Tonight - DJ set at Candelaria Paris

Hello everyone!

Just a quick post to invite you to Candelaria, one of my favorite Parisian hangouts. 

It's quite a unique concept - cosy Mexican restaurant (all my Californian friends have been pleased) with a hidden door leading to a speakeasy New York style cocktail bar and lounge.

They mix the most creative tequila/mezcal based drinks, in a dark, decadent décor.

Not to mention it's located in the super hip Marais/Republique area.

Pretty much the perfect spot for all my oriental grooves.

Hope to see you!

Sunday Musings : 2014 style and shopping resolutions

The beginning of the year is weird to me; for some reason, I get more meditative around my birthday than on NYE. I mean, my birthday is exactly a month after, so if I've been too busy with the holidays to take time to reflect, it usually strikes me around this time.

Truth be told, I'm going through a change - my style has been evolving in the last few years and it's still changing and heading towards something new. For some reason, now I just want simple, neutral and monochrome things in good, natural fabrics.

I know now that I'll feel more comfortable in a jersey skirt than wearing jeans, I know low waist is not my thing, the American Apparel riding pant is my version of staple pants and as much as I am a lazy ass and hate ironing, I still can't quite endure polyester right on my skin.

I stopped buying new retail knits as they just end up piling super bad in a few weeks/months at best, I can't seem to find good cotton jersey and most things I get from ASOS end up being sent back either because the fit is weird or the quality crappy.

In the end, the stuff I love and wear most comes either from Etsy/Ebay or the thrift store; I'm desperately trying to find a reliable source for affordable new basics with no luck. Maybe I just need to accept that quality, durable things cost money. But how accurate is that even? Aren't brands just inflating prices because they invest so much in marketing?

I recently read this article on R29 about the Nu Woman and embracing minimalism and less is more; I love what Rhiannon has been sharing on her blog in the past 2 years and bought a few handmade/indie designer accessories which turned out to be a great choice.

Still, I am not fully convinced about spending $200 on a dress.

There is this big ongoing discussion about less is more, reducing, buying ''investment pieces'' and all that.
Then you get the weekly ASOS sale emails and trend guides, the special offers, the online ads when going on Youtube and, well... the bloggers.

I mean, it's all around us, this capitalist chant - buy, buy, buy! The other day I made the poor choice on taking Rue de Rivoli at 5pm and all I could see were people with shopping bags, final sale signs and a large queue to get into Andre (the shoe store).

I keep seeing articles about cleaning up your style, reducing your wardrobe, binge shopping (and shopping bulimia, if you believe that!) and just like guides about how not to get sucked into the whole ''it's 75% off, I should buy it'' thing.

I have to admit I'm quite a sucker for this sort of thing; I also get bored easily and my style changes quicker than my moods.

Then again I think about that Tony Takitani movie; it's this really disturbing story about this lady spending all her money on designer goods, then one day she died in a car accident while trying to return something out of guilt. The more disturbing part is how her husband is trying to hire someone just to wear her clothes, so he would remember her. It's one of those sick-endearing Japanese Murakami stories, a definite must see.

In the end I know I will always have an eclectic style and taste in pretty much everything.

So I guess my resolutions are pretty much similar to everyone else's in the end:

• buy less 
• buy better quality, more expensive items
• buy indie/handmade rather than high end designer
• never buy something just because it's on sale/a good deal
• buy more vintage
• buy more natural fabrics (sorry but viscose doesn't count)
• invest in jewelry ( my we never sleep items are still my most worn items )
• go thrifting regularly
• buy more monochromes
• buy no-brains basics like white tees, camisoles and panties
• buy more books and records

This may sound all buy buy buy, but as a fashion blogger and vintage seller, buying is a pretty big part of it.

For me, personally, it works better to buy vintage that I can potentially resell when I get tired of it or it simply doesn't fit me instead of buying retail.

