// With live preview

Posted on | July 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

I thought that live preview option on computer screen would make taking self-portraits easier… …but truth to be told I’m not convinced yet. Canon EOS Utility is buggy as hell and freezes in regular intervals. The live face detection mode is difficult to control, the software seems to lose the focus as easily as it gets it. And… …the remote does not work when in computer control mode. I have to examine this, there has to be a way around. Controlling the shoot with mouse and keyboard was not particularly fun.

Anyway, this is an attempt to shoot my summer dressing. We are experiencing such a great summer this year, high temperatures and sunny skies day after day. My already modest beauty routines are in complete state of forestation and I walk around in frizzy, curly hair (it frizzes and curls anyway in this hot and humid weather so why bother) and with minimal makeup.

Dressing is also simple, I’m wearing an old Diesel Black Gold jersey dress — it’s constructed from sheer knee length top layer with subtle wrinkle effect and shorter lining — and it looks surprisingly sharp for a jersey dress. I like to use clothes for sun protection (vs. iffy creams) and this lightweight Zara silk kimono is an excellent piece to throw over almost any summer ensemble. It works as a jacket and a blouse, it has button up front and a wide obi-style belt for further styling options. Considering I bought it in haste (do seagulls shit on people on purpose?) I’m liking it quite a bit! Horn necklace from Savage Salvage — and the body chain DIY.

Posted on | July 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

// The simplest of sundresses

Posted on | July 12, 2011 | 2 Comments

This ages old Filippa K dress has saved so many dog days — despite and because of the material. It is polyester jersey, practically wrinkle proof so I can throw it to any bag and take it out from there without any visible damage. The a-lined shape is such that I truly feel ventilated — nevermind this one being a close sibling to those black garbage bags — material-wise… Two invisible life-savers underneath: American Apparel ruched cotton jersey top (um, have I said “comfy” yet?) and very decent, almost short-like granny pants by Sonia Rykiel for H&M — the latter is necessary because of the almost opaque nature of the dress… Even with these little flaws this dress never fails to make me feel dressed up — even when the temperatures fight against all attempts to truly dress up.

The simple shape guides me to simple accessories, my old silver flip-flops, Weekday cuff. Naturally I have to break the pattern a bit… …the hand-tooled leather bag is one of my many steals from Etsy vintage department…

Posted on | July 12, 2011 | 2 Comments

// White T season

Posted on | July 5, 2011 | 6 Comments

The wardrobe basics — well, they can be even better when they are slightly special. I know that I’m getting back to them again and again, just to clean up the clutter in my mind, remembering how simple dressing up can be.

However this white heavyweight Pour shirt is not exactly a basic tee — but something in-between a minimalistic jersey dress and tunic. The shape and length makes it perfectly versatile and the tail hem just encourages to layer it up with other garments.

It has been so warm and nice lately — thus the lightweight outfits. I love the tunic tucked in to these thrifted and cut acid wash jeans. I left the tight legged jeans purposefully longer — wanted leave more fabric to show off this pretty awesome bright blue / bold bleach wash. Boots are by Ash — and the arm chain by gTIE — honestly it needs some sleeve for hiding the attachment arm band… …works from front with this shirt, but not from the backside — could not resist for the photographing purposes, though…

Another garment begging the company of this tunic: the sheer tail skirt from Weekday. I turned it 90 degrees to get this pleasant hem play — additional perk: my operated knee nicely hidden. Wearing with old supermarket leather sandals, Lindex neck cuff and some very pink lipstick by YSL.

Posted on | July 5, 2011 | 6 Comments

// Still a knitter

Posted on | May 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

My needles are still clicking — there are maybe three sweaters on active production line — and at least one cardigan at idea level.

I have a thing for mohair yarns, it’s part of the eighties vibe I like, part just that lovely texture. The black and white one is dress length, loose, with giant funnel neck, big enough to wear as a hood. This would be ready in a snap… …but I have lost the sleeve I was knitting… ..yeah, that’s right…

From the shade shifting gray I was about to make a plain sweater with ballet neck — but I tried out this simple texture stitch and loved the result. Well, it will probably still be a simple ballet neck sweater. Ebony needles = ultimate knitting snobbishness…

Posted on | May 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

// In the black jean rut

Posted on | May 28, 2011 | 6 Comments

The truth about my everyday work wear has been bit sad and monotonous lately. This spring has not been particularly warm and I have lived in my black or washed black Cheap Monday jeans. For work I like to add a shirt or t-shirt — and a jacket for some structure. This is all old stuff, ASOS shirt — which I have apparently snagged from the back. It is semi transparent, but not this much — I added the contrast to the images to get out more detail from this lovely Gestuz jacket — and for the mood… Hmm, the necklace I bought quite recently, it is from Lindex. I was about to go for the gold one, but the industrial charm of the shiny silver just looked so much better in person.

