August 31, 2012

Guest post: Maria Cota




Quem é você? Who are you?
Chamo-me Maria Cota, tenho 34 anos (acabadinhos de fazer!), sou portuguesa e vivo em Viseu, uma cidade de média dimensão do interior de Portugal. Sou tradutora de Inglês/Alemão e trabalho na área do turismo, na promoção externa da região Centro de Portugal.

My name is Maria Cota. I am 34 years-old (I just turned 34!), Portuguese and I live in Viseu, a medium-sized city located in the inland of Portugal. I am an English/German translator and I work in the Tourism branch, namely in the foreign promotion of the central region of Portugal. 

Qual seu estilo? What is your style?
Em linhas gerais, o meu estilo é muito feminino e sóbrio, com alguns toques de meninice. Mas sempre adorei coisas de menina: laçarotes, flores, bolinhas, folhinhos, etc. Sou completamente obcecada pelo “pendant” e seria incapaz de combinar cores e padrões que não tivessem nada em comum. Ainda que possa parecer démodé, combino sempre a mala com os sapatos, as pulseiras, os colares. Adoro muita cor, mesmo no Inverno que nesta região de Portugal é extremamente frio e algo melancólico. Por isso, mesmo no Inverno, uso casacos cor de rosa, amarelos, verde-alface!... Creio que tenho um estilo que, embora discreto, não passa despercebido.



Generally speaking, my style is very feminine with some hints of girly. I’ve always loved typical girl things, such as: bows, flowers, balls, flounces, and so on. I’m totally obsessed with matching, for I couldn’t possibly match totally disparate colours or patterns. Even though it may sound old-fashioned, I always match my purse with the shoes, bracelets, necklaces. I’m totally into colour, even in winter, which is extremely cold and somehow melancholic in this region of Portugal. So in Winter time I wear pink, yellow or green jackets! I consider my style to be discrete, but noticeable. 

Como costuma ser seu processo de compra de roupas/sapatos/acessórios?
Em Portugal, há o pré- e o pós-“troika” (FMI e União Europeia). Antes de a “troika” entrar em Portugal com a sua rigorosa política de austeridade e de penoso incremento do custo geral de vida, a vida era bela para as consumidoras femininas que se deliciavam nas compras. E eu não era, certamente, excepção. Cheguei mesmo a pensar que era “shopaholic” e o processo de compra de roupas, sapatos ou acessórios era completamente irracional e impulsivo.
No entanto, com a chegada da troika, começou o longo Inverno e as compras de roupa passaram a realizar-se muito mais em função da necessidade do que da futilidade, o que, de certa forma, foi refrescante. O consumo desses bens tornou-se muito mais contido e creio que agora valorizo muito mais o (pouco) que compro. E é um apelo à criatividade e ao poder de combinar as peças que temos no armário. 

In Portugal there is the pre and the post troika (IMF and European Union). Before the arrival of the troika with its austere policy of austerity and harmful rise of the cost of living, life was beautiful for feminine consumers who had a great time shopping. And I was no exception. At some point I actually thought I was becoming a shopaholic and the process of buying clothes, shoes or accessories was completely irrational and impulsive.
However, when the troika came into the country, a long winter began and we started to buy clothes based on need rather than on futility, which was somehow refreshing. Consumption of these goods became much more restricted and I do believe that now I have a stronger notion of the value of the little things I buy. It is also an appeal to creativity and to the power of matching things we have in our closet. 

Qual a última peça que comprou? What was the last thing you bought?
Um par de calças pretas…com laçarote!

A pair of black trousers…with a bow!

O que acha de passar um ano inteiro sem comprar? What do you think of spending a year without shopping for clothes?
Um ano inteiro sem comprar é um enorme desafio, sobretudo para o sexo feminino, mais propenso à tentação das compras. No entanto, pode também ser uma oportunidade para reflectir sobre o consumismo desenfreado e para começar a apreciar as inúmeras peças que, certamente, repousam nos nossos armários, votadas ao abandono!

A whole year without shopping is a great challenge, especially for women, who are more inclined to fall in temptation. However, it can also be a chance to think about consumption and to start to appreciate the several pieces that certainly rest on our wardrobes, completely abandoned!

August 30, 2012

Flower power


 Cardigan: Luigi Bertolli | Boots / Botas: Dummond

I'm not really into patterns, but I do like florals. It's been cold here and I was worried how would I come up with a floral look, as all my flowerly clothes are summer clothes. But then the day today is so beautiful, and not really that cold, that I think I managed to go out looking kinda pretty.


You've seen this dress here before, and also this bag and pantyhose.


Eu não curto muito estampas, mas gosto de floral. Tem estado frio aqui e eu tava preocupada que não ia conseguir fazer meu look floral, já que minhas roupas floridas são todas de verão. Mas hoje tá um dia tão bonito, e não muito frio, então acho que consegui sair bonita.

