Fashioned by Love turns 3

When I think about creating my very first post for Fashioned by Love, I struggle, seriously struggle, to believe that it was three years ago. I still remember that day, I remember coming up with an idea of this blog and its name. I remember the blank page feeling, the nervousness and excitement of starting a new chapter of my life. If only I knew where my little blog would take me…

2013 was a difficult year for me. It started well and then suddenly collapsed in a manner of a card tower because the injury happened and balance was lost. The recovery took several  months and taught me to love flat shoes, maxi dresses and never make too many plans.

So, whilst the year didn’t go exactly as I envisioned, it had its moments of joy, pride and enjoyment, so I want to celebrate them fully (and the same way I did it last year).

In 2013 I wrote 270 posts, shared 52 Monday editorials and 100 stylish quotes.

Was nominated as one of the 10 best UK fashion blogs by Company magazine.

Received an invitation from Harper’s Bazaar for the private opening of the Self-Portraits exhibition created by the magazine and Viva London.

Interviewed gorgeous models Karlina Caune and Alexandra Egorova and British designers Liam Fahy and Kelly Love.

Created Fashioned by Love fashion weeks dedicated to Azzedine Alaia, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.

Said Good-bye to Marc Jacobs era at Vuitton, Emma Hill – at Mulberry and welcomed back John Galliano.

Continued “5 dresses” with the LWD and lace and started new series of post to share my favourite Bag of the Month and Shoe stories as well as gorgeous collections from the past seasons that could only be described and remembered as Timeless Chic.

Created a few designer-inspired looks for less, from Lanvin and Nina Ricci to Louis Vuitton F/W 2013 and S/S 2005 as well as some random outfits for every occasions, from white jeans (including a budget version), flares and summer ideas to a 1920s evening ensemble…

Talked about spring crops, wearable blooms, leather, safari chic and pattern on pattern trends.

Dreamed of a white summer wardrobe and celebrated Christmas in every shade of blue, pink, white and black.

As the autumn approached, asked some fashion models about their season’s must-haves and showcasted some of the most beautiful grey, pink and camel coats to cocoon in as well as gorgeous leather jackets to be worn by the most stylish among us.

Reviewed some of my favourite fashion reads including The Empress’s New Clothes, Supermodels Diet Secrets (and later wrote about detox 1976-style), The world according to Karl, D.V., Allure and Chloe Attitudes.

And leant, once again, that fashion is such a wonderful, exciting and endlessly inspirational world that I will never be tired of.

Thank you for being with me today and always, for your comments and support! I hope to see you over and over again and give you something to enjoy every day as you stop by Fashioned by Love.

 

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Chloe for Christmas

And here they are, my beautiful Chloe’s, a wish list item, lucky super sale find and most wonderful Christmas gift. I wanted them for a while, since autumn 2011, to be precise. First, they were too expensive and then simply disappeared from the face of the Earth.

I survived the (tiny) heartbreak, filed the image at the back of my memory and let it go…

Then, out of the blue, just before Christmas, the pair in my size appeared before my eyes. I stared at them for what felt like a second, though must have been longer because it made my husband look up and ask if I was alright. "Yes," I replied sheepishly. "What have you found?" - he continued the questioning. "Shoooozzzees…" I sighed "But that's ok, I don't need more shoes" (Lie, an absolute white lie mixed with a generous helping of hope for what girl could say "No" to shoes, especially Chloe!). "Oh, let me get them for you," he said and two days later the box was delivered, wrapped up in a shiny paper and placed under the tree. 

The rest is history in the making…

Photo source: personal

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My new best friends

A couple of weeks ago I received an email with a very surprising content. “Would you like a pair of new ECCO boots?” it asked.

Me? Shoes? For me?! Seriously?

Offering me a pair of shoes was like asking a chocoholic if she wouldn’t mind trying some truffles with her coffee. At first I thought it was a joke. And yes I did check the email address to ensure it wasn’t an act of intolerable cruelty. It turned out, the offer was serious because, after I said “yes”, my booties were promptly delivered two days later.

