My Christmas gifts...

Told you i must've been really good this year, because Santa Claus anticipated my wishes:



* pastel Mango dress, wanted for sooo long
* "GM Vertical" - Business Card Case by Gene Meyer from ACME Studios, actualy matching my business cards design

PS: A little about Gene Meyer:

After graduating from Parson's School of Design, GENE MEYER worked for Donna Karan at Anne Klein Studio designing accessories. He then became Geoffery Beene's design assistant, working closely with Mr. Beene for over ten years. While at Beene, he designed women's ready to wear as well as women's shoes. Gene started his own women's made to order clothing business in 1989, and then branched out into women's accessories. He added men's neckwear to the mix in 1991. His neckwear earned him his first CFDA award (American Fashion Award) in 1994. By 1994, Gene was designing a complete menswear collection under his own label. In 1996 Gene received his second CFDA award for his menswear collection. Currently, Gene is developing his home licensing area which will include textiles, table settings, bed, bath, and beyond. Gene is also working with ACME Studios on a line of pens, watches and card cases.

For my part, i found and fought (on ebay) for the most nicest gift for my husband:



* Viktor & Rolf blazer for H&M, because i always felt bad cause i didn't have even a chance to buy him something at the release day of the collection, considering i was so focused on obtaining clothes for me :)

Prepare to treat yourself!

It is that time of the year AGAIN. My favorite, but expensive shop, net-a-porter.com is again almost affordable. Prepare to treat yourself (or buy for your friends) with 50% off on pieces from your favorite designers and brands: Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Jimmy Choo, Chloe and more...



What i would buy:

- there are some cute/chic bags from Marc Jacobs main line at 40-50% discounts. A treat not to pass easily!



- Vivienne Westwood Red Label signature orb necklace or brooch. A fabulous belated gift idea or a nice little treat for yourself at 50%off.

First snow

Today it snowed for the first time in Bucharest. It was so cool when we walked out of Hard Rock Cafe to see the ground covered in white. Too bad that Christmas was snowless though.





* Irina Schrotter pale pink jacket
* Oasis suede gloves
* Zara bermudas
* Kenzo sweater
* Sam Edelman over the knee boots
* Louis Vuitton bag

Christmas Eve

We've spent the morning in the office, before heading to our familiy to spent Christmas Eve eating a lot.





* Roberto Cavalli skinny jeans
* Ipekyol sweater
* Penelope & Monica Cruz shirt for Mango
* Corpus Christi necklace
* Lacroix for LaRedoute boots

I've been good this year...

I've been good this year. Really, i've been. So that's why i deserved a present. From myself.



* Olivia Morris gold shoes, with little heart charms at the heel



I will wear them for New Year's Eve party.

Have a happy Christmas holiday everyone!

Twilight, an obsession

Hello again. And sorry about the lacking in posting lately. This is due partially because of the Christmas frenzy around here, and partially because of my new obsession with the Twilight Saga.



I've ordered the books a good 6 months ago, but I ordered them together in one shipment from Amazon, so they all arrived after the 4th book of the series, "Breaking Down" was launched. And I am glad I received them like this, because reading them apart would have been a painful experience for me.

If you didn't read them yet, a short description: the Twilight Saga contains 4 books, all over 500 pages, describing the love relation between teenage Bella and "teenage" vampire Edward.

I began reading them last weekend, Saturday night. By Sunday morning I was on my way to finish the 3rd book.
I was instantly drawn to the main story, the forbidden love between Bella and Edward. Although the first book did not have at all action until the last chapters, the tension between the characters, the way they interacted captured all my interest. The second book, "New Moon" is sad, and I could well relate to Bella and all her sadness, alone when Edward decided to leave her for her own good. "Eclipse", the 3rd novel, compensates in action for the other two. You have a lot of fights going on, and it ends in a very happy note. The last one, and the biggest of the lot, "Breaking dawn", features Bella finally transiting to the vampire world, becoming one herself at last. But her finally found happiness will not last forever, until another great fear will be overcome: the "royal" vampire family, the Volturi, wants to tear their family apart.



Monday morning I finished the 4th and last one, and I begun to search online for more interesting things about them. Of course, the movie is already launched in USA (but not in Romania - very annoying thing), but the most interesting thing were the extras and outtakes from the books, online on the author's site (stepheniemeyer.com), that I’ve read in an instant.



Another great and sad in the same time find was the "Midnight Sun" draft, freely available on the same site. Great because that way I got to spend a little more time in the universe of Bella and Edward, sad because due to its illegal leaking all over the internet Stephenie decided to stop writing it, so it has only 12 chapters, telling the same story as the first book, only from Edward's POV.

Anyway, to end my long post, now i am done reading all the books the second time. Just because the first time i was such in a rush to learn more about the characters, so i didn't have time to understand every little aspect and word.

