I get a lot of media requests from various brands to publish some information about their new collections daily, I seldom pick pieces from collections which I really like and present them to you, my lovely lady readers.
After yesterdays post Balancing it all where I was talking about how hard it is for a women today to find a proper work life balance and to find time for herself in her busy daily schedule where 24 hours just doesn't seem to be enough to do it all....I got information about new collection of Clox! It must be a sign! Shoes come to girl''s rescue! In every single fairytale there is a prince, OK, maybe sometimes a horse..but always and I mean ALWAYS there are shoes.
When I was little, you could ask me to tell you back a story about Cinderella or a Snow White and I would not remember the whole story from start to finish and I would probably make it up as I go, BUT I could remember and in details explain and elaborate on her dress, and her shoes.
Once again...as it happens in a fairytale, shoes come to rescue.
CLOX is the first brand of stilettos with working clocks (yes, they tick-tack on your fit). Clock hands are actually legs, running in circles day after day, showing the irony of steps and time and its connection in the life of every modern woman.
Clox collections are produced in very limited editions in a small family-run factory in Croatia, and is available worldwide through the web shop.
Clox woman is never lost. Even when she wanders into The White Forest, she uses her intuition to find the very tree rich in juicy fruits of fashion. Passion Fruit Collection is nothing but a reflection of herself - uninhibited, independent, different. It's made for women who always choose to take the hidden path and dare reach for the forbidden fruit.
Photographer: Mladen Šarić | Model: Martina Marinić | Mia Marić, Igor Manasteriotti
“I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.”
Anaïs Nin
Even though I just came from a business trip, and I am quite tired after answering emails for a couple of hours now, I still did some house choirs and now, past midnight still felt a need to write this post and I am hoping to get some feedback and comments from you ladies. I really want to know, how do you do it? How do we balance it all?
No matter what your current life situation is, by being a women, somehow you are forced by the society, but also by yourself and your own expectations to balance it all: career, school, work out, make sure you always look good (yes, this takes time),your household, quality time with your boyfriend/husband (while looking good) and maybe kids if you have them. That is A LOT and yes, it can get exhausting.
“No woman really wants a man to carry her off; she only wants him to want to do it.”
Elizabeth Peters
Recently, I had a situation where a lot of things just piled up, I was very physically and emotionally tired, there were big changes happening for me on both professional and personal side as I now moved to a new country and during this transition period I still persuaded myself that I am strong enough to cater to my boyfriend, to get his apartment in order, cook for him twice a day and continue on with my 9-forever pm work schedule which includes my job, my blog and my print column since recently, as well as some smaller tasks which I very much enjoy doing but which still take time.
Even though my boyfriend offered to help me in different ways, multiple times, I refused him without thinking because I can do it all on my own. I honestly though I could. While at the same time building up, slowly but surely resentment towards him for not being more persistent with offering to help me. This is what I realised just when I lashed out at him, saying how he doesn't try hard enough to be a good boyfriend and a gentleman, or to protect me and take care of me sometimes. The truth is, as usual, somewhere in the middle.
To a certain point in relationship, while we were still getting to know each other it was important for me that he knows that I can take care of myself in all possible ways, but that I choose to be a part of the couple, because everything is more fun, easier, more comforting and rewarding when done together. Just as he probably, really, if he loves me, needs to be more vocal about it and show me with not only words but also actions how he feels. Like he said, I should let him help me once in a while.
Most of the times, I think him offering to help would be good enough for me, just to offer, but its not, in my busy work-life schedule, I do need him helping hand and his understanding, in better and worse.
What I really needed to realize is that I do not need to do it all by myself in order to be this great, perfect girlfriend. We could do most of the things together, or he could help me and I should take time for myself to do what I like to do, without a regret or sense of guilt, as this will make me and US happier together.
What I really needed to realize is that I do not need to do it all by myself in order to be this great, perfect girlfriend. We could do most of the things together, or he could help me and I should take time for myself to do what I like to do, without a regret or sense of guilt, as this will make me and US happier together.
“When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier.”
