Still figuring it out...

I bumped into Tavi Gevinson's talk on TED this week. I've always been a fan of hers, which can prove to be quite challenging at the level of self perception. How do you admire and aspire towards the qualities of someone younger, with less experience, and how do you justify your lack of inspiration by comparison? Parents must go through something like this when their children exhibit true brilliance and genuine inspiration, threatening solid belief systems with their ethereal nonchalance.
The reason for which I was always so interested in this lovely young person of the female sex, was her honesty. Her writing and visuals, her collages, her outfits, her taste it's all so honest, so genuine and in this sense sort of bold. This young girl exhibits this great courage to be herself, to have faith in herself and honor what she believes in. There is an amazing maturity to her work, the issues she tackles as a teenager are not only serious and relevant to all of us, but core issues that end up defining our identities. The fact that she is so lucid during this passion and hormone fueled time of her life is a gift. I work hard to achieve that level of balance and perspective, I practice self-discipline with regards to honoring and manifesting myself.
I admire her sense of independence, and her asserting the belonging to the inherent gender role through her intimate appreciation of feminist values. Her perspective is a testimony that there has been true progress on that cultural front. And although we are all superficially happily post-feminists, we still have a duty to ourselves to define our relationship with this apparently reconciled socio-cultural issue.
I resonated with her words deeply, and mostly I resonated with this courageous modesty of owning up to your own beliefs. Although I'm a bit older than Tavi, I feel that her and I are coming of age at the same time, although I think she has a head start.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/tavi_gevinson_a_teen_just_trying_to_figure_it_out.html

Easter Cooking

Easter is usually associated with eggs and egg hunts, pastels and bunnies, carrots for that matter and lots and lots of chocolate in various shapes. In the far lands of Eastern Europe, Easter is a solemn holiday and is greatly to do with food. Everyone cooks large amounts of every dish any vegan would frown upon. For the entire week before Easter every respectable home smells of food and window cleaner, squeaky clean and yummy yummy is the mantra around here these days. So in an attempt to represent the Easter values, my friends and I did a bit of blogging in the kitchen for this mighty Spring celebration. Check out the hungry Easter Bunny!
Happy Easter outfitting!

Dressing for the Sartorialist

The Sartorialist was my first contact with fashion blogging, my first fashion blog love. I'm sure most of you have found tremendous inspiration in his images, his words and overall fashion perspective, he acted as a mentor for so many journalists, editors, photographers and urban outfitters alike. Scott Schuman has such flair for all that is symmetric, balanced, graceful, beautiful, elegant, tasteful, chic and all the good stuff you hope people think about you. Ever since I first met thesartorialist.com I have become a fashion girl. It somehow contextualized my appreciation and ambition about fashion, as a way of life and a career simultaneously. The way I chose my clothes on a daily basis and the manner in which I seasonally edited my wardrobe bared Schuman's influence. When I lived in London, during fashion weeks I would be exceptionally attentive about my outfits hoping that I would run into him. It has now become a reflex. I am now living in Bucharest and I still dress in the hope of running into him, or one of his blogger mentees. I dress for The Sartorialist. Images will follow shortly, so if you're there, please stay tuned.




Disclaimer: All above images belong to thesartorialits.com.

Sleepless in Bucharest

This week has been a crucial one, made lots of decisions, started new habits, set new goals, and had some realizations. Oprah would be proud.
After a few moths of drought at the level of inspiration and joie de vivre, I feel invigorated, like spring not only came to town, it came to my being.
Bucharest has been such a great pal of a city, since arrived from London, few weeks ago, it's been so welcoming and full of surprises, entertaining me in so many ways, from its beautifully restored buildings, to hip clubs and fun bars, cafes and restaurants, cool gyms, theatre , street style,  shopping and all round culture.
It's brought me back to life and now it won't let me sleep. My mind is all of the sudden very active and productive and I can't stop thinking about all the things I want to do here, and all the ideas I have.
Bucuresti, te iubesc.
Bucharest, I love you.

Bounce Back

After a passage of inactivity (this is a euphemism to say the least), I am pulling myself out of what has been a lack of inspiration on many levels. I wish not to complain or taint the blog-sphere with negative thoughts but if catharsis happens through acknowledgement, allow me then to confess. I have always aimed to be and see myself as an active and proactive being, constantly on the move, evolving, searching for the better, improved me in every aspect. Gym, work, structure, discipline were values I associated myself with. So where did it all go so wrong?
I feel into a lethargic state of mind and body somewhere between the end of winter and the begging of spring. There's been a lack of synchronicity between myself and nature and it's been getting to me big time. I've been eating too much, overdosing on TV (The Good Wife has been my drug of choice) and sleep. Needless to say I gained a few pounds and lost a great deal of joie de vivre. I feel like those bad pictures of Britney Spears before she went to rehab and had a come back.

But even Britney bounced back, so I can too. This is when project "ME" starts. I will be using the help of all cheesy self-help tools from The Secret to everything else Oprah and my mother recommend. I'm going to practice the art of discipline and balance throughout my diet and daily schedule. I will be taking vitamins and doing my best version of meditation.  Do you have any ideas or do you have any bounce back stories? Wish me luck and stay tuned.

Mirror Mirror...

 Self image has always been important to me; It's preoccupied me a lot, made me fashionable, drove me to the gym, into the health food shops and away from carbohydrates, but also towards terrible guilt and depression if I misbehaved diet-wise. I have an 'all the way' attitude towards things, so that when I go on a diet, I will do everything that rhymes with that experience. I will involve myself in that lifestyle and allow that to become part of my identity. Equally, when I allow myself to indulge as a gourmand, I lose myself in that hedonistic experience. I become driven by hunger with the same intensity that drives my gym ambitions. It is very difficult for me to achieve a sense of balance, to practice enjoyment and discipline in equilibrium.
There's also the aspect of my actual body image, which does not fulfill the standard presented by the media and sported by most members of the fashion industry (in which I work). I've always wanted to be slimmer, taller, blonder, fitter, more this, less that, constantly comparing myself to something I wasn't. I have always admired Audrey Hepburn but I can only emulate her grace not her dress size. Here are a few images that inspire me and that honor my self perception.

You're the fairest of them all!

Ain't Valentine's Day a kick in the head?

  While cynics (including the one in me) may argue that Valentine's Day is a most commercial holiday designed to sell chocolate, flowers and impossible ideas about human relationships, I'll take any opportunity to celebrate. And I admit, for me "LOVE" is a concept that should be celebrated as often as possible with props, costumes and themed songs.

   Of course, it's wonderful to spend the 14th of February with your significant other, champagne, strawberries, candles, red lingerie and cheesy music. But if you haven't met your significant lover yet, I believe you can still make the most of V day. Spend it with your best friends, offer yourself a manicure, a massage or a blow dry, make a beautiful dinner and a champagne cocktail. Leave out the eroticism and single girl pity party paradigm and get a kick out of honoring the affinity in your present.