Which dresses will we see at the Oscars this year?

One of my favorite nights of the year is not New Year’s Eve or Christmas Eve. No, it’s the night of the Oscars. Starting with a month of watching the nominated movies (or at least half of them), the emotions build up until it’s time for the red carpet. The glamour of Hollywood comes together tonight, and I have decided to make a list of all the dresses that I think will be part of the event.

I have chosen only dresses from the Paris Haute Couture shows of this season. A lot of actresses will opt for a vintage outfit or something custom made. All the muses of the famous maison de couture will probably have something specially made for this magical evening. One thing is certain – Lady Gaga will be stunning in Gucci. It’s a shame that she didn’t get a nomination.

The Classics

I consider myself a big fan of Dior, but this year’s Haute Couture collection isn’t screaming “red carpet”. We have a lot of pantsuits, which sometimes make an appearance, but I wouldn’t count on it this year. At least not a Dior pantsuit.

The Oscars should be a joyous occasion and I find black to me to somber for it. However, we have previously seen some amazing dresses. My favorite is this one that Reese Witherspoon wore in 2011. Here is a Dior version that is somewhat plain, but I couldn’t create my Pinterest board without at least one black Dior dress.

Christian Dior Spring 2022 Couture

Then there is the typical Dior dress that we have seen a million times. I can definitely see Anja Taylor-Joy wearing something like that.

Christian Dior Spring 2022 Couture

And this looks like someone robed the costume design department of Dune.

Christian Dior Spring 2022 Couture

If you ask me, Chanel never delivered outfits worthy of the red carpet. The whole Couture collection looked more like a bunch of work outfits for the official return to the office. Of course, there were dresses with flowers, the iconic jackets and so on. Let’s see who will be looking like a nun in this one.

Chanel Spring 2022 Couture

We are in dire need of something dramatic and Valentino is here to deliver.

Valentino Spring 2022 Couture

Another trend that the designers translated from the RTW collections, is the mini dress. Valentino succeeded in combining the old Hollywood with the new trends and this is the magical result.

Valentino Spring 2022 Couture

The Princess Gowns

I hope to see classic gowns from Alexis Mabille. A relatively new name on the Haute Couture scene, his first collection was in 2008. He’s not really someone I would spontaneously think of, when imagining a red carpet dress, but his creations are very beautiful and elegant. Sadly, the colors don’t fit my skin color and I would never be able to wear them.

Alexis Mabille Spring 2022 Couture

An absolute dream are the dresses of Zuhair Murad. I’m a big romantic and I have noticed his creation a couple of years before they became a regular on the red carpet events. I have selected just a few, but honestly each one of them deserves to be in the spotlight.

Since we’re going back to the trends from the 00s, this two-piece or a variation of it will definitely have its moment.

Zuhair Murad Spring 2022 Couture

I particularly like the fact that Mr. Murad includes so many colors in each collection, so that everyone can find something special that suits their taste.

We cannot miss the couturier Elie Saab when we are talking about gowns. Full-skirted silhouettes sparkle in all kinds of colors in his last collection. One of my personal favorites are the ones that use a nude material but have joyous splashes of yellow and pink, like the one bellow.

Elie Saab Spring 2022 Couture

The Bold Ones

Overall, Azzaro’s collection was very shiny and in metallic shades of grey. I chose this dress as representative for the collection because I think it’s the perfect look for the Oscar nominated Olivia Coleman.

Azzaro Spring 2022 Couture

Another collection with metallic accents is the one of Alexandre Vauthier. This dress screams old Hollywood glam but at the same time has a modern twist.

Alexandre Vauthier Spring 2022 Couture

I’m here for the velvet dresses as well.

Alexandre Vauthier Spring 2022 Couture

Let’s hope that we’ll see a lot of sparks tonight.

The Wild Details

Giambattista Valli showed a lot of dramatic dresses on the podium. Flowers, big bows, and feathers are the details that we see the most. I’m curious if someone will wear this iconic dress:

Giambattista Valli Spring 2022 Couture

An element that we need to see is a corset put in focus. A very interesting version of a corset could be found in the collection of Jean Paul Gaultier. It’s not exactly red carpet material, but I like the juxtaposition between the deconstructed lace and the velvet floor-length skirt.

