All photos by Emoke Gyurasits
It took me some time to get a feeling for Budapest and find things I love in Hungarian culture as I moved to live in Budapest primarily for work and my heart was and is still in Barcelona where I live with my boyfriend for the second part of each month.
What really attracted me to Budapest, intrigued me and made me fall in love with the city are at the first place friendly people, my friends - young people of different cultures I got to meet, food, romantic and mesmerizing historic architecture and urban young and creative subculture I am looking forward to explore even more in upcoming weeks and months as I am KatWalking through Budapest.
For this particular shoot on Danube coast and by rivers beautiful bridges I choose my Summer favorite, Lei Lou by Alex Dojcinovic floral tube dress 'Fani' with bra padding which I can wear with sandals for a stroll around Budapest, ballerinas for work or high heels and more elaborate jewelry for fun nights out.
This outfit was also featured on Budi.In portal.
"There are definitely inequalities. As a female I don't get to run less, I ran 400 m just like my male counterparts but we do get lower appearance fees and prize money."
Sanya Richards-Ross, 4 time Olympic Gold Medalist
As one of my volunteer activities I was approached by my favorite coach from when I was an active athlete to help him get companies who would support young female basketball club he is now coaching. I took it as a project, put together a presentation in English and Croatian presenting this perspective and charismatic team and their families trying to get more financial support for their program in order for these young girls to lead a healthy lifestyle and play the sport they love.
Next, I approached several friends (man and women) who have their own companies or work for different multinational companies and as soon as I said it was a girls team, I got similar answers "but no-one supports women's sport" or "both men and women are in the same boat financially" which is as we all know not the fact. This left me quite disappointed as I can see that in my country sexism in sport is very much a harsh reality.
Next, I approached several friends (man and women) who have their own companies or work for different multinational companies and as soon as I said it was a girls team, I got similar answers "but no-one supports women's sport" or "both men and women are in the same boat financially" which is as we all know not the fact. This left me quite disappointed as I can see that in my country sexism in sport is very much a harsh reality.
Are men and women treated equally? Is there still sexism in sports? I think there is! Who is it to blame? Media, government and sports associations I think as they are the ones forming the opinions of public.
Here are a couple of interesting facts to support this:
Here are a couple of interesting facts to support this:
- WNBA lead minimum salary is 30,000 USD, mens NBA 300,000 USD
- Women soccer association was advised to make shorts tighter, worlds boxing association suggested women to box in skirts and beach volleyball to play in two piece suits to make a game 'more popular'
- It has taken just about 100 years for women to be able to compete in Olympics in all sport
- In 2012. it was the first time in history that every nation was represented by at least one female athlete on Olympics
- Women soccer association was advised to make shorts tighter, worlds boxing association suggested women to box in skirts and beach volleyball to play in two piece suits to make a game 'more popular'
- It has taken just about 100 years for women to be able to compete in Olympics in all sport
- In 2012. it was the first time in history that every nation was represented by at least one female athlete on Olympics
"Women's sport still gets just 0.5 per cent of all sports sponsorship money, a problem that links back to a lack of media coverage. Media coverage and sponsorship are two halves of the same coin – unless the media covers women's sport, sponsors won't support it."
Leora Hansler , WSFF
UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD
During the part of the month I stay in Budapest I watch CNN quite a lot, couple of days ago I came across amazing documentary called "Uneven playing field" ( which isnpired my post title) following last London Olympics which were known as 'Women Games' as it was the first time that every country had female athlete representing them. This documentary shares some of their stories. I highly encourage you to watch it.
Photo source: Vogue
MY STORY
I am naturally a girly girl. I always loved fashion and pink was always my favorite color. I also love to compete and most of all, I like to win. When I was younger (and today still) I was very hyper and my parents allowed me to take all extracurricular activities I wanted to try (at the same time) in attempt to get as much as energy they could out of me. That didn't work so well for them, but I had lots of fun ;)
Anyways, one of these activities was basketball. I was tall and thin, once local club team coach came to my PE class and asked couple of us if we wanted to try to practice basketball. I said yes even before I asked my parents. I thought it would be a lovely activity right after piano class and ballet-aerobics I was doing at the time. At the beginning I was quite clumsy, I liked to run and shoot the ball and I became good at it. Years past and I started dropping some other activities but continued with basketball. I went through many selections in a couple of club teams and national team in Croatia, enrolled to high school for perspective athletes and got offered a full athletic scholarship for Towson University in United States to study and play for the university team.
