How to make salads suck less (in 5 steps)

Make salads something to look forward to! Just because they don't contain carbs andare healthy doesn't mean they can't be awesome if done right ;)

1. You need variety. 

-Grab your favourite kind of salad (please, anything but iceberg!) -mine is a mix of rocket and baby spinach -peppery and fresh,

-Use different kinds of vegetables. I added cucumber, avocado (very good for you, full of nutritious 'good' fats), and carrot -you can use whatever you think goes well together. Chop it small so you get a bit of everything with each bite.  

2. Add some flavour. 

Rather than using pre-made (and frankly gross) dressing, use real flavour from things like herbs and interesting fruit/veg. I used celery -I like its crisp, fresh flavour- and apple. It may sound weird but I love adding green apple to salad because it makes it sweet and tangy. You can also try herbs like coriander, basil and parsley, whatever you think goes with the salad. Or experiment with pear, mango, or any type of forest fruit. Or even dried fruits like cranberries. 

3. Add some protein.

You can get it by adding some cooked quinoa, boiled egg, some nuts, pulses (canned chickpeas, lentils, beans...), or of course go for the meat option and add some grilled chicken. 

4. Add some more flavour with cheese. 

This is entirely optional, but cheese can really take a salad to the next level. You can use anything from parmesan slivers, to pieces of brie, mozarella, feta crumbles, grilled haloumi, goat's cheese... The sky is the limit. 

5. Keep the dressing simple.

You've created a beautiful combination of flavours -the last thing you want to do is somether it in something fat that will kill all the complexity of the different ingredients mixed together. Just use some salt and pepper, a lug of olive oil, and a splash of balsamic or a squeeze of lemon juice if you're into that. If you're feeling extra fancy, you can make a simple vinaigrette by mixing the oil and vinegar with some mustard and honey.

Good luck and may your lunches be very exciting! :) 

Style 'icons'

I don't like it when people refer to their inspirations as 'icons'. If you speak greek, you know that icon means a picture of a deity. Something that you worship. And however stylish someone is... I don't worship them. So instead, I present to you, quite simply, the people that influence my style:

A bit of Patti Smith. OK, so Patti isn't the most conventionally beautiful woman in the world, nor does she try to be for that matter, but style-wise she's very interesting. In her memoir Just Kids, she taks about how she would choose her clothes, rendering homage or making herself into a pastiche of a character, a mood, an era, a celebrity. They were a bit like costumes. I like the fact that clothes can do that -give off a certain mood, reference something (remember my Almodovar-inspired outfit?). And of course, how can I not love the slightly ratty, androgynous, minimalistic clothes -the white shirt with the cut-off cuffs, the suspenders and the blazer nonchalantly slung over her shoulder- on the cover of Horses, shot by Robert Mapplethorpe? (the music's pretty good, too ;))

Emmanuelle Alt. Currently, the fashion world raves about her: she's called the epitome of French chic. Personally, I find her style very normcore*, safe and predictable. It's not extraordinary. But I like its simplicity, its rock-chic vibe (always in a subtle and tasteful way!) and the fact that she focuses on quality and fit. Signature look: Perfectly tailored blazer, simple neutral top, cropped skiny pants/jeans and pointy pumps. I like the idea of a perfected uniform that she exemplifies.

Annie Hall from Woody Allen's Annie Hall. Again, such a cliché, but I love how Diane Keaton dresses in this movie (also in Manhattan -obviously I've already copied her look here ;)): she's comfortable, charming, quirky and slightly goofy all at the same time in her menswear-inspired (or, often, just plain menswear) outfits... AND she's a funny lady, which is always a plus! 

Jane Birkin: I don't really know that much about her (yet), but I think that taking a basket and deciding to make it your handbag (and ignoring what everyone else might think and just doing whatever you think is cool AND managing to make it look like the most natural thing in the world, the opposite of contrived...) is brilliant! And she just does the whole effortless vibe thing so well -effortless perfect hair, chic, understated, bohemian clothes... I watched La Piscine the other day -didn't like the film, but Birkin's wardrobe and her 'yeux de biche' eye makeup kept me entertained :) 

And finally... my mom. The woman that started everything. The woman whose wardrobe I've coveted since I can remember and whose closet I still raid when I visit home. The woman that keeps -almost- everything (she still has clothes from the 70's, I'm pretty sure) -and thank god for that, because there are quite a few treasures hidden in her closet! The woman who drilled into me no-nonsense style lessons: focus on quality. Wear natural fabrics. Don't pay attention to trends. Less is more -be simple. Obviously, like with the other women on this list, I don't follow all of her advice: I've yet to understand her predilection for continent-sized underwear and I still sometimes can't help buying cheap shoes, but I really look up to her. Do I worry that I'm turning into her? No -I put my own spin on the things that I take from her. And besides, even if I do end up exactly like my mother... I really don't think I'll mind! :)

Most of these women aren't particularly feminine, but I think there's a lot of femininity to be found in the completely simple, the non-evocative (or perhaps deceivingly evocative), the liminal. Femininity that doesn't proclaim itself with shouts but plays hide-and-seek and teases you. Femininity of a woman confident enough that she doesn't feel the need to prove anything to anyone. 

