A little riot police with that purchase?

Riot police lining the streets in central Athens during the May 18 2011 transit worker strike.

  In Athens, the occurrence of riots, demonstrations, strikes, sit-down protests, Green Peace assemblies etc do not come as a shock to the locals. It's so common it's routine. Now as a tourist trying to shop in Athens during one of these gatherings.. it's pretty interesting. Not only does it take forever to cross the street with the parade of protesters going by, the lovely shops in the Kolonaki neighborhood in central Athens pull down their steel grated doors in case things get rowdy.

So at mid afternoon, stores like Hermes, Van Cleefs & Apels, Louis Vuitton, Tod's, and Mulberry enclose themselves like little protective clamshells. Then they reopen when the protesting crowd recedes a few minutes afterwards. And if the crowd comes back, they close up again! Getting in is a matter of timing.

 I managed to hide out inside a couple boutiques as this went on and when I was in the department store Attica (Athens answer to Sak's Fifth Ave), there are guards directing you to alternate exits on the other side of the store. But if you are patient and browse some more.. your preferred exit will reopen and you need not detour. It's called adapting.

I'm back and you can call me "Mrs" now!

After a month's vacation its soo hard to get back into the grind of life! I just wanted to share some snaps of from our nuptials in Oia, Santorini. We were blessed with the miracle of perfect weather and I'm still amazed at how our day went way better than we ever dreamed of.

Stylewise, the dress was a basic Maggie Sottero that I modified. What were the changes?

-  pleats to the bustline (made from curtain fabric)
- corset lace up closure fitted with a zipper and loops left for effect (so much easier to get in and out of!)
- ruching the hips to change an A-line dress to a drop-waist silhouette (and to avoid cutting off such nice sequined, twinkling lace)
- gathering the extra top layer in the back for a perma-bustled fishtail.

And the final result? Tada!

Photography: Leah Brandt

 As for the "Something old.. something new" jingle:

Something old - Marc Jacobs pearl-studded sandals

Something new - diamond studs

Something borrowed - A Gerard Darel Jackie Kennedy pearl necklace (worn singlely). The designer purchased the orginal Jackie O Kennedy double necklace in the 1996 and had since released the iconic style in 5 glass colours. (Spasibo Katya! xo)

Something blue - Either the clutch or the Aegean Sea. Take your pick!


As for the groom.. he wore a suit by Acne, which required barely any tailoring. Etam shirt. Top Shop Man polka dot suspenders. Shoes from Holt Renfrew. And a paisley bowtie endearingly created by his mama.

Lets just say we broke Greek Tradition with our stunt.
Photography: Leah Brandt

Feathers!

Voila! Here comes my first post! Summer is just around the corner, and I’m feeling the 70’s vibe for this season. So I was thinking of what can make one stand out in the sea of maxi flower dresses that are guaranteed to take over the streets thanks to Dolce & Gabbana and H&M knock offs that followed. My answer is feathers! Inspired by Julian Casablancas, I went hunting for hairpieces and earrings hoping to acquire at least some of his swag. My favorites are these fab feather earrings from Urban Outfitters. With earrings this large, it’s best to wear just one at a time. - Dasha

Love these sandals with bling!

These crystal-embellished Pedro Garcia sandals would totally be mine.. if only they did not cost $690! Exclusively at Net-a-Porter if you are so lucky.. consider me jealous! I have to wait for them to go on sale.. are you listening NAP-gods?

http://www.netaporter.com/

http://www.netaporter.com/

Shopping the closet for sunnies

One of the biggest dilemas with packing for vacation is which pair of sunglasses to bring with. Mind you, it is a trivial matter as there are other major issues out there in the world so don't take this too seriously! Just bear with me as I ponder as I'm being practical and not going to buy new ones. Rather, I have challenged myself to pick out something I already have... so in my sunglass/belt drawer are in the order of newest to oldest:

Coach Odessa (I haven't worn them yet, so here's a stock photo) - *Thanks for the gift, Kim!*

Chanel tweed/black frames as purchased for our Caribbean cruise last year

Gucci horsebit frames that made the trip to LA:

Teal Emilio Pucci's that went everywhere in '08

YSL oldies (gosh, that San Franciso trip was so long ago!)



Kate Spade Rachels (oooh, now these are ancient! They came along to Manzanillo, Mexico)

 Oh, there are also a pair of Moschino clear frames and my first pair of Gucci's that have a deadly scratch from my fiddling with screw-tightening.. clearly well before the era of digital cameras so no mugshots! lol.. I realise shopping the pattern is only a new pair every couple years and untrendy picks- more so because it's such a nightmare to find frames that fit!... So not too obsessive at all! Now I just need to decide on one...

Mystery solved

Remember when I asked about who was styling Mila Kunis for her red carpet events? Well, I found my answer recently from reading the Hollywood Reporter's list of the 25 Most Powerful Stylists in Holllywood. Her stylist is Petra Flannery and she was only #3 on the list. Not surprisingly, Rachel Zoe is #1. The article is a good read.. and it's reassuring that we normal peeps can dress ourselves on most days. :)

From http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

We need to see this!

It's been over 10 years since my last time to Paris, so for the sake of reviving my passion I'm dragging my hubby to see Woody Allen's new flick, Midnight in Paris. Even though I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan (or Owen Wilson), the rest of the cast looks great.. and the visuals of city! Ahh... oui!

Check out the trailer: