my favourite things: kokeshi dolls

my own kokeshi doll, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Baptised Kaja, my own kokeshi doll landed from Japan a bit more than a week ago, and into my hands—last night. God bless Mary for having read about my neverending passion for Momiji dolls and being so thoughtful to pick a very modern, similar kokeshi for me.

If it weren't wooden and smallish, I would take it to bed with me for inspiration and protection. Also, if there wasn't a soft teddy bear in my bed already, next to that guy.

Seriously now: when I look at Kaja I'm reminded of myself sleeping, happy and peaceful to the sky and back. When lucky.

street finds: needles and coins

needles and coins, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

The coins are here for colour rather than value; they'll end up with our larger collection awaiting a trip to the bank. The needles? It was too good to come across them in the same day. The chain surfaced on the grass in Southwalk park, where I wouldn't normally go.

The key? Isn't it funny that it came back to me? Alright, there must be millions of them around, popular as an umbrella; but still. The bow comes with certain fancy schmancy flip-flops, I later found out watching feet in the tube—faces rarely carry something of interest.

But the prize, the glorious prize is that sterling silver leaf shaped earring from the neighbourhood. Fitzrovia wins!

almost 18, and counting

hearty hairpins, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

I saw the sea for the first time when I was 13 y.o. and my parents broke the chain of Transylvanian holidays for a week in the sand and sun with beer and pizza—a riot! These hearts were eye-catching for both my sister and I, especially having just come out of a communist regime of nearly no delights. Mom said we can have one of each available colour—they were pricey—, so we'd have to share. We shook hands and here they are, nearly 18 years later.

How I got all of them from my sister a long time ago, I don't know. Trickery and extortion?

uncluttering again, and sad. then happy

You know that maddening thought I've got NOTHING to wear? It generally surfaces before some alleged big occasion, meeting, date or, worse, the moment you were supposed to step out of the house already. It may as well be a hysterical cry towards—or from—your beloved, as both of you stare at an otherwise packed wardrobe.

Well, not anymore, not for me. A full box of size 10 clothes making me look anything but sexy, decent, well dressed and such has just been put away on a high shelf today, after one quick hour of sorting. You'd think it's fair to expect to get back in shape, to not let go of so many favourite items and investments, but think again: my closet at my parents' has a few similar shelves neatly packed with size 8 clothes.

Optimistic? Stashing? In denial? Thoughtful? Selfish? Smart? Feel free to answer your way.

last thursday: let the summer begin!

let the summer begin!, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

We walked around Regent's Park for about an hour to find the right entrance to the Taste of London festival. In the process, I lost a heel.

The exit from the festival was miles away from home. We took a cab.

Getting out of the car as close as possible to the pub where we met Ashok, my eyes fell on a large sale—stock clearance print. After such a series of events, I had to go in.

The 10 pounds skirt must've been calling for me; there was no other item of interest in the shop.

My love hadn't seen the sign. Understandably, he thought I'd buy myself new shoes. Luckily, there are matching shoes in my closet already.

street finds: a sunny selection

a sunny selection, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

As always, some are for the bin and some are to keep. The candy, for example, is here only to illustrate my joy at finding it and thinking that people still love those. The tiny chestnut for being the tiniest chestnut ever. The key to say, perhaps, that someone's heart is more vulnerable right now. The 20 Euro cents to represent the tourists. And so on. Care to play?

my favourite things: discarded chains and necklaces

golden chain, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Thrift shop, free exchange of goods in the community, yard sale—you name it. I pick up any chains and necklaces that I can one day turn into something else. Whether that day arrives before retirement I find it impossible to say now, but mind you, would retirement look bad with a large collection of shiny nonsense? I thought so.

This one, however, has been admired by my sister, and then refused by her (tell me about it!), so its whereabouts are secret. Namely, we agreed that we take turns in finding and hiding its shininess, and I've hidden it so brilliantly that she may only find it years later, and finally put it around her neck, having forgotten the whole story.

The one below I wore a few times this year with some added details, and is now resting.

golden chain, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

goodbye my friends, it's hard to die

goodbye my friends, it's hard to die, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

I bought these shoes years and years ago, in a sale that made it clear that they'd only dance a summer. And yet, they've been around ever since, admired by many, hit hard by quite a few European sidewalks, repaired by skilled craftsmen and washed several times in the machine, in a bag among clothes, because that's how much brain I had (and still do).

They failed me lately, and they're going away, but tribute must be paid to their endurance and beauty. Not much tribute to my brain, on the other hand, for failing, as well, to come up with some magic fix and convince some lazy London quick repairman that all he ever wanted was to make these babies live forever. If they had nine lives, they used each twice.