What do you think about the "Twilight" Saga? Have you read the book/seen the movie?

Custo Barcelona - all my favorite colors

My new fav brand is Custo Barcelona, which recently opened in Romania. I love all their quirky prints, all the colors and combinations. I am talking about nice geometrical prints, but also cute animal prints that I have to have.

Sadly, the Romanian store has some crazy prices, 2-3-4 times bigger than the ones I can clearly see online. Eh well, I couldn't resist to buy this t-shirt thought. It was awfully expensive, but awfully cute as well! It is a tiger attacking NY. Go figure!



I liked other things as well. A pink dress, some jackets and the leggings. They say that they ship to the entire EU, maybe i will give myself a nice Christmas present. I'll let you know how that will go.

Faux fur jackets: Yay or nay?

This year the IT piece of the season is the faux fur jacket. It looks really glamorous, while being totally ecological. And it's not that expensive as real fur is too. All the more reasons to buy at least one of this fabolous coats.

My favorite is the military style one, from Armani Exchange, but i also like the fluffiness of the Mango one.



* Faux fur jacket, Mango
* Faux fur vest, Expres
* Military style faux fur jacket, Armani Exchange

On the con side, many say that faux fur is a fashion faux pas and kinda kitchy. What do you think about faux fur jackets?

Quick picture

Just a quick picture, leaving the office yesterday night.



* Comme des Garcons for H&M jacket
* Parfos fringe scarf

Winter must haves from Mango

If you ask me, Mango has seen a revolution this last year in its main collection (so excepting the designer&celebrities collaborations - also a good thing), and now everytime i visit a store or browse its website online, i add new clothes to my want list.

The online shop sadly does not deliver to Romania, but i like to browse it to see new clothes or its special categories.

From Mango Must Have list:



* Flower prints
* Shirts with feminine details
* XXL cardigans
* 50s style dresses
* Lace details
* Leather skirts
* Paperbag pants
* Shiny jackets

eBay round two

Well, as I said, I think it partially because of my self-imposed ban on net-a-porter or because laredoute.fr stopped shipping to Romania. Either way, I find myself browsing eBay on a daily base, and that is showing on the number of packages received lately.



Anyhow, inspired by the Stella Mccartney bracelet scored some weeks ago, i begun searching some other H&M designer collaborations as well, to see what i can find. To my luck, the beautiful Cavalli leather fringe jacket, that i couldn't even see at least at the lauch because it was gone in the first second after the doors opening, was there, waiting for me to do a simple bidding. Sadly, i have to wait spring to wear it, but smile every day when i see it in my closet. Also, to match my bracelet, i also found the chain purse Stella did for H&M.

Another buys: a very cheap jacket from M by Madonna for H&M collection, a pair of fur Olivia Morris shoes (you know, for the collection), a pair of Giles Deacon black&gold sandals and a top by Poltock&Walsh, the duo of hip young british designers fave of Kate Moss.

Weekend trip

This weekend we enjoyed a long trip, visiting some faraway towns in Moldavia. We've visited some monuments and did some shopping too (more on this later), so overall we had some very nice and relaxing days.



* Comme des Garcons for H&M polka dots cardigan
* Mango trompe l'oeuil t-shirt
* Louis Vuitton patent belt
* Penelope & Monica Cruz for Mango jeans
* Report pocket boots









* Comme des Garcons for H&M black top
* Louis Vuitton patent belt
* Penelope & Monica Cruz for Mango jeans
* Report pocket boots
* Polo Garage jacket
* Coccinelle bag

Romantic rock

I am not a rocker. Not at all. And while i love pink and i general happy colors, i like to spice up my outfits with a little romantic rock element.

My favorite right now are the Thomas Wylde skull boots, but the price is way too big for me :(. I also like the crystal necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane, i think it'll work very chic with an all black outfit. For a more romantic take on this trend, the black from La Redoute Creation has everything it takes to be perfect for this fall-winter.



* La Redoute Creation dress
* Kenneth Jay Lane crystal necklace
* Thomas Wylde boots
* Bibi chain bracelet

Colorful boots

I was trying for the first time my now beloved pair of Olivia Morris velvet boots, searching for ways to style them right, and that's when it hit me: i have shoes and sandals in all kinds of colors, from pastels to shiny red, but i only have boots in good old borring brown, black and grey.

I like my >Olivia Morris blue boots and i find them really to sparkle up an otherwise simple outfit, so that's why i begun to search for another pair. I told myself that mauve or purple would be a good choice for colors. Even though i couldn't find another pair in velvet (but that's ok, that's why my boots are so special), suede seems like a nice option.

