the SoHo symposium

a matter of colors/seasons/places

2012-01-28T22:34:00.001+02:00

Today while checking my +1500 photos on iphone I found these two snapshots of my closet taken in two different seasons of last year.

Well..."I can't help but wonder"...what the %&@ happened to my closet?! It's true that I hate Winter season and that I can barely handle the cold weather but this drastic color range change I think reflects it much better than said. Also Florence is a very "monochromatic" city as well so...

the conclusion of my thoughts for tonight is that not only seasons but also cities reflect on our clothes and our moods. Oh and I forgot to tell you for the first time ever, I got dressed in black head-to-toe! Definitely an accomplishment not to be proud of...

Angelos Bratis for YOOX

2012-01-20T23:19:00.000+02:00

Well, I must confess this was a SO well written press release that I was really tempted to leave it the way it was sent to me!!

"To celebrate the launch of the Greek version of the virtual store, yoox.com unveils a unique collaboration with Greek designer Angelos Bratis, debuting online his Spring/Summer collection,alongside an exclusive caftan-dress designed exclusively for yoox.com and available online starting from today.

The Spring/Summer collection - ECHO LOVES NARCISSUS, is inspired by the famous Greek myth. According to Angelos Bratis this legend is more contemporary than ever in today’s digital age. Hi-tech Romanticism permeates Angelos Bratis’ collection: algorithmic design blends with softness and fluidity – geometric shapes like the triangle and rhombus in ‘Facebook’ blue and Narcissus yellow create seamless color block dresses, crafted from natural materials and cut directly on the mannequin like traditional Greek peplums.

Greek tradition fuses with the future in the exquisite Y-caftan dress, created exclusively for yoox.com: “The Y-caftan came to mind when I was looking at the yoox.com app on my iPhone: the letter Y - a beautiful Greek symbol” affirms Angelos Bratis. A strong graphic silhouette combines with the geometry of the letter "Y" in bright yellow against a simple square of grey silk cut in four pieces. Bias-cut side panels drape against the body and give the garment a sense of fluidity.

Angelos Bratis for yoox.com is the first collaboration between yoox.com and a Greek designer, and the perfect way to celebrate the launch of the Greek version of the website."

discover the collection here

image courtesy: yoox.com

Suspenders

2012-01-14T17:29:00.000+02:00

..and the above picture proves that stylists are lucky enough to be able to wear after shooting, the model's clothes!

Stylist Emily Rusby transformed a "magazine shoot" look into something totally streetstyle approvable and wearable. The red shocks are THE detail of the look!

sources: vanessa jackman, emily rusby's personal webpage

Firenze4Ever 4th Edition_the party

2012-01-08T18:07:00.000+02:00

Well words are not enough to describe this season's edition of Firenze4Ever Luisa Via Roma bloggers party! The store and upper restaurant floors were emptied of clothes and full of pink-worn fashion and music bloggers, friends, photographers, fiorentine stylish residents and even some people that traveled from other Italian cities just for this event!

Of course everyone was excited to meet the "star bloggers" behind the blogs Fashion Squad, Bryan Boy, Style Scrapbook, Fashion Toast and The Blonde Salad (blogs mentioned in the order that you get to see them in the first pic)! Other than that, people were coming up and down, Joan as Police Woman rocked the party with her amazing voice and songs and the cute Pug Dogs were exposed in the walls of Luisa!

Definitely one of the best editions I've frequented so far as the place was full and everyone seemed to enjoy the music, the drinks, the food, the outfits and of course being photographed by so many bloggers around!

Firenze4Ever 4th Edition_the outfit

2012-01-08T17:21:00.000+02:00

Luisa Via Roma organized yesterday night for the 4th time the single most important international bloggers reunion party and this time the dress code was "Pink Carpet" (last time it was animalier check post here)!

Luckily I already had in my closet my Sparkle & Fade shirt-dress bought from Urban Outfitters when in London last June that I combined with my favorite (but very few times worn) shoes from Fullah Sugah!

Stay tuned because the next post features more photos of the party and a "bloggers family" photo that I'm sure you'll love!!!

New Xmas Kid

2011-12-17T14:49:00.001+02:00

New Kid is the brand that I presented to you some months ago (re-read post here). These past few months, Rachel started also the market section in the official webpage and just for your pleasure this weekend you can buy all shoes (except model Dreamcore), with a discount of 50%! Just type CHRISTMAS as check out.

As for me, yesterday night I found myself at Rachel's studio where I bought these goodies and also had the pleasure of seeing for the first time the Fall/Winter 2012 collection. Stay tuned because we are talking about some good stuff!

Remember Tomorrow

2011-12-12T22:25:00.000+02:00

Ioanna Kourbela is a Greek designer that happens to be a personal favorite! Few days ago I received not only the current season's Fall/Winter 11-12 lookbook from which you see my 3 most desired looks above, but also a very pleasant surprise (that unluckily for me, luckily for you I cannot attend).

Save the date! Sunday 18th December at three o'clock at Andrianou 109 and Hatzimihali 12 str, all season's xmas bazaar 50-70% off plus a super contest organized by Athens Voice for two male and two female complete Ioanna Kourbela looks as christmas gifts!

Madame Shou Shou

2011-11-15T23:37:00.001+02:00

Thanks to Tonia, some days ago I discovered a new Greek brand under the name "Madame Shou Shou".

Initially dragged by the careless-colorful-so-Greek mood of the photoshoots for the first two collections, I wanted to learn more about the designer Elina Kordali. For this reason, I decided to ask her in person. Enjoy the interview and don't forget to visit her fb page for more details on her collections!

" I have studied Fashion design at Instituto Marangoni in Milan and afterwards I did a Master in fashion styling at IED in Barcelona. Madame Shou Shou started on April 2011. The 2nd winter collection is already in stores

Usualy I name my clothes after the people I love most,my favourite piece from my winter collection is a brown jacket which i named after my most loved person in my life , Paul.

All the fabrics of my collections as well as the production are 100% "made in Greece". From the very beginning I knew that I wanted it to be this way. I don't know if it will be a positive decision but at least I'm happy to be helping even like this, these difficult times.

In the beginning it was very difficult to find the contacts, but now I can definitely say that I am satisfied both for the price and quality of the materials I'm using.

Designer or Stylist?...

I am a designer but in all the photoshoots I realise how much my studies and my knowledge of styling have helped me. I think that my Fall/Winter collection combines casual with theatrical. All the clothes are made of very soft and comfortable fabrics while at the same time their lines are very romantic as if created in the past eras.

I love traveling, I am leaving in a few days for one month round trip in South America. I think that this trip will make me more inspired that why the Summer Collection 2012 will have a lot of influences of these places...

A webpage as well as the eshop of Madame Shou Shou will be soon online so stay tuned!

pic source: all pics taken from Madame Shou Shou's fb page

Forte_Forte

2011-10-23T16:13:00.001+03:00

Forte_Forte is designed and produced in Italy by Giada Forte and Paolo Forte (double the forte and you get a brand name!).

Some more info about the brand, as I found in the Tranoï webpage, is that the collections are made exclusive with Italian fabrics rich in special finishings and lovely hand-made details. Furthermore all pieces are embellished by precious embroidered labels, decorated with tiny enchanting jewel charms, and sold in small perfumed bags.

find out more about the brand in the official site!

DElight S/S 2012

2011-10-17T23:27:00.000+03:00

At the same time that I'm burying in the back of the closet all the summer clothes and try desperately to find some warm Winter alternatives, DElight publish their Spring/Summer 2012 collection's lookbook! Rather familiar feeling, instant DElight recognition and some very well structured shirts and jackets from what I can tell so far!

Above are my 3 most favorite pieces! Follow DElight on Facebook and like yours.

Lazzari

2011-10-15T23:54:00.001+03:00

Lazzari is an Italian brand with -apparently- really cute clothes that I discovered some days ago! What you see above is the lookbook of the Spring/Summer 2011 collection which I know, is already a past collection but I couldn't help but post these pictures as I really like the color pallet and the concept!

Pastels seem to be in trend even for the next Spring/Summer 2012 so I'm thinking of embracing it even during Winter!

Whyte_Bianco di Partenza

2011-10-09T20:07:00.000+03:00

15 students from ISIA-Polimoda's Fashion Design course presented their creations a few days ago at the Contemporary Centre of Art EX3! Fellow students, teachers and the fashion crowd of Florence was there to see live the creations of the new designers!

As a teacher later mentioned to me ISIA is a more artistic institute and that's the reason why the 15 students presented more conceptual collections than stictly wearable ones. Here you can see my three most favorite collections.

Giulia Betti collection's name was 263 and was a mix of the Red Riding Hood and fairytale animal creatures!

Ieliena Mojarova with the collection "Wing Walkers" that was highly applaused

and the most wearable collection according to me, Sarah Proietti's Femdom

Each student had a unique theme, music soundtrack and presentation something that added extra points to the whole event!

Last picture taken from ISIA Design official site.

Made in...

2011-09-17T19:27:00.001+03:00

As this is a rather personal blog, I wanted to share with you a change of my way of thinking in regards to a reality that is more and more experienced around me lately. I live in Florence for more than 9 months now and what is really obvious is how proud the Italians are for their famous etiquette “made in Italy”. If this etiquette is stronger or weaker than before is a matter that I wouldn’t like to mention right now but at least the etiquette remains strong in the minds of everyone as synonym to high craftsmanship and quality.

What I realized these past few months is how much Greece is strong in imports. Like the fact that we had Starbucks way before Italians have had (the first Starbucks is rumored to open in Milano soon) and Inditex brands such as Uterque and Oysho that opened in Athens before approaching other more important European cities first. Well, nothing is wrong with that for sure and personally I felt rather proud that I had something that others didn’t have yet, but in such a plentiful environment is normal that we…well I, forgot something.

…How little I cared if something was made in Greece or abroad. And here I am today reading about these foreign brands such as The Row of the infamous Olsen twins that is predominantly manufactured in the USA. As Ashley Olsen says, "I really believe in our ability to be able to create here and utilize the skills that people have here. The skill set is here... But whether it's cars or clothing, I believe in manufacturing as close to home as possible." Then, there is another “celebrity” brand that is doing really well, Twenty 8 Twelve of the Miller sisters that for the first time this Autumn/Winter season they attempted to manufacture on home turf with a limited edition collection exclusively “made in England”.

Made in…should count a lot more these days and as fashion is concerned, we shouldn’t forget about the existence of Greek brands. From Attrativo to Badila and from Ioanna Kourbella to the new generations of Greek designers, we should care a little bit more about our choices and consuming habits!

p.s. well I also remembered this post of dearest Alecca Rox. Check if you haven’t done yet!

pic sources: style.com, vogue.co.uk

Ancient Greek Sandals

2011-08-30T16:50:00.002+03:00

Almost a month after the last post and as I'm still in Greece enjoying my last holi-days here, I stroll around Athens in search of what's new and what's been missed all these months that I've been abroad! I have to admit that I catch myself behaving like a tourist and I visit shops around the centre in search of genuin "Greek" things, clothes and...hmm food!

These internet-free days that have passed, I realised that the most precious piece of clothing for summer is a pair of sandals and when out of a chance I found the site "Ancient Greek Sandals" I thought that the idea of such a site was very smart especially for the people who live abroad and don't have the chance to visit the area around Plaka and Monastiraki!

The sandals named after Greek godesses vary from real classics (if you go camping you'll definatelly recognise the "most-wanted" of the list) to originals with more elevated design details! The sandals above were my personal favourites and although being a little bit overprised for me, still the fact that they are designed by Christina Martini who has worked for designers like Vuitton and Balenciaga make them special.

