luni, 1 noiembrie 2010

This is halloween

 
Jeffrey Eugenides' book "The virgin suicides" was an old favorite of mine, thought I kind of ignored Sophia Coppolla's movie. This is supposed to be Cecile Lisbon, the girl who killed herself as a response to a highly religious education. Wearing an old wedding dress and clutching a picture of the virgin Mary, she refused to marry and conform to society's hypocritical demands on women.

 
I'm wearing a cotton slip paired with chunky boots to really get that grungy dead-virgin wibe. The red lipstick is kind of a play on vampirism, and the old demonic images of dead, unmarried women.

Iri went with a Great Gatsby-type flapper costume, more or less channeling the Black Dahlia, a 1920s actress whose schtick was always wearing all-black.
 
Black Dahlia was killed -more like butchered- in a fashion pointing towards a crime of passion, and her body left on display in a park by a killer never apprehended.

vineri, 29 octombrie 2010

In search of the purrfect halloween partay

 
Military coats, understated or not, really bring out my inner high-brow bitch. It was cold enough that day to warrant a green cashmere sweater, and just the edges of its sleeves poking out served as accessories.

 
Brightly colored coats break the gloomy fall mood. Paired up with unusually unmatchy bags and scarves, they draw the eye.

sâmbătă, 23 octombrie 2010

Friday morning hangover

Raincoats and boots are some of those pieces that I favor to the point where it seems like a good idea to wear them every day. To every occasion. Preferably for 5 years, at least. I'm one of those people who does not enjoy new clothes nearly as much as old faithfuls.
 
Sis took out her grey worker's uniform dress. Plain and classic, it really stands out when paired with a period hairdo. Also, really comfy.

La mall

 
Bring me those rainy days! Nothing better than a comfy cardigan layered over a cotton tshirt. I love bright scarves, they really set off an outfit.

marți, 19 octombrie 2010

Rainy octomber evening

Break out those trusty brown leather boots and thick tights, it's getting cold out. The time of year when I get to wear fancy hats.
 
Layers and scarves, headbands and brooches, my sis has fall style down phat.

sâmbătă, 2 octombrie 2010

Jazzy night out

Going out for some wine and live jazz in a local coffee shop. There's no entry charge, but then again, a glass of wine costs 9 lei, that's over 2 euro. Table wine. Seriously? At least the music's good, covers of the old-timely divas. 

 
Iri's wearing a slinky silk blouse with her black skinny jeans. It's kind of a classy casual, and so easy. Her vintage handbag's a real gem, too.


I went for all-out casual with a cardigan, vintage skirt and comfy oxfords. Polished it off with a scarf and brooch, so it won't look too out of place in a cafe at night.

vineri, 1 octombrie 2010

Crisp autumn day

Iri's wearing her trusty leather to ward off this chill. She likes to brighten the look with a cute t-shirt and  those sporty red ballerinas, though complaints abut her short, heel-less self will follow throughout the day . The white belt and blue-green scarf are there to break that monotone red-and-black.


No school like old school. Vintage wool schoolteacher-skirt paired with blue cardigan and rose-patterned scarf. I layer hose for warmth. 

miercuri, 29 septembrie 2010

Concert de muzica baroca

One great thing about Cluj is there's always somewhere to go to, always something interesting going on. This outfit was put together with a baroque music concert in mind. The venue was in a church, so there's a jacket that went on buttoned up, covering all that cleavage. She accessorized the all-black look with a dramatic choker and a "statement" wristwatch.


to the dentist's


 It's always tempting to dress down when doing such unpleasant things as visiting the dentist's office, but Iri always manages to avoid that social faux-pas. Sure, the man would understand if we went in wearing jeans and t-shirts, cringing looks of unpleasant expectation on our faces. He probably gets that every day. But politeness and self-respect demands we make an effort to show our esteem for his profession by picking out clothes with some care.
Iri's wearing her most comfortable shoes, using them to add some color into this mariner-style look she put together, minding not to show too much cleavage, as she was going to lean back in a dentist's chair.

marți, 28 septembrie 2010

Windy autumn day - shopping

Every season, there tend to be one or two pieces in your wardrobe that you get the most wear out of. This autumn, a straight-forward, dark brown leather jacket and red, sporty flats seem to be go-to pieces for my sister here. Her necklace references old-school tattoos. She's got to dress up for her serious job, so enjoys dressing all casual-leathery in her free time.

luni, 27 septembrie 2010

To the doctor`s office - lazy autumn afternoon

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." - Mark Twain


It's getting colder, and here I am, actually wearing pants. Heading out on such practical errands, it seemed tiresome to bother with complicated underwear that would keep my butt from freezing off in the ever-colder weather. Also, bad hair day. Could have used a had. *sigh* At least I bothered with that scarf, it really saved the outfit from death by acute color monotony.

Sis did the same thing, slipping into jeans and a plain black tee, she added the necklace and bracelets to chase away the boring. Now her glasses act as an accessory in and of themselves, so earrings have to be kept discrete, but the red lipstick keeps the look from slipping into the domain of serious-faced Hollywood starlet-style.


duminică, 26 septembrie 2010

Jazz bar

The old leather jacket Iri had dyed a dark brown now gets its moment in the spotlight, on top of that pale pink cocktail dress. Her dark plum lipstick and silver necklace, along with the reddish nail polish, keep this look from slipping into punk princess territory. We leave that for the teens to explore, and ours are the adult playgrounds.

Again, I end up looking casual next to my sister. That particular color on my thin, cotton dress had to be broken up with some teal, else it threatened to induce nausea. A challenge keeps things interesting, so I got it for cheaps and took it out for some wine.

sâmbătă, 25 septembrie 2010

La mall

Bringing out the sweet for a quick trip to the mall. Not our favorite place to be, but that keep us from dressing up to go. We do kind of stand out among the teens and bottle-blondes, but standing out can be a good thing at times. And who would want to fit into a dull urban environment, anyways?

Iri goes all the way out of our cultural paradigm to get in touch with her lady-self. Pink cardigan, flowery skirt, hair in a bun and pastel shes: you'd have to be blind not to see this intended disconnect. Nope, thanks, but that flat-screen TV really does nothing for me.


I tried my best to match her out-dated (in the best possible way) dress, taking this opportunity to get perhaps the last wear out of my summery soft-leather flats. The blue skirt survived in my closet for about 4 years, and it gets more love the longer it stays. Nothing better than a piece that keeps you long-term company.

marți, 21 septembrie 2010

21 septembrie - the last day of summer


And so it ends: no more light, flowery dresses. No more sandals. No more sunscreen and summer silk floating lightly on summer skin. 
The sun made us smile all day long as we shifted trough closets and found thin skarves, first jackets. We even busted out the autumn bags, heavier leather and cross-chest straps. I go for basic browns while Iri gets out her red skarf and wears it pirate-style around her hips.  Summer was lovely, but september's coming to an end and we can't bring ourselves to mind.