Tuesday, July 31, 2007

(PRODUCT) RED

Bono (lead-singer from U2, but you already know that) created (RED), a team of most iconic brands in the world, grouped together in order to produce stylish, cool, fashionable (PRODUCT)RED branded products, A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

I was curious about the meaning of the parentheses or brackets everywhere in the logo's, product names etc. Well, the founders said they call them "the embrace." Each company that becomes (RED) places its logo in this embrace and is then elevated to the power of red. Thus the name -- (PRODUCT)RED.

Motorola, Gap, Armani, Converse and Apple, all of them have branded (RED) products available for you to buy, and in this way help raise the Global Fund.

So go and buy a pair of cool wraparound sunglasses in pale pink (my favorite), brown or green, similar to the ones worn by Bono on U2’s recent Vertigo World Tour, all embossed with the Emporio Armani RED logo. A percentage of its price will be given to charity.



Or if you are a music maniac, buy yourself the (RED) apple. It costs the same as anyother ipods, but 10$ will belong to sick children.

Monday, July 30, 2007

I am not an Anya Hindmarch bag

I don't know if knock-offs for the highly wanted Anya Hindmarch not plastic bag are already on the market (but i am sure if they are still not, they definitely are due to appear soon), but look what i found on ebay today:



The bag states: "I am not an Anya Hindmarch bag", and, as the bidding page says, it is for those who didn't care about not getting the "Not a plastic" one. Funny!

Slogan tees

Having a slogan t-shirt in your wardobe is something similar to a must i am sure. Whether is a nice slogan similar to your personality, a funny gift from a friend or a witty sex and the city t-shirt showing the world what kind of a girl you are, those items are nice additions, and make great weekend outfits.

I also personally like those vintage looking slogan t-shirts, like this nice, orange one from Juicy Couture, that looks great with a pair of washed jeans or with white shorts.



But from here to this craziness slogan mania i see everywhere...well, there is a long way, just outside chic and style area. Yesterday i entered Zara, and i was almost blinded by the multitude of colorful slogans everywhere. If the t-shirts barring sayings like "Good at being bad" or "Bad at becoming good" were only in the TRF area of the store (Zara's sport line) maybe i would understand (and carrefully go somewhere else in the store). But even in the elegant section, were usually smart dresses and coats are displayes i could see some slogans hanged here and there...Ugh!

The slogan craziness seems to be launched by House of Holland, that basically does lots of different slogan t-shirts and recently entered a fame moment, something to do with Vogue promoting its clothes.





But come on: yellow t-shirt with pink cheesy slogan? Does this really has something, even remotely, to do with style?

Would you wear a "Love me some Lohan", or even better "Cum again Christopher Kane", pink or yellow t-shirt?

Outfit for the BIG day: wedding time!

A few days ago a friend asked me about my wedding outfits. Yes, outfits, because i had a 2 day wedding, Friday for civil marriage, and Saturday for the big, church thing and celebration party. And after midnight i changed from my wedding dress, in a gorgeous evening gown.

Let's see:

Civil marriage

* Bally shoes
* Irina Schrotter white knee-long day dress
* cream hat and belt, made after my own ideas
* Dior white shoulder bag
* pearl necklace, a gift from my husband for Valentine's day, from Cellini
* red anthurium bouquet



Wedding day

Ah, the big day finally arrived! I studied hundreds of wedding magazines and websites, so i can i find the perfect clothes for THE event!



*Pronovias wedding dress, veil, tiara
*Vera Wang Bridal satin sandals in an Ivory color
*spiral white gold pendant with diamonds from Gianni Lazzaro
*pink and Salmon roses bouquet

After midnight, no longer a bride

*Intense red Pronovias evening gown
*Stuart Weitzman black satin evening shoes



What did you wear on your wedding day? Or, what is your dream-wedding outfit?

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Sale shopping wisely

You know the saying: do as the blogger says, not as the blogger does. So here are some advice from me, about shopping wisely during sale period, advices that if i would remember in the shopping craze, my account will look a lot better :)
Still...

1. Go for the brands
Instead of buying 10 items that were not that expensive from the beginning, just because they are on sale, go for quality, designer clothes now affordable because of the sales.
Designer, brand clothes come with very good quality and have the advantage of remaining chic and fashionable for many years.


