Fade to grey...

This is recently one of my favourite outfits. Simple, comfortable and versatile. I can wear it to work, to a restaurant, a cinema or for a walk. It is now spring in London so I just change boots for ballerina flats as these boots are really warm - too warm for me if a temperature outdoors is far above 0 degrees. I bought two pieces of today's outfit in Primark, a chain of extremely cheap shops I honestly despise as I imagine how little the workers sewing these clothes must earn. Yet I tend to go there about twice a year and buy flats for £4, knowing they will be completely worn out after a few months. They are poor quality but very comfortable and were a staple of my footwear in India, where I needed shoes that can be worn for a whole day and which I won't regret to throw away later. As for clothes, this top is my first thing bought in Primark. It looks a bit like Chloe's designs, only the fabric is simple cotton and not sophisticated silk. I would really like to refrain from buying clothes in such cheap shops as I find it unethical, however sometimes I like a piece too much to dwell upon the conditions, in which it was made.

I bought this bag a few years ago when I lived in Berlin. I fell in love with it from the first sight and just had to have it. Some elements of it (the lady's hair, lips and scarf) are made from sequins, so the bag is quite flashy and a real eye catcher. It can be worn like I have it on the picture or the straps can be removed and it becomes literally a handbag.

The picture on the left is by Antonio Briceno, a Venezuelan photographer, whose works I saw this summer on the Venice Biennale. The picture on the right has once again been taken on the flea market in Camden Passage in my neighbourhood.

Top - Primark

Jeans - Lee

Boots - Primark

Bag - bought in Berlin

Earrings - Accessorize

Too much of a good thing

Have you ever suffered from the overload of inspirations? It happens often in my case and though I have many ideas I end up being dressed in quite simple navy blue or black tones. I sometimes think I should live in a totally white interior with no bright interference - but it would be boring for a long time. I'm influenced by the clashes of colours of the book covers that stand on a shelf next to each other, by every postcard I have in my view, by flowers in a vase... I really love just to sit on my couch and watch all the different hues and textures I have in front of my eyes, but sometimes it just gives me a headache. On the other hand, I get a headache when I have to spend lots of time in a room, in which colours are ugly and don't match. My workplace is so badly designed it seriously hurts me when I look around, thus I have my eyes constantly glued to my computer screen.

The clothes I'm wearing here are supposed to make me a bit more feminine (do they?). Such a tight outfit is not always particularly comfortable to wear for a whole day, but one can't always wear jeans and a T-shirt. The shoes have quite high heels but they are chunky so the body weight is not being put only on the front of my feet and so I don't get blisters. I bought this shirt two years ago on a sale in Whistles, one of my favourite chain of shops. Whistes normally have quite expensive pieces but they organise great sales and then clothes cost just a fraction of their original price.

The painting is Johaness Vermeer's "Woman in blue reading a letter" and the third picture presents the entrance to the cathedral Notre Dame du Sablon in Brussels.

Top - Whistles

Pencil skirt - Benetton

Tights - Marks & Spencer

Shoes - Faith

Beads - H&M

Belt - vintage

Latina Americana

After a bit chilly, Scandinavian mood I wanted to move into much warmer, brighter direction - thus this outfit. It brings South America to my mind, the continent, which I've unfortunately never been to. As I am a keen reader of South American authors and an enthusiastic admirer of Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera I'm never empty of ideas regarding the richness of colourful combinations . These painters provide constant inspiration and I guess art is what inspires my style most. I'd love to travel to Mexico, Cuba, Argentina and Peru to see the world that I don't really know - the world of clashes of bright colours, of strong smells, of wind that would be full of emotions and people who would open my eyes to a new art of living.

The scarf I'm wearing is actually a pareo that I bought 13 years ago in Kenya (in this season African prints are very 'in' but I've been wearing it on and off for years and I'm still not bored). The shoes are vintage and low heels make them really comfortable.

The painting is entitled "Desnudo con Alcatraces" and is by Diego Riviera. The place is - not London this time - a photography of one of the interiors made by Robert Polidori, a great Canadian photographer, whose exhibition I went to about two years ago in Berlin.

denim trousers - Lee
cardigan - Zara
T-shirt - Topshop
shoes - vintage
scarf - bought on a beach in Kenya
beads - Primark

Nordic climates

Inspired by Scandinavian authors, whose books I've read just recently I thought about posting a rather cold set of clothes. It's definitely not pure Swedish or Norwegian style but I tend to associate these colours with Scandinavia (a splash of red wouldn't harm - like red barns in Norwegia in the midst of a meadow or red summer houses near the fjords). I'm sure that the interior of the Nordic Bakery in the centre of London, where one can eat traditional fish canapes on crispy bread and absolutely amazing cinnamon buns (I'm almost addicted to them) influenced my recent associations with Scandinavia. Plus this Caspar David Friedrich's painting "The moonrise" reflects very well, in my opinion, the mood prevalent in those fascinating northern countries.