However, buying vintage and second-hand means you pretty much never find what you're looking for and if you do find a basic/staple you love, you feel like not wearing it to death because you know you can never find another.

Sometimes the most unlikely places make ridiculously nice/sturdy items; I had my share of H&M surprises. You just can never tell.

Nevertheless, this ASOS dress has been my bff in the last few weeks and after 3-4 washes it still looks great. I will get another.

I love this American Apparel skirt I got at their sample sale but again it's become SO ridiculously fuzzy so fucking quick I simply can't wear it anymore! The texture, fit and color are perfect, so it's really a shame. Then again, my first pair of riding pants are still super wearable after 2 years.

Retail is quite a gamble which more often than not ends up disappointing.

It's not that I'm an eco-freak or anything, but I do have a problem throwing away clothes ; it's the stuff you can't resale, donate or give away - the horror-chiffon florals, the stuff where the elastic stretches out to unwearability, the its-so-fucked-up-i-cant-even-make-it-a-rag things.

I am very tempted all the time my dear friends, and it's hard to stay strong. But ultimately I'd rather have fewer things I can actually wear and that feel good on my body than overflowing closets full of I-might-wear-this-someday-it's-kinda-meh-but-not-throwaway-yet stuff.

Most of my stuff is dry clean only or hand wash only too; I want good jersey basics that feel soft, look good and can be thrown in the washing machine. Is that too much to ask?

Happy 2014!

Hope everyone had a great NYE party ! This year we had a low key cocktail/dinner party with friends and good food (someone brought homemade sushi - how awesome is that?!) and I think it was just what I needed.

I don't know how everyone felt about 2013, but for me it's been a pretty rough year. Lots of changes and dark times, but towards the end it started getting better. Not to mention my superstitious side is happy to be out of the 13 number.

I'm really happy that things have taken off vintage wise and I'm really grateful to everyone around me for their love and support.

I didn't write any resolutions yet, but I guess my ongoing resolution is getting my films developed more often; recently I found this roll from back in April and was quite pleased retrieving this shot. It's pretty much one of those beautiful accidents that occur quite a bit when using a disposable film camera.

This was right after I came home from participating in my friend's Katherine performance and still had the stage make up on. I find it glamorous and decant, somehow wildly appropriate for the excess and sheer debauchery associated with a New Year's party.

I'm pretty sure 2014 will be even brighter.

So I finally caved in...

...and joined Chictopia. I don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing yet, as I'm already spending waaay too much time online (having an ancient phone limits me to computer browsing also), but it seems like a good platform for bloggers and I've contemplating joining for quite a while now.

I still don't think I can ever do Facebook - I'm trying to break the record of being one of the few people NOT on it. Call it stupid stubbornness or whatever.

Anyway, it's gonna be a good motivation for posting more outfits. And in order to make this a little less of a  spam post, here's a few extra shots of this outfit.

You can see my profile/outfits and follow here. Thank you everyone!

La blouse roumaine ( outfit )

blouse : mother's

50s skirt : vintage (Etsy)

mink hat : vintage (Etsy)

cape : vintage (grandmother's)

kid gloves : vintage (Etsy)

fur stole : vintage

boots : thrifted

Happy December 1st!

For most of you, this probably just means we've officially entered winter time and Christmas is around the corner. In Romania, we celebrate our national holiday on December 1st.

It never really meant that much to me or to most people I know; usually it was just a day off from school (or even two if we were lucky), some boring military parades and shops being closed.

But now that I'm away, it kinda starts having a different significance - it's not like I suddenly care, it's just one of those little reminders about where I come from and what does that mean to who I am.

Lately being Romanian has gathered much more significance, or I just started using in my work more, making my colleagues ask if I am really Romanian and whether or not I grew up in the States or something ( the French are quite puzzled by my English, but they also suck at languages so maybe they shouldn't go to Romania any time soon).

So in honor of this day and recent events, I decided to share one of my prized possessions - a traditional Romanian blouse.

