Black and white is evergreen. It is always a go-to combo in my wardrobe due to its clean fashion statement. I don’t know why, but I always linked this color duo with the A|X estetic. The black simple pants, the white t-shirt with the bold message and the classic leather bike jacket. All these, linked with a heather grey french terry. For me, this is the vision of a young and bold fashion choice. And it is an image I aleays return to.

I remember I recently liked one of their statement tees with the “Speak don’t swipe“ message on it. Crispy white with an assuming written font on it. It was strong and direct and somehow it got me in front of the A|X window, in Baneasa Shopping City. I found a generous selection for a young and urban dress code, that takes its cue from all elements of metropolitan lifestyle and music culture : jeans in classic colors and cuts, black leggings, leather jacket, the cutting-edge red puffer, the cotton skirt and yes, the all-time favorite heather grey french terry.

All these pieces were hints for a mix and match play that I totally enjoyed.

*

Please feel the vibe in Andreea Macri’s black and white photos and gifs.

*

Animation by Andrei Nica

#axchange

#axfw17

I’ve first met Ioana in the fashion news announcing her as the winner of the Designer for Tomorrow Award. It was a strong teaser for her name because, after that, I constantly looked for her designs. Eventually, I had my first crush on the Daisy Black Sweatshirt. I was obviously not the only one and the Instagram proved that with many beautiful images depicting the feminine sleeve ruffles of that sweatshirt.

So, I was one of the fancy girls wearing Ioana Ciolacu’s designs and as an online shopping savvy I was the first Romanian client of her official online store.

Eventually I’ve met Ioana in person during a fashion workshop and I’ve discovered a relaxed woman and a passionate professional. She has a very down-to-earth creative path and I was impressed that she even learned some programming in order to better understand the “life” of her online shop.

I’ve got to know her designs from top to bottom by now and, while wearing them, I can clearly say that they create the best fashion setup for feminity. They are comfortable, creative and covetable.

And these are quite the same qualities I can say about the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe model. You can always find the proof here.

I am sure you all agree now that Ioana Ciolacu’s story fits perfectly the SHE’s Mercedes  community where women can share their own perspectives about success, talk about challenges, spread ideas, talent and genuine elegance.

Until then, this is my short and personal story with Ioana Ciolacu’s route from the Designer for Tomorrow to My Designer of the Day!

Enjoy the talk!

Women have their way and, on that way, they are always driven by strong emotions. Because it is them that make the experience unique and personal.

When things are personal, people relate to them easily and find honest motivation. And a true successful woman is one that has both delicate gestures and strong actions. But moreover it is the one who knows how to translate her genuine emotions and warmth into an original and relevant narration about the feminine league.

This is why I was so interested in the “Shes Mercedes” campaign. It is a community where women can share their own perspectives about success, talk about challenges, spread ideas, talent and genuine elegance. My online routes are often heading towards SHE’s MERCEDES community where I discover inspiring video essays on femininity. It is a place where ideas are balanced and stories are shared at various speeds. Inspiration is behind the wheel!

Especially since every such sparkling biography is shared while driving a special car such as Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe. With very elegant design lines, this car is the best expression for a smooth and inspirational journey, towards destinations that have success written on them. You can always enjoy a virtual ride here: Mercedes cars.

I truly believe in this fruitful dialogue. Therefore, it is with great joy that I invite you to watch my next video, depicting the paths of Ioana Ciolacu’s success.

Stay tuned, drive safely and be inspired!

We all have our ups and downs. And I think that what really makes the difference for a balanced personal life is gracefully dealing with our downs, rather than fully enjoying our ups.

A smile is the honest invitation for warm relationships and smooth social interactions. And this is GOLD for a communication professional. Therefore, I was more than happy to exercise good smiles – this very special PR tool – with some of our dearest students from the NakedPR classes.

Yes, I believe in the Dentestet campaign #zambestecuincredere / #smileconfidently.

And I would add, take care of your smile. It will take care of you!

Love!

For me, it was also a a good opportunity to pinpoint the big-league performance of Glamour magazine’s Instagram account. Therefore, I invited Oana Vasilache for a brief interview to share their tips and tricks for the likes and folowers :-).

Hope you enjoy it,

Love,

Curious about my video portfolio?  Well, you are always welcome on my VIMEO account:

https://vimeo.com/vickipedia

Curious about my video portfolio?  Well, you are always welcome on my VIMEO account:

https://vimeo.com/vickipedia

#HMBalmainnation
Hope you enjoy it!