Holidays!

2011-07-28T18:10:00.007+03:00

The long expected holidays are finally here. Ahhh, summer in Greece how much I missed you!

lemon trees

2011-07-19T01:25:00.004+03:00

Forgotten in my hard disc's folders, was this picture of the earrings I had bought during a previous Tell a Story almost a year ago... Never had the chance to actually wear them but thanks to the dearests Stella (McCartney) and Miuccia (Prada), when I come back home, I will dig them out and I'll be dressed according to the summer fruit trend as well!

Funny!

Travel diary

2011-07-17T15:17:00.002+03:00

a quick stop in London...
and back on traveling!
...being a tourist is so much fun! These past days (hmm..should I say weeks?) I'm traveling non stop around Tuscany. No wonder why everyone loves this region, there are so many places worth visiting. So please don't be cruel with me, this blog was never supposed to be a travel blog but it's summer, it's warm, it's worth traveling more and caring less for your outfits...

Just put on a dress, your sandals and off you go! Right?

p.s. zara's changing room is another very exotic destination. especially when trying on those yellow platform sandals! what can I say, a fashblogger is a fashblogger.

Yohji Yamamoto/ Fashion in Motion

2011-07-10T16:51:00.006+03:00

Ten days ago and while in London, I decided to visit the V&A's current exhibition on Yohji Yamamoto. I recently started reading his autobiography "My dear bomb" and I thought it would be amazing if I could have also a visual of his previous and most important creations. The museum features over 60 garments as well as a timeline and installations of his wider creative output.

Unfortunately, I reached V&A 45 minutes before its closure, but I was extremely lucky as I got in time to see an exclusive catwalk presentation of Yamamoto's Spring/Summer 2011 collections for womenswear and menswear. Menswear collection this time was inspired by the V&A textile archives so this was THE place to present a collection like this.

As the press release mentions "The garments were modelled by real-life couples, an idea the designer first incorporated into his Spring/Summer 1999 menswear show. Yamamoto likes to observe the way people make the clothes their own, stating that he tries to create a garment to 80% in order to leave room for his wearers to add their own final 20%"

The fact that the models were actually real-life couples, filled with electric vibes the room as the couples were hugging each other, held each others' hands and couldn't stop smiling -nervously but actually so realistic! They even stopped in the middle of the catwalk for a couple of minutes as if they were taken a "family picture" by the photographers!

p.s. Today was the last day that you could visit the exhibition. Find out more about it here.

Pitti June 2011/ Streetstyle

2011-06-23T00:36:00.002+03:00

Last week, Pitti Fair turned Florence once more into the most fashionable place on earth, proving most of all that men can actually be well dressed. Well I never doubted but Pitti is a rare occasion where totally well-dressed men are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e to be seen! After a while you get used to this sight and when Pitti is over, Florence seems once again average normal! What a pity!

Of course not only men visit the Fair. Many beautiful ladies were present as well! The three ladies that you see in the picture above were according to me the most interesting each one for a particular reason! Lady no1 for being brave enough to match stripes and gingham print in bold red (hmmm, I predict a trend here), lady no2 for her beautiful scarf-turned-belt and lady no3 for the inspiring colorblocking!

Alessandra, LP33.3 and Dimitris

2011-06-21T16:47:00.005+03:00

These days my mail is full of look books -some of the current season, some others already of the Fall collections.

As Florence is burning hot, I prefer to not show you yet jackets and heavy fabrics. Instead as you are already familiar with Alessandra Modarelli, LP33.3 and Dimitris Petrou, I decided to unite Italy, Australia and Greece under one post and show you my most favorite pieces of their current Summer collections!

BIANCOCO' is the new summer collection of designer Alessandra Modarelli and is consisted of knitted white cotton. In the first picture of course you get to see one more amazing turban! The cardi is perfect for the summer nights in some Greek island!
LP33.3 comes from Australia as I have already mentioned in the past! Their clothes may seem simple but I find their lines and inspirations always interesting! For SS11 they got inspired by the work of Australian artist Rosalie Gascoigne and the erotic Shunga woodblock prints of 18th century Japan.

For the end I kept one of my most favorite Greek designers, Dimitris Petrou. Two months ago he presented his SS11 collection and it may seem as if it was presented too late for some of you but actually this way is much more efficient for the Greek clientele. The collection under the theme Theros, was consisted of vintage scarves, jean and leather mixed with other fine materials. These two looks were my personal favorites but I would love to wear some of the garments that the designer designed for men as well!

Tag.your.closet

2011-06-17T00:02:00.003+03:00

You tag your friends on facebook, why not start tagging all the clothes inside your closet? That way you'll have a virtual wardrobe ready for you to pick your next -and maybe forgotten?- picks and others will get inspired by your closet!

Tag.your.closet is Greek, it's brand new and it's a great place to discover how the Greek style bloggers-and not only- like to get dressed, find their new purchases, the exact prices and sometimes even a link that will lead you directly on buying that t-shirt that was love at first sight!

Well, it's also a great place to find exactly what I wore on that LuisaviaRoma party I attended some days ago!

Have fun and start tagging!

LuisaviaRoma party/ Museo La Specola

2011-06-12T22:00:00.002+03:00

So, as promised here's the post of yesterday's Luisa via Roma "Firenze4Ever" party! This time it didn't take place at Luisa via Roma store, but instead at the Museum of Zoology and Natural History, La Specola.

To match with the place, the dress code was "Animalier" and it was the first time that I had to attend a theme-event. Girls of course proved how much they still love the leopard print trend in everything! Leopard dresses, shoes, bags, shirts, skirts and belts could be seen everywhere and men in order to be as fashionable used much more their fantasy with leopard bow ties and pocket squares!
The event started with a live dancing performance that reminded me a lot of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's dream with the dancers mingling and dancing among guests throughout the night!

Later on the party continued on the open terrace of the Museum and of course it was a pleasant surprise for me as Florence is full of hidden gardens that sometimes you have no way of discovering as most of them are private!
The blogger-friends of the evening were Amy from Sea Sage, Fosco Giulianelli from The Fashionist (-What is an Italian doing in Sweden? -There's no better place for a man that loves blondes =D ), Zahra from Trendy Zahra and Chrysa from Stories and Sequins that to my surprise is Greek and was the winner of Luisa's contest for the participation in the Style Lab!

Among the others oh-so-famous bloggers she got to see first the Autumn/Winter collections that Luisa via Roma will be featuring next season, style her looks and of course get photographed in them!
Check her blog for the pictures and of course congratulate her for winning.

Not pictured but also seen yesterday night, was another blogger that comes from Greece and currently lives in Florence! Katia Fourtouni from Style on Book.
SuperDuper hats designers Veronica and Ilaria were once more present at the party and I had to take one more pic of them and their lovely hats!
The Oriental beauty above seen, caught everyone's attention with her Burberry studded trench coat and amazing make up and long earrings! As for me, I chose to wear a vintage white silk skirt with an H&M body and match it with light pink accessories!

LuisaviaRoma party/ Call it animalier

2011-06-11T20:55:00.004+03:00

I'll confess my new unhealthy habit: that of constantly forgetting my camera at home and that of constantly being on the run! Call me a bad blogger and I'll turn my head but that was until tonight.

Because tonight I have one good reason to put on my forgotten heels and walk around the streets of Florence in my brand new blogger/animalier-inspired outfit! Luisa via Roma has invited me once again to the closing dinner blogger's party and in less than an hour I'll go and enjoy my time with fellow bloggers of the globe (BryanBoy this time included!).

...expect more soon and in the meantime enjoy again the pictures from the last party here!

animalier inspired body from H&M
plexiglass necklace from MariaFlora Papapanagiotou

Art+Fashion/ The Graduate Exhibition of F.I.T.'s students

2011-05-23T17:02:00.003+03:00

F.I.T (Fashion Institute of Technology) has a long history in Florence. For the past years, F.I.T is sharing a partnership with Polimoda Institute of Design and Marketing here in Florence as Polimoda is the host institution.

Last week, the F.I.T students that studied in Florence for more than the past 8 months presented their creations, fashion or art related along with their books of inspiration and designs. In general I can say that we saw a lot of draping but also clean cut lines and well tailored looks.

My most favorite creations came from Gianni Inglese (second set of pictures) that combined soft and strong materials as well as Robert Jakacki with his clean lines and simple architectural silhouettes (first pic, fifth set of pictures).

Artisans and the Palazzo

2011-05-15T19:15:00.002+03:00

For three days, the private Giardino Corsini here in Florence is open to the public thanks to the annual Florentine Artisans fair "Artigianato e Palazzo" (link)!

Today is the last day and the weather unfortunately is not as good as yesterday or the day before, but if you see this post and you still manage, you should definitely go and visit it, as it was extremely interesting to see so many artisans from different fields gathered in one -such a wonderful- place.

What I loved the most was the fact that some of the greatest bespoke Florentine artisans such as the Scuola del Cuoio, Saskia and Profumeria Lorenzo Villoresi were all there. They all have a special history here in Florence and as the bespoke trend is currently evolving worldwide, it's nice to see their work and talk to them in such a relaxed environment. Furthermore, photographer Juri Ciani presented his photography exhibition under the title "le mani, le cose, la passione" (the hands, the things, the passion) with sets of pictures from the artisans' hands and something from their personal working spaces. It closely reminded me of this post I made back in January. Beautiful pictures I would love to see this exhibition travel to other places after the end of the fair.

As for the end, the last set of pictures just demonstrates the laid-back attitude of the crowd! Loved these ladies!

Vivetta

2011-05-12T00:27:00.006+03:00

I'm in Florence the last five months and I have to confess that only one shop makes me want to visit it again and again. Boutique Nadine is not only close to my home, doesn't only keep it interesting with the frequent window display changes, but also has a great and very well curated selection of clothes. Some of them are designed by the boutique's owner, some are selected from Italian designers and in the back of the boutique there is a great selection of vintage findings!

Today I visited the second and brand new store that they opened recently (offering menswear as well) and my hand kept on selecting dresses tagged with the heart-shaped brand "Vivetta". After some research, I found that the brand is Italian (ok..what else could it be with the -etta, right?) and that it is one of the most upcoming brands of the moment!

What I most like about this brand is that the designer Vivi Ponti is not afraid to be playful with the shapes or the fabrics! Another reason why I liked this brand is that I found out that one of my most favorite stylists Eva Fontanelli was wearing Vivetta clothes when Sartorialist captured her in the below -already saved in my laptop- pictures!

Discover Vivetta at www.vivetta.it

Eva Fontanelli picture source: Sartorialist

New Kid from Italy

2011-05-09T01:42:00.005+03:00

New Kid is basically Rachel. Our story goes like this: I received a mail with the lookbook and the photoshoot and everything was written in Italian plus the photoshoot took place in the Italian -easily recognizable- sea side.

Three days ago and after many unsuccessful tries, we finally met and on the way to Palazzo Vecchio I prepared my best Italian vocabulary to greet her!...But no! Instead of the Italian I imagined, I found an Australian and a cute dog plus her Italian collaborator Imma (now all the Italian make sense). We went for a beer (or two) we talked about Italy, furnished kitchens, shoes, blogging, Australia, Japan, shoes, Italy, studies,shoes... and when I got back, I realized why this brand actually make so much sense to me.

