Saturday 31 August 2013

My autumn essentials

Seems that summer is officially over. I can't say I'm happy about it, but neither sad.
Every season has his own positive aspects and what I love the most about the autumn is that I get to wear my big collection of jeans.
The items I picked below are my autumn essentials and if you plan on doing some shopping I recommend you to look for some similar items because you won't go wrong with anyone of them.

Now tell me, which are your autumn essentials?


Autumn essentials II

Wednesday 28 August 2013

The day I met Ana...

I remember when I was little, and watched the famous show Surprise, Surprise, I was mostly impressed how they brought face to face, people from different corners of the world, which previously were friends on the internet, and it seemed incredible that they agreed including to get married, without ever having seen each other live. I was wondering how can this be possible? Where does the courage come from?

Even though this story doesn't quite fit in the dramatic terms described above, I identify in some way with the idea.
First of all, Ana and I also met in the online environment, she being established for years in Germany. To be more precise, Dana Rogoz's blog was the one who brought us face to face. At first it was a mutual commenting, until one day when I received an
overwhelming email from Ana. For those who don't know the story of this mail I invite you to read it here. This is the 4th most accessed post on my blog.
The basic idea is that Ana is a very talented designer, but because of pragmatic circumstances has failed to cultivate her talent. Ana's drawings encouraged me to launch the Inspired by Zadin
project, because due to pragmatic circumstances I also haven't been able to cultivate my talent as much as I would have liked.
Long story short ... both Ana and I attempt to adjust things so that we get someday to earn a living, on our own, from what we love to do
most.

So far I have said things that basically you knew, now I'll tell you things you didn't know...
We agreed to meet on Thursday (August 15, 2013). Ana and her husband did such a nice gesture to
shorten their Nice vacation, in order to get to meet each other in Paris. I thank them for that.  
I don't think I was nervous. We previously talked on the phone, I knew we were compatible, we knew personal things about each other, we were somehow familiar. The only thing that I knew it was possible to amaze Ana was my height. In fact, she knew that I'm very tall, but it's something else when you get to see it for yourself. I'm used to being the tallest everywhere and I knew that any height Ana would be, the difference of level between us would still be big. Besides the inevitable surprise of the first moment, when we made ​​eye contact, things could not have been any better. Would you believe if I told you that we talked continuously during the two days we spent together and didn't exhaust all topics of discussion?

Blogs are unable to show our essence as humans. Some people might think about her or about me that we are infatuated, or that we are ugly, or that we lack intelligence, or that we are in many ways. No such opinion is relevant until you get face to face with the person. 

Ana is beyond everything a very ambitious girl who knows what she wants from life.
I loved the story of how she met and married her husband Andy, about how she managed to obtain German citizenship, about how she signed up for college, in Germany, about how she practices a job that determines her to work side by side with German men (sometimes a little too malicious), about the adventures of her three
dogs, about her Formula 1 experiences (on the German highway), about the "spontaneous" coffee meetings, with Maria (another full of personality Romanian woman, established in Germany), about Europe trips,  about motorcycle adventures, about how she started from the bottom and grew to be a woman fulfilled in all respects...

For now I'll stop here, but I'll continue in the next posting when I will talk to you about the visit to the police station, about coffee spilled on clothes before entering Versailles (whose clothes I'm not saying), about the goodbye picnic on the shore of Seine...

Top :: Topshop | Jeans :: Pimkie | Sandals :: via miniPrix | Bag :: via miniPrix

Monday 26 August 2013

Things that caught my attention while being in Paris...

Many people have asked me how was Paris?
The best answer that came into my mind was: it's definitely a destination worth visiting.

Paris is, before anything else, a cultural experience. If I were to give an advice to someone who intends to go on a similar journey, my first advice would be don't leave without doing your homework. It's essential to know at least a few details about every main attraction Paris has to offer, because you will appreciate it and observe it differently once you will be in front of it.

Beside the cultural part of Paris, let me talk to you about a few other things that caught my attention while being in Paris:
1. the transport infrastructure. In Paris you can travel by metro, by train, by auto bus, by boat, by car, by bike, etc. The possibilities are endless, you only have to choose the one that better suits you.
2. the architecture of buildings. The buildings in Paris look sumptuous. They are full of sculptures and other architectural details that simply overwhelm you.
3. the number of tourists. Almost every symbol we have visited had a huge line.
4. the prices. I'm sure you already knew that, but everything in Paris is expensive. You cannot buy a simple sandwich with less than 5 euros. Macaroons were around 1 euro each and so were the simple croissants. These are prices from the supermarket.

