Dressing Up for Work - Is It Even Worth It? My Reality, Icons and Inspiration

 Hi!!!

I don´t believe that you can actually be overdressed. As long as you´re comfortable and feel happy in your outfit, you´re right on the dress code. (Unless there´s an actual dress code, then you should at least try to be on theme.)
I also believe in dressing up for success, it´s little brother of faking it till you make for me. 
And I like feeling pretty, I love getting compliments and I love experimenting with fashion, hell, the one day I went to high school in just jeans a band tee, multiple people asked me if everything is alright at home. Still, there´s one place where I´m doing my bare minimum. 
It´ my work. I work as a receptionist at a 4 stars hotel. I have 7 shifts per month, from 17:00 to around 5:20, depends on the time my colleage arrives. I work alone, right in the city center with no way to know if there´s going to be any drunk creep in my foyer.  
The last thing I want to be in such a moments is pretty. I know I have very soft, kind face and eyes that scream approach me. I know that with any kind of bra, I have rather 3D decolt. Even as a bartender I knew that I didn´t want anyone to notice this when I´m just trying to cover my rent. Every shift I wear the same long, dressy pants, same blazer and I circle through 4 tops, though it´s starting to get too hot for my favourite turtleneck. Zaira, my flatmate and friend once told me I dress like Chandler Bing. With that, I use a little bit of eyeliner and mascara, put on my glasses and put my hair in a ponytail or bun. 
While this sounds like a lot, this is my version of camouflage. It makes me disapear into my role as a NPC. I do my best to look nice, unasuming and not very interesting to our costumers. I will never be hostile, but I hate being flirted with, or even dragged into long conversations at 3AM when I´m just trying to finish all my tasks as well as possible. 
Does it have its negatives? Heh, maybe if we will host Oasis one day and I will look this lame. 
I hope it´s not very visible on this blog, but I´m sucker for romance. I love matchmaking, romcoms and I tend to always pin over someone. I´m kind of a flirt when I get drunk and awkward disaster the rest of the time, so when we get a guest who appears attractive to me, I usually wish I had put some care into my apearance or at least filled in my eyebrows. Still, it´s not like I could have done anything, it´s just my childish pride. 

How would I like to dress if I didn´t have to be afraid of creeps? Or more acurately, how am I going to dress for job that doesn´t feel like a boring neccesity? 
I don´t believe I´m going to be a rock star anymore, but I can see myself in management or production instead. Anything to do with culture, really. I want to be professional, but visibly myself. My first inspiration for this is both 80s trad goth and corp goth. 
Blazers, silver details, dramatic and/or striped blouses and fine silver details. Quality over quantity. All of those keywords are right in my alley. I never wanted to go the corporate route, partly because I couldn´t imagine myself in standart office wear, but when I first saw corp goth at 17, I realised that things may not be as dim.
I feel like it´s too easy to see alternative clothing as something extra, but it can really be as simple as few pieces from second hand store a bit of personal flare. That´s why I love 80s so much, not just with goth and new wave, but also with power dressing - it´s casual, yet sooo extra.

This picture of Gerard Way. Honestly, Gerard Way. He has a way of making formal looks look so cool just by power of details and sheer personality. I looove achievable icons, as I already recreated this outfit with random stuff from my wardrobe. 

It also proves my theory that the coolest thing you can do is get a nice pair of sunglasses.

Of course, I would lie if I pretended that media had no role in my style preferences. When I was a kid, before I knew what ladies of the night actually do for living, I wanted to be cool ass pimp, just like the ones from American TV and films. The ones in matching suits, big hats, with lots of jewelry and cool demeanor. I thought they radiate coolness when I was 7, and I guess their portrayal made lasting impact on my fashion sensibilities. And before you ask me, we had TV in the living room and my dad did not believe in ratings. He watched Silence of the Lambs with me when I sick once, I was 11 I think. Sesame Street would have been just fine. 
(Mom, on the other end, refused to watch Love, Actually with me and my sister until we were 15. I don´t think they communicated this side of our upbringing at all.)
It´s no surprise that Kakihakara from cotroversial classic Ichi the Killer spoke to my sensibilities so much. I love his bleached hair and wacky suits. 
I think I love Tyler Durden so much for the same reasons. Even if they wear outfits that can be preppy in theory, we can actually see them worn. They are very lived in, to the point it´s actually part of the outfit. It´s three piece indie sleaze for me. Both of those guys, icons you might even say, are same side of the same coin. 