Rachel designs shoes that are easy to wear, fit any wardrobe (even Rachel's mom wears them) and most importantly, they are 100% Rachel. She loves wearing flat shoes, so why not design them as well for all of us that are desperate flat-lovers/seekers of some uniquely designed ones? Furthermore, she moved all the production from China to Italy and now all these shoes have the "oh so precious" tag of "Made in Italy" and they are produced in a small factory just outside Florence!

You can find New Kid mostly online right now (check here for stockists) but I'm pretty sure, soon the world will be full of New Kids!

Visit New Kid at new-kid.com

The IOU project

2011-05-03T23:08:00.002+03:00

Bianca aka Battered Couture was a liiiitle bit faster than me in posting the "I Owe You" video when it was apparently sent to both of us! As my philosophy generally is not post something that has already been mentioned elsewhere (and Bianca's posts are more than inspiring every time) it took me some long hours just watching again and again the video, being impressed by this project and having numerous thoughts in my mind without thinking of possibly re-posting it. But thoughts like:

"..machines create clothes so that we can all dress the same way...But, don't we all want to be unique? Express our differences? Respect the environment?"

...deserve to not only be re-posted but actually be further discussed. As the matter of where creativity starts and ends in the fast fashion world that we are living in, the IOU project actually proposes something different. "Instead of mass producing standard clothing, they have found great European craftsmen to assemble each piece that has been weft by Indian weavers , one at a time. Then the consumer by tracking each individual piece, knows the whole story behind the garment that he is wearing"!

How many of us can actually say that they know the story behind what they are wearing right now? Or, how many of us read the tags "Made in Bangladesh or China" and actually know or think of what this means?
The I Owe You project is launching in just one week from today, and I thought it would be interesting to ask a few more questions the team behind IOU. Enjoy the small interview and don't forget to check the official site here.

Q - Can people track the craftsmen behind each piece of clothing?

Yes that was a very important part of the project. We have documented , interviewed and filmed each and every one of the artisans involved in our project ( right now we work with 223 weavers ) Each artisan has his own code and we track each piece of cloth through the entire process to be able to tell its complete story.
Of course since each piece is unique it has its own QR code that takes you to the entire story of the product, the video/pictures of the artisan who made the fabric in India and the artisans who made the garment in Europe.
And if you feel like it you can take your picture and add it to the story of that piece. All of this can be looked at and shared from our website.Q - Do these craftsmen get paid a higher wage?

Yes the IOU Weavers are getting paid more for their work and not only that we are working with local NGO´s to start an entrepreneurial fund in their villages headed by the artisans and pay extra into it from the sale of each of their patterns so that they themselves can turn into investors in their own villages . These artisan communities live in the harshest of conditions but we found them to be extremely proud of their craft and very keen to preserve their independence and attract their children back to it. Our dream is to work with more and more families.

Q - Are they all from India?

The weavers of the Madras check at this stage of the project are from the tamil nadu region of India. We are also producing a line of real plant Indigo dyed hand woven selvedge denim made in Japan. We then bring the fabric into Europe and work with European craftsman in Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain to turn these into beautifully hand crafted pieces of clothing. The european artisan has suffered tremendously in these last decades as well and our aim with this project was to bring back work and pride and a competitive product to them. The great part of the project has been the collaboration and understanding between everyone to make this work as they all understood that this was truly for everyones benefit.
Q - How can such a collection be advertised when each garment is different from the others?

We are crazy enough to take upon ourselves the herculean task of photographing every single individual piece since each one is UNIQUE.
We have had to turn the entire production system of our european partners and our own company on its head as every lungi( Piece of woven fabric ) woven by the weavers is a different pattern from the other.
You will see that clearly on our website.

If i were to sum up the IOU Project i would say that it has been a study in the creation of a Prosperity chain; an experiment to rethink how goods are produced and sold in a way that benefits everyone.
We Believe:
In empowering the Artisan
In celebrating Uniqueness
In our right to Transparency
We believe in the power of Technology to make these happen.

...So, any thoughts?

@Melissa/ Salone del Mobile 2011

2011-04-19T01:11:00.006+03:00

Beloved brand Melissa created especially for the occasion of the 2011 Salone del Mobile, a line of three new shoe designs. The Brazilian label collaborated with the Head – Genève (Geneva University of Art and Design) and gave the opportunity to three young student designers of Fashion, Accessory and Jewelry Design to develop a completely experimental prototype of a shoe.

The three winning projects, designed by the students Julie Simon, Marine Stampfli and Morgane Ribeyrolles, highlight the avant-gardist creativity of Fashion Design at Head – Genève while combining at the same time the technical expertise of the Melissa label.
The most interesting part was that we were able to see the prototypes as well as the final shoes along with video projections of all the other participating projects. Every student used a different material as for the prototype, from wood to leather, to fabric, but from the three winning shoes, these two are the ones that really impressed me.

The playful and joyful "Melissa Academy Duck" by Julie Simon, the "Melissa Academy Exlocio" by Marine Stampfli along with the shoes of Morgane Ribeyrolles will be marketed internationally in April 2011, as written in the Head – Genève's site.

I really wish the "Melissa Duck" goes on production soon, too!

@Milano, Streetstyle at Salone del Mobile

2011-04-18T01:33:00.002+03:00

In the same time that I was walking around via Tortona in boots and leather jacket (yes boots, weather forecasts always lie when it comes to heavy rain), some very stylish people were captured dressed to welcome the crazy rainy-windy-sunny weather of Milan!

Love check on: the bag, the tights and the hairdo (pic 1,2,3 accordingly)

@Milano, Fashion at Salone del Mobile

2011-04-17T21:09:00.002+03:00

Atelier del Cima situated in Via Tortona, featured a collection full of black and white dresses. The idea of playing with just two colors may seem dull, but it was actually quite interesting to see how these dresses were so much different one from the other as for the textures and shapes!
Tomoko Tokuda creates handmade jewelry out of vintage watches. The idea behind this project came to her when she was 25 years old and found some old watches inside a dusty box in an antique shop in Milano. She wanted to bring them back to life in a more modern way and make people remember them again! You can find more pictures of her jewelry at her site!
As for Mafalda86, it is a brand created by three friends,Vittorio Sebastiani, Stefano Di Berardino and Marco Albani. Their sunglasses are totally handmade and as they mention in their site they want to change the world- one face at a time! Especially for Fuori Salone they collaborated with Stryx19 that created in the top floor, jewelry for accessorizing the glasses!
As for the end...chairs made out of hangers from StyleMyLife company! I would say don't try this at home, but I'm already too temped to try it myself to say something like that to you!

@Milano, Salone del Mobile 2011

2011-04-17T00:45:00.006+03:00

On Friday for just eight hours I found myself in Milano after three years of not living there anymore! The "Salone del Mobile" is of course one of the most important events of the city and of whole Italy and as fashion is strongly related to design trends, we had to be there and observe what will rule the design world next year!

As the time was limited we only went to via Tortona where more than 40 locations were open with design exhibitions. The first exhibition featured the very impressive project of Res Sapiens, where 13 lamps were using the traffic of the internet and by the power of the tweets, the lamps moved and lighted. In order to really understand the project just follow this link and see with your eyes what Res Sapiens was all about.Tweelink from Holland created a very impressive table made out of 1000 color pencils- Maybe IKEA could be the next to present a table like this. The "Whoever does not understand the silence cannot hear it speak" comes from the Hillsideout project by Andrea Zambelli and Nat Wilms, which came to life in 2009 because of the common realization and the following discomfort concerning the degradation of abandoned sites in the Italian Apennines. They took old wooden furniture and re-created them into contemporary design objects. The above phrase was behind a plexiglass plate and the wardrobe in which it was inside was made of an old entrance door.
ilil studio Alessandro Israelachvili and Desiree Restuccia) was definitely of my taste -yes buttons managed to catch my interest! Their moto is "dress the table" (vestire la tavola) and they actually mean it! As they mention in their site:

"The table is a space for sharing, for relationship. Ilil imagines this relationship in an ironic way, creating a collection that plays with elements of fashion: sizes, basic items, accessories, styling."

Their ceramic collection of cups and dishes are accessorized by buttons and fabrics. This way each cup can be "dressed up" differently according to mood and occasion!For the end, I kept the scenographic light installation of Menogranoblu company. The collection "Hydra" is a collection of suspended hand-blown glass lamps. The light is reflected and diffused by the blown glass pendants which are suspended by a coloured tubular mesh of copper threads.

As this blog is not a merely design blog I just wanted to share some photos of the things I saw. For more details and real design reviews follow Yatzer that was in town as well!

Tomorrow, my fashion findings and some streetstyle shots!

Firenze in filters...Part II

2011-04-13T13:41:00.002+03:00

After Part I here's part II of Firenze in Filters!

Giardino di Boboli, Palazzo Tornabuoni and the amazing view of the terrace, heart stickers on signs and my new vintage bag/love are some of the pics I took these past days. Too bad I haven't taken any pics of the gelatos I'm eating every day!

Have a nice day people!

Super Duper Hats interview!

2011-04-07T20:18:00.003+03:00

Maybe Garance and her hat obsession made me realize some months ago that street style photographers were featuring more and more pictures of girls with hats. Or maybe it was even the fact that I could see these girls by myself on the street (something that highlights even more that Hat-ed girls were not seen only in fashionable NY or Paris but also in Athens or Florence)!

BUT the fact is that more and more online and on-life I see girls wearing hats and I was -and am- really interested to see if this trend is something that magazines are trying to push or is it a sudden coolness of girls and boys wearing their fedora hats in the most amazing colors and not care -not even for a minute- for the fact that...ermmm they have something on their head!

So when on January I met Veronica and Ilaria at the LuisaViaRoma party and they told me that they actually made the hats that they were wearing by themselves, I came to the conclusion that maybe hats is not only a trend! It can be a true business in the year of 2011! As you can guess...I had to interview them and learn more about their brand! Enjoy Super Duper Hats as much as Vogue.it does these days!

Two girls and one guy! How did you meet and Why did you choose to design hats in particular?

We met during a master at the Eindhoven university, the work was based on how to integrate technology in textiles. Then we became a little family, Veronica and Ilaria are sisters and Matteo is the Veronica's boyfriend....we chose to design hats because they are a real passion for us, we always used and loved hats. We were fascinated with the history of this unique object so carefully carved. Our curiosity towards the charm of an older generation of handicraftsmen and their techniques of manufacturing grew as did their awareness of the richness of a kind of work made with special passion an care.

What do hats represent to you and why do you think that women and men should start wearing hats again? Who is your ideal client?

First, hats are beautiful, second, we think that our hats are perfect for a person who dares to complete her own look with a stylish accessory that allows her to stand out for her elegance and refinement, for somebody who is looking for a sophisticated detail full of personality.
The research behind SuperDuperHats is aimed to create in each hat its magic and unique aura in order to nullify the transience of the contemporary fashion product.

The hat-trend was absent for quite some years but especially in the SS11 and AW11-12 it seems like designers are really trying to push the revival of the trend!
Why do you think people started paying attention to hats after so many years again?

A lot of fashion collection recall to something vintage, and in the passed Era hats was very important for a cool look, the hats had the same importance that nowadays have mobile phone, nobody goes out without it!

Are SuperDuper Hats handmade?

Every SuperDuper hat is totally handmade by Matteo, Veronica and Ilaria. SuperDuper exists because our hands work with care for hours, transforming a high quality raw material in an authentic handcraft product. A hat becomes a SuperDuper only if we are truly satisfied with the final result and if we are the first ones willing to wear it.