Oh, if someone wonders my sudden eagerness of wearing my hair open… …well I guess there are couple of reasons. First of all it starts to be in length that looks quite balanced on me. Second — I bought a GHD straightening iron a while ago — and it kind of lives to the hype. It is an extremely well made tool, warms in seconds, glides on hair and is hot enough to smooth the hair with one or two swipes. It takes under 10 minutes to straighten my baby fine hair — a huge improvement to the previous 20 – 25 minutes… …I certainly can do that couple of times in a week in spite of my low maintenance tendencies…

Posted on | May 28, 2011 | 6 Comments

// The concept of black shoe

Posted on | March 28, 2011 | No Comments

Once and then (not too often ) I get mail from fashion designers, their PR offices — or friends. My own radar has quite limited range, so I’m most delighted when I find totally new designers this way.

Phong Chi Lai is a shoemaker / designer from Melbourne, Australia. In addition to shoes he makes bags and accessories — jewelry, black leather sleeves… I’m drawn to handcraft and I feel almost physical pain because I can’t examine these shoe designs in person. For me they represent a perfect yin-yang approach to women’s shoe — it’s almost like the gender was insignificant factor to designer. The masculine elements are there, but they are exaggerated and combined to feminine elements so that makes they look all new. They also seem to lean to the past and to the future at the same time. The chunky wedges are tied around the ankle with delicate cords. The ballet flat borrows the cords from the sneakers. The clumpy wedge has absolutely zero prettifying elements. The masculine boots have well thought details that make them stand out from the mass produced ones. The chunky cone heel is combined to equally chunky buckles around the ankle.

It is a difficult task to beat an interesting looking wedge in my books, but I guess that certain unusual pair of brogues just did it. A block heel and the unapologetic cut between black and white leather elevates the classic brogue to new heights, well, quite literally! Nah — in real life I would have truly hard time choosing! Click the images — some of them are just larger, some are delightfully huge!

In the sea of ever-wearable black shoes these definitely look fresh to me — and very much something I would LOVE to wear. Waiting for the international retailers…

Posted on | March 28, 2011 | No Comments

// Eksoskeletal legs

Posted on | May 13, 2010 | 3 Comments

My heel accident made me look flat shoes from new angle. I had been stalking a pair of high top sandals in Brandos last summer, but they sold out in my size before I got to the actual decision point. Considering these two things and –30% sale coupon to Ellos it did not take too long to actually go for these Bronx ones. For 62€ price tag for a leather sandal I think they are rather difficult to pass.

One detail that slightly bugs me in these is the distribution of those straps on the ankle — but I can live with that. Overall I’m very happy with the design — the strappy texture and the eksoskeletal structure on the front will be a nice addition to many outfits.

I also made a decision that I will never buy heels without trying them on from now on. On heels I need a decent, well balanced shoe and good touch to the ground — which means that there has to be some bend on the sole.

Posted on | May 13, 2010 | 3 Comments

// Diamond legs

Posted on | April 14, 2010 | 8 Comments

I sort of regret not realizing the possibilities of all sorts of funky tights, socks and leggings until my early thirties. Before that I have been one of those very cautious legwear users, opting for opaque black tights and very, very undetectable nudes (I was particularly specific about the quality of sheer nudes — yeah, the thrill of styling back then… …haha). Then Lindex and H&M expanded their legwear selection and I found myself staring and stroking the microfiber in bright colors more and more often. And thanks for the interwebs, these days my options are not limited to those two (not too bad) options. I’m also always checking the hosiery departments of large department stores when traveling.

Recently I wore some super simple things for running some errands — Babooshka Boutique tunic dress over DIY skirt, We Love Colors diamond tights in nude and black, Rützou wedges and old super narrow glass beaded scarf. I really like how heavy and jewel like this piece is. Without the tights I would never have considered photographing this.

Would you wear diamond tights?

Posted on | April 14, 2010 | 8 Comments

// Just in time

Posted on | December 30, 2009 | 7 Comments

Dear London readers (if there are any), how do you survive the magnificent high street — and shopping possibilities overall — of London?

My strict shopping plan was not totally waterproof — although our two nights visit did not give that much opportunities. I decided to steer clear from all too expensive things, nothing is as disappointing as reckless out-of-budget purchase that turns out to be a bad mistake. But I’m not a big fan of reckless in-budget acquisitions that turn out to be mistakes either… So I had a VERY short list of things that I could actually have use right now — and I limited my high street visits to few of my favorites. But still I had really hard time to hold my horses… …and yeah, I also slipped from my high street bargain plan.

