Photographic Time Travel 1920-1930

Probably thanks to period movies I have a distinct picture in my head of 20s looks and fashions - much like the picture above and below.
























However, looking through Fortepan's amateur photographs you don't only see the "do take a picture of me in my best dress" and "well off people in the park" shots, but real, everyday people going about their business... And how different those looks and settings can be!



































My favourite photo from this lot... So everyday, so laid back, so simply, effortlessly perfect.








































She's way ahead of her time, isn't she?























I find it so captivating how they all look into the camera like they'd look into your eye.






















I trend to forget that longago people still had fun. :)






















I wonder who these youngsters are and how did they get to know each other?


























And one more for laughs: twenties trolling. :D

In case you missed my previous Time Travelling posts, here they are:
Photographic Time Travel 1900-1910,
Photographic Time Travel 1910-1920.

All of these wonderful pictures are from Fortepan.hu, which collects amateur photographs from 1900 to 1990, mostly from Hungary, which you can browse and enjoy and also share if you feel like it! The creators collected old negatives and slides, saved pictures from being lost forever. Luckily for us, one day they started to scan and publish them online for everyone to see. So now time travel really is possible for us! All we need is some free time to immerse ourselves in the everyday life of the 20th century... So go on and visit Fortepan and have a browse. You can also read more about their project here!







































<3

Big News!

Here I am, again! And also somebody else... There are two of us on these pictures. :)
Yes, I'm expecting a baby! The Little One growing inside is now about four and a half months old, and causes me to marvel at the wonders of the world and just how lucky and blessed I am every day.










































My mind is really occupied with it all too, so concentrating on blogging took a back seat in the past month, but I don't intend to give up my corner of the internet that easy!

I know full well it can feel painful to read about pregnancies for many women, for many reasons, so I definitely don't intend to turn this blog into a pregnancy one, however, as this is partly a personal style blog, the Bump will play an increasing role on the pictures, visually definitely! :D My body changes really fast and it took some time to get used to this, but obviously I didn't stop getting dressed - in fact I rather enjoy that I have to rethink my wardrobe for a new body shape.

So please stay tuned for more style and art, and I will try and not abandon my blog again for so long! :)

These great pictures were taken by Zsófi Raffay, when we were out for another photoshoot I styled for her - but more on that later!

Wearing: Thrifted dress and shrug, H&M Mama tights, Bershka outlet thigh-highs 

(very uncomfortable to wear them like that though! :), Doc Martens.

Halloween-less

We don't celebrate Halloween in Hungary at all - instead we have the Day of the Dead, but that is a very solemn affair, and definitely doesn't include dressing up. People visit the cemeteries, tidy the graves, light candles for everyone they lost... It's a sad but beautiful ocassion.





















These pictures were taken near to where I grew up, and that strange ball thing is supposed to a fountain that I never saw working, not even when I was five and climbing up to the top of it was the achievement of the day. :)

Although I didn't have the ocassion to dress up, my sister Anna, while taking the pictures pointed out I look like I'm cosplaying something - must be because of this overdress. Not what I intended, but you can't really escape looking a bit theathral in it! (If that's a word.)

In other news I'm growing my hair again, as my Boyfriend keeps hinting at how nice long hair is, (oh well, at least I gave short hair a try!) so be prepared for some weird transitional hairstyles in the coming months! :)

Wearing: Promod dress and boots, handmade overdress from a folk market, 

Calzedonia tights, Zara bag, Primark headband.

Photos by my sister, Anna, editing by me.

Styling Rozina

This gorgoeus lady is Rozina Pátkai, a jazz singer whose photoshoot I had the luck to style. It's always a great pleasure to work with Zsófi Raffay, a brilliant photographer indeed!

First of all, we met Rozina, who explained what sort of pictures she imagines and discussed the atmosphere and general style of the future shoot... She also sent us links to her band's music, which immediately started me thinking. It's wonderful to be part of a creative process which starts with music and ends with pictures. A few days later I was ready to visit her and wreak havoc in her wardrobe!








































I made some sketches about the type of dresses that would suit her shape (she has a great figure, as believe it or not she's also a fencing champion!) and work for the shoot - we both imagined something colourful, and not too elegant, but still put-together. A bit like how you dress for a date you're really looking forward to and you're very happy about! :)

After a long trying-on session, and looking through both Rozina and her Mum's wardrobe, plus my suitcase of accessories, we came up with one full outfit, featuring the yellow dress accented with spicy colours in the shape of flower pins and belts, and we also agreed on a dark blue dress as well, with red sandals.





















Let me tell you, it is the best feeling when the people whose styling you're working on follow your general guidelines and go shopping on their own, turning up with a few perfect pieces! That's exactly what Rozina did, and sent me the pictures of a few more dresses she picked up for the shoot - the green and red ones you can see below. I made sure I picked up accessories for these as well, and we were ready for the shoot, which took place in a wonderful retro café, Táskarádió.






















The shoot was great fun and I just love the pictures... At the moment this reclining one is my fave. :)
I hope Rozina can use them promoting her music! Here's the link to her blog where you can find all the links to their great bossa novas and jazz songs.
Oh, and do look around Zsófi's photos as well, they're absolutely worth a good look!











































Aaaaand, this is not the end of the story. A week or so later we also did a shoot for the whole band! More pictures to come! :) 

(Obviously no animals were harmed, this is just a fake butterfly. :)

Overcast

But patterns cheer me up!

Be Carefree Car-Free!

There is an international day dedicated to travelling car-free, did you know? It's tomorrow, the 22nd of September.

We tend to forget how easy it is to take public transport within the city instead of sitting in traffic jams, while all the buses rattle past us in the empty bus lane... Not having to search for a parking space, just propping up our bikes right next to our destination... Walk to the corner shop for what we need instead of buying up everything in a hypermarket thinking "I don't have to carry it, I might as well buy this and this and this too...". Curling up on a seat on the night bus after a night out instead of paying for a taxi... (I won't even go into environmental issues here, we know those all too well.)

So how about not getting into your cars tomorrow, take the bus, get on your bikes or just walk! I will definitely do so! :)

Car-Free Day has been celebrated for a few years here in Budapest, when the great Andrássy boulevard is closed down and people stroll and cycle all over, look at stalls where they can learn more about environmental issues and check out arts and crafts stuff in the middle of the city. This year I made some small paintings that will await their buyers anxiously at the stall of Jojó Art Shop, here's a sampling for you! The green paper you see is from a photo album from 1909 (that was the date pencilled into it). I found it in a second hand bookshop, in a very cheap pile, after the owner took out all the pictures and left the book there, falling apart. The paper is gorgeous and I love painting on it...