#HMBalmainnation
Hope you enjoy it!

Here you have the Harpers Bazaar team and their personal style proposals for the most coveted items of the collection.

#HMBalmainnation
Hope you enjoy it!

This would be the classic chronology of discovering the H&M Designer Collection.

But one of the strongest triggers of such a special collection is the personal signature of the designer. Following the same line, it is the personal touch of stylish people that gives it the daily fashion dynamism.

Therefore I am very happy to see 3 fashion duos – Roxana Voloseniuc and Domnica Margescu (Elle), Andrei Iovu and Lil Bulgac (Harpers Bazaar) and Diana Enciu and Alina Tanasa (Absolutely Fabulous) – playing with the BALMAIN x H&M collection pieces in order to exercise the semiotics of style. The outcome of such play is again a serious confirmation that style is not about dressing, but expressing yourself.

Stay tuned for future videos depicting their very personal style stories!

photo / www.andreeamacri.com

“Textile Architecture” is a project supported by two Dutch architects within the Romanian Design Week. Freyke Hartemink and Aura Luz Melis are the two promoters of a live installation meant to show the live ingredients of a true handcraft. Such an intimate view on the making process definitely gives a new perspective and therefore new creative paths. Carpets were created within a live happening – adding new colors, new materials and reinterpreted Romanian traditional motifs – in order to bring a new perception of the space.

I sat down with Freyke and Aura Luz for a short conversation on this wonderful happening. Here you have some first-hand insights:

The main benefit of this life design project

“You can make visible the value of the making. You can learn a lot about the process, as you visualize all the stages. It is not only important to focus on the end result, but also on what it really means to make something. There are so many decisions you need to make along the way. It is not only about doing something, but also about the thinking process that hides behind. There is a constant connection between mind and hands. We revalue the handcraft, in this case the Romanian one. We think it it important to keep the traditional handcraft on the spotlight and learn from it.” / Aura Luz Melis
“In lots of cases, the making process of such traditional handcraft shows you the ingredients and makes you think again about how to interpret it within the modern times. Somehow, it puts a new perspective and generates new things. You can only make new things if you understand the old ones.” / Freyke Hartemink

Characterize the women doing this kind of work, having this kind of talent

“They love what they do, they are what they do. This is kind of a meditating process. They are always looking at threads and, from time to time, they stop and reevaluate they work. They decide with their hands on every thread. It is not about a standard procedure, but an ongoing dialogue.” / Freyke Hartemink

The important of the textile in the final design result

“We are both architects and we are used to working with concrete, steel and other materials. We are interested in going beyond the curtains of the fabric in order to design an experience, to design a story.”/ Freyke Hartemink
“It is the technical qualities like acoustics or light transmission that add to the final design. For example here we are making screens that put lights through the threads and create a play of light and shadows on the walls. We put a frame to this space.” / Aura Luz Melis

Here you have three conclusions that I keep in my professional pocket after this season:

1. All the concepts that we’ve discussed and all the guests that have inspired us, outlined one idea of substance: fashion might have a price tag, but it mainly needs a “#hashtag”! And this “#hashtag” is the realistic and relevant message that can really bring fashion into our day to day life scenario.

2. Fashion people are fascinating people. All our guests confirmed this! So thank you Andreea Macri, Irina Marinescu, Veronica Zaharia, Dana Rogoz, Anda Brindusa and Ioana Ciolacu.

3. H&M showroom keeps casting a fascination upon all of us! Therefore, I also want to express our gratitude for our wonderful hosts from H&M who allowed us to have our final class in a first-hand fashion location! Dear Ewa, Ruxandra and Ioana thank you for a real fashion experience and for giving us a glimpse at the next level expertise!

RDW starts from May 15th to May 24th. This year, the host of the Main Exhibition is Hanul Gabroveni, both an important creative hub, as well as a love statement for the history of Bucharest.

Andreea Macri also got a quick look at the preparations. Maybe you find her photos are more persuasive :-)!

Enjoy!

Sports@night is a new concept for performance and creativity, with professional gear including ALEXANDERWANGxHM, acrobats, trap music, popup store, Missy Elliot.

This was the spirit of the collection’s launch event in NYC. The flavor of this wonderful fashion experience resembled one of my running sessions in the park: wonderful sporty gear, great music, inspiring rhythm. Therefore I took my Iphone to get a recorded glimpse of this fashionable NYC adventure, I chose my running power song as soundtrack and I borrowed the cheering language from my running apps. And now I have my most fashionable race ever!