Here are my favorite finds:



1 mauve lace boots, Nine west
2 vintage style red boots, Aldo
3 purple patent classic looking boots, Collin Stuart, victoriassecret.com

Yellow...

I practically lived in those jeans this last week. They are really comfy, and I am kind of sick of all the skinny jeans style, so the bootcut is perfect right now. So perfect that I got another identical pair on ebay a few days ago, but that's a different story.

To get back to the outfit:
* Roberto Cavalli for H&M jeans
* Principles cardigan
* M by Madonna for H&M shirt
* leather bracelet, Mango
* custom made navy patent boots

Pom poms

The pom poms are the most interesting thing i've ever bought on ebay. Because this weekend i went skiing (yup, we have already snow in Romania) i had to wait till today to wear my new Comme des Garcons sweater.

It is the cutest thing, and i am loving it to pieces. I wear it with my Comme des Garcons for H&M jacket and scarf.



* Roberto Cavalli for H&M pants
* Comme des Garcons pom poms sweater
* custom made boots
* Zara shirt

Butterfly by Matthew Williamson for Debenhams

I was very sad when Matthew Williamson stoped making clothes for the brithish departement store Debenhams, and resumed its collection to only handbags. Nice, crazy, beautiful hanbags none of the less. Occasionally (around holidays) some other accessories (perfect as Xmas gifts) emerge: wallets, keychains, scarves.

Inspired by the announce of its upcomming collection for H&M i decided to pay Debenhams a visit, first online, and then for real, to see what's new.



And the new season bags are just gorgeous! Sadly, our Debenhams has not stocked yet any of the bags i can lust over online, but i am sure around Christmas all the fringed and tribal weave bags will be in store.

From the picture bellow, i only saw (and couldn't resist to buy) the set of 3 purple, pink, turquoise scattered gem bangles in store. They were nicely put in a gift box, and they look lovelier in person. I have a similar set from last year (made of metal that one) and i think it will be intersting to swap them and where them combined.

Must have: Long Cardigans

For some reasons, I don't own that much cardigans. I have maybe one or two boleros, which I wear mainly spring/fall, and 2-3 long sleeves cardigans. But this year I want to invest in some long cardigans, to wear them under long winter coats for an extra warm and comfort.

What to buy?
I am thinking that I need at least 3 long cardigans, to cover my entire wardrobe. One black, which I can adapt to a more sophisticated look. Then, one grey, because I have now so many grey pieces of clothing. At last, a vivid colorful one, probably pink, for a funky comfortable look.

Pink cardigan, GAP / Black & grey cardigans, Esprit

How do you style a long cardigan? I am sure that will be my next question, but first I got to check some in real stores, to see how they fit me. Perhaps they don't fit me well, so I will have to settle to classic length cardigans and save some money...

Watch my back!

* Helmut Lang sweater
* Zara blouse
* Penelope & Monica Cruz for Mango jeans
* custom made boots
* Karen Millen leather jacket
* cashmir scarf
* Roberto Cavalli for H&M bracelet
* suede gloves from Orsay

ebay craziness!

I have some sort of a disease. I can't stop myself from searching on ebay, and of course finding some more gems that i have to have.

That is the biggest ebay phase so far. Usually i buy one specific thing, discover 2 or 3 more on the way, and that's it with ebay for at least one or 2 months. But now, pheew! i really cant stop because i am finding so many interesting things (my Olivia Morris blue velvet boots and some other random ebay finds were just the begining).

Today i received another package, and combined with those from last week, i gathered a small fortune of wonderful clothes:



* Roberto Cavalli small tote with feathers print
(just for the print)
* Fabulous top from Comme des Garcons with pom poms
* Comme des Garcons-Junya Watanabe shirt/jacket with open armpit
(both of them to complete my Comme des Garcons for H&M purchases)
* Stella McCartney for H&M chain bracelet
(i am always glad when i come across something from the collection Stella did for H&M as i was unable to attend the launch 3 years ago)
* flats from the Olivia Morris collection for faithsolo
(to add to the collection)
* Olivia Morris blue velvet boots
(love them! really nice addition to the collection! previously mentioned here)

More (and interesting) to come! Can't wait!

Oh! Oh! Matthew Williamson for H&M

Oh my god! I am still excited over the Comme des Garcons collection, still trying new ways of wearing the items i managed to buy, and H&M releases the name of the future designer collaboration.

Forget about Karl, Viktor & Rolf, Cavalli or Rei Kawakubo. This time, the guest designer is the one and only Matthew Williamson, my favorite designer ever. Reading the news, i instantly thought about all the joys my beloved Buttterfly by Matthew Williamson for Debenhams pink bag brought me.



