A Dream Wardrobe

 I don't always thrift dresses that fit me perfectly, but when I do, they're black and white gingham. I actually thrifted this dress in the same second hand shop that I'd found the other one... I wonder if they have a secret source of black and white gingham dresses. :)




























Anyway, I was overjoyed to spot it as it's full skirted and not so short... The cleavage is lovely too, but it's too cold at the moment to wear it with bare arms. No worries, I'm sure I'll remix it so many times, probably you'll even get bored with it. :)





















This lucky find made me daydream about a wardrobe that would consist of patterned, full skirted dresses that hit just below the knee, with tiny cardigans in saturated colours and pairs of platform shoes in every colour of the rainbow and more. That would be the core of my ideal wardrobe really, if I could afford to buy whatever I fell for! 






































I was wondering what my Blog Friends would say if I asked them about their dream wardrobe, and as I'm off on a little holiday, you will see some great guestposts from some lovely blog friends who kindly agreed to prepare posts that are centered around the topic of a dream wardrobe or a dream dress. Let me tell you, there are some real treats in store, so be sure to check back while I'm away!

Oh, and in the meantime feel free to share in the comments what your dream wardrobe would consist of! :)

Wearing: thrifted dress, Terranova cardigan from ages ago, Calzedonia tights, 

Vagabond shoes, H&M scarf and flowers.

Time Travel - 100 Years Old Open Houses

Today was another great one for time travel. Apart from the 100 year old anniversary of the tragic loss of the Titanic, which I've learnt so much about this past week, this weekend another - not tragic at all - centenary event took place. We have a great programme initiative here in Budapest where every year for one weekend those houses that are a 100 years old that year, open their doors and host different events run by volunteers for anyone interested.






































Year after year I promise myself I'll immerse myself in the programmes, but always end up working at the weekend. This year however my friend Sophie hosted one of the programmes in a 100 year old house, so I really couldn't miss visiting at least her event!






































I really enjoyed walking around the house without any neighbours bothering me, and clicked away... Unfortunately my camera cannot deal very well with bad light conditions, but I like these little bit grainy pictures too. :)































































































Sophie prepared a language quiz targeted on how different our language was a 100 years ago. It was fun to watch how much people enjoyed the questions and how interested they were in the right answers! Great job! :)

The best thing about this huge architectural birthday celebration is that next year another lot of beautiful houses will celebrate their 100th, so we have the chance to see more and more of them, year after year!


























































Finally, this is what this house looks like from the outside:





















And this is what I look like taking grainy pictures of myself in the mirror on the corridor: 

Wearing: Promod trench and cardigan, thrifted bag, M&S jeans, 

scarf from an underpass, trusty old Docs for strolling around 

and walking through Elizabeth bridge afterwards!

An Addams Cousin, a Bird and a Poem

If you think this dress is weird, I don't blame you. What's more, I agree.






































But when I saw it, it reminded me of the Addams Family and how I used to love those films, and suddenly saw myself in the disguise of a long lost Addams cousin... Well, you get it! After a very very tireing week full of overtime work, it seemed like a good thing to wear, intriguing and menacing at the same time, as well as playful and girly.





















I put on owl earrings and a fascinator to match the rather interesting decoration of the dress, which looks like there's a dead bird stapled onto my chest.

Wearing: dress from a Chinese shop, Promod boots, Calzedonia tights, H&M fascinator, 

Jojó Art Shop leather cuff, and I forgot where the clip-on earrings are from.

It's the Day of Poetry today in Hungary, celebrating my favourite Hungarian poet's birthday. Whenever I start reading his poems, emotions well up within me with such force, they always blow me away. Attila József, I hope you're happy, wherever you are.






































Attila József: The Audit is Done

I've trusted always in myself, alone.
This hasn't cost me dear, for what I own
is absolutely nothing. Or at least
not more than it would cost a slaughtered beast.
I held my own in spite of fear and doubt -
I lived, I blended in, and I stood out.
I gave as good as they were giving me,
I paid with love when someone gave me free
and when a woman led me on and teased
I trusted her, why not? Let her be pleased!
I scrubbed the deck, I heaved the bucket rope,
to clever gents I played the stupid dope.
I paddled whirligigs, bread, paperbacks,
whatever sold, poems and almanacs.
To die in bed one day, that's what I hope,
not in a battle and not on a rope.
The audit's done. The facts are simply these:
I've lived - and people die of this disease.