Tomorrow the collection hits the selected stores in Bucharest and we all win! :-)

5 to like from the ALEXANDERWANGxHM launch in NYC

• SPORTS@NIGHT Concept. Alexander Wang succeeded to stay true to his sporty standard and incorporate a contemporary feel that works well for everyone. During the press conference, he honestly admitted “I don’t do any sports” and he joked about the fact that he is not an athlete himself. However he often wears sweat pants and is always seen sporting a track jacket. “I love this idea of when you’re out dancing and running around at night, you sweat. You don’t just sweat when you’re at the gym or playing sports. You need to move, be active.”
• ARMORY ON THE HUDSON location. The venue itself was an actual track and field competition space, which had been Wang-ified for the presentation. Everything was black — and almost everyone was dressed in black and in leather — and the raised platforms in the middle bore numbers. There was more than one trampoline, which would be used by buff acrobats and parkour performers
• MISSY ELLIOTT performance, when the audience was pumped with energy. Her classic Get Ur Freak On was a mood alchemist for the public, while her dancers put the clothes on the most dynamic display ever.
• ALEXANDER WANG dancing on the stage with Miss Elliot. This was a “never to forget” postcard :)
• THE COLLECTION that both feels like fashion and acts like performing

Stay tune for the video review of our trip to NYC

I’ve met Eleonora Stefanel prepared with a list of questions and determined to cover all the novelties of the season. Her gentle presence turned the interview into a cozy conversation that captured the creative metabolism of Stefanel’s latest autumn / winter collection.

So here you have the profile of the the Stefanel collection, as described by its main creative references.

THE COLORS
“We’ve started the first part of the collection with dark grey and burgundy, with touches of hot pink. This color is very important this season, as one could have  probably observed in all the fashion shows. Afterwards, we started to get into the more wintery part with military green, blue and a graphic black and white combination. We match different kind of patterns like stripes, pinstripes, polka dots and small flowers prints, creating the most various black and white combinations. And then we got to the last part of the color range with dark blue and antique rose. I definitely like blue and the black and white combination.”

THE FABRICS
“The “sweater dressing” trend makes us very happy, because Stefanel has a tradition with knitwear. Let me put it this way: if I would take this collection on the theater stage, then knitwear would definitely be the protagonist. We not only have jumpers, but there are also pants, dresses and even coats in this fabric. So it covers the whole range”

THE CONCEPT
“The previous FEEL MORE concept had a great resonance in the mind of the consumer and it did a great job. With this season though, we wanted to move to a new, different reference that people would strongly relate to. Our belonging to the Italian design is a strong statement that needs to be emphasized. For quite some time we somehow of took it for granted. With the “Stefanel of Italy” we want to stress the fact that we have strong Italian roots and ample International views.”

THE ITALIAN WAY
“We have very well established designers like Prada, Versace, Armani then and we have the young designers that still need to find their way in the industry. This combination leads to a very contemporary design, with a strong Italian reference, but with a large international approach”

THE COMBINATION
“We’ve made some experiments, starting with the last spring -summer collection. And it happened because we wanted to match the comfort of knitwear with the shape of certain fabrics. So we doubled the knitwear with fabrics in order to give that structure, that otherwise knitwear did not have. So we are experimenting this new way of matching knitwear. The combination of knitwear and nylon is also a trademark of Stefanel. We wanted to show to our customer how to experience the technical nylon jacket in a Stefanel way. So matching knitwear with the down jacket meant putting our cozy signature on this item.”

THE MOODBOARD
“We started the collection with the image of a military cape that we had in our archives. And this is why we created some pieces to get the military mood into this collection. Also, the velvet was very inspiring for us this season and we wanted to bring it back on the spotlight. The images of Tom Ford in the Gucci days and his iconic velvet jacket in the ’90 were definitely on our moodboard.”

THE ITALIAN WORD
“CIAO”. It is also very Italian, but now it has entered the international language.”

THE WOMAN
“She has determination. This is a trait that I really admire in a woman.”

Before the interview I knew I loved her colorful faux fur coats and furry daisy clutches. They made me curious. So I’ve met Hannah her in her studio, near the famous Carnaby street in West London. All the hip shops around were a good premise for the creative and open conversation that followed.

