Life&co

Once again, I had a nearly chaotic week in which I have been mostly in uni or at work, or just doing my usual over thinking about future. Though, I had the chance to work with Final Cut Pro for the first time, the video editing program where me and Calais (film partner now haha) have spent quite a lot of hours only in order to get right some shots, the sound, the cuts and just everything. I would have never thought that editing can be so tedious, and also, SO FASCINATING! Now I understand the miracle of creating a film, it feels like you are actually making out of nothing, when you start playing it from the beginning and you realize that you have actually done all that, thought of every detail, created effects, moods and scripts.

Besides this, life has become a continuous wait. Waiting for fashion weekend, waiting for my very special guest in March( I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HIM!) , waiting for my next holiday, waiting to finally finish university in May, waiting to move to London, waiting to actually start working in fashion, waiting waiting waiting. So I started wondering, when will I actually start living and stop waiting for things to happen?

Therefore I am trying to organize myself, do my usual very long lists and get off my ass when I have some time and do some of the things that I actually have the chance to while here, such as learning (even more!) about fashion, taking photos, reading, and also writing more often in here! Also, I find it absolutely hilarious how, since I decided to drop my last year of film degree, I became more and more into films and started frenetically watching them till morning. I guess the pressure of seeing films in a certain way, putting too much academic emphasis on beautiful things has made me grow out of my love for film.

But now, as I am back on track, I started lightly. I have just finished watching the two very popular, mainstream, yet very good Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.

I know it might come as a shock to some that I have not seen them before, but I am not much of a fan of romance movies. I have to admit that the reason for watching them in the first place was Julie Delpy and my huge girl crush on her: I find her beautiful, I am in love with her accent, the way she plays every role and her music as well! And I was most definitely not disappointed in these two movies either. She plays Celine, a girl/woman with so many particularities, that she almost drives herself insane. And this is exactly the beauty of the story: finding a stranger who understands you.

Though, the question is: what is the role of this stranger in your life? How is he going to change anything if he never becomes anything more? I love her realistic and straightforward approach, how she puts herself out there, how she is not afraid to talk about the fine line that a woman has to play with, between being a strong independent woman and wanting to love and be loved and how she goes from one extreme to the other ( I’m wondering why do I find it so familiar? hmm…) . I found every single scene of these films touching, realistic, and yes, romantic. I mean, Vienna and Paris, the ultimate combo! Walking hand in hand at night on small alleys, going on a boat on the Seine. These are clichees, but they are put in such a context, that they also seem natural, not romanticizing the moment too much.

Now I am very much looking forward to Before Midnight, the third (and hopefully not last) film of the series, due to be released in the beginning or summer, which will hopefully recreate the same magic atmosphere that seems to surround Jessie and Celine everywhere (maybe this time in USA?). Once again, I will have to be patient.

On the fashion side, I will show you my Valentine’s day choice of outfit. I haven’t done anything special (1. I am too far away from Barcelona so no lover for me, and 2.does getting drunk  at 5 pm on prosecco count?)  but I went for a sort of preppy look, with a leopard twist. Nothing incredible, I know, but hey, this is supposed to be a fashion blog, right?

Also, talking about fashion, I went to a fashion photography exhibition at the art gallery, but I was not allowed to take any photos I saw a beautiful mix of classics such as Richard Avedon or Irving Penn and Scott Schuman together with other contemporary photographers, and it made me realize how much fashion photography has changed, and the idea of feminine and elegance as well. I’ve seen the most beautiful necklines in the older photos, but striking body shapes and verticality in the newer ones. After this, we had a photography workshop with a fashion photographer who explained the basics of lighting, composition and other technical details to us, and I couldn’t help myself but photograph him and his very cool runing shoes.

And here is part of our small fashion society waiting for their turn in taking some shots:

As you can see, not a lot of fashion enthusiasts around Aberdeen. *sad face*

To finish up, I finally received my camera, which is an entry level DSLR, Nikon D3100, but I am extremely happy with it. I still didn’t have the chance to properly play with it, and learn all its setting, but this is officially my goal for the beginning of the week, as I need to get amazing coverage from the fashion weekend and my first visit in London, by that matter. I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

C.

Starting all over again.

This is my attempt to get back to the blogging business, as I had just started and already had become a lazy bum (been living here so long, I don’t realize how weird bum sounds!) and did not write anything for quite some time. I could use the madness of January as an excuse: too much work, university stress, traveling, but still it’s not okay. Therefore, dear blog and dear readers, this is my commitment to you: I will post here much more often and hopefully, much more interesting posts.