Another thing that I like about these styles: it's not about the label. OK, Emmanuelle Alt probably dresses in Saint Laurent and Céline, but she doesn't wear fashion houses' logos emblazoned across her like a walking multi-million dollar advert. You could get the same clothes made by a seamstress or buy similar pieces from another shop, and it wouldn't matter, because her style is about the clothes and the look that they convey. Patti Smith got her clothes from charity shops most of the time. These days she dresses in Demeulemeester and other designers, but you would never know: she has the same punk, androgynous but carefully constructed look she bore all those years ago. 

I'll leave you to ponder on this style-ideology-philosophy-ontology-nostalgia-manifesto session for now... until the next installment ;)

*check out my ruminations on normcore here.

Light packing

...I'm out of here. I love Amsterdam, but it's time to honour my "very fortunate origins", as a friend put it. So, time to pack. Different year, same shit concept. Except this time around I'm cutting all the crap and really challenging myself: 1+ month with only a 10kg carry-on suitcase. Last year, I made a big deal out of packing 'only' 25kg, and then didn't even end up needing all the stuff I brought. This year, I'd rather spend the luggage fees on my holiday instead. And since all I'll be doing is lying in the sun and strolling around, there's no need for much more than bikinis and shorts. That said, some tough decisions had to be made (I have too many summer clothes...).

Here's how packing 10kg for a month-long holiday happens.

1. First, make a list.* **
-about 10 tops (you can do laundry, you know!)
-around 9 bottoms (OK, maybe less -but don't forget a pair of long pants for chilly nights and maybe a skirt)
-dresses: I'm not much of a dress girl, so I only packed one for going out and 2 cover-up dresses for the beach.
-1 denim shirt and 1 cotton sweater for when it gets chilly
-3 bikinis (who needs more? not me) and a hat for the beach. And sunglasses.
-a week's worth of underwear. And I end up wearing my bikini tops as bras most of the time so no need to pack many bras.
-3 pairs of shoes, + flip flops. And then again, I could've done with less, but I'm a shoe girl. Keep in mind that shoes are heavy, though.
-1 canvas bag, 1 small hands-free bag and a big tote for the plane (to cart all my books and my laptop around)
-cotton shorts to be worn with a t-shirt as PJs
-few accessories: I packed a belt and three pairs of earrings.

Of course, I couldn't resist arranging my 'summer capsule wardrobe' by colour on my clothes rack and showing it off -it just makes me happy!*** I think it's a good reflection of what I usually wear: a whole lot of neutrals (black, some white, and shades of grey and sand/brown) and some colour (mainly blue).

2. Here's how you make it fit in your carry-on:
Roll everything tightly and pack it in your suitcase without leaving any empty spaces. If you were planning on taking things that need 3 hours of ironing, forget it... or get your mom to iron it when you get there ;) It's the holidays after all, who wants to worry about wrinkles?

3. Don't use a hundred million different vanity cases and pouches -they take up space and weight. Squeeze the smaller stuff in any gaps left.

4. Most important thing of all: Don't take a huge nécessaire. You can buy your big bottles of shampoo and sunscreen there. If you're a hundred years old and you have a 21-step skin routine, that's another story but leave your 37 hair products at home. As for makeup: take the absolute basics. You won't need much makeup at the beach(!) and anyways you wear less makeup when it's hot. I packed tinted sunscreen, foundation, 2 lipcolours, 1 eyeshadow, 1 eyebrow/eye pencil, eyeliner and mascara.

5. What am I reading this summer, you ask? Voilà. Happy holidays!

* Be ruthless. Do you really think you're gonna wear that? Don't take things 'just in case'. Only take the things you love.
** I love lists, can you tell?
***As does this video in which my friend used my (complete) colour-coded wardrobe as an example of obsessive-compulsive behaviour... oops. Oh well, I think it looks really good actually! :)

Doe Normaal!

Here's another article I wrote for Scriptus -I forgot to post it here but better late than never! 

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Doe normaal!

While the rest of Scriptus* celebrates flamboyant wizards (think Dumbledore’s hats and beard adornments) and colourfulness, I have opted to differ by introducing about fashion’s latest development, normcore. Paradoxically enough, this trend proclaims that being cool is being normal, boring even: it is about not standing out. Yes, dear reader: continuing with last issue’s meta-theme, normcore is fashion negating itself, fashion trying to not look fashion-y (that is, glamorous and spectacular). The term was coined only last October by a ‘trend agency’which claims that “there's an exhaustion with trying to seem different.”. According to them, normcore “moves away from a coolness that relies on difference to a post-authenticity that opts into sameness” (whatever that means). The idea seems to be rejecting the notion of using clothes to assert one’s unique identity: for normcore, dressing up, making an effort, is trying too hard (hence the return of comfortable and even ugly shoes to fashion). But although they are associated with “the idea that one doesn’t need their clothes to make a statement”, ‘normcore’ clothes, too, make their own statement: “I don’t need clothes or fashion to show that I’m special”.

Make no mistake, however: normcore is not anti-fashion. In fact, it has been fully integrated into fashion: lately, many designers**, with Céline as their leading example, have been presenting simple, monochromatic, non-flashy clothes –and are of course cashing in on our ‘rejection’ of fashion. They have also popularized traditionally ugly, practical items of clothing that no self-respecting fashionista would dare be seen in a few years ago, the most ubiquitous example being Birkenstock-type sandals (bonus points if you wear them with socks!).