SuperDuperHats plays with old shapes and volumes, transforming them in suggestive and desirable gemstones, whose strong point is their current and unusual nature. SuperDuperHats are modern, yet they seem to magically wear a perfume of history. When you see them you can clearly feel how people used to make hats, yet you are sure they will never pass.The research behind SuperDuperHats wishes to give each hat its magic and unique aura in order to nullify the transience of the contemporary fashion product.

...And what about your inspiration?

SuperDuper Hats collections plays with retro shapes and volumes by looking back to the roaring 1920's. Wrapping bonnets, metropolitan gangter design: Each hat has its own contemporary, sophisticated allure.
Cuts, shapes, and leitmotivs recall those classic hats one can find in old, black&white pictures.

A huge Thank You to Matteo, Veronica and Ilaria! Don't forget to visit their web page at superduperhats.com

Current Mood

2011-04-05T22:58:00.002+03:00

While my fellow bloggers were enjoying each others company at the Fashion Week, I was -and am- enjoying the good weather, the sunny days, the gelatos and everything that finally made the Florentines a little bit more smiley, cheerful and positive!

On the other hand, I'll admit that I'm a bad bad baaad blogger these past few weeks! No time for posts being a student (again) is actually harder than I remembered as we have project after project and presentation after presentation! So...please be patient and enjoy my little post/mood for today!

Current mood: All things white/beige with a tiny neon hint! prrrrrfct!

sources: Sartorialist, serrestv.gr, net-a-porter, style.com

Dimitris Petrou /Θeros

2011-04-02T13:43:00.005+03:00

Dimitris Petrou is ready to present his Spring/Summer 2011 collection in just 10 days from today (April 12)!

Last season his collection only consisted of grey garments but the different textures made them all interesting and not boring at all! For the lucky ones that were there, the show was so different and unique that we all talked about it even weeks and months after...

The refreshing part was that instead of the usual catwalk, we saw a video, a live performance and models standing still in "random" parts of the stage. The audience was standing in the same height level as the models and we all felt part of the presentation. The AMP Gallery was also chosen wisely and it's the first time that I'm mentioning it, but as we waited outside for the doors to open, random people that lived in this area passed by and told us that they are really happy to see something good happening in their neighborhood.

The reason why I'm repeating parts of the post I did in October is because the designer is preparing something yet again inspiring and is emphasizing in a concept idea rather than a simple catwalk! The collection under the theme "Θeros" (harvest in English) is accompanied by this teaser video and some more interesting info:

The invitation will look like the cover of a book and the paintings of artist Michail Tsakountis will be placed in the center of the cover. All copies will be signed by the artist.

The space installation will be developed by Yiorgos Assimakopoulos and it will resemble a farm land filled with hay, referring to a realistic farm.

Thiseion theater is chosen as the location of the presentation and in the foyer a bar will be placed where guests will be having welcome drinks (as well as afterparty ones).

No one will leave empty handed, either. MaxFactor as being the main sponsor, will be providing goody bags to all guests!

Harvest days and nights, summer boys and girls, the sun and the countryside....Spring is here after all!

pic source: screenshots taken from Haris Farsarakis' video

Myrto Stamou F/W 2011-12

2011-03-28T23:08:00.002+03:00

Myrto Stamou is yet another familiar name! She was actually the first person that I ever interviewed in this blog (see here) and I am quite proud of the fact that back in June 2009 she won the first award of the UK Graduate Fashion Week.

As she told me last year, her aim was to return back to Greece and try and see how things can work from here. And that's what she actually did! Her Fall/Winter 11-12 collection is now ready and you get to see the lookbook of the outcome in the set of pictures above!

As she mentions in the press release:

"Fascinated by Jareck Kubicki’s nude photography the designer explores the depiction of woman’s figure in art and fashion and creates a collection that exaggerates the morphology of the body.

For autumn 2011 Myrto Stamou focuses intensely on leather which she treats as a second skin in order to bring the shaping of bones to surface. Three dimensional leather constructions combine with Grecian draping on dresses that sensually follow the curves of the female figure or find their way on structured pieces to intensify their shape. "

Grecian drapes and Modernly treated leather are quite an interesting mix, don't you think? And beside that fact, I can actually recognize Myrto's aesthetic if I compare this collection with her graduating one which is really important when talking of a young designer! All young designers should have their own unique trademark.... something!

Visit www.myrtostamou.gr and discover more of her work and world!

F for Flower S for Spring

2011-03-26T14:17:00.004+02:00

The editorial comes from the Italian online fashion mag Alila. What a brilliant idea for a photo shoot; Dress the model in the same color palette as a bouquet of flowers!

Spring has finally landed in Florence and yesterday was the first day that I could wear my little ballerinas without stockings! Small pleasures in life but you realize how less clothes can liberate your body and how a ray of light can cheer you up.

pic source: Alila

Ippolito F/W 11-12

2011-03-24T15:20:00.003+02:00

-people this is an EXCLUSIVE!...You are already familiar with Ippolito brand in this blog (just click here and here for yet-another quick reminder)!

It was almost a year ago when Pavlina Papailiopoulou opened her little boutique shop with her first leather bags and belts! Now it was about time to expand and prove us all right for supporting her (...and me in particular- I keep on telling her that I feel like a proud grandma but she doesn't believe me).

Two days ago she presented her Fall/Winter 2011-12 collection at the Athens Xclusive Designers Week and I was desperately trying to find some wifi at uni in order to read the first comments and see the first pics! Green as Pavlina's shirt from envy for not being there, at least I have to thank Jo (who must be delighted for her own "Jo" Ippolito bag by now) for her two posts especially dedicated to what happened backstage, on-stage and after-stage that night!

And people, I couldn't resist sharing with you my very own exclusive and private show of the brand new collection! Pavlina sent me the Fall/Winter lookbook some hours ago and it was actually hard for me picking only three bags! Of course these are my most favorite ones so...enjoy and don't forget to visit Ippolito store in Plaka and take a virtual tour at www.ippolito.gr

Italy celebrates in Style!

2011-03-19T17:17:00.002+02:00

On Thursday, Italy celebrated 150 years of unification. Florence as the first capital of Italy long ago, was decorated accordingly with national flags and lots of happenings in the streets! What I liked the most was the fact that shops for one day changed their window decorations and some of them did it in the most creative and inspiring way!

Emiliano Rinaldi

2011-03-14T22:55:00.003+02:00

Emiliano Rinaldi is an Italian designer coming from Tuscany. During his college years while studying Engineering at the University of Bologna his passion for design became stronger and stronger and after a while he decided to present his first jewelry collection! In 2009 along with the jewelry line he presented a clothing line that consisted of jackets and trousers.

The images above come from his Fall/Winter 2011-12 lookbook and what I liked the most about it was the idea of mixing shiny and more flat fabrics together! The lines are loose and if you already follow this blog for a while you must know by now how much I adore loose-fitting clothes! The detail on the back of the coat in the first set of pics is lovely!

Elena Troulakis

2011-02-28T20:50:00.002+02:00

We are still wearing FW10/11, in stores we can already find the brand new SS11 collections while at the same time designers start presenting their FW11/12 creations! Yeah, that's what fashion is like!

So today I'm really happy to present to you the brand new -and BRAND FIRST- Fall/Winter 2011/12 collection of Greek designer Elena Troulakis! I first met Elena at the Alexis Barrell presentation and back then she had informed me of her anticipated new collection that of course I was interested to see!

What you possibly don't know about Elena is the fact that she has attended fashion design courses at Parsons Paris and the Rhode Island School of Design and also that she has been working in the fashion world since the age of 17, with placements at brands including: Ralph Lauren (New York), John Galliano (Paris), Yves Saint Laurent (Paris), Emanuel Ungaro (Paris) and Matthew Williamson (London).

After such an impressive career she decided to come back to Greece and create her own fashion label here! All the prints of the collection are designed by her and for the new collection she is playing with varying scales, sculpted fabrics and shapes, and layered weights!

Personal favorite, the last dress with the sculpted back detail!

Discover Elena Troulakis and the complete AW11-12 collection here!

Yiuco the World!

2011-02-27T17:03:00.002+02:00

Recently I read a very interesting article on eco-site Treehugger about the very first online marketplace solely for recycled handicrafts. To my surprise...it's actually based in Greece! The Yiuco eshop is brand new so don't expect a large collection of objects yet but I personally find the idea amazing and that's why I wanted to learn more about it! Soti (one half of the Yiuco team) was kind enough to answer my questions! Enjoy.

How did the idea of an exclusively eco online market come up?

As we say on our blog, Yiuco popped up in the middle of a crisis….and to be more specific, after a closet clean up (read more here)! A pile of clothes took up a corner waiting for someone to do something with them. Trash them away was not an option….let’s recycle them we thought! After research and brain storming we realise that there were many people, companies, organizations who prefer instead of trashing the world to reconstruct it. So, we thought, let’s get together!
And Yiuco.com was born!

When was Yiuco "born"?

Yiuco is on air since the end of 2010….actually is a newborn!!!!

You are based in Greece. Do you believe that the Greeks have an eco-concious buying attitude?

It is quite surprising the feed back we receive from Greece. Even though the Greeks are not that much into the eco-conscious-buying as an attitude yet, we strongly believe that they will be. And we hope that Yiuco will become a tool, a motive for Greeks to overcome their own closet crisis……

Actually, what we really want to promote through yiuco, is the power of the individual on the environmental issue. We say don’t throw it, yiuco it! to awake people and make them realize that their trashes (of the past maybe) can become their treasure for the future.
How do you check if all products that are traded follow the rules of recycling?

The aim is to motivate people re-usetheir trashes; to make post consuming materials be used again. Yiuco is supporting creative recycling, whatever that means. We are trying convincing people to act using recycling as an attitude. All sellers, after accepting all appropriate terms of use, categorise their products according to the recycling methods they have used. Since Yiuco is a platform, each seller is responsible for whatever declines.

What are your basic goals?

To Yiuco the world!!!!!!!

Who are the people behind Yiuco and what's your lifestyle like?

We are two, we are women and we are related to each other, as we are mother and daughter. Voula, 50, is an environmental scientist and Soti, 32, used to work in advertising! Lifestyle? Yiuco it is!

bags pic source: here and here

Alessandra Modarelli

2011-02-21T22:39:00.002+02:00

It's funny how some trends are pushed from one season to the next up until the fashion crowd is finally accepting (-or not accepting-) to get dressed in the proposed looks. If you are Greek and you're following my articles at Stylista.gr site you must remember my late-July 2010 post dedicated to the turbans trend. For the non-Greeks let me summerize and just say that during the Summer of 2010 around the blogosphere there were obvious signs that the turban trend had returned (Carrie Bradshaw's turban look was one of the most obvious celebrity signs around).

So when I discovered some days ago Italian designer Alessandra Modarelli and her turban collection for SS11 I fell in love with their floral retro aspect all over again! Alessandra started her career as an architect but was always interested in design and fashion. Her love for turbans counts more than 10 years as she designed her first ones back in 2001 because of her need to find new ways of wearing fabrics on her hair. The photoshoot for her new collection makes me instantly grab a piece of fabric and tie it on my hair!

A day after my new Italian discovery, I found another really interesting article that can only add to my suspicions that designers are "pushing" the turbans-come-back! As mentioned at the "Coming to America:Prints&Turbans in Contemporary Fashion" article ..."maybe this trend is finally ready to find its way into mainstream fashion as it did in the 1970s with Barbra Streisand’s help, i.e. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), costumes by Cecil Beaton."

pic source: alessandramodarelli.com

Firenze in filters...

