Outfit: Uptown Top Rankin'

Hello dearies!

I haven't posted in what might be a year in Internet time... but I have been doing what we all do, studying, working, sleeping and 'being tired'. All at the same time.
Some of the highlights since my last post were... a man in a fur hat walking down the road with a brief case in one hand and a mouth harmonica in the other; a shifty man in a military-style hoodie with a huge rubbish bag and an equally huge TV inside; Old pictures of Venice by Canaletto and his rivals; Stories about antique spectacles; a vintage 'salad' green lamb fur coat by Prada that I have mentally already bought... but physically it might not even fit me. Opening a glass door of a cafe and having wind blow all the delicate snowflakes inside... A very magical moment, but unfortunately I couldn't see anything, as I was holding the door... so my imagination constructed the rest of the 'picture'.
Last but not least imprint that I still have in my mind was left by two chocolate labrador puppies being clumsy, silly and playful on a curb. (how little do they need to be happy and give happiness!) It was like watching a faulty tape, they jump back up on the curb, fall off, bite each other, jump back up again... Fall off, bite each other. And people were stopping by in astonishment. Magic :)

Outfit: Same.

Recently I have been very lazy and ill.
I fear that I might have only been ill for the first couple of days though. Then, I presume, laziness took over and led to boredom... Which allowed my hypochondriacal tendencies to thrive and provide an excuse not to do much.
My laziness covered a vast number of areas from not doing homework to glum outfit choices.
So here's what I wore on Saturday and Sunday.
Yes, I did wear this bag, shoes and jeans all weekend. But isn't a good blogger supposed to demonstrate how the same pieces of clothing can be matched to produce different results? (all nod please :) )

Hoarding: My goodies

Here are some knick-knacks I found at the market and in what used to be my 'favourite charity shop' in the area, during the past week.

Victorian gold-plated silver spectacles. 

I admire them for the conservative design, scarcity and the use of traditional products that aren't used nowadays (lens are actually glass and the 'nose pads' are actually cork).

Opinion: Elsa Schiaparelli

Among my outfit and purchases posts I would like to share with you the things I find interesting and inspiring. I'll start with a woman I came across quite a while ago thinking- how come I've never heard of her before?! (so do not read any further if you are familiar with her already!)
Her name is Elsa Schiaparelli, an innovator and an outstanding contributor to the fashion world of the early 20th century. She was Italian, and her biggest rival was Coco Chanel. Unfortunately Schiaparelli couldn't adapt to the changes of the world after WW2 and thus had to close her business. But while I bow to the elegance and chic of Chanel trademark pieces, I admire Schiaparelli designs all the more, because they're a relic of the past. An important relic of the past, boundary-less and imaginative.

To give you an idea of what exactly is so memorable about her, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

''Her career began with her introduction of graphic knitwear to the world of fashion with knit patterns and emblems. These led to her fanciful prints of body parts, food, and many more unusual themes. She was the first to use brightly colored zippers, appearing first on her sportswear in 1930 and again five years later on her evening dresses. Not only was she the first to use brightly colored zippers, but she was also the first to have them dyed to match the material used in her garments. She was the first to create and use fanciful buttons that looked more like brooches. They came in the shapes of peanuts, bees, and even ram’s heads. In Parisian fashion, she invented culottes, introduced Arab breeches, embroidered shirts, wrapped turbans, pompom-rimmed hats, barbaric belts, the “wedge,” a soled shoe that would trend through the 20th century and into the next, and mix-and-match sportswear, the concept of which would not be fully recognized for another forty to fifty years. While her innovations in fashion design were numerous, it was her creation of the runway show as we know it today that was most influential. Her modern idea of a fashion show included a runway with music and art, and the use of elongated, shapeless women as models. She believed that this boyish figure would best display the clothing. Many people do not realize the true sum of her impact on fashion and the fashion industry.''

The most fascinating thing for me at the moment is her shoe hat!
Which I suddenly felt inspired to write about when I saw this photo on The Sartorialist blog.

Outfit: Lenghty Halloween vibes

Due to the lack of time and original ideas this Halloween, I wanted to dress as the usual witch for the fancy dress parties I was invited to. Because I'm a witch practically every year around the 31st of October, I try to create variations on the witch theme, sometimes with Morticia Addams in mind, sometimes with Dracula's brides. This time, however, in addition to everything else, I was inspired by the old ladies who never throw anything away and rarely go out of their 'museum' homes... but when they do, they put on half of the staff they own. I, too, have a hard time throwing things away... 

