Life, Style and All that I Love

Have you noticed? I changed my blog's header. There used to be a vintage picture of a lady typing on a typewriter, with the subtitle of the blog "Writing, Style and Other Treasures" (I just knew even then that I wouldn't be able to stick to only one topic). I loved blogging under that cute and quite minimalistic header, but after almost 6 years of blogging the time came, when it felt right to change. 

April Showers, Fridays for Future and My Contribution to the World

Thank you so much for your wonderful comments on my previous posts!!! They brought so much joy to my heart, and I mean it. I do miss interacting with you guys, and I feel like I am very much behind each of your real life series. I lurked at your blogs a few times in the past few months and have every intention to catch up some day, though it is still challenging at this point. I thought that my workload would be lighter in April, but boy I was wrong! After finishing with one gig, I continued keeping myself busy with new ones, and after family time, trying to keep the house in at least a tiny bit reasonable state of chaos, and time to rest and recharge, there is very little time for blogging and fashion. But it isn't a bad thing, and even rare style and blog encounters can still provide fun as well as a break from other activities and responsibilities.

The Great Frost of 2019 and The Book Awards Finalist 2018

We are in the midst of a big snowstorm here in the Pacific Northwest which is so very unusual for this part of the world. We got the first snow a few days ago, then a large new portion last Friday, more on Sunday, and even much more on Monday! Snow here pretty much always causes delaying and cancelling activities: schools and offices get closed or open for fewer hours, and those who can opt for working from home on snow days to watch their kids who are out of school, as well as simply to avoid unpredictable driving situations. Needless to say, snow is the biggest topic of conversation these days, and even I (being from Siberia and knowing possibly everything there is to know about snow) find snow irresistible and take photos and videos of snow which amuses my friends and family back home. While I can't really surprise my folks with the snow, it is surprising around here, especially in such amounts - last time, I believe, we got so much snow during The Great Snow of 2012, and before that The Great Drifts of 2008. (Do you love The Vicar of Dibley as much as I love it?) With the snow, arrived wind and colder temperatures, and all together it of course brings back some memories.

Happy Holidays!

I will not be myself if I don't wish you happy holidays and don't share with you some of our latest outings and other slices life generously offered at the end of the year. So without further ado, let's dive in!

Red with Teal or Blue

Ta-daaa! To those of you who put bets on the color of my second beret and guessed red:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I bought three berets this Fall: gray, blue and red. I thought that either I would share them all with my daughter, or that she would choose the one(s) she likes and make it (them) her own. And since she has just discovered her love of the color red, I was almost sure that she'd choose the red one, but to my surprise she chose the blue one instead, perhaps to match her new wool coat. The blue one was also the smallest of the three and just wouldn't fit all that extra fluff I have in my big head, so it seemed like a perfect choice anyway.

Velvet in the City

What I like about velvet pants the most is the fact that I can feel dressed-up and be as comfortable as if I was wearing pajamas. Especially pants like these, with roomy legs and elasticized, stretchy waist - nothing gets too tight, nothing pinches, nothing irritates or restricts movement. I bought this pair last Spring for their gorgeous rich color (what would you call it?), and wore them recently with light long coats and sneakers, for different occasions, locations and moods.

Flamboyant in the Office

I wore this outfit to an important appointment earlier this week, and to me it is an example of expressive personal style even when you want to look professional and pulled together in an official/business/office situation. Honestly, if you're not required to wear a uniform at work, or you're not going to meet a president of  a country or the Queen, there is no reason not to have fun with vivid colors and bold patterns. If a part of you, like me, is flamboyant, there is no need to be afraid to come across as a bit flamboyant - it only will be genuine.

Better Late Than Never

Would you believe that after all these years writing about style, this is literally the first time that I am actually aware of the Fashion Week happening in New York as we speak? I can't explain it other than being preoccupied with other things in life, but honestly, high fashion just didn't interest me (though I watched a few shows in retrospect, and I even have favorites). Anyway, that was until just now - I can feel a change coming. In previous years, I haven't watched any new shows nor read fashion reports, but I am going to do it as soon as I finish writing this post. The realization, or better yet, an almost palpable feeling suddenly dawned on me, that with all the people excited about style and fashion, it must be a pretty amazing event, with all the energy building up around the world of expressing ourselves with clothes... I feel like I want to be a part of this energy, so I am going to dive in, start educating myself and getting some inspiration too. Better late than never.