Diane Von Furstenberg
Did you know that the home country of a tie is Croatia? Indeed, tie used to be a part of Croatian national atire back in the days. Traditional Croatian company known to deliver superiror quality ties, scarves and leather goods - Croata is now modernizing and following trends but staying true to brands origins, Croatian national patterns and motives as well as luxurious materials and hand made stiching they are known and recognized by.
Recently, I had a pleasure to interview the art director of Croata, Mrs. Mihaela Grnović Novaković who told me more about brands creative direction and modern approach brand is taking now in production and promotion.
In one of my upcoming posts you will be able to see multiple ways I wear their star product - maxi luxurious silk scarf as well as some other cool stuff from their collections.
What is your
opinion on how fashion industry in Croatia is developing?
Textile industry in Croatia
and in the world in general is not flourishing now as it was in „golden“ 80's
and beginning of 90's, but growing number and quality of fashion events and
visible enthusiasm of young talented people, designers who work now in fashion
here in Croatia today are definitely promising a better future for this
industry. I actually see social media and bloggers largely
positively contributing to this proces.
Did you ever
contemplate cooperation with any of the young and perspective Croatian fashion
designers?
Croata as you know has our designers;
no we are definitely open for future cooperation with some of the Croatian
designers.
Croata is known and recognized for its overall quality and handmade product. The quality of our product is based exactly on usage of these expensive, luxurious silk fibers in production and finalizing the product with handmade detailing. The process of making a handmade tie is very complex and it requires luxurious fabrics, a lot of experience, brand knowledge and love.
I think there used to be such perception before, more so because of the fact we are using the motives from Croatian national heritage as patterns on our ties and mostly in our special occasion, more traditional collections reserved mostly for weddings.We also offer accesories of fine leather and trendy design.
Do you sell
outside of Croatia as well? How many stores is there in total?
Yes, Croata is sold
internationally as well as on the internet, people are indeed interested and
want to buy recognizable Croatian brand known by its famous motives, historic
brand heritage and quality.
It total there are ten Croata stores and one
Outlet.
How much do
you really follow fashion trends in accessories industry? Where do you get raw
materials for your collections and where do you manufacture?
Of course, we follow world
fashion trends; we visit industry fairs and other fashion events worldwide, for
example in Milan and Paris. We want to be trendy but not in very fore coming
and obvious way like season's hot color or motive as this is not giving brand a
deeper. full story to tell.
We invest a lot of effort in
collection development, from choosing the patterns, production technique,
technological potential and developments of new patterns, final touches and
handmade details with different fibers then base of the fabric etc.
Most of the pieces
in Croata collection are made out of very luxurious and fine silk fibers. We
get raw material from our international wholesale partners but we do all of the
production here in Croatia.
Do you think
that Croata although traditional and well recognized Croatian luxurious fashion
brand is now considered old fashion by general public?
But I do not
think that Croata brand is old-fashion. In contrary, in our new collections you
can still find Croata's recognizable patterns but we have also incorporated
trendy colors and Croatian national heritage elements.
The proof of
this is that we are having more and more younger customers who know what they
want and value the quality our products offer so they go for thin ties with
trendy patterns and colors, trendy and luxurious silk scarves, bow ties in
different colors and patterns from casual tartan to very formal ones.
This season our hero product is large silk scarf made
in couple of different designs, shiny and rich in texture and sophisticated
look which can be worn in number of different ways.
Day before I moved out of
Croatia I had my friend, beauty blogger Ana from Maybe's New Start over for a
short creative session which then extended to a whole day hang out and send off
for me.
Not only we worked together on
a guest post, we were also taking photos, I taught Ana different ways to tie
turban and head scarf while she gave me some quick tips and tricks on how to
apply make up perfectly for different occasions. I was actually surprised on
how much I didn't know and I had so much fun learning from Ana. She really
knows her business.
After our fashion-beauty
session I asked Ana for 5 basic tips on applying makeup, so here they are:
GOOD FOUNDATION.
In order for make up to look
good on you first you need to take proper care of your face. Clean it and
moisturize it daily. If your skin is
oily or mixed never travel without sheer finish press powder or other powder
foundation which will keep the extra sebum (shininess we see on our T-zone
mostly) under control. I use Bobbi Brown – Sheer Finish Pressed Powder (Warm
Natural 6) and for foundation also Bobbi Brown's liquid foundation, Natural 4.
