So here comes the second post as promised totally dedicated to the girls that work with Loukia! Each one of them has a different task to do. Some combine Loukia's designing team and some others work for her marketing! One thing's for sure... They are all really young and their style is unique, modern but also with a twist (as expected)!
I particularly loved these three looks for three different reasons! In the first look, the girl is wearing a bow in her hair. A bow that as I learned later was bought from H&M Kids! Who said you are too old to buy accessories from the childrens' section?
The second look combines in the best way street wear and couture! What lies beneath the knitted dress could be your everyday outfit but this girl through on top a Loukia creation and the total outcome was simply adorable!
As for the third girl, Androniki... I just couldn't leave the showroom without taking a pic of her Miu Miu's! This collection will haunt me forever and this girl proved to me that you can wear designer shoes even when walking around the streets of downtown Athens!
There are certain occasions that make me feel so grateful for having this blog… The fact that I meet new people that tell me they already knew my blog and liked it, the trip I took to Zyrich for the exclusive new that Ebay was opening a Greek market, the designers that have allowed me to capture their shows backstage, famous stylist Celestine Cooney that talked to me about her view on the fashion world, the bag I designed with Toi&Moi team…well the list can go on forever.
The last days, I’m finding myself more and more emotional when thinking about this blog. I started it just because I wanted to keep a virtual diary of the things I loved the most online and almost two years later, this “baby” has grown up and is mature enough to start making its own very personal steps…Sometimes I’m feeding it with news, some others by itself it takes me to places I would never thought I could go.
If you keep old magazines, now it’s the time to go and search for the March 2005 Greek Vogue issue. It was the first time that my name was ever mentioned in a magazine. I never shared this with anyone before, but that issue will always be my most loved one. No one knew me back then, I had just returned from London where I had taken a short course in fashion design at St Martin’s college and I was struggling to find a balance between finishing my economic studies and keeping alive my creativity and fashion love. I had read an interview fashion designer Loukia had given in a previous Vogue issue, and I was so touched by the fact that she had told that she would love to see younger designers take up her work…I had found it amazing for such a successful and important designer as her to be so open-minded and not at all selfish to go and say publicly that she would like others to continue her work. In fact I was so touched that I had to send a letter to Vogue and write down all those feelings and thoughts… And that letter was eventually published!
Last Friday, me along Christiana, Lopi and Elena, we found ourselves invited at Loukia’s showroom. I was so anxious to meet Loukia in person that I was thinking about it for days! When I wrote that letter 4 years ago showing my admiration to her, I couldn’t believe that one day I could actually meet her in person! When we entered her showroom her designing team welcomed us and showed us around.
Mia Kollia was also there and informed us about everything! Loukia is preparing some new projects that involve a brand new much more accessible prêt-a-porter line, an art de la table line and an accessories and menswear small collection. Also Mia is writing a book about Loukia’s life and designing history that will be published during the next year!
All this time, Loukia was standing a few meters away, but I was so busy absorbing everything that was around me that I didn’t even see her! After Mia informed us about the new projects we tried on some of Loukia’s creations (wait to see Elena wearing that purple dress…you’ll love it!) and then the designer came and sat with us!
Well…words are not enough to capture her personality. She is one of the most down to earth and calm-looking persons I have ever met. Mia even had to remind her of certain –important- events such as the fact that she had dressed Melina Merkouri! I asked her about various things…The other girls, too! Some of them were if she cares about trends ( a yes), if she reads news online (a no as she has so many things to do and time doesn’t allow her) and what does she do for getting continuously inspired. She told us that she reads a lot, she likes going to the theatre and that she really enjoys watching movies.
When we entered her working space her team informed us that Loukia likes it to be a little bit “untidy” but not in the wrong way! She gets inspired when mixing different garments that lie around the tables and all this “creative chaos” is actually liberating for the team as well! I was really impressed by the fact that her team is consisted of very young people! It shows that she stays true to her believes!
I always love to see inspiration boards!
Hmmm ok! I think I’ve written enough! Now you’ll have to visit the other girls’ blogs and read more there, too! Also, the next post will be dedicated to Loukia's team I’m mentioning above! Their personal style was so unique that I decided they deserve a post of their own!
Here is happy me wearing a Loukia dress!... Me in full bloom!
Last but not least a big thank you to Demetrios Papadopoulos and Mia Kollia for this wonderful invitation and of course to Loukia for welcoming us at her personal showroom!
Lately I have to admit that I receive various invitations for events. Most of them are concentrated on the products and you just enter the room, photograph everything you're interested in, chat a little bit with the organizing and pr team and an hour later you leave the building full of pics, press releases and free goodies (oh-yes-here's-another-canvas-bag!). Don't get me wrong. I'm not implying that these events are boring at all! It's actually fun as you get to see familiar faces and most of the times, collections that aren't out yet!