So what does this bland, blank way of dressing say? It is pretty hypocritical: Although it claims to rebel against fashion, it is actually just another fashion trend, albeit one that allows for less diversity and creativity. Fashion is important because it gives people options, the possibility to express their personality or mood with their clothes. Normcore, on the other hand, negates one of the most important things that fashion offers us: the opportunity to have fun with our image, to be creative and even a little extravagant.

 On the other hand, getting over this minor identity crisis (“am I just another unsuspecting victim of trends and ideology?”), and realizing that there’s little we can do to change the fact that normcore influences the way we dress, let’s have a look at the bright side of things: normcore might not be so bad after all. For starters, you no longer need impossibly high heels to look cool –quite the opposite, in fact. Clothes must now be comfortable, and the wearer must feel at ease in them (something that, admittedly, has not been a major concern for fashion in the past). Secondly, wearing clothes that are pared-down and simple in design allows to direct the focus more towards details such as fit and quality. When everyone is wearing jeans, the way to ‘do fashion’ (or in this case, normcore) right is to find jeans that fit you well and flatter your body type. When everyone is wearing black blazers, you want yours to be well-cut and made from a nice fabric –and so on. This (hopefully) allows consumers to have more agency: the benefit of embracing ‘boring’, basic, normcore style is that, rather than focusing on what is in, the consumer will concentrate on their own needs. When essentially every store has a version of a basic garment, the consumer no longer has to settle for anything less than perfect –provided that money is no object, of course.

*more or less

**who were obviously promptly copied by Zara, etc. etc.

Summer prelude

Life is hard... but it's also beautiful when you have good friends.

I've had no time for blogging, but life right now is full of promises and so I've had my hands full... I wanted to post this picture, in lieu of a regular post, because:

1. I love it. Look at that fierce red tractor. Look at all of our smiles!

2. I also happen to love the way my outfit photographed here. Cropped white pants, light blue biker that's slightly oversize and crumples just the right amount, and my eternal love, greek leather sandals (the criss-cross pattern is something you see in quite a few designer shoes lately too)... and pink tiara for the fun of it :P

...now, should I cut my hair short? It's kind of my safety blanket right now, but I've been thinking of short summer hair lately and it doesn't sound bad at all...

Fennel

I've had zero time to blog/take pictures lately, so instead I present you with my most recent discovery -and why the heck not, I'm gonna go ahead and name it the Vegetable of the Month (remember celeriac back in January?): Fennel. 

It turns out it tastes amazing roasted, stir-fried, in soups... You can probably find better instructions by googling it, but basically you prepare it by cutting off the stem-like green, leafy bits (you can save them to flavour your soups) and the base and then quartering it and removing the rest of the root from the cores.

On a more style-related note, I googled fennel print and it turns out that there are a lot of pretty illustrations of fennel flowers out there that would look cool framed or -if you're more like me- just pinned/stuck to your wall :)

   
                                           

           

Let's talk about hair

Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Some thoughts on hair.

1. I'm in need of a haircut, but I really love the way my hair gradually gets lighter towards the bottom and I'm afraid that the mean hairdresser will chop that all off :/

2. Elaborating on my passing comment about how my hair looked worse in a picture from September: I remember I was washing my hair every two/three days then, and I'd just washed and straightened my hair for the event, but my hair decided to go into frizzball mode. But lately, I've realized that my hair seems to look better when it's unwashed (as in, not freshly washed. Nobody's hair looks nice when greasy!). In fact, I've been washing my hair only once a week for a few months now -I spaced out the washes, washing my hair only when it got greasy. Now my hair gets greasy much slower*, and it looks and feels much healthier, shinier, and less of a dry, frizzy mass. All I do is brush it whenever the ends get tangled (it also helps distribute the natural oils your scalp produces). And I'm using much less shampoo now, so the environment is also happy!
These pictures were taken on a Friday, I'd washed my hair the Sunday before, and I hadn't styled my hair at all (only added some hair oil to the ends) -you be the judge. I'm not saying you should do the same, but it's worth considering, no?

*In general, the more often you wash your hair, the more you strip your scalp of its natural oils, making your scalp produce more to compensate, which in turn makes your hair greasier, faster -so it's actually a vain circle that I've tried to break away from. I did some online research and the next step seems to be eliminating shampoo completely (the so-called 'no poo', where you only wash your hair with baking soda and apple cider), but right now that feels like a step too far.

What to do with a (silk) scarf

My mother keeps literally everything, so it's always fun to rummage through her clothes and discover things from the past. Another thing about her is that she's always keen on giving me her stuff. I'd say that a good quarter of my wardrobe used to belong to my mom... come on, I can't be the only one! One of the things I got from one of these closet incursions was a printed silk scarf. I liked the print and, OK, let's face it, silk is very silky: you just wanna stroke it for hours... The only problem is that I don't wear scarves -unless we're talking about the kind you'd wear to protect yourself from the cold-... and I'm also not that big on print. So apart from the couple of times I wore it as a tie in high school*, I've never worn it as a (real) scarf.

However, over the years I've gotten creative and figured out many different ways of wearing/using a scarf for other purposes, so I hope you're ready. Go on, grab that scarf you never wear (it doesn't have to be silk or anything, I'm just fancy like that :P) and:

-wear it as a top** (tie it tightly and wear a strapless bra!) This was a dress-up party hence the big earrings to go with it, but I think that this could be weareable in real life too -keep the rest of the outfit minimal, wear with something high-waisted and a lot of confidence!