I was after a charcoal or black longish knit jacket/shrug/cardigan with not too conventional construction, and I thought that All Saints would be a sure try for a score. Unfortunately many of this winter’s jackets were bit or bit more lacy — not necessarily a bad thing, but that was not in my mind at this time. Still I decided just to walk through Selfridges designer floor (ok and maybe try on some shoes, just try; good thing was that the ink blue and white Marni platform ankle boots just did not fit to my feet). And could not resist to have a look through Martin Margiela rail — this was after all his last season in charge of design. Duh, there just happened to be this quite simple, but in Finnish climate eternally useful lightweight wool knit. Yes, I know, it is not a cardigan. But it is Margiela — and due to slight imperfection on the back it was in the sale on fraction of it’s price. And I know that although it is not a bespoke piece, it will be very, very useful item in my everyday wardrobe.

The shape of the knit is a giant parallelogram with almost identical openings in top and bottom — and delightfully awkwardly placed long sleeves. The knit can be arranged on slightly different ways, although it is not an actual multiuse garment. The hem can be pulled straight and the piece acts almost like a dress — at least with opaque leggings or with some sort of underlayer, this way the neck opening is really deep — and the front bottom rises quite high — but the back view is full covered from the neck to almost to knees — and hand movement is lightly restricted. But the bottom can also be hitched upwards to hips or even to waist, the body part forms nice baggy drapes, hand movement is totally free and the neck opening can be arranged beautifully. I’m also pretty sure that the upper part can be used like a hood, just haven’t tried it yet.

Oasis leggings and Rützou wedges keep company to the new knit. Although I’m slightly hesitant on using leggings as trousers, the beautiful alienesque detail on the hip of this pair has made me stepping out from the comfort zone once or twice this autumn. And yes, I know that I might be too big to that, but who cares — fat and fashion polices of this world: just cough the gingerbread crumbs out of your lungs, that helps instantly.

In the moment I purchased the sweater I understood something about the allure of high street.

I will probably never have enough money for designer pieces that literally take my breath away.

I can have a T by Alexander Wang, some simple and very satisfying basics with a twist, like this knit. I love them, sure, but they are certainly not too expressive. If I have some good luck I might find few neat items as second hand or score a bag or pair of shoes from sale. But within my short London high street visit I saw several items that literally took my breath away. Ashish for Topshop boots were actually so sweet in real life that I had really hard time departing without them. Those mirrored Christopher Kane power mesh pieces were awesome (but the bodycon lace insert dresses were hideous). Emma Cook boots were super, I would have been very tempted if there were a pair of taupe ones left in my size. And add to that all the good pieces that are not designer collaborations, there were so many. All Saints is always kind of good to me. Although I feel that their skull and bone aesthetic is off somehow (and I’m afraid that they are not my thing anyway), I really dig many of their deconstructed cuts especially in knits and jerseys, some plaid designs, fun bustle inspired cuts and soft, soft lightweight leathers. COS is another really good/bad (check the desired option) place for me… …many pieces look quite basic, but then there is some neat little design twist, or the material is just so good. Topshop… …ok I love the shoe department, but Oxford Street flagship store is just too much for me, my senses distort in there.

However much I might love many of the single pieces the only thing that bugs me on the high street finds are that… …after all they are high street. I can afford (too many of) them — and so can many other people. And I’m not even going to the ethics of mass consumerism this time. And no, I’m not talking about indie fashion or rising designer stars either.

Well. I have a plan to change my fashion consuming habits dramatically. But about that later.

Posted on | December 30, 2009 | 7 Comments

// All black with shiny leggings

Posted on | August 26, 2009 | 7 Comments

allblack1 allblack2 allblack3 allblack4

I have hard time picking style icons I really follow, but I’m embarrasingly influenced by movies. One persistent source for my inspiration is Mad Max trilogy (yeah, I said it loud, now I feel truly awkward :-O). In my interpretation it means disheveled layers, utilitarian elements mixed to tribal things, using whatever works for whatever, biker romantic, texture clashing, dirt. In my first outfit with woven latex look leggings I turned to my favorite source of inspiration and thought an imaginary (priest?!?) character that would fit to the imagery… …minus the dirt — this was for evening out, after all.

Wearing DIY woven leggings over cheap matte nylon leggings, 2or+ cotton tunic/dress with cascading asymmetric cut, H&M scarf (love the texture), old Vagabond booties, Sonia Rykiel studded bag, some old necklace with nice wooden cross, don’t really remember from where I got this. I apologise the infamous pigeon toe pose — I guess that it just happens when I try to set my thigs to most flattering angle =).

madmax

So now you know…

Posted on | August 26, 2009 | 7 Comments

About

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Contact: kamicha (a) gmail dot com

I'm especially interested in young designers creations, non-established labels and indie fashion. So if you have something interesting to show, feel free to contact!

You can find Finnish design from both specific and some outfit posts - but both are tagged.

You might be also interested in DIY posts, How-to posts, DIY ideas - or my adventures in Etsy =).

More about me and this blog.