Too many things... too little time

I feel like I have been totally MIA lately and it is probably true... see the thing is, I realised that I have been in London for almost 2 years and have not had a chance to properly travel and enjoy all the fun that Europe has to offer. So this summer is the summer of travel! Woohoo! I will be sending you postcards :)

Here is the first one.. from San Sebastian (which by the way happens to have THE MOST AMAZING FOOD). I would hear it all the time and thought "oh well yeah, good food".. but it's true, the food is to die  for. There is such a great combination of delicious street food (pinxtos) and sophisticated michelin star restaurants. Obviously, a great beach and fun nightlife made our stay here even more pleasurable. Cannot wait to go back - I think I may have found my new favourite getaway!

Soho's Secret Tea Room

What's better on a Sunday afternoon than a high tea? A high tea in a secret tea room! After moody London weather messed up our plans of opening the picnicking season, S and I were desperately trying to come up with an equally as good of a plan B for a girlie Sunday afternoon. S came up with the idea of high tea at the Soho's Secret Tea Room. Neither of us had been there before so we weren't really sure what to expect but as usual Soho didn't disappoint.
 
A bright, albeit a very intimate (and by intimate i mean tiny which is why you need to book in advance) sun filled room, accessed via a "secret" staircase behind the bar at what would appear to be your average corner pub, oozes shabby chic. The cutest mismatched vintage tea pots, fresh flowers on the tables and vintage looking embroided table cloths create a feeling of nostalgia with a little bit of 1940's romance. The hostess sporting some serious retro eyeliner and a vintage flowery dress, treated us to an afternoon of guiltful yumminess - homemade cupcakes, amazing strawberry lined sponge cake (both S and I kept having "just another tiny bit" until it was well and truly demolished)...Oh and of course I shall not forget the traditional scones (seriously how can you have an afternoon tea without scones?!) and cucumber sandwiches. The Secret selection of teas didn't disappoint either - after agonising over a tough choice between rose buds and jasmine pearl, I settled for jasmine pearl.. and absolutely loved it! Not going to lie, when I came out of there that afternoon my accent had become that tiny little bit more English ;) 

xx

The Perfect Mulberry

Content warning: please only read this if ...

a) the names Kelly and Birkin mean more to you then just a first name and a last name 

b) you promise not judge me for my Theory of Bag Relativity 

When a couple of days ago The Boy I had been dating for the last couple of months announced he was to move countries in the nearest future, I was caught somewhat off-guard and was not even sure what to think of the situation.

Until that point in time I hadn't really thought much of him at all, since a million other extremely important things had occupied my mind. As it normally happens with me, I do not seem to think about my relationships (romantic or otherwise) much until something 'major' happens.. Since moving to London, I find that people generally  drift in and out of my life. Friends, dates, colleagues, acquaintances… Some people get comfortable and stick around for a while, others drift on. I guess that's the good thing about living in a big city, if something or someone is not quite right you just move on without the hassle of constantly bumping into them or having to uphold civility or exchange pleasantries.  

So when this particular individual, whose presence in my life I do acknowledge but rarely think of it as defining or significant, announced that he was moving to another country I was left a little confused. 

On the one hand, I never thought of it as more than a fling but on the other I felt like something that is mine is being taken away from me and I don't even have a say in it! I mean what if that something might have actually been very important but I just hadn't realised it  until now??!!!!

Then one day on my way from work I walked past a Mulberry store. Seeing the wonderful Alexa in the window made me a little bit sad because I was once again being reminded of how much funner and cooler my life would be if I had an Alexa of my own. May be in the classic oak… but possibly in the black suede leopard.. it might be two seasons ago but I still think it's soooo cute…

And then it occurred me…. The Boy is in fact an Alexa! Let me explain before you think I've gone completely mental…

The Boy represents something that would make my life funner and cooler and more exciting but at the same time, I had been wanting an Alexa but living comfortably without one for a couple of seasons before this 'situation'.

