Solstice, New Hat and Love

Hello again, dear friends and followers!

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

I know, it's been a while since my last post, and I can't tell you how many times I tried to reconnect with you all, but something just didn't click. Thank you to those of you who reached out via email, Instagram and Facebook, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I also would like to say thank you to people who buy my books. I don't know how you find them, whether you read my blog or not, but I want to say that it touches my heart every time when it happens, it just doesn't get old! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Life has been a whirlpool of changes, events and emotions in the past several months for all of us, and even those who fortunately didn't have personal losses still experience loss and grief. Psychologists say it is normal at times like these.

Modish Matrons #35: Trip to Paris

Welcome to May Modish Matrons!

TINA invited BEATE and me to take a trip to Paris this time. I have never been to Paris, and in the light of recent events, all I could think of was the fire that destroyed Notre-Dame de Paris. You see, we come up with our themes in advance - we got them all lined-up back in December (if not November) 2018, and no one of course could predict that Paris would be on our minds so much this time of year... I must admit that it is a bit difficult for me to abstract my mind from the fire which happened just a couple of weeks ago, but it is comforting to know that at least the structure was not damaged, and with time, generous financial investments, creativity, dedication and labor efforts, the beautiful and legendary cathedral will be rebuilt. And then all of us who have not had a chance to visit the old original Notre-Dame de Paris, will be able to visit its new incarnation.

Modish Matrons #33: Old Thing - New Way

Long time no see! 

How have you been, dear friends and readers? February proved to be a super busy month despite being the shortest one, and March is going to be even busier. A few times I tried to finish a post which I started back in January, but alas, it still stays unfinished in my drafts. It's challenging to find extra energy or time for new photo sessions these days. But I couldn't miss my favorite style party with my dearest friends, TINA und BEATE! So on one of the last windy February days, Anya and I stopped by a beautiful park featuring some of the oldest buildings in the area. The park was recently revamped which fitted our March theme to a T! You see, Beate suggested to wear our oldest clothing item in a chic new style. Which our park definitely has done brilliantly - the 1930s art-deco lighthouse (the only lighthouse in Pierce county, by the way) and even earlier lighthouse keeper's cottage now got a fresh treatment in the form of a concrete path leading to the lighthouse from a newly built parking lot. So now we can visit our good old friends, the lighthouse and the cottage, in any weather, even on a rainy day.

Sequins Are a Girl's Best Friend

I didn't know this line when putting on this outfit for the opening performance of the new professional regional theater program in Tacoma, and yet I wore sequins as if I knew.

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 #23: All White

Happy May!

As usual, I start a new month with a new Modish Matrons link-up (open for the whole month) and a new, most unexpected theme offered by Beate - ALL WHITE! Please visit my dear friends TINA und BEATE to see what they have in store for us this time. 

Spring Again

Spring! And Earth is like a child

who has learned many poems by heart.

For the trouble of that long learning

she wins the prize.

Her teacher was strict. We loved the white

of the old man's beard. Now we can ask her

the many names of green, of blue,

and she knows them, she knows them!

Earth, school is out now. You're free

to play with the children. We'll catch you,

joyous Earth. The happiest will catch you!

All that the teacher taught her—the many thoughts

pressed now into roots and long

tough stems: she sings! She sings!

Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy)

Modish Matrons #17: Art Deco

I am so happy to welcome friends to the new Modish Matrons party!

In November, the theme is inspired by my writer's imagination...and my writer's closet. I've chosen Art Deco, one of the most fascinating styles of visual arts that became truly international and dominated the world of art, design, fashion, jewelry, cars, trains, ocean liners, and of course architecture - for decades between the two world wars. I simply could not resist picking this theme for our Modish Matrons improvisations! I hope you are as eager as I am to read my beautiful co-hosts BEATE's and TINA's posts and see their visual/wearable interpretations of the theme.

Best Accessory

It seems Fall stepped into its full rights only by the end of October this year. We are having a mix of wonderfully sunny days with some heavy rains here and there, which has a good effect on foliage I suppose. It started getting colorful just recently, within a week or so. Justin and I took an opportunity to visit the Arboretum up in Seattle once again, and we think the peak season is only beginning! So if you're in the area, you have a great chance to enjoy colorful leaves for probably the next couple of weeks or so.

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. 

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). 

Modish Matrons #15: Inspired by Nature

Hello, dear friends, and welcome to the 15th issue of MODISH MATRONS!