All this intro is actually written because of a different invitation I received some days ago! A Thanksgiving dinner organized by Kiehl's cosmetics. Well, to be true the first thought was to say no as this blog is only fashion related and I wasn't sure I was the most appropriate person to write about beauty products. I mean I don't even use a facial moisturizer and my beauty case consists only of one make-up, one pencil, one eye shadow and one blush! You see?
The thought of the Thanksgiving dinner though was quite appealing! I have only seen Thanksgiving dinners in my favorite American teen movies and...well it sounded quite appealing!
So here I am at the lovely space of Ε.Δ.Ω. gallery where a large table was placed in one side! The art de la table was just amazing full of candles,pears, tree leaves, walnuts and chestnuts and I later realized that everyone invited was a blogger! (Mr Yatzer below)
The Out of the Box pr team and the Kiehl's people welcomed us in the warmest way and I felt comfortable from the very beginning! Also the idea of the stickers with our names and blogs on (see Thalia's sticker here) was just what we needed to start talking to each other as it was easier to remember the names and spot some blogs we were reading but never knew the blogger behind!
We then got introduced to the Kiehl's cosmetics, the philosophy of this brand (the minimum of conservatives, ecological packaging and no animal testing) and the people who work there. They all sounded so happy for being involved with Kiehl's that all this positive energy was transmitted to us and I was actually convinced of trying these products (yes, little Haritini will start using her Creme de Corp daily from now on). Then the -biological- turkey and the cranberry sauce were served and the dinner started with us chitchatting with each other!
And this is how I spent my first-ever Thanksgiving night! Thank you Kiehl's!
Mulberry is one of my most favorite and most...lusted brands of the moment! It's amazing how a company with such a history and trademarked English style succeeds in reinventing its own name and by sticking to it's basic roots is never out of fashion!
So, you can now understand my excitement when I received the invitation for the SS11 collection press preview! All bags were peeeerrrrfect, there wasn't one of them that I wouldn't want to carry around (and yes I saw and touched each and every one of them). 
This was my personal favorite, the "Large Edie in Powder Beige Heavy Grain Leather". Sigh..just perfect, simple and elegant! What more would you ask for?
Another perfection, the "Piccadilly in Powder Beige maxi grain leather". (Oh yes she'll be mine when I'm more mature and business-looking)
...and this is a small detail of the bag that almost every girl in the room gasped when came closer! The "Jewelled Lily in Camel Suede" that as I read in the press release, is a mixture of over three-thousand Swarovski crystals, rivers and studs that have been delicately applied by hand! (...darling, take me to the Oscars)
And last but not least, we wouldn't be good bloggers if we didn't capture our outfits! In the first pic you see me photographed by Lopi (that's how a girl looks just after 8 hours of work) and in the second, Elena capturing Lopi's outfit! Check their blogs and discover their favorite Mulberry bags! 
p.s. another thing I really loved was the inspiration of this collection that was the film "Grey Gardens" and the children's novel "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The Secret Garden book is one of my all time favorite and despite the fact that I don't usually recommend the movie edition of the books, this is actually really good...Well, now you know one more thing about me!
...is an Italian brand that I haven't heard before the one-third of the design team, Alessandro Manzi sent me the mail to let me know!
At first I was kind of curious as I speak Italian and so I could easily understand the title that in English means "The system of objects". Then I saw the pictures and I read the press release and I got excited, as this brand is exactly of my taste! The name of the brand, IL SISTEMA DEGLI OGGETTI is taken from the homonym book of 1968 from Jean Baudrillard. The symbol and logo must be a flint, the first man-made object of history.
The overall feeling of this collection is quite modern and up-to date but at the same time all clothes seem to be extremely wearable and comfortable!
So, the mission of Il sistema degli oggetti is to built a "system" of fashion icons, re-inventing and re-proportioning the historical one: parka, biker jacket, kimono, blazer, with the typical "designers" methodology. The pictures above are taken from the SS11 lookbook and my personal favorite is the last printed t-shirt where for the printing the team of Caterina Coccioli, Anna Lottersberger and Alessandro Manzi used ceremonial masks!
www.ilsistemadeglioggetti.it
Lately I'm not shopping that much. In fact I'm not shopping at all mainly because the days are smaller and I'm too tired and bored to go at the stores after work. Also on Saturdays that I'm not working I prefer to sleep until late instead of going out shopping in the morning! So, no time/budget for serious shopping!
Yesterday I found some time to go and visit Zara, see what's new and as I'm in search of leather ankle booties, I gave a try at the ones above! Well no I didn't buy them yet, because I have to confess another "shopping habit" I developed during the last months. I try something on then leave it and if I think of it for more than two-three days I take it as a sign that I really need it and eventually go and buy it. If I don't find it..well it won't be the end of the world! This habit has helped me a lot as I'm only buying the things that I really want and not the ones that are trends/mood driven. Today -a day later- I have to admit that I don't think of these boots any more. I found the heels too uncomfortable to walk despite the fact that I looooved the color and the shape of the shoes. So one thing un-checked of my shopping list! (Another still stays checked, hmmm should I wait another day to decide if I want to buy it or not?)
