, a nice refreshing summer cocktail to unwind in the end of the day – it must be allowed (or at least I hope so). Indeed, a Mojito or a Margarita would be even better, but Cuba Libre is so much easier to make! That’s why we got just the thing for it at the Cyprus Duty Free – sugarcane Havana Club. Makes great drinks, I tell ya. Cheers!

Of hoarders, squanderers and label slaves

Yesterday, as I was going through the latest posts in my blogroll, I stumbled upon a blogger interview – it was a Chinese housewife lady showing off her numerous top designer possessions (nothing without a world famous logo), including a collection of Chanel bags – almost 40 all in all. And seeing that made me not so much impressed, or awestruck, as just somehow annoyed. It made me think of another such blogger interview I once saw – a very young girl with her totally insane collection of Birkin bags of all possible colors. It was somehow disturbing to think of this kid, who clearly haven’t worked a day in her life, throwing away money on some of the most expensive bags in the world. Who even needs that many bags of exactly same design? Frankly as I looked at the giant piles of bags of both of those “lucky” ladies I was seeing two label slaves. Despite the fact that a Hermes Birkin or a classic Chanel bag is an icon in the bag world, such a huge collection of them, in my opinion, has nothing to do with fashion or style. It’s an equivalent of ridiculous gold-&-diamond name-tags on thick golden chains worn by rappers – a demonstration of wealth. And what they call “collecting” I call hoarding and money squandering. But moreover, it makes me think how we all, fans of fashion and style, sometimes shop way too much (and some of those things we barely wear) rather than spend our money in more productive ways that enrich our lives, educate us and broaden our horizons.

Some of you may think it’s just envy. Well, I assure you, this rant has nothing to do with that. Sure, we all strive for a better level of life, and every now and then we may experience a little twitch of jealousy seeing a fellow fashion blogger showcasing outfits made up mostly or partly of designer labels, and actually getting lots of extra readers thanks to that. But I have no problem with that as long as a person uses his/her bigger-than-average shopping budget to put together a unique personal style, which the readers can use as a fashion inspiration – in the same way they do a fashion magazine, only blogs offer a much more personalized approach and that’s why we love them. Among the examples of such blogs are StyleScrapbook and ManRepeller. But if all a blogger does is invest into overhyped brands like Chanel, LV or Hermes and dump the pics of it on the blog page, it just looks like major boasting. Don’t take me wrong, I have all the respect for those brands, but honestly, hoarding items bearing world-famous designs and logos doesn’t require any taste, fashion sense and personal style – it only takes money.

Now, it sure sounds like I’m getting all critical on fellow bloggers and who am I to judge? Maybe, but I’m also a journalist, writer and a keen observer of social trends, which I tend to criticize in my articles if I feel they deserve it. And what I’m talking about here is exactly a fashion-related social issue. Fashion blogging world is a social structure of its own and while we all have different budgets and incomes – which is only normal – it should be more about style and individual approach to fashion, and less about “Look how many pricy bags I got!” I’m sorry, I just don’t see how any reader can benefit from this knowledge – you can view the same bags on the company website and in the Vogue and in better quality I bet.

Also I’ve noticed the biggest hoarders and squanderers are people who don’t understand the value of money (they never had to work hard to make them) or/and feel a constant need to show everyone how much they’ve got. And expectedly when it comes to labels these people go after the popular choices – something anyone can recognize. I, on the other hand, am all for originality and individuality when it comes to style and the world-famous designs, no matter how iconic and timeless, are anything but original. Frankly when I see yet another blogger flaunting one of those typical flashy Louis Vuitton bags – I’m bored to death. It’s like the most obvious IT bag choice in the world! How about using your imagination?

Now I’m not trying to preach anything and tell you to stop buying stuff, or buy less, or buy less bags. It’s everybody’s own business. In fact, recently rummaging through my wardrobe – I’m pretty sure it’s quite tiny by fashion blogger standards – I felt guilty for all my hoarding. And that’s considering I moved from Ukraine to Greece last year, bringing less than a third of my wardrobe with me and I shopped only occasionally throughout the year! It’s still too much. And I don’t want to be a hoarder and I don’t want my life to be about things. And even if one day I do complete one of those many novels I’ve started at different times and it becomes a bestseller or sell a script for good money, I’m sure I’d find a better use for it than buying 50 bags of the same designer like your typical label slave. After all I’m blessed with some good taste, common sense, creativity and imagination as I’m sure all of you, my favorite bloggers and readers are! And for someone who doesn’t have that – well then piling bags may be the only solution…

That’s what I’m talkin’ about ))

STYLE OBSESSION: 50's swimwear

While I'm not much of a vintage girl in my everyday clothing, I'm totally in love with vintage, 50's style-influenced swimsuits and bikinis. In fact last summer I got myself a very 50's piece from NEXT - red with white polka dots and padded bra. That was a bit of an impulse purchase but I'm more than happy to see that the vintage swimwear fashion has grown even stronger this summer! What's best about those 50's style pieces is they can do wonders to your figure if chosen right! For instance, padded and layered tops can add volume to the upper part of your body (if desired), while high wasted bottoms and swimsuits can hide those extra centimetres on your sides and belly turning you into a gorgeous pin-up girl!

ASOS

TOPSHOP

ASOS

ASOS

ASOS

TOPSHOP

NEED SUPPLY

DIY shorts, gladiators and a clock-camera

I finally got around to shooting the latest arrivals to my wardrobe. Two of them are the result of my first ever shopping at ASOS - I know, right? But, better later than never... Anyway, I'm happy to say the "test" was successful - my package arrived within five days which is pretty rad for a free delivery (in case you didn't know - it works for anything you buy, no minimum spend required).

One of the ASOS goodies is this cream-colored t-shirt. It's pretty simple and minimalistic, but I'm all about such loose, neutral-colored and slightly sheer tops right now, so it immediately became one of the key pieces in my summer style.

The second ASOS item is this camera pendant necklace fitted with a clock. I have wanted a camera-necklace for a while now, but I didn't expect to find one which can also tell time apart from simply looking cool!

Finally the third new goody is this color-blocking pair of sandals. They are from a Greek brandFULLAH SUGAH. They have a really great collection of summer footwear, I'm especially in love with their wedges! But I also needed a pair of new summer flats, since my ALDO gladiator sandals acquired a rather worn look after two years. Initially I was after Fullah Sugah's jelly sandals which I spied on their website, but upon a closer inspection they turned out way too shiny and sparkly from all the sequins glued to them - that's really not my style. And then I spotted this pair below - now they are much more me! I've also tried them in red, but in the end went with the blue.

Oh, and as for the DIY short I've mentioned - I've made them out of my old H&M skinny jeans, that got too stretched for wear. They are nothing spectacular, yet it's the first time that I had the patience to carefully carve the shorts out to perfection - rather than just butcher some poor old jeans and as a result get something horrid and unwearable which happened a few times before...