My Fall shopping list

This year it is really short - just five items... but they will make all the difference...1. Green "almost pencil" skirt (Solar, www.solar-comapny.pl)

2. Oxford booties (D&G)

3. Coat with puff sleeves (Solar, www.solar-company.pl)

4. Long black gloves (to wear with a coat)

5. Old-gold color bag - the bigger the better (Benetton)

Philosophy of Style

Recently I came across the "Little Black Book of Style" by Nina Garcia (Fashion director of Elle US)... I know I know... I did not expect to like it, but to my surprise I found it quite entertaining and inspiring. It makes a great summer, and not only summer, reading.
When it comes to detailed advice and tips on finding one's style and building a wardrobe to last it provides a solid set of building blocks which can guide one's fashion choices and help solve both everyday and special occasion "what to wear" puzzles... I do not neccessarily agree with her when it comes to some advice - like that about "must-have" bags which include Chanel quilted bag and Hermes' Birkin bag... first one being truly awful and boring, while the price of other would feed an African village for 5 years...

What I found really inspiring and fresh was her down-to-earth and sensible approach to a personal style. Without much pomp she puts together a simple and easy to follow philosophy of personal fashion sense. And here I am totally in synch with her. She says:
"Style comes from knowing who you are and who you want to be in the world; it does not come from wanting to be somebody else"
"Style is personal. There is no herd to follow. There are no rules. There are no seasons. Style comes from within. (...) Every time you dress you assert some aspect of yoursef and your identity. In style you tell the world who you are, or at least a story of who you would like to be on that particular day"

I could not agree with her more - clothes, shoes, accessories are a wonderful medium to transform, define and redifine one's individualism and personality. They can make your day or ruin it completly... Finding a balance between "dressing who you are" and "dressing who you inspire to be" is an art that women master for years and years...

Just take a look around and I am sure you will notice tons of women (and men) who feel uncomfortable, and strangers in their own skin, or rather clothes... "Dress for success" and "Dress to impress" are only a few of the slogans that make people wear clothes they do not "feel". Of course there are rules to be followed and every situation requires a proper outfit, nevertheless being untrue to oneself can result in being dressed up and not just dressed.

H&M in Seattle - first impressions

I saw it. I shopped in it. And I quite like it. It occupies two floors in the new wing of Westfield mall and has all sections: women's, men's, baby/children's, maternity, accessories and lingerie...


From the perspective of an experienced "H&M shopper" the selection of clothes was not spectacular (at least the ones I liked) but let's attribute it to the "in between seasons" time... and let's be honest: H&M is not a "I like it all" store... It's more a "hunting ground" kind of a store - where one can find one good thing out of a thousand items...

Fortunately, accessories and basics are, as always, well equipped and very price competitive:-)

I ended up buying a black men's fedora, a scarf and several basic black t-shirts, and paid total of $35.00... a bargain.


Great thing to see was how packed the store was - although it was only 11:00am on a regular weekday... A tip: downstairs fitting rooms and registers are much less crowded - so pick your outfits and instead of waiting in endless queues upstairs take the escalator downstairs and you will be done in half the time...

One more thing: if you want to win a $50 gift certificate to H&M check out this site: http://www.nwsource.com/contests/ (Thanks for the scoops Jen!)

Japanese weekend

Today we spent an afternoon in Kubota Garden (kubota.org ) - 20 acres of tranquility, beauty and serenity... featuring Japanese gardening and Northwestern flora...

It is a perfect place to get lost in - with miles of wandering trails, waterfalls, ponds, bridges and mini-gardens. It was a great opportunity to dress in my Japanese kimono and look for zen...



I am wearing:

Japanese kimono - closet
Jeans - Forever21
Silver wristband - H&M
Top - closet
Belt - Reserved
Flats - BC at Macy's

QUARTET SERIES: Crazy about stripes

I was thinking about this blog, and how to make it different from all fashion blogs out there (at least the ones I know of) and inspiration came in the form of this striped black & white tunic (forever21.com)

The story is simple: as usual, when summer came I found that I had nothing to wear... and this tunic was my favorite summer find. I discovered that I wear it practically with anything and practically everywhere... to the movies, to the fancy dinner, to walk the dogs, to the club...

I must admit, though, that I have not figured out how to wear it to work:-) Any suggestions?

It's versatility is pretty much unlimited... and this was my inspiration: demonstrate that all clothes are like chameleons - on one hand they express our personality and style but on the other they themselves can be worn in variety of ways and dressed up or down, creating unique combinations. So I decided to start a QUARTET Series - demonstrating how one item can be worn in 4 different ways...

DATE & DINNER - elegant yet comfortable - perfect for an "after-dinner" walk on Alki Beach
I am wearing:

Tunic - Forever21

White sailor pants - Promode

Blue bag - secondhand
Golden wedge sandals - Venezia

Sweater - closet

Golden broche - mom's closet

DOG WALKING - 80's style urban chic

I am wearing:

Tunic - Forever21

Leggins - Nordstrom

Sandals - Steve Madden at Nordstrom

Messenger bag - Kazar

Bracelet - Reserved

Dog: Moby

CLUBBINNG - laid-back yet night-appropriate

I am wearing:

Tunic - Forever21

Skinny jeans - Forever21

Strappy sandals - Aldo

Pearl and chain necklaces - H&M

Bracelet - Target

SHOPPING - very free variation on 50's full skirt and babydoll dress...