2011-02-19T23:40:00.002+02:00

Lately Instagram is becoming much of an obsession! I'm too busy with projects and classes during all week but Thank God we do fun things, too like going to the Ferragamo Museum (green pump pic) or paying a visit at the hip Luisa Via Roma boutique (crazy Miss Lanvin ceramic doll pic).

...at least the cafeteria offers the sweetest cappuccino around town between classes and I get to see that amazing Arno view day by day on the way home!

Babbu

2011-02-13T14:11:00.003+02:00

Some days ago I received a very interesting mail full of links of Italian young designers! Babbu is the first one that I wanted to present to you!

The Spring/Summer 2011 collection is under the theme "Modern Mermaid" and I can actually see myself wearing all the clothes. Thumbs up for the "relaxed feeling" of the photoshoot as it instantly reminded me of some very typical photos I used to take with my girlfriends during our summer holidays at Greek islands where during the night we took advantage of the beach and the flash of the camera to take some very "artistic" photos! Summer clothes must definitely carry a relaxed and easy-breezy feeling, don't you think?

pic source:babbu.it/blog

Toi&Moi Spring/Summer 2011

2011-02-07T20:53:00.002+02:00

Toi&Moi has found a very clever way to make us anticipate for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2011 collection! Everyday, two or three new lookbook pictures are unveiled at the company's facebook page and as I totally loved today's pictures and clothes, I decided to share them with you!

Don't forget to check Thalia's post about the Toi&Moi 50's skirt that she loved and shared as well as Alecca Rox's post with all the latest info on the SS11 collection and the e-shop!

...being a tourist

2011-02-07T00:04:00.002+02:00

Finally I found some time this weekend to do "tourist stuff" like visiting Piazzale Michelangelo where you can have a view of the whole city, going for aperitivo or taking pictures of the love padlocks that can be found everywhere near Ponte Vecchio!

The outfits are become more and more lazy so you have to excuse me but as I couldn't bring my entire wardrobe here (obviously!) everyday I'm trying to "invent" a new way of pairing the same clothes! The only new thing I bought while here are these brogues that I got from Zara on sales. I took advantage of the good weather on Saturday and I wore them during the "tourist in my own town" day!

p.s. Florence is also full of funny stickers on traffic signs. Maybe I should dedicate a full post just for them!

Ippolito welcomes Spring with a hik!

2011-02-04T22:27:00.002+02:00

Well, I know that many of you expect Florence-inspired posts but the university seems to be a full-time job these days and during weekends I even have more work to do for the week ahead, so basically there's still no time for strolling around the city and finding cool stuff! Thanks the Internet-God though, the past couple of days Greek designers and brands have started presenting their new collections (or even Fall collections like Alexis in the previous post) and I can make a virtual list of what I'll buy when I come back for the Easter holidays!

You won't believe it but as days go by I'm more and more proud of the Fashion that we produce in Greece so please next time you visit Ermou in search of a brand new bag instead of shopping from the usual chains, turn left, head to Plaka and say hello to the new Ippolito collection that Pavlina Papailiopoulou has created for Sping/Summer 2011! The bags above are only some of my favorite and I'm already dreaming of Gina Midi (first bag-first pic)! For more info and the complete collection just click here.

Alexis Barrell A/W 2011-12

2011-02-02T22:34:00.002+02:00

Almost two months have passed since I visited Alexis' Barrell studio, where I had the chance to interview the young designer and see some first samples of her next Autumn/Winter 2011/12 collection! As I told you I was really impressed by the fact that the designer has used fabrics with digital prints of designs and pictures that she had made herself. This way, the clothes are 100% Alexis Barrell and I really like that you can wear a creation that can tell a story of its own not only by its design and shape but also by its fabric...It's more unique this way!

Another fact that instantly caught my attention when I visited her studio was the inspiration board! As the designer introduced herself with a Spring/Summer collection full of aetherial dresses ideal for Summers in Greece and with a quite relaxed and playful feeling, I didn't know what to expect for a second collection. The first impression of the inspiration board was that it was very dark and it really contradicted with the colors and the impression of the first collection! Once again I found it really interesting and a good sign of the designer's progression and willingness to evolve from season to season!

As promised, I am really happy to present you exclusively some first images of the new collection! The presentation of the complete collection will take place at Alexis Barrell showroom in the most loving day of the year, February 14th! For more information and RSVP for the presentation call 211 7150323.

Unlikely I won't be there but if you go please send me an email with your impressions! I would love to read your comments!

Vintage Selection

2011-01-30T21:13:00.003+02:00

For four days Florence went crazy about Vintage thanks to the 17th edition of Vintage Selection! More than 50 exhibitors brought their best vintage findings at Stazione Leopolda and the place looked like a Costumes Museum with all these beauties laying around!

Attention people! This post is going to be picture heavy as my camera went crazy with the Chanel's, Prada's and Ferragamo's it spotted!
Vintage Selection had the best selection of Retro pieces. From shoes, to dresses, to corsets, to scarves, to bags, to hats, to sunglasses, to bathing suits...even to Vintage Vogue magazines and Pattern designs!

Fairs like this make you realize that we are still able to buy these pieces thanks to their good quality. Now think about what will be the Vintage of the 00's in the future and who will be willing to buy the clothes that we are wearing today... It's just a thought!

Animal Instinct

2011-01-28T19:26:00.002+02:00

I met Spiros Halaris through a dear common friend of ours, just 3 days before I moved to Florence! Having just ended his placement at Alexander McQueen and with various projects still on the run, he promised to stay in touch and send me a mail with all his news soon! Today was the day that he decided to share something exclusive and exciting with me and of course with all of you, too: The first look of his promo photoshoot for the Animal Instinct tshirt.

The t-shirt above is the second of the two tees he designed for Your Eyes Lie** and Topshop and you can find it (and buy it) online now here ! Today I see that it is available only in XS online but I was informed that the form is quite loose so it should fit you perfectly even if you're a S!

Another thing worth mentioning is that Spiros will present among others his personal illustrative work at "The Art of Fashion" exhibition, at the London pop-up concept store FashionCapital during the London Fashion Week (16-23 February, more info here). If you happen to be in London those days don't forget to go and salute him!

photo credits:

photo/ edit: Nykolas Andreou

makeup: Kate Rina

styling : Cara D. Grapsa

Mani...

2011-01-23T00:33:00.003+02:00

Just found out about a great exhibition that is taking place these days in Milan. It is called "The Master Hands" and from the images above you can guess that it's all about black and white photographs of hands. Hands working, playing, loving, eating- hands that are captured while doing everyday normal activities...

What does this exhibition have to do with fashion? Well, it is organized by Italian brand Fratelli Rossetti in their gallery on Piazza San Carlo 2 and it is an amazing-according to me- way to be inspired by hands and "worship" all the handmade products!...and the Fratelli Rossetti shoes are handmade 100%!

pic source: Fratelli Rossetti

It's time to sing a song!

2011-01-20T22:44:00.003+02:00

Finally I have internet at home so I found the time to change the festive header and check all my emails without having to worry if the Italian waiter will grab my cappuccino cup from the table in the next 10 minutes! My Google reader still counts more than "1000 still unread posts" and I have to say that being updated on the latest fashion news was not my main priority these days (except from the Emmanuelle Alt-editor in chief of Vogue Paris new of course).

Another thing is that my master courses started this week and I spend more than half of the day at the university! Today though was a fun day as we went at the Pitti Bimbo trade fair dedicated especially to clothing and accessories for children. Lot's of tiny little clothes. Lot's of fun and cute installations and ways to present the new collections for A/W 2011/12! Too bad that once again no pictures of the collections were allowed because I'm sure you would wish to be a kid again only to wear these clothes!

Pitti Uomo A/W 2011/12 /Streetstyle

2011-01-15T17:05:00.004+02:00

...and the last Pitti post is of course specially dedicated to the streetstyle. Pitti Uomo was the place to be these days and it was the first time that I saw so many elegant men from all around the world gathered in one place! No wonder why Sartorialist and Jak & Jil were there everyday!

I actually had the chance to talk to Scott Schuman (surreal) and during the last Pitti day I also bumped into Angelos Bratis that currently lives in Rome!

Pitti W A/W 2011/12

2011-01-15T16:16:00.002+02:00

Just a few metres away of the Fortezza da Basso, at the Dogana building took place the Pitti W specially dedicated to womenswear! Once more, limited pictures were allowed, but I got the chance to meet some very interesting new designers and eco brands!
Giuseppe Fanelli presented his first personal collection Unravel 19022010 during Pitti W. He previously worked, among others, with: Sophia Kokosalaki, Antonio Marras, Kenzo, Alberta Ferretti and I was really impressed with his collection. The pics don't do justice to his work as the light in the space was rather dim but as long as I find images of this collection online, I promise to post them! By far the best collection of clothes I saw during Pitti W.
Another really impressive collection -this time of bags- was the one of Thomas Blakk. Black was the dominant color and all bags had a rock touch with the studs and metal details.
Polimoda Institute of Design and Marketing presented a special project under the title "Totem- Reflections on the Future of Fashion" that basically was "a Video-photography exhibition of fashion concepts and creations produced by the Polimoda students in the Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing departments." (source)
The Kartell and Moschino shoes will be mine as soon as I find them in stores! The only thing I haven't decided yet is the color!

Vintage for Pitti W was a space dedicated to Italian and International brands with a eco-green touch!
Heidi Ritsch produces handmade belts and bags in Rimini re-using parts of old bicycles.
...while Sai Sei (from Bologna) re-used old fabrics and leather in order to create brand new bags! I especially loved the brooches!

all pics courtesy of SoHo Symposium. If used please credit with link

Pitti Uomo A/W 2011-12 - My Factory/ New Beat(s)

2011-01-13T18:24:00.002+02:00

One of the most interesting exhibition spaces around Pitti was The Factory, curated by Oliviero Baldini were new and emerging brands and designers from Italy and other countries could be found! I mean the place was full of stylish young faces, the music was coming from a jukebox and in the first floor New Beat(s) hosted some of the most talented newcomers as picked by the Pitti team.
Giuro che Domani Smetto is a brand that comes from Napoli. Walter D'Aprile, one third of the design team also runs the streetstyle blog of Naples! Check it out here!
The walls were full of black and white stickers with images of Florence, Rome and skyscrapers and issues of Vice magazine were placed in amazing paper boxes that I was really tempted to take home!
Another brand that caught my eye was Mua Mua! The Mua Mua collection consists of cute knitwear, tshirts and of course the Mua Mua dolls! The designing team definitely has humor as among the dolls, I found the Karl Lagerfeld Mua Mua, the Mua-ccia Prada and even the Alexander McQueen Mua Mua!

all pics courtesy of The SoHo Symposium. If used please credit with link

Pitti Uomo A/W 2011-12

2011-01-13T17:41:00.002+02:00

The 79th Pitti Immagine Uomo Fiera is taking place these days at the Fortezza da Basso, Florence and I was lucky enough to have a press pass and discover it for the very first time! Pitti is the place to be right now and everyone around town is talking about it. Everything revolving menswear for the season A/W 2011/12 can be found here. From shirts to coats to ties to buttons to shoe laces! So as you can understand, photos of the actual collections and clothes were not allowed, as the clothes are not out yet and Pitti is mainly buyers oriented! In general Pitti Uomo this year hosts 1010 collections of menswear and 80 collections of womenswear and it's estimated that more than 30.000 visitors, among them 23,360 buyers, are visiting Fortezza da Basso these days!