CONCEALER.
After carefully picked
foundation which fits your skin tone, it is important to choose a good quality
concealer. Pick concealer which is one shade lighter from your skin tone and
apply it at the highest spot of your cheekbones and under your eyes, this will give
you fresh and „awake“ look.
With this kind of application concealer
replaces highlighter and gives you more natural look.
BRONZER.
Mat bronzer one shade darker than
your foundation will be perfect for contouring.
Contouring gives your face a whole other dimension which is why investing in
good bronzer is very important. I use Max Factor Sun Frolic (shade: 34) which
won Cosmopolitan Beauty Award here in Croatia last year.
EYE SHADOW.
It is best to start with having good neutral shades of eye shadow as these will go with any skin tones and eye colors. If your eyelids are a bit greasy and your eye shadow sometimes breaks off in little chunks it would be good if you invest in eye shadow primer which is really a foundation for your eye shadow which makes it stay put and it actually makes the eye shadow color more intensive. My favorite palette which Ana recommended and I got is Sefora's best selling pallet – Urban Decay Naked 1.
BLUSH & LIPSTICK.
Blush gives the final touch to your make up routine, best way to apply blush is to smile and apply it lightly and blend well to your cheeks. My favorite blush which I am using all year around is Clinique's fresh bloom allover (colour) in 06 Camilla shade.
Many girls don't wear lipstick daily but apply various colored lip glosses, whatever you choose to use make sure it hydrates your lips and that the color is suitable for your skin tone and the rest of the makeup.
MASCARA.
Ok, this is rather basic.
Everyone uses mascara, but not everyone uses lash curler. Trust me, there is a
huge difference! – said Ana. Definitely invest in good last curler. I am
currently using Cover Girl Last Blast mascara and Mac lash curler.
I was especially looking
forward to learning how to use various make up brushes from Ana. When she
rolled out her brushes on my table I said: Gosh do I need all that! – But
Ana calmed me down with pointing out couple of basic brushes which I can use
for more than one task.
1. FOUNDATION BRUSH.
Do not save on a foundation brush;
invest in a good one because much of the way your foundation looks like depends
on it. The most important is that this brush doesn't soak in to much of your
foundation, that is applies it well.
2. POWDER FOUNDATION BRUSH.
The same as above applies.
This brush you can also use for applying the blush and if you press it with
your fingers it can also be used for contouring.
3. CONCELEAR BRUSH.
If you applied your concelear
with your fingers before, try it with a thin fluffy brush it will make a noticeable
difference, you will be using less of the product and it will look more
natural.
4. COUNTURING BRUSH.
If you do not have a smaller
foundation brush which is often used for contouring, press powder foundation
brush with your fingers to me more precise or you can use a blending brush for eye
shadow as well (4 on picture bellow).
5. EYE SHADOW BRUSHES.
From left to right these are:
pencil brush – brush for precise application of eye shadow, eye shadow brush –
brush for applying of eye shadow on the eyelid, smudge brush – brush for blending
of pencil and eye shadow and blending brush – this brush makes your make up
routine more professional as you will use it to soften up the edges in between
different eye shadows you are using and you can use it for counturing.
With this I really want to thank Ana for her time and patience with me, I had a lovely time and learned a lot!
Do share some of your makeup tips and more about your makeup routine with me, I would love to hear different ways you all do it! I hope you found this guest post useful and will be able to apply some of these tips and create yourself good, strong make up kit just like I did with Ana's help!
Photo: Rosa Clara
I was never really much into wedding dresses but these, ok, although they white, don't have to be worn at weddings but for any other glamorous occasion. I investigated a bit and found some great wedding dress designers and trends featured at Bridal Fashion Week for SS 2013. season.
Some of the most talked about wedding dress designers seem to be:
Five trends dominated on SS
2013 runways: color, portrait backs, peplums, lace, unconventional palettes
and convertible gowns, together signaling a new direction for modern brides.
Photo: Vera Wang SS 2013.
