Modish Matrons #39: We Run Away with the Circus!

Welcome to THE CIRCUS!

I bet you didn't expected Modish Matrons would go so far as to run away with the circus, but thanks to Beate, we did! I bet that it would make most of you scratch your head if you were faced with a style challenge like this, and I admit, I did scratch my head. But then I thought, I've done outfits which would fit this theme nicely before (most recently in APRIL 2019, and earlier in SEPTEMBER 2018, JUNE 2017 and MARCH 2017 to name a few), and then an idea came to me... 

Hidden Village

 

Last Saturday night, feeling exhausted and a little chilled after the whole day spent outdoors, we stopped at the closest restaurant we could find, which happened to be a vegetarian and pescaterian Thai place in Bellevue, WA. We are neither, but sort of naturally leaning that direction in the last couple of years, and we love Thai, and our dinner was amazing! Anya got wide rice noodles with "veggie meat" (you wouldn't know the difference, honestly), Justin had pineapple rice with prawns, and I had pad thai with mixed seafood - delicious! No wonder I look as pleased as punch in these pictures! 

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 #22: No Matter the Weather

Happy Easter and welcome to Modish Matrons, 

the party where my dear friends TINA und BEATE and myself get together to celebrate style and creativity! Each month, one of us offers a theme, and April was Tina's turn. "No Matter the Weather," said Tina, leaving it wide open to interpretations. "Hmm," said I and scratched my head trying to find a focus for my outfit.

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. 

Contrasts and Variety

We did this photo shoot last weekend at the University of Washington in Tacoma. It's a beautiful campus nestled in the hills of Tacoma right in the heart of the city, from where you can see Commencement Bay and the Port of Tacoma, and take a short walk to the three museums across the street - Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass and Tacoma Art Museum.

Winter Woollies and Movies

Another rainy week in Seattle (Tacoma too), and another woolly, cozy, but still feminine outfit, that I wore on one of these drizzly days. On the bright side, Patti of Not Dead Yet Style has picked one of my recent outfits among others in her post FIVE FAB INSTAGRAMS OF THE WEEK, IN LEOPARD, RED AND BLACK - I feel so honored! 

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...

A Wardrobe Formation

Early November surprised us with cold air and even a few snowflakes here and there this year. With temperatures dropping to the mid 40s, it was time to get my cozies out. This outfit is in heavy rotation lately, and I am happy to report that it contains only stuff that I have owned for years, but in a new combination. I've finally arrived at the feeling that my wardrobe is complete. If you read my blog since the beginning, you might remember that I started creating a wardrobe practically from scratch back in 2013, after a prolonged period of very low interest in clothes (let alone accessories, let alone style as a creative process). My body has been changing in the last several years in size and shape, which provided additional challenges. I was learning not only what can look good on my body, but also my tastes, preferences and my comfort zone. I discovered that when it comes to style, I've become much less conservative compared to my younger self, more curious and open to new ideas. I discovered a new born willingness to try new (to me) things and maybe even look ridiculous at times - it does not bother me now. So what if someone won't appreciate my experiments? It's only clothes!

Modish Matrons #16: Tomboy / Dandy / Garçonne

Welcome to the October style challenge with MODISH MATRONS! 

Beate is leading the way, it was her turn to offer a theme, while Tina and I followed. Do not miss the fanciful and creative interpretations of my dear friends: BEATE und TINA. 

Talk about a challenge! 

This one was perhaps the most challenging over all for me, starting with pants. 

Potpourri

 

A Merriem-Webster dictionary online defines the French word potpourri (literally: "rotten pot", a name for a meat stew popular in 17th century) as "a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent" or as "a miscellaneous collection". In the last September post, I decided to bring you a potpourri of my outfits, suitable for a transitional season. I wore these ensembles either in Spring of this year or in Fall a couple of years back, and even prepared photos for publication, but for whatever reason changed my mind and did not post them before, with one exception, when I posted and then changed my mind and deleted that post (yes, my mood can be that changeable - women, eh?). In this mix, I threw together a bunch of colors, shapes and styles; some leaves, petals, and even some bark; and a few classical paintings to make my potpourri more interesting and palatable. Have I stirred up your curiosity? No more introductions then - dive into my recipe!