I am wearing:

Tunic - Forever21

Skirt - Mom's closet

Red necklaces (one as a necklace, one as a bracelet) - Forever21

Espadril sandals - closet

Red bag - closet

Time for Picnic!

I love summers in Seattle - what better way to spend a lazy summer afternoon than picnicing in Seward Park?

Clothes had to be dog-proof, baby-proof and water-proof.

Here is my dog-baby-water-proof flirt with the 80's rock:

I am wearing:

Skirt - H&M

T-shirt - Forever 21

Sandals - Steve Madden at Nordstorm

Belt - Secondhand (Brussels)

Bead necklace - Forever 21

I am eating:

Mediterranea pizza from TuttaBella

Let's party!

Do you too experience neverending struggles with storage space?

It seems to me that no matter how big my closet is, my clothes do not fit in there.
Unless it were to look like this (though I will pass on the leopard skin)...

Source: www.californiaclosets.com

So I have started to think of organizing a clothing-swap party for myself and my girlfriends and getting rid of all too tight t-shirts, too short skirts and too-itchy sweaters... What is a swap party? In short it's a bunch of women getting together to trade their wares. And what's more it is one of the best ways to refresh one's closet and have a lot of fun without spending a penny...

I love this swap-party invitation I found on operahouse.com

The rules are simple:

1. It should feel like a true party: music, food and drinks are as important as clothes themselves

2. Everyone invited has to bring in items and accessories they do not wear anymore

3. "Not wear anymore" means anything that has not seen sunlight in the last two years or anything that does not fit anymore

4. It is good to create a "shopping ambiance" by setting up a real "showroom": sorting and placing items in categories (skirts in one area, shoes in another), displaying everything on racks (can be purchased in the Container Store) or countertops, and preparing "fitting rooms"

5. No clothing-swap party can be a success without a few big mirrors

6. Agree on "trading rules" and display them in a visible place. Possible rules include:

• For every one item contributed one item can be taken
• If two or more people see an item they want at the same time, desperately want it and negotiations are at a standstill, they must: draw straws OR toss a coin OR have each person model the item of clothing and have a vote OR have each person model the item in the most unexpected combination
• "Leftovers" will be donated to charity

Tweaks and twists:

1. Make it a theme party: black and white, seasonal etc.

2. Make it glamorous: serve sushi, champagne and a fancy dessert

3. Organize an auction

4. Set a "runway" to allow happy customers to present their newly acquired belongings

Well - the only thing to do is to choose clothes to give away...

I can already feel the separation axiety...

H&M is opening soon...

...and what's more interesting its Fall/Winter collection is created by Rei Kawakubo - founder and designer for Comme Des Garçons - Japanese master of deconstruction. Her Pret a Porter collection is kind of scary... with models looking like clones of Amy Winehouse in her maddest dreams...

Source: style.com

Luckily, her designs for H&M are much more down to earth... She says: "I have always been interested in the balance between creation and business. It is a dilemma, although for me creation has always been the first priority. It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M since it is a chance to take the dilemma to its extreme, and try to solve it"

Source: hm.com

My personal faves are:

Great coat for unpredictable Seattle weather

3/4 wide-leg pants will make my day in the office

Maybe my first blue piece? (except for jeans:-))

1930's futuristic fashion predictions

Found on YouTube...


Well, they have not predicted this:

Coats: Fall / WInter 2008 Collections Source: Style.com

I fell madly in love...

with Prada Fairy Bag by James Jean, in spite of the fact that it is the most "desirable" bag of entire Spring / Summer 2008 season...

My husband knows what to buy me if he ever wants to give me a diamond :-)

Ten Sales Commandments

It’s a sales season again!!!
Stores seduce us with reduced prices and life-time opportunities, and we, driven by our innate hunting instincts want to buy, buy, buy… It does not have to be scientifically proved that our (female) sense of reasoning is somehow affected by signs “Sale” and “50% off” or how Karen Homer, in her book “Things a Woman Should Know About Style”, puts it: “Just as your dull boyfriend becomes an Adonis when another woman looks at him, fighting the blond in the corner for a pair of orange satin-lycra disco trousers becomes a matter of life or death.”