"Sport can build your confidence and teach you skills – such as working in a team and speaking in public in front of people. There are lots of little things it can help you pick up."
Nicole Adams, first women Olympic gold medalist
Years of playing and practicing in Croatia were at the time still manageable because we had amazing enthusiastic coaches and still functioning club to take care of our development and supportive parents who were driving us to practices and paying for our equipment, doctors and travel. The difference in treatment of men sports and female sports was always present and I started to notice that when we hear about men athletes we hear about their accomplishments but when we hear about women athletes most of the times we hear about their looks or how well fitting they are in their 'female role' of daughter of an ex-famous athlete but never about their athletic achievement only. On the other hand I admit, seems like we -women, gave up this fight way to easily as we accept to be seen as sex objects and embrace that they like us because of our looks and not our sports achievements.I regret to see female athletes in gossip or lifestyle news article photographed half naked rather then being (just like men) featured in sports sections in their jerseys.
Thus, society taught us that to be accepted as a men it means to 'achieve' and to be expected by a women it means to 'look'.
Thus, society taught us that to be accepted as a men it means to 'achieve' and to be expected by a women it means to 'look'.
CAN IT GET BETTER?
Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn shoot by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue
In United States, I felt situation to be much different, not only in equal opportunity for female and male athletes which came as a result of 'Title IX' legislation in US which mandates equality in education for men and women and best training for talented athletes coming from federal funding. No wonder that US female athletes now have more Olympic medals then more then 200 other countries in the world in total!
When I practiced and play for my University I felt that I got the same care men's team got, furthermore they acted towards me as toward their fellow athlete or teammates not as towards a 'chic', 'shorty' or a 'girly girl' or a 'women who is hot or not'. I will never forget my first injury. After a hard pre-season couple of days before my first freshman game I twisted my ankle. I was crying in the training room with my ankle wrapped in ice and one of the guys from the men's basketball team - Tony came to talk to me. He was a junior already, he put his hand around me and said I would be ok, he told me about his first injury and how he felt at the time, he was talking to me as towards his teammate 'we-Tigers' he said, which helped me feel as part of the community and the team. Men's team came to watch our games, supported us and played scrimmage with us off practice. I felt as equal, not as a sex object or a lower class human being.
Today, five years later I am not an active athlete anymore and I get "thanks God that you are not an athlete anymore" from guys as if it would make me undesirable as a women. Personally, I didn't want to pursue sports further as my career, I developed a new love for fashion with overpowered the one for sports but I acknowledge and appreciate sport that formed me into a person I am today. I learned to be disciplined, a team player, to be a leader, to speak my mind, to be a lady athlete (which coach emphasized on every single practice calling us lady tigers), not just an athlete to go after and achieve my life goals and dreams and this is why I take pride into promoting women's sports and qualities they build into young women. I do hope for my children to be born into a healthier, more equal culture then the one we have today.
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Eleanor Roosevelt
"Here is to the guys who love us, the loosers who lost us,
and the lucky bastards that get to meet us."
S&TC quite
and the lucky bastards that get to meet us."
Yesterday I had a business meeting with a very young, smart and pretty Hungarian lady who wanted to introduce me to Budapest and Hungarian culture in general. First we talked about cultural stereotypes both about Croatian's and other similar Mediterranean nations versus Hungarians and their lifestyle, trends and issues young people have today in modern Budapest. One of the things she mentioned as noticeable concerning trend is that there is many single career 30ish men and women but from what I understood, mostly women, who struggle to find a 'nice, good guy' to be with.
This was really interesting to me as she was pronouncing it, all of a sudden I became self conscious about and alarmingly aware of my own age while at the same time I was surprised and thought i my head - In New York this is a desirable way to be: young, good looking, financially independent and with a perspective career.
This made me wonder...should the fact that I have a career and I am not married at the age of 28 be concerning for me?
It's time to cheer on girls and women who want to sit at the table."
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO
So..later in the evening when I was typing out the draft for this post, as these thoughts kept bothering me asking to be explored, I consulted my boyfriend to see what are his thoughts on this topic.
Since I am with him for couple of years now, his opinion didn't surprise me. He said he could only be with a women who is independent from him both emotionally and financially. He doesn't like to depend fully on anyone and doesn't want anyone to depend on him completely.
On the other hand, my mother, labeled as career women throughout her life who has managed her career, a successful family life, a garden, and wrote a book at the same time, warns me often (quite aggressively at times) that I still don't have kids, on one hand, but on the other hand, that I shouldn't make career decisions to better accommodate my love relationship as I might regret it later.
