Holiday Thrift Finds

It's an unusual post for me, but I thought why not? I am a writer, and I write about various things, clothes after all is only one part of it. I don't know whether it would surprise you, but I am not really a fan of in-person shopping, and I've never been. Big crowds, pushy/fake sales people, walking/standing on concrete floor and trying on clothes in changing rooms with very little air movement are all together not my cup of tea. I mostly shop for my clothes online, and it's a huge blessing in my book - the selection is so much wider since I can shop any store (even in other countries!). I can take my time and shop nationally and internationally literally sitting on my sofa, and try my purchases on in the privacy of my bedroom. (These are pros. The cons of online shopping also do exist, but it's a subject for another story.) But I do love going thrift shopping, it is one of my favorite hobbies. It's still shopping, with concrete floors and changing rooms, but overall it's a very different kind of experience. First of all, you just never know what you'll find, and there is a huge chance that what you end up bringing home will be rare if not unique. The thrill of it just doesn't wear off! In our antique malls and Goodwill, you can browse for hours and they just leave you alone at it, but always ready to assist if you need help. Finally, it's budget-friendly and good for the planet. Without any regularity, Justin and I go on a hunt to antique malls, and since recently Anya joins me for a Goodwill trip (also not regularly, maybe once a month or so). On one of the rainy post-Christmas days, we hopped in a car and hit the road, first having lunch at our favorite Thai place, and ending the exhausting but happy day in one of our best-loved Indian restaurants. We ended up finding lots of treasures that day - at two of our usual spots.

Solstice, Christmas, New Year!

Merry Christmas!

And if you don't celebrate it, then Happy Solstice (better late then never) and New Year!

I hope each of you gather with the most amazing people in your life and simply share the joy and love you have for each other. Life is so precious, it's worth celebrating at every and any possibility!

So let us have fun and ceLEbRaTE!!!

Blurry Stripes with Blurry Dots

If you're an old friend, you might remember this space dyed sweater which I wore with a matching skirt before (in JANUARY 2015 and NOVEMBER 2014). It's a good time to play with knits right now (and the scarf I started knitting a few months ago, is slowly getting longer and longer...I guess it'll be ready by next Winter, haha!). So I wore a knit dress and knit set recently, layering a blouse under it, but this combination with a pleated faux leather skirt got just one extra vote in the family (only Justin voted! he loved both variations, but he loved this one a little better), so I went with it. I feel it's classically elegant and will probably appeal to many women. We'll see whether I'm right about it. :)

Love of Sea and New Book

Who can tell how inspiration works? Some think that things, people or events inspire them. Others say that it comes from art and stories. Some find inspiration in memories of the past, while others in fantasies about the future. Like many artists, I find that very often inspiration comes during the process of work (as they say in Russia, appetite grows with eating) - I start dressing up and new ideas come, or I start writing and the more I write, the more inspired I feel...

Cozy Edgy

When the weather stays cool for a few months, outerwear practically becomes our main outfit. This simple fact took me a long time to understand, even though I come from Siberia, which is famous for its extremely cold and long winters. When I lived there, I would have one or maximum two coats for Winter, and one or two for Spring and Fall. Since Siberian climate absolutely does not give you a break in terms of cold temperatures (unlike here where even if temps drop a few degrees, they will be back to mild in a day or two), you are stuck with coats for a bigger part of a year. So by the end of each season, you can't stand them, no matter how beautiful they are. When I moved to America, I immediately found myself in a much more comfortable climate. I first spent a few years in Southern Michigan and Southern Ohio where there are four distinct seasons and winter sometimes brings snow and cold temperatures...but not as severe, by Siberian standard. So one of the first things I quickly and happily unlearned was wearing winter coats and hats all together. Oh that felt gooood for a change!

Quintet

From time to time, I have a few sets of photographs/outfits that I haven't gotten to posting for whatever reasons. Sometimes I find that such outfits want to be combined in one post as if they want to make a certain statement. When I gathered these 5 outfits from the last couple of months, I started listening for what kind of music this quintet was going to play together...and what I heard was a distinct tune. When I translated this tune into words, I realized it was 5 style fundamentals that tickle my toes. I suddenly realized that that's what I express with my outfits, more or less successfully, and at the same time what I admire in others (meet my latest style crush: GEORGIANA, and yes, you are so welcome!). So here I am sharing them with you, 5 style fundamentals and 5 outfits: 

COMPLEXITY, BOLDNESS, ECLECTICISM, ORIGINALITY, OPULENCE.

Modish Matrons #18: The Most Wonderful Time

On the first day of every month, despite the fact that we live across the pond from each other and there are 9 hours time difference between us, despite the fact that we don't speak each other's languages, and English is not our native tongue, my lovely friends TINA und BEATE and myself invite kindred spirits to come over for a playdate which became our good tradition in the past 18 months. A year and a half of our thematic link-up parties! (If you count the first 6 months when we appeared under the name MIDLIFE FUN. You can find all of our past parties under the tag MODISH MATRONS.) If you ask me, it is another good reason to celebrate during this festive season, which is the theme of our December link-up. Please add your festive outfits and visit my gorgeous friends who always delight me with their imaginative approach!