Baby love.....

  Yesterday I traveled to Split for a press conference for one of the charity projects my company closed with handing over the purchased donations to different child care institutions. The event was held in local orphanage where we used the donation money to build little playing houses on their playground - this is what kids requested at the start of this campaign. 

  Children prepared a surprise theater play for my company, our client donors and the media - I was surprised how professional and dedicated they were in acting, the message they were trying to send with their performance was that material things are not what they need the most - mothers love, hug, kiss, kind word, human touch and some one-on-one attention is what they were craving for. The play was really emotional for us all, company directors, looking serious in their suits were visibly shaken by kids performance.

         The catering was served and kids were shy to eat, they were just kind of walking around checking us all out. While directors were giving statements to media, I sat down to check gazillion messages on my phone received during the play. My pink iPhone cover attracted the little girl -Ana Marija. She asked me to see the phone, she tapped on it couple of times and found the game of dress ups on it. In first couple of minutes she broke my record (and she was 9, which was kind of depressing for me). I could notice the lack of trust towards people in her eyes. I asked her if she would like me to bring her something to eat, she nodded - no.

                                  

 My motherly instinct kicked in, so I went to get a plate and put together some protein, veggies and carbs - a spoon full of each and offered it to her. She eyed me suspiciously and asked me to restart the game for her - I said I will if she eats something, so she did.

  Seconds later a boy - Ivica ( skinny, dark hair, blue eyed 6 grader) approached me and asked me what's my name. I introduced myself. He asked if I am a singer, am I from Zagreb, how old I am and if I have a boyfriend. I said I am not a singer and laughed ( I though to myself - trust me hon, you do not want to hear me sing). I said I was 25 and he smiled and said - OK, thats just 12 years difference :) He said he played basketball and that he would love at least for once in his life visit Zagreb. Ivica sat down couple of chairs away and kept coming back next to me once he though of a new question to ask me.

                                      

  In less than an hour I totally fell in love with these kids. When I was leaving Ana Marija was crying, she gave me a hug and shoot me with disappointed look. Ivica played it cool and quietly walked upstairs where their bedrooms are. I walked out to make some final arrangements with the agency and the media. As I was walking towards the car, somebody called my name - I looked up and Ivica was waiving through the window. A foot beneath him Ana Marija sticked her little pink nose from crying and her little two palms to the window glass.

This pushed me over the edge. I was crying during the whole trip home like a baby, as I remembered some recent personal challenges and a painful breakup. 

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, 
home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."

Killer shoes

How many of you have heard the expression: would kill for shoes or will work for shoes?

 If you think this is a just a figure of speech you haven't been shopping for shoes on a sale day in Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman or Saks. Trust honeys, its dangerous out there!

 There are a couple of key rules to follow in order to survive: 

Rule #1 

Do not touch the shoe until the other women has completely placed it down on the shelf and walked away at least 2 feet at a steady pace without turning her head (give it time, she might be back)

Rule #2

Do not flatter or  insult with an intention to change once mind from buying or it may result in a mob (girl never shops for shoes on a sale day alone - it's to dangerous)

Rule#3 

Do not (and this is the most annoying) make piles and guard them - pick - try - pose -move to the next one, should be simple as that

 If you think job market is competative right now, during crises, you don't have a clue. Looking at this old Harpers Bazaar editorial made me remember The Rules and how much I really enjoy the process of looking for and finding the perfect shoes, and let's face it, we never seem to have enough of them.

I first started to go deaper into thinking about shoe design while I was interning in Showroom Seven in New York. I worked with Chris who was really talented and creative guy. Chris worked in jewelry merchandising and sales which seemed to limit his creative potential and his aspirations. He wanted to go to Europe to study shoe design. I wonder if he ever went...we lost touch after I started to work in Ralph.

Although economy is tough, lets not forget about our deserved splurges and if we need to go down, lets go down in style!

Here are some awesome pieces to ticke your fancy. 

                                                  

Funny that a pair of really nice shoes make us feel good in our heads - at the extreme opposite end of our bodies.  

Levende Waters

Xoxo,

           Kat

Fashion for Compassion

Every Saturday I plan to be productive. Productive being - doing stuff I don't have time for during the work week.


Once I got up (and those who know me know how horribly confused I am when I wake up) it took me almost two hours to get ready for the gym. After the gym, I ran home where a smell of freshly baked crepas welcomed me.
        
Coming home, although in a rush to get ready, I noticed small things I usually do not. 
My mum's freshly cleaned kitchen, fresh crepas and warm milk on the kitchen table, the smell of the fabric softener coming from the scarves she hang to dry. This feeling brought back now sad memory of my past relationship. 


During my subway ride on the N train,after I would meet my ex to pick up the keys from his apartment cause he had to stay at work until late, on that dreadful brick walled 49th Street, never knowing when he will come home to bed....