All this could make a girl quite confused at times, can't it now? :)
I would say that it is 'just 21st century' and maybe it will take some more time to even out the playing field for men and women cause even though modern technologies do enable us women to be able to manage career and family efficiently the main barrier is still in our cultures, our heads, our believes and our religions which didn't manage to catch up with realities of modern way of life and very individual needs we all have.
The saddest thing for me is to see powerful women with talent, power and dreams give it all up easily just to meet cultural and societal expectations which leaves many of them tired, unhappy and resentful towards their partners who did continue to work on their careers and follow their personal passions on top of the family life. Or, on the other hand, women who blindly do follow their careers leaving their private life unattended and then being jealous towards those women who did find balance and fulfillment.
Personally, I still stand to believe that it both, career and love life choices come down to the same, ability to sincerely find a thing that really moves you, inspires you and makes you feel alive. For some it is a baby, for some it is a career and for some it is a family, maybe just a family of you two, you and him or you and her and for some this might very well depend on the stage in life they are in and change with time.
Photo source: www.wwd.com
"My personality resembles my designs to a large extent.
I'm in sync with myself and I'm transparent, just like my designs."
Elie Saab
Recognizable red carpet glamour, sparkles and sequin marked the Elie Saab Couture 2013. collection. Every time I watch the Lebanese designer show I feel as if I am part of the beautiful fairy tale, a dream out of which I don't want to wake up from.
Ohh it would be so nice if we could wear this kind of gowns for our daily affairs. I love Eli Saab approach to designing, focused on luxurious touch, feel and look of the fabrics and his focus on details. Every single of this dresses is a true piece of art.
This 2013. Couture Fall collection featured luxurious gowns in familiar silhouettes focused on waist in deep red, sapphire blue, emerald green and smoky white color pallet. The designers heavily crystal embroidered gowns made of soft silk, mousseline and lace offered wide choice of modern cuts emphasizing top part of the dresses with intricate detailing.
Below you can see a selection of my favorite pieces from this dreamy couture collection which will for sure be a favorite pics of celebrities for upcoming red carpet events.
How do you like Elie Saab's Couture Fall 2013 collection darlings?
All photos by Emoke Gyurasits
On a hot Summer afternoon by the Danube river in Budapest my colleague and talented young photographer Emoke Gyurasits, my friend Katarina and I got inspired to shoot a beautiful Croata kaftan from their Summer 2013. Brijuni line.
It is extremely comfortable to wear, breezy and gentle on the skin and it truly gives a lady that diva feeling of sensuality, elegance and femininity. It comes in two different models and three different patterns.
These new luxurious kaftans from the luxury Croata Brijuni line are available in Croata boutiques in Zagreb (Oktogon), Split (Peristil) and Dubrovnik, and on the companies webshop. The price for one is 3,000 HRK and it is a perfect souvenir to bring home from Croatia.
To find out more about the brand you can read the interview I did with Croata's art director.
For this particular shoot and location I wore it in two different ways but stay tuned and follow my blog as in one of the August posts I will show you all ways you could wear it when on vacation by the seaside. ;)
Photo source: Maryna Linchuk for Vogue Beauty Japan
Inspired by Vogue Japan Beauty for March 2013. I investigated this new trend of sticker make up and found some samples in one of my favorite online stores to try. Last year I first noticed that many brands implemented some bling in their RTW and Couture beauty looks like Chanel with their big glittery eyebrows for their Fall 2012 show and then Christian Dior when Path McGrath did crystallized eyes for their SS 2013.runway show and then they also did cystalized lips for haute couture SS 2013. show.
Left photo: Chanel Fall 2013 beauty look | Right photo: Christian Dior SS 2013. beauty look
Photo source: www.style.com
Photo source: www.style.com | Christian Dior haute couture SS 2013.
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All photos source: courtesy of Estee Lauder Croatia
"I want to show as many women as I can reach,
not only how to be beautiful, but how to stay beautiful."
Estee Lauder
As you know ladies I am not much of a product review kind of gal due to my short attention span and my obsession with fashion I often overlook beauty side of the runway stories but when it is really outrageous or really impressive and elegant in it's simplicity or it suits my personal aesthetics I do notice it and it interests me, so I write about it. This is exactly how my crush with Estee Lauder started. It was a combo of a 'strong, independent, beautiful women vibe', authority of well known make up artist - Tom Pecheux , good quality product and amazing fashion pieces when I was covering collections of Derek Lam for Spring/Summer and Fall 2013. seasons.
