Seasons. Happy New Year 2014!

I wish Happy New Year 2014! Let it be full of love and inspiration.

On the Street. Black is Black Except Socks, Aleksi, Helsinki.

On wintertime we see a lot of total black outfits in Helsinki. Argyle pattern socks with diamond pattern in the shades of grey bring a little playfulness to a total black outfit.

On the Street. Sketchbook Drawings Help to Remember.

 

 Sometimes when I see a fab style while walking around Helsinki, I make a quick sketch to my notebook. Every lady has that certain set of stuff in their handbags. To my stuff belongs a sketchbook that I carry with me almost anywhere I go. Despite all the electronic possibilities to make notes I still prefer the old good user interface paper.

 

 Funny thing is that once I had made a sketch of the girl with orange skirt and yellow jeans jacket in Kamppi. I thought I would draw her better later. Weekend was busy, I didn't have time. Then Monday came and what did we see in Hel-Looks.com? The same girl was photographed in the same day in Old Church Park. Helsinki, small city.

Here you have a collection of these fast taken notes. Some of them can be identified from street style -tagged posts. If I have many interesting sights in my mind at the same time, notes help not to lose them. Sometimes it's just the strong feeling of the character that carries straight to the final result.

For Fun. mbar in Helsinki is the Best.

I have a friend I meet occasionally, maybe once every two moths. We often go out to eat and then we may lose ourselves wandering between clothes racks in department store. Then again it's nice to stop somewhere to chill out. The place to go is always self-evident. We head to mbar. The atmosphere never fails. Smooth sounds are guaranteed.

DJ last Thursday was Jimi, thank you for the music! I started liking their Facebook-page "Better Things to Do" in hopes to get noticed if this group is playing their vinyls some place you could dance too. Besides drawing, dancing is definitely on the good side in to-do lists.

On the Street. Red Hat Girl in Bus 65A, Helsinki.

On buses we seldom see our fellow travelers eyes nowadays. Most people concentrate to their smartphones like this lovely lady. On the other hand it allowed me to watch her in piece. Win-win situation.

On the Street. Ballerina Tutu Jacket, Keskuskatu, Helsinki.

Effective combination, shiny boots, jacket with double frill, narrow silhouette and bright red hair. Urban city-ballerina we might say.

Follow Flash For Zonzon, Good Idea!

Hooray, at long last I have had the spirit to build a bunch of ways to follow Flash For Zonzon. If you like the content of this blog, why not pick up the way that best suits for you.

Now there is a brand new Facebook-page. You can find there links to the new posts and sometimes there is some pick-ups from previous content too. And the hostess is already waiting you there. Off you go to Flash For Zonzon Facebook-page.

If you hang around Twitter a lot, maybe you start following @FFZonzon. You'll be alerted of the new posts there.

Google+ -page is another option. Flash For Zonzon has a page of it's own there. Flash For Zonzon Google+ -page.

Maybe the most convenient way to follow Flash For Zonzon would be the good old email. You can order this blog delivered right to your inbox. Like a post from a friend.

On Pinterest I have gathered boards that interest me in the point of view graphic designer, illustrator, street style lover, circus fan, Helsinki citizen, etc. There is also a nice board of Fashion Illustration. Check my Pinerest-account if you need some inspiration. At least these pins work in such way to me.

And the list doesn't stop here. Oh no. Yeah, we have Flash For Zonzon in Bloglovin and Blogilista for my Finnish friends.

If you have found a new favorite RSS-reader after they buried the Google Reader, go for it!

Then there is this community in web, IFB, International Fashion Bloggers. I'm posting my links there too, if I remember…

Boy, now this blog is everywhere!
It will be fun to see what kind of interaction with readers there is going to be using these tools. I'm curious to see it. And finally, thank you my readers for being there with me.

On the Street. Herringbone Tweed Coat, Kamppi, Helsinki.

You know, I'm weak in herringbone tweed. So when I saw this young dandy in Kamppi, it was self-evident that I am drawing his look later. I'd love to wear this coat myself!

On the Street. Running to Catch the Bus, Center, Helsinki.

 

One of the free everyday fun is to watch people running to catch the bus on time. I'm never too busy to stop and take a look at how the running thriller is ending. And I'm feeling like a winner when they make it! 

On the Street. Sunday Walk, Lauttasaari, Helsinki.

Best thing you can do on Sundays is to go for a walk. Time to be outdoors and sink into own thoughts. Walking is the best method in solving problems or getting new ideas. I wonder what this dark character was pondering. At least he made a nice graphic silhouette against the green bushes.

On the Street, Sky Blue Trench Coat, Lauttasaari, Helsinki.

The sky is blue and so was this trench coat and I was like Oooh, what a beautiful blue you have in your coat! Combined with darker blue flared jeans and a bit of brown I was totally sold. Blue in it's shades is my all time favorite, you know.

