Month: July 2015

Checkers on the bridge

/ Polina / Leave a comment

The checkered shorts suit was an unexpected surprise. It had an interesting fit but looked a bit too monochrome for my taste. Being an optimist, I decided to give it a try regardless. Turns out that despite its subtlety, it came packed with color: yellow stripes on the pattern and light blue accents on the sleeves – lots to play with! Burgundy accessories offset the busy pattern quite nicely and added another color to the palette.

Have a colorful week everyone and remember that sometimes it’s the subtle and understated things that will surprise you the most!

Photo credit: Yuliya Ryvkina Photography

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Snow White

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I love maxi dresses for the summer. Though I have to add that being 5’10 and all most of the maxi dresses only go down to my ankle. Who cares, right? A little extra leg doesn’t hurt. Pleated maxis are the easiest to wear, they don’t wrinkle and just extremely comfortable. This white number is so refreshing and easy. I can be dressed up and down in so many different ways. I love versatility in clothing, if I can imagine at least 3 outfits with the new wardrobe item, then it’s something I consider an investment.

White might not be the easiest color to keep clean (I, for sure, have no idea how to do it) but it’s the freshest and the most striking color in the summer. In today’s look I paired up white dress with black accessories for a little bit more edgier feel, but I can’t wait to pair this dress with nude, gold, and red.

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Maxi Elegance

/ Polina / 2 Comments

Floral maxi dresses are demanding things! They require a proper occasion, just the right kind of accessories and, most of all, they require movement. And guess what happens when you don’t satisfy the requirements – you end up with a granny dress instead of a hot trendy number you were hoping for. So what’s the secret? Take these floral creatures outside, they make rather ostentatious impression, and appear out of place at indoor events. Leave them at home early in the morning or late at night as they will look too dressy before noon or too frivolous at formal gatherings. Late afternoon is really their golden hour, that’s when your dress will shine in its most romantic light.

When picking accessories, don’t try to overpower the pattern by introducing additional colors or complex textures. The dress won’t leave a chance to the competition and will destroy the whole look. Instead, stick to the colors of the dress itself, play off of its natural beauty and try to enhance it. Note how my shoes, bag, sunglasses and even ring all have a complementary color on the dress.

Is a floral maxi wonder a lot of work? Absolutely! Is it worth it? Only you can make the decision; and when all the elements align properly, the result can be rather breathtaking and is guaranteed to turn heads…

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Sea Life in the City

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I promise you, I am not into mermaids or other mythical and living sea creatures. Although, I did dress as Ursula the Sea Witch last Halloween, but that’s not the point… The point is that I wasn’t intentionally pulling a “sea” outfit together, it just happened. Maybe it was my inner sea creature calling out or maybe I just need a vacation by the ocean shore – I do like the latter idea much better! In any case, it is hard to deny that these clothes put together make me think of a massive body of water and seaweed floating in the current with scarce sun rays fighting their way through the blue depths…

Thanks to Yuliya Ryvkina Photography for catching and releasing the light.

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French Stripes

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Striped shirt is one of the true wardrobe staples. I believe most girls I know have some kind of variation of a striped shirt.

History fact: Stripy pattern was originally part of sailor’s uniform in France and was called Breton shirt. “Breton” stands for Brittany. A shirt displayed 21 stripes for each one of Napoleon’s victories against British.

Breton striped shirts became popular after Coco Chanel used it in her nautical line in 1917. The original collection consisted  of the stripy shirt worn with flared trousers in navy and white. That combination is still very popular today.

I took a bit more romantic approach to the Breton shirt by combining it with pleated A-line full skirt in teal, statement pearl necklace, and nude pumps. Red lipstick and orange nail polish completed the look. The look is very Parisian, effortless, and very easy to wear. Do you have your favorite Breton shirt combinations?

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Edgy Black and Luscious Purple

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Every woman has various sides to her – a sweet girl, elegant lady, rocker chick… Sometimes these traits are hidden, sometimes they come out to play. Sometimes you show your other “selves” to the world and sometimes you are the only one seeing them. Women are mysterious creatures and most of us like to shake things up now and then and surprise people around us. Clothes are a great, maybe the best, way to make you feel comfortable in your own skin or experiment with new things. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to keep it balanced. Any outfit can look stylish as long as you don’t overdo it. Always remember Coco Chanel, who said: “Fashion is architecture. It is a matter of proportions.”

Special thanks to Yuliya Ryvkina Photography for capturing the mood so perfectly!

Have a stylish weekend!

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Turquoise Summer Day

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Summer feels so GOOD! And the best color for the summer is definitely turquoise :).  This color is associated with freshness, love, joy, and femininity. It’s not quite blue and not quite green. The dress I’m wearing is not a splurge but the color gives it this perfect summer vibe. Paired with brown suede sandals with a chunky heel it’s a great and easy look for either day or night.

Enjoy your summer!!!!

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Floral patterns at work

/ Polina / 2 Comments

I noticed that whenever I receive a compliment on an outfit, it is mostly when I’m wearing something unexpected. People, in general, notice things that are outside of their perception of “normality”. The same reason why everyone notices a red dress at a party – it is bright and shakes up your senses.

Same works for unexpected patterns or even clothes worn outside of their intended venue. Now, you have to be extra careful with that because a ballroom gown in the grocery store will definitely draw attention but it’s also guaranteed to get you a lot of weird glances. Playing the “slightly off” game, however, could be super-fun and grant you the right kinds of “whoa”.

Floral patterns are slowly making an entrance into the corporate world. But majority of women still reserve flowery dresses for a more casual weekend wear. The olive dress I found recently successfully breaches this gap, in my opinion. The color is neutral enough without being boring, and it could easily be paired with almost any color jacket. I, obviously, go with the bright choice 🙂

Have a colorful week everyone!
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Top Five Favorite Pink Lipsticks

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lips

Pink is a new red! Every girls needs to have a perfect pink lipstick, whether it’s your lips but better pink, Barbie pink, or bright fuchsia shiny color. Below are some of my favorites:

1. Givenchy Le Rouge Couture Edition, in shade N205 – this lipstick is a work of art in its couture-inspired floral print leather case. Formula is very rich, moisturizing semi-matte. The color is a vibrant shade of fuchsia so perfect for summer. Beautiful case can be used with any other Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick.

2. Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in shade 138 Fougueuse. The formula is hydrating and long wearing with satin finish. It’s really quite comfortable and has a variety of great shades (I own 6 colors in this formula (guilty smile)). Color is bright pink with cool undertones, not quite Barbie color, more like every day brightening shade –very much Chanel.

3. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick in shade 6-Pink in Devotion. Formula is extremely comfortable, buttery soft, and moisturizing. It has glossy finish and basically a lipstick and lip gloss in one. Color is described as bright hibiscus pink, it’s bright but very flattering pink on variety of skin tones.

4. Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Sheer Candy in shade 4-Succulent Pomegranate. The formula is very close to lip balm with glossy finish. Color is sheer bright pink with red undertones. It’s a great option for people who are afraid of color as its very sheet and only gives a hint of brightness.

5. Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Sheer Candy in shade 15-Rose Candy. Same formula as above. Color is medium sheer pink, sort of your lips but better color with a bit of youthful pinkness.

A Bit of New York…

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Few weeks ago I went to New York city. The city has so much energy and it really never sleeps. I don’t think I would want to live here but it’s an awesome city to visit with endless things to do. Art galleries, shopping, busy streets, people watching, great food-it really has it all.

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