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2022 Couture

And this look reminds me of the episode of The Big Band Theory where Sheldon decided to dress up like the Doppler effect for Halloween.

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2022 Couture

We all know that it will be a fabulous event. The color palette will include a lot of white and nude tones, splashes of hot pink here and there, the classic black as usual (especially for the ones that don’t want to take a risk), a lot of metallic and silver. To check out all the dresses I have chosen, check out my Pinterest board. All the photos can be found at vogue.com. Have a wonderful time tonight and I hope that your favorite movies win some awards!

Inside the Mugler exhibition in Paris

I went on a 2 day trip to Paris and was lucky enough to catch an exhibition in MAD dedicated to the French couturier Manfred Thierry Mugler. I didn’t know a lot about the personal life and interests of the designer and could only distinguish his RTW by the special geometrical shapes that are typical for him. An afternoon at the museum of arts décoratifs gave me some insights that made me appreciate his work a lot more.

Ballet influence and Fashion made for the Stage

Before becoming a designer, Mugler was a ballet dancer at the Rhin Opera. This interest of his played a big part in his later work. Since I danced ballet for 10 years, this fact made me feel closer to his world.

Mugler considered the clothes as an essential part of the individual – a way of staging one’s everyday life and making it more beautiful, more fun and more creative. Fashion enabled him to express his vision through a mix of fabric, lighting and music. For the soundtrack of his runway Mugler created an eclectic mix of sounds comprising Nitican chants, Egyptian songs, combined with the sounds of water, metal and laughter, as well as classical music like Beethoven, Verdi or Wagner.

How to notice a Mugler silhouette

The first collection of Mugler was in 1973, when he is only 25. In the golden age of hippie fashion trends like flowers and ethnic looks, the silhouettes of Mugler were almost alien like. All garments were unconventional in the body conscious cuts that underlined the femininity of the models. It was a big contrast with the wide hippie dresses. Mugler was also fascinated by architecture and a lot of his clothes have a very specific shapes. Oversized hats, extra-broad shoulders, well fitted gowns and jackets, wasp waist, revealing cleavage (front and back), tall boots, sharp stilettos – these are some of the typical marks of Mugler’s designs.

Futuristic influence in the 80s

The aerodynamic and robot-style looks invented by Mugler are now iconic. Following the new wave in science fiction (60s and 70s) the designer took a new direction. He mixed the traditional medieval armour with futuristic designs. Some of his looks could be easily used as the uniform of the newest DC movie.

An interesting and unusual approach is when he created an homage to a car designer and the result was a lot of corsets in the form of a tailgate.

Magnificent animals and breathtaking beasts

Going back to the stage of life, Mugler reinvented the human body by giving it a beastly taste. With time the designer got more exotic, used different types of fabrics. His inspiration came from the animal world and more specifically from reptiles, insects, butterflies. The interesting part is that he didn’t use the obvious choice of feathers, fur and leather but mimicked nature by creating optical illusions.

In the late 90s Mugler was on top of his fame with two very special collections. The most famous look of Les insects is the one with a black velvet trail and colourful butterfly wings. The most iconic design of La Chimère represented a mythical creature with reptile like bodysuit. The whole dress is embellished with crystals, rhinestones, feathers and horsehair. The creation of this masterpiece required thousands of hours of work in the atelier but it was worth it. While standing in front of it, one can really see the genius of Mugler. A picture may be worth a 1000 words but it is still too weak to describe this masterpiece.

A Star is Born

Before he got famous, Mugler was so poor that he had to sleep on park benches. What can one do, while lying on a bench at night? Well, contemplate stars of course! The designer later says about a particular star in the night sky: “I felt that it was following me, guiding me, that it was my guardian angel, and old myself there must be something better that was going to happen for me. The star came to me.” I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of the sweet aroma of the perfume, but after reading this story I understood why it was so important to him. Five years after starting his brand, Mugler was already experimenting with scents but it took him some time before finding the right balance between tradition and innovation. The new creation started a whole new category of what are called “gourmand” fragrances.

