Tuesday 27 May 2008

Tags still attached

I hate the fact that - like most women - I have a lot of clothes in my wardrobe that I have never worn. And the fact that pisses me off the most is that the reason for not wearing a lot of these clothes isn't that they are too small, too large, too worn out or simply not in fashion anymore. In fact, I try not to buy clothes that will look dated in a year or two, and even if I fall in this trap once in while, I keep them and eventually I wear them again when the timing is right, with an ironic take or not. The reason I don't wear many of my clothes is that I simply don't have where to wear them. You see, my personal vice is clothes that are too lady-like or officey. Suitable for an imaginary super-chic parisienne around 30, working as a secretary in a posh law firm during the day and drinking champagne cocktails in fancy hotel bars most of her nights. Preferably escorted by a handsome man who opens the doors for her and whisks her away for romantic weekends. Reality check: This is soooo NOT my life. And, to tell you the truth I really don't mind. But, from time to time, I envy the wardrobe that goes with it. And not only to play dress-up alone, but to actually strut that stuff out of the house, onto the street and into the first posh hotel bar I can get my stiletos and french beret in. Bien sûr.
This is the first photo where I actually show my face. Ta-da!
The obligatory description:
  • Grey woolen beret by H&M
  • Green shirt with Peter-Pan collar by Zara
  • High-waisted black pencil skirt by Mango
  • Round-toe black pumps by Elisa Bit

Sunday 25 May 2008

Yo!

My graffiti writer friend RTM has discovered this:
Very in-vogue, with all the gladiator sandal madness going on right now. From greek ironic-kitsch designers Greece Is For Lovers. Visit them for more greek folklore with a twist.
Also available, the "Ridden in Stone" marble skateboard.The description reads:

California? We don’t think so.
As with everything cool, skateboarding originated in ancient Athens.
It is common knowledge that Socrates himself used to ride a longboard down the Agora. Greece is for Lovers have the relic to prove it.
Made to order.

Online snooping and shopping

I have been struggling with my conscience about buying these shoes or not for a while now. Maybe for too long as it seems, because now the link for them is DEAD! Well, thank you internet, lesson well learned.I also have to find a way to keep track of where all those pictures of cute stuff I keep saving in my hard disc come from. I had found this dress sometime around early April in a blog. I drooled over the picture on a regular basis, but couldn't remember where it came from, even with lots of banging my head on the wall, singing the mantra "must find dress, must find dress".
Well, I guess the world-wide-web isn't that wide after all, cause I stumbled upon it again yesterday! In an online shop. In my size. On a 50% discount! The only catch is that the shipping terms state that "We are unable to ship out of the continental US currently, but may make exceptions on request and on a case by case basis. Please contact us before placing an order. " So, I sent an email and I am currently waiting for the answer. Well, if they are unable to ship to Greece, maybe I can comfort myself with the fact that the dress is a poly/rayon/lycra blend, which I am not so excited about and so it wasn't good enough for me after all. But, you know. Who am I kidding?

Saturday 24 May 2008

RGB

  • Red bead bracelet I made myself using real coral semi-precious beads I bought from Turkey.
  • Green dress by Roxy
  • Blue bag from Bershka

Didn't you ever, as a little kid, stare at the TV set so closely that you could see the small red, green and blue dots on the screen? I did. And I still can't understand how the TV shows yellow!

The belt is my mum's and the sandals are my new gladiators from Zara. I have already worn them many times and it's not even June yet. I think they're gonna be my best investment for this summer.

Thursday 22 May 2008

Well, hello right back at ya!

I think we all secretly love
  • Hello Kitty
  • To dress a bit silly and child-like
  • To have people think we are actually younger, even if it's just 22 instead of 24
  • To obsess over the shape and size of our legs.
This tank top is from Oysho, the underwear brand of INDITEX that also owns Zara, Bershka, Pull And Bear and basically all the companies that made 90% of what's inside my wardrobe. And now that we are started with the guilty secrets... I also have the matching knickers. Please, don't ostracize me out of the fashion world!

Friday 16 May 2008

A dress this day

This post is dedicated to Erin, whose blog always makes my day a dress at a time, even if she hasn't got a clue about me. Thank you Erin!

This is the story of the dress on the right. It was my mum's and was slowly dying inside an old suitcase for the last 25 years. So, I rescued it, washed it, pressed it and wore it with my bright red peep toes. The way it should be worn! Let me tell you, when I first set eyes on it, it was a crumbled and dirty mess. Didn't strike as it had much potential. But its virtues soon showed. First, I realized it was a shirtdress. And Ms Dress-A-Day isn't the only one with a soft spot for shirtdresses.
Second, it fit! Great advantage, if you ask me. Even then, I was a bit skeptical about the fabric. Navy blue with a white pattern. Something my granny wears usually. So boring! But then I took a better look. The pattern showed old-fashioned gendlemen riding those weird bikes with the huge front wheel! Wow! How now of my mum!

Here's the detail (click it for a better view):

Hurray for dresses!

Sunday 11 May 2008

Now I know what's wrong with me

In my last shoe post I was analyzing the fact I seem to be obsessed with shoes now more than ever. I think I have reached a conclusion on that matter. You see, since buying a sewing machine, even if I haven't produced anything wearable yet, I seem to snub clothes in shops. "I can make that, in another colour and it will fit better" I keep saying to myself whenever I stumble upon anything interesting. But shoes are shoes and it's highly unlikely I will be able to make those suckers myself in the near future, so all my guilty consumer instincts moved to their territory. I don't know if this phase will pass and I will covet store-bought garments again, or if I will continue to ignore them and I will start making all of my clothes myself from now on, but for now the shoe obsession is still going strong. So, in that last shoe post I had mentioned the fact I had bought four fabulous pairs of shoes from Zara. Here are the other three:
Teal patent and cork wedges (I already wore them and they are sooo comfortable).

Flat gladiators in the perfect shade of light brown.

And green suede ballerinas.

Those last, I know they are to be enjoyed mostly in winter, but buying regardless the season never stopped me before. I also plan to cut the straps off. Cute, but not flattering.

Friday 9 May 2008

How much for the cat?

Just came back from Istanbul. I was there on an organized trip with other architecture students and professors from my university, mostly to devour the magnificent byzantine and ottoman architecture. However, I managed to squeeze in some shopping and cat petting. In fact, I made some cat-connected observations: First, you have to know that everything is an organized chaos in Turkey. The cars are driven by stunt men, really. They almost crush or run you over about every other minute, and despite that, nobody argues or shouts or gets angry. So, to get back to the cat thing, they say you can tell how civilized a culture is by the way they treat animals and the elderly. And let me tell you, I would love to be a cat in Turkey. Nobody harasses them, they can sit everywhere they want and I don't think a saw any run-over cats (very sad), like in Greece. So, in almost all archaeological sites, palaces, old churches and camis we visited, there was a house cat, or more, browsing inside or lounging outside. I couldn't resist some cheesy cat photos. Below are the Chora church/Kariye museum cat, the Topkapi palace cat, the Agia Sophia cat and the Grand Bazaar cat.


That last one on the sofa of the out-of-this-world little tea shop just outside the Grand Bazaar covered market, also had little kittens. Say "awwwww" with me now.

"How much for the pashmina, sir? Ok, if you throw in the cat, we have a deal."