As an update on my life, the most important part is that I decided to graduate this year and give up on a year of Honours, as I do not find it necessary for my dream of fashion, as my degree is in Film and Visual culture. Therefore I will be graduating in the beginning of summer, then continue working in hospitality, which will get me a transfer to a hotel in London (bye bye Scotland!) so I can most probably start doing unpaid work in fashion and generally making contacts and working my way up, while still being able to pay for my rent and lead a fabulous London life! But about this I will speak later in detail, as I still have few months to go and details to arrange.

The other update would be my 6 days in Barcelona, which opened my eyes. I had the chance to meet amazing people, who changed my view on life, literally. I met people whose entire life was made out traveling, experiencing, homeless people with more homes than a billionaire could ever afford. Also, thanks to the fact that I was in a youth hostel, I met people from all over the world and kept in touch with quite a lot of them. Fashion wise, I must say that I was quite disappointed: I am not sure if it was the weather (an average of 10 degrees) but people were plain boring dressed. Though, on the other hand, I fell in love with a street, Passeig De Gracia, where you can find all the designers you could imagine plus their only department store, El Corte Ingles. But for all of these, I’ll let the photos do the talking:

 She is one of the chicest woman I’ve seen in Spain. She was just bathing in the sun, tall, beautiful, elegant.

 The street that I was talking about, with shops such as Chanel, Bulgari, Valentino, Miu Miu, MaxMara and all the other eye candies for fashionistas. Also I also loved the guys playing music in front of the Prada shop about to open. It simply gave a charm to it.

I did not want to post the clichee photos of Gaudi’s works of art but I was absolutely amazed by the patterns used in Parc Guell and I could not stop thinking of how much I’d love a dress with that pattern and I understand more and more where do designers get inspired from, especially from the art world. It was breaththaking.

I also bought the most awesome SATC t shirt from Pull&Bear for only 3 euros, by far my best buy in Barca.

And as I said, last but not least, it was an amazing trip thanks  to people. This is Anthony, the funny, tall 26 year old American who just moved to Spain, a man who almost lives in Ralph Lauren and loves fashion nearly just as much as me. Oh, and he is not afraid to wear hot pink!

On a side note, in two weeks I am off to London for this. I am very much looking forward to it, as it will be my first time in London (yes, I know I know I’ve been living here for so long!) and from tomorrow on I will have my brand new amazing Nikon to join me everywhere I go, so get ready for loads of photos!!

Looking for the perfect… career

I decided that this will be a weekly column in which I will talk about the search for perfection, from such things as the perfect leopard print coat to the perfect boyfriend, film or  even style.  In the first post I will be talking about careers and the way I see this entire matter.

First of all, I am talking from the point of view of a 21 year old student, with a (sort of) career in hospitality for nearly 2 years and a half in conference and banqueting, an employee who has recently migrated both to bar and leisure&spa for  further training. The entire January I will be booking people for fancy Hopi Ear Candles (basically a miracle treatment for your sinuses, which includes candles and your ears-yes, I know it sounds a bit scary!) help them find the perfect facial or spa day according to their needs and learn how to deal with all the complaints (or generally, customer service) through the phone most of the time.  For the rest of the year, I work in weddings, conference dinners, balls and all sort of lunches and other types of events. I started just as a simple food staff, but lately my job has been more about interpersonal relations, making sure that everyone is happy, looking over organizers, checking details such as flowers, special linen etc. The job is tedious, with very long hours, working shifts up to 16h/day, even 7 days a week when needed, such as during holidays for example, in which you have to keep a smile on your face the entire time. Though I have to admit that the job also has its perks, as I get to see people’s pure joy when everything goes as planned or even better, and it just makes me feel as if I’ve accomplished something. Most people hate the job, but I do still fall in love with the magic sometimes.  This is my ‘real’ job, the one that pays for my rent, my holidays and for my very spoiled self made gifts.

Then, I get to switch back to my university, where I am the class representative of the Junior Honour (aka 3rd year) of Film and Visual Culture, a challenging course, the study of film and visual representations in different manners, through the study of various disciplines, all connected to cinema. Also, I have been taking French courses since my first year and even if at the moment, it’s not officially in my degree anymore, I am still part of the French class, taking courses such as The French New Wave  which is by far one of the most fascinating courses I have come across. Hence, according to my studies, next year, when I will be graduating, I am supposedly going to apply for a fancy MA, possibly even a PhD after in, say, French cinema or Feminism (very much my kind of area!)  and go on to become a film critic, a film lecturer or maybe, who knows, working for an indie film production company somewhere in USA or Paris. If this will actually happen, I still don’t know.   What I do know is that I have a strangely strong passion for critical approaches and that discussing film is one of the most pleasant way in which I could ever spend my life. Though… here comes the thing. The boom. The one and only….