A day at the Opera

The next stop on my to-do list in Paris is the magnificent Opera House. During the last couple of weeks, I was trying to do more of the interesting stuff that every tourist does but also to discover the hidden gems of the city. This one, I admit, is rather an obvious choice. The Opera House triumphs in the middle of a big square, always busy with cars, buses, and numerous pedestrians.

Recently, I watched a vlog about an unusual invention that was meant to be placed amid this cacophony. Since Parisians were very against a subway, one navy captain decided that traveling in the air would be a more logical choice of transportation. I’m not talking about air balloons or flying cars but about ships. These ships would have navigated from one lamppost to another so that all the passengers could still admire the Opera and everything else around them. I’m not making stuff up; you could check out this video and learn all about the project and why they built a subway after all.

So, after watching this I was compelled to come and give a closer look at the Opera. I was happy to discover that I was one of the few who decided to spend their afternoon here. The Opera is closed during the summer which means that there are no performances in the evening.

The visitors enter through a door on the side of the building but one could still climb the main stairs. The ceiling reveals Olympus with all the Greek gods. Even though it’s the middle of the day, the building is quite dark and the only light comes from the chandeliers. There is certainly a magical feeling that starts to envelop me.

On the second floor, there is a big room where the gentlemen were having their cigars during the intermission. Entering this room is like entering Versaille. All the golden ornaments and paintings are simply breathtaking. I love the castle outside of Paris and I never knew that I could catch a glimpse of the same luxury so close to my home.

Another thing that I hadn’t noticed even though I take a picture of this place every time I walk by it is that the balcony is open for visits. Looking from above is not so eventful as one may think because you see only cars, cars and more cars.

I would also like to mention the two identical rooms that symbolized the sun and the moon and the little library in the left-wing of the Opera. These little elements are an enchanting part of the House. The stage is kept off-limits for everyone that didn’t buy a ticket for the evening entertainment.

For this cultural visit, I chose to wear a simple navy blue and white dress. The French are famous for their preference for stripes and I have to admit that it grew on me. To give the whole outfit a structure, I always put a belt so that the dress is not shapeless.

Thus ends the little walk in one of the nicest buildings in the middle of the capitol.

Being nice is not that hard

Something really extraordinary happened yesterday. After I left my little note to my neighbors, I didn’t expect a reaction. My guess was that the guy with the magazine idea would contribute to mine out of solidarity. Boy, I was wrong.

What happened with my note?

Later that day, someone rang my door. Being in a lockdown for the past 6 weeks, this is an extremely big event. I cautiously opened and one meter from me a mother and her daughter were standing on the staircase. The little girl was as shy as I am and was hiding behind her mother. The woman asked me if I left the note and I stuttered a “yes”. She then reached out and gave me a whole bag with books and a note. She smiled and told me that there is a lot more where that came from. I had no words to express how touched I was at this moment.

I love these small gestures between strangers. I regret that I didn’t reach out sooner and plan to return the kindness. I’m thinking about baking banana bread and leaving it in front of their door. I’ll see if something else pops in my mind and in the meantime I have a lot of books to occupy me.

Books I read in the last months

In the last couple of months, I was focused on reading classic French literature to better dive into the atmosphere of the city. A lot of stories are written about Paris or take place in its streets. One of my personal favorites is Patrick Modiano. His melancholic writing style speaks to my soul like not so many other authors. He often addresses the topic of identity and what exactly makes us who we are. A lot of his characters are wandering the busy streets of this city and feel like they are alone. They usually are in a quest of searching part of their past that makes them utterly unhappy and incomplete. The books never finish with a happy ending because we never truly find ourselves.

Another book that I have recently read and loved was not from a French author but was still written in this type of “searching for the meaning of life” style that I relate to. “Twenty-Four hours in the life of a woman” shares the curious fact that one little event in our life can completely change us forever. Other than the magical story, I always take pleasure in reading a book about a place where I have been. This love story happens at Côte d’Azur.