-wear it on your head as a turban or a bandana... Come on, if Carrie did it, so can you. It's also great for hiding bad hair ;)

-tie it around your wrist... Carrie ties hers around her arm.

-use it instead of a belt -this is one of my favourite ways, just pull it through your jeans' loops and voilà -a moderate injection of colour!***

-you could tie it on your handbag, though it's not my thing...

-wear it rolled around your neck under a shirt -classy and warm. I've still got to pin down exactly how my literature professor does his, but I won't stop trying till I get it right!

*I was into ties for a while. But I'd wear them over a tank top, and it would look, well, like a wannabe version of Avril Lavigne... Yeah. Moving on.

**This is a pretty straightforward one, but the internet is full of ideas on how to make spectacular top out of a scarf. Google is your friend!

***You know I'm all about moderation when it comes to colour ;)

But I like being a lady from time to time.

I was wearing this outfit, biking (heels and all) into town to my friend's birthday dinner, when she turned around and said: "I'm glad I've found true ladies here!" I had to laugh because normally I'm the opposite of a lady -like Jessa in Girls said,* "I'm not the ladies!" My personality consists in giving it straight to people (although I try not to be too rude), and my refinement is dropped upon the first sight of food. In other words, I am far from embodying an old-fashioned lady... but sometimes, dressing like a lady can be fun -and a bit unusual for me (refer to my previous post, in which I identify with a witch. Ahem.).

I'm wearing: DVF skirt borrowed from a very kind friend (although I want to keep it forever), my mom's shrunken knit (which I've been wearing a lot -more to come), zara pumps. My hair has been haphazardly gathered into a low bun with front pieces hanging loose, and I'm wearing red lipstick (to complete the sophistication).

I like the idea of pairing such a spectacular skirt with a really simple sweater -it looks effortless and keeps it from being over the top. Do I still feel a bit out of my comfort zone? Slightly, but in a good way, as if I was French for the night. It's good to experiment. And yes, I went bare legged. It was worth it :)

*sorry, but you're gonna have to bear with my obsession with Girls, as I've decided to write a research paper on the series. Yes, there are some perks to being in the humanities... ;)

Inspiring people in fashion

There's a lot of things that I don't like about the fashion industry, but as I'm starting to learn a little bit more about it (thanks internet!), I discover many things that inspire me. Besides the pure aesthetics of fashion which are pretty inspiring on their own, I've discovered a few people whom I admire and appreciate because of what they do and how they do it.


One of the first people I came across is Scott Schuman, the photographer behind The Sartorialist, which is much more than a streetstyle blog: he doesn't only photograph couture-clad fashion editors, but people with striking, unique style, regardless of whether they're on a farm or outside the Dior show. He also makes every photogaph beautiful and artistic in itself, and often he'll photograph a face or a small detail that caught his attention. Oh, and he has also published two books with streetstyle photography.

Incidentally (or not), his girlfiriend Garance Doré is also amazing: she's a photographer and artist and she runs her own blog on fashion, style, being a woman and much, much more. What I love about her is her candid, humorous approach: she tells it like it is and doesn't take herself too seriously. And the visuals of her blog (from the design to her photographs and illustrations) are incredible. She's a real inspiration and so down to earth.



I also like The Man Repeller, founded by Leandra Medine, for its humorous/satiric articles on fashion, style, popular culture and woman-ness.

Finally, I consider Ivania Carpio from Love Aesthetics* a true inspiration. She has her very own unique (life)style and vision as well as the drive to execute it, and on top of that she has very strong fashion and journalism ethics. In a world such as fashion, such people are both refreshing and much-needed. I ran into her in Weekday once and she was really nice and down to earth :)




*she just switched from a blog to her own webpage, so some of the info is still missing, but check her 'ethics' section when she updates it!

Being a witch is cooler than being a princess

...because you get to fly on a broom and use magic, obviously, but also because witches have a strong, sexy look whereas princesses are all about floaty dresses and flower prints. I love this picture: the Margot Tenenbaum expression, the long, dark hair and middle parting, the ears sticking out, the black top... it all has that severe, witchy look. If you use your imagination, you can even replace my desk with a broom and picture me hovering mid-air staring at you. If I knew photoshop, I'd make that happen that for sure :)

I'm wearing a (DIY) polo neck crop top, my mom's old long wool skirt, my dad's old leather belt, zara pumps.

I wore this to a friend's dressy birthday dinner, and it was a good chance to finally wear this skirt... So far I've had trouble dressing it down without making it look frumpy or too dressy, but I haven't given up yet! I think this outfit is very 'me', though. Simple, but sharp.

Looking in the mirror: Self-referential fashion

Here's my first article for Scriptus, the student-run university magazine. I'm really looking forward to doing more of this sort of writing! And I feel so honored that my wonderful friend made an illustration to go with it -hope you enjoy:)
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Looking Into the Mirror: Self-Reflective Fashion

Self-referential fashion. Isn't all fashion self-centered, introverted, self-referential for all intents and purposes, you ask? Just look at all those handbags, wallets, sunglasses and T-shirts bearing a fashion house's logo -what are they talking about, if not themselves? In that sense, yes, fashion can often be narcissistic and self celebratory.