Pitti ends tomorrow and I've been there for 3 days in a row as the place is enormous and no one manages to view all collections in one day! Everyone was dressed up in their best way and of course Streetstyle photographers were there to capture some of the best looks...Sartorialist and JakandJil included! =)

all pics courtesy of SoHo Symposium. If used please credit with link

Firenze4Ever Dinner Party

2011-01-09T13:31:00.004+02:00

The Firenze4Ever 2nd Edition event ended yesterday night with an amazing dinner party at LuisaViaRoma's terrace floor! Girls and boys dressed up in ther most stylish (and sometimes extravagant) way and wandered around with prosecco and shampagne in their glasses. The party was mainly held for the fashion bloggers that were invited from all over the world so almost everyone carried around a camera! Luckily, I was invited as well and I snapped pics from some of the most known fashion bloggers around just for your pleasure!
Betty wearing an enormous black bow and her boyfriend and Italian Fashion-a-Porter blogger dressed head-to-toe in Lanvin for H&M on the right!
Andy from Style Scrapbook (the girl is seriously TALL!) and Chiara from the Blonde Salad and Fashion Squad and me on the right!

All girls were super friendly and talkative!
Super Duper Hats designers Veronica and Ilaria that are based in Florence! I loved their hats and style and I promised to visit their studio soon!On the right, another stylish Italian girl that wore the -bloggers approved and adored- YSL ring!
Even the DJ's were styled up for the event with wigs and black and white tshirts!
Betty, Wendy from Nitrolicious and Garan from This Yellow Boy blog! Paris,NY and London all in one pic!
Wendy wore an H&M dress from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection with Lanvin for H&M necklace and YSL punk pumps that deserved a closeup!
Last but not least, Caroline chatting with a fellow blogger!
On our way out, these LuisaViaRoma tshirts caught my eye! Luisa ti ama!

all pics courtesy of SoHo Symposium. If used please credit with link

Firenze4Ever photoshoots

2011-01-09T13:17:00.002+02:00

First morning in Florence and I find myself searching for a new battery for my computer (-don't ask me how I forgot it back home)!

What are the odds to bump into Carolina aka Fashion Squad being photographed with clothes styled by her from the LuisaViaRoma boutique!The location was more than perfect and the same must be said for the pink shoes that she chose to wear!Later on I also bumped into the Blonde Salad being photographed wearing a Mickey Mouse tshirt,fur vest,jean shorts and Louboutin flat pumps (expect pics at her blog soon)!

LuisaViaRoma gathered bloggers from all over the world for the second edition of Firenze4Ever and the centre was transformed into a photoshoot location with bloggers searching for the "perfect light"around the city!

Lace and Full Skirt!

2011-01-03T15:17:00.003+02:00

The first post of the New Year is an outfit pic of what I wore to welcome 2011! Full grey skirt and black lace top with buttons in the back, both from H&M and my new booties that I bought in an amazing reduced price from the Greek brand Fullah Sugah!

The fact that the skirt has pockets made it much easier for me to carry around my cellphone without having to worry about my glass of wine or my purse! Thumbs up!

2010/ The year in Review

2010-12-31T14:36:00.004+02:00

Last day of 2010 and I found myself checking again all the posts I did during this year! The collage above captures some of the highlights such as..

the trip I took to Zyrich for the exclusive preview of the Ebay Greek market.

the backstage of the DElight show and all the shows I had the pleasure of viewing and covering...Designers such as Angelos Bratis, Yiorgos Eleftheriadis, Dimitris Petrou, Sotiris Georgiou and Alexis Barrell were some of my most loved ones this year!

the interviews I did with some of the most admired newcomer designers and stylists. Alexis Barrell, Myrto Stamou and stylist Celestine Cooney thank you from the bottom of my heart!

The Toi x Moi video (that has 3.455 views the moment we speak -MAJOR WOW!) and of course the collaboration for the Toi&Moi x SoHo Symposium tote bag.

Another D.I.Y that I'm really proud of are the tees I made along with other fashion bloggers for the Stylewatch Fashion Playground event.

The magazine photoshoots and interviews. Glamour, Lucky, Tachidromos, Big Fish, Look and Close Up among other mentions in Free Press and Internet. Most of all I'm feeling lucky that through this blog I was able to talk with photographers and journalists I really admire.

Last but not least, the pleasure of meeting young Greek fashion designers like Pavlina of Ippolito, Paul Sarz, Georgina Skalidi, discovering new brands online like LP33.3, Karla Spetic, Scanlan & Theodore and Lauren Moffatt and of course having the pleasure to speak to renown designers such as Loukia! I seriously feel blessed!

Out of the list now, I want to thank you all for your comments, tweets and mails! After all we're all here because we love fashion/style and we want to discuss everything about it in this SoHo symposium! Hope 2011 will be even more fashionable and exciting!

Happy New Year!

p.s. for all the links mentioned above just scroll down and click on the blog archive!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-29T17:44:00.003+02:00

These holidays are very special for me as I'm about to leave abroad and I try to spend all my time with my friends and family! Excuse me for the lack of posts but I promise everything will go back to normal once I settle down to my new home!

Till then, I wish you a Happy New Year and as Lopi said in this post Relax, eat, drink and be merry! One of the greatest things that have happened these days is that I received some of the most precious gifts! Maria was one of the Toi&Moi x SoHo symposium tote bag winners and she was kind enough to send me a pic of herself holding the bag! Her saying that she carries every day her laptop to work inside my bag was a true gift for me! Thank you girl!

Happy Holidays to all of you!

lanvin snowball pic source: anothermag

Alexis Barrell Q&A

2010-12-21T18:16:00.005+02:00

You are already familiar with Alexis Barrell from this post. I was introduced to her work during the previous Fashion Week and I loved it! When I learned that she had studied and worked in Italy and New York but decided to present her very first collection in Greece I found it intriguing enough and I decided that it was actually time to meet her in person!

So, SoHo symposium friends and family...in this post you get to see exclusively the mood board and some sketches and fabrics from her next Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection! I was lucky enough to see some of the new clothes of the collection and I'm already loving them all!
Let me just give you a hint of what to expect! Some of the fabrics used are digitally printed, meaning that you won't find them elsewhere as Alexis designed them all by herself. This technique is quite common abroad but here in Greece -correct me if I'm wrong- is not so popular and it's a shame as designers have the possibility to create garments that are theirs 100%.

Another small hint is that Alexis loves Swing so the Fall/Winter collection will be a little bit influenced by that! That's all I can reveal now and the fact that you can expect some accessories, too!
For more info you'll have to be patient and wait and in the meantime enjoy the Q&A that Alexis gave to me!

Alexis, you lived and grew up in South Africa, then went to Paris, New York and now Athens. How can the style of each city be described according to you and what was it that you loved the most about Greece that made you come and live here at last?

Paris has a traditional elegance, New York an open, more unique form of expression. Athens possesses a certain freedom and depth which I really identify with.

Do you believe that a designer can start a fashion business in Greece as successfully as abroad?

I believe that as the world becomes a 'village', the place in which you work holds increasingly less importance. In any country, starting a business takes extreme determination. With the economic situation as it is, I think Greece could benefit from young entrepreneurs with a positive attitude.

Your Spring/Summer 2011 collection is full of ethereal and delicate clothes- ideal for the warm summers in Greece. What were your inspirations and which is according to your imagination the lifestyle of the woman that wears Alexis Barrell?

The inspiration for the collection was a Greek island summer - crisp colours, clean lines, geometrical patterns, casual elegance and freedom of movement. The woman who wears "alexis barrell" is a traveller, an explorer, a cultured and feminine character who is not afraid to show her soft side.

You presented your first collection at E.Δ.Ω. gallery, a very modern and new place around town. Do you find that smaller places like galleries can express a designer's aesthetic better?

I used to have my showroom at EDW, so I have a personal connection with the place. I feel that designers should choose venues which emphasize the meaning of the particular collection. It seemed that this collection fitted well in a clean space, filled with sensitivity and free-thinking.

Describe your style in 4 words. Which is your favorite piece of clothing right now and where do you go for shopping in Athens?

Feminine, poetic, sensitive, decontracte. At the moment, my favorite piece of clothing is a beaded dress with a 20's silhouette from the new AW/11-12 collection. I do not go shopping, but if I did, I would go to Shop in Monastiraki, or Ippolito in Plaka for her lovely handbags.

Alexis Barrell
Skoufa 50
10673 Kolonaki
Athens – Greece

Swap Not ZZZzzzZZZZ!

2010-12-20T00:51:00.002+02:00

I've been there from the very first Swap-ping! Today more than a year later, Swap Not Shop girls Thalia, Clemmie&Melroy changed the "crime" place and presented one of the most organized events so far!

This Swap took place at ATOPOS Cultural Organization and the installations of the French artist SHOBOSHOBO "ZZZzzzZZZZ" could be seen in the entire building! It was actually more than funny for me to watch all these girls grabbing new clothes from the bodies of these weird colorful creatures! It was as if these creatures had clothes of their own to offer! What else do you need on a lazy Sunday afternoon? Wine, friends, music, clothes AND an installation to please your mind and imagination!

As for me, I left 2 hours later with a beautiful grey knit in hand! Yeah!

Crystal Lovers

2010-12-15T19:58:00.003+02:00

While in Florence, I had to visit Luisa Via Roma at least to see the window display. There, I was surprised to discover that there were no dummies and no clothes to be seen around! Instead, enormous transparent cylinders with sparkly water made weird underwater sounds!

The installation is part of the project of Felice Limosani and Swarovski crystals. All tubes contained a combination of crystals, transparent liquids, powders with bubbles and vortices. As for the project under the name "Crystal Lovers", it is a celebration for the new Limited edition line of LuisaviaRoma and Swarovski elements!

...And right on top of the entrance a video presented all the designer pieces of this limited edition line that featured among others Guiseppe Zanotti, Balmain, Jean Paul Gaultier and a familiar name!You know how proud we can get when seeing fellow Greeks succeeding abroad!

Learn more about the project here

pic 2 and 3 screenshots of this video

a Divine Comedy

2010-12-14T21:07:00.003+02:00

Saw the Divine Comedy yesterday night and today I woke up with the thought that Neil Hannon must be one of the smartest people I recently saw. He managed to make everyone laugh in a concert that no one went thinking that would happen... (if you haven't heard "A lady of a certain age" yet you should do it now link.)

As for the fashion note of the day...I cut my hair short 4 days ago but I was so shocked that I couldn't even stare at myself in the mirror! Now, I must admit that I like them this way. At least, it's a change after more that 5 years of long hair!

LP33.3

2010-12-10T23:18:00.002+02:00

LP33.3 is yet-another-Australian brand you are going to see in this blog! I'm thinking of tagging all the Australian brands I have presented to you through time, because it's actually amazing how often lately I'm loving a designers' piece and he/she proves to be Australian! Well Santa, will an invitation for the next Australian Fashion Week be too much for me to ask?

The above clothes are taken from the debut line of LP33.3. "The name LP33.3 is an acronym for the designers’ initials (Luke Hosking and Paul Del Giglio) with 33.3 being symbolic of the brand philosophy. This philosophy is a life cycle of creation, destruction and renewal – 33.3 being this “infinite loop”. For their debut collection entitled “The Visitor”, LP33.3 turned to 1968 Italian film Teorema by Pier Paolo Pasolini for inspiration. "

I particularly love the shape of the black long skirts and as the temperature is finally below 10 degrees, I can start dreaming of what my ideal New Year's Eve outfit would look like. Well, the first and last outfit are definitely on my inspiration board!

source: thestolenorchid.com

Firenze

2010-12-08T17:40:00.003+02:00

So, it's no secret anymore. Last week I traveled to Florence in order to sign the contract for my new house there. This blog is going to start an Italian trip really soon as I'm going to move in to Florence for at least a year. I decided it was the right time for me to stop working for a while and focus on my studies again so expect interesting news from now on!

