CURIOUSER NEW YORK

You know how you can find out if the summer is almost over? The end of the season sales and the new Fall 2013 collection presence in the stores!

When in Rome, do as Romans do... The idea of a tattoo came from my recent trip to Miami. Absolutely everyone in Miami Beach and South Beach had a tattoo - both men AND women... [By the way, I've been always appreciative of a beautiful tattoo art and I do make a note...]

Last December was my first time traveling to the South America. It was my first time visiting Argentina, and while I was in Buenos Aires, I couldn't help myself from checking out their local fashion scene. I learned that Argentina, for the most part, does not allow too many of the international design houses to be present in the country, but rather it supports the local talents. The international fashion names only exist at the luxury shopping centers and only in the big cities, but when it comes to the shopping areas like Soho and West Village in New York City, all the stores are the Argentinian fashion brands, which, by the way, is not a bad thing for the tourists because it's much more interesting for us to discover the local brands rather than shop the ones we have at home. This is how I've discovered the Argentinian fashion brand Tramando . 

Now that I've talked about my nail polish winter essentials, I'm about to talk about lips... 

I usually don't like to give it away, but today I thought - what the hell, why not? It's not like we are all going to end up in one room wearing the same nail polish anyway, right? Oh, are we?

You'll tell me.  The first time I saw these sneakers-wedges , I instantly felt the need to have them. 

The layering is very much 'in' this fall and winter! Bulk it up, ladies... Every one of us has that one favorite sweater that we just can't seem to get rid of. It might be old and stretched out and with a few holes here and there - but it's still the only sweater we seem to be wanting to wear. We can't even imagine not having it in our wardrobe. And even, when we want to look very stylish, we always find something to go with our old sweater. Well, don't get rid of it. As a matter of fact - wear it more and expect some people to ask you, where you got this stylish sweater…

  I like this quote about the denim-on-denim look:  Denim on denim is dandy; but denim on denim on denim may very well be too much of a good thing.  Yes, I know what you imagine when someone tells you: denim-on-denim... You imagine the 80s - the all jean look blended-in. You imagine the 'crime' makers and the Life & Style's 'worst dressed lists'. You imagine the stonewashed jeans on jeans look, just as you imagine the pleaded shirts with the loafers, although, as separate garments, and if well combined with the right accessories and footwear - it could be quite dandy. 

When I was little, I remember looking through my mom's closet and thinking how I would like to grow up and become like my mom - with the same great sense for fashion and style.  My mom always had a great style. In the times when nothing much was available in USSR (now Russia), she managed to find fabrics and other materials and put it all together - [ with the help of my awesome grandmother ] - so that it looks so chic that hardly anyone could have guessed how it could have been made with an old sewing machine and with a few pieces of tools. I remember going through her old stack of the only foreign fashion magazine available at that time in Russia - Germany's Burda Moden . I could only imagine if she could have gotten her hands on the likes of Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar!

You can take the shoes away from a girl, but you can't take a girl away from the shoes… It's that time of the year, when you force yourself to go through your shoe-racks with a goal to pick and choose, which shoes would stay for another month as the semi-warm weather still permits and those that absolutely must to go. The ones that have to go would be the likes of espadrilles and wedges that you're used to hang onto so dearly during your getaways to the sandy beaches this last Summer that the memory of those long-gone beach days makes it harder to pack those shoes away. September and October, thus, become the months when your outfits look very much 'in-transition' - you are still kinda wearing summery clothes, but at the same time - you are warming yourself up with some boots, socks and footless leggins. At least that's what's been happening with me for the last two weeks, and I kinda liked the way it looked, so I started wearing knee-high socks...

It's very hard to concentrate on any other activities in the city, when the Fashion Week takes place in NYC.

Last Sunday I attended a fashion show of my friend, a very talented designer, Leonid Gurevich . I was looking forward to seeing his Spring 2013 exquisite collection as he is one creative person.

I'm ready for the Fashion Night Out!

I couldn't get enough of Stockholm many bikes and super stylish Swedish design offices, galleries and shops - done in a very 'IKEA'/Nordic style. I embarked on the trip to Sweden for many reasons - to see it and to shop in it...

I swear, I haven't planned it this way, but it happened, and it happened perfectly. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. On the day of my arrival to Stockholm, I've learned that it was the first day of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Stockholm . And on August 29th, in the center of the city - or in one of the 14th districts, named Kungsholmen - the central part of Stockholm with the largest shopping district - the fashionable action was happening. Right there, on one of the central plazas of the city, there were tents set up for the fashion shows, next to the ones for the after-show parties... While I didn't go to the runaway show - [the main purpose of my trip, after all, was to see the city, duhh...] - I did go to an after-party, which was by the invitation only...

Not in a million years I would have considered buying myself anything in pink color, not even lingerie. 

Yes, I'm now officially - a Grupee!

I'm absolutely in love with my Zara bright transparents. These sandals are the ultimate answer to 'gray' days. In other words, every time I wear it, it puts me in a very good - bright mood. They add so much life to any outfit because of its bright color and design. They especially go well with the beige - [found out by trial and error] - and bright toe nail polish...

I don't know if it's the fact that there are just too many shoemakers in the world, or the fact that I just don't do enough of research to learn about the new ones, or, perhaps, it's the fact that - very little we hear about the international designers, who make shoes and who do not live in America. Especially, when it comes to someone who is not yet well-known to the fashion world, like Camilla Skovgaard , whose last name first told me that she must have been either: a) from Sweden or, b) related to the True Blood's actor Alexander Skarsgård. Skovgaard, actually, ended up to be from Denmark . I knew it! I knew it was one of those Scandinavia countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden... She even looks as cool as her shoes! When I grow up, I want to look just like her - she looks like a very cool, fun and edgy person to be around... Either way, she is not from USA. She is European. And if you know a bit about the Nordic countries - almost everything, incl...

I'm reading: Almost 30 years ago Paganne fashion house closed its doors due to the economic recession, along with many other fashion prominent houses. The brand became a legend, and only the most vintage lovers were tracking it down, gathering piece by piece from various exclusive vintage shops, collectors and fashion galleries, so that they could have a record of once worn by celebrities and fashionistas around the world print fashion brand.  And the blood flow in my body starts to sending me hives - the kind of hives that make your excited about something. I've been waiting for the release of this video for months.