#100happydays (11-20)

This is what made me happy this past 10 days.
Oh...sometimes it's so hard to see happiness, but this project surely makes me try and try. Just like the 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' saying, the same goes with happiness. Especially when talking about the #100happydays project!

And yes...this times, I have a picture (super one) with my crazy cats!!!

Day 11: I'm really happy to see them empty! It means I have to make more!

Day 12: In colors I trust! In colors I see the world!

Day 13: So what if it's the 13th day?! We're lucky, because we have each other!

Day 14: Welcome to my world! An endless world of fabric!

Day 15: A day spent with friends, is a great day indeed!

Day 16: Because CATS!!!

Day 17: some night are electric!

Day 18: No internet until 9 PM. blissful day!

Day 19: beautiful chaos that is coming!

Day 20: Chatting at CHATBOX Arad

Images: Arina Varga

Talking Gibberish @ CHATBOX

I did it again!
And this time it was waaaayyyy more fun. Maybe because I wasn't so nervous (last time I was shaking like a leaf) and also, because the audience was way more involved. Asking questions, laughing and all that. Yep, I love it!

At the same event, the other speaker was Sebastian Cojocaru aka. Dj. Sebuh. He talked about the life of a dj, with all its ups and downs (we all know that's how it is). Jokes, music talk, adventure talks...it was great fun.

Me, I told my story. The big one and then my every-day story (that's the little one). I talked about my cats, my obsesion with the internet, this blog, facebook, the #100happydays project etc. You know me, I can talk and talk and talk. Especially when it's about fashion and my job!
I'm pretty sure some of the people there might think I'm crazy...but hey! What's a girl supposed to do?! Act natural and hope for the best (and believe me, it's always great). Smart talk aside, I really enjoyed myself. The people were incredible and the ambiance was friendly!
Yep, I would do it again in a heart beat!

And now, Ladies and gentleman, for your enjoyment, I give you 'ALIENS'!!!!

Yep, I do love to talk with my hands!!! :)))

Photos: Sergiu Daniel Photography
Event by CHATBOX

How to Dot it!

I always wonted to make a 'how to'...but I never get around to taking all the pictures needed to capture the entire process. Today is no different. Yep...I'm pretty predictable. Even so, I'll try in this post to show you what I'm going trough while making a product.

Now, as you can imagine, first of all I must talk to the client and find out her wishes. That being done, the next step is to find that perfect fabric! Easy you think? NEVER!!!!
Until today, after so many years of working as a designer, I can still count the fabrics I really really loved. They are all with prints. I adore prints...And because I usually don't find what I want/like, I make the print myself! Using special textile paint, of course!

My client wanted a skirt with BIG black dots on it. Hmm...small dots everywhere. Big ones...zero!
So, here I am making it all from the start!

First of all, you have to make a stencil and draw the shape on the fabric. Keep in mind to have the same distance between them, so it looks professional and not home-made. Nobody wants that!

Now, you have to get some textile paint and a brush that best suits your hand (I, for one, like the hard ones for marking the contour). Mark the contour on all the dots. After a few hours (yep...it will take forever), have a break and then continue!

You might be lucky enough (like me) to have someone to help! But, I'm pretty sure, my little helper was doing more criticizing then working on the skirt...hmmm, look at that face! He hates fashion so so much!

The next thing to do is to fill all the dots, in 2 coatings. This will also take an eternity, that's why it's better to do it at night when nobody will bother you and you won't bother anybody. While doing that, take the time and think about your life, the things you did, the things you wanted to do...on the edge of depression? Relax, go smoke a cigaret, have a glass of wine and then come back to work...

It's always the same with tedious jobs...

Anyways, now the print is finished! After letting it to dry, iron it a few times and now you are ready to make the asymmetric skirt! Maybe you want a little color with it, to make it pop better (like the RED used here) and for it to look fuller, I advice you to also make a separate tull skirt (so the client can wear it with, or without that second skirt).

This is the end result!
I simply loveeeeeeee it and it's dots!!!

In the future, I promise to show you how to make a dress from start to finish, with patterns, pictures and everything!

Happily Ever After...

I can't really say I've been dreaming about my wedding dress ever since I was little. That simply is not the case and it shouldn't be a problem.
Maybe some of you did and some didn't. Even so, we can all agree that the wedding dress is THE dress.

Me, I'm more on the 'making the dress' side. Because of my job. Oh...well, I never thought I would enjoy making them as much as I do. It's simply a magical experience every time I make one and I'm always as nervous as the bride about how it will turn out.

Believe me, making the dress is an experience in its self!

It all starts with meeting the client.
I don't like pre-making wedding dresses and then simply waiting for a girl to come along an love it. I make them unique, just like my clients! Because I believe that's how they should be. I mean...you'll wear it only once (if all is good) and it should be really special!

So, first I meet the client and we talk. We talk for a few hours. Get to meet each other. I like to know my bride's hobbies, music preferences, adventures and so on. All this things, believe it or not, really help me in making a wedding dress.

