STYLE OBSESSION: Shopper bags

I've always been a fan of BIG bags. And not so much because of style, but because of the freedom it grants me to carry all things I may need and still leaves extra space to squeeze in a water bottle, a cardigan if I get too hot or a magazine. Now lately I've been running around with a rather modestly-sized (by my standards) cross-body bag and it surely has it benefits, but recently I found myself falling deeply in love with the SHOPPER bags. Fact is I've never had a bag exactly like a shopper, also most of them are also supplied with an extra strap for cross-body wearing and of course, the allure of space inside is so hard to resist. The color-blocking shoppers by the Greek brand Fullah Sugah and the classy brown one from ASOS are among my top choices.

FULLAH SUGAH

FULLAH SUGAH

ASOS

ASOS

ASOS

FULLAH SUGAH

TOPSHOP

Honesty in online shopping

I fell in love with those FREE PEOPLE wedges the moment I saw them. I'm currently looking for a pair of wedges anyway, and those were some of the coolest sandals are saw so far, plus the price, Euro 62.35 fit in my price range just fine. And I might have already gone ahead and ordered them had I not spotted the "Reviews & Fitting" section, containing 2 comments. The first review was mild, though not especially favorable; the second was quite negative, criticizing a number of QUALITY aspects, and both ended with the authors claiming they'd be returning the shoes.

Naturally that cooled down my excitement, especially considering that I'm generally cautious about buying SHOES online - it's so unpredictable when it comes to feet! But at the same time I couldn't help thinking how thankful I was to Free People for not only allowing comments on their product pages, but also NOT deleting the negative ones! ONLINE shopping is a tricky world, full of possible mishaps, and it's nice when someone gives you a warning.

Of course there is every possibility that the 2 commentators were not truly honest, just feisty or annoyed with the store for whatever reason. But if they were right, they possibly saved me time and disappointment since I'm not a big fan of returning goods do the store, especially by mail and especially in Greece were the post office is only open 5 days a week till 2 p.m. I wish more ONLINE SHOPS where like Free People, but not likely - who wants bad publicity?

Vogue Brazil celebrates Kate Moss

Fronted by the nude cover I previously posted, May 2011 issue of VOGUE BRAZIL brings us a rather spectacular, many page-long editorial on KATE MOSS. Naturally I couldn't resist publishing at least some of the pics from it here. The steaming-hot photographs by Mario Testino speak for themselves - all I can add is that Miss Moss seems to be all over top-notch magazines this spring, as stunning as ever, which means that, despite all the gorgeous models out there, there is still no one to take her place.

i-D Mag promises a cool summer

Summer issue of i-D magazine has just hit the stores with its five cool covers showcasing images that will define the fashion and style this summer as well as some really perfect messages. So lets Live It, Work It, Breath It, Prove It and Own It with Behati Prinsloo by Matt Jones, Amber Valetta by Craig McDean, Stella Tennant by Paolo Roversi, Daphne Groeneveld by Dan Jackson and Kristen McMenamy by Josh Owens.

Carrie Bradshaw vs. Reality

I just got tipped off (by the heartIFB on Twitter in fact!) about a great column by a fellow blogger TheFremeny titled "Carrie Bradshaw Math." Truth is, even though I never bothered to actually "do the math" (for one thing I'm not a fan of math), I have been long bothered by the same question TheFremeny asks in her post: "How the hell could Carrie ever sustain her luxurious lifestyle by writing one single newspaper column a week?" Indeed there are plenty of moments in the show that are seriously far-fetched (to say the least), but OK, it's a movie - it's supposed to get kinda fairtalish from time to time. Yet, the gap between Carrie's lifestyle, her source of income and reality is far too BIG to ignore.

