BECAUSE BOYS LOVE COLOURS TOO

Some time ago I was asked to try out and style socks from We Love Colors. We Love Colors offers a lot products for women, men and children in more than 50 colour choices on everything. They have mostly leg wear, but also products like dance wear and gloves. The colours go from earth near shades to neon bright.

I used to wear a lot of colored leg wear before and mix and match, even though I nowadays am more moderate with my tights and stockings; choosing mostly brown, grey and black or darker colours like burgundy and aubergine. For burlesque shows however I love to wear coloured fishnets for example, but more on that another time.

What I really enjoyed among the We Love Colors products was the fact that they offered socks for men in all the same colours as they offer women. I have often been searching for plain colored socks for Eddi but with the exception of some blue and red ones it's hard to find other than dark socks for men! So Eddi got to try out a coulpe of sports socks:

(Eddi says he is not giving the finger to the world on purpose.)

I think socks are a great way to spice up any outfit for a guy, add a little fun and colour to it by matching a shirt, accessory or a fine pair of shoes with the socks, or perhaps by letting the socks be a small contrasting detail to the rest. This applies to women's outfits too of course, but writing this I mostly had mens' clothing in mind, as it tends to be darker and less colorful compared to what women wear. (Ok, I know some trends lately have been very colorful for boys and men alike, but I'm thinking classic styles here, not techno hipsters or the early nineties.)



The sport socks are a quite good lenght that goes properly over the ancle and up on the calf. The colors are very bright! Colours differ from one computer screen to another, so check the name properly on the colour you want to order, neon really is neon bright :)

FIVE IN ONE FANCY

I have a new knitted turban to keep my little head warm this winter.
(Or well, my head is actually pretty huge but little just sounds better said like that.)
With the pins that go along one can turn it into five totally different headpieces!

Made by the wonderful Frollein, who else :)

THE ANATOMY OF DRESSING WHEN IT'S REALLY REALLY COLD

It has happened. Real winter. It's really cold here. Minus a lot. Like it should be this time of year.
Only it hasn't been like that for years. But so far so good, we still haven't reached the part when it actually hurts to breathe. (But after a few hours work outside by the sea it hurts by now already I tell you, but I've done worse during past years. Not complaining though. Now that we're getting a white christmas and all).

I'm watching teenage girls and selfaware chicks freeze their behinds off in short jackets and skinny jeans. The sadistic asshole part of me secretly laughs at their vanity (or stupidity, however you want it) and makes me feel so relieved that I don't give a damn anymore in that sense - my first priority is to stay warm. (I saw a girl last weekend, visiting a Christmas outdoor fare, wearing satin peeptoes in the snowstorm. Not even I would go that far even though I may push it with wearing open heels as long as possible). I go for what Underbara Clara calls "The Finnish Winter War Chic". Something that she of course says with a pinch of salt and a whole lot of humor, referring to how Finland pre- WWII resisted the Soviet army with the help of an extremely hard and cold winter. And well with a whole lot o f military strategy too. (Those who know their history might find that slightly ironic since those who have tried to invade Russia or The Soviet failed, conquered by the cold. But this time it was the other way around. Sort of.)

But OK enough on war strategy now, the thing I'm after here is the dressing warm to survive the cold, making it nice with layers of knitted socks and sweaters, scarfs and thick jackets. And keeping warm is of course a strategy of it's own.

So here whe go:
The Anatomy of Dressing Warm When Really Really Cold Outside (& still trying to look good).

Fig.1The thing with layering, not the layering thrifty fashionistas do when they pair dresses tops and cadris, but the one that will keep you from freezing, is to have a lot of them - the layers- keeping tight but not being stuffed or unable to move. That will make you colder actually. You might want to add another pair of socks or leg warmers, and perhaps a long sleeved blouse under that cardi too, depends. (Oh damn it takes so long to get dressed in the morning!)


