Get your Grunge on!

I have mixed feelings whenever a street-born rebellious style such as grunge is picked up by mainstream fashion. On the one hand it defeats the whole purpose, by handing a style that was born out of pure emotion, freedom, refusal  to play by the rules, in essence a middle finger shown to the whole consumerist society, over to that same society - the usual yuppies and fashion victims, who wear whatever designers and magazines, and now also bloggers, deem chic and trendy. And let`s be fair, all the popular bloggers and fashion journalists I`ve read easily change from stilettos into sneakers - as long as the god of fashion commands them so, and would only praise Kurt Cobain for his fashion contributions, while counting days till the next album of Lady Gaga. There are no big ideas and no commitments behind their fashion choices.

So why should they be allowed to parade around dressed as punks and rockers? Well, there is at least one reason - it allows the rest of us, rockers and grungers at heart to wear these same clothes without looking like crazed teenagers, homeless or somehow dangerous elements. We can blend in, yet remain ourselves, true to the spirit. So let those designer kids play, in the end we`ll have much more fun than them with those same outfits.

And to sum it up, let`s recall what grunge is all about! In a sense it`s a combination of elements that cannot be combined, of wearing the unwearable. It`s a bit rock-n-roll, bit hippy, bit teenage rebel and every bit whatever you feel like wearing at a given moment in time.

 Nevertheless it has some ultimate elements: checkered shirts and ripped jeans (and any other ripped garments for that matter), band tees and sweatshirts, chunky boots and army jackets, light floral dresses and frilly skirts, hats and boyfriend beanies. And of course a pair goggle shades and wild messy hairstyle will suit perfectly to complete just about any grunge ensemble. Just take it all and mix, shake it well, and see what happens... Set your teen spirit free (if you`ve still got it in you anyway)!

Freaks and Troopers

Recently re-watching "Freaks and Geeks" (and yes I do believe it to be one of the best TV-shows ever and one to be most unjustly cancelled so early on), I realized that the main character Lindsay Weir`s look became significantly cooler than it was when I watched the show for the first time few years back. Why, she`s a clean-cut modern day fashionista! Her father`s old military jacket that hangs loose around her skinny shape and makes her look all freaky is one of the hottest must-haves of the season and apparently the next one too.

Who knew that the military trend that got hot several years ago wouldn't die as suddenly as it returned, but instead would grow far and wide until it blew out  of proportion. Khaki and camouflage-colored thick shirts and jackets dominate then stores, along with tops, pants, dresses and bags - all paying tribute to the military fashion. All that put together makes a gal look like a new recruit in an ill-fitted army suit, or, in worst case - a hobo.

As much as I`m a fan of tomboy style, I don`t believe that a hobo look is ever a good choice or has anything to do with good taste. And believe me, I tried. Seeing Lindsay Weir in the show inspired me to give the overhyped hobo jacket another chance. I went to my favorite stores and tried some of them on and result was the same - I just don't see it. But relax, I`m not really trying to kill the buzz for you - if you do enjoy the grunge army look, totally go for it. Just please, pair it with skinny jeans and converse, not baggy army pants and chunky boots with spikes - unless you`re indeed going to fight a war or joining a neighborhood gang. 

Though, I must confess, my rant about aggressive fashion trend with all those military outfits, spikes and leather has become too mainstream, and the true freaks (to which I do refer myself in some sense) can no longer wear any of that with pride. So I can`t help waiting for the day when the fashion world switches its focus to something else, and give all those cool attributes back to the wild kids.

Pajama party

Today is one of these autumn days that make you finally realize and feel in your bones – summer is over. It takes much longer to depart from Greece than some other places but it still inevitably succumbs to the conquering march of autumn. Just the other day you could still prance about in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and today I was freezing while hanging the laundry out to dry on the balcony, wearing leggings, a denim shirt and socks. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy it in many ways – I love watching the turbulent skies, thick clouds floating across it and the dark red sunset. But I enjoy it even more when I don’t really need to go anywhere on such a day – like today. In that case the best thing to do is get cosy on the bed or on the sofa, wearing a soft and warm pajamas, heating my hands on a hot cup of coffee or tea, and thinking of cooking some hearty warm-up meal like a tomato cream soup or a stew of ochre and meat. So that’s pretty much what I did – minus the cooking, since it would have required a trip to a supermarket (lazy, lazy me).