All three Carrie's girlfriends have presumably highly paid jobs - Miranda is a lawyer, Samantha does PR and later owns a PR company, and Charlotte is an art-dealer who later marries rich, then remarries to a successful lawyer - with a Park Avenue apartment as dowry from previous marriage. Carrie, on the other hand, only writes a newspaper article a week, apparently has no other incomes, yet she rents a very nice apartment in a very nice area, has a wardrobe full of top designer labels and of course a mountain of Manolos and other pricy shoes.

Now, unlike TheFremeny, I don't live in New York and can't knowingly speak of prices for everything or the paychecks of freelance columnists. But we live in the age of information so I can have some rough idea, plus I have personally known New Yorkers, among them journalists, who honestly said it's hard to sustain yourself on a journalist's salary even working full-time - you may want an extra job!

And here we have a lady who cannot realistically make more than a few thousand bucks a month, yet, she, almost like a biblical character, is able to stretch this modest amount 50-times its original size to cover all her luxurious needs from rent to shopping to dinners at top-notch restaurants and outings at best night clubs. Yes, allusions to Carrie being a shopoholic and the money problems she faces because of it are made a few times in the show, most memorably in the episode where she's being forced out of her apartment unless she buys it. But in the end she still has it easy - borrows money from friends and starts freelancing for Vogue - case closed. And of course the unexpected book deal followed soon after, clearly solving all of Carrie's cash problems for good.

I wonder how many independent women actually living and working in New York raised their eyebrows at the way Carrie hops though life without a care in the world (unless freshly heartbroken by Mr. Big), while most of them have to work hard dusk till dawn to even afford a small fraction of her lifestyle. I mean, would it have killed the show creators to give Carrie a full-time job as a fashion writer, editor, stylist etc. - who also writes her own column, or a writer who has already published a successful book? After all, if you make a character who is supposed to be an epitome of a successful single woman - aren't you supposed to make her seem a little more real?

It's funny how "Sex And the City" works so well as a show about relationships and free-spirited independent women - so much that it can even serve as therapy in time of personal life dramas - yet it so miserably fails when it comes to the more practical side of life, such as the skills of survival in New York or any other big city where life is expensive, competition is huge, and you have to do your best and work your hardest to even get a decent job with a decent salary. In that respect, compared to "SATC," "Devil Wears Prada" is a self-help book.

Let the sunshine in

I decided to celebrate the departure of a very nasty cold (I suffered for over a week!) with a very relaxed and unpretentious outfit post. Another cause for "celebration" is my new hair - today I've finally cut it, and more importantly, dyed it a bright red which was once my signature hair color, but which I haven't worn for almost two years. I just felt a strong need to make some noticeable change to my appearance - so here it is...

As for the outfit, that's how I love to dress lately in this springy yet not too hot weather when going shopping in the neighbourhood or just taking a walk. The denim shirt is one of the more recent purchases of mine and is clearly going to be viral in my wardrobe all summer (I'm loving it!). This VOLCOM t-shirt, on the other hand, is already a few years old and it still remains among my favorites for its original cut and cool print.

This ALDO is about the same age as the tee, and it does look worn on the back side, but I still love its unique design and ginger brown leather.

These two bracelets are my most recent purchase. Since I have fallen for the multiple handmade bracelets trend, I decided to start my collection in SAMOS where I spent my vacation only two weeks ago. There, in a small shop I browsed among dozens of handmade bracelets until I picked out those two beauties made from leather, string, wood and metal.

STYLE OBSESSION: Allegiance to the flag

In general, wearing a country's flag should be seen as an indication of the person's patriotism, however it's been long since American and British flags have become a symbol of the free-spirited, rebellious styles that were born in those countries and then spread across the globe. Flag prints seem especially hot this season - even Balmain included a number of American flag-printed tops into its wild spring collection. So I believe a printed-top such as the one from Zara or ASOS, shorts from Topshop and a pair of American flag Converse could fit in my casual summer wardrobe just fine!

ZARA

TOPSHOP

ASOS

CONVERSE

DR. MARTENS

BALMAIN

BLANCO

TOPSHOP

SASS&BIDE