Her about 5-year son asked me: "Who are you?" I replied to him: "A random passer-by who admires your mother's beautiful coat."

On the Street. Red Coat and Shoe Laces, Hämeentie, Helsinki.

Autumn in Finland has come so far that wool coat is a good companion. If you add one bright color with black in your outfit you really can't go wrong. Like here red combined with black. Even the shoe soles and laces are in the game.

On the Street. Striped Long Cardigan, Hakaniemi, Helsinki.

 

 We are living the Season when forests and Helsinki parks are glowing with autumn tints. The very same tints I saw in this lady's knitted long cardigan. The cardigan was made of garter stitch from toe to shoulders. I wonder what Sonia Rykiel would say about this style sample.

For Fun. New pages. Labels and Link Love.

 

 Hi Everybody! May I present some new pages on Flash For Zonzon. You can find a new Labels-page on the navigation bar on top of the page. In Labels I'm opening a little the tags or labels used in this blog. Labels are a handy way to get you the specific type of posts you are interested in.

Link Love is the new page where I'm sharing some sources of inspiration with you.  Here you can find some inspiring things divided in categories. At least I like them. Maybe you can find some new favorite things from these links too.

Finnhits. Costo X Johanna Gullichsen.

 

 Oh how I love this collaboration of Costo with Johanna Gullichsen. They have made a special collection of Costo Kombai hats with high quality 100% cotton fabrics designed by Johanna Gullichsen. There isn't two similar hats in the selection, each one of the hats are unique. And one of them is mine now! Could'n resist the temptation while autumn is coming closer and closer. Well, I'm ready now to change the season.

I have praised already earlier Costo – hats with pompoms. Now I'd like to open your mind to see Johanna Gullichsen's designs.

Johanna Gullichsen Textile Craft & Design offers an extensive range of woven textiles for modern living. Her patterns are filled with striped geometry and rhythm. She makes designs that are modern and classic at the same time. Natural materials fill the circle of comfort and Scandinavian style.  

Just look at her bags and purses. They are just my taste. Let's see when my footsteps lead to the Helsinki store in Fredrikinkatu…
Now when I have the hat…  It could be like that… Ooh, it's pure poetry.
Another flagship store is located in Paris, rue du Cherche-Midi. If you can't make you way to these two, there is a Johanna Gullichsen webshop too.

On the Street. Mr X in Plaid Shirt with Corduroy, Laru, Helsinki.

Lucky me, I saw my all time favorite Mr X again walking near Lauttasaari bridge. And again he offered something special. Unexpected proportions. Think about those dark green ankle-length wide pants made of thick corduroy. Just right to show off nice ankle boots. Plaid shirt repeating the tones of boots and cap.  Simply Lovin  this style!

If you want to see other style samples of Mr X, just click the mr-x tag beneath or in the Labels-cloud.

For Fun. Polkadot Swimsuit, Kumpula Oudoor Pool, Helsinki.

A week ago we went to Kumpula outdoor pool with my family to enjoy the last day of sweet warm summer. Kumpula is a marvelous place to be with kids. Besides pools for kids and adults, there is a diving tower and playground. To my joy there was also an outdoor gym. It is rare that you can lift the weights outdoors these latitudes dressed just in bikinis. Fun it was.

Well, now we need to wait for next summer to renew the experience. Just when schools begun this week begun also the rainy days that predict autumn.

On the Street. Skinny People in Black and White, Helsinki.

 

Some skinny minimal characters has remained in my mind while walking in the summer city of Helsinki.

This monochromatic guy seemed like he couldn't care less what he is wearing. C'mon it's just an average black, (nowadays gray) T-shirt and jeans! But still on his feet shines a pair of black Converses looking like taken just out of the box. Oh yeah, style matters, no matter what.

With this girl I came to think that if your outfit is very minimal like here, even a ribbed stockings can act like well considered accessory.

For Fun. Reading Jules Verne.

 

 I have spent my Summer Holiday part two in countryside in Finland. The aim has been to load batteries by not doing anything special. There isn't much happening on the streets around here. Only cows walk the back yard in the meadow.

In the evenings I have read Jules Verne wonderful book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to my daughters. For the first time in my life I'm really getting to know the adventurous story of submarine Nautilus.

In the book they constantly describe the beauty of Marine blossom. When they are sailing the Red Sea, it is described how the red color has come to the water from tiny red colored Infusoria. Thousands in one square centimeter. What would that be if you look at it under a microscope? My wild guess is above.

For Fun. Holiday Doodles from Sketch Book.

Hi. My little journey is over and I'm back in Helsinki again. I had some marvelous time warming my bones in sunshine. Here I'm  showing you some doodles from my sketch book.