After this essential crush, we had a couple of rendez vous at most unexpected cities and places where I tried a sample or two of Estee Lauder creams and a lipstick, then I purchased Estee Lauder DayWear BB cream and a couple of lipsticks on the airport, red Estee Lauder's biography, fell in love with the energy and the power of this widely successful icon and an inspiring business women and the rest is history!
Today I am sharing with you two products which 2 of you will have the opportunity to win (one each) and which will make your Summer last all year long as high fashion model and Estee Lauder ambassador Constance Jablonski saids: "It gives my pale skin a touch of a warm sun tan."
This silky and luxurious powder bronzer - Bronze Goddess (390 HRK) will help your skin keep that Summer glow all year long, just sweep it on your face, shoulders and decolletage and it will give your skin that lovely sun touch color.
"I didn't get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but working for it."
Estee Lauder
Second product which you can win by entering this giveaway is one of the below gorgeous shades of Cello Shoots Sheer Rush Gloss ( 222 HRK) this gloss is moisturizing and light, lasts long and comes in beautiful shades which you can rock all year long.
All you need to do to enter this giveaway is to:
1. Join Estee Lauder Hrvatska fan page
2. Subscribe to La KatWalk weekly newsletter
3. Leave a comment that you have completed step 1 and 2 below this post
I will select the 2 winners via random.org next Friday, August the 2nd and publish their names by noon next day in the next weeks newsletter and in the blog post. One of you will win a Bronze Goddess Bronzer and another one Cello Shoots Sheer Rush Gloss.
Good luck lovelies! :)
"When I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck."
Estee Lauder
New York Times Magazine editorial: 'Salad Days' , April 2012
| Photographer: Richard Burbridge
As per your feedback on my photos of amazing lunch and dinner salads my friend and roomie Katarina is making I thought it might be fun and useful for those of you interested to share a couple of her recipes. We picked top three.
Now, salads are really easy, healthy and practical meals (unless you use whole a lot of fattening dressing and eat it with tons of bread :) ) which you can be really creative with and adjust it as per your or your families taste and preferences.
Obviously, in each salad we use some kind of lettuce as a base and add as much vegetables as you like, we like to add cherry tomatoes, spring onions and three color peppers: green, red and yellow. Most often for dressing we mix oil, vinaigrette, salt, pepper and minced garlic.
For protein we usually add chicken previously dipped in soy sauce or hard boiled eggs but you can also use tofu if vegetarian. On top we can add mozzarella, goat cheese, brie cheese or feta - greek cheese.
Source: www.saladworks.com
Here go our favorite salad recipes:
FANCY EGG SALAD
1 Rapunzel salad mix
2 hard boiled eggs
10 cherry tomatoes
sprinkle shredded mozzarella
Wash and dry rapunzel salad, cook hard boiled eggs, cool them, clean and then shred them over the salad, wash and cut cherry tomatoes add them to the salad and sprinkle a bit of mozzarella on top.
For dressing mix a bit of a lemon juice, pressed garlic (2 cloves), salt and pepper. Mix dressing into salad and enjoy!
WARM SOY CHICKEN SALAD
1 Mixed greens salad
2 chicken breasts marinated in soy sauce (half an hour)
10 cherry tomatoes
3 peppers cut into small pieces (green, red, yellow)
1 can of sweet corn
Wash and dry mixed greens salad, cut marinated chicken breasts into small square pieces and grill them on the stove top until well done, soy sauce will make them nice and soft, no other spices are needed really. While chicken is grilling, wash and cut three colorful peppers and cherry tomatoes and drain the corn. Mix all into salad. For dressing just mix oil, vinaigrette, salt, pepper and pressed garlic (2 cloves).
MEX SALAD + whole wheat tortillas
10 cherry tomatoes
1 can of sweet corn
3 spring onions
3 peppers cut into small pieces (green, red, yellow)
a sprinkle of salt
1 handful of mex mix cheese
Guacamole: mix 2 very ripen avocados, add lime juice, salt and 1 spring onion.
Cut all of the ingredients (cherry tomatoes, peppers and spring onions) into small pieces, mix and enjoy!
We usually make this salad mix and fill our whole wheat tortillas with it + add some delicious guacamole on top!
I hope you get to try these or at least play a bit and mix and match your own favorite ingredients into some delicious and healthy salads! With these you don't have to stand much by the oven cooking but you still have a healthy and delicious meal.
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