Fig.2But we're quite not done yet:

Fig.3They say the cold will last for two months still. If that's the case this is what I'll look like everyday for two months then. Versatility, yey!
...Unless I get myself a new winter jacket... (hehe).

DRESS IT UP, DRESS IT DOWN

I started something of a project this fall as I noticed that I own many summer dresses, party dresses, fancy dresses...All in all: I own a lot of dresses. But I also realized I actually have quite few day dresses for colder seasons; the project being to rationalize my wardrobe. (well slightly at least, you can't be too rational when it comes to dresses).

First of all - get rid of things I never use (hence my other blog - a very slow project), second - collect a set of practical, pretty and versatile dresses, suitable for everyday wear; dresses that's easy to dress up as well as dress down. Basically you of course could dress any gown down but it is also a question of weather one want's to wear (as in wear out) that silk dress on a basic Tuesday or not.

Now I know for some ladies such a thing as a day dress does not exist as any dress will feel and appear fancy enough, if one is not used to wearing them, but for me (as well as most of you know I guess) that's not the case.

So far only half of my project has been successful as it seems to take a some time to reduce my wardrobe (it's moving forward though, I will put up some more things for auctioning soon), but I have managed (surprise surprise) to collect some dresses that will go for almost whenever, wherever; the cherry dress being one of them for example, the brown one another.

And here's a third!

Easily dressed up by wearing thinner stockings, matching the shoes, adding only a few but fancy accessories, making a nice do.


The outfit dressed down - thicker stockings, basic cardigan, less fancy accessories, less fancy hair.

(The dress is ModCloth and it's the smallest Large I've ever worn. Must have been designed by real tiny people.)

BLACKER / COVER UP

If you have a bad hair day, cover it.
If you have a bad makeup day, paint over it.
If you dont know what to wear, wear black, and wear a lot of it.

(If you happen to go to a circus-themed burlesque party the same night it makes it easier not to spare the eyeliner, drag a scarf out of the closet and go all gypsy fortune teller from a travelling circus sometimes long before you were born. If you're not, go for it anyway, think silent movie star in an exotic role. The one a of gipsy fortune teller in a circus perhaps.)



The scarf is from Tunisia, the hair flower from Rascal, the earrings a gift, the eyeliner thick and covers most of the eyelid.

A SLAVE TO THE DETAILS

Sometimes I stumble across things written about me on the internet. Most of them are really nice but some tend to think that it's a little bit too much with all the dresses, tattoos and hair done and so on. Lately some small birds told me about this thread on the internet where someone was listing vintage inspired style blogs she liked and I was among those mentioned. As most often most of the comments were positive even though many tended to "worry" about the effort being put into the looks of the girls in the blogs mentioned. Some on the other hand found the effort to be just too much or overdone.

I started thinking about the whole effort thing and find it a bit funny because first of all, dressing up and getting dolled up for me is one part routine that I don't even think about and the other part just fun, kind of like a hobby. And doesn't really all girls, and boys alike, who are keen on looking nice make the same effort but in different ways? Is there really such a huge difference if I pin curl my hair the night before than if I'd go to get a spray tan?

But on the other hand, I am the kid of girl who will schedule my day according to how my hair needs to be washed, dried and rolled if I have to, who will spend days on the internet to find the umbrella that's just right and pay a small fortune to have it home delivered (OK, that's already a bit over the top I admit but that's another story) and dress up in the whole shabadang with girdles, stockings and the prettiest dress for a Sunday walk, just for the joy of it. That's who I am and I like being that way! I like making efforts. Plus let's face it, no matter how glorious ones life is, it's not like one is invited to parties every day. But that doesn't still mean you couldn't dress up on a regular monday. I'm not saying life is one big celebration, because it's not, and that we should all hold hands now and sing Kumbaya in pretty dresses - I just think it's makes any hard or easy day a bit better if you look nice. Well, in some ways at least.