Remembering them while Romania loses to The Netherlands at Euro 2008 and goes home within minutes should be a clear indication of where my loyalties lie. With self.

le gold est mort, vive le gold!

golden shoes, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

The pair at left, bought around this time last year, has been my best friend ever since, regardless of season and country. It shows: unfortunately, the soft, bouncy wedge hasn't proved as well put together as the leather, so the shoes and I will have to part earlier than planned.

I still like them, even if, as my love noted, the leather seemed cracked. It was supposed to look so, of course, and that made the shoes less shiny, more casual. They've been my everyday black and comfortable shoes and I'm happiest to report that they've been rather successfully replaced.

On a whim! Walking around Bizonul (shoe shop on Lipscani St. in Bucharest) in a rush, I had the idea to briefly enter and, five minutes and 25 pounds later, the pair at right became mine. For the same price as last year, around the same time of the year, gold shoes are back. This time with a solid kitten heel, which makes me hope they'll last longer.

Given the choice, I'd still pick the original pair, for that gold is better and that leather, smoother. But, hey, I'm still very lucky, and thrilled to give away my cheap (really) black patent shoes.

street finds: colourful nothings

found on the street, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

The badge, found in front of my parents' block-of-flats' entrance around Orthodox Easter, comes from 1975, a year before I was born. It states leader in the competition, and with both Romanian and Russian flags on it, one can safely guess that it's communist. What kind of competition? Why, everything was a competition in those times, from the size of your crop to the number of medals one got, from how many innocent people one turned into the hands of Securitatea (intelligence service) to how many chestnuts a kid was able to collect in the autumn.

The other nothings seem to carry less history about them, and are rather obvious, so enjoy.

wardrobe remix: last sunday

sunday, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

My wardrobe remix series ends here for now with this welcome transition, if not overconfident, from greys/ grays and browns accented by reds to reds accenting blacks and whites and, finally, simply whites and blues accented by turquoise and flower patterns. Last Sunday we joined Steve's barbecue, the second one this year, and I hoped with all my heart for sun, especially having the chance to see all of London from the terrace of a penthouse in Brixton. Where I grilled some of my meal and rejoiced when the sun finally made an appearance at the sunset hour.

The skirt is an amazing find from If Ganas years ago in Bucharest, at a sale, and it dresses me nicely ever since I was two sizes smaller. The jacket you know. The top is 100% cotton and picked up off a hanger while rushing through a shopping center in Romania two summers ago, no trying it on, thank you. The incredibly comfortable golden heels and their lovely flowery pattern beamed at me from a nondescript shelf last fall. The bag is an Oxfam find and a surprise, as well, since rarely do I wear something so small. Mom gave me the turquoise bracelet last summer, the ring you know, earrings are part pearls, part turquoise, and also part of a handmade cute set I bought myself, while the brooch was a joint gift from Marie [RO], Sandra [RO], and Silvia [RO] on my birthday two years ago.

And for once, wearing white and other dangerous colours, I didn't feed my food to the clothes.

wardrobe remix: last saturday

saturday, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

A slow transition, again in tune with weather and activities, from Thursday to Friday to Saturday, a day that included, from noon until midnight, a pub for drinks and another pub for food in Chiswick with Gary and Adrian, an amazing contemporary dance & Shaolin Monks' martial arts show at Sadler's Wells in Islington/ Angel, the Tinder Box cafe and a Masala Zone terrace by The Screen on the Green in the same area with Amy, and finally a ride back home on the tube bearing signs of parties honouring the last day of drinking before Mayor Boris's ban. It all went as smoothly as planned and we were able to enjoy every experience in its own rhythm.

Among lazy summer week-end dressing, going to the theatre, and being outside in the late chilly evening I put together an outfit to please all eyes and yet keep me comfortable: the new white capris from Viet Nam, a matching jacket from Romania, the adorable and somewhat revealing black & white stripy top bought in Bucharest years ago, a French Mamselle style red scarf to compliment the red handbag that can hide two umbrellas, Amy's gift, and all other woman paraphernalia, adorable shoes from my sister (again!), by the sexy and pricey Musette, a Romanian brand of leather goods, the bracelets you know by now, a mother-of-pearl in sterling silver butterfly brooch, black & white just like the glass earrings of Italian provenance.

