Weekend Plans...

The weekend.
It is almost here! Most of us, us the work obsessed during the working week, find the weekend to be the perfect time to get loose, party and simply have a great time with friends. Aaaand, that usually involves alcohol (in more or less quantities).

So, forget all the problems, the calls, the bills. Everything. It's the weekend and nobody will be able to keep you from enjoying yourself (except maybe if you have to work on weekends...buuuu!)

In Romania, we have a saying. If you sneeze once, then twice, people will say 'be in good health', 'God bless you' .. the usual bla-bla. BUT, if you sneeze for the third time then this is what they say: 'Hmm...Today you will party!'. Well...I just sneezed 3 times and one of the seamstresses working with me looked at my face and smiled!
Yep! It's going to be wild this weekend!
And if not, we'll make it! Just so me can confirm the sneezes premonition!

Have funnn!
:***

Comfy Can be Elegant / How to Shop Smart!

Ohhh...it's finally Spring!
Because I'm all about fashion (except the way it affects me...we'll talk about that later), as soon as the sun start warming everything around me, I start thinking about elegant dresses, with perfect shapes and cuts! And when one thinks about that, one sure thinks about the retro designs (or the Japanese patterns...also).
So, I say we enjoy a video from the '40s. IN COLOR!!!

They were simple and elegant and looking perfect. Don't you think? There was a high class when it came to dressing...even for a walk in the park. I wish things would be the same again... I wish that people would start caring more about how they look and understand that the way you present yourself in front of others could be a sign of respect (given to them).

I'm pretty sure you will start saying that not everybody has the money for looking good. People, believe me when I tell you, looking good is not about how much you spend, but how you spend it.

Here are some useful tips on how to look great, on a budget
1. Always be clean and have a clean look!!! I can't stress this enough. No loose hems, no holes in your blouse, no loose seems!!! I think more people should have a home sewing machine, to be able to fix problems like this. They really are not that expensive! BUT, if you don't want to spend on one, just take a needle and a matching sewing thread and start working your fingers on fixing the mess.
It's simply unforgivable to appear in public like that (for man and woman)!
So, it doesn't matter if your clothes aren't the newest. By taking care of them and fixing their problems, you will look great!

2. Be careful what you buy! When it comes to basic pieces I think you could spend more. Because those pieces will be with you for a very very long time (basic pieces are always in...that's why they are called basic). ;)

3. Don't be afraid to check out thrift stores. Other fashion bloggers make a real passion/hobby out of digging for treasures there and they really find them! Don't judge a skirt by the fact that it sits in a pile of fashion wrongs. With a little wash and ironing, it will come back to life!
But! Don't start buying things just because they are cheap! You will end up spending more money (even if you do have more stuff...but you won't wear them!!!). Here too, less is more!

4. Take a look in your mom's or your grandmother's closets. They might still have some great dresses or jackets in there!!!

5. Never-ever buy something that doesn't fit you perfectly!!! If you can't find that perfect fit because you are in between sizes (no worries, most people are), take them to somebody that can fit them for you.
Before doing that, make sure to talk to a seamstress. She can tell you what to buy and what can she adjust, in order for it to be cheap. Being informed it's way easier! For example: you try a pair of pants but they are to big at the waist, fit you perfect on the butt and too long on the leg. This is simple to adjust! Because she only has to fit the waist and cut the length!
Again: when clothes fit you good, you look good!!!

Follow those rules and you will be able to look great, no matter the trends or season.
If you have any questions, I am more then happy to answer them! ;)

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!

Animal Print Obsessions...

Well...when it comes to prints and colors I have a lot of them...but I guess you got used to all this. :D

Yep, the animal print! You didn't expect that! Or did you?
I absolutely love this print. Now, there are a few rules when it comes to wearing such a loud type of print (keep in mind, all animal prints follow the same rules: leopard, zebra, snake skin etc. etc.) They are big, wild and in your face. So, pay attention!

1. find how much of a animal print (or even simply print) person are you. Me, even if I like it a lot, I usually wear it on my accessories. Like shoes, belts, scarfs...but mostly shoes. Yep, more then 10 pairs in animal print and still counting.

2. be sure to get a quality animal print. The more realistic, the better. I'm telling you this because I'm against real fur or skin! No need for pain and suffrage, when it comes to our style, right?

3. at some point you might decided to buy a piece of clothing in full animal print. My advice is to wear it with almost nothing (meaning: nude, neutral, basic pieces. So that IT will stand out as it should)

4. remember: the animal print is almost as eternal as the little black dress. You just have to know 'how it's trendy to wear it': in the details, full, neon etc. The styles are endless...

5. for the courageous ones! The animal print looks fantastic when mixed with other prints. Yep, I'm talking about the print-mix, that (when done correct) looks absolutely fantastic! My favorite!!! So. For this, I recommend the zebra print (being monochrome, it is the easiest one to mic with other prints). So, add a detail in full strong color and a detail in a completely different colors and type (if a print is in lines, the other one will look fantastic if it has rounded shapes). You get it!

For more inspiration, take a look at the examples below. I used 3 dresses made by me form the Missy Messy Roots collection and the Entitles Bully collection.
The rules are the same for when wearing pants, or skirts. I just used dresses as an example, because it is a more simple presentation :). Remember: Like in all fashion, less is more when it comes to animal print. But sometimes...more is simply more and better!
It all depends on how you fell, your personality and your style. Don't ignore them!!!

visual examples made with the help of polyvore

GIF Talk: Make it Real!