After that, I start sketching. More then one model, so she can chose the one she loves most. BUT!!! But I keep in mind her body shape at all times. She must look fabulous on her wedding day, right? :D From those illustrations, together we choose the perfect one for her. The IT dress.

Then we pick fabrics and the process of making the dress begins!

If you ask me, the essence of a perfect wedding dress is in the details!
The small things that will simply make it yours. That's why I love making unique embroideries for them, or other special things. I remember I've once read that the wedding dress is the closest dress to couture!...and I couldn't agree more!

In the end, after many fitting, meetings and so much more, the end result is THE wedding dress.

Now, here is some information about wedding dresses and body shapes. Maybe it will help you. Even so, from my experience, take this as a guide line, not as a must. In order to know what fits you best go see a specialist, or simply try as many types of dresses as possible!

Images: all but the last one Atelier Arina Varga & the last one from SweetPotatas

Happy Dragobete Day!

Today is a special day in my country!

Special, if you a the kind of person that can't wait for a good enough reason to have some fun with friends and loved ones, to go out, to celebrate. Today is Dragobete Day! - the Romanian version of Valentine's Day, with a less creepy story behind it.

YSL black heart dress & the Queen of Hears from Black Milk

Ok, sounds crazy enough? The name of it, I mean. Oooh! Wait till you hear/read more on it!

Dragobete is a traditional Romanian holiday originating from Dacian times and celebrated on February, the 24th. Specifically, Dragobete was the son of Baba Dochia, which stands for the main character in the pagan myth related to spring arrival and the end of the harsh winter.

The day is particularly known as "the day when the birds are betrothed". It is around this time that the birds begin to build their nests and mate. On this day, considered locally the first day of spring, boys and girls gather vernal flowers and sing together. Maidens used to collect the snow that still lies on the ground in many villages and then melt it, using the water in magic potions throughout the rest of the year.
Those who take part in Dragobete customs are supposed to be protected from illness, especially fevers, for the rest of the year. If the weather allows, girls and boys pick snowdrops or other early spring plants for the person they are courting. In Romania, Dragobete is known as a day for lovers, rather like Valentine's Day.

unknown clutch (couldn't find more inf on it, but it's so adorable &
Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Shoes

One of my favorite saying on Dragobete Day:

It is a common belief in some parts of Romania that, during this celebration, if you step over your partner's foot, you will have the dominant role in your relationship.

So girls! Go find your best, most loved, most adored pair and start stepping on some toes! It might hurt as you do it (hurt you, hurt your partner...) but you could agree with me that it's for a good cause! Like...the well being of the family! :D

In the end...I am a true believer that All's fair in love and war.
In bought situations, people lose their minds and simply can't be judged for what they did. When it comes to matters of the heart, we all go crazy at a certain point.

Like all of you out there, I felt in love, did almost the impossible for it, got my heart broken and then it all went around again. At the end of the day, there is no better feeling then love. Agree? So I'm leaving you today with 2 images from my L.O.V.E. collection, when I decided I shall Wear My Heart on the Outside!

...to this day, I still don't know if that was a good idea, or a stupid one.
But who cares?
It was love!

the Entitled Bully - the story

Here they are, the photos and the story:

Act 1.
The world was mine.
Everything I ever wanted was there for me. I was daddies little girl, the Sweetheart, the best friend, the loved one. Nothing could ever stop me, because life was a dream!

Act 2.
Things started to change.
Responsibilities were piling up, friends became enemies, hearts started to brake. In all that mess, I began to fall deeper and deeper, without seeing a way out. The world was turning against me.

Act 3.
I didn’t break.
Even if the fall was deep and hard, somehow I managed to pull myself back and started to recover. I surrounded myself with everything important for the soul and started on the long way of rediscovering myself.

Act 4.
I am the result of my life experiences.
In the end, it’s good. It’s not fantastic, it’s not super. It’s good. I am surrounded by positive and negative things all the time and I accept that. Because that’s just the way life is. And after all I’ve been through, on any giving occasion I will fight back. Now, I am the ‘Entitled Bully’

Collection: the Entitled Bully
Designer: Arina Varga
Photographer: Mladin Sabina
Mode: Foltean Anamaria
Make-up & Hair: Monica Popmark
Flowers: Karina Simona

the Entitled Bully - lookbook

We are the story of our own adventures.
Life is crazy with its ups and downs, and all we can do is sit tight, enjoy and sometimes, fight back.

We start believing in innocence, in the fact that the world is ours and we can basically do whatever we want.
Then life catches up with us and reality hits. It’s brutal. It’s hurtful.
We gather ourselves and our broken heart and we start the heeling process. It will take time, it will take friends, books, teas, wine…but in the end, we will come out as conquerors.
And maybe, because we have survived with dignity and pride, some will try to pull as back. That’s the moment when we’ll become entitled bullies!

(more on the story soon…)

Collection: the Entitled Bully
Designer: Arina Varga
Photographer: Suarasan Ciprian
Model: Foltean Anamaria
Jewellery: Jamais by Rada Ureche

And, in the end, a picture of me and Virgil, fulling around at the shooting (so stop saying I just talk about my life and not show you any pictures!!!):