Her glamorous grandma, who is in her 90s and her good friend, Laura Bailey were the first to wear the beige model with the pink stripes. Then, the online retailer, Avenue 32 placed an order and Opening Ceremony asked for a mini collection. A new confirmation came with the capsule collection for net-a-porter.com and with Natalie Massenet wearing the navy model during the Fashion Weeks in New York and London, last February. In short, this was Shrimps’ itinerary, from a childhood nickname to a fashion brand.
„Brand names are usually very serious, but «shrimps» is unexpected and that’s what makes it impactful”, explains Hannah Weiland, the designer behind this hip brand of faux fur coats. „People become curious, start asking more about it and this is a starting point for the fashion conversation. Moreover, when I started drawing the logo it was so visually expressive from the very beginning. I chose it without hesitation.”
Weiland chose this niche for the creative challenge – after all, the faux fur is a more relaxed form of glamour. „The «Shrimps» woman has a strong sense of humour and she can have any age. The coat is an «on/off»item that can rhyme with any other outfit. A colourful coat can integrate perfectly with the creative outfit of a girl who is 18 years old, but can also be a one unexpected accent for the minimalist look of a more mature woman”. It is the colours that translate one style into the other and this is why they are so important in Weiland’s creative algorithm. „It is fantastic how the same model has different style hints depending on the colours. I have to admit that pink is a lifetime passion for me. You like pink when you are 3 years old and you pretend you don’t like it in your 30s. However, it is a bright colour at any age.”
Hannah is not pretending. On the contrary, her honesty seems to be the best catalyst for her success. She is 24 years old. She likes sweet colours, puffy things and daisies. Pink is a weakness nonchalantly admitted and „sweet” is a word that defines her. „I use it very often: «so sweet», «you’re sweet». As a matter of fact, my 21st anniversary cake had a big «that’s sweeeeet!» written on it. So yes, it is my word!”.
Hannah succeeded to transform this emotions’ collage into a brand listed at «new designers» on Net-a-Porter.com. The daisies, her favourite flowers turn into fashionable clutches this autumn and her favourite childhood character, «Lenny the Lion», the puppet of British ventriloquist Terry Hall, inspired the new mascot for the collection. The fluffy Lenny will definitely be hanging from every “it” bag showcased during the next London and New York fashion weeks. And such vibes are easy to get if you only read the comments on her Instagram posts. They already have one leitmotif: “We are obsessed with this coat”.

This interview was published in the autumn issue of Harpers Bazaar Romania

Beauty products are very personal choices. They are true hints about your genuine likes, acting on a very discreet and personal level. They don’t need the flatulent tricks. They have an honest, intimate dialogue with you and they don’t really care about the others. For example, the only spotlight that your body cream can ever get is a ray of sun reflected on your bathroom shelves, while your new pair of ostentatious pink shoes have a more “mass market” exposure on the streets.
  
Therefore, your beauty choices are true definitions about yourself. So I wanted to set up my very own dictionary of choices. I chose my products and my words and I asked Ileana from zwei to help me with the illustration of the concept. She came up with the most delicate and revealing styling. Love it!
  
Andrei Nica helped me with the art direction and with pinpointing the real benefit of this post: ” And now, vickipedia becomes wikipedia” :-)
  
Pam, pam

My early interaction with Mary Katrantzou designs was simply by looking at them. They were definitely to be admired. With such of mix of colors and prints one could be easily mesmerized. At first, I had to admit, I was a little bit hesitating when wearing them. The very same vivid thing that caught my eye and made me fall for her designs, also made my choice difficult. There are so many beautiful combinations, which one I like best? And what mix of colors suits me better?

I have to tell you, this is such a wrong route. With Mary’s designs, the algorithm is just like that: pick one, it will suit you just perfect. Her designs are not simply to be seen and eventually chosen. Her designs stand for an entire universe imagined by Mary Katrantzou. You have to access this creative realm and you’ll be part of the story. That’s the real joy of wearing them. Looking good comes additional. :-)

I had the confirmation of this fashion theory when meeting Mary Katrantzou. It happened during the beautiful and cozy event hosted by Net-a-Porter’s president, Alison Loehnis, who pinpointed Mary’s talent to integrate prints even in the most monochrome dressing choices. Wonderful ladies mixing different prints, in different cuts. Each one with a different kind of style story. And then, there was Mary’s wit and funny attitude that bonded all. We talked about designers, fashion, personal stuff and we even learned to play the Mafia :-).