Burberry London Addingham shirt dress, Marc Jacobs gray tweed coat, Just Cavalli one shoulder floral print dress


2. T-shirts
Winter or summer time, t-shirts are a basic piece of your wardrobe. So you are safe if you decide to invest in some reduced t-shirts: you can be sure you can were them next season, for example under a cardigan if it's fall/winter we are talking about.


Viktor&Rolf silk t-shirt, See by Chloe rosette front t-shirt, Chloe zebra cotton t-shirt


3. Evening gowns
Every seasonal collection has it's share of evening gowns. During sale time, invest in confidence in such an items. At the next marriage you have to attend no one will remark that your exquisite dress is last season, they are timeless.


Vera Wang chiffon dress, Miu Miu hand painted dress, Michael Kors jacquard gorgeous dress


4. Transitional pieces
Look for transitional clothes, that, with a different approach, can become part of your next season outfits. The best example: cardigans - every collection features such items, spring/summer or fall/winter alike.


3.1 Phillip Lim blouson dress, Miu Miu cardigan


5. Handbags
It's always good to pick a nice, classic handbag during sale time. I am talking about always-in-style black or brown nice handbags, preferably in leather, that usually match half of your wardrobe.


Chloe Ava leather tote, Anya Hindmarch Pipa bag


6. Classic clothes
A black blazer, the little black dress, an white shirt: those kind of clothes are time-less, every season you can reinvent them, mixing them in fashionable, trendy outfits, with the right accessories!


Bottega Veneta single-breasted tuxedo jacket


NB: All the items from this post are at the moment available on sale on net-a-porter.com.

Tips for preparing diet-friendly deserts

I am always, constant dieting. And because i really like sweets and i enjoy treating myself from time to time with homemade delicious deserts, here are some tips i learn:

1. Sweeteners
Well, the first one is obvious. In order to have calorie and carbohydrates in a controlled amount, the simplest thing to do is choose artificial sweetener instead of the biggest enemy of a silhouette: sugar.
But be careful in choosing the sweetener to use: some of those artificial products are not very healthy and others are specially made of diabetic persons and they still contain a lot of carbohydrates and calories.

2. Whole flour
When baking cookies, cakes, biscuits usually the main ingredient is flour. Switching to whole flour (any time of cereal you like) is a good decision for your body and health. Whole flour (that means that it is gray and not white) contains lots of fibers, that your body and digestive system needs in order to function at their optimal, and also has a smaller amount of carbohydrates and calories. Indeed your cakes will not look that delicious white we are used too, but they will still be delicious in taste, and delicious for your health.

3. Dark chocolate
Whenever you are preparing chocolate based deserts, opt for dark chocolate with a minimum of 60% cocoa mass instead of the traditional milk type. A bigger percentage of cocoa means a smaller amount of sugar, and that can't harm you!

4. Cocoa powder



If you're main ingredient is not chocolate, but cocoa powder, check the box to be sure it's not sweetened. Some of the companies producing cocoa powder have the bad habit of adding extra sugar, so it will taste better and attract more consumers.

5. Honey



Although the traditional believe is that honey is better for your heart, using honey instead of sugar in your desert will not be more good for your silhouette, because honey contains the same amount of carbohydrates and calories as sugar does.
For healthy considerings, eat a spoon of honey per day, between meals.

6. Low fat milk and yogurt
If you want to incorporate milk or yogurt in your desert recipe, choose the low-fat products. No need to tell you why this is better, am i right?

7. Fresh fruits
Always (if possible) choose fresh fruits instead of dried. Fresh fruits have more vitamins and less calories, considering that dried fruits most of the time contains added sugar.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Matthew Williamson collection on sale

Why, oh why! have i been so stupid to buy so many on sale items to the point of bankrupt myself (well, not yet, but still, with 2 sale periods - one in Duesseldorf and one back home in Bucharest, you can imagine) and completely forgot about the fact that Matthew Williamson's collection is also on sale? Why, i ask myself again?

And, oh! so many beautiful, gorgeous things it contains... The chic embroided black cardigan, the deco beaded silk top, the delicious spectrum sequined top (my favorite, maybe i will make an effort and buy this one, my wallet will forgive me :), the beautiful gold diamond bangle...and many, many other great clothes and accessories! Ahh!



