Beauty of Gray and Vintage

Why not post the most recent outfit and tell you a vintage story. So, Justin and I took these pictures last weekend, and it was quite freezing outside! It would really be wiser to wear one of my parkas on a day like this, but I wanted to show off my elegant all-gray attire before I show off my coats and parkas. 

New Year, New Happenings

Hello beautiful friends,

I haven't had the chance to greet you and wish you a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR yet!

They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and that's so true - the longer I don't post and chat with you, the more I miss blogging and all of you. At the same time, it's harder to go back to the old routine of posting regularly. So for a while at least, there won't be any regularity here. But I do want to share some of my life happenings as well as outfits with you.

Modish Matrons #30: Iceland

If you ask me why Iceland even came to my mind when I put together the list of themes for the 2018 Modish Matrons back in December 2017, I couldn't explain - it just did. I have never been to Iceland and I didn't know the first thing about it. Obviously, I had to visit and learn. Or at very least commission sending a photographer to this intriguing far away place. The things we do for blogging, right? 

Tartan and Snake Print; Freedom and Gratitude

To all my American friends and readers, 

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is my most favorite of ALL the American holidays, and I am so happy to celebrate my 17th Thanksgiving this year! I am truly thankful for my life, for everything that it throws at me, good and bad, I love it all. I really came to believe that contrast is what shapes us - what helps us to sort out the infinite ways of life, choose what feels right to us (to each, their own!), and what makes us who we become. It's easy to feel gratitude for good times, but I've learned to love my disappointments and crisis just as well, because like nothing else, they really teach me to focus on what I want to experience, on what I actually want my life to be. If everything comes easy, then how can we know what is important to us and what is not? How could we learn to appreciate? And how could we ever be able to make choices and stick to our dreams? And our freedom to dream and freedom to make choices is what it's all about to me. That's what I celebrate on this day, and I am deeply and forever 

grateful.

Library Happenings and Secrets of Public Speaking

Most people, at most times, go to a library to see books. But on October 5-6, 2018 some folks had a rare opportunity to go to the Puyallup Library to see book authors! I happened to be one of about 30 local authors who were honored to present our work during this event. 

Two Magic Ingredients

Inspiration comes from all sorts of sources, sometimes unexpected ones. I don't know what you thought when you first saw this outfit on me, but I know what two little girls in a movie theater thought when they whispered to each other and giggled, looking at me wearing this very outfit. And what do you know, they read me as an open book!

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! 

Modish Matrons #19: Warm in Knits

Happy Brand-New 2018, everybody!

Let's make it what we want it to be, shall we?

Tina, Beate and I are having a good start here at our once-a-month get-together, 

and you are cordially invited to join us!

Feeling Festive

It has been a wonderful holiday week for us. We got to spend lots of time together since Anya had the whole week off and Justin got a few days off (which isn't trivial with everyone's busy life), did a great deal of house work, and got to celebrate with yummy foods (Russian salads and sweets, and of course turkey, roasted traditionally by Justin). And my personal whimsical touch - torturing the family with culture, as I call it (there is no escape because I want to have it all). For you, my friends and readers, the latest is good news because if you're local, you can attend some of these festive events too. And as always I'm sharing my festive outfit (more coming soon) - who knows, maybe it'll inspire you to dress up too? It would make me happy!

Iconically North American

I usually share more or less elaborate outfits on my blog, but on those days when I feel overwhelmed and crave simplicity, I am drawn to loose dresses in natural fabrics, much like this chambray number. I wore it quite a few times lately, enjoying the modern lines, pockets, high-low hem and of course polka dots! Polka dots just make everything better, don't they? 

Bohemian with Fringes & Hipster with Records

 

When I introduced you to my genuine suede fringed skirt in THIS POST recently, I mentioned that I had an idea of a more bohemian looking outfit with that same skirt, and now... voilà! I present you another outfit featuring the skirt, a more relaxed and a little bohemian one (a bit pilgrim-ish even), though it isn't exactly what I had in mind at first.