This pattern is made for fun by me and my daughter. Both begun drawing from one end of the paper. Then we turned the paper and added something on another person drawing. And then we turned the paper again and added something and so on…

For Fun. Going for Summer Holiday.

Hi! It's time to take a little break in the form of Summer Holiday. The break in Flash For Zonzon will be only two weeks, I assume. For my vacation I will pack hot-hot-hot weather clothes, take-it-easy-attitude and, of course, my sketchbook. In holiday I will have much more free time to draw. Sic. We'll see what kind of pictures and impressions stick to pages. So stay tuned.

By the way. If you are following this blog with Google Reader, you better switch to some other rss-feed reader asap. Google Reader will shut it's doors by the end of June. The easiest way is to move your following to Bloglovin'.  So here you go, Flash For Zonzon in Bloglovin'.

Happy Midsummer With Oscar de la Renta, ss 2013.

Oscar de la Renta SS 2013 black and white striped long dress is the one that I choose to have in my  Midsummer party here at Flash For Zonzon. I thought that the model would enjoy  a little stroll in Finnish birch forest. Can you hear birds singing?
I wish you all Happy Midsummer!

Seasons. June, Helsinki Samba Carnaval 2013.

 

Last Saturday was again time for Helsinki Samba Carnaval, one of my favorite happenings in Helsinki. For a costume lover like me it's like opening a treasure chest. I wrote a post about this happening a year ago too. We can think this post as a Helsinki Samba Carnaval Part 2 around here. This time I'm presenting some new features of the parade.

Above we see not only a samba dancer but also the set up, which plays an important part of the performance. This dancer had a marvelous golden shoe throne on a rotating platform. Wow.

 

 Live music heighten the atmosphere. Among others Samba School Império do Papagaio has always a truck with a band on stage playing music. Every year a different song continuously shown.

 

Capoeira is part of the show. Performed by Capoeira Capital, Helsinki.

The sweetest little samba dancer was this little girl. In real she definitely didn't look this angry. Sorry for the expression here. She showed fatigue-free while running back and forth in time to the music on the Esplanade. 

Last but not the least is the bateria of each group. There is always some great characters among the players. Or what do you think about this bearded guy? Ten points from me!

Catwalk. Good Solutions for Bad Hair Day, SS 2013.

 

Hi everybody! The Summer has finally arrived in Helsinki. Ooh, the sweet sunshine and warmth. We have been waiting but now it's time to enjoy the best of this summer season.

When days get really hot it's nice to tie the hair off your neck. Also, if you happen to have a bad hair day, the best solution is to tie the hair in ponytail or bun. In catwalks of SS 2013 we saw some ideas how to embellish or help you to forget the whole hair mess.

I like a lot the idea of Dolce & Gabbana SS 2013. Bun first, then tie silk scarf around your head. Girly and elegant. 

Max Mara SS 2013 presented another solution that is handy for bad hair day. All you need is a tube scarf of right color and you are salon operating at once.

Also Marc by Marc Jacobs used head scarves in his SS 2013 collection. I loved the way he combined the different patterns with each other. Here we saw that a scarf is a very variable accessory. You can bind your summer dress with scarf of protect your head from the burning the sun or cover your neck and shoulders.

 I sure am a scarf person as my mother is. Back in the 70's when I was kid, the use of head scarves was a kind of fashion. My mother also tied a white scarf around her head. It became a little turban-like result. Then she felt to be very stylish, as she was. But then a neighbor's child commented whether our mother hurt her head.

Well, let's say it may lead to misunderstandings if you are the true pioneer in fashion.

On the Street. Bow Tie With Moustache, Mannerheimintie, Helsinki.

This bright yellow sweater caught my attention on the street, while I traveled tram past the Parliament House. Oh boy, the man had moustache and bow tie as well! Splendid! This is just the vision I longed for in my previous post about Charley Chaplin's bow tie. Modern version of the combination of bow tie with moustache.

On the Street. Trench Coat With Umbrella, Kamppi, Helsinki.

Like Don Quixote de la Mancha was armed against windmills, was this lady armed against sudden rain showers with long black umbrella.

On the Street. Grannies Wear Berets, Hämeentie, Helsinki.

 

Grannies style has always inspired me personally. Sometimes my friends have even called me a youth-granny because of my clothing choices.

Berets sure belong to granny-style of Helsinki elderly ladies. Warm and cozy it is. Handy too. It doesn't get hurt if you stuff it into your shopping bag. And you can always make a little artistic impression with beret. That's not so bad.

On the Street. Hipster in a Hurry, Kamppi, Helsinki.