I mean an Alexa is not a Kelly or a Birkin which of course is one of my aspirations in life.. A Kelly or a Birkin - both a loyal, smart, classic choice that has been around for years and is above seasons and trends. You do not need your friends to approve of a Kelly or a Birkin - it speaks for itself. It has earned its respect in society by being exclusive, not readily available and monogamous. It only gets better with age, it is good quality and it is for life. Lets be honest now….EVERYONE eventually wants a Kelly!

Then there are of course the cute loveable 'du jour' bags from Zara which you will absolutely adore and take everywhere for one whole season but after a few years you probably wont even remember the name….

Then there is the "inbetweeners" - the Michael Kors' and the Love Moschino's of the  world… slick, stylish, bright and attention grabbing items. A little pricier but totally worth it and a great companion for whilst you are gaining life experience and working your way up to the Moschino main line. 

And of course we cannot forget the Chloes - pricey but a great investment… French charm and sophistication and they are so good at making you feel young yet accomplished. 

Then there are the Mulberry Bayswaters… an ideal for everyday.. a very corporate piece.. very practical indeed but some consider them too conventional and almost boring.

And finally there are the Mulberry Alexas…So cool, so young, so British… A perfect investment for a number of seasons to come. The perfect item to put on the wishlist… The perfect eye-candy… If you don't see one on the street or someone's shoulder for a while you forget how great they are and how cool they look. Then you walk past one and remember what great times you've had together… Then you realise that SS2012 is just around the corner and wonder if they will release some kind of "new and improved" Alexa for the new season! I wonder what it will look like… better start saving up :)) xx

Sharing the love - New Vintage Shopping Experience BLITZ

I very much love vintage shops... but to be honest with you every time I walk into one, I feel somewhat overwhelmed - heaps and heaps of clothing impossible to sift through, the smell of mothballs, small space. Generally all of these factors result in me browsing the shop and leaving empty handed. Beyond Retro has long been one of the Londoners' favourite vintage shopping destinations. I mean lets face it - they are the biggest and the best known in London, they even took vintage online. Kudos to them...
Oh and there is another thing... on most of my visits to vintage shops I cant help but feel like im shopping for a fancy dress costume... I mean the last item that I bought and actually wear day to day is a vintage scarf which I had to dig out of a gigantic scarf basket at Beyond Retro, everything else is worn.. well, to fancy dress parties..

Now one of the reasons why I enjoy hanging out with David from Nyanzi Report is that every time I see him, we go to Brick Lane, but every time we go to Brick Lane he shows me something or somewhere I havent seen before.

This time it was BLITZ Vintage Department Store - the new, the ultimate vintage shopping destination for Londoners. BLITZ is one of those stores that you walk into and you are not sure whether you are in a normal store or a vintage store. There is no mothball smell - love! There is a coffee cart - tick! There are couches and vintage books so you can hang out for as long as you want - tick-tick! And there are two floors of carefully selected, wearable vintage clothing. Oh and did I mention there is also tons of other exciting stuff - jewellery, bikes, teapots, lamps... And before you say anything, NO it is not at all cramped or cluttered because the shop is so damn huge!

I can truly say that this was the first time I truly enjoyed a vintage shop and literally did not want to leave. The atmosphere is great, the sales assistants remind me more of your neighbourhood friends that are just hanging out and always willing to take time to talk even if they know that you wont buy anything.

What's also great is that the clothes are in great condition, are clean and relevant - there are vintage looking pieces but also just plain cool looking pieces like leather jackets, skirts, funky hats, etc, etc.

So if you are ever in London, I encourage you to take a trip down memory lane... to BLITZ, trust me you wont regret it!

Diary of a fashion intern - Day number…i've lost count "Bonjour Paris!"

Hi guys! Here we go - Part 4 of my fashion intern diary. Click here to read the Russian version on Look At Me.

One more to come, enjoy xx

p.s. read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

****

Tomorrow we leave for Paris! Half of the interns are going straight from Milan and it is only me and two other girls who will be going from London. Preparation for Paris fashion week is a serious matter but rather than packing fabulous outfits we are stuffing our bags with food - chocolates, biscuits, chips as well as other necessities like pillows and towels. It is going to be a looooong week so you want to be as comfortable as possible - your own pillow is a must! 