This month, Tina is leading the way with the theme she offers - Inspired by Nature! And what can be better, especially when I am such a huge fan of green? And, as you will soon discover, I am not the only one. Do visit my adorable friends TINA und BEATE to see all the masterful details of their, naturally, GREEN outfits!

Where Transformation Happens and What I Wore

Last Saturday, Tacoma Little Theatre (I wrote about it a few times before, e.g., HERE about its almost 100 year history) presented a one evening benefit reading of LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the bestselling book by Ilene Beckerman. Directed by Suzy Willhoft, one of my favorite local directors, it was a wonderful evening of both laughs and tears, and on too many occasions I felt like I was having a conversation with my dearest blogging friends. It was a series of monologues and dialogues about clothes, style, relationships with our mothers and sisters, and about life. That feeling that we have nothing to wear, or how we can never can find anything in our closet, or how when we finally put an outfit on, we are now too sweaty, and how impossible a simple act of going to the bathroom becomes when we wear a jumpsuit, and finally THE question - when and why black became our favorite color... these and many more things that Justin said he hears from me on a regular basis. What can I say? I wish you were there! And maybe we all need to check out that book!

Modish Matrons #11: Buds and Blooms // Модные матроны №11: Сады в цвету

April showers bring May flowers, as we all know, and we had plenty of rain here not only in April, but also in March...and February...and January...and December...and November...and I probably wouldn't be too wrong if I say in October as well. It was a rainy year, what else is there to say! So as we welcome the month of May, we want to celebrate buds and blooms in all forms, sizes, colors and shapes, much like women and their outfits! We invite you to join the 11th issue of our monthly link-up with your floral or other Spring-inspired outfits! 

Нет худа без добра, а апрельские ливни, как говорится в английской пословице, приносят майские цветы. У нас дождило не только в апреле, но и в марте... и в феврале... и в январе... и в декабре... и в ноябре... Наверное, я не слишком ошибусь, если добавлю: и в октябре тоже. Дождливый был год, что тут скажешь! Встречая долгожданный май, мы приветствуем цветы всевозможных форм, размеров и оттенков, совсем как женщины и их наряды! Приглашаем вас присоединиться к нашему ежемесячному мероприятию, уже одиннадцатому по счету! Добавляйте ссылки на ваши платья в цветочек и другие наряды, вдохновленные весной!

Let the Sun Shine

It's raining practically every day here, it seems, for weeks. Dribble, dribble, all day long. We didn't have much time or photographical weather, for that matter, for an artistic shoot lately, but whenever there were 5 or 10 spare minutes, we snapped pictures of my daily outfits, and on that particular day last week, we even got sun! 

Surprising March

Happy International Women's Day to all my women friends and readers!

March surprised us with the weather even more than February did - we had snow again! Not a big snowstorm, but it was snowing on and off all day long just a couple of days ago, even here by the sea. The pictures are from this weekend when we went grocery shopping, and it was a cold and windy (notice the upright flags!) day out, so even a fur collar did not feel or look out of place.

Magic Formula

When I look at these pictures, all I see is 100% genuine me. I am not experimenting with new styles, not stretching myself outside of my so-called comfort zone, not channeling anyone, not imitating someone else's style, not feeling inspired by a certain thing or event or a person, and definitely not copying anybody else. This is authentic Natasha. I have worn similar feel outfits (at least, they feel similar to me) since I was very young.  But only now, having observed and absorbed so much in the world of style, I can do things I couldn't do before. It is a more refined genuine version of me, who matured and got seasoned a little, that's probably the best way to put it.

Call Me Quirky

This was not a planned photo session, but I am so glad we took a few pictures when I met Justin for a lunch date and some errands in town on Friday.

Ode to Culottes + Video

I'm even happy that the weather is on the cool side these days - I have the chance to wear new items from early Spring (or even not so new), but some things I did not have a chance to wear this season because we got hot days starting in late March, which is surprisingly early for our part of the world. So now when it's mid 60s and breezy, I enjoy layering. 

Like a Russian Play

When Pantone revealed the colors of the year of 2016, I thought that there would not be too many things for me this year. "Oh good, I'll save money then," I thought. Rose Quartz and Serenity, or, translated into my unsophisticated color vocabulary, pale pink and pale blue (I know, it's not the same!), just aren't my colors. I do think they are both pretty and serene, I just did not think I would want to wear them. But appetite grows with eating, as they say, and at this point wild horses would not be able to drag me from my experiments with style. To my surprise, I soon found myself getting into pretty blues and pinks. And when I saw this dress, I fell head over heels for its tender beauty.