You know, the same type of embroidery that's now showing up all over Pinterest. That Matisse basically made famous back in 1938. IIa Romaneasca.

I wish I could say it's been in my family for generations, but the truth is my parents bought it in the '90s for this American couple, then it mysteriously got stained and ended up in my closet. I still love it to pieces and I am seriously considering finding more on my next visit.

It's just that it's so hard to find the authentic ones; also, the prices basically skyrocketed in the past couple of years. 

It might seem painfully basic, but I think this is a positive national symbol (and an extremely pretty one too) that I'm glad to perpetuate. From what I hear now people wearing this kind of blouses in Romania are mostly right-wing homophobic nationalists, which just seems...sad. 

But there's a lot of ugly shit going on in Romania right now, some of which you may have heard of. Rosia Montana anyone? Back in the summer there were many protests about the cause. 

So before an early screening we took advantage of the rare 10 minutes of Parisian sunshine and shot these. There were so many nice shots that I should probably do another post... But what I didn't mention is that this is probably my first real outfit post like ever? I hate lugging a camera around, so it's always either shit on film that gets developed months later, my disposables(same) or other random shit that I never get a hold of. Or stuff for the shop.

This is really first I think! I'm not trying to say it will become a usual thing, but it's nice to chance things around from time to time.

Unfortunately the circumstances still haven't been right to shoot my holiday look book ; I have velvet dresses basically crying on the hangers! Seriously, in order to shoot in this weather you need the planets to align or something. Fucking Parisian grey, Henry Miller warned us all along.

I also have a whole new batch of knits and dresses to put in the shop starting Tuesday.

Until then there are still many wonderful things left in the shop - last chance to enjoy a sweet 25% off !

Monday Musings : Les coquettes sales

A friend once introduced me to a very specific term used for a certain breed of artsy French girls - les coquettes sales. His definition was - ''well, you know, like the girls who would change their stockings but not their underwear''. Such a French thing to do!

As much as this may apply to les filles de Beaux Arts, I think that just having a term which literally means dirty chic chicks says a lot about French culture.

I'm not trying to make this into a bad thing - I actually enjoy the generally accepted sloppiness. I still am shocked by the mix of Vuitton bags and runs in stockings, dirty fingernails and a little bit of too much BO coming from the guys, but it feels a little bit more real than the plastic perfect American/English norm.

I have to admit I feel somewhat less out of place here than in Romania, who seems to conform to the Anglo-Saxon canon of beauty and style; I mean, you can't go out to take the trash without wearing make up, are you crazy or something?!

Even when I go back to visit now, most of the time I do feel like the poorest/worst dressed person in most hip places. I don't think that has anything to do with my style or clothes choice as much as with the often excessive make up/hair styling embraced by the majority of the female population (that's another reason why discovering Daria's blog was such a refreshing change).

Besides their eternal cigarette in hand (thank God they banned smoking in bars here! when is it going to happen for public places too? Finland style anyone? hint hint ), the French girl's statement accessory are her red lips.

I barely wear any make up for year now, although I have to admit that I started wearing dramatic red lips since I moved here. When it comes down to it, a touch of red lipstick can elevate any outfit and excuse any bad hair or wrinkly dress. Sure, I need to check my pocket mirror every 5 minutes and look at my teeth and if I have to eat something I just wipe it off and rarely apply it again, but for the time it stays on it feels great.

But their ultimate accessory is probably the attitude - the smutty pout, the superiority, the whole je n'en fou. As terribly annoying as it may be, it's a large part of what makes the French so attractive and stylish and, ultimately, lets them get away with pretty much any sartorial faux pas.

And that, my friends can't be learned or bought.



PS - don't forget about our  GIVEAWAY and the new look book on Wednesday! 

International Blue (Back to Paris)

 Call it what you will - electric blue, royal blue, jewel tone...For me it will always the the International Blue, that loud unique shade patented by Yves Klein, the one he smeared upon naked ladies and huge canvases.

