Back in business

After 6 hours of relatively off-minded school, a four-hour nap, 1 hour of running and a bit of pilates I've figured out I need a new pillow, a new iPod, someone to download songs on it and I need to resuscitate my blog back to life. With nothing concrete to show for this day and no accomplishments (usually I consider it to be the work in a shoe store after school, now I feel helpless on an evening off) I decided I'd at least need to write down the million thoughts circling my head on the upcoming summer. Especially now that the Fashion Weeks aren't far away, I'm in a hurry to get the summer issues over with before the new beautiful images of A/W 10 occupy my relatively limited brain.

I have to say I'm thrilled about the upcoming season. Maybe it's the fact that it's cheaper and more simple (no need for million feuille) to pull off a cool outfit or then it might be the nudes, the sheer, the denim, the militaristic themes or the sailor style I love. Or simply the fact that you no longer need to cover your outfits with the same coats. No matter how nice your outfit, only the people who you're with inside will see it.

Oh, and high heels! After a colder than cold, slippery winter I can't wait to dig out my 200 pairs of heels.. Don't get me wrong, I love boots and I have my fair share of those as well, but I believe it's time to draw the attention to legs with shorts instead of thigh-highs. But I do feel the need for ballerinas for the upcoming season more than ever. I blame Alexa Chung for that. We'll see.

With the same school, same job and same no-time-for-life (believe me, which of I wouldn't want to change any) it is so energizing to see a change in the wardrobe. That is why, regardless of all I said now, I will be as excited to fuss about the A/W 10 as the time comes. It's good to be back.

Sky high

After waiting for what felt like years, my new shoes finally arrived in Bianco. And the boots end up nowhere lower than 15cm above my knee. Overall loose black suede and a 10 cm heel. :) 

The boots are as sky high as they can get this fall. Yes they were getting there last A/W but this year they will be everywhere, if not on the streets (the Finnish are a bit slow to warm up to trends) at least on the pages of Vogue.

Just one tricky thing. My ex-boyfriend called my last fall's thigh-high boots blow job boots before he saw them on my feet. After dressing them up with a chunky long knit he approved of me wearing them somewhere else than only in my apartment. So please!! If you'll pick up the trend, do not wear the boots with anything too skimpy, bad quality nor too much make up. No mini skirts (yes to hems ending up high though) nor tight shorts accompanied with a tight skimming top. You know the look I'm after so please avoid it! By all means. Instead pair the tight boots (like my last years low heeled boots) with eg the chunky knit I was talking about or a big loose t-shirt or a cardigan. A loose enough tunic looks nice, preferably with long sleeves.  Think Missoni. As long as you think casual you'll do fine. Just leave out everything that yells "cheap". Leggings are a good choice to put underneath because they're not too thick to make your legs look big as the vertical line on the thigh makes them already look a bit bigger. Oh yeah and about the hemline, it needs to be above your knee. The coolest it will look if it is above the ending point of the boot if the top balances it out. So still no miniskirts.

Wow I think I have mentioned about the cheap look now enough many times and I truly do hope that I won't see any of that this season. So no one will be mistaken for something they're not, with no intention to diss any occupation.

Fashion in the F1 -behind the scenes

I know it has been ages since I last wrote. I was on a vacation and who would have time to do anything then, right? But anyway I'm back. On my holidays I got to experience a totally new fashion dimension: the vip section of the Formula 1-world. With the vip-pass I got because of my dad (he is the doctor of Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes -team), I had access to the behind the scenes of the Budapest gp 2009. 

On Friday as I got to Hungary I realized it was so hot that I wore a cotton, light, navy stripe Motel-dress to the circuit on Saturday. Wrong. The motor home, where I spent quite a lot of time because of the free drinks and food (kidding), was very well air conditioned and I was freezing most of the time. Luckily I had just before I left grabbed a grey 3/4-sleeve cardigan which helped a bit. On that day I realized that most of the women were wearing jeans and smart t-shirts. The dress code could be said to have been smart casual. But to my surprise, no towering heels (I wonder was it because the drivers are so short?) and no skimpy small minis nor see through blouses an no labels anywhere. None of that glamour that is displayed in the media. 

Sunday, the actual race day, was more of a glamorous one. But it was still not trashy, if we don't count the overdoses of make-up on some girls. The reporters were dressed up in sexy dresses and some of them actually wore the darn high heels. Even some of the girlfriends were showing some cleavage and wearing those heels. Not all. The combinations I loved the most were worn by some of the women of the Mclaren guys with their maxi dresses and embellished sandals. They looked gorgeous. Maxi dresses were around quite a bit that day overall. And that day I caught a glimpse of some labels. At least a Chanel 2.55-bag in beige (which Nicole said was way too small to carry her life in) and a Prada bag, though I heard it was fake (what the....???!!!!!). And I was in my ripped jeans from Vila and a leopard cardigan. More casual than the previous day. The biggest problem with those were that as I was hanging out with the mechanics they told of a rule they have in the garage: if they see a rip they rip it even bigger. It was a fast take-off for me though we did make a truce soon afterwards. I just had to stay 3m away from a few of them. 

