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Stripy Riding Hood

My own personal soapbox and news channel

Posts tagged with:

“Fashion”

Posted http://tmblr.co/ZpfCay4SCgk
Friday January 30, 2009
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San Francisco: Potpourri Days and Feelings

So there are a couple of things that happened these last few days that I wanted to share with The Internets so this might seem a bit of a potluck of thoughts and that is, because it really is just a potluck of thoughts.

Part -1-

So there has been one constant in my life since I remember myself:

IKEA

One of my early memories is me being sleepy in my mom’s arms while my dad is slaving over our new Ikea beds, putting them together in our new apartment in Stockholm. Ah.. that bed stayed with me for many years.. and that bed saw me grow up and become a Young Lady, albeit not very proper.

Fast Forward a few years to my first apartment and me bringing Ikea stuff from my business trip to Stockholm to dress the apartment in Thessaloniki Greece..

Fast Forward to London UK where going to Ikea was a day’s worth of trip and we rented a car for it with my, now, beloved hubby who right there and then realised that I will never have enough candles.

Fast Forward to Vancouver Canada where we bought our first bed together.

Fast Forward to Singapore sitting in an empty den waiting for an Ikea delivery while I am waisting time on Facebook.

Fast Forward to San Francisco realising that Ikea is self check-out and I squeal in enjoyment for not having to interact with a cashier.. bleep.. bleeeeap..

I don’t care what people say about Ikea, it has a special place in my heart.

Part -Deux-

So there is one thing that holds true when you go for an interview in Apparel/Fashion:

You do not need to know the exact address. Just the approximate area.

Normally for a detail freak like me, not having the step by step map with a picture of the street and the door is a situation that would be less than ideal and would cause me to leave home two hours early just to ensure I get there on time and at the right place (which incidentaly led me to Part -3-).

But there is a universal truth about Clothing People.

You just have to see where the people with the Cool Factor are going towards. See that guy with the fedora and the torn tee, thin belt and pointy shoes? That is a designer. See the woman who walks tall, wears funky clothes but is quite measured and has kick ass glasses? She is a Buyer. The ones that look out of place in their own cool clothes? Those are IT and Admin people trying to catch up. The tech people (like myself) tend to be more practical and go for more style pieces rather than fashion pieces.. or maybe I am flattering myself ;)

Everyone in the Fashion world has her/his place. And you can spot them from afar. It is as if we have invisible tattoos on our foreheads that only we can see and passing each other on the street, in an airport we nod and walk away because there can only be One.

One of my first managers used to bet me during trips abroad in airports.. “See that guy over there? He is a designer.. watch this”.. and she would walk up to him, hand him her card and then he would hand her his Designer of X company card and I would be left thinking “WOW! Will I ever be that good!”

Maybe I will be.. who knows.

Part -3-

One of my biggest stresses in life and that takes up a lot of my time preparing for when I go out (for whatever reason) is getting lost.

And this is almost certain for a person with an internal compass of a humming bird on speed (oh oh! I saw a couple of humming birds today above me in a tree.. so shweet!)

I get lost in my own apartment building and I am not exaggerating here people!

So after much deliberation, I got an iPhone. Yes, I do know of all the cons. And yes, it looks pretty cool nesting next to my flushed winter cheeks and reflecting my cool Christian Dior sunglasses. Yes, I tend to be a visual person. Unlike a lot of females out there. If I see, I feel. Her name is Bebe, she is black and shiny and gives me all the internets I want, all the time at a standard fee. She is a whore.. but I love her. She pinpoints me and tells me where to go next, while letting me know of my appointments, singing to me and relaying the voices of other people magically. She calls it Phoning.

Music of the moment:

Honey Honey, Abba

Posted http://tmblr.co/ZpfCay3MBr9
Friday October 24, 2008
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SIN to SFO 11 days and counting down

So this morning, the Husband woke up first and he was all inspired and fire-in-the-belly and all that and started phoning people, finishing off some forms, Doing Stuff in general about the imminent move. I woke up amidst a storm of efficiency and Dominic was his name. This, for those that know Dominic, is unusual. Dominic doesn’t do mornings.. He is normally quiet and disoriented well into his 15 minutes of catching up with his email in the morning.