Tulled and Bundled Up

The temperature dropped significantly within the last few days, and even though I lived in one of the coldest parts of the world for 29 years, I tend to forget how it feels when it is close to freezing. In Siberia, we start wearing hats in early Fall - from thin knitted hats to thicker woolen hats, and finally to fur hats in the Winter, which begins at the end of October where I grew up. Those fur hats, we don't give up practically till April. You might have heard the word shapka as referred to Russian style fur hats with "ears", but in Russia we call them ushanka (or formally shapka-ushanka) which has that "with ears" definition, while shaphka is just a generic word for any kind of hat. When the average temperature ranges from -25 to -30 C pretty much from late November through February, you can see how a hat is not only a style statement. I've written about it before - I got so sick of having to wear a hat for so long, that after I moved to a warmer climate, I started resenting wearing any sorts of hats for a few years. But a true Siberian girl, never leaves home without a shapka in winter time. And I forget about it every single Winter since I moved to the Pacific Northwest. These mild 50 to 60 F days for the bigger part of a year spoiled me, and now I forget that a shapka is not only a style statement!

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).

Finding New Harmony

So, about those different stories. They absolutely don't have to come from brand new pieces - neither in art nor in life. Sometimes, a great inspiration comes from doing old things in a new way. We don't have to get a new vocation or even hobby every single time when, in an otherwise enjoyable activity, we suddenly feel a bit stuck in a rut. And wouldn't it be just a bit unwise if we got rid of an old friend or our hubby every single time we felt a bit stuck in a rut? And while you can, of course, change the country you live in or the continent you're on, what to do with the planet when you feel just a bit annoyed with some things that are going on there? Stop the earth, I want to get off?  Now, that puts things into perspective. If you genuinely love what you have (or, in case of our planet, you objectively don't have too many options), working with it, making it meaningful and enjoyable time and time again, is also a great creative challenge - both in art and in life.

Tell a Different Story

My taste in fashion, as well as my taste in life, is very eclectic, and after a few whimsical and retro inspired styles, I got hungry for some cool casual modern.

Now

I am who I am. Today. Now. This is me. I can be totally satisfied with the thought of who I am - or not. It is up to me. Being just a little human girl, as my then 5 year old daughter put it (yes, about me! she always had somewhat mothering feelings towards me, as long as I can remember her), so yes, being just a human girl, I am not totally satisfied. I think it's OK. It's just in our nature to not be totally satisfied - it helps us to move forward.

Night of Passion and Ecstasy, or How to Pay for a Dress Twice

You know that I don't typically write "how to" posts in this blog. What can I possibly teach you guys, you are such artists and experts yourselves that I am constantly learning from you! But here I think I am really on to something - hear me out.

What Is That Thing?

What makes us decide "today, I want to wear this and not that"? So many factors can be involved - the weather, the occasion, the way you feel, whether you want to be not just dressed up, but also comfortable, or you want mainly to feel at ease and not so dressed up at all... and so on. I still have days (will I always have them?) when I open my closet... and I don't like anything! The whole new closet to me please, right away! But today was not like those days at all. I opened my closet, briefly scanned my stuff and in a few seconds knew that the leopard print skirt was what I wanted to wear. Once you settle on at least one part of your outfit, the rest comes together pretty easily. At least, that's how it works for me.

Colorful Coastal Christmas

Merry Christmas, my friends and readers!

This year, we decided to take a mini-break and escape to the beautiful Oregon Coast. On the plus side, at least for us geeks and nerds, it is practically deserted this time of year. If you're a party person, the Oregon Coast is definitely not the place to be right now. On the not-so-plus side, winter on the coast means high winds, heavy rain and the possibility of floods. I'm not used to such strong winds, they almost knocked me off my feet, though locals take their dogs for a walk on the beach just as if it was just another sunny day. We also took walks trying to catch breaks in the weather. In general, I wanted to stay warm and cozy, but still look and feel festive and just a bit glamorous. 

Take Them Into Fall

Speaking of clothes that do not have any chance to get into a donation bag, I think you will be pleased to know that these two beauties (you could see them in the posts Magic and Dream Dress & Dinner Theater) fall into my "definitely keeping" category. Both made from the same fabric (100% cotton), with a cotton voile full lining, they are radically different styles (1950s and 1970s), but both very much loved. They were gifts from the unique women's clothing company eShakti, and I wrote about them on a couple of occasions HERE and HERE. Today, I received an early bird special offer from eShakti which I am happy to share with you, my friends and readers. 

WRITERSCLOSETFALL15

The coupon code is valid through August 31, 2015 and allows you to enjoy 15% off the new Fall arrivals which, as always with eShakti, you can customize in both style and size! Do check them out - I know that a couple of dresses stole my heart.