The British designer whose colour-drenched collections always carry the promise of the sun said about its upcomming collection for H&M:
“It is an incredible opportunity to be working with H&M, creating a ‘Matthew Williamson for H&M’ capsule collection. I love the fact that H&M have created a new phenomenon in fashion through the pioneering concept of collaborating with high-end designers to create one-off limited edition capsule collections. I am thrilled that my creations for H&M will be accessible to and hopefully enjoyed by so many people around the world.“

Starting with an exclusive women’s fashion range at selected stores April 23, then continuing with the perfect men’s and women’s pieces for Summer available from mid-May in all H&M stores world wide. In an exclusive for H&M, Williamson will debut his first ever menswear pieces.

“Matthew has such a good eye and a way for working with prints that he mixes up in a new way. When he combines these things, you get a very contemporary London look. It’s for people who want to look special, but his clothes can also be worn in a nonchalant way- you can really play around with them. He is fantastic with piling on colour - it’s a very stylish collaboration for H&M, and very much in line with the way we’re thinking about fashion for spring/summer,” says Margareta van den Bosch, Creative advisor at H&M.

Man bags

I've finally convinced my husband to buy a man bag from Mango. But he didn't wear it yet, so i don't know if i fully succeded with my efforts.

What do you think about man bags?



1 Laptop bag, Gap
2 Small bag, Asos.com
3,4 Leather bags, Mango

Sunday outfit

Sunday we went to our new apartament, to see how things are and what are we suppose to buy next (furniture!).



You can get a glimse of how our living room and kitchen will look, but when everything will be finished, i will take some better quality pictures.



Also, this was a weekend of debuting. Saturday night i bought the a la Balmain Zara jeans, and i decided to wear them right the next day.



* Gas jacket
* Zara jeans
* Zara belt
* Custo Barcelona tiger t-shirt
* Stefanel boots
* Marks&Spencer wild print scarf

The debut of my leather pants

I finally decided to debut my new leather pants. I paired them with a puffy shoulder nectar colored top from Victoria's Secret.
As outerwear i opted for my deconstructed jacket by Comme des Garcons for H&M.
Interesting choice of clothes, don't you think? Tough leather pants, puffy pinky blouse and deconstructed jacket. Eh, well, i kinda like the combination.







* LaRedoute leather pants
* Victoria's Secret top
* Geox booties
* Comme des Garcons for H&M deconstructed zipper jacket

The pictures are from a store, where i tried on some Custo Barcelona clothes (my new favorite brand - more on that later). Too bad in Romania they have exorbitant prices (around 400 euro for a dress i saw online for 100$), so i ended up with only one t-shirt. I liked it a lot on shelves, and it kinda looked familiar when trying on. Only back home i remembered: it is the exact same t-shirt Jane from seaofshoes.com is wearing here.

Leather pants

I am obsessed for some time now of getting myself a nice pair of leather pants (ever since i found a pair of Versace brown leather pants at 300$ - from 1000$ and i left them in the store). Considering that i am not fashion model material, the pair of pants for me must be extremely well constructed, and fit me perfectly.



I searched everywhere in stores here in Bucharest, but no luck at all. Then and only then i turned to search online.
My instant love were the Alexander Mcqueen (1) leather skinny pants available on net-a-porter.com. They seemed great, with interesting details - a perfect match with my taste. But the price was not at all a perfect match with my wallet, at 1900 euro even with discount they will be way out of my league. So i continued searching. ebay had nothing, and the second pair i like was on victoriassecret.com (2). The Kate Fit legging in leather seemed quite ok and almost what i wanted and at a match better price ($198). But it seems that everyone thought the same about those pants, because they were out of stock. That's when i remembered to search on my trusty shopping buddy laredoute.fr, and here they were: from LaRedoute Creation(3), skinny, with a nice price and in stock.

Now i have them for some days already, and i am in doubt of how to wear them. Should i choose a shirt with ruffles? A graphic t-shirt? A sweater? And what about the jacket? Definetly not leather, i would love a denim short jacket, but i don't have it. Oh! How many dilemmas...

Friday at the office

* Stefanel boots
* See by Chloe skirt
* D&G bag
* Gold by Giles Deacon for new Look top
* Irina Schrotter jacket

Hats...on!

Hoods, earflaps, caps or berets? What's your style for this winter?



Hood, Marc by Marc Jacobs
Earflap hat, Eugenia Kim
Flower cap, Milly
Knitted beret, Free People

LOUIS VUITTON's new photographer

Fall '02

Madonna will be the new star of the Spring '09 Louis Vuitton campaign, acording to style.com. Beside from a new face, LV is getting a new photographer. Its name is Steven Meisel, and that is going to end a nearly seven year run with Mert & Marcus photographing the campaigns from mainline to cruise collections.

The fashionspot.com is giving us a full retrospective of the past Mert & Marcus for Louis Vuitton campaigns. Enjoy!