As for the series, Sex and the City is filled with inspiration for me. I love the fact that we can see working women with actual jobs (yes, even Carrie) and power and their different takes on fashion. I like Miranda the most, of course. While I don´t see myself replicating any of the looks in the show (okay, maybeeee ...) I love the diversity in their wardrobes. The worst thing a show can do (but now I´m kidding and being a little dramatic) is dress everyone the same. 
I really love the way Miranda wears her suits. She can be both visibly successfull, yet very feminine. And I love her hair, if I will ever get tired of having bangs and layers I will probably emulate her.

When I´m looking at my inspirations, I feel like I should start a suit collection already. Lucky me, I already have a great start. At the same time, I feel like a lot of my inspirations are typically on the more masculine side, which is surprising because my day to day style can be described as girly girl. Maybe I fear that I´m not going to be respected in miniskirt so I want overcompensate? 
I don´t know, I don´t feel like velveteen suit would gain me any more respect :D. But I do need to get it. I wish I wasn´t so damn short, I fear ordering a suit from Vinted. Or even a pants or blazer. 
Also, looking at my muses, I hope I will get an office job after all, because there´s no way I´m wearing any of this to work tend the bar or get yelled at some kitchen. 
What I want the most after all is probably to have fun with my looks.

What about you guys? What is your biggest work fashion icon? And what do you actually wear to work? :D

See you very soon!

Advent Throwback

Hiii

Apparently I have never posted this coord, which does make sense. I live in hell of my own disorganisation so sometimes I do forget to post or even write an article. When I realise my mistake I usually scrape my idea and end up with nothing. Not today, because I really want to post here more regularly and giving up my perfetionism is probably the only way to do so. 
So here you have festive fountain in Karviná, photographed by my mom. 

She went to the Christmas market with my sister the same day I got this delicious cinnamon boba with my friend here in Olomouc. We wre treating ourselves for our presentations in archeobotanics. I was presenting an article about flora in Meditarean area, however, since there was way too many people in that class, each of us had to wrap it up in under 2 minutes.

I wore my favourite BtSSB dress that day. I think this was really cute coord, I will absolutely wear it again, maybe with bonet next time. I just wish I trimmed my bangs that day, or at least did something else with my hair. 

It´s way too easy to procrastinate. That´s another one of my problems. I really want to make more casual posts like this, just outfits and glimpses into my actual life. When this post comes out, I will be in Copenhagen. I have been working on post from Dresden for past two months, and I worry that it will take me just as long to write anything abour Denmark, but I don´t want to fall into spiral of unproductivity again. 
Also, I have been thinking about "How to travel in college" post, since I do travel a lot and I feel like a lot of students don´t realise all of their option. We will see about that, though.


See you soon! And this time for real :D.
Bye!

Pillion; Definitely a Film

 Hii, 

I´m a firm believer that film should make you feel something, otherwise it´s not really a good movie. I also believe that entertaining films should be messaured differently than "high quality" ones - I would always choose Zoolander over 2001; Space Odysey, after all. 
In this merit, Pillion is absolutely a film. This Cannes winner for best adapted screenplay made me feel intense confusion and a strong "huh" quite a lot. It´s not due to the lack of skill - I feel like whatever the team was doing was done very well. I´m not sure if they were trying to do the same thing though.

The film follows Colin, played by Harry Melling, wallflower efectively shielded by his overprotective mother. He´s quite unsure in his life. This fact is comunicated to the viewer by the fact that he is friendless, his mother has to get him dates and that he works for the police.
Pillion is not just about Colin. It´s a what if scenario - the what if being "What is going to happen if you drop off a Hollywood star in British suburb?" It´s like throwing atomic bomb at the Smurfs village. Alexander Skarsgård (whose performance really brings Ray into life) towers over everyone, too hot to be to handled, yet somehow too emotionally stunned to communicate anything but his desires.