However, there is also the kind of fashion which turns to itself not in selfish admiration of its own image, but, “using its own tools”, to deconstruct itself. While fashion is known for its playful referencing of almost anything in culture -ranging from famous artworks to military uniforms-, self-referential fashion shifts the attention back to itself in order to expose and critically reflect on its own processes. It is not, then, a gratuitous self-elogy of fashion, by fashion, but rather, a self-conscious exploration of fashion by itself, resulting in what one may call meta-fashion*.

Probably the designer best known to create self-referential fashion is Margiela. In fact, you could even buy meta-fashion for less sometime last year courtesy of Maison Martin Margiela's line for H&M (And since we're being self-referential, Katarina wrote an article about this collaboration in Scriptus' second issue –you can check it out on myauc.nl). Margiela often produces garments whose 'insides' (in other words, the structural parts that would normally be concealed) are presented to the viewer -either because the clothes are 'inside out', or because the finished product is, by normal standards, ‘unfinished’, raw. Thus, by exposing, in the house's own words, “the grammar of clothing”, Margiela renders the creation process of the garments explicit.

Another instance of self-referentiality, in which fashion can reflect upon itself critically and even parody itself, is fashion shows. In a context that is all about fashion showing itself off as artistic, beautiful and powerful, (Amsterdam’s very own) Viktor & Rolf chose to stage a spectacle that would expose itself as ridiculous, elitist, overly narcissistic. Each model that walked down the runway was attached to their own individual spotlights pointing at them, and they were each accompanied by different music to suit the concept that their appearance was creating. The collection, in another clear reference to self-referentiality (if one can even use that expression), was called "The Fashion Show".

The question that inevitably arises is, can such self-referential critique be valid, when it is exercised from within the system? Is it enough for Viktor & Rolf to expose the uglier, less perfect side of the fashion industry, while they remain part of it? Does this self-referential parody, in the end, have any value besides that of novelty and shock?

You may disagree with me, dear reader, but I'm afraid that with such a postmodern device as self-reference, the answer that I'm about to give you is to be expected: the fashion 'authors' are essentially putting the ball back in our court. Meta-fashion depends on its viewer to interpret it; in the end, it is up to us to decide that something needs improving in fashion. It is consequently us, as consumers of its cultural product, that must make that change happen. So the real question is: what do we want from fashion?

*the literature majors among us will appreciate the relation of this term with its cousin, 'meta-fiction', which refers to fictional narratives that refer to themselves. Conversely, then, meta-fashion is fashion that refers to itself; in other words, product referring to the process of its own creation.

The Formal Comeback I

Wow, before I realize it it's been over a month and I haven't posted anything. Life is complicated and mine is full of plans and projects at the moment -exciting, yes, but stress got in my way and I had to catch my breath for a while. It's not going to get any less busy but I'm trying to teach myself to manage things a little bit better now -we'll see how it goes :)

This time I thought I'd do something a little bit different from my usual informal, everyday outfits: what I wear when I have something a bit more 'special' to go to. As a student, it doesn't happen every week, but I've definitely dressed up a few times already this year. And while my LBD gets regularly worn, well, there's only so many ways you can wear the same dress... So lately, I'm all about the separates -my theory being that a few slightly dressier separates can be combined in many different ways, which also means that you can dress them up or down! 

And so, without further ado, I give you exhibit A (with the awesome background of my 'workspace'). I had to go to another 20's-themed party and didn't really have anything 20's, so I just went with 'old school glamour'...

I'm wearing a vintage corset top, my mom's old wolford skirt (not as close-fitting as I'd like it to but ok...), golden 'leaf' earrings, ferragamo sandals (you can check them out from up close here, if you so desire), my watch and random hair elastic (you're supposed to take your watch etc. off for 'formal' things, but I always forget :P). This is a mere reproduction, but my awesome friend had put my hair in soft curls and I had it swept to one side. I also wore my dark berry lipstain.

I have to say that when I moved out and took this corset top* with me, I didn't really think I would be wearing it much -but actually, it's been quite useful for all the formal shenanigans I've had to attend lately -I've pulled up a FB picture of me wearing it to a uni event in September on a worse hair day. I'd paired it with my simple jersey long grey skirt (may it rest in piece, it got really holey and I had to throw it out) and it looked like a dress.

It only goes to show the power of separates: A dressy top and a skirt that could be worn with a more casual outfit = appropriate. The heels also help, of course :)



*This top is actually from a 3-piece skirt suit that my mom bought in the 80's/90's. It's all the same dark grey striped fabric with big lace trims, but I left the two other pieces behind: the blazer has huge shoulderpads and a bow on the back (um, no thanks!), and last time I checked the skirt didn't fit. I really like the shape of the top, but I had to sew the lace trim so that it wouldn't stick out from the top as much -this is the more minimal, Cristina-friendly version.

What to do with pumpkin

1. Soup.

I'm a huge soup lover, so apologies for the overload but hey! At least it's good for you.* After Halloween, I blogged about using your pumpkins to make soup (here). I found a recipe that recommends roasting pumpkin halves (pre-gutted) in the oven at 200C for about an hour to an hour and a half and then scooping out the dense, sweet flesh out to make a quick soup (thanks internet!).  I haven't tried boiling the pumpkin instead of roasting it, but in any case this method gives an already delicious combo such a smooth, velvety texture that I probably won't bother trying anything else!

I don't follow the recipe exactly cause that's not my jam -I just use whatever and however much I have**-, but sage works really really well with the pumpkin***. Just use your intuition!