1936

(Translated from the Hungarian by Peter Zollman,
in: 43 Poems by Attila József, Maecenas, Budapest, 2005.)

Instant Pattern Mixing

Happy Easter weekend everyone! I hope the sun shines wherever you are!






































I've been trying to incorporate more pattern mixing into my outfits, here's another mild try. I've had these tights for ages and this thrifted top seemed to be made for them!






































In other news, please check out Carina's blogpost about our Budapest meeting! She edited our pictures much more professionally and wrote up her side of the story so sweetly! :)





















Back to the clothes: undoubtedly the star of this outfit is this bracelet my Mum got me as a present for Christmas (and it gets to Easter until I show it off on the blog... :). It's from a design market, and the genious of  it is that you can exchange the buttons, which are patented on the surface.
 


















What a great idea! It gave me a chance to mix pinkinsh and bluish hues and stripes and dots... Voilá, instant pattern mixing!

Wearing: gifted bracelet from a design market, leather bracelet from Jojó Art Shop, 

thrifted top, miniskirt from a random boutique, H&M belt and ring and tights, 

Zara bag, Deichmann shoes, handmade earrings DIY-ed into clip-ons by me.

A Sort of Pastel

Oh hey squinty! It's so sunny I can't keep my eyes open. :)








































I've been wondering if I can reproduce any of the spring trends by just shopping my own closet, and came up with this pastely outfit. And there I was thinking I don't own anything pastel!






































My Boyfriend brought this tote back from a conference and I immediately grabbed it. The little car is so cute and I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment...





















This is one of many reasons I like blogging so much, it's a continual learning environment in so many fields! Well, when it comes to posing there's definitely still a lot left to learn... Below is me trying my natural best, khm. "Oh wow, look how interesting the corner of the wall is." :)

Wearing: Zara jacket, Takko jeans, thrifted silk top, Brigitte Bijou scarf, 

H&M flower, Converses, tote from a teachers' conference.

Bloggers and Bridges

What a busy week! Lots of new experiences, lots of new people!






































Let me introduce Carina, who's a German blogger behind the Bad Taste Toast blog. She's visiting Hungary on business, and being a lovely girl that she is, she suggested a blogger meetup!





We met for coffee and cakes last week, and got on so well (even without mentioning blogs) that we decided we should meet up for a stroll and picture taking in the weekend. Let me tell you, it's amazing to walk around, see a great photo spot and having someone with you who understands your enthusiasm and even takes your pictures! :D






































Obviously gritty backgrounds are my weakness. What can I say, I love rust. :)







































Carina's favourite Budapest bridge is the lovely green Freedom Bridge, so we headed over to snap some photos overlooking the Danube. Playing tourist in your own city - what a great way to spend the weekend. Suddenly you see well-known sights differently!




























































Then we walked up Gellért Hill and agreed that the weather was simply perfect, not too cold, not too hot... Ideal for sightseeing as the skies were so clear.





















We stayed on the top of the hill, looking down at the city and discussing blogging and other things until the sun started to set, then we strolled down the hill towards Elizabeth Bridge bathed in warm light, and decided that this definitely wasn't our last meeting. In fact, we're planning another one this week, while Carina is in Budapest.

Carina, thank you for the great pictures and the great times!
Check out Carina's blog on her take on our meetup and whimsical, fun style!





















My first ever blogger meetup was a definite success. Looking forward to more to come. Any of you visiting Budapest this summer? :)

Wearing: Bag, brooches and rings from Jojó Art Shop, Scarf from Bahia, Earrings from an art market, Takko jeans, thrifted jacket and top, shrug from a Chinese shop, Doc Martens. 

All brill pictures of me by Carina! Editing and other photos by me.