While I was studying in Nice, my friends and I often took the bus and traveled to the cities nearby. My personal favorite was Monaco. The tall buildings, the yachts, the unusual town shape. Pure magic. I miss it a lot. The year 2016 was one of the best years of my life.

Before I can continue to enjoy my new books, I’ll be preparing a beloved Bulgarian dish for diner. I just bought all the ingredients and will do my best for I have never cooked this before and my reputation amongst my friends is not as the best cook in the world.

Day 45

In France, it is well known that the 1st of May is not only Labor Day but also a celebration of the flower Lily of the Valley. This tiny little flower with its white petals symbolizes the coming of spring.

My personal association with this flower is that it was one of the “porte-bonheur” or lucky charms of Mr. Christian Dior. It’s said that he sewed it to every costume that he wore. I myself am somewhat superstitious and agree with the French couturier that a herbarium may bring some color to our everyday.

For me, spring is a season for fresh flowers. I love having them around the house at all times. I love bouquets with seasonal tulips, azaleas, peonies, carnations, lilies. I’m not that good with flowers in a pot. My last “victim” was my little Christmas tree. It survived a month before I forgot to water it. Of course, three weeks later I remembered that there is another living thing in the apartment, besides my boyfriend and myself. My overcompensating nature decided to water it twice a week. To be honest, I’m not sure if it died of thirst or it drowned. Anyways, I mourned its death and decided against buying a pot in the near future.

The 1st of May also means that we successfully stayed isolated during lockdown for 45 days. I don’t know about you, but my Instafeed was full of cooking (mostly baking), yoga, or different types of HIIT exercises, people posing like they are doing their newly discovered hobbies. I applaud the influencers who tried to adapt fast and started from the beginning to post about our new reality. Those who stuck to their pre-Covid19 schedule were out of place and got publicly shamed. Like many others, I tried some of the trends du jour.

I started working from home a couple of days before the lockdown. I can easily say that I stay longer at work since I’m actually staying in my own living room. Without feeling the pressure that my train leaves 12 minutes after my workday is done, I can relax and finish the stuff I started. I find it liberating because now I rarely think about work after I turn off my computer. Usually, I continue to contemplate that one little task that I left unfinished, that one email that needed a reply.

Since I have 45 minutes more in the morning (the time I take my train to work), I started doing Pilates. I started baking more. I rearranged my apartment. I suddenly have more time to read. The thing that this exceptional situation taught me is a balanced routine that I would really love to keep after this ends. I don’t want to say that I like my life better, but I definitely needed some time to refocus my energy and reevaluate my time.

For I have recently moved to Paris, I slowly ran out of books to read. I had bought a couple from the lovely little “shops” next to the Seine. Today I got this idea. Well, it was not really “my” idea. A couple of months ago, one of my neighbors left a note saying that we can all exchange magazines after reading them. I need to specify that we have a small yard that one could not access from the street without having a key. So the plan was to leave our magazines in an unused mailbox accessible for everyone.

Today I wrote a little note asking my kind neighbors to share their favorite/least favorite books with me. I promised to take good care of them and return them in less than 2 weeks. I feel optimistic about the solidarity in our little community and am curious about the outcome of this experiment.

Château d’Auvers and other cultural events

Last weekend I got a visit from my sister and we decided to take a little trip to a castle outside of Paris. We were debating on Friday evening and we finally picked the Château d’Auvers-sur-Oise which is 1h30 from Paris. Since we are both interested in castles, we saw this visit as a great opportunity to have a walk in someone’s chambers and admire the interior design of the XVII century.

Château d’Auvers-sur-Oise

We arrived at the castle which was rather small. We were thinking of spending at least the same amount of time as our journey to this place. I was still an optimist and suggested a walk in the park that was advertised on the website. My first disappointment was when they told us that the whole place is renovated and there are some art installations showing us works from the Impressionism. If I wanted to watch a documentary, I would have stayed home. My sister was in a good mood and cheered me up but I still have more or less negative feelings about the castle.