It was fashionably fun. I totally enjoyed it!

Big thank you the the NAP team!

Iconic Food Wine and Design is a place to go every time you need to recharge your creative batteries. A place you can always enjoy an exquisite menu, a healthy beverage and a good and inspiring bite of design. I was very happy to hear about the Flexform event to take place there. A good pretext to visit the place again and take my portion of beautiful things.  I could not get to the launch event, therefore I went yesterday there to get the vibe of “Flexform Ambiance” bearing the signature of Class Living by Camelia Sucu. Furniture items in soft and discreet lines but with a great sense of style and comfort, all displayed in the cozy setup from Iconic Food and Wine Design. Fabrics, lines and colors brought together in pieces that simply said “sophistication”. Pieces that you’d definitely like to take home to decorate your space and you mood as well.
Just take a look!

One of the fashion delights today: Stella McCartney’s “Maleficent capsule collection” for kids.

Stella McCartney was definitely a fan of the iconic story of Sleepy Beauty and Maleficent, so when the opportunity presented itself and she was invited by Angelina Jolie to visit the film set, she jumped at the chance.

“I wanted to highlight all of the characters in the film, as Maleficent is so rich in the way that it observes different personality traits. I particularly enjoyed bringing the playful side of the gnomes to life – they are cute, weird and wonderful and I wanted to celebrate that by layering their personality onto a cool sweatshirt”, the designer said. “Disney has a wonderful innocence that I didn’t want to shy away from; in fact I tried to celebrate Princess Aurora’s brilliant girlishness. I worked on a shoe that I have in my own range, called Linda, and I reworked it by adding a sprinkling of glitter. Nothing’s over the top but at the same time the collection doesn’t hide from the delicacy of a little girl’s attraction to a classic Disney Princess”, she added.

The looks are definitely very inspiring. So what’s next? Dress up your child and go to the movies. “Maleficent” is out in the cinemas starting today!

Enjoy!

Having the chance to organize an intimate Net-a-Porter dinner in Bucharest was the dearest professional compliment. My all time goal has been to bring fashion and creativity to the same table and this was the most sophisticated and generous opportunity to do it.

Yes, it was about elegant looks, refined table arrangements and personalized movie presentation. But underneath all this glamorous layers there were some common sense confirmations:

- quality is more effective than numbers

- allowing yourself to present an original interpretation, directed by your eyes and perceptions is always a good option

- close friends make work fun

Therefore I am very grateful to my friend Andreea Macri for discreet insights and fashionable photos displayed at the venue, Dhaniel Nora and Roxana Bllinder for enhancing the event atmosphere with their exquisite taste in flower arrangements and a smooth and creative collaboration, Nicolai Tand for an impeccable menu and an always reliable approach, to my to sister Dana Constantinescu for capturing this delicate snapshots right before the event and to Alexandra Diaconu for paying attention to details that we usually remember only when it’s too late.

A big “thank you” to all the wonderful ladies attending who actually made this evening glorious and to the NAP people who gave me the opportunity of such a fulfilling project. Describing all this work with poetry lines is indeed the nicest professional compliment.

Hope you stay tuned for the short movie depicting the mood of the evening!

For me, Bucharest is the fragrance of tilia flowers on Vatra Luminoasa street, waiting for the “86″ bus together with my mom, at the Universitate square, the basket ball games in the high school yard on Pache Protopopescu Blvd, the Rosetti Square after exams, the one of a kind emotions on Polona street and the relaxing running on Herastrau alleys. I know by heart its strong lights in the summer mornings and the easy sounds of spring evenings. Bucharest is a map of wonderful memories and emotions and that definitely makes it my magic city.  I like to travel to other places, I have lots of favorite other destinations, but there is always only one place to return: Bucharest.

Therefore, I was very happy to represent Bucharest in Noemi’s latest hit from the always wonderful tees’ project. Below you have all the inspiring recommendations for discoveries:

Ana Bucur / Lisabona

Ana Morodan / Bruges

Anca Dinculescu (Molecule-F) / Las Vegas

Cerina Ratiu / Berlin

Cristina Bazavan / New-York

Mirela Bucovicean / Sankt Petersburg

Marius Concita / Londra

Ovidiu Buta / Buenos Aires

Radu Mada / Paris 

Razvan Firea / Los Angeles

Robert Ratiu / San Francisco

Noemi Meilman / Tel-Aviv

Thank you Noemi for the project, Razvan Firea and Marius Concita for the layouts and Ioana Ulmeanu for the photos.