I'm catching a 5.25am Eurostar from London which means I get somewhat 3 hours sleep that night. Luckily we have the first day off so after dumping my bags at the hotel, I grab my camera and head straight for the Tuilleries where Paris fashion week shows are starting. During London fashion week I was really sad that I didn't get to shoot street style as I normally absolutely love being in the midst of the fashion week madness. So when the opportunity presented itself to have a day of shooting in Paris, of course I jumped at it. Who cares about sleep anyway… it is so overrated. 

For next 10 hours I am running around from show to show all over Paris, by the end of the day I know the metro map like the back of my hand. Get back to the hotel around 8pm and spend the next 4hours editing photos and catching up on emails. 

The first day at the Paris showroom is quiet and we spend most of the time organising clothes and training up Parisian interns. Since I had already done the London fashion week, I'm all of a sudden the big boss and get to tell other interns what to do and I don't even have to get my own Starbucks anymore… :))

Paris fashion week in the showroom is different from London in two ways - firstly the showroom is bigger so you work harder and secondly you eat A LOT. The morning starts with croissants which are followed by mini macaroon towers and coffee which are followed by lunch then by fruit and then by biscuits in the afternoon. All the girls are worried about gaining weight but everyone continues eating anyway. 

During the day the showroom is an absolute mayhem and you have to adapt to hearing and understanding different languages. There are 10 sales executives who meet clients from all over Europe. As I walk through the showroom with a stack of clothing towards the change room someone asks me for a coffee (in Italian) another table asks for photocopies of something (in French) and the third table throws more clothes my way asking for them to be tried on (in Spanish). By the time you get to the kitchen you need to still remember who asked what and what it means in English and not go crazy.

On the second day, two of the Parisian interns do not turn up - apparently it all got too hard for them. 

Do you remember the scene from the Devil Wears Prada where she is balancing coffees from Starbucks in one hand, documents in the other and her phone doesn't stop ringing the whole time?? Well that's me. I get sent to the photocopy centre to make copies of line sheets, whilst grabbing coffee (soda water, toothbrush, cigarettes) for someone on the way and my phone is going off constantly. 

Many many years ago I used to take French classes. All of a sudden I find myself at the dry cleaners speaking some weird combination of French and sign language trying to explain that my colleague dropped off a dress in the morning (SHOOOORT, BLAAAACK, LACEEEYYY - I tried to speak slowly and loudly .. as if it is going to help!) but we have since lost the ticket and I now need that dress NOW to take back to the showroom before someone gets very angry with me. The queue behind me is trying to contain their laughter as I am acting out my charade. The lady at the counter looks at me and probably (highly likely) thinks I'm crazy. 

The only thing that gets me through the day is the nice dinner at the end of the night. Every night all the interns from London get together and go out for a nice meal and a bottle of red. On the third day to say thank you for all our hard work our manager makes a booking in one of the trendy restaurants in Monmartre. As we finish our entrees, a lady with a blonde crop enters the room and joins a loud (and amazingly stylish) table next to us. Kate Lanphear, editor of US Elle. I literally can't stop staring. Four days ago I photographed her exiting the Balmain show in Paris. I absolutely love her style. And here she is hanging out with her friends looking fabulous as always (and you cant even tell she spent the whole day hopping from one fashion show to another in 30 degree heat). 

Paris is growing on me, that's for sure…

To be continued xx

a little bit emotional ...

There is a lot to be said about love .. especially around Christmas time. Love actually is all around :)
Christmas is also the time to be with your loved ones and the ones closest to you. For me the loved ones and the closest ones are spread over two continents and none of them happen to be in London..

But strangely the loved ones are always with you even if you don't realise it...  Last weekend I got a my Christmas present from my BFF*.. all the way from Australia! The good thing about getting presents from the BFF is that you know that the present will never be a stock standard present. It will be always meaningful.. because as your loved one and the one who knows you best, the BFF always knows exactly what the perfect present is...

One of the best things about a loved one is that, with a little bit of luck, they actually love you back :) When someone loves you they believe in you... I personally think that someone's belief in you is sooo underestimated! When I started doing photography I was a little shy about it (because you never know whether you are actually doing a decent job.. I for one happen to be my own toughest critic) and even now many of my friends don't know that I have a blog... But hearing words of support and reassurance about something that you love doing from people you love is just priceless!