Vocês já viram esse vestido aqui, e também essa bolsa e a meia-calça.

August 29, 2012

Little wishes / Desejinhos




I've always been interested in fashion, ever since I can remember, I bought piles of magazines, being Elle my favorite one. But I never took it seriously and Occupy the Wardrobe has been a real challenge for me. It also made me get to know fashion blogs I didn't care about, and now I'm completely in love with Cupcakes and Cashmere, by Emily Schuman. She makes everything seem so easy! She even cooks! How can one be stilish and cook at the same time? It's a total mistery!


She wrote a book I am completely crazy about! I gotta have it! You can get it at Amazon, as I will get a copy for me! Apart from clothes and shoes, books are one of my biggest passions. At Amazon you can find so many fashion books, like this selection Anita made here.

Also, I'm totally in love with Lauren Conrad's & friends The Beauty Department. It's full of hair tutorials and cool tips on fashion. And Lauren Conrad, too, has books, one on Beauty and the other on Style and I so want them both!

I'm also planning my clothing shopping list for next year (january 1st, 2013 is finally coming closer!) and I'm head over heels for Ruche's dresses! Later I'll share my wishlist here, but you should take a look!

Sempre gostei de moda, desde que consigo lembrar, sempre comprei pilhas e pilhas de revistas, sendo a Elle a minha favorita. Mas nunca levei muito a sério e o Occupy the Wardrobe tem sido um verdadeiro desafio pra mim. Também me fez conhecer blogs que antes eu não daria a mínima e agora estou totalmente apaixonada pelo Cupcakes & Cashmere, da Emily Schuman. Ela faz tudo parecer tão fácil! Ela até cozinha! Como alguém pode cozinhar e ter estilo ao mesmo tempo? É um total mistério!

Ela escreveu esse livro pelo qual estou maluquinha! Preciso ter! Você pode comprar pela Amazon, como eu vou comprar um pra mim! Ao lado de roupas e sapatos, livros são minha grande paixão. Na Amazon dá pra comprar tantos livros de moda, como essa seleção que a Anita fez aqui.

Além disso, também estou completamente apaixonada pelo blog da Lauren Conrad e umas amigas, The Beauty Department. Tem um monte de tutoriais de penteados e dicas de moda. E a Lauren Conrad também tem livros, um sobre Beleza e o outro sobre Estilo , que eu quero muito!


Também estou planejando minha lista de compra de roupas para o ano que vem (1o de janeiro de 2013 finalmente está ficando mais pertinho!) e estou totalmente in love com os vestidos da Ruche! Mais tarde vou compartilhar minha wishlist aqui, mas dá uma olhada lá!


August 28, 2012

The Salsa Dancer



Did anyone notice the dress is backwards? Yeah, I only noticed half a hour before end of day!
Dá pra notar que o vestido tá ao contrário? Eu só notei no final do dia!

I have a love/hate relationship with this dress. I think the floral pattern is very pretty, the length of the skirt is extremely flattering on my legs, the fabric is lightweight and comfortable for the summer time. But for some reason, I never fell in love with the sleeves —I think it makes me look like some sort of latin dancer. This dress has sat un-worn in my closet since way before Occupy started. For a while it was on my "to sell" pile, till I realize the slip under it was ripped. So this week, for our floral challenge, I decided to challenge myself into wearing this dress again, instead of my go to floral pieces (1, 2).


Eu tenho um relacionamento de amor e ódio com esse vestido. Eu acho que a estampa é bem bacana, o comprimento da saia está na altura que eu gosto, e o tecido é bem levinho ótimo para o verão. Mas por alguma razão, eu nunca curti muito as mangas —eu acho elas muito bufantes, que nem vestido de dançarina de salsa. Esse vestido estava parado no meu armário desde antes do começo do Occupy. Por um tempo ele habitou a minha pilha de roupas para vender, mas aí descobri que ele tinha um rasgo na saia que fica por baixo do vestido. Então essa semana eu resolvi dar uma segunda chance a esse vestido, ao invés de repetir outras peças florais que já usei por aqui (12).


Dress and bracelet: Forever 21 | Heels: MIA (seen here and here before) |
Belt: Urban Outfitters | Sunglasses: RayBan


Another way to wear the dress.
Outro jeito de usar o vestido.


But let's take a minute to admire my beautiful shoes:
Mas vamos tirar um minuto para admirar esse par de sapatos lindos:


They make my legs look like supermodel legs, and I love it. I put them on and suddenly I am 10 feet tall.
Eu adoro porque eles fazem minhas pernas parecerem quase de modelo, e eu adoro isso! Eu coloco esse sapato e de repente tenho 5 metros de altura!


Outtakes:
All photos by Shalese Cordon, post processing by me. 

