Rather boyish

By Neslihan
Sometimes I look at girls my age and the way they're dressed, looking all very fancy and feminine. Then I look at myself wearing my Doc Martens, old jeans and a loose shirt and I'm thinking it will take me a long time to become elegant. It will take me a long time to eat, walk and talk elegantly. It will take me a very long time to actually become a 'woman'. Maybe I will never entirely succeed (clothing wise) because I choose comfort over glamour and derbies over heels. I can't help it, I feel like I'm creating a sort of uniform, or manly second skin, call it what you want. I feel good in it, I feel like the way I dress totally connects with the way I think and I feel like that's really important: to dress as you are in daily life and not having to play a role. I mean of course we all 'play' a role on a certain level but it's another thing to behave like someone you're not. That would make me really uncomfortable.
I actually think I would do a great job if I were born a guy. I love shirts, brogues, loose blazers and ties! Today I was looking at myself while I put together a manly look and I was in awe. Simple totally works for me, straight to the point and all on the surface. Just the way I try to be. That's why I've created three little collages that embrace my fashion mottoes and unite those with a couple of my male crushes and a little story telling.

Joseph Gordon Levitt is this cute, childishly vulnerable nerd who dresses in an accessibly classy way. He's into brown velvetty fabrics, sophisticated ties and perfectly tailored blazers. That of course accompanied with a slightly smiling cute bearded face. 

See Joseph and I would make an excellent couple: we're equally goofy and nerdy. And we both have this playful naiveté. On top of that we're into refined basics and beautiful fabrics: letting the clothing speak for itself without accessorizing it. Those Paul Smith goodies do that all the same. I'm wearing the shirt and the shoes to grab a lunch at the Soup Lounge. We decide to get a bowl of pumpkin soup and share an apple because we're both incredibly cheesy.

Unusual girls

By Neslihan

There have been times during which the beauty ideal was being chosen by the media. It used to be one type of woman and she'd be hyped until another and even younger girl arrived and stepped up her scene. It was one big cycle of attention until the media and the audience would get sick of her too. She'd be set aside until another leading lady would arrive and it went on and on like that. Icons were being replaced like artistic designers are being replaced in our times but no one cared because times change and so do beauty ideals. That leaves us an amazing amount of powerful and elegant icons who have marked their time with their beauty, ideas and talents. We've put them in this little oakwood box, which we casually open to admire their beautiful pictures and then put them gently back in that box. It seems like we're trying to freeze time and are longing for glamour and pure beauty. Times have changed though because it-girls are being replaced each season instead of each year or after each new movie. And there are also different ideals of beauty now, you can be everyone you want to be and everything is inspiring. Edginess is key and statement of course because the goal is still being memorable. But what I'm wondering is: if someone asked me to sum up some of my 21st (even late 20th) century icons, who would I put in my list? I took some time and these names popped into my mind.
ATTENTION: this is a non-exhaustive list because these are the names that popped into my mind during this blog post, you can't imagine the length of the list if I actually take the time to think about some of my other feminine heroes.
1) Alek Wek
2) Chloe Sevigny
3) Zosia Mamet
4) Florence Welch
5) Robyn
6) Kristen McMenamy
7) Rossy de Palma
8) Lara Stone
9) Lou Doillon

To Walden Pond, please

By Neslihan

Hi y'all, you may or may not know that I've got to work on two research competences for school. You can see it as two major projects that have to be ready this May. They include both English and Latin literature. Our subject for the English project is about utopias and dystopias and we decided to read Orwell's '1984' (dystopic) and Thoreau's 'Walden' (utopic). We're planning on comparing the two books and we're going to see whether Thoreau's utopia is realistic but also whether Orwell's dark predictions have come true. Reading 'Walden' isn't exactly the easiest thing I've done so far -it has uncountable references to the antique literature and it's an amazing historical-philosophical work- but I feel like I'm getting there.
It may be ancient in terms of setting (first published in 1854, hellooo) but it's crazy how some aspects I've read about so far are still scarily relevant. And how we are still trying to get back to the essence of things once in awhile. Whether it's by actually going on an adventurous trip or whether it's by daydreaming about the same trip. We're still trying to figure out 'the meaning of life', maybe not as intense as Thoreau did in 1845-1847 but we're still trying to break through the ordinary simplicity daily life offers us. And at the same time we're trying to get back to basics. I like how contradictory people are. And how contradictory my own views are. I try to let them crash and this provides pure inspiration. That's why it happens so frequently in my mind and as a natural result on this blog. Look at the image above: a picture from the 'Double Accountancy' shoot from 'Elle Holland' October 2012. I'm pairing up 'Elle' and 'Walden'. I mean 'Elle' of all the things in the world. We're talking major commerce here, Thoreau's main cause in leaving civilized life and living in his selfmade cabin near Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts. Not only did he generally criticize American society but he also had some opinions about fashion and clothing as a basic.

"Our outside and often thin and fanciful clothes are our epidermis or false skin, which partakes not of our life, and may be stripped off here and there without fatal injury; our thicker garments, constantly worn, are our cellular integument, or cortex, but our shirts are our true bark, which cannot be removed without girdling and so destroying the man." -From 'Walden' (Economy: Clothing)

The following quote is so up to date and accurate, I just cannot explain how much I love this one!

