Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Mischa Barton for Asos

Mischa Barton is the new celebrity to design a fashion line for an international retail company. She chose bags, and designed a line of fourteen of them, from clutches, totes to shoulder bags in leather, snakeskin and fabric.



The inspiration sources were the vintage bags she came across all over the world in her travels, as the actress have said, and the main element is a flower, that appears on all the bags, designed by Mischa herself.

Asos.com sells the bags exclusively, and the line already has success, considering the fact that one clutch, featured in the ads, is already sold out.

The main colors used are black & brown, and the heavy gold flower details make the bags perfect for colder days.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Outfit for yesterday evening

Yesterday I bought these pants from Mango, and I promise it is the last buy from this sales (at Mango, of course). Then a friend of mine asked me to go with her for shopping, so I decided to wear them for the first time (and I am proud to say I didn't get a thing).



* shorts, Limited Edition Paris, Mango
* Morgan top
* patent lager Bay bag, Chloe
* patent color block sandals, Bally

Monday, July 28, 2008

Crazy budget / Moderate budget: The colorful dresses in the world of Chloe

If I have to name one dress brand I like, that will be Chloe, and its sister brand See by Chloe.

The casual dresses in both brands are so colorful, so happy, so cute, and yet feminine and easy to wear also in an office environment.

Crazy budget :: Chloe dresses
Stripes, painted prints, psychedelic colors, Van Gogh reproductions, you can find all that in this summer dresses by Chloe.



Striped T-shirt dress - 309 euro, Van Gogh print dress - 588 euro, Large brushstroke dress - 956 euro, Miami Hot Nights dress - 1366 euro

Low budget :: See by Chloe dresses
Patchwork, geometrical prints, bicolor dresses, that's what I like from the See by Chloe collection.



Abstract Forest dress - 416 euro, Patchwork knit dress - 268 euro, Color block dress - 230 euro, Bi-color shift dress - 426 euro

The twists of a bag

I've rediscovered the Charlott Vasberg line of bags through my-wardrobe.com (because there was a post by Susie from Stylebubble about them a long time ago, and i must say i am in love.

The swedish designer makes the most interesting bags ever. My favorite is the Slanted pocket bag, with the twisted original look, with pockets and zips everywhere, and comes in several look-good-with-everything almost neutral, but glamour, colors like off-white, dusky green, midnight blue, brown sparkle etc. It is a functional bag, because you can wear it as a post man bag or as a shoulder bag, and being large and with so many pockets, you sure can fit anything in it.



Although the dusky green is my favorite, i cannot help myself but lust over the nude bags, in soft leather and with the same interesting designs. The light pallette of nude is used for different kinds of bags, from small shoulder bags to big carry-all totes.



Some Charlott Vasberg are now discounted 50% on my-wardrobe.com. Tempting, very tempting.

Outfits for a weekend by the seaside: The blue cardigan

When packing for this weekend, spent by the sea, i discovered tucked at the bottom of my closet this blue cardigan, bought 2 years ago, and i added it to my luggage at the last minute.

But i soon discovered how practical it is, working great with different colors and dress shapes. It is cute and feminine and it looks great with an ivory dress, with a pink sleeveless dress as well, and with a striped one complimenting the navy look.

* Kate Spade ivory&pink tote
* Street One blue cardigan
and..

Outfit 1 - in the car



* ivory dress, Lolita Lempicka for Etam
* Gucci flats
* (in the back) Victoria's Secret PINK tote (Yuki's luggage)

Outfit 2 - going out to eat



* pink sleeveless dress from Morgan
* Chanel slides

Friday, July 25, 2008

Gladiator sandals

If you were so and so about gladiator sandals, and not quite decided to spend the full price on a pair, now is the time to buy some. I was the same, i really was not convinced i would like to wear such different shoes, but now that i bought a pair (Sam Edelman, Victoria's Secret), i consider buying another one, because they are comfy and look nice with bermudas and floral dresses.

Casual walk in town

(1) Tory Burch Alexis gladiator sandals + (2) Grey large panel tote bag, Rocha.John Rocha, Debenhams + (3) white bermudas, SOFT GREY, laredoute.fr + (4) Pringle 1815 t-shirt



Picninc in the woods or in a park

(1) FitFlop Aurelia gladiator sandals + (2) Juicy Couture Terry shorts + (3) Adidas by Stella McCartney Gym Dance top + (4) Marni slouchy bag



Romantic date

(1) Alberta Ferretti Sculpted wedge sandals + (2) Stella McCartney Wood engraved box clutch + (3) Mira by Mira Mikati Mexico tiered sundress

Sex and the city: The movie - The book

Because there was a special offer on buying the coffee table book about the Sex and the city: the movie, and because I anticipated nice looking pictures, I decided to buy it.