2. Risotto.

Go out there and find the perfect recipe (and then share it!), or just play it by ear and softly fry onion and garlic in either butter or oil, then add risotto rice and cubed pumpkin (find your perfect equation) and stir for a couple of minutes, then deglaze with white wine until it's evaporated, then add stock and seasoning and either frantically stir or just blag it and bang the lid shut to let the steam do the work for you (don't forget to check it from time to time though!). When the rice is ready (not overcooked), the risotto should be sticky but not dry. Add some grated parmesan and maybe a knob of butter, adjust the seasoning and serve immediately. 

*Mostly, anyways. And speaking of not-so-healthy soups, I really wanna try is this one. 

** It's funny how before I lived on my own I would always follow the recipe to the letter, and now that I live on my own I just take the instructions as 'suggestions' and adapt them to my own needs.
*** You could also season this soup with curry, though. Just fry some curry paste and ginger with the onion and maybe add some coriander at the end.

On goals and changing the world

It's been a really busy few days and I haven't had the time to blog, or a camera to document things with... This is an important project to me, so it's a bit contradictory that I've left it aside lately. Today I wanted to share a realization that I had.

Lately, I've been setting a lot of new goals. I write them down, but then I almost instantly forget about them -there's too many to realistically keep. I have many pending things right now taking up my thoughts besides my homework, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't worry about the future. I'm constantly thinking ahead. While I have many exciting projects to choose from, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by everything. I can't choose what's most important, so I try to do everyting and then I stress.

I'm surrounded by many great people, yet the routine, the stress and the lack of new and exciting things means I don't always appreciate them. I worry that I end up spreading my negativity, my stress, my worries instead of being a source of love, comfort and inspiration.

Today I'm writing my statement of interest for my application to study in Toronto for the coming fall semester. Toronto wasn't my first choice and initially I was a bit disappointed and scared about going there. I'm finally in a place where I'm genuinely happy to be going there for a few months, and it's all thanks to my amazing family and friends. Re-reading my personal statement from when I applied to my current university two years ago felt like finding the missing piece of the puzzle.

In the last sentence, I talk about my longest-standing goal: being able to change the world around me by doing what I love. Reading this reminded me about what's really important -not goals like 'read a book every month' (that's also good, but not worth stressing about!), but giving by being the best I can be.

A wise woman told me that you can change the world whether you're a yoga teacher or a politician. It doesn't matter what you do, you always have an impact on those around you. It's about starting small.

In other words, it's about having the attitude! Instead of poisoning those around me with worry, stress and negativity, I want to try to fill them with fresh ideas and nice feelings. Give back some of the amazing support I've received. Supporting each other in hard times is an important part of friendship, but motivating and lifting each other's mood on a day-to-day basis is just as valuable.

So I wrote down my goal: sometimes you need a visual reminder for things that are so basic that you stop being conscious of them.

Soup, soup, soup.

Here are two really nice (potentially vegan) soups I can't take credit for.

After a failed attempt at making beetroot soup (trust me, that was a big fail) I resorted to the internet and loosely followed a recipe that turned out great! Basically:

-Put half a tin of chopped tomatoes in a baking tray covered in aluminium paper and sprinkle a bit of olive oil and some garlic powder. Roast at 190C for about 15 mins.
-Softly fry half a chopped onion in a bit of olive oil in a pot.
-Grate about 3-4 beetroots (more if yours are tiny like mine!) and add them to the pot with about 600 ml stock. Boil for about 7-10 mins until the beetroot is tender.
-Then, add the roasted tomato to the pot and process everything together. Season, add some more stock if you want a thinner soup, and heat it all through before serving.

The colour is awesome!

I already told you I got a load of carrots, so I followed my friend's instructions to make a nice carrot curried soup. The concept is pretty simple:

-Softly fry a chopped onion and some garlic if you like with some olive oil or wok oil (for extra flavour).
-Add a good tbsp of curry paste, and some curry powder and chilli if you want it extra spicy. You can also add ginger but I didn't have any. I also added a few tablespoons of tomato passatta, but you don't have to. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
-Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the carrots. Add them to the pot with enough stock to cover them and let it boil until the carrots are cooked through and soft.
-Add a chunk of coconut cream or some coconut milk and some coriander if you have it, and process until smooth. You can adjust the consistency with more stock. Serve with chopped coriander, ideally.

..

Wardobe rehab

This is going to be a long post about my wardrobe, but if you stay put you might learn a thing or two about how to make the most of yours :)

I live in a single room/studio appartment, and when I moved in I decided that I didn't want to clutter it with a big, bulky closet (I find a big sofa that my friends can sit on in much more important!), so I've just been using this hanging rack for all my jackets, skirts, sweaters, dresses and shirts/'special' tops. The heels at its bottom are just there for exhibition purposes as they don't get worn day-to-day (my everyday shoes are by the door), and I store my jeans, shorts, T-shirts and underwear in various shelves and drawers.

It's a bit of a pain to find a place for all your clothes when you don't have one of those huge 'black hole' closets, but I'm actually thankful for this. My space limitations force me to constantly edit my little collection of clothes. There are no hiding spots for 'forgotten' or ignored garments, and any addition needs to be considered carefully (although my student budget also takes care of that part!).

I love that my clothes are exposed in this corner of my room like a little boutique, and I even arranged them by colour -slightly neurotic, but it reflects something important about the way I see my clothes: I take care of them, because I love them. But it also works vice-versa. I love them because I take care of them.