Being Russian in USA and Podari.Life

Being Russian in America, means that I miss my native language and culture a lot. I am definitely not the only one, so from time to time we gather for special Russian events. Last weekend, I had a unique opportunity to see a famous, gifted Russian actress, strong and beautiful woman, and warm, wonderful person Chulpan Khamatova who visited the USA on tour. Seattle was one of a very few cities where Chulpan stopped (others being New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles). 

Ready

While I'm waiting passionately (not so much patiently) for the return of my fashion muse, I thought I'd share a few more or less recent outfits as well as some of our latest adventures - that should stir things up in the meanwhile, right? It better! Modish Matrons are coming in only a couple of days!

Modish Matrons: Layering

 

For our March theme, Tina offers LAYERING and leads the way! We never discuss with one another what we're going to wear for our link-up party (we often don't even know ourselves until the last minute, ha-ha!), but not for the first time serendipity strikes Modish Matrons - and we pick a somewhat common color scheme. If you wish to join our party, you're very welcome - just find a link-up button at the very end of my post. We encourage your interpretation of our themes, if they sound inspiring to you and move your imagination. Please visit my beautiful co-hostesses TINA and BEATE to see their gorgeous interpretations!

Harmony: Dreams and Life Coming Together

The color green in its many shades and hues has been a strong favorite of mine for many years - to the point that it was the most represented color in my home and wardrobe too, until just a few years ago. I wasn't quite as obsessed with green as The Green Lady, but when I discovered her, I sure felt like we were soul sisters. Green has been a very happy color for me too! (Find proof in my old post The Color of Your Soul with photos from May 2013 - before this blog.)

Modish Matrons: Russian Winter Fairy Tale

Happy New Year!

Here at In The Writer's Closet, we begin it with a new, updated version of our monthly link-up that will start on the 1st of every month and stay open for a whole month. If you are on Facebook, we'll appreciate if you like our new page MODISH MATRONS, and thank you to all who have already liked us! Our team - Tina, Beate and myself - would love it if you get inspired by our themes, but feel free to join us as you are, too. Other than a new date, we also arrange our themes differently now - we take turns, so each month one of us presents a theme that inspires her, and it is represented in our collages too:

Coat Craze: eShakti Review

 

Earlier this Fall, a review opportunity came that I could not pass. As a blogger, I receive a few offers every single day, but as you probably have noticed, I rarely write reviews or talk about free product from companies. In fact, the last time was over a year ago. While I am not a commercial blogger, I love to collaborate with brands that genuinely interest me, and when I received an email from eShakti, I got really excited.

The Last Chord

Hello my friends and readers, and Happy Halloween!

I would like to finish October with the outfit that feels quintessentially Fall to me. I wore it to a walk, dinner out and a movie this past weekend. It has many remixed pieces that I've shown before, and it just makes sense to include it with all those other Autumn ensembles I've shared recently. It's like a finishing touch, the last chord in my October music piece. I have a feeling that November will be different. We'll see!

The Mamushka!

 

I don't know about your part of the world, but here in the US there are basically three kinds of movie theaters. My favorite kind is the little independent movie theaters that show artistic movies, foreign movies, documentaries, and indies. Another kind of theaters show current movies, and with the latest addition of comfortable recliners, they became more welcoming to me, especially when they show classic old movies, or (rarely) something of my interest (Woody Allen, for one).

Art

Justin and I visited an art exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum this weekend. It was dedicated to the Northwest, presenting both local and visiting artists, and this weekend was the last chance to see it at TAM. We loved it! I shared some of the paintings that moved me on my FB page, so if you are interested, just search for my name. Here, I am going to share the art that Justin and I created together at the museum that very same day.