The art installations were mostly big screens that displayed the above-mentioned docu movie. It was somewhat interesting but looking and pictures of the painting are not nearly as satisfying as seeing the real deal. I was impressed by 2 of the 8 rooms. One of them was a recreation of an artist atelier. I was preoccupied with taking pictures so I’m not sure whose atelier they recreated but I think it was Monet. Anyway, the impressionists preferred painting in nature, so this room was not that important.

The next room was also arranged in an interesting way. In comparison to the other rooms with simple flat screens, this one was more 3D and every small screen was painted in different colors which made the whole ambiance more interesting.

We then went to the garden which was as small as the castle. It was somewhat our fault that we made a poor choice. In the summer, one can enjoy the maze which is not a lot of fun during the winter when you can see through the branches.

The Brassens market

On Sunday we started the day with a book market. The Brassens market was originally a place where they butchered animals before selling the meat. Nowadays you can browse through some second-hand books and maybe find a treasure. I have lived in Nice and the market there was incredible. Every day of the week it had a different theme and books were one of them. This one was not so impressive although it’s named the most famous market for old books in Paris. It’s in the 15th arrondissements aka in the southwest of the city. To go there, one needs to ride the line 13 of the subway. I was unease the whole time because I have heard some bad things about it. It turned out not so criminal but I wouldn’t recommend this place if you like to display your gold jewelry and other expensive accessories.

Carnival de Paris

The 23rd of February was also the Carnival de Paris. It’s an annual event dating from the XVI century. People disguise and put masks on before starting a procession from the Père Lachaise Cemetery. The procession ended at Place de la Republique where everyone gathered and started celebrating the Carnival. Music and dancing in the streets is something that has always fascinated me and we walked next to the processions for some time so that we can check out all the participants.

Centre Pompidou

We ended our very cultural weekend in one of the museums with the longest working hours. Centre Pompidou is famous for its unusual modern architecture. The whole façade of the building is made out of pipes. The construction is very geometrical and pleasing for people who like Sheldon don’t like chaos.

The view of this building is breathtaking. There is a cute restaurant worth visiting especially during the summer. One can see all the important buildings from up here – the Eifel Tower, Sacre-Coeur, Notre-Dame. The pipes that can be seen on the façade are actually the escalators that take visitors up to the last floor.

The temporary collection was a mystic experience. I was happy that we did it after dark. It was like walking into a cemetery. Some rooms were full of black and white pictures of people from the beginning of the last century. One room was covered with white sheets that gave the illusion that ghosts were floating through it. In another one could observe rectangular objects covered with black sheets so it looked like coffins. Some light bulbs were hanging from the ceiling and those that were directly over a “coffin” were turned off. The whole exposition was accompanied by a quiet heartbeat as the music background.

Little Red Bars for a Valentine’s Date

Since the very early age of 15, I discovered what a pleasure cocktails are. So in the last decade, I mastered the art of “cocktail tasting” and bar hopping. Discovering the new best bar in my hometown become my kind of sport. Of course, I never drink more than two a night.

Arriving in Paris, I got the opportunity to taste a whole new palette of savors. In the city of love getting drunk is not that hard. I started by googling the top places to drink cocktails. Little did I know, but 2 of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world are here in Paris. Being a Virgo, I can’t wait to get to the bottom of this new list that I found.
Starting with number 36 – Little Red Door. My first guess is that the name is inspired by the tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. Who knows?

You could never accidentally stumble upon this bar. It’s one of those places that you have to know before coming here. The street is the most ordinary one in the city, the grey facade of the building is in the typical Parisian architecture, only a bright red door catches the eye. Don’t be scared if the door does not open when you push it. The actual way to enter is on the left. Sometimes a guy is standing in front of the bar, giving you riddles or asking for a password. There is no password other than being nice and having a sense of humor.

The bar is a very small, cozy place. If you’re a cocktail enthusiast like me, you would probably prefer the bar from where you can observe the whole process of making the BEST cocktails in the world. Sadly, I did not come alone and the group decides to sit on the comfy chairs. The quiet chaos in the furniture is very pleasing to the eye – it’s the exact amount of hipster that a millennial would need to feel in his element.