 

 Well, if you really think of this hipster phenomenon of today, you need to admit that our dads are the original hipsters. This idea came to see the light from funny blog with the same name. So hipster guys, if you want to be caught pants down while keeping yourself trendsetters, maybe you could visit this blog: Dads are the Original Hipsters.

But never mind. I'm still fan of this hipster style.

On the Street. Grown-up Pippi Longstocking in Forum, Helsinki.

When I saw this lovely young lady in Forum last week I needed to stop her to tell how much I liked her looks. It was just like Pippi Longstocking would have grown up. Oh those cute pigtails, red pigtail ribbons, bright red lipstick, with complementary color green, flower stockings and the heels. Perfect picture. The only thing I didn't quite remember was her bag. So I decided to give her a matching red Longchamp leather bag.

On the Street. Trumpet Jeans, Lauttasaari, Helsinki.

On these days trumpet jeans are rarely seen. The whole town seems to go in tight jeans. Therefore I was delighted to see this lady on the gasoline station which I pass every morning. She was busy cleaning her blue car with a rag. If she had straightened her back her narrow silhouette would have looked like this. Very stylish in my opinion.

On the Street. Striped Jacket, Kamppi, Helsinki.

Yesterday I sat in the cafe that is located next to maybe the most crowded street corner in Helsinki. I sat there for an hour looking at the people passing by  and still didn't see anything that would be inspiring to draw. Later while heading my way home I ran to bus and saw the silhouette above hundred meters away from me. The box-like striped jacket with grey slim jeans and heels was the thing this time.

Sometimes few seconds can give you more than an hour.

On The Street. Colorful Spring Look, Töölö, Helsinki.

 

My life has been so hectic that I have not had time to draw anything here on the blog this month yet. The busiest time is now over so I looked around me and what did I see? The Spring has apparently come to town. We are seeing more color in the street, yes. I picked up this girl in her own colorful world. And the tune might be Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".

Finnhits. Minna Parikka Shoes.

I'm presenting in my series Finnhits Finnish clothing brands that I truly like.
Minna Parikka with her delightful, playful, stylish shoe design deserves my true admiration by all means.

There is certainly many wonderful Minna Parikka shoes that would be fun to draw. She has done many shoes with ears, cat ears and bunny ears. Now that we are living Easter, I thought bunny ears would fit fine to this season.  I'm sure that I'm going to come back to her shoes later on some time.

You can get Minna Parikka shoes straight from her webshop. It's worth checking just to see all the pretty shoes with a lot of personality.

On the Street. In the Footsteps of Corto Maltese, Haahkatie, Helsinki.

In the footsteps of Corto Maltese I mean the combination of pea coat and sailor hat.  And maybe the strict attitude as well.

When I refer to some famous characters or persons in my posts you can probably find the originals from my Pinterest board Characters. To Characters board I'm collecting real people, and people from popular culture and comics. A common factor in all these pictures is that they touch my feelings one way or another. Have a look if you like.

My Style. Bow On Like Charley Chaplin Had in The Fireman 1916.

We have had a marvelous opportunity to see all the very first Charlie Chaplin films in Finland's National Audiovisual Archive. Now the series is over so far. Therefor it's time to post about an style idea I'm going to include to my style.

The idea came from Chaplin's film The Fireman, 1916. Firemen's uniforms were quite different than it is today. A big black bow with big manly mustache was the norm. It seems that in the beginning of 1900 having mustache was more common than being without. The bigger the better.

I don't know if modern men are ready to wear the same. But for my part I'd like to start wearing such a big bow to sweeten my looks.

Seasons. Happy Women's Day 8.3.

 Hi sisters! I wish you all Happy Women's Day with this bouquet of mimosas. Around Finland Women's Day have never been a big celebration but in Russia things are different. In Russia Women's Day is a public holiday. I traveled once to Kostamus, Russia, during Women's Day. And everywhere you turned your eyes there were mimosas. Beautiful yellow mimosas. And men are giving those lovely springlike mimosas to their women.

By the way in Finland women received their full government rights in 1906. First in the whole world. In the election year of 1907 nearly every political party submitted female candidates. 19 women were selected and these women became the worlds first congresswomen.

On the Street. Blue Beanie with Pompom, Kamppi, Helsinki.

Even though it is already Mach, first month of the Spring in Finland, we have had some snowfalls in recent days. Personally I'd already like to turn my back for winter and turn my face to sunlight instead.

Well, I can still get some joy in middle of a snowstorm seeing so fine blue beanie with pompom as in the picture above. I have previously confessed my love for pompoms in the post of Costo. Check it up if you like to read more pompom-stories.

On the Street. Winter Bright Colors, Erottaja, Helsinki.

 

Last weeks have been quite dark around here in Helsinki. Sunlight is rarely seen. At that point it's very refreshing to see some bright colors walking towards on the street. Here are few characters from my sketchbook.