Speaking of pajamas, I have lived without one all year in Greece – yes I will certainly miss its warm climate – but now that I’m moving, I will most certainly need one. And it so happens that just today I spied the October lookbook of nightwear by OYSHO – I’ve always admired this brand’s boxer-shorts for girls and other pieces for causal home wear. But never went further than buying some underwear and a top from them. So I guess now the time has come to pick out one of Oysho’s pajamas.

And to complete the perfectly cosy outfit – I might go with this pair of boot-slippers by H&M.

Emma Watson – a style icon in the making?

The decision to write this post came suddenly. Honestly, I was busy writing a long post on a very different topic, and then I saw this.

This pic from a cover shoot for November issue of ELLE UK just stopped me in my tracks. I simply had do (write) something about it. So here’s it is.

First of all I’d like to point out that I’m no model idolizer or even admirer. I guess I never believed that posing for photographs requires an exceptional talent and to admire people I require them to be exceptional at something. Like any fashion blogger I naturally do have my favorites, for instance Kate Moss and Freja Beha Erichsen, but I mostly like them for their personal style and the image they embody – that cool, confident, rock-n-roll, no-nonsense look.

Generally I tend to think of models as girls who were kind of spoilt by too much money and too much attention too early, and working in the kind of business that requires but little brainwork. I know there are exceptions, but most models I ever heard speak weren’t great at expressing themselves and I still remember reading an interview in Russian Vogue with a Russian model – then just breaking out, now a major superstar – and how plain stupid she sounded. That’s off topic however, I’m not here to discuss model intelligence. What I meant to say is that I just added another to a my very select list of favorite models. Not so much models really, but girls who, I believe, will have an impact on style and lifestyle of theur generation. I have been watching with interest Emma Watson’s photo shoots for the last year or so, and this most recent bunny-eared image was the final drop. I give up, I’m conquered!

Of course my judgment here may well be influenced by the fact that I know Emma to be much more than just a model. I did see all of the Harry Potter movies, though I wouldn’t call myself a full-blown fan (I’ve seriously enjoyed the last several books of the series however), and I’ve watched her grow. Her acting improved with age and every new film, and soon we'll see her first grownup performance in “One Week With Marilyn.” Plus Emma is well known to be a brainiac and very dedicated scholar – much like her famous character, and her intelligent interviews serve as evidence.

However Emma’s turn as a model have gotten serious just recently. One day she was just that cute clumsy teen from HP, and suddenly she was in the Burberry campaign. And then, to everyone’s surprise, she reinvented her style image in one blow by chopping off those pretty princess locks. Her brand new sexy-meets- tomboy look, along with many photo shoots that followed – much more daring and versatile than before, suddenly turned her into a valid presence in the fashion world.

Since then with every next shoot Emma seems to grow and become more and more convincingly model-like. I really tend to avoid loud and flash like “icon,” but if 2010’s were to have one, I’d rather it was someone smart, talented and multi-faceted like Emma. Anyway, just have a look at the images from various shoots in ELLE, VOGUE, i-D Magazine, CLASH, SEVENTEEN and others, and tell me she’s not the one to watch. And very closely too!

Fall must-have list

Apparently the hardest part of the moving (see previous post) is over and I’m currently somewhat caught in between two lives – the one I had in Greece and the one I will have in this new place where I’m headed in less than two weeks. Having given up my flat in Athens I’m now chilling out at a hospitable home of my friends, with my bags stashed in every corner of the room. In the meantime September came to an end but I still made but a few (very few) seasonal purchases. What can you do, moving sometimes involves unexpected expenses plus I already have too much to ship and carry with me as it is, so it only makes sense to do all the shopping in the new place. Also, I’m moving into a very different climate and wardrobe will have to be adjusted accordingly. Either way I have a pretty good idea regarding the things I certainly cannot do without this season – some of them I already own, others are to be obtained “ as soon as.”