The tshirts can be bought onmolecule-f, Le Petit Indigent studio and The Place X. The price of a tee 299 RON.

I like it because

- 1205 is a London-based label

- 1205 was launched by former Savile Row tailor Paula Gerbase

- 1205 comes in a colourful monochrome of greys, blues, blacks and whites

- 1205 silhouette embraces tailoring education and a relaxed sensitivity

- 1205 has an intriguing balance between masculinity and femininity

Deco objects are closed to stationary, as far as I am concerned! Sometimes you need them and sometimes you don’t, but they always bring you joy and colors. H&M Home is the place to visit especially during these weekends. You can find useful collectibles to make your house pretty and your mood exuberant. And there’s also one more reason to party, as one 50RON purchase from H&M Home brings you an important discount at any clothing item. That’s something to celebrate. I know I did. Here is my incognito garden party. Love!

For more inspirations go to H&M Home

“Dear Romania” is a wonderful line to start a letter, especially since it brings the good news of online shopping from a big retailer acting in Romania – Zara. So I was very happy to receive such a postcard, inviting me to be among the first ones to experience a delightful shopping affair. But it’s quite a while since I’ve kept telling you about online shopping. It is kind of hard to find a new relevant point of view to endorse it. I think it is time to call a friend. Therefore I kindly asked Ioana, my colleague from petocuri.ro to share her personal shopping experience on zara.com/ro/. And indeed she pinpointed a very insightful aspect: the purchase decision starts online, even though sometimes one goes to the store to buy the product. Having the e-shop only makes things easier and faster.

“Zara shopping experience used to be a mix of online and offline for me. I would first browse their website in order to pick my favorites and then went to the store. The product photos are relevant and they can even give you some good styling suggestions. So far the final confirmation happened in store. Now, the store comes home. My first online shopping experience with Zara scored very well. User friendly browsing, same prices as in store and good returns policy. You can see my personal choices in the photos. No returns needed :-)”

This is Ioana’s version. Can’t wait to hear yours. Go play with the shopping cart! :-)

Love!

Vogue Festival is not only about fashion. It is about talks, outfits, tweets, crayons, t-shirts, coffee mugs, pin boards, fashion wit, careers paths and people that put you in a special mood. A mere description of the event, no matter how accurate, would be far from reaching the same inspiring result. Vogue Festival, like many other festivals, is not giving you strategies, success secrets and lessons. It simply comes with the confirmation that common sense always prevails. Here are 10 wit sayings with a great chance to trigger your creativity, imagination or will. My personal favorites are no. 7, no. 9 and no. 10!

1. Our language today is visual / Katie Hillier

2. We cannot be all the time in the crazy vortex of fashion. Taking some time for ourselves makes us better designers / Proenza Schouler

3. A great extent of my work as a designer is making sense of our world / Phoebe Philo

4. Be interested in the industry and its breadth – it’s surprising how many people are not / Louise Wilson

5. Modeling is a business, not a lifestyle / Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

6. My Facebook is done by my team; twitter by me and my team; Instagram only by me. I am not very strategic about it. I just keep it very varied / Mary Katrantzou

7. Photography and IPhone should not be competitive. When writing, nobody asks you what pen you use / Nick Knight

8. Look at situations, people, brands, stores, the media, clothes…You never know where your next idea will come from – it won’t necessarily come from your mobile phone / Daniel Marks

9. Niceness is terrifically underrated / Lisa Armstrong

10. Good manners will get you a long way / Alexandra Schulman

OK, I am not modest. But I know pretty much everything there is to know about online shopping. If there is one person to pinpoint for the appraisal of an online shopping experience, well, that’s me. With all this said, let me just start such an assessment for www.massimodutti.com/romanianromance.
  
From the very beginning, I loved the idea that a big retailer finally gave up the message “Online shopping is not available for your country. Sorry for the inconvenience.” So congratulation for this first! And then, I entered the site. The welcoming part is the collection’s lookbook shot by Mario Testino. A good incentive for everybody to go further with shopping online. The product photos are clean and clear, revealing various perspectives of the items. They also come along with the necessary styling and sizing information. One small tip: add the size of the model, it is a very good reference for the online shopper :-). The payment procedure is easy and friendly, especially when you already have an account. A fine detail: when placing the order, one can opt for the “make it a present” message. Also, the return of the package is for free, another small sign of a solid online shopping business.
  