Our First Festival: Flavor of Federal Way

Hello my dear friends and readers,

First I want to THANK YOU for all the love and support you gave me here on the blog as well as on my social media, and via personal messages! I deeply appreciate your kind words and wishes - I read them all! I am eager to tell you everything about my experience of Flavor of Federal Way, the Multicultural Festival that we were honored and excited to be a part of.

Summer Patchwork and Back to Who We Are

Just as quilt makers collect various scraps and fabric pieces which may or may not end up being a part of a quilt, as a style blogger I am also left with a variety of "scraps" - pictures of my outfits which were sometimes created purposefully and thoughtfully, with an intention to become a "quilt" - a post about a particular ensemble; while other times happened almost unintentionally, randomly, on the way to an event (or sometimes at the event), with very limited time and/or lighting for a decent photo shoot. I collect such picture "scraps", Justin's photographs of my outfits (my form of art) and from time to time combine them to create a post-quilt with all those lovely scraps... And so I've done with this post, showcasing 5 outfits which will tell you a few more stories of my Summer. Many pictures and words!

Modish Matrons #26: Blue & Green

Hello dear friends and welcome to Modish Matrons!

In August, we follow Beate's steps into the beautiful sisterhood of two summery colors - BLUE & GREEN! We wear them together, just as we see them together in nature, and especially in abundance during Summer peak. 

Modish Matrons #25: Boat Trip & 2 Year Anniversary

Hello friends!
Welcome to the July Modish Matrons and a new theme offered by TINA - Style for a Boat Trip! That's not all though, since we also celebrate 2 years of our fun creative link-up this month, but first things first! Please visit my fabulous friends, two talented bloggers from Germany, TINA und BEATE, to see their unique takes on the theme!

Going Back and Forth in Time, Gifts from Bosnia and Herzegovina & Gloriously Overgrown Garden

Do you like when I share with you combinations with my old clothes? New purchases are exciting, and I do enjoy my new clothes very much, but at the same time I love wearing something I bought last year, and two years ago, and four or five years ago, and on some occasions even much earlier. My goal as a fashionista is to have a closet full of stuff that I love and collect over the years. I do make some mistakes (I call them experiments), but it's gradually getting there. So here I'm wearing another mix of old and new from my closet. I wore it yesterday, on a cool and drizzly day, cool enough for a thin sweater. But I will get to it later in the post, because at first I wanted to talk about...

Modish Matrons #24: Inspired by the 1980s

Hello friends! You are welcome to join my gorgeous MODISH MATRONS squad for our new theme - Inspired by the 1980s! When I offered this theme, I imagined I would combine bold colors, batwing sleeves, big bling jewelry, colorblocking... something like it or all of the above. But when it was time to come up with an outfit, my mind went blank - it just couldn't decide what to focus on. Until I remembered the denim dress which I bought back in Winter or early Spring and which immediately brought me back to my own 1980s (the late 80s to be precise), when my distant auntie handed me her unwanted deep blue velvet suit, not too different from what Princess Diana would wear (HERE) - a midi length pencil skirt with a peplum jacket. I remember that at first, it seemed very outdated and matronly to me, but then I made it fit my then slim, perfect hourglass figure, to attend a New Year's Eve party - and I think I looked pretty adorable and classy in my hand-me-down suit!

State Affairs: Trip to Washington DC

Despite all the jokes said by my husband's American friends about him being married to a Russian spy, you can hardly find a person standing as far away from politics as me. Yet, sometimes politics affect my personal life and demand me that I take action. I won't get into details as to exactly why I had to go to Washington DC, as it was a purely practical reason, and way too complicated and boring to even talk about it. Trust me when I say that I postponed this official business for as long as I could, a bit too long for my own good really, and there was a sudden sense of urgency when I finally plucked up the courage to deal with it. It all went well in the end, and the whole appointment took only 16 minutes, which became the most expensive 16 minutes of my life to date. I could of course fly to DC on my own which would reduce the spending by far, but what fun is there in that? We don't do things for purely practical reasons in our household, so when Mama had business in Washington DC, everyone else suddenly found things to do in Washington DC too! So fasten your seat belts, 'cause here we come!