For those of you that can still afford some more designer sale shopping, hurry up, some items already have some discontinued sizes.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

My pre-ordered copy of the 7Th book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", finally arrived yesterday, so last night, eagerly, i started reading it.
The 600+pages managed to keep me quite busy, and i was able to finish it today in the evening, after a "harry potter marathon", sort of speaking!



Initial statement
I am a devoted fan of Harry Potter, i have watched every movie in premiere and pre-order almost all the books the minute Amazon let me to...

Warning
May contain spoilers!

Book review

I patiently waited almost a year (after the pre-order, but more than 3 years after I've finished the 6Th book) for the last chapter of Harry Potter adventures, and i don't know why i was sort of expecting something more... I mean, after reading on the official Rowling website about the prophecy and how it was "cleverly written" i thought that book 7 will present a twist in the development of action, something unexpected, something to let us breathless...

But the action was somehow predictable:
* Snape is a good guy after all (Dumbledore was not so foolish to trust him)
* Harry didn't die (come on, how could she killed him and disappoint millions of kids)
* Voldermort is killed, the world of wizards is saved
* Ron + Hermione finally become a couple
* Bill and Fleur got married
* Harry and Ginny remain a couple
* Hermione and Ron stud by Harry till the end, helping him
* one of the horcruxes being hided at Hogwarts... gush, who would've thought!

All the things above, didn't you expect them to happen? No twist, nothing unexpected here.

Another thing i disliked while reading the book was the way the deaths were treated (i mean described). No passion, no details, just a plain, almost unemotional presentation of the events. I mean, don't get me wrong, the book is well written, and although i may sound i didn't like it, i did! I just point some things that, well, that i observed during reading it. Another thing about the deaths: did it have any meaning at all to kill, let's say, Fred? Wouldn't it be more funny for example to keep him alive, and in the epilogue to present the twins as the richest Weasleys ever? All the humor the Rowling put in those 2 characters (my favorite through the episodes) was lost in the end, my one stupid death, with, after me, no meaning at all...

Also, the battle scenes maybe were a bit too many, and with too much spells shouted at every line, that you almost loose track of who is dueling who, or who is winning. I must confess, i had to read some battle scenes twice so i would understand for sure who spelled who, which of the characters were injured, and how etc...

But enough about what i didn't like... Let me tell you now about the things i really enjoyed in the book!
It seems to me that the book centered around Dumbledore, even though he was killed in the last chapter, and not around Harry Potter, which i really liked, and the way Harry Potter discovered bit by bit the truth about a much younger headmaster was extremely well put and very captivating. Also, the information on Harry's parents, and the new way Harry found himself related to Dumbledore, it gave the story a new element.
Some other miscellaneous things i liked:
* the new face of Kreacher, the house elf (by the way, Rowling forgot to tell us what happened to that poor creature after Harry and friends were forced to abandon the house from nr.12), on the good ones side
* Mrs Weasley is also one of favorite characters, and continued to be funny and witty in this book as well. The relation between her and the many red-headed children of hers is one of the funniest relation in the series. And it didn't disappointed me in this book either.
* Ron in his relation with Hermione was not sooo funny as in the last books, but we can enjoy some good, funny dialog between them

Well, those are my thoughts on the book... What did you liked/disliked about the last adventure of Harry Potter?

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Ankle bracelets or anklets

I just received my grandma gift for my birthday :) To my surprise and pleasure, it is a very nice gold anklet, with the smallest heart-shape charm attached.

Well, i always wanted to buy myself an anklet, but never could decided against one model in particular. But now, that i received it, it seems to me perfect.



It is a fun accessory, and with the charm-crazyness around, it is an original way of wearing them. I plan to change the charms, according to my mood or outfit.
Right now i wear my new anklet with a pair of black slides from Gucci and a Mango black shirt dress. Although the dress, the shoes and the bag (round one from Lancel) are quite business-like looking, the anklet fits just alright (till now i always visualised them in a more casual outfit).

With my new accessory in hand, i begun searching the net for different styles and way of wearing it. That's how i came across some interesting articles on their history in fashion styles. It seems that in the 50's the ankle charms seemed to be a hit, and also pairing thin gold chains with ankle-length bobby socks (what??). Some women even used to wear copies of Elvis' dog tags around their ankles (what? WHAT??).

After that crazy period (really..crazy!), the anklets returned with the divadisco period of the 70's, and continued till the 80's with name plates and charm anklets being on the spot again.