As for my first impressions of the city... the weather was cold and rainy so I wore my rain boots and knits every day without feeling guilty and I finally enjoyed the festive spirit around town! Long walks and cappuccinos were on the program as well but you'll have to wait another month before I really start to explore the city!

I work with Loukia

2010-11-29T22:22:00.002+02:00

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!

Loukia

2010-11-29T01:25:00.003+02:00

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!

a Kiehl's Thanks giving !

2010-11-27T14:29:00.002+02:00

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 welcomes the Secret Garden...

2010-11-25T23:30:00.002+02:00

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!

Il sistema degli oggetti...

2010-11-24T23:10:00.003+02:00

...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

Zara dressing room

2010-11-21T19:50:00.005+02:00

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?)

An afternoon at Stelios Koudounaris studio

2010-11-18T19:26:00.004+02:00

So today I spent the afternoon at Stelios Koudounaris' showroom and personal studio! I was trying to visit his space for more than a year now (I know, hard to believe) but we never managed to work it out. Now it was just the right time as we were both in a more relaxed phase. As the AXDW has ended, Stelios isn't so stressed with the runway, the fittings and the styling and I had some free time today between work and Benetton's preview to go and visit him!

The reason why I wanted to meet him was that I was ill during AXDW and I only took a look of the clothes through other blogs. I was really intrigued to learn more on the inspirations, the way this collection was made and how the designer works and I left the building an hour later full of "creative wisdom".

I loved the fact that all clothes had a particular detail and as the designer showed to me even the simplest pair of cotton trousers had a "couture" inside. I promise you'll read more about our afternoon coffee at his studio soon!

Beyond Dress Codes - the Catalogue shooting

2010-11-16T20:41:00.003+02:00

Screen shots from the backstage video Filep Motwary created a few days ago.

The "Beyond Dress Codes" exhibition (read the post from the opening night) may have ended here in Athens but now it's the time to tour around the world. Before landing in Thessaloniki and Moscow, the creative team gathered all the clothes and photographed them for the creation of a special catalogue.

Watch the full backstage video here.

Not your common Streetstyle

2010-11-12T18:46:00.005+02:00

Today I received "The common People Gallery" which is published by Notos Galleries and I was actually anticipating to see it, as it's the very first (correct me if I'm wrong) Greek Streetstyle-like album ever published. All people photographed live in Thessaloniki and after a first look I'm impressed by the styling and the photography made by Kostas Amiridis.

The only thing I wish it was different is the book's "styling" as it resembles a little bit TOO much to this book. Anyway, the purpose is actually good so don't get this wrong and reject it as all profits will go for charity (ELEPAP Thessaloniki)! The 34 personalities featured have all a unique style and I was happy to recognize among them fellow Thessaloniki-based Fashion Blogger Elena Paschaleri- she is holding the red bag (visit her blog here).

Find The Common People Gallery in notosgalleries-Thessaloniki and soon in all the other notosgalleries stores.

4fashionshake II / Romina Karamanea

2010-11-11T00:25:00.004+02:00

Romina Karamanea is well known for sure, maybe that's why she was chosen to close the 4fashionshake II event after all. The Greek born-but based in London, designer appeared on screen and talked a little bit about this collection, about the fact that a friend persuaded her to start creating clothes and about this collection that is based on earth and it would be presented in different colored parts. First we saw "the grey collection" full of cracked-appearing delicate clothes then the models came dressed in blue, green and fire red toned creations!

We all agreed that this was the most ethereal collection of Romina. There were people that liked it and people who preferred her previous more "powerful" lines. My personal opinion is that I would love to own the baggy blue pants or the blue dress as pictured in the forth set of pictures.

collage made by soho symposium. if used please credit

4fashionshake II / Schmidttakahashi

2010-11-10T00:06:00.003+02:00

To be honest I hadn't heard of Schmidttakahashi before I read about them at Ozon's 4fashionshake II program... So I wasn't expecting something radical when I sat and the the video of the designer started. Well, this show was one of the most influential shows I've ever seen, not because of the construction of the clothes, the shapes or the fabrics but because of the the philosophy behind this brand!

The last "sort-of" diagram explains the way the designers work. Instead of creating brand new garments they used old-vintage ones that they combined in order to create something completely different and modern. "For instance the coupling of a classical trench coat and a down jacket resulted in outerwear of completely novel form. The silk shirt was transformed into a summer dress with an addition of the knitted belt, formerly part of a sweater."

This brand is eco 100% and as they continue saying at their site "According to our understanding of sustainability, it’s not just about raw material by itself, but also how we treat the raw material. Tropical woods have been in danger for a long time, but we don’t argue against using them to make musical instruments. These use are considered reasonable and economical as the final products would last for hundreds of years. We see materials such as silk in a same way like this tropical wood. If we use them respectfully to enhance the quality so that the products last longer, it will save energy and waste less in a long run."

Impressed! Learn more about Schmidttakahashi here

p.s. more from 4fashionshake II event tomorrow!

Touch the sky

2010-11-05T17:55:00.004+02:00

This post is more "pop" than usual! I did this collage a couple of days ago and it basically captures the MANY things in my mind this period... Two of them are, a certain trip I and this blog is about to take in a couple of months (be patient) and the second is the new movie Kanye West made! Can't decide if I like it or not!

Anyways... I basically fell in love with this jacket as I took a look at the Julia Bergovich look book the other day and I had to share it with you somehow! The photographer was Mara Desypris (a well-known Greek model/photographer) and this image in particular is so retro that I immediately loved it!

pic source: todayandtomorrow.net, julia bergovich fb page

Chloé Fall 1981

2010-11-03T20:56:00.002+02:00

I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted these images online! They are taken from a Chloé Fall 1981 campaign, the photographer was Jim Greenberg and I have no more clues about the model!

Almost 30 years later, don't you think that these clothes could be easily worn today? Maxi skirts and shirts with tight collars... Color the last outfit beige and you've got Chloé Fall 2010!

source: styleregistry livejournal

Lanvin, Love, H&M

2010-11-02T19:32:00.002+02:00

Today is officially the "Lanvin for H&M" posts day! We started our morning with the press release and the complete set of lookbook, campaign, package and still life pictures and the frenzy continued for hours as each and every site and blog reported their favorite pieces of the collection!

To be true with you, I wasn't expecting any other such collaboration of the past as much I was expecting this one, merely because I wasn't a great fan of the previous collaborating designers... (well ok I wish I had invested in a Comme des Garçons/H&M dotted shirt back then)

But, Alber Elbaz is a person I admire for ages (imagine that I even had his picture in the "people I would like to meet" section of my teenage MySpace page)... So, I knew that he would come up with something great! The "Lanvin for H&M" collection is full of all the things that scream Lanvin! The puffs, the volume, the colors, the sequins, the sparkles and...the necklaces!

And the Preview Day - organized earlier today at the H&M showroom - was just what I wanted for finishing my working day! I got to see all the clothes and accessories, touch the fabrics and feel the spirit! I have to admit that it's a quite impressive step for H&M and what Alber said about the "democratic luxury" is true...BUT ladies please don't get out of your minds that we are still talking of H&M and not of a designers' pure collection when you line up outside H&M on 23rd November!

After all Alber wouldn't approve of a packed store! Right?

It's a MARNI fantasy

2010-10-30T19:23:00.003+03:00

I always like it when fashion is mixed with other elements- remember that Prada post I'd made when summer ended?! Some days ago I discovered a new video at the Marni official site and I immediately loved it! Pictures from a photo shoot were painted in a childish way and the final result was more than rewarding...well at least for me!

The screen shots above are taken from the video I'm talking about! I wish I could find more info on who was the creator and more about the concept, but despite all my googling nothing came up! If you know something more, please leave a comment!

source: marni

Toi&Moi Tote bags- The Winners!

2010-10-27T17:28:00.002+03:00

Thank God Research Randomizer exists and it makes it so much easier and faster to get random results!

The 10 Winners have already received the "winning email" so Congrats Girls!!! Hope that you'll love this bag as much as I do and please try to send me some images of you wearing it! I would love to make such a post on the blog!

Also, a big Thank You to all of you that sent me an email and participated at this first give-away! Your comments were a quick reminder of why I love so much what I'm doing despite being unmotivated or tired at times! You rock and you always make me smile! Enough said!

Close Up Magazine

2010-10-26T18:57:00.005+03:00

Thessaloniki-based Close Up magazine of this month, has an 8-page article dedicated to the new era of fashion modeling! It's called "Super-Modelise It" and along the interesting article written by Stamatis Orfanoudis, you'll find a small interview of 3 models,3 fashion bloggers and 3 designers!

I'm really happy to be among the people interviewed as I appreciate each and every one of them in a very special and different way!!! The models Ismini Papavlassopoulou, Sofia Chrisohoidou and Vaso Kollida talked about the difficulties of being a model, me,Maria-Flora Papapanagiotou and Maria Papagrigoriou about the way we see models nowadays and designers Dimitris Petrou, Filep Motwary and Ioannis Dimitrousis about the way they get to choose models over castings that will represent their creations!

It's extremely interesting, so...GO and BUY it! Excited face! =)

Johanna Nyberg illustration

2010-10-25T22:22:00.002+03:00

The Miu Miu girls and Christopher Kane Resort 2011 as designed by fashion illustrator Johanna Nyberg. Quirky images but I decided to post them as I like them!

These days it seems that I have lots of free time but unfortunately the sore throat doesn't go away and I spend most of that time in bed. At least I'm catching up with my google reader and the +1000 still unread fashion posts! Too bad I missed Zoulias tonight though...

THEIA preview A/W 2011/12

2010-10-24T14:47:00.004+03:00

Despite being sick, THEIA's catwalk was not to be missed! She hadn't presented a collection during the previous AXDW and I was expecting to see something new for a long time!

Corsets of course where there once again! THEIA without corsets would mean that something bad had happened in their long relationship! The show started with a small video, snowflakes and lace, women in front of their SINGER machines, and an old but yet so familiar feeling.... The clothes were more of costumes. Girls with pearls in their hair walked and posed like only a Disney princess would do with their dresses made of lace, velvet and tulle.

And now, you are possibly thinking what I was thinking during the show..."Would I dare to wear them?" I always ask myself that question after a catwalk show and after this in particular I was more purplexed than usual... I had to edit the photos and see them one after the other in this post, to decide! And while at the beginning my answer would be more of a "no" I then remembered all those girls that came yesterday at the show wearing their THEIA handmade corsets with their parka coat and jeans! And I remembered the obvious! You have to wear your clothes and not the opposite! So yes.. I would wear a dolly-fairytale THEIA dress but I would dare to wear my leather jacket on top! Mix'n'match was always my thing after all!

La.Trap

2010-10-21T20:31:00.003+03:00

La.Trap is a small shop that opened some months ago at Mets. The girls that have it are both talented and you regularly see them at Meet Markets; They are always present! So Maria "Psarokokalo" and Evrydiki decided it was about time to start something of their own and with the help of their fb friends they decided that their new home would be called La.Trap! Cute isn't it?

Well, to be honest I haven't visited the shop yet but I always have it in mind! Yesterday I received their Fall/Winter 2010/11 catalogue and I fell complete in love with it so.. a quick reminder: First thing when I get better from this cold, is to go and visit La.Trap. These staffed cloud-pillows are what my bed-couch needs for Winter! View the rest of the collection here.