Their love story is anything but romantic. It´s pure strech of power dynamics into everyday life. It´s not Ray´s first rodeo - he initiates Colin into the extreme lifestyle of BDSM biker subculture. From the first moment it´s clear why it´s storywise better for Colin not to have any friends - even I would tell him Girl, leave. Colin doesn´t see being treated like a servant (mixed with disobedient puppy) from day one, with no prior discussion, like a red flag. Viewer, however, might be surprised - blow job behind dumpsters on first date is one thing, but making your date make you breakfast after your first night together is strange.
There are only two factors that make the whole thing non-creepy. First of all, Ray is hot. He shares a long eye contact with Colin when they meet and it´s so indecent I almost got pregnant. Second, Colin seems to enjoy this. 
Before, he was a loner who spent all his time between his parents and work. Now he has a lifestyle, a community and he seems to find a lot of pleasure and pride in being submissive. The film is very good at portraing this newfound self esteem. At the same time, it´s not afraid to balance this feel-good wave of self respect with showing us that extreme dependence on your partner isn´t a good idea. 
Also, while their relationship is sexual, it´s not portraid as somehow sexy. It does not try to glorify anything - I think it´s a good thing that this is a British production, as they keep their bikers average and realistic in the looks department. I don´t think that any wayward youth is going to watch Pillion and think wow, this is exactly what will help me without understing nuance. (On the other hand, I watched both Trainspoting and Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo and still thought that being junkie is cool as a kid. Kids are strange.)

What this film lacks is intentionality. It feels like no one knew what they wanted to tell, and you can see it in the strangely unbalanced story. There´s no journey, just a few scenes, some things happen with both protagonists acting in a way that can get us to the next scene quickly and when it ends, there´s no explanation. No preparation even.
While leaving viewer with more questions can be amazing and contribute to the experience, it has to be done skillfully, not just because you ran out of time. 
This way we have Colin, who is contantly oscilating in different stages of finding his ego, whose story is only finished through a quick montage. The guy we meet at the end after the montage is not the guy we have been watching the whole movie. And I don´t mean it in a synthetic way- in terms of character development, it feels like he jumped from A to Y all of sudden.
This film is not very fair to the viewer. Still, it´s not terrible, just very, very mid. Which is shame, because it has all characteristics of future classic, it´s just the actual content that seems lacking. 


Have you seen this movie? And what film disapointed you the most? 
I didn´t even realise there haven´t been a new post for such a long time, and for that I apologize. I have some drafts that need to be polished, so, see you soon? 
Byee! :D

Quick trip to Prague (feat. The Last Dinner Party)

Hiii ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ,

I want to cry, I almost finished this and I accidentally deleted this. I hope it's still readable, but I hate writing the same old staff from my memory.

I write for this music magazine and I tend to write down for seemingly cool concerts and then be surprised when I receive accreditation. This is exactly what happened with The Last Dinner Party. I didn't really listen to them before but my friend Zaira loves them, so I figured out this is going to be interesting anyway. 

I also figured it's still too cold to stay out on Prague up until 3 AM waiting for the first train, so I booked myself a hostel. Is this a sign of maturing?

I haven't properly visited Prague for some time (I have been there literally last week, but it was just tranfer on my way to Dresden, so let's not count this :D) so I planned a nice day filled with culture. I wanted to get there early, too, but my body interpreted this too literally, so I woke up at 1:30 AM and couldn't fall back asleep, even though my train was leaving at 6:50. It was not a good sign.

Also, Olomouc got completely white through the night. It was beautiful, but I feel like it´s little too late for that much snow? It´s almost spring for me :D.

Originally, I wanted to visit Hungarian Insitute for Hungarian Bride exhibition and Zvon gallery, but when I got to Prague I didn't really feel like going to there so I ended up just strolling around. 

Since I have gotten into my thesis a lot I wanted to see some old fashion houses and other hot spots, so I wasn´t completely aimless. 

I also wanted to go to my favourite places, Josefov (Jewish Quarter), Anežský klášter (medieval collection of National Gallery), Stínadla (few streets from Záhada hlavolamu, cult series for children) and maybeee grab something from Knedlín and Taiyaki Bar, but after getting the one specific cookie from Marks & Spencer I have been craving, I wasn´t really feeling any more snacks. 