Photo: Monique Lhuillier
Photo: Oscar de la Renta
Photo: Provonias
Inspired by the S&TC movie which I watched God knows way to many times I looked for some really special ones for this post (without bird on the head detail) and bellow is what I found.
Photos: Marina K Couture SS 2013.
His ‘hello’ was the end of her endings.
Her laugh was their first step down the aisle.
His hand would be hers to hold forever.
His forever was as simple as her smile.
He said she was what was missing.
She said instantly she knew.
She was a question to be answered.
And his answer was “I do”.
Carrie Bradshaw
"And we were dressed from head to toe in love... the only label that never goes out of style."
Carrie Bradshaw
"Another Sunrise, Another New Beginning."
Jonathan Lockwood
Huie
Tomorrow is
my move out day. I am lying on the bed with Papi's head on my knees, he looks a
bit sad as if he know that everything is about to change for us. I have laptop
in my lap and tasteless oatmeal are cooling off on my nightstand, I ran out of
sugar and who buys brand new pack of sugar a day before moving out of the
apartment. In the background there is an old episode of Sex & the City on
TV, the one where Carrie is breaking up with Aidane because she is not ready to
get married.
I didn't
have a feeling of moving out until I started taking of the pictures of the
walls, looking at the empty walls made me realize that I am actually leaving
this place. Without my New York street art photos and my friends and boyfriend
photos this place turned from being a home to just some apartment I am moving
out of.
For the
last couple of days my friends have been calling me to make sure we still see
each other at least for a coffee before I leave, they were asking me mostly the
same couple of question in regards to my move to a new country: “How did I
decide to take such a big step?”, “Am I scared?” and “How do I
feel about it?”
In order to
please their sincere curiosity and excitement of my girls I tried to tell them about
as many technical details of my move while I was at the same time repeating
their questions in my head, unsure myself of what to respond. The only word
that was coming to my mind was – ready. I feel ready.
I am really
not worried about not being able to adapt and function in a new environment, I
feel like I graduated with various survival techniques while I was studying,
working and living in NYC where nobody really cares to much about how you
feel....so...“since I made it here I can make it anywhere.“
Do you know
that feeling when after a long night of clubbing in high heels and tight dress somewhere
around 4-5 am in the morning you step into a cab or car and you take of these
shoes and wiggle your toes a bit, what a great feeling right? But once the car
stops you need to put those same shoes back on to walk up to the apartment and
now they are to tight for your swollen feet and then it hurts, it hurts a whole
lot.
This is how
I feel now, I feel like it's time for me to move on, it was fun, but these
shoes have become to tight. It's now time for me to get a new pair, maybe with
higher thinner heel. I am sure that at the very beginning they might hurt a
bit, I may have to learn to balance in them, but I am sure that soon, I will
learn how to run in my new heels.
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is
no path and leave a trail."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Erin Mack
I was delighted to interview my ex-coworker in Rugby Ralph Lauren, Mrs.Erin Mack who's passion is closet organizing. Erin is 24 years old and
lives in NYC. She thoroughly enjoys going through drawers, closets,
bins and making them look pretty! She enjoys organizing as well as elements of
interior design.
How and when did you decide that you would like to work as
closet organizer?
I have always had a passion for organizing. It
started as a child, on snow days. I used to go through my mom’s pantry and
closets and organize for fun. I remember loving the feeling after my work was
done and seeing the difference I had made. My mom obviously LOVED it as well.
It recently became something that I wanted to do as a job after meeting and
working with a fellow Professional Organizer Jeffrey Phillip.
What are the most common
mistakes which people make when organizing their closet?
I think that most people don’t spend the time
on organizing. They view it as a daunting task that they just don’t have the
time for. I feel that many people have the wrong mindset before taking this
task on. I also think that people don’t go through the proper prep work before
starting organizing. Utilizing great tools that stores like The Container Store
and Bed Bath and Beyond have. It is becoming easier than before to keep
organized and take the guess work out of where to put things. Buying bins and
baskets to store your clothes within your closet, is more important than just
hanging all your clothes by color.
Living in NYC with rental
prices as high as they are, one needs to learn to use the living space wisely
how high is the demand for using the closet organizing services and who are the
people who seek for your help the most?