The waiter/waitresses are very helpful with tips if you’re overwhelmed with the menu. Once you come here, you’re hooked. The menu changes often and you can always discover a new flavor. The names of the cocktails are inspired by words in different languages, often with a definition that does not exist in any other language/culture. To be honest, I don’t recognise most of the ingredients as well.

After a very long discussion, we decide to choose 4 different cocktails that we will all try. Our final decision is this:

Madrugada (Spanish) – The late-night silence of the walk home, the early morning city sounds

Mauri (Te Reo Mãori) – Our connection to each other and the world around us. We share a force of life, principles, emotions

Počemúčka (Russian) – Why is the sky blue? Why are strawberries red? Why does that person keep asking questions?!

Ubunto (Nguni Bantu) – I am because we are; together we are greater

Overall, it’s a great experience that one should try at least once. It could be a very nice place for a casual St. Valentine’s date.

Paris by Night: Hot Spots and Things To Do

Paris can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning. Personally, I still need to find where the best places are but for now I can show you some low key hipster bars and unusual activities.

Last weekend I spent my Friday evening in the Fifty-Fifty bar. Like every other French bar, this place is small, but cozy. The dim light contributes for the intimate atmosphere. We sat on the bar so that we could observe the bartenders. Since I was a bartender once upon a time, I enjoy watching their work. I have never been an expert, but I can easily make some basic cocktails and shots.

 

If you are a cocktail lover like me then you must try this place! The menu has a section with special Winter/Fall cocktails. Conveniently, they wrote some key words on the taste of each cocktail so that you can choose based on your taste preferences and not base on the main alcohol. My choice was called “JUST LIKE A WOMAN” and it had Dolin Blanc vermouth which is a light type of vermouth, Yuzuchu (liqueur made of citrus fruits), cranberry juice and tonic water. You could say that it resembles a Cosmo because of the ingredients but not so much.

My boyfriend tried “SIMON WANTS ACID”. To be honest, this would have been my second choice. It’s made of gin, St-Germain (elderflower liqueur), lemon liqueur and cardamon.

On Saturday I had to work, that’s why we skipped the second cocktail and went home early. After work on the next day, we had tickets for a classical concert. It was a nice event that was a bit more original than usual. The event is called “Candlelight concerts” and this week’s one was in the amphitheater of the Oceanography museum in Paris.

The organization of the event was great and the crowd too. They asked us in the beginning if we have already been to classical concerts and to my amazement a lot of people said no. In my hometown it’s always the same people that you meed in this types of events. This showed me how open people in Paris are to new things and new experiences. We have listened to three sonatas from Beethoven. Before each one of them, the pianist told us a small anecdote about it.

From classical music we changed the venue to a rock bar with live music. We drank a beer and went home so I could not make any photos of the bar.

Holiday Gifts Guide

The holiday season is around the corner and everyone is stressing out about gift shopping. The joy of Christmas has slowly transformed into the dread of choosing the right gift for everyone. We get agitated by our budget or the unavailability of the desired item and slowly forget what the holiday is all about.

We have to keep in mind that one’s upon a time Christmas was one of the few days in the year where people bought stuff for each other and got presents. Nowadays we buy things for ourselves weekly and we don’t “need” so many things. It becomes more and more difficult to find a nice present for someone who already has everything.

When choosing gifts, I try to pick up something small, but cute and at the same time somewhat practical. Here is my guide for this Christmas season.

For everyone who is above 18 years old and has already moved out of his parents, a nice gift would be anything for the house. When growing up, we start to think more and more about the decoration of our home and how our new apartment represents us. Since our home is part of who we are, we should make sure that it reflects our character. As Aleksander Petrovsky told Carrie “I love your house. It’s so you… warm and lovely”.

My favorite French store for everything related to the house is “Maisons du monde” (Houses of the world). They can always tempt you with their beautifully pre-arranged tables. My personal favorite is the champagne glasses with gold ornaments.

There is always the possibility to buy something “Christmassy” like these tree ornaments:

I find candles the most appropriate gift for this time (or any time) of the year. People become more and more obsessed with candles and why not? They make a great atmosphere and can bring mystery and magic into the house.

