Outfits and Buildings Telling Stories

It takes time to build a unique collection, and that goes for creating a unique wardrobe as well. Some of you might remember the story of this tapestry coat (OCTOBER 2017), how doubtful I was, keeping the coat in my shopping cart while browsing Goodwill, then leaving it behind, driving back home only to return to the store to rescue this jacket the very next day. I don't know whether it is vintage or not (the label doesn't suggest vintage), but it is well made and I have no regrets purchasing it, even though I did not really need another jacket. But that's the beauty of being a collector - you certainly don't need to add to your collection, but if a new find brings you joy, then that's the right thing to do! And so this jacket joined my general collection of jackets and coats, and is now also a part of my particular collection of tapestry jackets and coats (see my other tapestry coats in APRIL 2017 and MARCH 2019). Unlike many modern pieces which only imitate tapestry (while being prints), all of these pieces are actually made of woven fabric.

Modish Matrons #29: Beautiful Black

"Beautiful Black!" said Beate.

"It sure is!" said Tina and I.

And so the month of November is dedicated to this elegant, dramatic and edgy color - BLACK. I admit that I do not wear black very often, but I have a few favorite things in black, and for this outfit I remixed some of them in a new and a bit unexpected way. The only new thing in my outfit is...

Fall Fun & Food

Hello my dear friends and readers,

This post is more of a "slice of life" post than a style post, which some of you, I know, prefer to pure fashion/style blogposts. I will share some of our Autumnal outings and my Fall recipes, so if it's your cup of tea - I hope you enjoy it to the fullest (pun intended)!

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!

Falling in Love with Life Again

Summer, I'm in love! This Summer, I'm in love - in love with this Summer!

I have a reputation as a positive, warm and light person, someone who is full of sunshine and completely in love with life - and while all of it is true, another part of the truth is that the last few years were hard, in various ways. My family and I were thrown challenges so difficult to deal with, that at some point, it seemed like I fell out of love with life - something I never knew could happen to me. A very few people and things were helping me to hold myself together, and I am so grateful for all of them. Blogging about style and meeting you, my far away blogging friends, have been a huge part of it. Without even realizing it, you've been helping me to go through the process of dealing with life's unexpected twists, grieving, doubting and reinventing myself. It was a courageous, genuine, honest journey, and as a result of it I know myself so much better now and I've became so much stronger. Particularly this Summer, it feels like I'm finally approaching the end of this long journey. I was struggling to find my way back to JOY and LOVE of LIFE for what feels like such a long time, and now it finally feels like I'm back, as if this Summer's warm and caring hands nursed me back to life... It's been sunny, warm, at times hot, with some cool days (a welcomed relief!). And we've been busy - but a good kind of busy, you know? Of course you do!

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! 

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.

Bonjour

French countryside, that's what Justin named this outfit. On a gray rainy day it seemed almost like an escape to a far away romantic place...countryside...maybe in France...and maybe even in a different century. Considering that it was raining cats and dogs all day, such a soft-colored and lighthearted outfit might seem inappropriate to some. Wouldn't it be much more practical to wear a raincoat and wellies of a sensible dark color? Yes, it would. But I am with such style icons as late Lynn Dell, one of the brightest stars of the wonderful blog Advanced Style (and the inspiring documentary under the same name) who used to say, "I dress up every day for the theater of my life." Or, as another style icon and my beloved blogging friend Vix says, "Dress for the life you want, not the life you have." 

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!

Autumn Textures

Thank you, my dear friends, for your warm, heartfelt comments to my last post! Please know that your sincere words and our friendship mean a lot to me. I will keep it short and sweet today. As Fall progresses, I continue with my explorations of boho/folk style, the Writer's Closet version. 