La.Trap
shop-gallery
Trivonianou 56, Mets

Toi&Moi Tote bags Give Away!

2010-10-19T00:51:00.003+03:00

This is more than EXCITING for me! It's actually the first GIVE-AWAY of this blog and I thought I owed to make it special!

After this post and the video I did for Toi&Moi, I had a wild idea! I've seen the sketches of the collection not only in the showroom but also in all Toi&Moi store window displays and I loved them (you can check them also at LFoF's post here)... And that's how the idea came! I love the sketches and I love holding canvas tote bags in my daily life!

What if we could create bags with the Toi&Moi sketches on them?!? After I sent my proposal, Toi&Moi sent me back their one and now I'm more than excited to present to you the final result! Practical and most of all ecological, from now on I'll carry around my own canvas bag!

...and I won't be the only one!

Give-Away

If you want to be one of the 10 lucky SoHo Symposium readers that will have the opportunity to win one of these beauties just send me an email with your name at sohosymposium@gmail.com until next Wednesday, Oct 27th.

Good luck and spread the news! These bags are exclusive and you won't find them elsewhere!

DElight S/S 2011

2010-10-17T14:11:00.008+03:00

The DElight collection for Spring/Summer 2011 was inspired by the Aztec culture mixed with surfing attitude! Neon colored fabrics with illustrations of surfers and boats were matched with plain white tops with Aztec-like linear shapes! Funky neon colors, surfers, geometry and a little bit of history?...That sounds interesting!

This time the collection was special for three more reasons! As the girls revealed to me, they had found the colorful fabrics last year and were that excited, that they immediately bought them! After spending long days and months just looking at them, they started designing the new collection! In their previous collections, first they had made the designs and then they started looking for the fabrics. Another interesting detail, is that for the first time, the forms were more loose! DElight are known for their strict tailored looks but we got the pleasure to see even a baggy black and white maxi dress among others! Of course the final thing that made this collection special is that for the first time DElight designed a small mens' line consisted of four looks!
Once again I was backstage dressing up the models and as I realized later, I never saw a DElight show differently! Always backstage and always having the pleasure to touch the clothes with my own hands!

I have to admit that the casting of the models this time was the best ever made! Every single model looked stunningly beautiful!
Even the male models had a "surfing attitude"! They looked cool even dressed in a pink ensemble!
And now the details:
The fabrics were colorful and childish! They definitely bring a smile on my face!
Plaited hair with pink, white and blue locks...
Neon yellow nail polish!
...and shoes that had the fabrics used in clothes as shoelaces!
"Who are the DEsigners? "
And the highlight of the show: a man walking at Technopoli with his DElight surfboard!...Nothing unusual!
Don't forget to check Elena's post as she and Lopi were front row, capturing catwalk stills and recording the complete show for your pleasure!

Alexis Barrell SS/11

2010-10-17T12:18:00.003+03:00

the look that I most loved!
The seats were old school-chairs! Loved them!
The designer Alexis Barrell along with beautifully dressed Pauline Saupin that organized the show.
On Friday, at the same time that Fashion Week was held a few meters away, a limited crowd was gathered at Ε.Δ.Ω. gallery at Kerameikos to support a new designer!

Alexis Barrell was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. When she grew up, she moved to Paris and later on studied at the famous Instituto Marangoni. After graduating she worked in NY but the end of this trip was set to be made...in Greece!

Her first collection, for SS/11 is inspired by the Greek islands! "The fabrics are either washed with faded pastels like the worn ﬁshing boats, or bold brights like the sea and the changing sky." The combination of sheer fabrics along with more geometrical shapes and the loose forms of the clothes definitely bring in mind summers in Greece! Barefoot walking girls, with their retro shades and an up-do for their still-wet after the sea hair....tanned skin that can be seen under sheer fabrics and a smooth color pallet! Oh yes I could have all the Alexis Barrell collection in my closet for next Summer!

Remember Alexis Barrell's name for the future and don't forget to check her site here

first pic source: alexisbarrell.wordpress.com

Ippolito Opening Party

2010-10-16T12:41:00.002+03:00

Ippolito has a brand new Fall/Winter 2010/11 collection and the best way to present it to us is with a party!

Of course you've already heard of Ippolito here and took a look at the inside of the shop here, but today it's the official Opening Day!!! Be there, before or after DElight, Paulina will be expecting you from 18:00 till late at night with wine and lovely music!

DElight S/S 2011 tomorrow!

2010-10-15T17:59:00.006+03:00

Yesterday afternoon I had a quick chat with Evi Retziou, one-half of the DElight duo about tomorrow's collection! Of course I didn't see the clothes and I didn't even ask to see them! The reason? I'm expecting tomorrow's show since the end of the previous FW and I didn't want to ruin that expectation! The chat was enough enlightening by itself!

The ONLY thing I got to see were the shoes. Once again I didn't want to post or reveal anything until tomorrow BUT since the girls were featured in yesterday's Athen's Voice article on Fashion Week with the above image, I somehow changed my mind and decided to share it with you, too! Nothing more to say, you -and I- will have to wait one more day for the Most Commercial Design Collection for Spring 2011 as decided some days ago by the IAF (International Apparel Federation) (see more here)!

A small hint about what to expect though is written on the top of their invitation:

"In one place we came upon a large company of naked natives, of both sexes and all ages, amusing themselves with the national pastime of surf-bathing."

(Mark Twain, 1866)

...and that says it all! See you tomorrow at 20.30 at Athens Fashion Week, Technopolis, Gazi

pic source:www.athensvoice.gr

Baby blue/pink

2010-10-12T22:03:00.003+03:00

So, apparently it seems like no one could get away without "the Sotiris Georgiou Outfit Post". Lopi and Elena already posted their outfits today, and now it's my time to do it!

As the show took place at Cine Dexameni at Lykabettus and we were lucky enough to see some rays of light at the end, the spot with the trees and flowers near the cinema seemed ideal for a quick picture! Despite the fact that the temperature was almost 18 °C, I decided to wear my jean shorts mixed with a knitted pink sweater to keep me warm! As for the rest of the outfit, Nine West ankle boots and vintage bag that I got from the last SWAP party!

You must be bored by now of viewing again and again these ankle boots but the truth is that they are the most comfortable shoes with heels that I own! As for the pink sweater, it has a long long history as I have it more that 10 years! It's "Zara Girls,14-16". I didn't wear it that much during school as I found the pink color "too girly" for my "all-black" phase, but it still fits perfectly and I finally wore it with great pleasure! Me throwing away clothes? Naaaah!

Special Thanks to Christiana for taking my picture

Sotiris and his Forms

2010-10-10T12:38:00.002+03:00

I first became familiar with Sotiris Georgiou during the last Fashion Week where his show was one of the most anticipated and actually good ones of the whole Fashion Week! He is part of the new generation of Greek Fashion Designers and seems to understand really well how a structured collection should be made and what the term "commercial" is!

No, commercial is not bad. Especially if you are taking your first steps in fashion, and especially when you are taking those steps in Greece! So I don't expect much. Not because I'm a pessimist, but because every time I'm going to a show I keep in mind the difficulties of being a Greek designer, of the limited budget and of the limited crowd willing to give money to a not so well known designer rather than to Prada!

So in general I liked the show! And I would love to wear Sotiris Georgiou- that is always the deal in the end isn't it?! The color palette consisted of tones of gray and blue, black and red. Oversized dresses and juppe culottes "that praise man and woman in the absolute urban environment." The designer was inspired by th Bauhaus movement and constructivism for his simple and clear lines.

The only sad thing was this...Empty seats and people that came even 45' minutes after the show should have started. Where were you fashionable Athenians? You missed one great collection...

Dimitris Petrou Autumn/Winter 2010/11

2010-10-08T00:19:00.003+03:00

When Margarita asks for your address you know that she is up to something extremely interesting! And indeed she was! I waited for days when I finally received -by post- my precious invitation for Dimitris Petrou show! And it's always nice to have the invitation in your hands and not just your name on the list, because you are holding the first preview of the collection! Precious and sweet anticipation!

Apparently the grey invitation was no coincidence; The collection consisted only of grey color! But let me first tell you about the live performance of the two dancers that improvised under the sound of a violin and the theatrical directions of Konstantinos Rigos...And after that the a-m-a-z-i-n-g video projection directed by Tina Sardela. (watch it here) This was beyond a simple clothes presentation!

And then...a sudden pause...and a flash of lights...and the models that didn't catwalk the usual way! Instead they stared at each other, they walked around the audience and stayed still right beside us! You could feel the clothes and the movement and the fabrics and the structure! And you could see the shoes, and the belt-bags and everything!

Goal achieved!....Party started! Familiar faces, laughs, talks, photographs! Expect more posts by my beloved fellow bloggers! You'll maybe see my face, too! I preferred to capture only a still of the designer along with Tina and the -always- gorgeous Miss Athenes along with her stylish friend!

Marine Girl

2010-10-05T17:27:00.002+03:00

Sartorialist or Garance?...Emmm...NON! Actress Ekavi Ntouma as photographed by Christos Kontos for Vima Donna magazine. After two days, I still keep staring at these pictures! Perfect styling, perfect red lipstick, perfect scenery, perfect light. The end.

source: ajournalofcuriosities.blogspot.com

Give a Frock a Home!

2010-10-03T20:13:00.002+03:00

I have an "I don't post during weekends" strict policy but...this weekend it seems like I didn't quite keep it! The reason is that when something like THIS arrives at your email...well...you need to just share the exciting news!

Miss Athenes, Olivia, Athena and the Vogue girls, Despina and Eva will be selling their unwanted gems in super duper low prices starting from 10- 300 euro.

From DKNY, Tod's, Blumarine, Hoss, Miu Miu, Hogan, MCM, Maloles, Christopher Kane, Topshop, mariaflora p. , Biba, Burberry, Paul and Joe, Mango, Melissa and more!

We'll be at 6 D.O.G.S. On Sunday 10th of October from 16 00 onwards having cocktails and giving out styling tips.

Later on we will be joined by KUA KUA KUA and Filep Motwary on the decks, so if our treasures
and not enough you have another excuse to join us!

Expect super stylish clothes from these super stylish ladies! It seems like a date, no?

Paul's moustache!

2010-10-02T15:42:00.004+03:00

Well, call me an enthusiast (I think I've mentioned it again in the past)...That's what I am! And when I believe that someone is really talented, I get that feeling after I meet him that I need to talk about him constantly and with everyone I meet afterwards! (yes, everyone goes for my poor friends and them having to hear about my fashion obsessions)

And that's how my story with Paul started! I don't know why but I could easily call him Mr Paul despite the fact that we have the same age! I had read this post of Melroy but as it was still summer, my mind was only on vacations. Then September came and I started again my long walks in the center of Athens in an attempt to love the city again. It was about time to go and check Paul Sarz! Of course I loved the shop, I loved the jewelry, the feeling, the decoration, the concept...I loved it all! And Melroy is quite right the most interesting thing is that Paul decided to open his little boutique while everyone complains about the crisis!

As I am also an editor at Ermoumag, I thought that Paul Sarz deserved to be featured as "Shop of the Week" and as I believed that it could easily be a remarkable Athens Daily Secret, I tried to make it one, too! And I'm so happy that we received so many positive comments because I will tell you once again...I'm an enthusiast! An enthusiast with Paul and his boutique!

Check his site here!

p.s. Joanaddicted not only visited the shop the same day, but also bought a present for her friend Nadia! Check her post here!