Though all these items are equally loved as guaranteed sources of pleasure, my highlight last Saturday was the world premiere of Sutra, a show that enchants, amazes, and expands one's mind and soul; a must if you come across it. See Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Antony Gormley rehearsing with Shaolin Monks at a temple in the Chinese province Henan.

wardrobe remix: last friday

friday, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

The sun had come out too late, right before sunset, ending a day of rather hide than seek. I had gotten dressed before that first and last ray, in a hurry, and felt like remixing no less than the outfit of the previous evening. The red bag and jacket are the only changes, both very loved and both more or less fallen off the back of a truck years ago: the bag acquired in Tereza's flat from an incognito seller, while the coat from a short-lived outlet store.

Last Friday we had dinner within walking distance, at Mestizo, with Mary and Ashok (their find), enjoying the rare Mexican food in our menu and proper margaritas—even though the waitress made a mess out of the drinks' orders and couldn't (wouldn't?) explain what mixiotes means.

When a few pints closed the night in a nearby pub, I knew I had been appropriately covered.

online shop closed due to unprecedented demand

unprecedented demand, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

The day of Oxfam's Great Handbag Bonanza. I can report that only this caught my eye.

wardrobe remix: last thursday

thursday, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

I call it a wardrobe remix because the only new items are the wooden bracelets: the brown from Ha Noi, and the red from Krakow. Everything else is rather old and accompanied by a funny history or other: capris received from Maria (who bought them for herself initially), then modified by mom. Shoes received from my sister; they're amazingly well built in Brasil, and as comfortable as stylish. Silver bracelet a Christmas gift from my love that proved a link too short and was replaced by the maker. Glass earrings bought on an office day in Bucharest to complete an outfit, jacket quite similarly—when looking for a black one, in fact, for an impromptu meeting on a casual dress day, silver blouse in a promotional sale at a random shop last January, the top last summer on a whim, and the clutch in some vintage shop. The pin is the symbol of the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign that I flirted with in my previous PR job.

It was a rainy day last Thursday and I combined these to bring a bit of spark and colour to an outfit otherwise in tune with the weather, as well as somewhat in praise of the Portobello Road market on our route to a fun evening.

the trouble with UK: size 16 out of stock

the trouble with UK: size 16 out of stock, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

smart and sweet: the Krakow treat

the Krakow treat, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

My love's been to Krakow for a stag night. While he's not allowed to tell me what happened there (big deal!), he did tell me the story of this bracelet he chose so well: they were roaming the streets because one guy had to buy a specific perfume for his wife. It seemed a complex business, so the others waited for him for a while, and during that time my love found and bought this bracelet in a blink, on the street. Of course he then teased the perfume courier about how much it took him (no time), how much he spent (much less), and how much joy he'll bring on (plenty).

And right he was: it is 100% me—shape, size, colour, model, lightness and easiness of use.

holiday shopping: perfect white capris

white capris, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

The look and feel of these and a smart pair of slingbacks or such? Perfect casual summer! The look and feel expressed when I walked in the shop and the tiny Vietnamese girl touched my tummy (step back, bitch!) with the sweetest smile to ask: baby? Priceless!

It's one thing that I'm biggest ever and some days feel a bit of a shipwrecked whale, and a whole other thing to hear a shop assistant offering me unneeded bigger sizes than I wear and unrequested advice about how black makes me look slimmer (rather Romanian/ Italian rudeness).

And yet an entirely different thing that the first use of this perfect made in Vietnam cloth for the gracious price of USD 15 was my first ever yoga class next day. You got that right, I'm a wannabe yogi and can't yet decide whether that's even better than the capris. Hoping for a second class next week in order to decide.

street finds: old and new

20p and ladybug, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Roaming the streets last evening I casually came across a cute ladybird pin, the sort I wouldn't otherwise buy or value, and a 20p coin. Stopping to check out shiny or funny items in the street, in the tube, on the beach, etc. is a lifelong practice that brings me a strange joy and puts my love's patience to trial. But where can I draw the line? Should I not pick money under GBP 5 notes (happened once) or silver chains unless complete? Or should I, perhaps, choose only semiprecious beads and fancy buttons? Neah, it spoils the fun. Below some other random findings I had at hand. Other coins, badges, and whatnot are already in use somehow.

various shininess, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

holiday shopping: perfect swimming suit

swimming lessons soon, I hope, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Found randomly in a shop in Ha Noi, when I was out shopping for shoes. The only pair of shoes I bought, by the way, was beyond cheap: it hurt my feet so badly in a short walk that I still carry the scars, more than a week later and it was left behind, naturally.

As for the swimming suit, could it be more cheezy and cheeky? No idea how many years ago did Adidas create it, but I love it nonetheless and I pray it will inspire me to start—and finish!&mdashswimming lessons soon.

I'm no good at breathing under water, perhaps because I nearly drowned twice. But being a woman, I must trust that my brain works in mysterious ways and place some faith in this 1920s style piece of fabric.