Not today though.

Today Dominic managed to get confirmation that we don’t have to cut Oliver in two in order for him to travel at a reasonable price (we are talking about $3000 difference here), he finished off our relo insurance and just tidied up loose ends. He also fought our health insurance which is in name platinum, but in reality Crap. They might as well have told us that a witch doctor with some earth powders is the only thing they will cover, of course so long that the witch doctor is indeed in their panel of trusted witch doctors. For those who care, the name is Aviva. If you ever hear that name mentioned in a job offer, hands down refuse the job. You will be paying most medical things from your pocket.

I will revisit all these things once out of Singapore though in an effort to keep the “fond” memories of our 15 months in this place alive (*grabs a pickaxe and hacks the memories to pieces with a mad grin on her face*) and the myth that is Singapore.

So, I mentioned yesterday I bought the book One Hundred by “Neeeeeena” Garcia (as Heidi Klum calls her). At the beginning she mentions that of course her 100 is not everyone’s 100. And I have to agree: as I am progressing through the book I find myself saying “Of course! How can you live without Bladeeblah!” however, as a born and bred European when I read that Cowboy Boots are part of the 100 my stomach felt a pinch. I don’t mind Cowboy Boots in Texas, in appropriate bars in Texas, on cowboys/girls everywhere in Northern America and generally in context. However, I would never buy them being a city person. I would never buy them, wear them or consider them stylish. Every time I see someone wear them out of context (see above) I feel I have nothing to discuss with that person, that is how deeply I feel about it.

Now.. due to cultural differences though, if instead of Cowboy Boots she had mentioned DcMarten’s, I would have agreed. I am sure though that Americans see them as the gear of skinheads and forgotten punks when I see them as the essence of casual/rebel cool.

So everyone to their own I guess.

For now I have to deal with serious issues: Do I go with extra wide, woolen trousers with flat balerinas and a shirt or high-heel boots, soft skirt and turtle neck for the upcoming flight? Hard decisions, I know.

Current Mood

Annoyed: Dominic is stressed and he is stressing me too

Shallow: We are off on another life alterning relo and all I can think of is if I should carry one of the Longchamp or the Hermes bag on the flight

Posted http://tmblr.co/ZpfCay3LYee
Thursday October 23, 2008
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SIN to SFO 12 days and counting down

So this is where that feeling of panic starts surging again.

I have come out on the other end of calm, and getting worked up to a full on panic attack: “Will Oliver travel safely? Will we find an apartment that we like and not hate so bad we will want to leave within a couple of months? How will we manage without a car for a few months? Are the movers going to fuck this up as they always do? Should we be doing more towards our imminent move in 12 days? Did I book a pre-flight mani-pedi/waxing session?”

The answers to all of those are Yes or Probably and Just Fine. Why am I still feeling this surge of white light around my eyeballs, the cold sweating and the irrational anger bubbling under my skin?

I even went to the gym for an hour to exorcise myself (pun intended). It didn’t work. I didn’t break a sweat through the rigorous torment I inflicted to my muscles. Which btw seem to happily grow and steel themselves through the yoga/circuit/aerobic training I am inflicting on them. Someone told me I should be happy my muscles form so quickly and readily. I say it is a course. Gym too much, I look like a 70’s Balkan track and field “female” athlete. Gym too little and I look healthy and toned, but my stamina and strength are shamefully low. I am steadily going for the She-Hulk look. Hej, at least I will be able to crush a walnut with my inner thighs for Christmas! How is that for a party trick? I am sure my husband’s new co-workers will love that one at the Christmas party!

But to get back to the move: I have bought the PSP game of my choice for the flight, I have planned the outfit, the PJs and all that jazz because deep down inside I am a Fashion Brat born and raised. I sat and planned my outfits and mix-and-match combos for the new school season since I was 10 years old. Before that I was being tailored every season by the family seamstress and cobbled by a shoe cobbler that used to buy leathers from my grandfather.

I also bought a book for the flight which I am going through already. It is “Neeeeenaaaa” Garcia’s The One Hundred. More on that tomorrow though. For now I have to tend to these white flying lights that swarm around my eyes and this nagging need to drink more water.