But let's talk about clothes. My trench is my staple autumn/winter/spring piece of an overcoat since last year. It's very soft and classic, yet in a not so classic navy blue colour. I like mixing it with a belt that is not from the set, not made in the same fabric as the trench. The green shoes are inspired by the famous Sztywniara's brown Benettons and are really comfortable (something I would never believe is possible with high heels). The shawl is again a gift from my boyfriend, who likes bringing me shawls and jewellery from his summer escapades with a group of male friends. As for the gloves... I have a problem with gloves in general. I was keen on this type that in Polish is called "całuski" (I don't know the proper English name for them - it means they don't cover a hand completely so that men can kiss the bare hand without asking a lady to take her glove off) and which I associate with driving in a cabriolet on a spring afternoon. As I have very small hands all ready to wear gloves from high street shops are not an option for me. Sadly, as there are many great gloves to be found there. I once went to a glovemaker in Warsaw in Ulica Chmielna, who measured my hands and told me that he could make gloves in my size - I should check if he has them in 6-8 months (!). The gloves I have on the pictures were bought in Berlin, in the department store called KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens - The Department Store of the West). They cost quite a lot, about €80 (I find it much for just a pair of gloves), but the size is perfect and I loved them from the first sight so I had to buy them (fortunately I did as now I wear them all the time).



Trench - Benetton
Shawl - gift that my boyfriend bought for me in Israel
Trousers - Miss Selfridge
Belt - Ebay, but the tag said it's H&M
High heeled brogues - Office
Gloves - KaDeWe

My birthday dress

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a good occasion to dress up for a dinner with my boyfriend in our favourite Thai restaurant. I bought this dress at French Connection a few days ago (one of my very few items bought on the sales this season), completely by chance - I actually went out during my lunch break to buy myself a salad and came back to work with two dresses (the other one will be here soon). But it was a bargain, discounted from £85 to a mere £20, so who wouldn't be tempted? It's a bit too short for me and I don't feel very confident in it as I don't really like showing off my legs, which I'm definitely not proud of. However, nice silk, beautiful colours and the pattern made me fall in love with this dress.

The pumps are vintage Salvatore Ferragamo, which I bought last spring in a vintage section of a cult London store Topshop. Leather is in three hues of dark blue and the shoes are very comfortable. The lady who owned them before me hasn’t worn them much as they were in a mint condition (not so much anymore). As far as I have problems with buying vintage clothes (I'm just 1,56cm and size XS-S and there are not many clothes that would fit) vintage shoes are a heaven for me! I have quite narrow feet in comparison with a standard British woman of the 21. century and wear a size 3-3.5 (that's European 36) and I guess a few decades ago women generally had smaller feet since I can easily find shoes that would fit me perfectly. The only problem really is the degree of damage of an item. I know a few stores in London where there are rows and rows of vintage shoes sorted by colours and one can easily spend ages trying everything on. I definitely have to go for shoe shopping soon, just by thinking about it I'm tempting myself :)

The painting is "Portrait of a young man" by Andrea del Sarto and the place is the Hotel Russell at Russell Square in Bloomsbury, surely one of the most beautiful and atmospheric hotel I've ever seen.

Dress - French Connection

Tights - Marks & Spencer

Shoes - vintage Salvatore Ferragamo

Spring is coming

So this is my first post. Inspired by many bloggers and the contents of their fabulous wardrobes I decided to show some of my clothes and accessories that I really like and that constitute my style. At the same time I want to present one painting, which enchants me, at a time and a sample of my city - London.
This time the painting is "The Dancer" by Gustav Klimt and a place is one of the stalls of Camden Passage, a great antiques market in my neighbourhood, where you can find vintage clothes, toys, furniture, books, accessories etc.

Jacket - Topshop
Skirt - Gap
Ballerinas - Zara
Shawl - a gift from my boyfriend, bought in Israel
Tights - H&M
Bag - Portobello Market