Outfit: Rainy Day - Autumn 2009

Problem of Leisure by post-indie featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Leviticus Jewelry: Pin Bracelet

Buy it here and ship it over to me. It goes with everything in my closet and it's handmade!

Xmas and Eyeko

It's that time of year when one takes stock of mistakes and makes amends by submitting to commercial ideas. But it works, so best not to complain, right?

I just found the website of a very cute cosmetics company, Eyeko, based in the UK. I wouldn't mind getting a few of their products this winter, like, say, this:

It's a moisturiser/highlighter/eye cream that takes the hassle out of morning routines to leave time for more baffling tasks - like putting together outfits and figuring out what to get for people you've last talked to in July (but are bound to meet at the Xmas party).

And here's the best part: Eyeko offer free worldwide shipping, so you can send this stuff to distant cousins / globetrotting best friends without breaking the bank.

Outfit: Leather Is Love

leather is love by post-indie

Andreas Lonn

Andreas Lonn makes gothic shoes, designs sculpturally, claims not to like feet and collaborated with Charles Anastase. When asked who should wear his shoes, he said, "anyone who can walk in them." Naturally, this made me wonder about the Swedish import; a little digging around revealed this interview on flasher. For someone who designs gothic fantasy footwear, he's seriously lovable. And I covet those shoes something fierce!

photo (c) DazedDigital.com

If A/W 08 Could Speak...

... it would say, "NO," and wrap you in sublime fabrics.


(photo not mine; from Viktor and Rolf A/W 08)

Quickie: Gourmandise

If any of you readers are Romanian and want candy to add to your outfits, I recommend you check out Gourmandise. I cannot make up my mind - a shopping trip over to Hippie Hippie Shake is in order, tout de suite!


Buy indie, order one this month!

P.S.: You can select the pattern you like the most from a lush selection.

Images belong to gourmandise.ro

Robot Love Messenger Bag

I am smitten with this lovely bag!

Too bad I have yet to convince my bill payers to let me order from overseas. Alas, I must rely on wishlists and my friends' good will.

Check out the rest of ShanaLogic's website if you don't know it. I have yet to meet the person who does not end up purchasing something there once they browse it.

Romina Karamanea

I am in love with Romina Karamanea's work. She's truly gifted when it comes to the technical side of fashion and her eye for colour delivers provocative results, which is unsurprising since she graduated from Central Saint Martins (with a post-graduate diploma in Innovative Pattern Cutting). Such wonderful tailoring! Such intelligent designs! Browse her website for the spring-summer 2008 collection. It's a feast for the eyes.

Diana Bobar's Collection

I love, love, love Diana Bobar! Her dizzyingly fast climb to fame is the stuff of fashion dreams.

I'd start gushing about her fall-winter 08 collection, but I'll let you gaze at it yourselves. If only there were more independent Romanian designers like her...


(full view, please; photo belongs to Diana Bobar, no copyright infringement intended)

Red by Wolves Shoes

Red by Wolves make shoes that transform outfits. Don't pretend that any old shoe can do that; faced with these babies, your run-of-the-mill foot attire can but hope it's not thrown out to make room in the closet. I don't think I've seen so many statement pieces in a single photograph since late '06. Don't walk, run to buy some!

In the Dark: Irina Ionesco Inspiration

There I was, freshly bathed and swathed in my black dressing gown, channel-surfing over a brunch of croissants. Everywhere I looked, bright colours, all was turquoise and yellow, when a glance out the window showed mid-spring rain. What's wrong with this picture?

So I did like the Easter bunny and hopped over to my computer to put things to rights. I logged on to vogue.fr, lit a cigarette and set to browsing: surely someone like-minded had done something about the colour overload! I vaguely remembered the Guy Laroche summer couture collection as being dark and finely tailored, but for the life of me couldn't find pictures to illustrate it. I did, however, find these:




(Maison Martin Margiela)


(Anne Valerie Hash)


(Givenchy Couture printemps-ete 08)



(BaronBaronne - I don't know if I mentioned them before, but they have the most amazing collection for Spring-Summer 08 - wonderfully tailored loose clothes that toy around with the concept of gender identity while not making one look transgendered. Fine line there.)


I was inspired in my search by my renewed passion for Romanian-born French photographer Irina Ionesco, who reigns supreme in fetish-leaning photography as far as I'm concerned. Her controversial photographs of then-teenaged daughter Eva were some of the images that stemmed my Lolita obsession.

So here we are. Spring should not necessarily be about bright colours, Easter bunnies and pretty flowers; underneath this colourful exterior lies a core of contrasts - one that should be tapped more often. There's nothing like a pristine black dress shirt and loose curls in April to postpone summer draughts, at least wardrobe-wise.