Source: http://img.thesun.co.uk/

So although my closet is bursting at the seams I keep dreaming about submerging myself for a day in the deeps of Bellevue Square… But this year instead of doing so, I decided to take more cool-headed approach and hit the floor running well-armed in Ten Sales Commandments.
Here they are:

1. Do a closet inventory: analyze what you already have, what you need and what you want
2. Explore hunting options: do a reconnaissance of your favorite stores beforehand - in most cases store websites feature all items so you can do some web surfing before entering the stores
3. Take advantage of on-line sales - some stores even give preference to on-line shoppers
4. Decide on the shopping budget and stick to it. I can tell you that it will be hard – but what about our strong will?
5. Go shopping on the first day of the sale when the selection (of items, colors and sizes) is the widest. Have in mind that you are not the only one afflicted by shopping madness and there are hordes of women turned hunters who are just like you.
6. Go shopping on the last days of the sale if you are looking for real bargain treasures (reduced 75% or more)
7. Find out about store return / exchange policy – from my experience, in most cases, all sale sales are final. Sales tend to turn us irrational, let’s admit it – making us buy items we would never consider “worth-buying” at the full price... Do you want to end up with a ton of unwanted items and empty wallet?
8. Buy wardrobe essentials. Sales are a great opportunity to stock your wardrobe in quality basics like white shirt, trench or jeans.
9. Buy shoes, bags and other accessories
10. Do not purchase one-season pieces which will be out-dated in a month or so

And the most important: we are only days-apart form fall collections hitting the stage!

Addicted to LBD

Since the 1920’s, women all over the world have been addicted to LBD.
Little Black Dress was invented and popularized by Coco Chanel, who designed it and published it in Vogue in 1926.
“Intended by Chanel to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral color, its continued ubiquity is such that many refer to it by its abbreviation, LBD” (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_black_dress)


LBD is being reinvented every season and yet stays the same - simple, effortlessly elegant and timeless.

How does LBD will look in the coming season Fall 2008 /Winter 2009? A few prieviews...

Asymetry

Shine and sparkle

See-through

Source: style.com

Fall 2008 /Winter 2009

Trends, fortunately or not, change every season. It is only July and I already started thinking about the next season. Is it going to continue some of the tendencies we see right now or is it going to surprise us with new innovative approaches?

Let’s have a look at the Fall 2008 / Winter 2009 trends:
1. Total look: Simplicity and Monochrome

2. Colors: grey, grey and more grey

3. Clothing items: big puffy sleeves (a’ la Elizabeth the 1st), creative approach to neckline 4. Accessories: big necklaces, lace-up shoe-boots

Photo source: style.com

My favorites for the coming season are puffy sleeves and monochrome look, most probably featuring grey clothing items– I cannot wait to see the autumn/ winter store collections.

Wardrobe essentials for dummies

Every modern woman, depending on the fashion guru you speak to, must have 7, 8, 9, 10 or more essential pieces to look good and feel great under any circumstances… “Any circumstances” include family events, job interviews, business meetings, dates and all other special occasions. From my experience they also include falling in love at first sight and even running into you ex :-)

Yes – I know – it seems as a awfully small number of items – but we cannot forget that they are just the base, the life-savers and I will do my best to show that they are more than enough  One does not have to be a fashionista to turn these few items into a variety of looks to fit any age, body type or career daily. And let’s remember that this is only a start!

So, let’s break down the list of essentials no woman should live without:
1. Little black dress (best knee-length)
2. Coat (knee-length, trench or a wool coat)
3. Classic white, men’s shirt (best if it accentuates your waist)
4. Jacket (sports, versatile) and dressy pants (bootleg-cut) OR pantsuit (classic cut)
5. Flattering skirt (best: pencil or A-shape)
6. Sweater (not necessarily cashmere)
7. Jeans (darker-washed, straight leg cut)
8. Good quality T-shirts (black and white)
9. Pumps and/or flats (must be comfortable!)
10. Classis leather bag (best black)



And here are rules of the road:
• The best colors to start are black, grey, or other neutrals (brown, olive, navy)
• The easiest way to add color is with tops and accessories
• Mixing classic items may result in a not so classic look
• Every combination and item can be dressed up or down depending on accessories one decides to use
• Seasonal wardrobe updates have to be easy to mix or match with the existing pieces
• Because this is a foundation one should invest in high quality items – just as they are timeless so they should serve you for years to come

Clothing pyramid

For a well-balanced closet:

1. The evening classics

2. The “fun”damentals

3. The essentials

4. The accessories

No more, no less…

So what should I wear today?

Sounds familiar? I have this problem every single morning, and evening (if we are going out). It makes at least 10 difficult decisions to make every single week, 40 difficult decisions a month and over 500 difficult decisions a year. Aren’t our lives complicated? Add to it changing every season trends and fashions, red or not-so-red carpet events you have to attend and overwhelming feeling that there is practically nothing that fits you to buy, or if there is it must cost a small fortune and we get a year-long never-ending drama in front of the mirror.

So, as an act of despair I am starting my blog. One may ask: why to start another fashion blog – aren’t there thousands of them already? Aren't there enough people writing about fashion, taking photos of fashion and generally ostentatiously showing how much they care about fashion?

Maybe.

I will be persistent. I am starting my blog. I will be objective and / or subjective, depending on the subject, the mood, the weather...

My reasons to start this blog, to list just a few?

1. To domesticate fashion and show that everyone, no exceptions, can play with it and enjoy it (easily and effortlessly)
2. To present my fashion point of view and my daily struggles with what to wear
3. To present another – Europe-biased– point of view
4. To have some fun