1. Leather biker jacket

Looks like the studded black leather jacket which I got two years ago at Zara was a very smart investment indeed. Surely I wouldn’t mind having this one from Balmain as well, but, apart from being unaffordable to me, it’s also a bit too flashy while mine suits any occasion and goes with everything.

2. Mustard Yellow

Completely in love with mustard yellow this fall. And since I don’t own a single piece in this color yet, I need a splash of this in my life ASAP! A sweater or a cardigan for starters, probably tights too and maybe even a bag.

3. Leather pants

A definite must-have for a sleek rock-chick look that's so IN this season and has been a favorite of mine for years. Of course a pair of genuine leather pants of good quality (any other kind would inevitably stretch in all the wrong places and fast) would be pricy, but lucky for me H&M made a perfect alternative this fall - pants/treggings of faux leather with black elastane stripes running down the outer sides of legs. I wasted no time in getting my pair – I sense that H&M would quickly run out of them, at least in the popular sizes.

4. Long-sleeve shirts

Certainly shirts never go out of fashion, but with the whole androgyny trend now growing stronger every day, they really took center stage. To such an extent that even I, who never seemed to like myself in shirts before, gave in and added a denim number to my wardrobe still back in spring, and most recently a semi-silk champagne colored shirt that I snatched at Zara’s summer sale.

5. Kohl & Eyeliner

Sixties look is making a major comeback right now and what says “sixities” better than generously lined eyes and super long eyelashes? I’ve been an eyeliner fan for a while now, and with black kohl and black feltpen-eyeliner lying ready in my makeup bag, I’m anxious to experiment with even bolder lines this fall – at least for my evening look.

6. Lace boots

When moving to Greece I didn’t bother bringing more than a single pair of boots with me – it may have been a bit of an oversight, but I was already paying a lot for extra kilos in my luggage, and shoes are the heaviest part of the whole thing. So now that I’m going to live in a climate where boots are not just a fashion statement but also a necessity, I’m simply lusting over a pair of boots such as these. It’s practically urgent!

7. Boyfriend Jeans

I’ve been wearing ONLY skinny jeans for the past few years, always feeling that any other kind of pants made me look big. Well, I think now I’m finally ready to try on a grungier look, inspired by fall collections of Paul Smith and DSquared. Plus boyfriend jeans are a key element for cool urban layering that I’m so into this season.

8. Dramatic nail polish

The trend for bright, statement nails is clearly here to stay, however the neon shades that were so hot last spring/summer are now giving way to darker, deeper, more dramatic colors. Which means it’s time to expand my nail polish collection. Black appears to be the hit of the season, but I find it way too goth – dark blue, green and red is the way to go for me.

Moving house, moving countries

Yep, this is really happening. I’ve been in Greece only for a year and already have to move on. Whatchagonnado… Unfortunately the Greek job market situation is currently very unfavorable (to put it mildly), especially for young professionals who wish to earn their worth and be able grow, let alone the ones who barely speak any Greek (like myself) while actually dealing in the language business. What can I say, Greek isn’t easy and while I could surely learn to speak it tolerably, I certainly could never write in it, thus my job options as a writer here would always be limited. Anyway, new country – new start and I have a really good feeling about this one. As for what particular place I’m talking about, let me tell you when I get there;)

In the meantime I’m facing a pretty difficult task of moving house. I’ve done it once before (when I left for Greece), but then I was leaving my very own apartment, which means I could leave behind whatever I couldn’t take with me. The current situation is quite the opposite.