Candle – https://www.maisonsdumonde.com/FR/fr/c/bougies-f7f933a233de5a794622944afd6d24b6

While shopping for our friends and relatives, we should not forget our four-legged friends as well.

To find a gift for the tech-savvy is very difficult because even the smallest thing can be rather pricy. How about these cute power banks? They are fun and practical in any situation.

Another option is this tile that helps you find your keys.

A fun and not-so-original gift for a guy would be socks. With “Happy socks” this present became expected but still appreciated.

Perfume is something that everyone could use. If you are a fan of Jo Malone like me, I would suggest you go to Zara. It’s quite interesting that the woman behind the brand did a collaboration with Zara and you could buy it in the store.

One thing that a woman can never have “too many” is jewelry.

Books are also a gift that I would die for. That’s why I always assume that everyone else is happy to get one as well. You can opt for a table book like this one or get something way more practical like this one:

Or this stylish travel guide.

Last but not least, I found some little goodies in “Palais du thé” or the Palace of tea. You can find it strange, but I feel so relaxed in this place. The small cup of tea you get when entering sets the mood for a warm and pleasant shopping experience. You can smell the different tea sorts and then choose the best one.

There are gift sets as well.

Happy shopping everybody!!

Be there or be square

In the world of French luxury brands, who does not know the name Hermès? It’s a brand that I particularly like because of their integrity and work ethic. This is a French fashion house that did not outsource the manufacturing of their signature creations. The problem nowadays is that even high fashion brands started manufacturing some of their articles in countries where it is less burdensome on the wallet than in their own country. Luxury tastes a lot more different.

Hermès is mostly known for the bags. Other than that, every French girl owns at least one of the famous scarves. The carré (square) is a type of scarf that one could wear on the neck or tied on the bag. It gives flavor to every classic outfit and personalizes bags that are too “ordinary”. This December the fashion house invites everyone to dive into the universe of its carré and meet the illustrators behind it.

We arrive at “Le Carreau du Temple” (Temple square) in the 3^rd arrondissement of Paris. For every French speaking guest the wordplay is obvious and we enter with a little smile. Right after the entrance everyone is invited to leave their mark. After all, in modern days this is the goal that we all chase – leave something behind us. The art piece is surprisingly interesting. I rarely give credit to such a creation, but in this case it was very well color coordinated and even though many different people with different aesthetic views have collaborated, the final result was magnificent.

A couple of counters were dedicated to the capsule collection of Hermès with limited edition scarves and more. There was also a bar that summons everyone to take a glass of wine and discuss the elegance that is surrounding us. In the Carré Park the visitors could watch a skateboard show. In some of the booths, one could pick up the phone and hear stories, secrets and more. Sadly, the phones that I picked up were broken and there is no Hermès secret that I could reveal. Maybe that was the whole point?

The most interesting part of the event for me was the Carré Studio. A dozen counters were showing different artists and their techniques while creating scarves. The first one that cached my eye was Daiske Nomura. Through very fast and sharp movements, we could follow the creation of a dragon design. It was exciting to watch the inspiration flow through the artist.

Octave Marsal & Theo de Gueltzl are behind a very unusual design. They both left a mark on this one and that’s why the title says “4 hand scarfs”. Mr Marsal centers his art around the notion of utopia, inspired by architectural drawings. He creates large spaces and imaginary cities that arise from nowhere or that sometimes refer to specific geographical areas, urban or desert. The peonies are made by Mr De Gueltzl.

There were many interesting techniques to observe. Here are some pictures of the process of evolving a design and drawing inspiration from different and seemingly random items. The results are mesmerizing. Most people do not think about the process and only consume the final product. Knowing the whole story gives more value to these creations and make them even more special.

Red and White combo

Another one of the Bulgarian traditions is linked to the beginning of spring. On the 1st of March, we celebrate the day of “Granny Martha”. She’s a mythological creature in Bulgarian folklore and symbolizes the changing moods of March. We have a tradition to wear little ornaments that we call “Martenitsa”. These ornaments are usually made of two woolen strings – one white and one red. There are many variations and the ones that most Bulgarians are wearing are tied on our hand.