But as Lewis won (congratulations, Lewis!) the whole team (including me) changed into very non-breathable, synthetic bright orange winning team t-shirts and for the first time I felt too hot during that weekend. But I am so happy it is summer. Without any tan it would've looked like a team of ghosts. So no point for me getting deeper into the issue of the team uniforms, they are what they are, the designers are given the team colors which they have to use so there is no use of pointing fingers at anyone, even if the uniforms don't bring out the best assets of everyone. Everyone's got to wear the same anyway. And it does give a feel of unity, definitely, even if they wouldn't be the coolest outfits ever.

So what a weekend in many senses, race wise and fashion wise. And I even got quite a few new friends and some useful contacts. Towards a work filled weekend (approximately 17h of work a day, thu-sat). It's the rally weekend here in Jyväskylä. And someone else can find out what happens behind the scenes there.

And a trend alert for next spring: wooden heels! They were all around the coolest stores. They'll be big next summer. (You can find those in the stores in Finland now, too)

Loving the navy look

Now that the weather is hot and because of my previous blog, I feel obliged to say that cotton and natural fibers are the best answer to not feel suffocated. Every other material, however floaty, feel clingy on the skin and don't breathe. So I ended up wearing to work a body con, navy-stripe dress, with black knee-length basic leggings (yes, it wouldn't be too customer-friendly to give a peak of my knickers while climbing up the ladders), both of course cotton, and lots of golden accessories. I especially loved my shoes (surprise, surprise) i bought when I got to work, golden sandals with crystals encrusted over the toe strap. I ended up selling at least seven pairs of those after customers fell in love with them when they saw them on my feet.

To the point. Most people fuss about the sales, some people are flipping through Vogue to get an idea of what's up for fall and I browse style.com for the resort collections for S/S-10. (Meaning spring/summer 2010, though I think that was obvious?). I haven't quite gone through them all and I think there are a couple shows still coming ahead, but the navy style is looking strong, once again for summer. Of course the resort collections are just a taste of the actual runway collections, but they give a good hint of the upcoming. Anyway, I loooove the navy look! It is at the same time posh but casual, urban and beachy, lady-like with a bit androgyny to it and it's just simply classic as it is basically guaranteed for every S/S. 

One can dress the navy look true to one's own style and that's what makes it so versatile. I specifically love the "Riviera" way of wearing it (check out Louis Vuitton's resort collection 2010). The blue, red and black with white and lots of stripes accentuated with golden accessories an a bit of bling. Clean cuts or floaty styles. Bottom line being tasteful. The outfit I described earlier is an example of Riviera navy.

I also love wearing navy a bit more playfully and androgynous. Not using as sophisticated accessories, maybe choosing silver over gold and colors over metals (if you want to wear accessories), having prints on stripes, and not wearing everything so matchy matchy. The basic colors though need to be the blue, red and/or black with white if you want to make it navy-noticeable. An example could be a thin knit cardigan I just bought from asos.com. It has got blue stripes and looks quite basic when viewed from front but on the back it's got a big anchor print. If I'll pair it with clean cut white shorts it will be a bit Riviera, but if I team it with ripped denim shorts, with my knee-high gladiator sandals and a bit of cheeky accessories like big silver hoop earrings I'll have a more edgier look.

So if you're looking for a classic fun spring/summer/holiday style, opt for the navy. Just make sure the stripes sit straight on you, especially in the clean look, so that it doesn't become confusing. The vertical lines are a bit trickier (and less navy) than the horizontal ones. And even though everyone has heard that horizontal lines make you seem wider, it's not a problem. Just go for the thinner stripes and suitable fit and you'll be just fine. So have fun with the look! -you'll love it as much as I do.

Dedicated to my now former boyfriend whom I do love and who loves his navy look shoes that I bought for him. I think I taught him good. He'll be fine with his style.

Online shopping

In Sex and the City Carrie Bradshaw once said, "shopping is my cardio".  As it is mine. But I've cheated. I've cheated already quite a few times and shopped online. But I've had to. If I could, I would definitely ALWAYS shop "live" if I lived in London or Paris or New York (though I've never been to NY). But now that I live in Jyväskylä where the amount of the potential shops limits to 10 and often the nice garment you'd like to buy has already walked right at you on the main walk of the city (a bit of exaggeration there maybe...) That's why I feel obliged to take a sneak peak at the online stores every now and then. Every day.

The risk of shopping online is obvious: the garment might not fit, suit or doesn't feel right on you. Unfortunately the clothes often look too promisingly good on the models. Real life is different. All the online stores allow their customers to "try it on at home and if it doesn't fit, return it for free", but after all the anxiety of waiting for your delivery (waiting is very exhausting, trust me), one is definitely not in the mood for returning the garment. So if it doesn't fit, keep it and make it fit. This is one reason why I don't look for clothes for my clients on the internet unless it is something specific that cannot be found in the local stores. I don't want any of them to ever feel the disappointment of buying the wrong size or feeling uncomfortable.