Live and Let Live

"You astonish me in that you can look both stunningly dramatic and also cute and adorable, two looks that don't seem possible in one person." These words my talented blogger friend SHAWNA said about me in a comment to my post, and I cherish them, because they resonate with me deeply, and I've never heard anything quite like this description, either about myself or anyone else, really. Although I remember both comments being said to me independently from one another by other people who knew me in the past years. I thought about it today and realized that blogging is what bonded these two sides of me visually - the warm, genuine and personable part of me with the bold and dramatic part. It helped me to dress that bold part more consistently than ever before. And so thanks to my style and blog journey, my whole personality started shining through.

Navy Blue Love and Paintings by Ivana

I have heard that blue is the most common favorite color, but I must admit it had been my least favorite color for as long as I could remember, to the point that when I would get something blue as a present, the whole thing would puzzle me, like...'do you know me at all? have we ever met?' If the answer to these questions had been yes, you'd have known that I had no use for anything blue in my home. I've always loved greenish blue hues, but not "blue blue" ones. I wonder why? I don't recall any negative associations with it, no bad memories as such, but pure blue (no matter light or dark shades) used to seem depressing to me. And it really had nothing to do with the English use of the word blue as meaning "sad" or "depressed" - I learned it only after I moved to the US, which was 16 years ago, and I had been living and speaking other languages for twice as along at that point. In my native Russian, oddly enough, depressing feelings are commonly seen as green  - we say "тоска зеленая" (green anguish) or "позеленеть от злости" (to turn green with anger) which I personally don't agree with, to me green is a color of peacefulness and cheer. But I had similarly strong negative associations with the color blue. Until a few years ago, that is. And then I started warming up to different shades of blue.

Portland: Lan Su Chinese Garden

"It’s 16th century China, and you’re standing in the entry courtyard of the private home and garden of a wealthy family. The garden around you is their spiritual utopia, a peaceful and soothing place designed to help them escape the problems of everyday life and discover their true selves by connecting with nature." This description you'll find at the website of the Lan Su Garden in Portland, Oregon. And a very similar description you'll hear when you take a guided tour (free with your tickets to the garden). I've only visited this magical place twice, once in the middle of Winter when the persimmon tree was covered with bright "lanterns" - its fruit. And another time just two weeks ago, in early Spring, when magnolia, camellia and many other trees and bushes, the names of which I don't even know, offered their splendid blooms.

Lucid Dream

Yesterday, I took my family to listen to a lecture by one of the leading thinkers of our time, bestselling author Deepak Chopra. I have just finished his free 21-day meditation course which he offers in collaboration with Oprah Winfrey, and this was my second time meditating with them. (If you're interested, you can find more information and sign up for a newsletter HERE.) I really enjoyed this experience, so when I learned that Deepak would be in my American hometown Tacoma, I bought three tickets for my whole family to attend. (His next events would be in Zurich, Switzerland; Hamburg, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Eugene, Oregon; Paris, France; London, UK; Amsterdam, Netherlands and São Paulo, Brazil - an impressive international list.) It was a week night, so of course everyone was tired - really, it's hard to make it after a long day and in the middle of a busy week, and Anya even fell asleep a couple of times during the lecture, but at the end we all were happy that we made it - we felt uplifted, energized, and in the long run we all benefited from this event.

Searching for Sakura

 

There are a few ways I approach weekends. Sometimes, I plan way ahead - for instance, I formed the habit to plan a coming theater/concert season, so I study what local theaters and concert halls offer in advance, mark my calendar, so I won't miss plays and other events that interest me, and start reserving tickets. From time to time, I revisit my list of events throughout the season and see whether something else catches my attention. I started doing it years ago, and for that Justin calls me our family's cultural ambassador.