5. the French people we've met knew English, at least basic, and were very helpful.
6. the bad smell. Paris has a good network of public toilets. Nonetheless, I was stunned by how many times I felt the smell of urine, while walking.
7. the number of beggars. I'm not ashamed to admit, but I saw a great number of Romanian gipsy beggars on the street of Paris. It's their choice and they don't do me honor as conationals. All I can say is that they are a minority and they aren't representative of what Romania really is. Every forest has its dryness.
In Paris we also saw French beggars, with a chair in the middle of the sidewalk, quietly reading a book and having a hood in front for money to be provided.
It seems that begging it's like a job in Paris, opened for everyone who feels able to practice it.

I hope I haven't bored you with these Paris posts because I still have interesting things to tell you. For example, the next post will be about how I met and fell in love with dear Ana from anasfashionworld, the girl who triggered the Inspired by Zadin project.

T-shirt :: via miniPrix | Jeans :: Pimkie | Sneakers :: Cropp Town | Bag :: Reserved

Friday 23 August 2013

A 12 hours walk in Paris

If you had 12 hours to spend in Paris what would you recommend for visiting?

When I first came across with a similar question I said to myself: clearly nothing, so don't bother.
Now, after returning from Paris, I changed my opinion.

12 hours aren't enough to feel the genuine Paris, but they are more than enough to get an idea.

As a proof, I'm going to show you, in terms of tourists attractions, what we had the chance to see on our 12 hours marathon.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Parisian style in a Romanian interpretation

Most of you left me comments, to the previous post, saying my look was very Parisian. Thank you very much, I was really flattered.
On the other hand, I can't help thinking... It's so weird to talk about Parisian style when you actually don't get to see as much of it on the streets of Paris... at least I didn't. By the way, how would you describe Paris style?

I meant to show you in pictures what Parisian style really means, but unfortunately I can't, because I didn't see it, at least not as much as I would have liked. 

Maybe it's the number of tourists, casually dressed, who outnumbers the Parisians... I simply couldn't figure out, on spot, which is the genuine Parisian style. Maybe you can tell me, girls...

Meanwhile, lets talk about Romanian style to Paris. If you are a follower on Facebook then you already know that the dress I'm wearing in these pictures is the latest Inspired by Zadin creation. What do you think about it? Would you believe me if I told you this is what came out from combining talent with two miniPrix men T-shirts? If it's unbelievable, check it out, the tee it's still in stock.

I couldn't finish this post without talking about the amazing clutch I received from La muse chic, before leaving for Paris. I believe it was a perfect match with the dress and with the location. ♥
Go ahead and give them a like on Facebook to keep yourself updated with the latest models. I particularly like the french chic collection... I wonder why... Can I please have one of each model?
Dress :: Zadin | Clutch :: La muse chic | Sneakers :: Cropp Town

Sunday 18 August 2013

Vacation to Paris - planning, documentation, transportation, accommodation and first impression

My desire to get to Paris begun with the movie Before Sunset, starred by Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. I liked this movie so much that I thought to myself it is worth to get to see Paris at least once in this life time.

The vacation was planned by us from every point of view, in the sense that we didn't use a travel agency. This can be a risky approach, but on the other hand there are chances to come cheaper. In addition, we (my husband and I) have this huge ego telling us... What? It's not a big deal to make some flight and hotel reservations! After all it's just another European country, and the Internet is an inexhaustible source of information. You just need to have desire for knowledge.

Before booking tickets I did a little research on some traveling blogs and I want to say that I'm very grateful to Aliceee, a Romanian blogger, whose posts helped me understand what Paris actually means, before finding out on my own.

We booked airline tickets at the end of May, with TAROM company (we don't have a negative experience with low-cost companies, but I've never heard words of praise about them, therefore we chose as we felt better). Tickets cost us 510 euro, but later I found out that if I had booked the same flights through AIR FRANCE site, they would have cost about 100 euros less. C'est la vie!

We booked the accommodation via booking.com in a location called Bridgestreet Suite Le Marais and the main thing we had in mind was to take an accommodation a bit more expensive, but in a central area, than a cheaper one, but in one of the marginal arrondissements of Paris ... it would have been more efficient in terms of time and money. We also focused upon booking a studio rather then a hotel room in order to be able to prepare some meals and the morning coffee, without depending on a particular schedule. I'm not saying it was the best choice, but I know we saved some money.

For those of you who don't know, Paris is divided into 40 arrondissements and the arrondissements 1 to 8 cover most of the tourist attractions. We stayed somewhere between the arrondissements 2 and 3, near the Pompidou Center.

Truth be told, we stayed in the heart of the city, but now that I look back, I must admit that we were somehow deceived.

At the time we made the reservation the location didn't have any reviews, but by looking at the photos on the site, we said it looks good and worth trying. However, at that time I didn't read we will not be accommodated in the exact same location where we made the reservation. When we reached the destination, we understood that we will stay in the same area, Le Marais, but at a different address, than the one mentioned on booking.com.