The book is everything I anticipated: hard cover good looking book, with extremely nice (and inspirational) stunning, luscious, full-color images. First, you get an introduction about how the movie was finally made (and all the obstacles in the way). After that, a quick description of all the 6 seasons, with some pictures of the girls in their best outfits along the series.

Then, the book focuses on the movie, and you basically get the plot, with all the main scenes featured. Besides the story, behind-the-scenes stories from Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, star and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, writer and director Michael Patrick King, as well as producers and other key cast and crew members. And an insider's tour of the movie's many locations, some of which have never before appeared on film, a guide very useful for me, that I never visited New York, but decided to do it next year.

But the best part is at the end: a guide to the movie's multi-million—dollar fashion closet, including insight from costume designer Patricia Field.

Outfit for today: New bag

Yesterday i entered Debenhams to see if anything good was left on the sale department. But there she was, in the new collection area, a gorgeous, and i mean gorgeous, nude shoulder bag, with a cute bow in front and the softest leather ever, from the John Rocha line. Love at first sight, and i decided imeaditly to buy the bag, even though i've just bought the white Jimmy Choo one (but they are completely different, even my hb can see that!)



* Marks & Spencer brown & orange dress (bought really cheap from a factory shop)
* the Cinderella Dior slides
* silver ring bought in Mexico
* Cream woven bow shoulder bag, Rocha.John Rocha by Debenhams

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Black & white (II)

This morning it was heavy raining here in Bucharest, so I grabbed a blazer to keep me safe from the water. Now I can see a little bit of sun out of my office window, and I can only hope this means the weekend will be nice and sunny, because we are going to the seaside from Friday till Sunday.



* Marimekko for H&M black and white dress
* white blazer, Benetton (really cheap, from a factory in Focsani)
* Salvador Sapena white slides
* my new Dessy medium holdall from Jimmy Choo

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Beauty review: Dior Bikini

I first bought a Bikini Dior Anti Aqua 2 years ago, and I was extremely pleased by its fast results and overall. But the price was a little high, so I then tried several other brands, but either the cream was to oily and it entered the skin in a long period of time, either it was green and I look after alien-like etc. This spring I decided to try no more, and buy again the Dior Bikini one. But no luck, Sephora and all the other shops here are out of stock (probably others like it as well).



But when in Chisinau, I discovered it in a shop there! I used it since then, and I am still delighted by it. It is a milky spray-on emulsion, you just need two or three sprays per leg, and, as specified on the bottle, there is no need for heavy massage (perfect for a lazy like me). It is fast-absorbing and has a smooth texture. It has basically no smell (one previously tried anti cellulite cream smelled like cleaning products...), so that's a good feature.

What kind of firming, anti-cellulite cream do you use?

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

60 Longchamp

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Longchamp is partnering with Belgian artist Jean Luc Moerman to reinterpret the LM bag - the IT bag from the 70s - by taking over the leather with his printed patterns, like a tattoo on a skin.

At the beginning of the 70s, Philippe Cassegrain designed a line of bag entitled "LM", for the Japan market. Its success gave Longchamp an edge as the creator of chic bags, and enabled the company to expand.

To celebrate its anniversary, Longchamp is reissuing the LM collection, and the LM vintage Moka (bellow, left) is the exact reproduction of the LM line.



I am a long friend of Longchamp bags, and I really like anything tattoo like. So, naturally, I find the Moerman Originals bags the cutest thing. If only I wouldn't bought the white Jimmy Choo 2 days before (5 minutes ago DHL brought it to my office), those 3 bags bellow would qualify as the perfect white summer bag...



(in total, the Moerman Originals collection contains 60 bags, 60 unique designs for 60 years of Longchamp).

Monday, July 21, 2008

A trip to the mountains

Saturday it was raining here in Bucharest, so we could not go swimming as planned, instead we decided to go to the mountains, along Transfagarasan (a road through the mountains, at extreme altitude - the highest point is at 2000+, that is only opened one or two months a year, during summer). The road is very scenic, with breath taking views, and we (and Yuki as well) enjoyed it very much.