August 27, 2012

Florals



As you probably guessed from our post yesterday, our theme this week is florals! I'm loving it, even though we're far from Spring up here in Utah. I was just upstairs in my closet checking out all the florals I have, and let me tell you, there's a lot of them. At least 4 dresses, a skirt, a few shirts... Yeah, I'm a big fan. So I should have no problem this week.

In the meantime, check out some beautiful floral outfits for inspiration!


Emma Stone for Teen Vogue




[PT]
Você já deve ter adivinhado qual o nosso tema da semana pelo post de ontem: floral! Eu obviamente estou adorando o desafio, mesmo que não seja primavera aqui em Utah. O meu armário é cheio de peças florais, eu sempre gostei muito. 

Enquanto a gente não posta os nossos looks da semana, aproveitem para se inspirar com esses!

August 26, 2012

Flowers on my window



Can you guess what our theme next week will be? Here's a tip:
Adivinha qual é o nosso tema da semana? Aqui vai uma dica:












All photos from anitaboeira.net/blog

August 24, 2012

Tomboy / Moleca



This week's inspiration is vintage and I was afraid I wouldn't, again, be able to come up with a look. Even though Anita made this beautiful inspirational post and our guest simply rocked, I think I'm not very creative when it comes to fashion. All I could think for today was this rather 50's tomboy look. Inspired by our divas Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

My friend Paula Coruja, from Bolsa de Pandora, wrote a nice post on vintage, check it out.


Cardigan: H&M | Tank top/ Blusinha: H&M | Pants / Calças: Stella McCartney C&A | Shoes/ Sapatos: Bottero



A inspiração dessa semana é retrô e tive medo de que, de novo, eu não conseguisse montar um look. Mesmo com o lindo post inspiracional da Anita e o look maravilhoso da nossa guest, acho que não sou muito criativa quando o assunto é moda. Tudo que consegui pensar pra hoje foi esse look meio moleca anos 50. Inspirado nas nossas divas Marilyn Monroe e Audrey Hepburn.






Minha amiga Paula Coruja, do Bolsa de Pandora, escreveu um post bem legal sobre moda retrô, dá uma olhada.

August 22, 2012

Guest Blogger/Leitora Convidada: Johanna Snow




I live in Salt Lake City, Utah with my husband, artist Charley Snow, and our menagerie of pets. I'm a marketing professional by trade, but I am passionate about art, gardening, cooking, and crafting. I love to cook, bake, knit, and make jewelry.

I've always had a love for all things vintage and antique in both design and fashion. I love Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mid-century Modern.

I'm owner of two vintage based businesses. I'm co-owner and curator of Amourette Vintage, a vintage clothing store that specializes in remarkable, high-end, high-quality vintage fashion from the 1920s to the 1980s. Each piece in our collection is hand selected for style and wearability. Amourette vintage can be found atwww.etsy.com/shop/AmouretteVintage

In addition Amourette Vintage, I am owner and jewelry designer at The Artist's Wife. My creations, made from deconstructed vintage jewelry and artifacts, can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/TheArtistsWifeCO

Visit my blog: http://the-artists-wife.blogspot.com/
Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/theartistswife/


What am I wearing?
Top: Fun vintage inspired blouse with ruffles and a peter pan collar from Banana Republic
Sweater: Super girly cardigan from Anthropologie in teal
Skirt: Amazing vintage. Probably from the 1940s. I just love it's mid-century pattern (that kind of looks like pineapples) and the ruffle pockets and hemline.
Shoe: Tahari. I love to wear a brightly colored shoe in summertime!






Why I like vintage style:I have always love vintage things. I love hunting for treasuries at estate sales and antique shops. I grow up antiquing on the weekends with my parents--I guess that's where it started. I also have lots of fond memories of watching old movies with my mother on days I was home sick from school. I love the costumes/clothes the most in those movies. I also really value two ideas when it comes to fashion: uniqueness and being lady like. I have also want my clothes and my sense of style to be unique to me--I want what I wear to say something about who I am. And I want to convey an image of femininity without being trashy.

What's your style?My personal style can be described as feminine, vintage inspired, and flirty. My style icons are Audrey Hepburn and Zooey Deschanel.

What's your shopping process like? For the most part, I shop online. I rarely have time to go to the mall, and prefer not to anyway. When I do go shopping I try to stick to small local boutiques--I like to try and find unique piece (new or vintage). My weakness is Anthropologie. I like to hunt down deals on Anthropologie on Ebay.

What was the last thing you bought? The last thing I bought was the skirt I'm wearing in these photos. I originally bought it for Amourette but decided to keep it for myself.

What do you think of not shopping for a year?When I first heard about the Occupy Wardrobe project, I thought to myself, "Oh my god, I could never do that!". But I wished I could. It seems like a great exercise and I not different than any other gal who has a closet full of things I never wear--why not "shop" in your own closet. Bring out the old and make it new. Maybe I'll try it next year.