Grab a glass of wine, make yourself comfortable and let's talk gifs. I can already feel you rolling your eyes through my screen and saying "Noemi, is this really a conversation? Beside an occasional 'Ooh! look how cute that raccoon is, eating his grapes.' is there really something to talk about here?". And let me assure you that: Yes! Yes, there is! Because, first of all, I could talk for hours about how cute that raccoon is and second, because gifs are so diverse. They vary from silly to intricate to fascinating and we are going to talk about them regularly.

Today I'm going to draw your attention to Gifpop!, a couple of hipster magicians who will turn your virtual gifs into reality, and by that I mean gif postcards. Look at it!

This is a gif of a gif of a gif. The meta is not lost on me.

Do you know what this means? Yes, exactly! You can now turn your drunken party pictures into dizzying memorabilia you can play with and proudly show your guests. I know, guys, this is the future!

On a slight side note, this is a pretty old technique and people from these parts all know about gif postcards because they are sold at bazaars here and they usually have kitschy moving pictures on them, a winking Vietnamese girl was a very popular one. They are also fascinating, but now you can turn this into a postcard and that is pretty damn great in my book.

Hip | Hop | Don't STOP!

Yep! Couldn't help myself not posting this!
:)))))))))))

Oh myyy! This is too funny :))))
Just love them for doing this. Also, now I want to go out and shake my booty ;) hmmm...and, maybe I'll try some of the moves I learned today!

A Lot on my Mind...

Crazy days...for crazy people!

Ok...ok...relax people!
Don't get too scared of my face. I'm tired from work, exhausted from workouts and crazy hungry from dieting for the past 2 mouths. Yep, this Summer my 10years class reunion will take place and (like all crazy women out there) I want to look fantastic!

But more on that in a later post, because it's a pretty big subject!!! What to wear?! how to do my hair?! how to talk? how to eat? how much to drink???????
Uh...I'm pretty sure I'll just find something to wear that same day, I'll do my own hair, wear just a little make-up and simply act normal all day long. Even so, it's nice to stress about it!

And if there is anybody in this world that likes to stress on silly (and important) things, well HELLO PEOPLE! I am here to do all of that and more! It's not like I have a job, a family, clients etc. No, plenty of time to stress about stupid things! Shish...

Really know. Today I am extremely stressed. Because of my job. And I don't really know why, because it's the usual here at the atelier. The only difference being the fact that we are working (hard to finish) on the ss2014 collection. There is a lot of hand work involved, great amounts of fabric and so sooo many little details that you know I adore. A great dress is all about the little details. Not having it full of everything!

As I'm doing all this I have to talk to my lovely clients, go to meetings, answer the phone...plus all the bureaucracy of having my own business. I just like to be a drama queen, because I do love it ALL!

In the end, the hardest day for me is not Monday.
I hate Tuesday!!!

the Crazy Cat Lady

It's been a while now since everybody noticed cats invading the internet. No secret here. No secret that fashion people are absolutely going crazy about cats and NO SECRET in the fact that I am going to become a crazy-cat-lady (maybe the Redhead will join me...actually, pretty sure about that)

Even so, I like to believe that petting a cat a day, keeps the doctor away! They are better then therapy and when you pet a cat while eating nutella, well...that's just haven my friend!

As a future CCL (Crazy-Cat-Lady!!!) I have my obsessions when it comes to my 2 pets (2 Russian Blue cats, Mitzi and Boris) and also to cats in general. Just take a look at my Instagram album!
Cat, over cats, over cats...and then some more cats. I work all day, and sometimes even nights, but still...the only think I seem capable of snapping a picture of, is a cat (or two...)

maybe I'll be a fashionable CCL...

Crazy as it may seem, the cat-mania is here and it will stay for a long time.
If you are looking for someone to blame for that, I give you: the fashion world!!!
All designers have a soft spot when it comes to cats and I think it's mostly because of the way a feline acts. I too see great inspiration in the way cats look, walk, sleep. No wander one of the most popular words in fashion involves cats: catwalk!!!
Just so we can miau-miau all the way to a greater style!

Karl Lagerfeld - looking purrrfect

Helmut Lang catsuit, Reinaldo Lourenço ss2012

Now, I like cats and I like fashion...why wouldn't I love cat-inspired fashion?!
I don't simply like a blouse with a cat on it! Even if this one...oh...I don't even know what to say...it's sooo bad, that I love it!!!
Mostly I like to be catty when it comes to the accessories. And if they get to be a little naughty, well...all for the better!

As The Aristocats said: Everybody wants to be a CAT!
And whom am I, to disagree?!? :)) Because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at ;)

Images: Pinterest, Catwalk to the Moon

Mitzi & Boris. My cats.

Rainbows! Rainbows Everywhere!

What do you do when the sun comes out after the rain? Do you break out in song? Do you go jumping through puddles? Or do you just ignore it? All of these are totally valid and respectable options, but if you are anything like me (or an 8 year old child) you go looking for that rainbow. Look through all the windows, go outside, stop the car in the middle of nowhere to check the skies - these are all things I did (and also things I'm totally not ashamed of) just to get a fleeting glimpse of a rainbow, those glorious unicorn highways.

I am going to bake this cake and it's going to be a disaster

And could you possibly guess what I like more than rainbows? If you guessed useless little trinkets than I'll give you a prize because I love useless little trinkets (someday I'll show you all the things that clutter up my house and that day is going to be wonderful for all of us). So you can imagine that on the top of my  MUST HAVE list is that ugly little thing down there. It's a rainbow maker, you guys, it demonstrates that man has truly conquered nature, and it shall soon be mine.

It creates tens of little rainbows that move around your house, and it's going to make me very happy and it's going to drive my cats literally up the walls. Fun times are ahead!

It's Science!