And they were delightful! Soft, comfortable, wonderfully crafted - ECCO really did a fabulous job creating the Sculptured 75. I must admit, I was really looking forward to trying them because so far I have been living in oxfords and trainers, too concerned (and a little scared) about getting back into my high heels for I have always been a creature of extreme heights, not so suitable for the remnants of my injury.

I love them. For the almond toe, and the soft as a cloud cushioning, and the pattern embossed on the surface of the heel that made me call the booties “my armadillos”.

Best presents are the ones that come unexpectedly and when the timing is perfect. This was definitely one of them.

And talking of presents. The black bag is the last year Christmas gift from my husband, also much loved and practically perfect in every single way.

Photo source: personal

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It’s all about autumn

It is only when autumn gently taps on my window inviting itself in, I begin to think of the real home comforts and allow nostalgia play a game of memories with me.

When I was a kid, my dad would often pick me up after school and we would drive in his old car down the bumpy country roads to the autumn forest. There, in a middle of it all, was a beautiful, round lake covered in golden leaves that slowly moved around its mirrored surface like tiny gondolas.

Some people had their secret gardens – we had a lake. We’d get out of the car, with all the fishing equipment, some roughly made sandwiches and a few crisp apples to snack on, and sat on a piece of drift wood, waiting for a lucky catch. We hardly spoke for the fish wouldn’t appreciate the chit-chat. Instead it was about being a part of nature, inhaling the cool autumn air, admiring the beauty of the world and feeling happy and at peace. I think those are some of my most precious childhood memories…

With the passing time and change of destinations, I discovered my other autumn comforts… The need to lit up scented candles for a touch of warm luxury and a sight of mesmerising dancing flames. The desire to gather the softest and delightfully chunky blankets and cocoon in them for hours, with my dear little cocker boy by my side, as always. And then, of course, the books – each promising a special moment, and the music – somehow autumn is the time when my mind craves Chopin, Nora Jones and Carla Bruni as a life-saving tonic.  Once in a while I bake… An apple Charlotte whenever I think of my first home, a very English apple pie bursting with caramelised Granny Smith, spicy cinnamon and a splash of cognac or, if I feel adventurous, a bunch of proud little chocolate covered profiteroles. These are the autumn tradition, my memories in the making, the essential and oh-so-unfashionable pleasures of life.

Ironically, as appealing as the indoor life may seem, a part of me still seeks the adventure – after all, there’s so much around to see and enjoy. London, with its Isabella Blow exhibit at Somerset House, the Cheapside Hoard treasures at at the Museum of London or the pearls at V&A, or gorgeous Bath where The Fashion Museum is currenly displaying 50 most iconic dresses created by Schiaparelli, Poiret, Vionnet, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent displayed along side Erdem, Burberry and John Rocha  designs and the costumes from the Downton Abbey, Anna Karenina and The Great Gatsby.

For the history and discovering the treasures of my own, Arundel and Rye are the two destinations to stop by for the antique shops and charming tea rooms.

Royal Tunbridge Wells is another old favourite that has everything my heart desires – the parks, the boutiques and the Pantiles where delicious coffee and hand-made chocolates are served.

Up in the Midlands is Birmingham with its fashion fairs and the clothes show, where you can stay at the city’s Ibis hotel to be nearby the buzzing center.

And although I know that autumn isn’t everyone’s favourite, I urge you to celebrate it and welcome the new season with its rainy days, the winds and rare dots of blissful sunshine… After all, it’s all about attitude, inspiration, the plan and the right wardrobe. The rest will be history.

