Find & Refined {Black + Gold}

Always a favorite combination of mine.
dress  //   clutch   //  boxing gloves   //  sculpture  // card   //  necklace

Cheap & Chic! {red coat}

It's feels like cheating, since I'm posting this today and not yesterday but I guess it's better to go on and do it rather than postponing it because I get distracted by daily happenings. Life happens and if plans are put on hold one day there's always the next to mend this! So, why I'm posting this red coat today? First of all, it's one of my all-time favorite garments. I have it for four years allready and it's like brand new. It's such a happy coat in the most wonderful red color ever! It's pure wool of excellent quality and I got it on super sale since the Donna Karan tag on full price was quite intimidating. Still, you say it must cost more than a regular coat. That's absolutely true, but compared to the quality and the long wear it's still a very good deal! I believe it has every right to be considered as an item that falls right under the cheap and chic category. You see, sometimes we need to invest on certain pieces even if it feels like breaking the rule by paying more than usual. The reward from the top quality of both, material and craftmanship is unconditional and the many years you're going to enjoy your choice, break down the price to mere pennies(on a daily count). I followed my heart and got me this amazing coat and I haven't regret it since, not a single day!  

IMAGE SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU 

Cheap & Chic! {ruffled grey dress}

When I run errands I want to look well dressed but I need to feel comfortable. Actually, every time I chose pretty instead of practical I ended up doing less than half of what I anticipated and not looking that pretty anymore. So, I decided to wear clothes that give me that much needed sense of fancy while retaining all the casual feeling. Enter the above dress. It cost me less than 15$ at Zara's super sales and it serves its purpose perfectly. Its plain grey cotton fabric makes it so easy to wear but the ruffles and belt give a tone of grace! I love it with black leggings underneath for extra comfort. It feels right, airy and allover beautiful!

IMAGE SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Find & Refined { the fierce lady}

Get out there! Be fierce! 

1.pink tribe dress / 2.yellow men's watch / 3.foldover clutch / 4.arrowdrop bracelet / 5.high heeled hasbeens / 6.neon bracelet / 7.back to black LP

Cheap & Chic! {animal print}

In the spirit of yesterday's post I continue with the black and white theme...Today, through "Cheap & Chic" series I want to showcase everyone's fave of the season, the animal print. A trend which many also consider too risky to pull it off. Make no mistake, animal print can lead you easily in the land of cheap and tacky. The secret is to accessorize with it rather than go for the full costume. An all black outfit paired with flats like the ones above gets nice attention and shows graceful style. I got mine at Zara's and since they were on super sale they cost me next to nothing.


ALL IMAGES SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Cheap & Chic!

Some say there's no way to be chic and cheap. Yeah, it's like trusting that good taste comes only with good money... But today, it easy to be chic and keep your wallet happy! For instance, the other day I was window shopping H&M. You know, it's a good activity and keeps your mind alert and your blood pumping, speaking of cource style wise. That means, if there's a treasure it can be found. Like it happened with those cute red ballerinas. They are a delight, and to pay less than 5 dollars a pair, it's a steal! Wearing them, makes you feel kinda special and precious(the red fake snakeskin does it)! It's a dash of sparkle in everyday life and paired with a nice navy striped dress, the epitome of style. I say, Cheap and Chic, for all!

PHOTOS BY SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU 

The girl will always lust a new bag!

The wind that blows my hair almost everyday isn't enough to call it a change in seasons and sometimes summer stays longer, for a few borrowed weeks from a lazy autumn. I still go to the beach but my heart wonders in fresh fashions, my eyes search for new trends. I long to revive myself and usually a bag does it for me!  Suddenly, my strip navy dress looks different, easy-breezy still, but more sophisticated. The short of thing I could proudly wear at a client meeting or while I meet my mom for a chat over coffee!

1;clare vivier, 2;zara, 3;jototes, 4;zara, 5;katespade

Interior themes

Interior themes are endless (and thank God for that!). The possibilities are equally countless for any aspiring decorator amateur or professional. From all the different styles out there -and to be honest I like so many that it ends up a mess in my head, it seems I am most loyal to one; the mix and match! High and low, upscale and downscale, vintage and modern, rustic and minimal, you name it I'm in. I guess that there's a charm which won't fade over time in a space where a dominant style is absent and sometimes sublte changes lead you from one look to another (and how refreshing is that?). Monochromatic spaces, in terms of style, soon seem dull for my moods. I need layers upon layers to feed my appetite for fascinating viewings. Take this apartment for instance. It blends an english country style seater with a rustic console and Eames chairs next door. Ikea products mingle with flea market finds and antiques. Of course editing is a key factor when mixing different features. You need to constantly perform editing sessions in order to achieve a balance and an unification of styles. Enough saying... Today I'm gonna inspect carefully those images above and I will try to retrieve what's important to my fancy and save it for future reference, that's how I built up my personnal choices. 

IMAGES FROM ALVHEM 

Hello Kate!

Fun outfits from Kate Spade's spring looks! I love stripes and dots. Cute, cute, cute(and always stylish).

IMAGES FROM KATE SPADE

A style is born; in a wedding

Today I wanna talk about style. Many of us want it but little of us succeed. Definetely there are many styles around;modern, minimal, contemporary, etc.  I'm referring to the absolute, timeless chic the gal in the picture above evokes. Actually, she's a friend of mine and this is an image of her on her wedding day(I had the honor to be her photographer for the wedding). Every little detail in this picture unravels a woman of elegance, beauty and confidence. Well, you tell me, almost everybody looks their best on their wedding. That's so true, but usually it takes months of preperations and meticulous planning. What if I told you that this wedding was pulled together in less than two weeks?  Amazing? Yes, it is! The secret lays in knowing who you are and what you want. Sure it's easier to say than do but unless you define yourself you will always feel a bit mislead. To make myself more clear, here's a question for you; the wedding dress is so unique and seems to have cost a fortune, right? Well it's definetely unique and beautiful but No, it didn't cost a lot of money. It's from a past collection of designer Alice Temperley and it belonged to her line of dresses. Its original price was marked down considerably. My friend had the eye and the determination to choose it as her wedding dress. Daring you may say but it proves my point;you don't need tons of money to create a better, stylish image of yourself. What it takes is carefully evaluating your assets and choose what's right for you. Sometimes you will need help from people you know their opinion matters in terms of style but basically it's up to you to comprehend what you need to have chic, timeless style. Trial and error is a good way but mostly don't be afraid to think outside of the box because what works for one doesn't necessary means that it works for all of us. Go on, trust yourself!

 

IMAGES FINELY INC.

Chinese China

I admit it, I can't help it... I'm a big fun of chinese stuff! Especially the antique ones. I can still recall the times when me and my mum would pay visits to this old dusty place of magical and often hidden treasures. I would look around with awe trying to visualise the kinds of people that once had all these things and had to let go. Usually we'd return back home with a new belonging to add in mum's vast collection of antiques. Even today, that my taste has shift away for more eclectic and modern style I still want -from time to time to get my hands on an old chinese blue vase.