The next issue. The waiting. After waiting for eight days, with no money on my bank account because of the order I had made to asos.com, the post boy delivered a note to my post box about how the package could be picked up from the post office (he didn't even bother to ring the doorbell!). I ushered to the post office but when I got there, they said it could be picked up only after four. Well it did say it on the note but I was anyway about to cry. This shows that it would be so much more fun to spend your money as you get new things. Not spend your money, wait (for days) and then get new things. It doesn't give the same thrill. I hate waiting anyway.

But the opportunity online stores provide makes me place orders every now and then. It gives the opportunity to have something special that one will not bump into on the streets here (or you've got really bad luck). It also gives the chance to have something specific that you cannot get here in this city nor even in whole Finland. It gives a feeling of being safe. No one will probably look alike. So in the end, I kinda like online stores.

Some of the best online stores I use are:

- asos.com, when I want something quirky and fashionable, but not too expensive (you can find the less expensive designer pieces there)

- net-a-porter.com, when I feel I've got too much money and feel the urge to buy a new pair of Louboutins or Jimmy Choos. I love Marc Jacobs bags and I've bought a couple from there. But this site is strictly only for the ones who are either really rich or feel uncomfortable having suddenly a lot of money lying useless on their bank account. (high shipping costs!)

- nelly.com, a new acquaintance, but the products are shipped from closer and all together seems like an ok place. Though some of these products could be found here in Jyväskylä. 

- americanapparel.com, LOVE it !! Fun clothes. Don't buy your entire wardrobe from here though..

- feelunique.com, if you want some beauty products for half the price of the Finnish prices with no shipping costs. So seriously, anyone who washes their hair or uses make-up or does anything beauty related, check this out!

As last words, shopping will always be my cardio, style just needs aid from the internet.

THE sales

I used to hate sales. I thought that the items in sales were last season and going out of fashion, I would rather spend my money on the up coming season. Now that the sales seem to be in full throttle in every shop I can't help but think of what Polly, the stylist-teacher I most respect from London College of Fashion, said: "Never take your client to buy from sales. The sales are full of pieces that no one wanted." But today, I have to disagree with her. To some extent. At least in my home city, Jyväskylä in Finland. Many of the pieces that end up in sales seem often to be too fashion forward for the Finnish.  The Finns seem to be quite slow with getting acquainted with the new trends. That's why the stores trying to familiarize the shoppers with the new trends, end up in putting almost the whole stock of the mentioned items in sales. For example the harem pants that are so in at the moment. A few stores offered them a year ago. Most of them ended up in sales. So for a fashion forward shopper, the sales are a brilliant opportunity to find pieces that no one else has gotten the hang of yet. Just remember that not everything is fashion forward, quite a lot is just last reminders of the previous season. 

I've also used the sales to find quality clothes for the low budget clients. As I have noticed, clients often hope to get everything they need within a fairly low budget and I can NEVER ever exceed it. So the sales can be a good chance to find classic pieces that don't fall apart after the first wash and not exceed the budget. And everyone will be happy.

All this said, I wouldn't go to find items from the already low price stores. During the sales they are full of exhausted and grumpy people and the amount of money one saves is miniscule. Rather spend your energy finding good quality pieces for less. A few shops I'd recommend for sales shopping here in Jyväskylä: Minzi, Spirit Store, Bianco, Duetto, JC and Vila. Happy shopping!

Cottage wardrobe = festival outfit

The mid-summer fest is over and I'm glad. It's always a bit tough to stay stranded from the civilization, not the least because you don't need much of an effort to create your outfit. It's just too easy, Juicy Couture pink velour suit or leggings with a big sweater. Or bikini. But this summer the bikini was mainly used for swimming, no sun and no skinny dipping with big sisters guy friends around.

Luckily, this year I got a bit of brain activity to the fashion section of my brain. On friday, me and my boyfriend were invited to a festival with lots of friends around and which draws around 10 000 visitors. As much as I love my Juicy velour suit, it's strictly for home, cottage and dog walking use only. I'm so happy that I had not changed my new Vila Soho Boot Sandals (check out nelly.com, couldn't attach the picture) into golden Bianco-sneakers (because of being behind schedule on thursday when leaving, I just had to throw the sneakers in a bag). You can always build an interesting outfit if you've got one cute piece to build it on. I love shoes for that purpose. Then shiny leggings, a tube top down from waist as a body skimming skirt and a one size too big, orange Diesel-sweater to bring some color and balance the outfit. And my never wrong, black Zara leather jacket from three years ago to top it off. The bag was just a tan colored, medium-sized, slouchy tote with lots of pockets (the only one I had with me, but it did bring a bit of lightness to the outfit). No accessories, it was rock enough this way. Not like I had any with me, though... But in the end, the shoes saved me.

And about the boyfriend, he has been trained by now to pick his own outfit. Now he just asks if it's ok. It was.  As if he had known we had to take "proper" clothes with us to cottage...