Returning to the NOW fashion, i think anklets are quite IN again, and can be quite stylish if you keep in mind some rules:
* never wear you anklet under stockings (not only you will probably shred them, but it will look horrible and stupid!)
* never wear you anklet with metallic shoes (you can have only a certain amount of metallic stuff on you, and a gold bracelet over gold shoes is just too much)
* big anklets on dressy outfit = trashy
* if you have gold rings and watch -> gold anklet; if silver is your choice, let your ankle have silver too
* anklets + sandals with strap around the ankle -> definitely a NO NO!
* it is preferable to wear anklets on smooth, tanned legs (so you have something to draw attention at... a cheesy-white leg doesn't need to be on focus)

Do you wear anklets? What's your opinion on them?

Top 10 shoes FALL WINTER 2007

I've recently read the net-a-porter editors pick for the new season, with top 10 bags, shoes and ready-to-wear.

Here is my (for now) top 10 shoes FALL-WINTER 2007:

10. Flat leather boots, knee high, from Chloe. Nice chunky zip at the back!



9. With Louboutin signature red leather sole, this pair of blue leather pumps it's simply gorgeous. Great to color any outfit!



8. Cutout Suede Knee Boot from the one and only Manolo Blahnik... Sexy, sexy, sexy! That's the only thing i can say...



7. The 7th position is also dedicated to Manolo Blahnik, with these lovely Pintucked Suede d'Orsay shoes, perfect for warm autumn days.



6. Riding boots in a tan leather from Marc by Marc Jacobs. Ideal for day.




5. Iradescent high heel pumps from Miu Miu. Perfect for a night out or to spice up a daily outfit...



4. Caramel calfsking boots from Bally. I want them to be mine, mine, mine...



3. Rich cognac leather Mary-janes from Chloe. Great for office outfits.



2. Chloe ballerina flat in red leather. Bring back the child in you!



1. Bella - red leather ankle boots with a stunning gold plated heel. Zip at the back, from Jimmy Choo



So, to summarize, i need (errrr... want :) ) for this fall-winter season the following:

* tan/caramel/cognac boots (i am not sure thought if to go with the flat pair from Marc Jacobs or the high heel one from Bally...tough choice, maybe i will buy both)
* iradescent blue high heel pumps
* something red
* Mary-janes for office outfits
* something from Louboutin, i think is quite growing in me :)
(ouch, my wallet is bleeding already :) )
* a pair of long, sexy, black boots

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Christian Lacroix for La Redoute

"Window" shopping online the other night, i came across an interesting news on La Redoute french website: for this autumn Christian Lacroix is invited to make a limited collection.

The collection contains clothes, as well as furniture and accessories. It is made in an interesting, very trendy style, combining baroque influences with a modern touch. The main colors are plain black, red and mauve. The stylised flower patterns are everywhere, on bed sheets, chairs or funky mirrors.





I love this lamp, in strong, geometric lines and a vibrant red color. Simply eye-catching!



Now, what i would had bought (if La Redoute would send this collection in particular outside France) are those 2 items bellow:

The Feria tote, in black, with an interesting design on the front


The Sevillane de CHRISTIAN LACROIX dress, available in black/black or black with cream details, at 150€


Another thing i liked about this collection is their exclusive presentation website, http://www.christianlacroixpourlaredoute.com/, extremely well done, entirely in Flash.

Shopping report: Last call sales at Mango

These days, Mango has the last call sales, with discount as big as 70%. So, although i already sale shopped at Mango in Duesseldorf, last night i went to a Mango in Bucharest Mall and i bought a lovely top at 50% discount, from their limited edition New York.



With a pair of shorts or capris, and accessorized with my lovely (and already famous :) on this blog at least) yellow bag from Jasper Conran... a great outfit for those hot hot summer days!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Outfit for A day: Saturday in Venice

Warning: this outfit will be featuring ME as model, so no skinny-good looking model will be presenting the clothes here :)!