"We worship not the Graces, nor the Parcae, but Fashion. She spins and weaves and cuts with full authority. The head monkey in Paris puts on a traveller's cap, and all the monkeys in America do the same." -From 'Walden' (Economy: Clothing) 

I just love how 'Fashion' is portrayed as this  tyrannical person who doesn't take 'no' for an answer and whom you cannot argue with. You can kind of feel the rhythm as you're reading the words, the speed with which those actions are happening.

And this guy just pictures that conscious free spirit feeling I had in mind. You know that kind of guy that pops a beer and starts to talk about Cuba's crisis in 1962, while he casually strokes his gross but lovely beard. And after his stay at a vague
acquaintance's place, he takes his bagpack, gets in his fancy sneakers and continues his route to the
unknown. But he feels perfectly fine doing so because he's accompanied by a wonderful track.

Sources: Elle Holland, October 2012
               Walden
Pictures found here.

Single lovin'

By Neslihan

Yours truly sending you love. Literally.

In two days every restaurant, every café, every little corner will be overdosed with tacky hearts, cute kissing couples and mellow love songs but you are S-I-N-G-L-E. And I refused to write 'still single' because that just sounds so desparate and desparate is not sexy. Keep that in mind. Now that crucial day for love birds discriminates all the fabulous single gals and dudes. That's why I'm taking a moment to honor all those who are enjoying their lazy single life. A couple of advantages single life offers you:

1) You can be shamelessly selfish! Hey, you do not have to share your candybar or find a movie you both like. You can watch your corny girl's series and have marathons on your own.
2) "I'm sorry but I don't feel like meeting up" or "I'm sick" are excuses you don't have to use if you don't feel like dating your bf. A girl needs some time for herself too, you know?
3) You can crush as hard or as much as you want and you don't have to feel guilty for it!
4) You can shop as long as you want without your bf saying "honey, I'm tired, are we going home already?" or "I'm hungry, let's stop and grab a lunch!"
5) You can wear your slobby PJ's at any hour of the day but that doesn't mean you don't have to look good or take care of yourself. Real love starts with yourself - as cliché as this sounds.
6) You're not overwhelmed by the constant urge of texting or seeing that one person. Seriously saves you some time and energy to do other stuff.
7) You don't have to relate to every love song you hear because ew, no.
8) You can sing and burp shamelessly without worrying whether you're still looking elegant, and that's worth staying single for!

---NO, JUST JOKING.---

PLOT TWIST: IT'S STILL A DIFFERENT KIND 

OF FUN WHEN YOU CAN DO THE THINGS ABOVE

 WITH THAT ONE PERSON. 

Fireflies and cotton candy

By Neslihan

Do you remember those sceptical souls during Simon's first Dior show? It was too minimalistic, too repetitive, too boring... (read here) It's like Raf Simons listened to the slightly negative comments and delivered this poppy spring/summer collection as a reaction to that negativism. He worked with colourful beads, fabrics, shiny effects and enormous prints to prove his audience that he's more than straight and structural lines. He's more than simplistic Raf. He doesn't compromise though, he simply tries to find a way to combine his trademark with Dior's tradition and the new direction the couture house is taking. He matches classy with playful and romantic with -don't shoot me- simplistic as he integrates a couple of black pantsuits with floral beads. But it's always elegant and feminine.
The show consists out of two main parts. The first part is all about Dior basics: little black dresses, black and grey pantsuits, black coats... It was all beautifully tailored, you've got to give him that but I thought it was rather predictable. It's so hard to be inventive or fresh with a little black dress. I think he kind of felt obliged to honor Christian Dior's ideology, which is totally understandable but my heart started beating faster when we reached the second part of the collection: colours, prints, beads, shiny see-through fabrics that reminded me of cotton candy. The whole thing was just divine. At some point you had those amazing floral ball gowns (look five). It was as if they were all on fire. I'm in awe really, because this collection is the embodiment of one of my dearest fashion mottos: crazy, childish heartbreak hotel but the more mature version and I think that's what Raf's trying. He tries to make Dior more youthful but you've got to know that aging is easier than getting your youth back. This collection was a brave atempt in giving Dior's youth back. For sure.

Click here for the whole collection.

Hola holographic

By Neslihan

It was Chalayan's fall collection (RTW 2012) that introduced me to this wonderful technique and since I've got a weakness for everything that glitters, it didn't quite take me long before I fell in love with this thing called 'holographic' or a print that rather resembles the back of your CD. Or a tacky mix of metallics. Call it what you want as long as it shines and shimmers. That's why I've created this collage, to boost your mood and mine. Enjoy. (Click on the image to make it bigger.)

1) Amazing DIY clutch. Get creative here.

2) Husseyin Chalayan's RTW F/W 2012 collection

3) Shopper found here

4) The XX - Coexist

5) Hugo Boss clutch

6) Stella McCartney Resort 2012 collection

7) American Apparel swimwear (detail close up)

8) Wasteland brogues (GOT TO HAVE THESE BABIES)

9) Husseyin Chalayan's RTW F/W 2012 collection (detail)

10) 90's platforms, I'm in awe!

11) More is More (source unknown)