I've used the title 'wardobe rehab' as a wink to Geneva's series where she teaches you how to edit your wardrobe and make sure you have all the basics you need. But for me, the main thing about having a wardrobe that works (whatever you have in it), is this: you have to show your clothes some love.

This is another kind of rehab*.


1. Make sure that you'll be wearing everything hanging in your closet.

If you're not going to be wearing it because you don't love it anymore, or because it's out of season or whatever, then there's no reason for it to be distracting you from the clothes you'll actually be choosing from. Store it, donate it, resell it (accordingly)**. Obviously, I'm not telling you to get rid of your gala dress because you don't wear it every week, but you might want to separate it from your everyday clothes.

2. Make sure everything fits.

Alter or, if you don't wanna throw it out, put it in storage. You probably don't have time in the mornings to remember that you need to shorten those pants and have to change your outfit.

3. Make sure everything hanging in your closet is ready to be worn:

Clean, stain-free, and if possible wrinkle-free too. Bonus points if it smells nice.

4. Make sure you're helping your clothes (and accessories) last.

Part of having a 'curated' (this is the new 'it' word in fashion) wardrobe is loving the pieces in it instead of constantly replacing them. Here's how to care for them:

-If it should be hand-washed, hand-wash it. Dry your wool sweaters flat.
-Dry clean whatever needs to be dry-cleaned.
-Keep leather bags in their dustbags (they don't like the sun!)
-I don't really have a problem with moths, but lavender bags/lavender spray (none of that chemical stuff) can never hurt!
 -Take care of your shoes. Clean them, polish them, take them to the shoe repair when they need to be resoled. You'll be able to keep them much longer (without looking like a bum!).
-Repair holes and tears and replace missing buttons. There's nothing more annoying than not being able to wear the shirt you want because you still haven't gotten around to sewing a simple button -I should know!
-Store your things lovingly.

5. Make sure you can see everything and you know where to find everything.

Obviously I have my own system (aesthetic purposes also factor in, in my case), but find what works for you. Just make sure to be organized, whether you arrange your clothes by occasion, type of garment, colour or anything else.


The result?

The other day, my friend said to me: "I love your wardrobe."
Me: "You mean the rack I use to hang my clothes on?"
She said, "no, I mean everything in your wardrobe. Every single thing."


Now, you can put this down to similar style preferences, but mostly, I think, to the fact that everything is organized, visible, and lovingly taken care of. And if your friend loves it just by seeing it, imagine how much of a difference it'll make when getting dressed in the morning!


*Don't worry -you can still make a list of everything you want to buy when you're done ;)
**I have trouble getting rid of things, so I sometimes put clothes I haven't been wearing in a 'trial period' where I try to wear them to see if they work or not. If they don't, it's time to break up with them. :P

All I do is cook these days

There's a student initiative in my uni where every two weeks we buy fresh season fruit and vegetables from an organic farmer and then everyone gets a big bag of them for about 10 euros. Last week I gave it a try, and I got all of this (plus some new potatoes):

That's apples, a bunch of kale, carrots (we're talking a lot here!), a parsnip, beetroots and a small pumpkin. 

So what did I make out of them? For starters, the apples were delicious so I've just been eating them as snacks. But they're also very good cut into little pieces in a kale salad.

I don't even like salads that much but this one is good! Here's how you make it: 

1 apple, cut into small match sticks

1 carrot, grated

1 bunch of kale, washed, dried and chopped.

a handful of any sort of nuts and/or dried raisins/cranberries etc. 

Combine all of the above in a big bowl.

Make the dressing by mixing 

1 tsp rosemary (or any other herb you like)

1/2 tsp mustard

a couple squirts of lemon 

2-3 tbsp olive oil

a bit of vinegar

salt & pepper

And pour it over the salad. Mix well. The longer you let the hard kale infuse with the dressing and the juices from the apple & carrot, the better your salad will be, so this is perfect to make in advance/save for later.

More on what I did with the vegetables coming soon! :)

I really love my couch

I'm wearing: zara skirt, weekday sweater, primark tights and nike trainers.

...Yeah, don't ask me why the image on the right came out this weird (thanks, blogger).
Anyways, this is the new skirt I was talking about. Keeping with its sporty vibe, I wore it with an oversized knit -and sports top for extra sportiness-, and trainers. Even though I'm also wearing tights and that makes no sense. YOLO*.

I've wanted to wear these two colours (dark purple and that mélange-y grey) for ages, and now I finally can! I also like the slouchy relaxed vibe going on here.

Expect to see more of:

1. the awesome blue couch, because come on.
2. this skirt!
3. me without makeup, because sleep in the mornings matters.


*My incapacity to take good pictures using a timer may also be attributed to this.

Because it's Sunday

...and this is a serious contender of the title of The Best Breakfast Ever.

So the story is that I had an egg white lying around from a baking session, and some goat’s cheese that my dad gave me. I also had mushrooms and leek. And I felt like an awesome breakfast.

So I thinly sliced a bit leek, put it in a nonstick pan to get golden with some olive oil, cut up a few brown champignons, added those to the pan with a bit of italian herbs, and let the whole thing cook for a bit. Meanwhile, I whisked the egg white vigorously till it got bubbly and fluffy (but not meringue, ey!) and I added salt and pepper. When the veg were ready (they only take about 3 minutes really) I pushed them to the middle of the pan, forming a kind of big pancake and then put the egg over them. You kinda push the egg so it doesnt spread outside the veg until it starts to solidify, and flip in about 30 seconds. Then sprinkle a bit of goat’s cheese over it and after another 30 seconds, serve and enjoy!