Photo source: all images via pinterest, freepeople.com, lindseyocker.com, sipplondon.com

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This is a post where I say farewell to summer and share September plans

And so it’s almost over. The summer that taught me not to make plans. Not now, not ever. Oh, those ideas that were buzzing in my head at the end of May! Go to London, go to Brighton, go all over the country following the summer sun and disappearing into horizon, silk dresses, straw hats, music, laughter and endless supplies of delicious treats for cosy picnics. Get out with Oscar and walk and walk and walk until we’d be tired and fall into the soft grass for cuddles and silly stolen doggy kisses. Exercise for extra happiness. Wear every single pair of shoes I had in my wardrobe. Step into the sea barefoot and enjoy the feeling of cool water caressing the skin. Take plenty of photos and share them on the blog.

Oh, those plans… All ruined one morning when, as I only recently discovered, I tore my muscle fibres to shreds. And so the shoes had to remain in their boxes replaced by some newly bought flats and beaten up, but oh-so-comfortable trainers. The walks and trips went out of the window followed by any photography related ideas…

The list was carefully shaped into a tidy looking ball and ended up in a bin – after all I had plenty of time for such a pointless activity as paper craft. I ended up in bed and later, my office chair, spending most of the time with PC or books, clients and a mountain of paperwork. Not that I am going to complain, though. I enjoyed those, too. Plus, lets not forget the interview with Karlina Caune – an absolute highlight of my summer blogging. As for the rest, I just wish I had a choice, a little bit more choice, especially in regards to my footwear.

And so I am saying farewell to a slightly bland summer and am really looking forward to September – the next four weeks that should be exciting enough to compensate for the recent lack of joyous affairs.

It will be a fashion month, starting with a wonderful little project that’s very close to my heart immediately followed by an exhibition called “Self-portraits” – a joint project between British Harper’s Bazaar and Viva London Model Management that will feature 30 self-portraits of models and talents taken in the most intimate and private moments of their lives.

A beautiful, intelligent and thought-provoking, the exhibition will open to the public from 4 to 18 September at The Shop at Bluebird and be available on-line at www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/fashion from 3 September. If you absolutely cannot wait to see some of the photos, grab (or download) a copy of the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar and enjoy.

My other wonderful discovery will be an interview with an absolute gem whose answered left me wondered if I just found a soul mate…

And then the fashion week will begin. The time when the fashion world survives on litres of coffee, packets of sweets, vitamin C-packed  smoothies and air full of adrenalin, inspiration and excitement. Here I will be watching from the comfort of my room, with a cup of green tea, accompanied by my darling little dog who never misses live shows and Prada, in particular. Don’t ask why or how – I have no idea.

Somewhere in a midst of all the extravaganza I will talk about another Bag of the Month, share my high street favourites in the Autumn comes to… series, finish reading  D.V. by Diana Vreeland and treat myself to Giambattista Valli by Giambattista Valli & Francesco Clemente, Alexander Mcqueen: Photographs by Nick Waplington and Alexander McQueen: The Life and Legacy by Judith Watt.

And the last week of September will be my own fashion week. At the moment the idea of researching yet another designer and writing at least five stories seems a little bit insane, but… “there is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness” as Nietzsche said. I love fashion, so, I guess, that explains the insanity and a burst of endorphins filling my brain cells every time I think of autumn. And I do hope, the high heels will come out of their boxes in a few weeks, too. Because, seriously, I had enough of flats…

 

Photo source: MiH Jeans Pre-Autumn 2013 Lookbook

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Nina Ricci Ondine Agneau bag

This little Parisienne arrived a few days ago. Allow me to introduce you to Ondine Agneau, a Nina Ricci bag I have been admiring for ages and was lucky enough to find and make mine.

She is so feminine yet strong, not frilly, with a beautiful lucky horse shoe charm braided into the soft brown leather and a little bow that stole my heart.

A true beauty and a timeless classic piece that I will treasure for years to come.