So, to get back at my post, i had this outfit on the first day (Saturday) from my recent celebrating weekend in Venice - i blogged about it so many times those days, i guess this subject is already kinda boring for the readers... :)



* DAY Birger et Mikkelsen Julia Cotton Top, in chocolate brown, with a crochet band on front
* White capri pants from Zara
* Gold chain leather belt from Aldo
* Butterfly by Matthew Williamson pink and cream grab bag from Debenhams
* Pink leather slides from Chanel (not pictured)

As accessories, my usual:
* black pearl from my honeymoon in Bora Bora
* platinum wedding band from Piaget
* topaz engagement ring from Cellini
* topaz ear rings from Cellini (a gift from my best friend, for my birthday this year)

Marc Jacobs shoes on sale

For those of you that haven't yet checked the on sale summer line of shoes from Marc Jacobs, you really got to hurry up.

They are 40-50% discounted, and, as usual from Marc Jacobs, gorgeous. Some i like best:

Mini stack wedge shoes (Marc by Marc Jacobs)
Really fun open-toes sandals, in a great shade of green, perfect for a walk in the park



Stunning red leather slingbacks (Marc Jacobs), from the cruise collection, vibrant color, great, in my opinion, for an unconventional office outfit (i still consider if to buy them or not!)



Embossed leather slingbacks (Marc Jacobs). The diamond shaped heel is a twisted and chic detail.



Some gorgeous boots are also in sale. Get prepared for next season!





I saved the highlight of this post at the end - the shoes i lusted over the entire summer:
Zip detail sandals from Marc by Marc Jacobs. They were €345, but now they are down to €207, so i finally bought them :) Me HAPPY!

Harry Potter

2 new things were recently released from the Harry Potter saga.
I am talking about the 5Th film, "Harry Potter and the order of Phoenix" and the last, long awaited, book.

Although i ordered the book almost a year ago on amazon.co.uk, i haven't yet received it (yes, i know i don't live in England, but it is not my first pre-order, and usually i receive my item 3-4 days later than English residents), so i can't say anything about it. But i went to see the movie on premiere in Romania, so this post i about it.

I am not going to narrate the plot of the 5Th movie (you can easily find it everywhere on web), i just want to point some of my impressions:



* the movie was sensible shorter that the other ones in the series, that's maybe a good thing mainly for those not so much into Harry Potter

* because the movie was so short, some episodes from the book were very little shown, or missing at all (for example, i liked in the book all the things about the preparation for their exams, but in the movie was almost non-existent). Furthermore, the relation between Harry and Cho is non-sufficient explored.

* we find the actors one year older. Neville is now quite tall (unexpected really), and Ron is not the handsome young boy i think the producer hope he will become. On the other hand, Harry matures quite nicely :). I saw some pictures with him from the controversial play he acts in, and i can tell you, he will be the next sensation at Hollywood, just wait a few years!

* i enjoyed most Ron's older, twin brothers. They were the salt and the pepper of the movie (although in the book i was not so impressed with their characters).

So, all in all, i enjoyed very much the movie, and i can't wait to receive the book (my amazon.co.uk account says that it will happen between 30Th of July and the 2Nd of august, so i still have a long wait!).

What about you? Are you a Harry Potter fan?

Fur coats: hot or not?!

Yes, i know what you are thinking: why the hell i felt the need to talk about fur coats when it is this hot outside??
Well, the reason is that aprox 2 weeks ago i was invited to a fashion show celebrating the launching of a new fur store in Bucharest. Why in July? I have no idea... but poor models, to be dressed in those heavy fur coats at this temperatures...

Anyway, that was not the idea of this post... I never really liked fur coats, and never had one in my life. At this show (Florence Mode) they presented different kinds of fur coats, and, to my surprise, some of them seemed quite interesting.

Let me show you some models from the show:







I don't especialy fancy those long fur coats, although i think the leather belt over the waist is a chic detail, for a very glamorous look. Unfortunately for me, this look is only for thin, tall woman, that's why, as said before, i am not into it.





I really don't like this parka/fur coat/ski jacket style. I mean, for me, a coat is elegant or sporty, you can't have both and still look chic... Or am i wrong?

And now some styles i could see myself wearing (of course, if i would be willing to pay between 4000 and 15000 euros for such a coat).







Those short coats are nice and chic. Quite elegant, but keeping the fun and youth alive :). Again, i find the leather belt over fur detail extremely glomorous.

Another thing i liked - the fur cape:



And for the last comments: the spots. Do you like them? I find the spotted fur coats rather kitchy, and not at all elegant as intended.





And now some questions for you? Do you like/own fur coats? What style? How do you wear them?