 I was planning what groceries I needed to get from the small grocery on the corner, where the (always confused looking but friendly) Chinese guy used to work. 


Then I would rush to the apartment with these bags of groceries, dropped them on the kitchen counter, opened all the windows to air out the apartment from boyfriends smoking before going to work, cleaned out all the messes and started to prepare the late dinner. While the food was cooking I would shower (and do my Shakira solo - I could because he was not there to make fun of me) and got ready for bed, light some candles and hoped to stay awake until he arrived. I hated falling a sleep alone.


I really enjoyed doing this for him, that was my favorite part of the day and will never forget him coming home one day running up the stairs loudly and saying: "I love how when you are here my apartment always smells so nice." Duhhh,  I though.... that's cause I clean it. :) 


      Back to present. So, I took a quick shower ate couple of crepas and ran to get ready for "PechaKucha 20x20 night" at MSU (museum of modern art in Croatia). Pecha Kucha is Japanese word for " the sound of conversation". 

The project originally started in Japan and then spread across the world. In the light of recent tragedy which devastated Haiti, together with Architecture for Humanity, "PechaKucha 20x20 nights" are organized in over 230 cities around the world including Zagreb and Rijeka in Croatia in a form of informal and fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas and works in Pecha Kucha 20x20 format.

      Basically, each has 20 slides of pictures on topic of his choice and 20 seconds to present each slide, this is the 5th time this event it taking place in Croatia, this time the money gathered for tickets goes to aid Haiti victims. 

More that 230 000 people died in Haiti earthquake. The country was poor before this earthquake and a vast number of people have now lost their already modest homes and the rain and the flood season hasn't even begun. They are predicting another, even stronger earthquake to hit Haiti this season. Based on some estimates it will take 3 years just to clear out the remains, and 10 years to rebuild. Croatian people have gathered 4 million Croatian kuna so far, which helped open 7 emergency clinics for vaccination and other medical needs.


First presentation was held by local Caritas representative - his slides were pictures of dead people, crying babies and ruined cities. His presentation was a call for compassion and help. A call to care about the problems of people hundreds of miles away, as somebody did for us during the War in Croatia in 1990s. I cried like a baby on his second slide - took me exactly 40 seconds. 


After him, 12 artists presented their work: musicians, architects, fashion designers, actors etc.
One of which was igle studio, represented by duo of lady fashion designers, already established on Croatian scene, who's presentation was a slideshow of photographs which famous photographer took during making of the photo documentary "Fashion Story from Croatia". 


At the end, all of the participating cities went live for a couple of seconds via live stream online - it was so moving to see how the people from around the world at the same time were united to help the suffering people of Haiti.


After the event, still emotional and feeling goosebumps, I went for a drink with Ivan and a friend from Miami who is a DJ and came to play for a night in one of the Zagreb's night clubs. 

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."

~R.Satoro~

Xoxo,


              Kat

I SPY: La Café Flores, Zagreb.

Last night I decided I shall for once, for once, relax during the weekend and do something for myself - just something - anything really. So I did. 
          
As one of my new years resolution was to get reacquainted and reintroduced with my hometown - Zagreb, as a young adult who traveled a lot, lived overseas "got to know the world" and finally came back home - semi-matured. I decided to be proactive and I started working on it. This way I can for once check off something on my new years resolution list (FYI - going to the gym daily is still on, keep your fingers crossed for me to continue and I shall be the tight butt bomb this summer on the beach - unless mum's evilly good cooking prevails). 
      
Once my iPhone "used to think its cool, now annoying" melody rang - Wakeeeee upppppp!!!Why wontttt youuuu waaaaake upppp!!! I jumped out of the bed, opened the window to see that it is super sunny outside and the huge amount of snow that fell during last few days is finally melting. 
I called a friend and we decided to hit the Zagreb's Saturday morning "wanna be seen and photographed in my best clothes" rush hour, and explore the city to find a café we haven't been in yet. First I went to get the British Vogue's  March edition with fabulous Alexa Chung on the cover wearing all Ralph Lauren Spring 2010 RTW ( notice the fabulous beaded denim jeans bellow).

 We walked around a bit, he got his "Sports Daily" to sink in all the info he needed to know before the handball game at the evening. We finally walked in one of the small side streets to find the Institute Parfumeur Flores in all of its grace - it is an niche perfume shop founded by Mr. Teo Cabanel, they hold the finest and most luxuries custom made perfumes - royalty favorites. Within, there is a small café as well, with wonderful warm and soft pastries and coffee with cream in a heart shape ( I totally fell for that).
The most beautiful part you can see bellow my dears....