Photo source: personal

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My summer uniform

This summer I found myself our of my comfort zone. The dramatic change was caused by a little health issue – one morning I woke up in pain, which turned out to be an inflammation in my hip caused by impromptu running (with pupster) whilst wearing Converse. For two weeks I could hardly walk and then was forced to visit a doctor. I was told that the recovery may take weeks or not months and until then I must not exercise (shock!), wear heels (shock!horror!) and generally be very modest in my activities (at this point I almost fainted)…

The good thing was knowing the diagnosis – I got on with it, avoided NSAID’s like a plague and, being a nutritionist, used the food as my medicine. This was relatively simple and worked.

The hardest part was the footwear and activities. For a while the only shoes I could walk in were the basic trainers – I needed the support and the cushioning and the Nike’s gave me both.

Next step was sorting out the wardrobe since going pear shape wasn’t just about my life, but the figure, I wanted a dress that could make me feel happy, beautiful and comfortable.

Finding the right sandals was easy. The dress took a while… I ended up placing three separate orders. The first two went back as soon as… The third one arrived yesterday and turned out to be the perfect one! I loved the light taupe colour, the rope detail on the back and yards and yards of fabric spent to make the skirt.

It was truly one of the best therapies!

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Hair evolution

I think the 7-year spiral of my life that I’ve talked about a week ago wasn’t just about re-discovering the things I used to love. In a way, without even realising, I found myself thinking of my past, my roots, the evolution of my own style and how those elements influenced my life and, ultimately, made me who I am now.

My hair, for example, went through a few changes before it got to the present stage. It all began with chopping off the long locks at the age of 16 and replacing them with a perm. To be fair, I didn’t look like a mad sheep – in fact, my curls were rather lovely and natural enough to full one of my teachers who once declared: “Look at her – she never did anything to her appearance and is just lovely the way she is!”

I guess it was in my destiny to confuse poor folks because just a year later I had another hair-related accident, now with my University tutor. After attending her lectures for about three months I came in spotting a very shot classic bob hair cut. At the end of the class she stopped me and asked to explain why I finally decided to attend her lectures having missed the first three months of them. Turned out, she didn’t recognise me.

The Uni was definitely the era of experiments. I had bobs of various lengths, went from ginger to ash blonde, then brunette that was quickly replaced with blonde and a few months later – my natural colour.

During one of my “spiral years” I even had a pixie. I loved it very much, but eventually grew into yet another bouncy bob that I kept for several years.

Then I moved countries and eventually decided that having a very Eastern European colour and length would be best. It took me a few years and several hair stylists before I got where I am now, pretty much the way nature made me.

And yet from time to time I find myself tempted to go and cut my hair off. Perhaps, not to another pixie, but a mid-length bob. I think of it, then I feel I’d regret such a dramatic change and then I see a movie or a photograph and the idea of booking an appointment feels appealing again.

The latest source of temptation was found in The Swimming Pool, one of the movie classics that’s worth watching for many reasons. When you do, keep an eye on the guests who visit the villa, particularly a girl with a short fringed bob – such a beautiful and chic style that feels very timeless.

The day that followed was spent looking at various images of hair styles and sticking the iPad under my husband’s nose asking for his opinion. After seeing a few dozens of photographs he stared at me and said: “Darling, why wouldn’t you just buy yourself a wig?!” Shocking, I know, but in a way, he did have a point – after all, trying a new hairstyle by literally putting it on for a minute is so much better visually and, lets be honest, safer, as far as cutting your own hair is concerned. Perhaps, I will try it one day. Right now I simply wanted to share the story and, since it turned out to be a long one, thank you for reading it.

Photo source: personal

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French lace mask from Myriam Girard

A few days ago something beautiful arrived to my post box. Anxious, I opened the packet to find a delicate Chantilly lace mask lovingly enveloped in a cream heavy silk pouch. It was a gift from Myriam Girard, the London-based couture lingerie designer whom I had a pleasure to interview back in 2011. She made this mask for me, just because. And as you can probably imagine, I melted on the spot.

If you want one of these, email Myriam to discuss details as each piece is made to order. Also don’t forget to browse her on-line boutique, especially while some pieces are on sale – everything she creates is absolutely gorgeous.

Photo source: personal

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