Hey Mama, Welcome to the 80s!

Phew, what a week! Lots of work done, less time for blogging though! Missed you! :)

The first Sunday of May is Mothers' Day in Hungary. It was terribly wet today, so we resorted to taking photos on the balcony. It's a small one, so my special guests in these pictures are my Mother's herbs. They are nice. Especially when eaten. :)

The strange lighting of the overcast sky had a very interesting effect on the pictures. Some of them really look like washed-out, oldschool 80s photos. I swear I didn't edit them. (Actually, the only editing I ever do is cropping. Even that takes ages for me. :)

 

This leather jacket was a great thrift find, I bought it when I owned nothing with an appropriately high waist to match. But I knew that they are about to return to the shelves, just like trouser-skirts, that I loved wearing as a child. :) The t-shirt and the necklace are quite old pieces and advertise my neverending loyalty to glasses.

The brands, if you're interested: 

leather jacket: thrifted, trouser-skirt and t-shirt: Zara, shoes: Vagabond, necklace: H&M

Bye, basil and parsley and all the rest!
Next time I might introduce you to my ginkgo tree. I'm sure you can't wait. :)

Oh, and while on the topic of plants - what did you think of Kate's wedding dress? When I started thinking about the symbolic plants of the United Kingdom appliquéed on it (thistle for Scotland, daffodil for Wales, rose for England and shamrock for Ireland), I couldn't help wondering if the Royals really symbolise Britain and was this event really a celebration of Britishness. What is Britishness anyway?

As someone who studied British Culture at university, for me the British Royals are the symbols of Britain, yes. But not the real, rather the cliché Britain. The one that is double-deckers, tea, porridge and queuing, guards in strange hats. The idea you have of Britain is a collection of these quirky things, the Royal Family among them. This wedding was a celebration of this clichéd Britishness, not the one that includes the real people of the country with their diverse ancestry and political backgrounds.

So, for me, the symbols on Kate's dress should have been these - double-deckers, tea, porridge and queuing people, as well as guards in strange hats. Wouldn't it have been more approriate? And just a little bit more original...?

Edit: Don't get me wrong, I actually like the dress. I just find it interesting to ponder symbols and what they stand for and where they appear. Especially if we're talking dresses...Of course it is pretty, but what does it mean?

Picture source: Independent.ie

Easter Fish

We had a great Easter meal in of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in Budapest, the Gundel. Now let me tell you all, that I'm not very likely ever to post pictures of my food. I've never had an urge to photograph what I eat, so well, you have to guess - my necklace could be a hint. :)

This dress is perfect for meals out, as you can eat your stomach as round as you want, the dress doesn't let it show. The drapey top is the sister of the purple one I wore previously here.

Time for another serious confession.
The kid (in the corner of the picture below) is not my son.

 Dress: Promod, Top: Chinese shop, Cardigan: Promod, Tights: Calzedonia (actually borrowed from my Mum, thanks!), Shoes: Vagabond, Bag: Deichmann, Belt: Reserved, Necklace: handmade in the Czech Republic, Thread bracelet: made by my lovely little cousin for Easter, Bangle: my Sister's, and she doesn't know I took it... Thanks! :)

Bridesmaid Sandals

Wearing chunky green sandals, teal tights and a fringed bag. And a lace dress... Which, contrary to what it might seem on the pictures, is fully lined, girls! And boys! :)

As you can see, I love this bag. I have to admit though that my biggest love are the sandals.
They proved to be faithful friends through thick and thin - accompanying me to one of my best friends' wedding last May, for instance. I should thank her (Hi, Ildi!) for these lovelies, as she had the idea to dress her bridesmaids in green, and in the instant I heard this, I envisaged green shoes... And stalked them in Tamaris. Honestly, after seeing a picture of them on display, I kept pestering the shopkeepers about when they will arrive. I figured as I found a dress for the wedding for insanely cheap, I really deserved some nice shoes. :)

Dear Green Shoes, sorry for this picture, which really doesn't do you justice. I promise you will get your chance to shine another time!

Dress: Promod, Tights: Calzedonia, Sandals: Tamaris, 

Bag: Deichmann, Ring: Joid'art, Necklace: Debenhams, kids's section :)

The unintentional "I'm outta here" action shot. Bye, dear Blog Readers! :)

Love Story

I'm so sad here, guys, look:

It's all because this random guy on the street left me.

Oh, the drama!
But it didn't last long.

I'm quite aware this t-shirt reads PINK. I also think it's there for the benefit of the colour-blind and possibly has nothing to do with the pop-star under the same name. However, I like to believe it just reads INK, and if I turn slightly to the side, that's exactly what you see. As a lover of illustration and any sort of ink that I can doodle or print with, I think I deserve an INK t-shirt. Until it arrives I will always turn a little when I wear this top.

Another love-lorn look for good measure.

Top: Zara, Cardigan: Terranova (ancient), Skirt: thrifted, 

Shoes: Deichmann, Belt: H&M (yes, the same one again, I'm hooked, sorry...),

7 Roses: H&M, Necklace: Jojó Art Shop.

Hey, Purple Girl

This is what my boyfriend said when he came in through the door and saw me in these sunset-colours.

I love this purple top-something, it's a really comfortable t-shirt material, with no closure, that I got in a Chinese shop. I don't know if you have those in your countries, here, they're very basic clothes shops run by Chinese who live here and import clothing from China. I really couldn't be less interested in brand names, so I don't mind that my purple something doesn't even have a label sewn into it. It's comfortable, flattering and versatile - that's the main thing.

I fell for the vibrant colour of this tunic and although it's a few sizes big for me and probably wasn't intended as a dress, I couldn't leave it in the second hand shop. I wear a miniskirt underneath it, to avoid too much leg (or butt...) showing when I lift an arm or the wind is too harsh, like today.

I have to admit my favourite items to thrift are bags. Mainly because you don't have to try them on. :)

My necklace is a new aquisition, I fell in love with the tiny drawing of a city behind glass. The cuff was love at first sight as well - placing red right beside fuchsia? I had to have it! (Both handmade, from Jojó Art Shop.)

What do you enjoy shopping for the most? Are there any items or or shapes or colours that simply call your name and you can't leave without them? :)

Madeline by the Sea

The Franz Josef walkway connects the villages around Opatija, winding around the rocky coastline, right above the waves. A truly magical walk that makes you feel you are transported to another time.

Dress and belt H&M

This necklace is a piece of stone I picked up last year on Cres, an island near Opatija. It has a very convenient hole running through the middle of it, so it makes for a great pendant.

I had a great time shooting these pictures with the sea lapping behind me and only two old ladies as an audience. Uhm, one of them topless.
As you often find with old-fashioned resorts, they are often stuck in time, and usually some parts of them are stuck in a nostalgic haze of the 19th century, while another is stuck in the 1970s or something. Well, that's where topless old ladies spring forth from. :)

The sea is eternal though, it was there to enjoy for Franz Josef, the emperor of Austro-Hungary, and his wife, the legendary Sissy, it was there when the topless old lady was a topless young chick and sipped retro Yugoslav drinks beside it. I hope it will be there for a long time for all of us to enjoy. :)