It cost us 85 euros per night (totally 425 euro), but the place didn't look like any of the pictures shown on booking.com. The studio was very small, the bed, which normally had to be a sofa, was actually a metal frame with a mattress (very comfortable, but impossible to gather), leaving room for movement in a lane 50 cm wide. The studio was in an old building (like most other buildings in Paris), with a rather dubious entrance, with wooden stairs, where one day we met a mouse.

The place was quite bohemian, perfect for understanding what life in Paris really means. Although we should have had a WiFi connection, it didn't work. After two days of living there, when reading more attentive the flyers from the room, we found out that the Internet didn't warrant for iPhone, iPad and professional computers (whatever that means, because I work in IT and I have never heard this bullshit). Cable television also was inoperative for the duration of our stay.
We didn't die without TV or Internet, but we paid a full price, so it would have been fair to have them. We didn't bother to make a complaint, but a "nice" review will be done, for sure.

I forgot to tell you that they took the money for the accommodation, from the declared account, about a week before our arrival in Paris (that was according to the plan), and three days before we arrived, they sent us some indication on how to pick up the keys to the apartment. Accommodation started at 16.00 o'clock, which was pretty bad because we got to the location at 14.00 o'clock and it was not an option to visit anything with all the luggage. We made ​​a request to be accommodated earlier, but we didn't have any luck. They said we could bring the luggage to their main quarters and keep it there until our apartment would be available. We decided to wait and it seemed the luck was on our side after all, because while trying to get our apartment earlier, we found a lady who was cleaning these apartments and called the person who was supposed to bring us the keys for our apartment and gave us the good news that we will get them at 15.00 o'clock.
After getting the keys, we had to look for the new address, where we were going to stay. This was quite bad because we were given only a street name and a number.
We had a map, but it was almost like looking a needle in a hay stack. After searching the surroundings a little bit, we found a free WiFi connection and managed to look on Google Maps where was the place where we were supposed to stay for the next five nights. To be honest we would have liked to know this address before getting to Paris. It seems that after all we weren't able to enter our apartment before 16.00 o'clock.

The bathroom was very small and difficult to use for two tall people like me and my husband. You would risk bumping your head against the wall in front of you, while getting off the toilet seat, and while brushing the teeth it was impossible to sit at an angle of 90 degrees because there wasn't enough space.

I particulary liked about the studio the kitchen equipment: coffee maker, toaster, microwave, refrigerator, dishes, items that have been very useful for us (the place had also a induction hob, washing machine and iron board, but we didn't use them)... I also appreciated the fact it was clean.

Everything shown in the attached pictures happened on our first day in Paris, when we basically explored the sourroundings by foot.
For the record, if you are a good walker, all the major landmarks of the city can be seen without the help of means of transportation, because the distance between them isn't so big.
Me and my husband aren't good walkers, but we still crossed Paris by foot, the only drawback was that we ended up with leg pain and fever muscle.

While being in Paris, from 12 to 17 of August, the weather was quite cool. Without a jacket there was the risk to tremble a little.

...to be continued
Top :: TOPSHOP | Skirt :: via miniPrix | Sandals :: via miniPrix
Bag :: via miniPrix | Sunglasses :: New Yorker | Necklace :: H&M

Paris, we're coming!!!

The moment I've been waiting for so long has finally arrived!
It's a moment when I realize that all those hard endless days of intense study, from high school and college, were not in vain ... when all
my parents admonitions, to do well in school and get good grades, finally make sense ... when the soul prevails over the body, receiving the much desired nutrition.

If you're a faithful reader of this blog, then you already know that this trip to Paris is a gift in advance, for my 30 years anniversary (my birthday is actually on December 30th).
Definitely it's more than a gift, it's a dream come true.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will assist live
to this experience, if not, stay nearby because when I return, I intend to relate to you my whole adventure, from A to Z, in order to have support whenever you decide to undertake a similar journey.

P.S. At the time of this post we are in the airport. Kiss you! See you when I get back!

Dress :: Zadin | Sandals :: ASOS | Clutch :: via miniPrix | Belt :: vintage

Thursday 8 August 2013

O întâmplare recentă din viaţa mea... (only for romanian readers)

Astăzi m-am hotărât să vă povestesc o întâmplare recentă din viaţa mea, care sper să vă ajute şi pe voi în cazul în care vă veţi regăsi vreodată într-o situaţie similară.

Am fost acum două săptămâni la revizie cu maşina pentru clasicul schimb de ulei şi filtre.
Pe durata reviziei nu am stat acolo, dar am revenit în momentul când am fost sunată.

Mi-am luat maşina în primire şi din prima secundă după introducerea cheii în contact am constatat că atât posturile radio fuseseră resetate, cât şi kilometrajul. Era a cincea revizie şi prima oară când se întâmplase aşa ceva. În mintea mea creaţă mi-am spus... probabil a fost decuplată bateria... no biggy! şi am mers mai departe.