There are also Martenitsa with two little people. There is a love story hidden in this tradition but I’m sure nobody really knows it. The important part is that the white little fellow is in love with the red beauty. In some regions of Bulgaria, the tradition is different. Most often we use only white and red, but in Melnik we add a blue string against evil spells. Nowadays we add all kinds of symbols and even cartoon characters when we make these ornaments for children.

The main legend remains unclear. There are many different versions. The one that I learned as a child is a story about our very first King. For those of you who love Game of Thrones, it would maybe interest you that the word “Khal” has its origins from our “Khan” and that’s how we called our kings before the 9th century. After a big battle, the news about the victory was sent with a white pigeon. The pigeon was unfortunately wounded before arriving by the king and its blood stained the white paper. The good news arrived on the 1st of March and that’s why on this day we bind the white/red ornaments for luck and health.

 

We wear the bracelets for a long time and even shower with them. Don’t be surprised if you visit Bulgaria in the middle of March and everyone has some white and red woolen strings around their wrist. One can remove it only after seeing the first real signs of spring – a blossomed tree or a stork. Then we bind them to a tree so that it’ll be fruitful.

I like the whole white/red combo and decided to wear a white dress with very small red touches. I love these earrings which are conveniently in the right colors without having anything to do with the holiday. The high boots can compensate for the shortness of the dress and make the whole look sexier.

 

Oscars Aftermath or What happened last night

The big waiting is over and we already know who won an Oscar during the 91st Academy Awards. Last night was exciting and contained some surprises. I personally liked a lot the fact that there was no host. The whole ceremony was more dynamic and we still heard enough political jokes. I hope that they’ll keep this format for the next couple of years as well.

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The bad side of the Oscars is the negative backlash that we read in the press the next day. Apart from the “Best dressed” articles, we are not able to escape the dissatisfaction of most people. The most common topics are racism, feminism, and gay rights.
For example, the movie that won “Best Picture” was “Green Book”. The film is telling the story of a tour of southern states by African-American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley (played by Mahershala Ali) and his bodyguard/driver Tony Vallelonga (played by Aragorn). During his acceptance speech of Peter Farrelly thanked Viggo for his amazing work. Most people asked why the special thanks were addressed only to the white actor. Other racist remarks were made on Twitter with people complaining why in a movie about a black musician the cast is still 80% white. Nowadays being white is something that one will be criticized in any situation. My thoughts on this specific case are that Viggo was thanked because he was one of the few in the cast and crew that did not receive an award. He got praised for a job well done in a movie where he was leading actor. I hope that one day very soon there will be equality and the focus on this kind of events will stay on the talent and not on the color of the skin.

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The leading actor award went to Rami Malik. His speech was very empowering and inspiring. He talked about being different, not fitting in a place, struggling to find his identity. We could learn a lot from Rami and Freddy about living without regrets and without doubting oneself. It is difficult to remain yourself when the whole world is judging you. I was touched by his speech that felt very real and authentic. Sadly, the LGBTQ community called him out for saying that Freddy was bi and not gay. It’s a mistake, yes, but let’s not forget that we’re humans and humans make mistakes.

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One of the movies that caught my eye was “Period. End of sentence”. I agree that men should be more educated about the female body and the changes that we endure our whole life. I’m happy that this theme is becoming more open and more discussed since it’s something natural and this phenomenon happens to 50% of the globe. It’s a good thing that I have a Netflix subscription.

Before the whole fuss about movies, there was the celebration of fashion. I didn’t guess any of the dresses however my assumption about the color palette was on point. There were a lot of nude and pale tones including Jason Mamoa’s velvet costume. Black was as always present on the red carpet and was especially commented because of Lady Gaga’s evening gown. I would call it tacky to go to a red carpet event wearing… red. Some of the ladies still decided to go with that style. One of my favorite looks was the dress of Sophie Turner which was matching the Oscar’s slogan – “We all dream in gold”.

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