In addition, I wanted to put together something that reminds me of old-times (Halloween, is, after all a holiday of ghosts of the past)... Brilliant Lou Salome came to mind! Being a fan of Nietzsche I recently read 'When Nietzsche Wept', by Irvin Yalom... I was captivated by the portrayal of Miss Salome... Smart and independent. Noble in her manners, well- educated... good looking. Why she didn't like Nietzsche is a mystery to me, because I personally would marry him any day of the week. But tastes differ!

Last but not least influence was the bohemian couple of Sean Lennon and his stunning girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. I admire the 'supremely confident a touch disinterested' facial expression of miss Kemp Muhl and the way she wears furs!

Cannot wait to read your comments... :)

Streets of London

Hello dear readers! Now that autumn has come in all its glorious beauty, with cold air and sunshine, there's no choice, but to cover ourselves with multiple cosy layers. I notice many cape-shaped coats (especially in camel) these days, but it seems a bit boring to fall for the trend and embrace it in exactly the same way we're being proposed to embrace it. So, here I snapped a couple of photographs of my friend Lisa that I wrote about earlier here, as I quite enjoyed the way she put her ensemble together for a crisp yet sunny October afternoon.
Do you like the way she mixed traditional autumn colours and fabrics? Personally, I'm a little bit surprised the top is fleece and not wool, but perhaps it gives a touch of contrast to the practically all-wool outfit.

Orange coat

Whenever I have big plans for Friday, I rummage through my wardrobe with a hopeless feeling that I have to go shopping again because I have nothing to wear. Last Friday was no exception... I tried to put together an all-purpose outfit for a casual day at work, a romantic dinner afterwards, and a catch up with friends even later... And I didn't want to wear jeans! So I came up with this... Something very comfortable (because of the loose coat and flat boots) yet striking (because the boots are very high and the coat is bright orange). 

What do you think of the result? Anyone else has sartorial dilemmas on Fridays? 

Cool people: Holly Molly, this is Polly!

Sometimes it's not what you wear, but how you wear it. Polly is actually wearing a summer dress and men's trousers!
Saturated sky (not English obviously) blue and formal grey? Perfect combo. I also think the rugged belt acts as the perfect 'bridge' here, as it smoothes the transition. I love the way she mixed masculine things with girly (and the most unlikely combination of a rain coat with a tank-top). 

Cool people: Swinging London

This is a lady I admire for her taste and elegance. 

Overall these photographs remind me of what I’ve heard about the Swinging London in the sixties. Vibrant colours on a gloomy day. Twiggy, petit figures, mini skirts, good mood.

The jacket is a true statement piece. In my view, it’s quite difficult to wear because the colour and the structure are so bold. At first, I thought that the dress did not match, that it was over the top and the only way to wear the coat would be either with black tights or black trousers (maybe even leather trousers? Wah!) But then I’ve decided that it’s perfect as it is. The silky check dress and nude tights take away the formality and make the outfit look fresh and playful.

Coat- Vivetta

Dress- Karl Lagerfeld 

Boots- Venise collection

Bag- Vintage, from Pop Boutique

Outfit: Little green dress

Here’s what I wore yesterday. Yesterday was a long, tiresome but fun day. I bumped into some girls in Covent Garden who asked whether they could take a picture of me for the Sartorialist (Really? Oh my god!).

In the evening I went to see the strangest performance- Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Still can’t figure out whether it was good or bad, funny or sad. The unusual bit was that it was an all-male cast. The sad thing was that the jokes were not funny but people behind me just couldn’t stop laughing. I did admire the technique of dancing, the elasticity and the ability to be so in control of one’s body. After all, you don’t see men in ballet skirts wearing lipstick everyday. But maybe there is a reason for that.

I like dark colourful pieces. I wanted to dress down but still look feminine; the idea was to look somewhat casual and formal at the same time. To be able to wear this on the street during the day without looking like I've tried too hard and to go to the theatre in the evening.

Green dress- Zara

Scarf- found at a flea market for £1

Bag- Prada

Shoes- French Sole

The jacket is old, leather and brandless...

Hoarding: Vintage gucci loafers

My adoration for men-inspired footwear for women grows stronger as I get older. Naturally, I could not help myself when I saw a pair of these vintage Gucci loafers in a Charity shop in London for £15, in my size. Not that I needed any more shoes, but then- if I don't need anymore, then who does? I am so greedy, I even almost got in a fight over these, but that's another story.