When I don't have a strong plan, I always just march on, which would be so bad, if it wasn't so cold, my bag wasn't getting heavier with every step and if my shoes weren't designed for warmth and comfort rather than support on long strolls. 

By the time I got to Vinohrady, where I wanted to visit Grotta, beautiful artificial cave, it was over for me. I had to sit down and rest, because I was totally destroyed. 

Luckily, there is a new place in the city, Chibi Mochi. They sell some drinks but mainly mochi donuts. While I love donuts and I looove mochi I'm still not sold on this combination. That was fine, thought, as I was finally in little less vertical position. 

I decided to get some actual food and time out at nearby mall, which probably saved my life, as I still had a lot of time to check in and around 3 kilometers ahead of me.

Why didn't I go by tram? I'm too cheap for tickets, that's why. It gets me into trouble quite often.

When I got to hostel DO RE MI was just a shell of a person. Luckily, check-in was quick and I could get straight into the bed. 

The hostel is nice, just for women and while the beds are loud, they are also comfortable, so I have nothing to complain about. It was luckily very close to venue, too.

I couldn't really imagine going to the concert and then writing the article, as I was so exhausted I thought I will wake up sick the next day, but I couldn't really do anything about it. I had to get dressed, walk the 450 meters to the venue and then actually stand through the show. 

The only thing that cheered me up was the obvious drip of my fellow concert goers. 

That, and the fact I was on guest list. Feeling important always improves my mood.

Luckily, the show was great. It was set in eclectic ruins of convent, adorned by grapevine. When The Last Dinner Party came in, it felt like we have built Olymp just for ourselves.

They were very good, not just music wise, but also when it came to performing. Just like Rasmus, they are one of those bands that make you feel like they would never want to be anywhere else but in front of you. 

All of them are also insanely talented - at one point, all five of the harmonised into a beautiful melody. They are often compared to Queen, but I was reminded of Rasputina way more. 

When the concert ended, I just wrote down what I remmebered and went to sleep, knowing that I will have to wake up at 5:30 and actually finish my article. Usually, I go to the cheapest, nearest fast food that won´t close for next few hours and then scrap together the whole article there on my phone. This is actually the first time I changed my routine. 
I honestly think that writing after being well rested, without the stress of waiting for 3AM bus in city full of strangers, is waaay better than my usual routine. I really hope I will get into Prague for my masters, as it would allow me to go to way more concerts. 

Have you been to any concerts this year so far? Or are you planning any? 

See you soon!

Bye!

Cinnamon? In MY lolita?

 Hiii!

Every season, we get new trendy flavour. I´m not talking about stuff like gingerbread and strawberry, those proved to be classics that come back every year, just as strong as before. What I´m talking about are black horses that used to be there, such as matcha and pumpkin spice, but now you can´t escape them. And thank Mana for that - they are way too tasty to be avaible only in bigger cities and specific places. 
Flavour that stands out this winter, at least for me, is cinnamon. It´s everywhere, in many, many forms. During summer, cinnamon rolls shops were popping up EVERYWHERE. Was this normal before, or did I just now noticed it? I see it more and more in cafes. My favourite started carrying Cinnamon Roll Foam Boba as this winters special. 
To write this paragraph in other words - my mom came to the town yesterday and took me out for cinnamon rolls, today I got  Cinnamon Roll Foam Boba for lunch as a treat with my friend and now I´m drinking smoothie made of banana, apple and cinnamon with my cinnamon roll cafe from Oxalis on the side.

Maybe it´s just a me thing, like the SNL spot about Papyrus. 
Anyways, for all the cinnamon enjoyers out there, how can you add your favorite spice to your wardrobe?

Turns out, not as straightforwardly as one would imagine.

The winner, of course, is BeholderFashions ~ Frosted Cinnamon Roll Fascinator or Desk Decor. It´s huge, realistic and campy in such a cute way. It´s secured by two alligator clips, so I´m willing to bet it´s not going to fall down. It´s quite extra, but I feel like it can both elevate a simpler coord and finish more extravagant one. 
AND it doubles as desk decor! What more can you ask for? 