Thats right darlings...these are not Bergdorf Goodman Christmas edition windows your are looking at, in the NYC. Ouu noooo, these are windows of the Café de Flores - in the tiny street in Zagreb. 

Here you can buy the most elite French perfumes or scented candles and have a warm home brewed coffee with cream in a heart shape and soft fresh cookie on a side, served by a cute waiter, all in an artistic and luxurious yet small and intimate environment while you are reading a March edition of British Vogue in a good company. Ahh...splendid Saturday morning....

 Whats up New York? You better step it up!

Xoxo,

           Kat 

RIP Lee

Today is a sad, sad day for the fashion industry. Alexander McQueen has killed himself. A little while ago his mother has died who he has been very close with, he had a very hard time managing the depression and finally he has sadly decided to take his own life.


Please see my favorite magnificant pieces from his last Resort 2010. collection bellow.
It will be so wird watching his collection for Fall without seeing him running out at the end :(


Alex,


you will be gratelly missed, your heritage remains.

"I think the idea of mixing luxury and mass-market fashion is very modern — wearing head-to-toe designer has become a bit passé. It’s a new era in fashion — there are no rules. It’s all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together. "

~Alexander McQueen ~

Xoxo,


           Kat

New Yorks fashionfest

So many things happened since past September, yet it feels like it was just yesterday. I still feel the excitment of the fashion buzz surounding the Bryant Park during the last couple of days before the opening night, the adrenalin rush from my  fifth cup of 100 cal Caffe Misto, the shooting pain coming from the tip of my toes after wearing the nude color stilettoes all day and the cold autumn breeze on my bear arms and legs.

This vivid memory evokes two completely different emotions in me. The rush and the energy the streets of the City give you which just make you want to continuously move and never stop - which I loved.  Other is the emptiness and hopeless feeling of never working hard enough and the question of purpose of it all - this feeling came after I realized that even the rush giving New York in all of its fabulousness cannot cure the broken heart.

This year I am able to still be in the center of it all while still on safe emotional distance and no fear of getting hurt. Many of the shows will be broadcasted live through livestraming so go on ladies prepare some fat free cupcakes, invite your girlfriends and give yourself a nice recession friendly gift of luxury and watch NY Fashion Week shows from the best seat possible - your comfy chair at home. Check out the complete schedule of shows live straming here.

This year is the last time New York Fashion Week (2/11 -02/18) is organized in Bryant Parks tent, from next season its new home is going to be Lincoln Center. Due to the way designers are following new technologies (Ex.Alex McQueen started last season) and utilizing new ways of showing their collections, Lincoln Centar is indeed more suitable location.

I am really looking forward to see all of the shows. For fabulous minute to minute coverage be in the front row daily.

At the end I leave you with words of mama Fashion herself:

"Bryant Park became the beacon of what New York fashion stands for - an industry that's fearless, tireless, and always moving forward."

~Anna Wintour~

xoxo,

           Kat

La fashion showroom café

                                

Yesterday morning I have taken my weekend routine of sipping coffee with my girls to "Kvart" café  where once a month special event called "Moda sa šlagom"/"Fashion with cream" is organized in a form of a small designer showroom sale.

The café owner is also the event organizer and her good fashion sense is noticable from the moment you enter the café.The interior is very pleasant with bookshelf and vintage homey "by the fireplace" feel, each table was served with a jar of home made gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies and the overal atmosphere reminded me of the TV show Friends café.

The visitors were encouraged to visit the showroom sale days with handed out stamp cards. Each time you visit the Kvart café during showroom sale you get one stamp, with six collected stamps you get the designer gift!

Four different designers have showed their pieces, my top picks were:

RAJF! - these three ladies have started to make head bands for fun and have participated in the Cosmopolitan & Naomi contest, one of the journalist have named them "Alice in the Wonderland trio". I have ordered a " Minny mouse" bow head band, which I totally fell in love with.

          

Emica - I have had a chance to chat shortly with this young lady. She makes unique leather purses, key chains, belts and other leather accessories. I got a brown leather Lady Gaga inspired robot purse chain on the spot and was really impressed with Emica's purses as the stitching and interior of them were really well made, she chooses a good quality leather which is used in auto industry for car seats and creates fashion forward pieces in terms of design. The best of all is that after all said above the purse prices are still a steal!

 

Right now I am thinking about ordering a leather Birkin looking nude color purse from Emica for spring, one that I can carry all of my books, work stuff, cosmetics, water bottle, extra pantyhose, phones, apple, screwdriver and other miscelleneous objects one can find in a girls purse in.

P.S.The picture of my Gaga purse chain to be added shortly :)

See you all at next "Moda sa šlagom" showroom sale!!!

Xoxo,

Kat

"In difficult times fashion is always outrageous."

Elsa Schiaparelli