Anyway, last weekend I did go to a party however and then it's nice to roll that hair even a little bit more than normally and get glammed up. This time in my dress that Olivia Rouge made and in a mini beret from Molla Mills that I got from Paula to cheer me up last spring when I was sad.

And my vintage checked jacket. I can't believe I was thinking of selling this jacket away! It matches my shoes for heaven's sake! (And I'm not the only slave to the details out there, many others do notice it too :)

NEW THINGS OLD LOOK

Every now and then I like to dress up according to some theme or inspired by a certain decade, without taking it too seriously. Fun and easy you know. That's the whole point actually. To take what you like an make it yours.

So here I went somewhat around 1930. None of what I'm wearing is vintage, but mixed and matched semi old items from my wardrobe to create a vintage look.


Dress - Selfmade, Wrap-around knit - old
Bag - Global Acessories/Stockmann's, Headband - Ekawear
Shoes - customized ModCloth, Belt - made from a leftover piece of cloth
(The lace stockings are Norlyn's I think)

Here's my modernized verision of a late twenties look, from last year btw.)

MINT FUDGE AND COTTON CANDY

While waiting for the metro I saw a girl who had challenged the soggy snow by wearing lace socks in her oxford heels togeher with a pastel mintgreen wool jacket. It was candy and springtime all the way so Yey I say!

HIDING IN BLACK

I don’t like leaving home - and seldom do - without being properly dressed and with my hair fixed. But sometimes when I’m really busy; have a lot of freelances jobs to work with and in the same time need to take care of errands around town, or if I have to go to work at strange hours I need to prioritize the comfort in my way of dressing. Even though I might feel like it, I still don’t want to go out looking like I’m about to fetch a pizza on a hangover Sunday afternoon in my pyjamas adn a hoodie. Instead I go for a rather classy and incognito look, which makes me feel a little bit like being in disguise or like I’ve managed to fool the rest of the world that I look good :)

What works for me are the following : I wear all black soft clothes, I put something on my head, I add som detail.

The past week I’ve been living in my black “uniform” ; wearing a pair of comfy velour leisure pants that look like a nice pair of black trousers (which I still don’t own btw) if and only when combined with my black sailor style jacket. I hide my messy hair with my beret or with a black scarf and do a quick make up - a more strong than pretty look; just two sleek and thick strokes of black eyeliner. (I’ve been doing those since I was fourteen so I can get them perfect in five seconds) And then I match the red stripe of my vintage sneakers (yes you read it right; sneakers!) with my mittens and give the whole thing a sailor-ish touch with my anchor bag (which fits things like my calendar, a lot of papers and so on).

In the end it’s actually the jacket that makes the whole thing work so I avoid having to take it of. Illusion ruined, I’m in my leisure wear underneath.

WELL YES, PLEASE!

I'm still busy and boring (for the ones who wishes me to update my blog more frequently. Otherwise I'm not boring at all :) Well, in such times it's nice when others do somtehing about you instead! Yes please. I'm featured in the Supermelon's latest Real Style section here.

The Supermelon is a lifestyle site with a wide range of articles and features about style, trends, art etc. Their Real Style interviews feature style/fashion bloggers of which some are propably known to you from before.


Then I'd like to thank always positive and nice Pratishtha for giving me the Brilliant Weblog Premio! Recently I haven't had time to read any blogs properly or to answer comments or post any myself, but I'll still pass it on this time; to some darling bloggers that read mine and always leave me nice responce (and that I think I have not 'awarded' before...) :
Sal, Andrea, Wendy B, Mrs.Munster, Pretty Pirate and Sueper.
These are only a few; of course there are a lot more of you out there! So thank you all. And have a great weekend!

BOOM BADINBANG!

Have you ever visited bang bang industrie?
It's a french style site in blog format. They have a quite fun section with style profile features and the latest is on moi. How nice! You can check it out here to see some of my, heh, words of wisdom.

Or why not sign up to see if they'd perhaps make one of you too?