Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 3 Played by George Li & Symphony Tacoma

Hello lovely friends and readers,

Are you still here? 

Anyone? 

Sorry for the long radio silence. I know it's been a while since I last posted or commented. It has been the most surprising Fall, life got busy, and I will tell you more as I get a chance, but today I offer to take you to one of the most memorable concerts I've been to in my entire life. And I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this impression as the gorgeous Pantages Theater was packed to the fullest and burst into the longest standing ovation right after George Li played the last notes of one of the most technically challenging piano pieces ever created, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. 

Modish Matrons #40: Fifty Shades of Fall

I love Summer, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, for its warm sunny days without extreme temperatures or humidity. But by the end of the season, I am really looking forward to Fall. I adore the Autumnal crisp fresh air and magical soft light, the changing colors of leaves, and the promise of a new beginning every single Fall, no exception... And I adore Fall fashion.

Life, Style and All that I Love

Have you noticed? I changed my blog's header. There used to be a vintage picture of a lady typing on a typewriter, with the subtitle of the blog "Writing, Style and Other Treasures" (I just knew even then that I wouldn't be able to stick to only one topic). I loved blogging under that cute and quite minimalistic header, but after almost 6 years of blogging the time came, when it felt right to change. 

Sharing is Good for the Soul

No worries, friends, I didn't finish all these fries by myself - 

I shared it with my friend the Crow!

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.

April Showers, Fridays for Future and My Contribution to the World

Thank you so much for your wonderful comments on my previous posts!!! They brought so much joy to my heart, and I mean it. I do miss interacting with you guys, and I feel like I am very much behind each of your real life series. I lurked at your blogs a few times in the past few months and have every intention to catch up some day, though it is still challenging at this point. I thought that my workload would be lighter in April, but boy I was wrong! After finishing with one gig, I continued keeping myself busy with new ones, and after family time, trying to keep the house in at least a tiny bit reasonable state of chaos, and time to rest and recharge, there is very little time for blogging and fashion. But it isn't a bad thing, and even rare style and blog encounters can still provide fun as well as a break from other activities and responsibilities.

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.

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? 

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.

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.

Back to September

Hello my dear friends and readers,

November has been a busy month so far, and to tell the truth I haven't even taken any new outfit photos yet. But I still have some unposted outfits from the past months, and why not use the power of our imagination, and instead of documenting what's happening right now, get into a time machine to travel a couple of months back?

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...

Velvet in the City

What I like about velvet pants the most is the fact that I can feel dressed-up and be as comfortable as if I was wearing pajamas. Especially pants like these, with roomy legs and elasticized, stretchy waist - nothing gets too tight, nothing pinches, nothing irritates or restricts movement. I bought this pair last Spring for their gorgeous rich color (what would you call it?), and wore them recently with light long coats and sneakers, for different occasions, locations and moods.

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. 

Modish Matrons #28: Colorblocking...Colorblogging!

Hello lovely friends and dear readers, and welcome to October Modish Matrons! This month's theme is Colorblocking...Colorblogging! offered by gorgeous Tina (as you might know, we rotate each month). As soon as I learned what the theme was, I thought of this fabulous skirt, and the rest of the outfit came together spontaneously.

Playing with Neutrals

So, the Summer is coming to an end as we speak (though to me, it ended on August 31st - you see, Fall starts on September 1st in my Russian mind every year, no exception). But our playing with fashion continues, and why not play with neutral tones for a change. I love bold colors, but from time to time I feel inclined to wear neutrals - it's refreshing, as if I push an invisible restart button of my style.

Flamboyant in the Office

I wore this outfit to an important appointment earlier this week, and to me it is an example of expressive personal style even when you want to look professional and pulled together in an official/business/office situation. Honestly, if you're not required to wear a uniform at work, or you're not going to meet a president of  a country or the Queen, there is no reason not to have fun with vivid colors and bold patterns. If a part of you, like me, is flamboyant, there is no need to be afraid to come across as a bit flamboyant - it only will be genuine.

Better Late Than Never

Would you believe that after all these years writing about style, this is literally the first time that I am actually aware of the Fashion Week happening in New York as we speak? I can't explain it other than being preoccupied with other things in life, but honestly, high fashion just didn't interest me (though I watched a few shows in retrospect, and I even have favorites). Anyway, that was until just now - I can feel a change coming. In previous years, I haven't watched any new shows nor read fashion reports, but I am going to do it as soon as I finish writing this post. The realization, or better yet, an almost palpable feeling suddenly dawned on me, that with all the people excited about style and fashion, it must be a pretty amazing event, with all the energy building up around the world of expressing ourselves with clothes... I feel like I want to be a part of this energy, so I am going to dive in, start educating myself and getting some inspiration too. Better late than never.

5 Years and 500 Posts!

Dear friends and readers, join me in the celebration of 5 years and 500 posts of In The Writer's Closet! Some time back in the Spring, I noticed that I was getting pretty close to the big round number of 500. That presented an interesting opportunity and challenge to write the exact amount of posts to sort of happily coincide with my 5th year blog anniversary. But then I realized that to me, it would feel too restrictive to try to fit in a certain number of posts... What if I would not feel like posting so often? Or, the opposite of that, what if I would had so much to share that I arrived at the 500th post too early? So after questioning myself like that and not having any answers, as I don't possess a crystal ball, I decided to let go of this intriguing idea and simply allow things unfold naturally. If it happened organically, then so be it, and if not, then oh well, it wouldn't be the end of the world. And so I forgot about the idea. But some time in mid August, I realized that I am indeed arriving at the number 500 without any special efforts, and more than that - even though the actual date of my first post was September 9, I can choose to celebrate on the 5th as well, so here I am, 

5 years, 500 posts on the 5th! 

FIREWORKS!!!

Fish and Butterflies, and Life Updates

While Seattleites, Tacomans and their neighbors are experiencing a heatwave here and now, let me take you a week back in time when we were still in the mild mid 60s F with some raindrops thrown in for good measure here and there. Such weather was perfect to take my fish dress for another outing - so she wouldn't feel abandoned after her trip to Washington DC last month... besides, I promised you then to talk about my travel wardrobe! (HERE)