FASHION! Fashion has always been part of my life, of course, just as in everyone else’s, but I only became aware of its immensity when I was about 16. One of the moments when I grabbed a Romanian Elle  (there is no such thing as Vogue in there) and I just couldn’t let go of it anymore. And it grew inside me. My fashion history started with me going crazy over vintage and self-made creations. I would refuse to wear jeans or anything bought from a normal store. Everything had to be altered, embellished, washed, bleached or at least colored. I experimented as much as I could while reading as much as I could find, following all the bloggers around the world, especially since that was the time when the fashion world went properly online and everyone started their own blog. I was the witness of fashion history in the making! After that, I kind of calmed down for a while and started thinking of possibilities: what could I actually do out of this passion, more than drooling over shoes? How could I transform it into a lifestyle, a job? The first thing I knew was that I had to leave the country. Not much mercy for fallen fashionistas in that part of Europe. Then I went on and stupidly applied for a Fashion Design course from which of course that I was rejected, as I was far more interested in putting together outfits and finding historical traces of outfits rather than creating the clothes myself. As time passed, I figured out that I would like a career either in fashion journalism, styling or communication. At the moment, I am only waiting to finish my (film!) degree in order for me to be able to move to London and get my (hopefully longer than 15) minutes of fame while looking for an entry level job in fashion or who knows, maybe applying for a fashion course, to help me specialize in what I need, like Fashion Communication or Styling.

These are some of the things that I used to wear in the very beginning of my ‘fashion life’, nothing groundbreaking, only that top was an actual skirt, the bag and the vest are vintage and of course, what used to my wardrobe staple, the long forgotten Converse. Plus bracelets, the more the merrier. 

Okay, now that you know all my career plans, I can tell you what I think anyone who is undecided should do, which is just as simple as it will sound. The sooner you do it, the better. Just grab a piece of paper and a pen and start thinking: if you would have no worries in the world, what would you do? If, since tomorrow, you didn’t need a job, or needed to go to uni or any other responsibilities, what would you choose to spend your life doing? And voilà! This is what your should make a career out of! Maybe some of you thought ‘I would shop all day!’ Then go on, become a personal shopper, put that critical ass to work and show the world that no one is better than you at finding the best deals! Or maybe you said ‘I would read’. In this case, did you ever consider becoming an editor for a publishing company? Nowadays, the career range is at its widest, there is something for everyone, you just need to open your eyer, use that google for more than just ‘top 40 songs’ or the latest football results and maybe in the end you will find your perfect match, if you are  perseverent and have the proper attitude. It might not be a job that will bring you fortunes (at least not in the beginning), but you should be happy thinking that you are doing what you enjoy most! Take Confucius’ advice: do what you love and you won’t work a day in your life!  And also if you are good at what you are doing, you will get people’s appreciation and in time, the financial part will come as well. Do no forget, though, that it all takes time. Rome was not built in a day, after all!

Think, write, think again, edit, find resources, use them, make a plan, and most importantly, stick to it! Don’t forget to say yes more often, make yourself available to the possibilities coming along, smile more, be nice to people. Contacts are vital in any type of industry. Do not forget your manners only because of your goals. Ask questions, read books, travel. Everything is an opportunity for you to learn.  Find people with the same goals, it’s always nice to share thoughts with someone who understands where you’re coming from. Don’t give in when it gets rough, just be patient. Use Internet, it is officially the holy grail of our generation. And last but not least, less talk, more action.

C.

TV addiction

I must say, the last few weeks have definitely been busy, busy, busy. Working in the hospitality industry (been doing it for more than 2 years now, on a part time basis, along uni, which on holidays and summer becomes more than full time), having a social life, or, in this case, even a virtual social life becomes nearly impossible.

Even if I am attached to my iPhone 24/7 and still check twitter, fashionista&co every half an hour or so, I find it hard to find the inner peace to get myself to write something, as the perfectionist inside me screams ‘wait till you get home!’ or ‘that is not interesting enough!’ or the likes of it.  Though, as we started a new year recently, I am going to follow the trend and make a resolution out of writing more, expressing myself at any moment no matter the surrounding circumstances or  my mood. Therefore, today’s post will be about what inspired me lately.