Belated Happy Easter, dears!

(images belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement intended)

New Gentleman; 70s Revisited

I was browsing The Vagabond Looks and came across two images I felt compelled to discuss.

First, there's this little number:



The colour palette (more about that here - must-read!) works brilliantly. The trousers are a bit cheeky, that sprinkle of insouciance that bloggers keep harping about and Jalouse magazine manages to convey in every issue. The coat is a wonderful length and colour, somewhere between jacket and spring overcoat, very seasonal and appropriate. The cardi and shoes are elegant without being collegiate. And the detail that really sold me on the ensemble is the shirt collar - its proximity to the glasses is just this side of arrogant.



The other outfit I liked was this neo-70s combo. Not so keen on the shoes, but the prairie dress, jutting sleeves, fur collar and, yes, collegiate blazer work a treat! It's up-to-date and personalised.

Adidas - Handbags for Feet

(Youtube-ing around)



You know what's better than a Polaroid? A wall full of Polaroids, as the ad clearly illustrates. I've been trying to purchase an old Polaroid camera for months but it seems I am inept at bidding. Yet I soldier on - and should I happen to suceed, I will post the shots here for all those so inclined to point and laugh.

The Handmade Pledge

Hey everyone, it's (almost) Christmastime! Presents, parties, frocks and pumps, it's time to dish the cash and have some fun.

This year, though, I realised that I should practice what I preach and buy grassroots. It doesn't mean frumpy clothes and dilapidated home accessories, but more of a time investment. I shall knit and order online, which is a lot more entertaining than dragging myself through endless shopping trips at the mall.

Take the pledge too. And if you don't at least buy me something handmade, holiday spirit and all that.

Kate Moss and the Romanian Crowd

Kate Moss seems to be fond of Romanian models, doesn't she? For her Christmas collection at Topshop she rang up Andreea Diaconu and Diana Moldovan, as well as the oh-so-famous Irina Lazareanu. Things went smoothly and the Romanian contingent is getting press.

I've been following Andreea in particular since she first started doing beauty editorials for Elle Romania when she was 15. I find the way light hits her face's angles mesmerising - but maybe that's just me, eh?


News source: fashionandbeauty.ro
Photos: supermodels.nl

Azumi and David Bag

I had a dream about this (Azumi and David) bag last night. But when I woke up I realised I don't live in London, and decided to move along with life.

Sneakers (Dsquared2)

I crave these sneakers. I don't want them. Wanting is so mild a term. I will now casually mention that I'm a UK size 3.5, European 37, and we'll all pretend it's the sort of thing one normally adds to such a post with no ulterior motives.



Aren't they gorgeous? Even the logo on the insole is visually pleasing. I think it's true shoe love.

F/W 07-08: Knit Neckpieces Extravaganza

The pictures above, Giles and Dries F/W 07-08 respectively, got me thinking about what I'll be knitting starting September 15th. I wear scarves that are either positively decadent in every aspect (fabric, look, feel, price) or make neckpieces myself.

While the first option is comfortable, it presents two major problems: I can hardly afford to buy that many scarves in one winter if they're to be perfect, and finding unique ones is too time-consuming - particularly this year when I have major exams and college applications to deal with.

Making my own scarves, on the other hand, has proved time and time again to be fun and had great results, if not very creative. This winter I plan to take it one step further, and let myself be inspired by the collections pointed at earlier. What could be cooler than a pristine all-black outfit with a Dries-ian yellow scarf casually draped on? Or I could indulge in my electric blue cravings and make a real show-stopper.

Since I plan to dye my bobbed hair bright red by September, possibly keep it that way until mid-November, I have a limited array of colours to choose from. Deep green and black are classic (and predictable) choices, but I'm feeling naughty: could it be time to break out the bright blues and oranges? If I do, I'll tone them down with clean cuts and avoid unicolor coordination.

(Honestly, the only colours that I can wear head-to-toe are black, navy and red.)

photos (c) style.com

Hero: Toyin

Read this interview in Dazed, watch the video there and be amazed at the photos.


Toyin was born to be a cult figure. While she was formally educated in Photography at Bournemouth and Poole Institute of Art and Design, her work is openly sexual and irreverent. Believe me when I tell you that the fact that most of her work was shot in her bedroom is no accident.

Watch this video as well while you're at it. The tagline is, "When someone is a truly beautiful person, you want the world to know," and it's a 2003 collaboration with Kim Jones. Toyin has done editorial work for Dazed, Dazed Japan, Jalouse and 10, as well as commercial work for McQ and Gucci and music videos for Patrick Wolf and Paul McLaney.