The strong, instantly recognizable blue, the one no other artist was allowed to imitate.

With all this history in mind, I can't help but think of Vonnegut's Bluebeard and his character's failed abstract expressionist painting - a huge blue canvas from which the paint started peeling off to his embarrassment. His Satten Dura-Lux Windsor Blue is a direct Klein reference to me; and who couldn't appreciate Vonnegut's sick sense of humor?

I wasn't much into Vonnegut at start, as I must have read a horrid Romanian translation of the book, but once I read Cat's Cradle in English I instantly became a fan.

Only this whole blue deal might be a little more than a chromatic rant - I think I've got the blues.

Autumn has sure come suddenly this year - the rain and cold caught up with us while being at the seaside.

So seeing those summer photos already makes me nostalgic about a vacation that's barely over. Don't get me wrong, I do love turning leaves and berries and digging out warm sweaters, but I think this year we've been so warmth deprived that I can't really say I'm very happy about the upcoming cold season.

At least I have beautiful photos from all my photographer friends that will help fuel my summertime fantasies.

But in the meanwhile there's the whole folie de la rentree, with the upcoming Nuit Blanche, FIAC and this weekend's Fete des Jardins, the Paris-wide parks and garden outdoor celebration. They probably know this is the last weekend when the weather is still nice enough to do all this.

Oh and did I mention school starts in a week as well? Also - Halloween is just around the corner!

Hope everyone had a great summer. What are you guys looking forward to this autumn?

Summer's almost gone... and a beach outfit

I know, I know everyone's probably sick and tired of Jim Morrisson references,but a lesser known fact is that I used to be a hippie and obsess over The Doors, Woodstock and the '70s.

Reading Patti Smith's Just Kids got me nostalgic over that period again; I was never a big Patti fan (besides loving Horses) but this little memoir is a thrilling and highly emotional book. Naturally, it's a highly romanticized account, but there's a little bit of everything - Chelsea Hotel, The Factory, Harry Smith...even mentions of Hank Williams and lots of literary references.

Being a Mapplethorpe fan it's pretty incredible to learn all this history about the evolution of his work. Regardless, I think it's a highly inspiring book for any aspiring artist or creative. And such a pleasant read!

And of course this used to be one of my favorite songs to listen to in late August, early September, when the weather gets slightly chiller, leaves start turning but school is still a couple of weeks away.

In Romania la rentrée is around September 15th, which kinda had the same effect on everyone as Labor Day has for Americans. The French tradition hails the end of summer somewhere around the first two weeks of September and October 1st.

I spent the last week in Romania at my favorite (now less) deserted beach and now it's time for editing photos, packing and flying back to Paris very soon.

I left the shop and my dear plants in the hands of my trusty roommate, so there would be no shipping delays but unfortunately no updates either until October.

I'm already thinking about shooting in Pere Lachaise, maybe filming a little Super 8 promo film, finally visiting the Gustave Moreau Museum I've heard so much about and just getting wrapped up in all that 19th century gloomy autumn atmosphere.

I still haven't got the summer out of my system but hey there's still a few days left, right?

bises,

sandra

Photo Diary : Normandy Part II

more photos from the Filmgarden weekend in Normandy, see the rest here

There's no news in stating that weather is deceiving... When it comes to Paris and close by regions, it's downright ironic.

Latest example? Having to deal with a week of full on heatwave in the city (about 30C/86F ), after having the rainiest weekend during the sole nature escapade of the summer!

Now I can only look at these and imagine how cool it would be to be there in nice weather...

Of course, it's not as bad as Bucharest/Romania but the metro is unbearable (I'm sorry, I'm too bad of a cyclist+live too far to adopt that lifestyle) and the only places that have AC around here are cinemas and the frozen goods supermarket sections (Picard anyone?)

In typical Parisian fashion everyone is picnicking by Buttes Chaumont and the Canal Saint Martin, but I find those places too crowded and beer-drenched. Unfortunately the Bois de Vincennes is too far to escape to every day...