Also: carb-free, what else do you want? 

Things

What may look like a pile of grey, black and blue is, for me, a huge building block added to my wardrobe. And after all these have been my favourite colours to play with as of late...

The breakdown: my mom's shrunken cashmere (that now acts as a cropped sweater) and the cardigan she doesn't like on herself, the zara skirt my friend bought me, the zara heeled booties I bought myself (oops) and my dad's present: Jonak black leather flat ankle boots -finally! I'd been looking for the perfect ones for ages, and I'm glad I did my research thoroughly :)

Yes, I know I am lucky. Not just to have all those things, but to have the friend who knows exactly what I'll like, the mom who taught me all about timeless style, and the dad that knows how particular I am and asks me what I want. So yes, I'm really happy to have all these things that I know I'll wear regularly, but I'm even happier knowing that I have people that love me in my life. 

Birthday move!

...New year, new home. A year after it all started, I've finally gotten around to switching to a more suitable platform. A lot has changed since the beginning, and even though this still remains a quite private, personal project, I think that it's grown -and me with it.

Now to get back to business. Few words today. I'll leave you with a random look and a pressing question: when are shorts too short? (and does it matter if you wear tights?)

I'm wearing zara shorts, naf naf dress (as top), thrifted blazer, primark tights and aniel shoes. The rest I got from my mama ;)

What I've been wearing lately

…all of my shirts under all of my sweaters. Literally every possible combination. This is just a small sample courtesy of my webcam:



Grey cotton zara sweater with silk navy thrifted shirt



weekday chunky wool sweater with my dad’s old denim shirt



american vintage thin silk+cashmere sweater (from the good old days :P) and pink bershka shirt (from the days I used to shop in bershka :P)



This is only the beginning people! It actually turns out I have quite a few shirts -no white shirt even though that’s supposedly a basic*, but many many things with a collar that can add some preppiness, warmth and a bit of colour to a sweater, so be prepared!


*Do we care though?

Let's talk movies (or film for the academic ones amongst us)

Here’s some films I recently watched and what I thought of them.

Quick note: I’m not a film authority (yet), and this is only my personal opinion. Although I do tend to be right about everything.


 

La Vie D’Adele (2013) (or Blue is the Warmest Colour)

I appreciated the fact that this film tries to portray the development of a young girl, as well as a lesbian relationship, in a very realistic, almost crude way. But it was hard for me to enjoy, partly because of the way it was shot (a lot of suffocating close-ups) but also because it’s quite slow and is also around three hours long. On a more general note, good that a movie about a lesbian relationship is so popular/mainstream, not so great that all everyone seems to be talking about in relation to it is the infamous sex scene. One step at a time, I guess.




The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

I loved this film! Its characters are quirky and colourful, but at  the same time dark and twisted. It’s fun as hell and has a great cast so I won’t say anything more, just go see it.




The Bling Ring (2013)

Based on a true story… Also, frankly, so boring that my dad and I didn’t even bother finishing it. We found it quite vacuous and superficial in the treatment of the subject; Coppola mainly bases her game on the visual aspect, giving you, once more, her characteristic caleidoscope-like succession of images of an overabundance of shiny things. A bit of a magpie aesthetic, too, if you ask me, and it didn’t do much for character development. So while I can’t claim anything about the second half of the film, the first part got quickly monotonous because of the lack of depth in the treatment of the story. Shame.


 

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Well, obviously this is no artsy film… but that’s no reason not to LOVE it! I loved the first film, and the second installment was just as good. And if you think it’s just for kids, you’re missing out. Kids’ films are often the best, and this one I particularly like (from a slightly more academic point of view, too) because it’s not gendered in any way: it’s not pink princess stories, and it’s not tough superheroes with guns (or whatever lil boys seem to be watching these days :P). It’s a super funny film for everyone to enjoy. Oh, and: minions. Need I say more?




8 1/2 (1963)

We screened this classic with my film committee. Most people didn’t really like it. There’s no real ‘story’ in Hollywoodian terms, it’s a long movie, it’s a bit weird (many dream/surrealist scenes or just nonensical scenes) and also, as someone pointed out, well, not very feminist. We had an interesting discussion about auteurship* and tried to identify all the little things/themes that come up in other Fellini movies. I’ve only seen another of his films, La  Dolce Vita. The protagonist is the same, and the construction of the plot is similar: it’s just a succession of events, people go from one place to the other, and the  protagonist is surrounded by beautiful women, all wanting a piece of him. It’s also interesting to note that Fellini shot this film in black&white even though colour film was already common at that point. While most people weren’t crazy about the film, I quite enjoyed the viewing experience (especially since I usually watch films in my smal laptop screen), because the film was beautifully shot. As a girl said, every frame could be a photograph; you definitely notice how much attention has been given to detail.




And a film on the to-see list:



La Grande Bellezza (2013) (or The Great Beauty)

Apparently, Gambardella’s film is basically a Fellini ripoff, some people really liked it, others thought it was really superficial. I wanted to see it before, but now I simply have to!



*(look it up: basically auteur theory explores the notion that some film directors like Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg etc. are artists completely responsible for the film and questions this, but surely the internet will do a much better job at explaining than I am!?)