Saturday, November 29, 2014

Rare Guests


Snow is a rare guest here in the Puget Sound area - it's usually us Seattleites who go on special trips to visit the snow which is only a couple of hours away in either the Cascades on the East side or the Olympic mountains on the West. It is the mountains which hug us from both East and West that protect us from the extreme weather conditions. It's not common to have  snow on the ground here by the sea, but we usually have a day or two every year when we get the white dust in our yard. My parents though don't recall any snow when they stayed with us during the winter two years ago. You'd think that being from Siberia, we must love snow and miss it, yes? Nope, not in this household at least. But I have to admit it looks really pretty, it changes everything and adds light to dark months.



I asked Justin to photograph our snowy front yard when we woke up in the morning, before it all melted or got blown away by the strong wind, another rare visitor here.



This is one of the black and white outfits I had in mind for Share-in-Style last week, but got so enchanted with my new dress that I simply couldn't bring myself to wear anything else. (You'll see the dress again soon, I promise, there is no escape.)





How lovely vintage glass looks against the fur collar, another combination I can't resist playing with, finding more and more outfits where they both look at home. We also had fun playing with red and green in these photos, from berries and my nails and lips to holly tree leaves, glass jewelry and my eyes... I love black and white, it's a powerful, dramatic and artistic combination, even nature agrees - look at the bare bark and branches, or a barren land against the snowy background. And yet, I almost always want to add a touch of bright color to my black and white outfits, and again nature agrees - look at the wintry evergreen trees and bright red berries, and sometime even flowers like the purple azalea started budding and blooming during the unusually warm first part of November.



I wanted to share something else with all of you today. Joni of the blog Artful Closet posted Around The World in 20 Blogs a little while back, a wonderful collection of links where among the personal style bloggers from different corners of our planet, you can find wonderful street style blogs from a few different countries (India, Israel, Argentina) which made me think of the Oldushka, a street style blog from Russia which is in a way similar to the well known Advanced Style, and in other ways is very different. The author of Oldushka, Igor Gavar, is from Omsk, a city in Siberia, and his focus is on exploring the style of people of high age as he puts it, living in Russia. Via photos and interviews, he introduces his readers to life in modern Russia, showing us the society as it is today. It is an intimate, heartwarming, at times uplifting, at times sad, very sincere work of journalistic art - a blog that changes our perception and awareness about age, style and the contemporary history of my home country. Oldushka is written in the Russian language, but just like in my blog, you can opt for any world language to translate (look for the Translate button on the right side).

source: Oldushka (what a brilliant name!)


 I wore for my freezing, windy photo shoot today:

Ruana - Chico's (old, sale)
Jeans - Lane Bryant (current)
Faux fur collar from Michael Kors sweater (old)
Boots (waterproof leather!) - Aquatalia via Nordstrom (last year)
Vintage clip-on earrings
Ring - Chico's (last year, sale)

***

Sharing with Visible Monday for a special edition - see you at Patti's!

20 comments:

  1. I bet you scuttled back into the warm as soon as possible!
    I saw the snow in your area on my global weather map :-) We lived in Vancouver for 3 years, so know what you mean.
    That closeup shot of the jewels against the fur and your lovely face is stunning! There is a special light only snow brings. xo JJ

    ReplyDelete
  2. you look cozy in your fur and wrap!
    justin did a wonderful job capturing the atmosphere of that snowy, windy morning! you know i love snow - in the mountains of my childhood we had lots of it every winter. now i wait unpatiently for the white.
    all this white bottoms lately made me de-stash a white courduroy to sew a white winter skirt :-)
    hugs&kisses!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really love the photo close up showing your earrings, nails and fur.

    When we moved to Victoria BC there was the biggest snowstorm in history! LOL Must be 20 year ago now but it literally shut down the Island for almost a week.