Either way, I kinda need to take advantage of this week and shoot the mid-summer look book for the shop (I have a bunch of new summer dresses, some from my personal wardrobe), as I know the summer here can't last for more than 10 days straight.

There's gonna be a Bastille Day (14th of July) sale over the weekend and new stuff next week, unless I my brain gets too fried from the heat (I do need to buy a fan asap!), I'm already getting the dreaded summer nausea.

Anyhow, I can't believe how dreamy those slide film shots can look! I need to get in the habit of getting my rolls developed more often...

Outfit - Camping in Normandy, Come Rain or Come Shine (on film)

 

Well, I wouldn't really call sleeping in a tent in someone's back yard camping; or a remote village close to L'Aigle really Normandy. Semantics.

The good thing about having friends is that you get invited to pretty amazing events- like Emmanuel's from Lightcone Filmgarden annual summer party.

The experimental film scene is kinda like a family around Paris because everyone seems to know everyone, but it rarely gets beyond that. Except maybe in Emmanuel's back yard.

For three summers now he and his wife invite his close friends (and their friends) to a weekend of outdoor screenings in the garden of his summer cottage. Most people stay for one night and camp out in the garden; there's great food, bonfires and all around good vibes. Plus it's super close to Paris so you don't have to spend a fortune on train tickets(which is why I never travel here)!

Unfortunately the weather was anything but nice and summery - it rained most of the time, my bones completely froze in the evening and I had to deal with the worst wind ever.

Besides the crappy weather and kids overload, I got to taste a little bit of nature (and garden strawberries!), sleep in a tent and ruin my favorite boots (never ever put your shoes by the fire to dry, even if they're your only pair and super wet!).  My favorite part was probably their little house and garden, the local apple juice and probably the best goat cheese I ever had.

And, of course, the tall uncut grass, cow spotting, making a fresh flower crown, picking elder tree flowers for tea,the silence, the singing birds...

I've been basically living in this sweater+leggings+raincoat combo for the 2 days there as it has been pretty darn cold! I think we had maybe 2 hours of sunshine at most but boy did I take advantage of them!

I'm happy I got to experience a bit of French country side, but in the end it only made me more homesick and had me craving for more real nature escapades (and my beloved waterproof hiking boots that I left in Romania).

cardigan: borrowed from the shop

  gingham shirt, raincoat (H&M), boots (Timberland) : thrifted

pants: American Apparel riding pant in Henna (bought last year on sale)

socks in 1st photo: American Apparel (borrowed)

Monday Musings - blogging, business and beyond (with slide film photos)

After reading this post by Lady Moriartry the other day , it got me thinking - why do we blog? And does blogging necessarily have to turn into a business?

We're way past 2007 and I doubt we'll see any more stellar careers rising from blogging - let's face it - the blog bubble has burst and it's just become a more fiercely competitive world. There are very few people who actually make a living off their blog or manage to find jobs thanks to that; and more and more people who are trying.

But, like anything else, blogs come and go. especially in the volatile world of fashion.

While I could try and speculate upon why I think certain people blog, I think I should ask myself- why do I blog?

My experience is fairly strange, as I used to have a different blog before this one, back in 2009.

Why was I blogging then? Blogging used to be for geeks and losers and people who didn't have any friends in general, why was it suddenly cool? I guess because I discovered the fascinating (and dangerous) world of fashion blogging, look book, wardrobe remix and the likes.

And so many pretty and stylish girls! Maybe I just needed to belong and feel accepted or trying to prove to the world that I could also be stylish and resourceful.

And...there was also a bit of an ulterior motive, as I was trying to launch an Etsy shop back them (as you can tell, I did have quite a vintage collection already; that's what you get when you've been wearing mostly thrifted stuff since the age of 14).

The result? I did get attention and some appreciation but I also felt frustrated, ugly and simply poor most of the time. Also, I drove my then-bf crazy. And spent waaay too much time on ebay.