Replace with Goodness

Sometimes, I get into a particular style (or rather it gets into me), and I just can't stop experimenting with it. This time, it's boho. I often hear that boho looks very organic one me - in fact, they say that it feels very me. To tell the truth, even though I love boho, to me it isn't very me, really. I appreciate its free-spirited vibe and whimsy, which does indeed feel like me. But I crave for a little more structure in clothes. And I think it is not only visually or how it literally feels on my body, but also emotionally, or spiritually, if you will. I think it's my inner craving for more structure in my life lately. I think that I am looking for a balance between freedom and structure.

Northwest Does Southwest

On my recent thrifting trip with my daughter, I was immediately drawn to this vibrant Southwestern inspired jacket. I inspected it thoroughly: it was well made, 100% cotton, thick tapestry kind of weave. It looks very 1980s to me, and I'd say that the boyfriend jacket cut and especially shoulder pads are a dead give away, but I must admit that the label looks completely contemporary, as if it was produced just yesterday. So I really couldn't say how old the thing is. It is in excellent condition though, no signs of wear whatsoever, and the price was $7.99. I held on to this find until the very end of our shopping, and then...I put it back on a hanger and left the store.

Fall Berries

I believe that I mentioned before that recently I fell under the charm of feminine dresses offered by Old Navy. The colors, the patterns, the cuts - everything was spot on, so much so that it was difficult to pick only one dress. But my dilemma was solved quickly with a 50% off offer, and I bought three! All of them are in heavy rotation in the writer's closet this season. One of these irresistible dresses you've seen in my post HERE, another one is in the post that's coming soon, and the third one, in rich Fall berry colors, is in front of your eyes right now.

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!

Arboretum in Autumn

 

This Fall, when it comes to dresses (my favorite item of clothing), I am looking at budget options. I learned to trust my intuition, and when I feel a nudge to look at a certain store, even if it is not my usual shopping spot, I don't second-guess myself and don't ask why. This strategy pays off - I find plenty of beautiful, feminine affordable options. Perhaps the most unexpected find was the red dress from my previous post (HERE). Target started doing much more in terms of stylish plus size clothing in the last couple of years. The red dress that many of you liked so much is by Ava & Viv, Target's plus size line that they launched two or three years ago. At the price of $35, it won't break any pockets. It is my first purchase from this brand, so I really can't say much about the quality, other than I am pleasantly surprised. We will have to see how it holds up, of course. I can recommend to pay attention to the Who What Wear line as well, which offers both straight and plus sizes. I also found quite a few great dresses at Old Navy, including this beautiful Autumnal boho number. With a 50% discount, it came down to $32.50. So even if you are on a budget, there are wonderful options out there right now for us, plus size girls. Don't be afraid to experiment! Trying something new keeps our wardrobes and our lives exciting.

Boho Chic My Way

If you think it always rains in Seattle, think twice! We had a whole FOUR mild sunny days since the beginning of October. Wahoo! (Read HERE - please note that even though the article declares 3 sunny days, we managed to squeeze another day and a half just after this read!) To be fair, it is the first winter like this in our 10 years living here. Previous years were sunnier and milder, and I noticed that we get especially nice winters when my folks are visiting from Siberia, so we intend to bring them here again soon - you're welcome, Seattleites!

Modish Matrons: Folk Art

 

Welcome to Modish Matrons - a link-up that once a month offers you a theme to play with and an opportunity to get together to share our diversity and love of fashion and style! Add your link in a special place at the very end of my post, and please visit my beautiful co-hostesses Tina and Beate to see their interpretation of the theme!

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.

Khorovod in Yellow Skirt

One thing that happened this passed holiday season, I did not have the chance to share with you yet. I received a postal slip that said that a parcel was waiting for me in the post office. I was puzzled because typically, they deliver all packages to our home, and I for sure was home that day. The only explanation was that it was some special parcel. I suspected it came from abroad, which doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I usually know in advance and expect it. When we finally made it to the post office, the intrigue continued, as they couldn't find it at first. The situation became even more mysterious, and I was at a loss. But my face lit up when they finally found it - oh yes, of course, the mystery parcel with colorful stickers all over it, came all the way from exotic Singapore! I knew it was on the way to Puget Sound, I just didn't know when it would arrive.