The parcel is the embodiment of online shopping gratification. It wraps up the promise of your precise order, while it still has a surprise hint within its ribbons. This is why I love online shopping. This is why I loved the newly launched online shopping site of Massimo Dutti.
  
Go to www.massimodutti.com/romanianromance for a rewarding shopping experience.
  
Here is the proof I already had one! :-)

My grandma was the one who would secretly allow me to drink coffee when I was really young. Ever since then, my cup of coffee remained a truly indulging and rewarding moment for me. Very often inspiring.

Julius Meinl triggered my coffee memories. This Friday morning I will start my day at La Belle Vie coffee shop. It is one of the many coffee places in Bucharest that celebrates the International Day of Poetry. I will go there, drink a cup of coffee and pay it with a poem. Maybe it will be about my grandma and our secrets.

Razvan Tupa, Deliric and Adi Despot are among those who support the initiative. You can do just the same. Go in every Julius Mienl coffee on Friday and pay your sip with your inspiration. All the addresses involved in the project on the FB page .

Happy Friday Coffee!

Either the big-league career assignments or the everyday unexpected errands set the paths of our days. We all have an agenda. It’s so very different from one woman to another, and still, there is one thing in common – it’s always busy! Our modern lifestyle led to a hectic everyday itinerary.

Of course, you have to keep up, but do it gracefully! Therefore, respect your natural rhythm and your beauty! From time to time, reset all counters and refocus on fundamental needs: balance and comfort. Give yourself some relaxing moments to boost your spirit. Your skin will follow your mood!

It is the rhythm that makes the music. Make yours a symphony! Enjoy “Le Weekend de Chanel!

Running errands prevented me from running. Latest weeks have brought so many quotidian races that did not allow me to spoil myself with some good traditional jogging in the park. But my thoughts kept their rhythm on sports. Therefore, whenever on the run for a present at Baneasa Shopping City, I always stopped in at Nike store for some high-speed discoveries.

During my latest visit there, I bought myself a pair of Nike Air max 2014 for the ultimate cushioning. This was a benefit that I was longing for quite a while. But still, I left a wish there for the Nike Lunarglide + 5 Shield which is a runner’s perfect match, especially for cold days. A light running shoe with water resistance, reflectivity and a fleece collar that make it ideal for running in wet, dark and cold conditions. As usual, there is always something to yearn for. But this year we can also solve this with a stroke of luck as anyone can take a photo of their favorite item from Baneasa Shopping City stores, up to 500 RON , upload it on BSC site and have a chance to win it. So if there is a picture I would like to upload, then it is the one of the new Nike Lunarglide from Nike shop, especially since taking the photo with the flash on means discovering their reflectivity.

BSC is the Holiday bridge from dreaming to having. And you can always find more inspiration on their Facebook page .

Enjoy!

We are now putting our wardrobe in a glittering mood for the Winter Holidays and our thoughts on an appraisal focus for the New Years resolutions. Therefore, a review of some key fashion moments this year comes just perfect. Here you have the cinematic chronicle of the Paris Fashion Week from September 2013. Enjoy!

I know I am not supposed to say that, but when having small kids, one of the sweetest guilty pleasures is sneaking away early in the morning and going to the mall for kids clothes shopping. It is probably more sexier to show off the busy career-oriented profile picture, but right now I am so over it! For me grabbing a cup of coffee and cruising along the kid stores’ floor is sometimes so liberating and recharging. Therefore, BSC is a destination again.

I have an almost ritual-like itinerary. My first stop is always Petit Bateau, they have the softest underwear for babies and cool clothes for toddlers. To me, the blue and white stripes will always bring some nice memories with two sleepy babies. During my last trip at BSC I was very happy to discover the breton stripes creatively reinterpreted within their latest capsule collection together with the Christian Lacroix. H&M is next on my map. Basics, jeans, accessories and superhero costumes are their specialties. Gap adds on with their boy hoodies, girl pink jeans and puffer vests offering. And then, if in the mood for spoiling, there is also one stop at Vilebrequin store on the corner. The journey finds its peak point at Carturesti for some “Planes” books and wonderful crayolas.

And that’s a wrap! I go home knowing that durin the weekend I will come back with my entire team for one Haagen Dazs stop,  Khumba movie and the Giant Dinosaurs’ Exhibition for which you can find more details here

When December starts, Baneasa Shopping City becomes my “SS” agent, meaning my surprise supplier :-). After one trip here, the first days of December can take their course with the home decoration. They are dedicated to setting up some key places in our home: the “tree scene” right in front of the fireplace, the kitchen table as the main host for the daily family festivities and the kids room, as the hiding place for the “31 days of surprises” calendar.