    bisous
    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Justin's photos are magnificent. You look gorgeous snuggled up in your fur collar with your pretty jewellery glittering. It does look bitingly cold though, I bet you were back inside in the warmth pretty quickly. the things we do for blogging! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you dear Natalia for all the wonderful shots and info. I found lots of interesting blogs and love Oldushka.
    You look like a true Snow queen, my friend
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    ReplyDelete
  6. We share the same feelings with snow. We rarely have snow in Crete either so it's great news when temperature drops and the anticipation of it. I also fell in love with white pants, they play with everything I own. And black lately seems so appealing. Style blogging from different cultures can show so much of the people of a country. So many stereotypes around! Enough. I loved it that you shared.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What marvellous photos! A sprinkling of snow is so beautiful, but I hate it when it sticks around for weeks...
    Love your dramatic black and white look, especially with that glamorous fur collar. The earrings and ring are gorgeous too. I will have to check out Oldushka. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the black and white with that gorgeous fur collar and touch of vintage glass, you look fab. A sprinkling of snow does make everywhere look pretty and not enough to cause chaos getting around and about.
    Thanks for sharing about Oldushka, I'll have a look when I get a minute. xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your weather is pretty much identical to mine. We too had an uncommon snowfall two nights ago. It's been cold enough that it hasn't gone away yet. I went out into the night to watch it. It's quite magical. But I DON'T miss it as an every day thing. I have a cape/coat a bit like yours. I haven't yet worn it this season but you inspire me. And are those clip-on earrings? I'm all about them these days.

    I'm definitely going to look at Oldushka!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful pictures of the (fleeting) snow, Natalia. And your black and white is stunning! Thanks for sharing with Visible Monday, and for the word on Oldushka. xox

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Natalia

    I love your close up with the fur collar, earrings and your red hair, what a stunning pic of you
    Tks for that Russian site, i felt in love the minute i checked it out!
    It will be one of my fav now and i will join his Instagram account

    Arianexo

    ReplyDelete
  12. You look stunning. I think you are among the rare women who can look both dramatic and warm and friendly at the same time. You don't look like you are suffering from wind or cold, just like a pro! Bring out the bikini now! The elegance of fur, jewels and your dramatic haircut look perfect in the winter scene and Justin's photos are always lovely. I am not a fan of snow but a sprinkling of it like that is always very pretty. The snow missed us here in Comox but it did fall further south on the island and in Vancouver. We are having unusually cold, crisp and sunny weather. I am still struggling to do everything I want or even need to do but I hope to check out Oldushka. Thanks for sharing! xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  13. Natalia, you look as if you belonged so perfectly in these photographs. Just proof that we are much a part of nature. As I scrolled through your shots, I wondered about you and your quaint town...your neighbors must adore seeing you dressed so beautifully. I couldn't imagine it any other way.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Наташа, тебе так хорошо в этом пончо, да еще и с воротником под лисичку. Ты такая милая. Молодец, хороший наряд придумала. И спасибо за ссылку на олдушку :)) Я своей маме отправила, пусть почитает и фото посмотрит :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Natalia, you look very elegant in your white pants and fur trimmed black cape, set against the sprinkling of snow in your front garden.Justins photos are lovely, what a great view you have.I have checked out Oldushka, thank you so much for bringing it to our attention, it is just charming.

    ReplyDelete
  16. amazing pics and you look so gorgeous wrapped in your pretty cape!! also love your white jeans on a snowy background!! brilliant!!
    and your green earrings are a fabulous piece! Fabulous!!!!
    Not a huge fan of snow, I'm glad we barely have five snowy days a year, but I can see white mountains from my windows most of the winter!! so I've got the pretty landscapes without the inconveniences!
    besos
    besos

    ReplyDelete
  17. WOW! You have an amazing view! There's no snow at my place yet but maybe in a few days this will change as it's getting really cold.
    I like your outfit and the fur collar is a really cool touch.
    Thanks for the blog links. I'll definetely check them out.

    ReplyDelete
  18. So much to enjoy here, yet again, Natalia. We ALWAYS want to see what you're wearing, of course, and the simple color and texture combinations are delectable. The jewels look like they might have been made for your perfect complexion ... beautiful.
    Thank your for the link to Oldushka! Lovely stuff ... clearly the attention to dress is universal, and age doesn't stop so many of us.
    Snow in the PNW ... often gentle, you are so right. Although the big ones happen, sometimes. Dan and I got caught on the Inauguration Day 1993 storm that stranded us for 5 days. We were among the last streets to be opened! Most of the time, it's just lovely and light, though.

    ReplyDelete
  19. It took me a while to get here!! ha! I just adore the blog Oldushka. I checked out many of the images and will definitely go back. What strikes me particularly about European style is that it often seems that the fabrics the men and women wear, while they may be worn or look well lived in, they appear better quality and more substantial then so many of the clothes worn here in the U.S. One of the reasons shopping at thrift stores is great is that you get to see how well an item has stood up over time and if it will last many wearings.
    Your cape and fur collar are stunning. I love what Shawna said, "you look dramatic, warm, and friendly" all at the same time. She's right!

    ReplyDelete