It definitely is an art-form to fit everything
in a tiny NYC apartment that is why many people seek out the work of
Professional Organizers. There are many people who use organizers, there is
even a website where you can source an organizer that’s right for you and learn
more about this profession. www.napo.net as well as www.yelp.com for organizers in your area.
Erin mum's closet
Erin's apartment
Collage of Erin's work
I’m finding it difficult to reach out to the
early to mid twenty age group (My age group). Many of them do not have the
discretional income yet to spend on an organizer. It’s also a challenge when
many twenty something in NYC are moving year to year and have not settled in a
home where they can keep up with the work the organizer has done. A majority of
my clientele is older with a family.
Who would you say is worst
when organizing their stuff men or women and why?
Haha that is a tough one. I think women have
more of a desire to be organized than men but naturally are messier. I know that’s
true for me. Overall, I guess it’s just depends on the person. No battle of the
sexes here! I think that might be because women naturally have more possessions
than men. We have makeup, hair products, shoes, jewelry, and clothes to keep
track of, and many more of them. I think many women are in a hurry trying to
get to work, or school, or meeting friends etc. All of these products and
possessions get left out or stored away quickly in that mix.
What are the top 5 tips you
would give to your client to keep in mind when it comes to closet organization?
1. CLEAN your closet and make a plan. Buy
anything you might need beforehand and return after. Make sure you do any
measurements first!
2. DONATE old clothes that you haven’t worn in
a year. Create and keep and donate pile.
3. SORT your closet how you want. You may want
to keep like items together, or organize by color, or put what you wear often
in a place that’s easy to grab.
4. STORE non season clothes out of your closet
for more space.
5. WILL YOURSELF TO MANTAIN. Instead of
leaving your clothes on the chair, make a promise to yourself that you will
keep up with the work. Only you will know if you’ve broken that promise to
yourself.
When one decides to use your
services how does it work and how much does it cost in average?
They would contact me for a consultation on this email. I need to make sure they are not hoarders that are
something I will NOT do. From there we discuss what they are looking for and we
go from there. Price wise it depends on the job. I’m still new at this so I’m
working on what feels comfortable for me.
How do you go about organizing your closet lovelies? Do share the pics and ideas via my Facebook site I would love to learn about closet organization from you!
This week was my birthday but due to my move to Budapest next week and trip to Barcelona I really didn't have time to celebrate as I had a lot of meetings and tasks to complete at work while later at home I had a bunch of imigration paperwork to fill and lots of packing to do. My boyfriend called me a minute after mindnight on Wednesday to cogratulate me by singing happy birthday song in Spanish, my mum made two cheesecakes and fresh pastries for my work collegues and I got some amazing surprise flowers delivered to my office.
My posts this week were the backstage view at Ralph Lauren's gorgeous SS 2013. show inspired by Spanish culture, colors and sounds. Later in the week I posted about trend I really like which is wearing a paper thin, soft leather t-shirt with pencil skirts and work pants, in Croatia I suggested such t-shirts from MoodyTwin brand which you can also order online.
Yesterday, I wrote about Red Bull Catwalk Studio - a project supporting young, urban but also extravagant designers such as Lady Gaga's favorite Fred Butler who colaborated with music producer Two Inch Punch for her SS 2013. presentation film staying true to Red Bull's combination of urban music and fashion style.
Understanding the schedule of young, successful urban man and women Red Bull also offered me a giveaway (Zagreb, Croatia exclusive) where they you can win cold Red Bull Sugarfree delivered for you and your collegues next week & give you wings and energy to survive next working week. ENTER RED BULL GIVEAWAY HERE.
As colaborator of www.femina.hr portal I have prepared Fall wellcoming Weekend Stylebook for your inspiration with leather t-shirt as a key item.
I also redesigned my inspirational Tumblr blog this week, so give it a peek if you will ;)
Last night my friend Antonija and I closed the week with attending workshop on athletes nutrition at a very stylish venue in Zagreb. I was quite interested in attending as I really want to learn how to cook and eat healthy, and I also have an ahtlete boyfriend so I wanted to learn how to cook for him as well.
How did you spend your week lovelies?
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