This time around...I kinda did things the other way around - I didn't have the patience to try and win people over with my style, I was pretty desperate and needed to make some cash, pronto!

So the blog started mostly as an accessory to the shop, but I don't think that's really what I wanted.

Even if I thought I would be wiser, I still feel the same frustration as the first time around, maybe even more so. I keep thinking- what am I doing wrong? Have I really put on that much weight? Do people simply hate my face? Why can't I take sharp photos with super blurry backgrounds like everyone else?

The truth is...maybe I wasn't trying as hard. or maybe I've just been trying too hard.

The blogosphere has changed and I totally feel that.

But then i asked myself- why did i start reading blogs in the first place? First of all, to learn about new cool stuff, such as music, movies and books. Most of my early teenage reads have been influenced by this long-defunct romanian reviews proto-site and my music music education has been shaped by the cookshop (and last fm, let's not forget that one).

Then the fashion blogs were a source of inspiration from real people and a way to discover new cool designers, learn more about vintage or simply find out where that uber cool necklace was from.

But then the people started to seem less and less real and there was this huge socio-cultural gap. Somehow blogging gives you the feeling of democracy - the illusion that the people you see there are more or less like you. actually, upon a closer look all it does is just accentuate the class difference between people who buy Louis Vuitton and the ones who go to Emmaus (the French Salvation Army). They both take pics on the Pont des Arts. Or there are some who buy both. And everyone claims they are poor/broke.

Before living abroad I couldn't picture how some young people can be that well off. I also feel that living here has taught me that everything is about class struggle, income and social status. No, i can't join you guys for dinner because I can't afford to eat in a place like this.

Then there are real people, who you feel like you really can relate to and who address the same problems that bother you.

In the end, do you really have to be rich in order to develop aesthetic judgement?

It's probably just the lower-middle class vs the upper-middle class and higher up. You do need to have a camera and a computer in order to blog, after all.

So maybe before dissing this as white people problems, we should consider the need for a new class that would bridge the gap between the two very wide ends of what we call ''middle class''.

Anyhow, I didn't mean to try and get political, but this is what Paris does to even the most politically ignorant people like myself - it turns them into revoltes.

Maybe I should try making this blog into something I would like to read.

In the end, all I really want from all this is to add more dimension to the brand I'm trying to develop; in short, I guess i'm just trying to say that I'm a real person, you guys! Not a spam bot, a like machine or a greedy corporation.

I don't want to make money off my blog (you could argue it's a promo platform for the shop but actually all the other social networks bring in more views than the blog) , I guess I just want to show off my styling skills outside of vintage shoots, share a little more about the movies I love and which fuel the whole concept behind the boutique, share some (what I think is) cool stuff from time to time and well... enjoy the luxury of thinking aloud. in writing.

And of course, I'm always happy to hear that someone is listening.

Come to think about it, maybe the first time around I was being more sincere; and regular, and generous.

Maybe that's what we all need in the end - a little more sincerity. Can we have a virtual toast to that?

PS : last but not least, I am grateful for all the appreciation and positive feedback I've been getting, the sales I managed to make, but sometimes it just gets hard and maybe I just needed to let out a little steam. The irony of it all? I just got an email that my shop has been featured in a online mag. It's definitely something that made me smile. Thanks Whim Magazine!

Disposable Diary : blossoms and florals

... I know I shouldn't recycle last year's snapshots, but looking through my old tumblr (and considering how long it takes me to get my films developed) this little ensemble seemed to capture the mood of this season perfectly: gloomy summer.

Above is a lovely pink magnolia found in the Marais, the sunset over the Asnieres bridge overlooking Nanterre, my bedroom curtain ( and bruised legs from carrying gear), one of those amazing floral chandeliers during a concert at Henri's amazing apartment and another beautiful magnolia in this little park by INHA.

I can't wait to see what treasures I'll uncover in the new batch I'm finally taking to the lab next week!