At Balea Lac (the most important stop along the road, a place where you can ski till June, and there was still snow at the end of July as well) we took some pictures and ate some delicious home made chocolate & fresh picked raspberries sold there.

I knew that at that altitude it should be cold, but considering the 35 degrees Celsius in Bucharest, I couldn't dress warmly, so I was stuck at 15 degrees with a pair of bermudas, a t-shirt and a wind jacket, but somehow I survived, because I was wise enough to bring with me a pair of extra warm shoes (a pair of ballerinas from Puma) to change the gladiator sandals I was wearing.





* white bermudas from Zara
* eco t-shirt, La Redoute Creation (laredoute.fr)
* gladiator sandals from Sam Edelman (victoriassecret.com)
* Poldre navy&silver bag (laredoute.fr)

Made of Honour

Friday we went to see the new Patrick Dempsey film (doesn't he look a little bit like Sean Penn??). The movie is a classic chick-flick movie, with a girl interested in marriage, a man interested only in friendship - the womanizer, another man - the perfect lover... and finally you sure guess who (now seriously in love) the girl is going to marry!

Anyway, it is not the actual plot I wanted to talk about, but Michelle Monaghan's wardrobe in the movie...





I love her feminine style, essentially based on cute dresses, sexy yet not revealing at all, and casual silk or chiffon blouses, paired with jeans, in either nude colors or rich ones (like deep red or aqua blue).





Friday, July 18, 2008

The perfect white summer bag

Ever since my Mexican holiday, when I toted my Escada beach bag on my shopping trips and walks because I did not have any other big bag to carry everything with me, I search for the perfect white bag. It should be white because during summer I wear
a) navy - works great with white
b) florals with a lot of white

I have my large BAY Chloe bag in white patent, but it is not exactly white (more ivory) and, while it is perfect for business outfits, it is way to stuffy for casual walks.

The perfect white summer bag has to have to following features:
- it has to be BIG (so my DSLR Canon 350D has place & my Casio Exilim & all the other things I need have room in it)
- it has to be stylish
- it has to be simple (yet with some detail that personalize it)
- it has to have super soft leather
- it should cost under 700 euro (:D)
- to double as a tote, as well as a shoulder bag

My favorite is the white soft leather large tote with a circular intrecciato pattern from Bottega Veneta, but at 1.350 € (even though discounted from 1800) is way over my budget.



Other bag that caught my eye was the Paddington white Tote Bag, with the cutest plexi details, but yet again the price tag was just a little too much.



Another possibilities were the Alex leather bag from Jimmy Choo (hardware too goldish) or the ruched self-tie shoulder bag from Michael Kors (too long handles).



Finally, I decided on a Choo bag as well, a Dessy medium holdall, with gold eyelet detail around the top, that has the perfect shape (and price - 500 euro, discounted from ~900) for what I had in mind. I have it for now in my shopping bag on net-a-porter.com, and I am still deliberating if to buy it or not.



What do you think?

Outfit for today

Today is friday, and i can't wait for the day to end, because tomorrow we are going again to teach yuki how to swim.



* Andreea Raicu & Irina Schrotter black & white dress
* Salvador Sapena slides

Mexican..peasant dress

I've discovered this dress while browsing LaRedoute.fr to see if I can find some more bargains. The brand was not specified, and it was ridiculous cheap, but I liked the colorful embroideries, so I bought it.

To my surprise, when I received the package, I discovered it was actually Paul&Joe Sister, a brand I really like because of their funny clothes and accessories.



* Paul&JoeSister dress
* Marc Jacobs blue shoes

The reactions were mixed: some called it a peasant traditional dress, others asked me if I bought it while in Mexico. What do you think?

Black & white

This Marimekko for H&M dress, as cute as it is, was way too short for office. But I discovered that a huge part of the material was folded at the bottom of the dress, so I made it 5cm longer, and now it makes a perfect office outfit.