Same brand also came up with Sweet Cinnamon Sugar Apple Pie Fascinator, Headband, or Desk Decor. According to the seller, the apples should be shimmery. If I was American this would be my weapon of choice for Thanksgiving. Or my annual American Pie series marathon.

If you want to continue in literal interpretation of this theme, you would have to go for mix of spices. I guess cinnamon on its own doesn´t provoke as much imagination.
Luckily, you wouldn´t be short on options. If head accessories above aren´t enough, you can profess your love for pumpkin spice latte. 

Yes, the BeholderFashions strikes again. I enjoy the colours and execution, it´s screaming autumn. It looks like a nice finish for any beverage-inspired coord.
It reminded me of two series. First of all, Winter Spices series by Lady Sloth.
It´s simple enough on it´s own, but the combination of Christmassy imagery and the implementation of orange makes it a nice fit for the fascinator. I wasn´t too keen on it before, but I really like the mix in the pattern. There´s honey, gingerbread, orange, ...

The second one is more obvious. Kaneko has massive Pumpkin Spice series. Two skirts, JSK, apron, tote bag and beret. They went with more subtle approach and wider range of cuts, for example the skirts are tea lenght, which gives them great versatility even without petticoat. And it comes in lavender, surprisingly rare colour. 

It´s cute, but I wouldn´t think it has anything to do with autumn, Pumpkin Spice, cinnammon or any other theme we are trying to summon today.

There´s also a chance that you´ll find cinnamon on Herbs & Spices prints by Jane Marple, but I did not manage to get enough of a close up to comfirm it yet.

Another approach would be to find a main piece in specific shade of brown and coord it in appropriate way. After all, if all you´re after in your wardrobe is actual wearbility and comfort huge pie on your head probably wouldn´t bring you much happiness. Even if it would be cute as hell.
This part is trickier than you would think. It´s not easy to pinpoit the exact colour (for me, any brown with orange undertones would work) and it´s even harder to find the perfect match. I don´t even think it has to be solid - polka dots or any daintier pattern would work. Pinstripes would be nice too - after all, there´s a cinnamon stick.

While I feel like lighter materials are better suited for this theme, The Ship Sailing to Fairyland Elvish Embroidery OP by Surface Spell captured the colour rather well. Corduroy even reminds me the cinnamon spice texture. 

It´s such an old world, granny sipping her tea type of dress. I love it. 

Both of my other two choices are by Innocent World, based purely on vibe check. It´s the Dot Yoke JSK and Florence Lace JSK.
Cinnamon feels like a very nice spice to me, it´s not overly strong and goes nicely with almost everything. That´s why I gravitate towards sunday best in this listing. 

Of course, anyone can disagree. Cinnamon has been used for very long time, at least from 4000 BC. Aristotle thought that it´s brought from the unknown lands far away by giant eagles. It was rare and expensive, people battled over it. It was matter of conspiracy and politics. 
It does sound like the finest velveteen would suit this theme, too. 

As far as blouses and outerwear goes, I would go for something light and sheer, such as tulle or chiffon. It doesn´t even have to brown, either, I feel like beige or cream would work very well too. 
Nice knit would be cute too, for the warm, cosy feeling. 

Chess Story gave me exactly what I was looking for.

I tried to put my words into action by making a coord, but honestly, I feel like I got way too much into bows. And brands, next time I should make it a challenge to use more offbrand items. The coord is cute nonetheless, at least for me, but it looks way more inspired by cafe.
I tried to go for both the airy materials and feeling of old age and regency. Bows came into it accidentaly, as I really needed something to tie it together. 

JSK: Innocent World

Blouse: Chess Story

Boots: Bodyline

Bag: Amavel

Tights: Hot Topic

Brooch: Putamayo

Bracelets: Emily Temple Cute, Innocent World

Rings: Leur Getter

Earrings: Petit Moments

Choker: Juliette et Justine

Necklace: Innocent World

It was a lot of fun to think about something so speculative and theoretical as this! I feel like everyone would come up with something else. What are you thoughts and opinions on this subject? And what spice makes you go "Hmm, this would look good on a dress."?

See you soon! And have a nice Advent!
Bye!