TV SHOWS

Whoever knows me will know that I am the ultimately Sex and The City fan. And also that I am part of that generation who grew up with Gossip Girl. Even before the tv show came out, me and my friends had read the books as soon as they came out ( but let’s not forget that I was living in Romania, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the books arrived an year later or so, taking in consideration the demand for teenage chick lit in there-lower than imagined). Therefore, when few days ago after work I sleepily finished SATC (all the 6 seasons) again for like the millionth time I still felt the same warm cozy feeling inside, amazed at how good the show was. It’s so good, that I am seriously taking in consideration the idea of writing my dissertation on it. And no, I wouldn’t write about Carrie’s amazing collection of Manolo Blahnik, her killer sense of style or how much we all identify myself with her love issues, but more about the gender issues and how  it is one of the first tv show in which women had the power, they had the right (and the enjoyed it) to speak openly about sex without being judged by the society. Or if they were, they had the best comebacks! Let’s not forget Miranda’s baby fat situation and the man (not a very slim man, let’s say!) asking her to move her fat ass, to which the girls answered:  ‘She just had a baby, you asshole! What’s your excuse? Triplets?’ Witty feminine humor combined with a touchy friendship story. This and so much more!

And now, that my beloved Gossip Girl finished (for good!) and I will not be able to drool over Chuck Bass or Blair Waldorf’s closet, I am looking forward to 14th January, when The Carrie Diaries will replace my breakfast show, and hopefully it iwll be a good one, as my expectations are quite high, taking in consideration that it’s a prequel to SATC.

Also Girls will most probably hit us again with an amazing second season this January. This is yet another tv shows that deserves so much praising, that I can barely find the proper words. For the first time, we see twenty something girls of all sizes, shapes and tastes brought together in a very realistic 2012 New York, dealing with..life as it is. Embarrassing, sometimes disappointing, stupid and most of the time ironical, just like Hannah. Actor, writer and director of the shows, Lena Dunham has gone through the roof in 2012, becoming not only a celebrity, but actually the voice of her generation, or ‘a generation’, as she states in the very first episode of Girls. 

P.S. I know it is not a tv show, but I do need to mention Clueless. I find it impressive that a 90s teen movie has had such an impact on the world, that 17 years later, Wildfox has released a lookbook recreating the entire feel of the movie. And why is Clueless special you might ask? Well, first because Cher and the girls were such charming girls with issues and second, because hey, who called Alaïa ‘a totally important designer’ and made that CK slip dress such a statement? Yes, exactly, it was them! Recently Rihanna actually wore the red version of that dress for an event, showcasing its influence more than ever!

Also, as it has been on my watch list for ages, I finally got Pan Am finally and started watching it. So far I have only watched an episode, but I could definitely tell that I am easily falling for yet another tv show, in love with their costumes, matte lipsticks and perfect eyeliner, immaculately ironed azure blue uniforms and of course THE HATS! And the best of it all, the flying! I am a traveling fanatic and actually I am still considering becoming a flight attendant for some time once I graduate, a chance to see the world before settling down for a fashion career. Maybe Pan Am will become my new bible!

C.

Fashionable for winter

I don’t  know about you guys but in my little British world it’s winter  right now, not really snowing, but cold enough to put away my  beautiful high heeled shoes or silk dresses. On the other hand, it  seems to me that the CEOs and designers of the overly praised  high street shops live in an entirely different atmosphere, where  in the middle of December, it’s perfectly acceptable to expose  models in tiny skirts, backless jumpers and peep-toe boots  shearling boots- probably the most unpractical fashion item  since sleeveless cardigans. And this is how the concept of  winter and summer fashion have merged. At the moment it’s  just as easy to find a fur coat in August as it is to buy sandals or  crop tops in January. When has it become normal to advertise  festival clothes in the festive season? Don’t get me wrong, I  understand the fact that there are those lucky few who live in  the likes of Miami or Abu Dhabi, where winter is merely a  symbolic season rather than a radical change in the  temperature, but if I remember well, most countries suffer of  snow, ice and cold weather for about three months a year. And  one of the most disturbing facts is that the entire fashion world  seems to encourage this fading of the line between seasons, as  they present editorials tagged as winter with bare legged  models, but hey, look at that, they’re wearing a fur hat! Or, if  you have a look at most winter lookbooks, you will at least few  times see pieces that you could only wear on a warm autumn  day, with NO RAIN, because it would ruin your perfectly  unrealistic outfit.

   So what is there to do? Should we follow the trend and give up warm and chic jumpers or our suitable winter boots for the sake of the fashion world? Has winter become the new autumn? Or summer Who draws the line? Does anyone draw it anymore? Do people still say ‘Oh, I need to put on another jacket, it’s winter!’ or do you happen to hear ‘Ugh, is she wearing like BOOTS?’ way too often from the ‘mean girls’ of the fashion world? I think what the fashion fellows fail to understand is that fashion is different from any other art because it directly affects our image and unfortunately health as well sometimes. It happened so often that  I’ve seen girls wearing mini skirts and  tiny sequin tops in -5 degrees (it seems like the way to go here in UK-especially clubbing) only to hear two weeks later that they’ve gotten sick, coughing and almost dying in their not so glamorous PJs with a hint of Theraflu (and it didn’t sound as good as in Kanye’s version).