This is one of the presents from the BFF and it came with the following message: "...this book made me think that if Facehunter can do it then you can too..."

and here is the man himself.. Mr Facehunter as snapped by me:

Thank you, my wonderful friend A, for being there (across thousands of miles) and believing in me!! Love you always! xx

*BFF - Best Friend Forever (a girl) and not a boyfriend (had to clarify as this has previously caused some confusion among the readers). And yes I love my friends. In case you were wondering.

Sharing the love...sharing la musique

*photo by me*

those of you who are my regulars know that I practically never post non-original content (apart from my love for postcards & greeting cards of course.. I btw have some nice ones from Paris to share with you very soon) .. Anyhow, the point is that to stick something that is not mine on my blog - I REALLY have to LOVE it. So trust me when I tell you that this blog is AMAZING... One of my friends on Facebook posted  a link to it and I fell in love! If you are like me and appreciate good music but are not savvy or 'in the know' about where to find it (in Sydney I relied on my friends for this and have been 'starving' since I moved to London) then you will love this blog. It's not all original music, there are a lot of remixes and remakes but man are they good! Special mention to Anya Marina's version of Whatever You Like.

Now, your mission should you wish to accept it: I dont know anything about who is behind this blog but would love to find out. So if you know anything about this person/people then be nice and share the love.  Hope you enjoy it! xx

http://www.lamusiqueblog.com

a very long post about favourite things...

so I have a bit of good news to share with you all... HUGE NEWS actually! I will shortly be making a move to London and I cannot tell you how excited I am about this! Unfortunately it does mean that I will have less (much less) time to blog :( 

 I do however promise to do at least one post a week.. more likely than not it will be on sundays.. which will also in a way validate the name of this blog (state of sunday.. get it? get it?).. Actually that was the idea originally (not taking into account the fact that I do really like the name Sunday) - to write a sunday blog but turns out - i have too much time on my hands!

Anywho.. I digress...

With every move there comes packing... and with every packing there comes cleaning... As I was sorting through my stuff.. trying to pack the last 10 years of my life into 5 little boxes I found my old stationery box.

I bought it when I was still at school and once I used up all the stationery that came in the box, I started using it to store birthday cards, letters and other sentimental rubbish. You could also say I kept it for things that I love unconditionally and things that make me happy. As you already know I'm big on things that make me happy - I've done a post on 'happy' books and 'happy' greeting cards previously...

So I thought to myself, what the hell! Lets take it up a notch and do a post on ALL the things I hold near and dear to my heart (shoes, bags and alcohol will be covered in a different post - just kidding :))

So here it is.....

• obviously my favourite books which you have met before
• obviously my favourite birthday cards which you have also met previously
• my teddy bears: Andy and unnamed
• one of the many Sex and the City DVDs I own
• Russian Matreshka doll (did I mention I was Russian? No? Oh well.. now you know :)
• A framed front cover of The New Yorker magazine (here is another piece of trivia - I am NY obsessed)
• An old polaroid picture of me and my good friend F
• A lense cap - this supposed to represent my camera but clearly I couldnt have my camera in the picture because it was busy taking the picture...
• A letter from my cousin from ages ago
• An old photo of my mum and I (this is not that time nor the place to be modest - I was a damn cute chubby baby!... overinflated ego anyone?!)
• My mum's engagement ring - my sister had it and then i got it when i turned 18.. it's kind of like a good luck thing - hard to explain

and there you have it.. until next time xx

p.s. needless to say arranging things and then taking photos of them and then taking them onto the balcony because the light is better and arranging them again did make the packing process a little longer than I expected...

smile...

I really like cards. Postcards, greeting cards, thank you cards. I have kept pretty much all the birthday and christmas cards I got in the last 10 years. I also sometimes buy cards for no reason or occasion just because I like them. These are some of my all time favourite cards. The one in the front I bought myself and it is my favourite. It hangs inside my bathroom cabinet and every morning as I reach for my toothbrush, I look at it and it makes me smile...

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!