Am umblat puţin prin oraş... era perioada prânzului. M-am urcat în maşină şi am simţit nevoia să las toate geamurile jos, preţ de câteva minute, să se aerisească şi să facă puţin curent. Am accesat butoanele de la şofer şi... surprise, surprise... nu cobora decât un singur geam, cel de la şofer. Imediat m-am gândit la decuplarea bateriei. Am pus mâna pe telefon şi am încercat să sun înapoi la ei să mă primească să învestigheze problema... din păcate... no luck, închiseseră (era undeva sâmbăta pe la prânz)

I-am sunat luni şi mi-am făcut programare pentru investigarea problemei, care apăruse după revizie.

M-am dus în ziua programată pe la 17.20, mai devreme nu am putut, pentru că eram la serviciu.
De cum am ajuns acolo, doamna însărcinată cu problema, pe numele ei Maria, a ţinut să-mi repete de cel puţin 3 ori că ei nu au program decât până la ora 6 şi dacă nu reuşesc să-i dea de cap, să mă întorc în ziua următoare. Am fost de acord, oricum nu aveam încotro.

Am uitat să vă spun că între timp unul din geamuri îşi revenise... deci aveam două cu probleme şi două funcţionale. Dacă încercam să deschid fiecare geam individual cu butonul de pe uşa corespunzătoare mergea, acesta cobora, problema era când încercam să le cobor cu butoanele de la şofer.

Vine Maria pe la 17.45 şi-mi spune că s-a rezolvat problema la o uşă şi se învestighează acum la cealaltă.
Eu... curioasă de profesie, întreb: Dar ce anume avea? Care a fost problema? Nu se poate implementa aceeaşi rezolvare la ambele?... Nu mi-a oferit o explicaţie viabilă, pentru că nu avea, dar a ţinut să precizeze cu insistenţă că nu are legătură cu revizia pentru că ei nu au umblat la conectorii respectivi...

Pe la 17.59 vine din nou doamna însărcinată, cu problema... de data aceasta cu "expertul tehnic" şi-mi spune: Nu s-a rezolvat, veniţi mâine, dar ce să mai... nu are sens să mai veniţi... e stricată componenta. E veche!...

Tuesday 6 August 2013

S E X Y N E S S

I've always been a woman who wanted to be noticed by intelligence and not by appearance. To be honest, I haven't been the prettiest girl from the I circles frequented... The entire high school I have been tall beyond measure and thin beyond measure... But this hasn't prevented me from meeting my husband and irretrievable fall in love with each other... 
I guess, because of him, I learned to feel beautiful, not only smart.

Given all that, the first thing he told me when I showed him a photo from today's shooting was... sexy... It is true that the picture that made ​​him say that won't appear here on the blog... but neither can I contradict him, because that is how I felt at this shooting. 

The dress that made me feel special is from DyFashion and it's not the only dress with such potential on their website. To prove that I have selected a few other dresses to show you.

What do you think? What makes you feel sexy?
 

Saturday 3 August 2013

How it's like to be a blogger?

Well... The first thing that comes into my mind is... it's not always as easy as it seams, especially if you are a fashion blogger.

It takes commitment to post constantly, to always be informed, to take shots, to be a useful  and fresh source of information for your readers, to inspire them and all this while having a real job in the background.
It's almost like a second job, but with the big advantage of having yourself as a boss... which is not necessary a good thing, at least not in my case, because I'm very demanding.

Like all other jobs is good to win something from it in order to make it worth. The intrinsic motivation isn't enough to keep us going, we need, from time to time, some extrinsic motivation, too.

Until this day, I managed to win from blogging both money and products. Money come from affiliation, products come from different brands who understand that promoting their products among bloggers is a GOOD THING!

Now, if you are a simple reader you must understand that anyone can start up a blog and benefit from all the above. If you are a blogger, like myself, you probably know already what I'm talking about.

 ...but what's my point? 

My point is, us bloggers, we need you to read our sponsored posts and we need you to trust our opinion when it comes to product reviews. Actually, we need more than that... we need you to follow us constantly, like us and share us. It's free of charge! And it's a win win situation. As a proof, I'm constantly hosting a giveaway on my Facebook page, giving anyone who enters, the chance to win something really nice.

Considering all that, I'm letting you know that I'm planning to talk to you in my future posts about DyFashion and about La Muse Chic. In the mean time, go ahead and give them a check and let me know your current opinion about them. I will be more than happy to read it!

Shirt :: Liz Claibourne | Jeans :: Bershka via miniPrix 
Bag :: Reserved | Sandals :: Tiziano via miniPrix | Sunglasses :: New Yorker