I usually go to “Simona” for delicate tree decorations and Christmas-themed table sets, “Sarra Blu” for candles and “Zara Home” for surprising trimmings that can stir up the creative potential of any corner in the house. My destinations are so precise because Christmas window shopping can be a difficult task in terms of choice. There is always something left on our wish list. There is always something to yearn for. But this year we can also solve this with a stroke of luck as anyone can take a photo of their favorite item, up to 500 RON , upload it on BSC site and have a chance to win it. Go there, take a photo of your wish and you have your chance to fulfill it.

BSC is the Holiday bridge from dreaming to having. And you can always find more inspiration on the Facebook page .

Enjoy!

Doina Ciobanu loves fashion, but what is more relevant is that fashion loves her back! She makes clothes blossom, therefore she is a well-known fashion darling on the online catwalk, with many followers on her blog or social media accounts. Discover her storytelling silhouette in our Harpers Bazaar Icon video teaser!

She is creatively strategic.

She is a fashion darling.

She is celebrated today! :)

Mirela Bucovicean

You can find more details on the event: here

I admit honestly, most of my shopping adventure is happening rapidly in online. Still, every now and then, I give myself the time and the joy of experiencing the delightful feeling of wondering through stores. When this happens, it happens at Baneasa Shopping City. I get in my car and somehow the road takes me toward this shopping destination. Maybe it is because I know I can get a good coffee as a bonus or simply because I know by heart the children wear stores and I love them. But it is like having imaginary circulation signs that take me there. Really! Watch the proving video!

You could easily take it home with you because we are talking about pocket-sized chairs. But you will actually leave them there, for everybody to admire, as we are really talking about the “100 Miniatures Collection”, with miniature replicas of milestones in furniture design.

This collection was initiated by the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein and is now coming to Bucharest, thanks to Intro and Techo. A summary of the history of industrial furniture design – moving from historicism and art nouveau to the new objectivity of Bauhaus and radical design, and from postmodernism all the way up until the present day – the collection has grown to include more than 100 pieces. The chairs are all one sixth of the size of the historical originals. They are all true to scale and replicate the originals right down to the smallest details in construction, material and colour.

I intend to go to the exhibition with my kids, because the toy-sized chairs are a good trigger to introduce them in a culture and design populated environment. The exhibition is to take place on the occasion of the new Carturesti store on Calea Floreasca, no. 246B. It can be visited between 22th of October and 5th of November.

The leather pant is the only one who made me get over my love for jeans. I wear them every day, I love them every day. Jitrois leather pants come with an even better story: they are made of subtle leather, they make me look slim (even when I don’t deserve it) and they keep the seducing instant during an evermore active and demanding life.

Jean CLaude Jitrois invented the stretch leather back in 1995. Since then he has been dedicated to creating leather couture which allows ease of movement. For spring/summer 2014, many elements of sportswear – pseudo-fluoro colours and the humble trackpant – have been borrowed and adapted in stretch leather and suede. Please pick your favorite, I already did ! :-)

I m very, very happy to be part of this project. Because there is rhyme and reason in everything and one can best discover though poetry. Here are some personal maps. On October the 1st we will find a possible answer. Enjoy!

high fashion / The launch of the 2013 fall-winter campaign of Agent Provocateur

mix them, and you have a fashionable cocktail elegantly served by Victoria 46

I have three new entries on the designer lists to fall for fall.

Mother of Pearl caught my eye with an incredible mix of prints and colorways. Then it was the fabric and the cuts that draw easy-to-wear silhouettes. I love that she uses french terry and that she puts animal print next to stripes or flowers in a combination that only an artist could make tame. A cool London label striking creative appeal.

Margaux Lonnberg is the French girl on my list bringing that ineffable Parisian feeling and the easygoing beauty vibe.

JW Anderson has an already strong menswear experience which is beautifully brought into the womenwear line with well defined  cuts, play on proportions and luxury fabrics. I love the brand because of the knitwear and because it’s British.

for the real feel, go to The Place

photo credits: Viviane Sassen.

model: Marine Deleeuw.

creative director: Guillaume Henry

hair: Romina Manenti

make-up: Nina Haverkamp