    Meanwhile, I, for myself, I know that I will never give up on the winter clothes, as I believe that it offers an opportunity for change, the only time of the year when I can wear my  cool looking beanies, the perfect burgundy scarf and who knows, maybe I am lucky enough and I will also find the perfect, but cozy jumper dress. I understand why it might not always be comfortable to be in tone with winter- freezing outside,being too warm inside, clothes are heavier, bigger, encouraging us to eat some more to take the pain away, which then gets us to another pain-the gym(!!)  but winter’s charm should not be forgotten. It’s that time of the year when one could finally give up the sleek, sophisticated, high heeled look and embrace trends such as androgynous, utilitarian, military or anything that inspires you but couldn’t be put into a summer dress or a blazer.

My only advice is not to be afraid to experiment with layers, colors and prints. Bright colors look the most beautiful against the greyish tones of the surroundings and it has also been scientifically proved that it can boost your mood, therefore make your day better. And yes, you’ve heard well, just a simple pop of color could make your life better (symbolically talking).

Hence, jump into those paisley printed trouser that you kept putting away,lace up you boots , put on your fancy new giraffe print sweater (which is SO IN at the moment) and hop on a sleigh (well subway/car for the modern women), all ready for the perfect winter day! Don’t you already feel better? Just before I go jump into my very own styled sleigh I’m gonna leave you with some images of what I believe works for winter and what doesn’t, all inspired by the lookbooks and editorials for AW.

Say YES to vintage, fur, velvet, statement accessories, belted trench coats:

Say NO to sandals in winter, bare legs, short sleeves, over the knee socks (if you are over 13):

Pre-fall 2013

I decided to write my first ‘proper’ post about the hot topic at the moment in the fashion world, the pre-fall collections which are, one could saym the first hint to what will be the trends of the new season. But many of you might wonder: what is with all this pre-fall, cruise or resort collections? Well, the answer comes out of consumerism. As people nowadays don’t have the patience to wait for 6 months between the main fashion shows, the designer have thought ‘hey, why not add even more?’ and voila, the new collections came out in order to fill out the space between seasons.

The pre-fall collections come out in December and they hit the stores in May, while the resort (or cruise collections) are being shown in the beginning of summer and they hit the stores in November. The latter was knows as a niche buy, as it was created for people who go on (surprise surprise!) cruises during the cold season, people who needed the newest trends adapted to their needs. Since 2006 it became more and more popular and when the demand hit the roof, more and more designers started showing inter seasonal collections, which have a more commercial feeling, and are sometimes even more successful financially wise, as you can adapt them to any season.

However, getting back to this season’s collections, I must say that the designers have done pretty well in making every woman want most of their items, as they are not necessarily the most outrageous or fashion forward pieces, but most of them have the low maintenance look while still being luxurious.

Personally I was mostly impressed with Jason Wu’s collection (mostly because I would wear EVERY single item that he has created) as he made a strong statement by using not only the pre-fall friendly colours, such as gray, olive or any neutrals, but bright yellow and purple, while still staying in the fall line with the use of leather and parkas. Here are my favorites:

And then, there are the other ones:

These are the collections’ highlight in my opinion. What did you think? And generally what do you think about the idea of a pre-fall collection? Is it a spoiler of the upcoming shows or yet another reason to rejoice when coming in contact with new concepts earlier than usual?

C.

Tricky first post

I’ve been dreaming about this blog for more than 2 years now. I’ve made plans, I’ve imagined the most creative posts, created imaginary giveaways for my imaginary readers and connected myself to major people in the industries I love the most: fashion and film. But this time is happening for real. I created Maximalista in order to pull my thoughts together in a coherent space, trying to bring the freshest fashion news , film reviews and hopefully entertaining thoughts about whatever happens around me. Me. Well, I am a 21 year old student in UK, Aberdeen more specifically. I live for fashion, film and anything artsy or people related. I will not bore you with more than that, as you will be able to find everything under ‘About Me’.

I still have a lot to work on the less creative side of the blog and I am trying to learn all the tips and tricks, but I hope you’ll bear with me as I am a total noob in the blogging area, even if I’ve been devouring them for years. Hence, welcome to the world of Maximalista, feast your eyes and melt your brain !

C.