* Marimekko for H&M black & white dress
* Gucci slides

Random outfits

As promised, here are some random outfits of this week, containing some of my recent buys:






* Gold lurex dress, Et Vous pour la Redoute
* Sam Edelman gladiator gold sandals (Victoria's Secret)





* O'neill blue printed dress
* Paul&Joe Sister blue&white wedges (part of my bargainous shopping experience at laredoute.fr)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

I've got a navy feeling (III)

I've been quite lazy lately with posting outfits, but i've made a lot of pictures that are just waiting to be uploaded. First, another navy inspired outfit, for a sunny day by a swimming pool:



* Courreges red bag
* Kylie Minogue loves H&M white plastic frames shades
* McQ navy striped top
* white Zara pants
* Michael Kors red&navy flats

Monday, July 14, 2008

I've got a navy feeling (II)



* Zara sailor white dress
* Christian Dior white flats
* Mango navy and white shoulder bag

Friday, July 11, 2008

I've got a navy feeling

Navy inspired clothes are always a big trend during summer time, striped tops and navy skirts making the perfect combination for a day at the seaside. So perfect that in become some sort of a cliche seaside outfit. That's why, even though i like to dress like a sailor, i try to look beside the obvious white/blue/red or white/blue/gold color schemes in stripes or blocks, and find more subtle navy inspired items.

Marc Jacobs' bold printed logo at a closer view cannot be categorized as navy, but from a little far behind the red, white and blue letters are a nice navy pattern. Same goes for the summer dress, where the yellow, blue and navy creates the perfect contrast.



Among college inspired clothes, Juicy Couture offers some navy as well. The anchor printed strapless dress is just navy-perfect, and i also like the Rory banana flats and the anchor printed babydoll in dark navy.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

A trip to Chisinau and Iasi

The last few days we went to a business trip to Chisinau (Moldavia's capital) and Iasi (a town in the north of Romania).

Chisinau was somehow different than i expected it to be. Lots of parks, large streets and a general relaxed atmosphere. First night, after checking in at the hotel, we took a couple of hours to walk and see everything we could from central Chisinau. The Puskin park was charming, with lots of statues everywhere, and the central street full of shops.



* Tommy Hilfiger pants bought from Mexico
* Mango red blouse
* Gucci slides

We stayed at Codru, a hotel right across the big park, and the apartment was something spectacular. A huge living and dining room, with classic furniture and a big sleeping room with jacuzzi and sauna in the bathroom. So i could not resist to organize a small "photo shooting" near the white columns or at the desk that was used even by Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet President, when staying in the same apartment at that hotel.



* dress bought from Mini Prix, approx 2 euros
* Mango sandals

Iasi was exactly as i remembered it from my childhood (i used to stay there, at my grandparents, during summer holiday). We did a small tour of monasteries and interesting churches, and we ate at Casa Bilius, a fancy restaurant near the Bothanical garden.



From left to right:
* Osman Yousefada for Mango gold racerback dress
* M by Madonna for H&M shirt
* Gucci slides
* Bally bag

* Art by tank from H&M
* Penelope and Monica Cruz for Mango skinny white jeans
* Mango shoes
* Bally bag

* Andreea Raicu & Irina Schrotter gray dress (bought the day before in Iasi)
* Bally white shoes
* Bally bag

Outfit for special occasions

Saturday we went to the wedding of one of our colleagues. We decided to dress extra-formal, me in a long black gown and my hb in a black Cavalli smoking and crispy white shirt.



* Gianfranco Ferre Studio dress
* Stuart Weitzman satin shoes
* (not shows) Mango fringe clutch



And my new Mango gold dress seemed like the perfect choice for a special occasion dinner outfit yesterday evening. I spent a lot of time thinking what color of shoes should I choose, because I thought that the obvious choice, gold, might be a little too much.

But in the end, after considering for moments black, pastel pink or even red, I went with the obvious color, and so I had a chance to wear the Zuhair Murad gladiator gold shoes I bought from Istanbul a while back.



* gold dress from Mango
* shoes, Zuhair Murad for Mango
* embellished black clutch from Miss Sixty

Friday, July 4, 2008

Resort vs Couture

John Galliano called it "fresh couture—restrained and refined", and it contained big coats, accentuated waists, full skirts and lots of tulle. On the other hand, Dior resort collection has a trapeze silhouette, with bohemian caftans, hot colors and bold (and colorful) accessories.

But despite the obvious differences, can you spot the similarities?



colorful tulle (exotic colors for resort, blue for couture), large waist bow, platform sandals



different shades of pink, with accent on the waist




wild prints, quite an unusual site on Dior shows... But you can find several on latest CD resort and couture



yellowish outfits, buttons, interesting neck cuts