It’s most amazing how much stuff gets accumulated in the apartment after just one year! Especially if two people are contributing. And the necessity to remove all of that out of the apartment without simply tossing it in the trash is honestly overwhelming. First of all I need to sell my sofa, bed, fridge and washing machine. To be honest I find it decidedly annoying that Greeks only want to rent empty apartments, instead of furnished ones, which makes the moving so much tougher. By now I’m ready to shout from the window: “Guys, buy my stuff already!” because I kinda have to move out in two weeks… Another big task, besides selling, is sending all the remaining stuff (which no way can fit in plane luggage) over to where I’m headed. That’s why I spent today hunting down empty carton boxes next to supermarkets in the area – to pack up everything and get an accurate estimate of the shipment cost. But from the info I’ve collected already it sure isn’t going to be cheap either way. And finally I need to pass all the stuff that’s too inexpensive to actually sell as used items (like an iron, a blender and other kitchen stuff) into good hands.

Speaking of “good hands,” I’ve got two issues of British Vogue (December 2010 and March 2011) and three of French Vogue (March, July and August 2011) and also a bunch of Empires, and I as much as I love them, I just can’t afford adding some heavy magazines to my big pile of stuff. So, if any of you Athens girls and boys wishes to claim them, let me know! It’s an unconditional giveaway!

In the meantime I’ll continue daily digging myself out of the mess that my apartment is now, and sorting things in bags and boxes and dealing with other issues … and sleeping on the couch as if I’m just crashing here temporarily – that’s what it feels like these days anyway.

And one last thing. Permit me Athens girls and boys to ask you a favor. In case you’re looking to buy a washing machine, a bed or a sofa, or in case you know someone who does, be so kind as to check out the links  below. I’m sure we could come up with some mutually beneficial bargains. And, naturally, I would highly appreciate any advice in this matter. Help the poor foreigner, please!

http://www.xe.gr/epipla/kanapedes-salonioy-trapezarias%7Cad-5681166.html

http://www.xe.gr/spiti-kipos/plyntiria-royxon%7Cad-5680972.html

http://www.xe.gr/epipla/krevatia%7Cad-5882881.html

Coolest style choice for autumn: Tough urban gal

First of all, hello all, I’m back! I know I was absent for quite some time, well over a month in fact, so that the whole blog grew lonely and desolate, and virtually covered in dust. Well, let say I took a long summer break and now I’m back with fresh ideas, ready to make something new and cool with the the Lifestyle Geek. And what better way there is to return to blogging and revive your fashion inspiration than going through fall/winter fashion collections! After all it’s September, which means time for style changes and fashion experiments.

Actually here in Athens it’s still very summery – 30 degrees during day on average – so I’m stuck wearing summer clothes for some time longer. But I surely know what I’d love to be wearing once summer’s over or once I move to a very different climate (more on that in the next post). My top style of choice for this season is Tough Urban Gal – or at least that’s how I chose to call her. Her various interpretations can be found in the fall/winter 2011-12 collections of numerous designers who celebrate the boyish unisex look this season, mixing masculinity with powerful sex appeal and glamour. Now I’ve got all the inspiration I need to unleash my inner tomboy – not that it was ever well hidden for that matter, but it’s been awhile since being one was so very fashionable. 

Paul SmithThose are some of my favorite catwalk looks – college boy after a sex change or something like it. Sleek layering, great shoes and messed up hair – love it.

ChanelThis season Chanel’s classy girls are boldly invading the gentlemen territory – surely the label’s namesake lady herself would be delighted with this fashionable emancipation.

Diesel Black Gold

Dsquared2

The first time I saw this collection back in spring, I thought the ladies looked like they just walked off the set of “True Grit” – the Coens’ latest western epic. Of course it was not customary for girls to dress like that in those wild west times – luckily now we do whatever we want! 

Dolce & Gabbana

Balmain

Along with Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain offers a very glamorous take on the Tough Urban Chic. And more messed up hairdos which add the perfect final touch to the free-spirited look.

DKNY

Aquascutum

Orange, rust and mustard yellow reign in the color palette this fall and since they are also my own favorites (also warm colors always look good on me), I will be more than happy to include more items in those colors to my autumn style set.