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.

Beauty tip. Just Remember to Smile.

 

Once in the morning when I was putting a little make up, my six-year old daughter looked at me, wondering. After a while she said to me maybe the nicest compliment I had ever received. Mom, you don't need any make up, if you just remember to smile.

Saying that she really hit the nail on the head. That's the best beauty tip I can think of. If we would just remember to smile, how beautiful we would be!

Another version of the same beauty tip we have heard in the marvelous cartoon by Ghibli Studios. In Kiki's Delivery Service (directed by Hayao Miyazaki) mom gave an advice to 13 years old Kiki the which-girl when she headed to her own for a year. The advise was: Remember that your smile is your most beautiful jewelery.

On catwalks nowadays it feels that a true anarchist designer would make all the models smile on the show. I'm just waiting who might be the one.

On the Street. Orange Swims Galoshes, Kamppi, Helsinki.

The days have been dark without sunshine. Kind of wet too, because temperatures are near zero and snow melts wet porridge. That causes big puddles on the streets to jump over and it's easy to get wet feet if you don't have a proper accessory.

Few days ago I came across to the vision above on the bus stop. I had never seen such colorful galoshes before. Orange galoshes combined with grey, black and bright yellow really opened my eyes. Farewell the old-school black rubber galoshes, it seems. I spotted a name Swims from the back of the heel.

After that first sight I have seen also blue variation of the rubber galoshes. That time though I first thought the person has forgotten to undress the blue plastic shoe covers while leaving some housing introduction. Oops.

Happy Chinese New Year with Gucci SS 2013.

 

Chinese New Year has been celebrated during this weekend in Helsinki. Yesterday we had a nice little festival in the center of Helsinki with beautiful red lanterns, fireworks and gentle snowfall. In the Chinese calendar, the year ahead will be a year of snake.

We are celebrating Chinese New Year here at Flash For Zonzon with the most snaky look from spring summer 2013 catwalks. This Gucci-look has a wonderful snakeskin pattern in the top. Very elegant and not at all attacking.

Catwalk. Junya Watanabe Men, Fall/Winter 2013.

 

When I first saw Junya Watanabe fall/winter 2013 collection for men in The Sartorialist site I was totally thrilled. I absolutely loved the whole thing, colors, pattern mix, patchwork, texture, shape. A lot of similar colors I can find from my own closet. Although this is men collection I'd like to wear many pieces myself.

 

Most fun in the show was that the models had a big amount of personality. Check Junya Watanabe fall collection 2013 in Style.com if you like.

This kind of style could be a good DIY-project too. You can make your own patchwork to some grey tone vintage coat. Just get some quality mens suit fabric patches and start sewing. Same treatment could be done to your old pair of jeans too. Like that you can have a home made Junya Watanabe -style.

 

The striped T-shirts you can get from Finnish design brand Marimekko. They have this Tasaraita -classic pattern that would do the stripe job here just fine. Tasaraita stripes are designed by Annika Rimala in 1968 and ever since Marimekko has had this evergreen pattern in production. The stripes are 1 cm wide and the stripes are knitted. You can find in Marimekko webshop right now: 

T-shirt with long sleeves, Pitkähiha, that fits for men too and Mari Classic for women.

To some extent the whole thing reminds me of Charley Chaplin's wold. I have just recently seen the very first Chaplin films from 1916 in Cinema Orion, Helsinki. (Eerikinkatu 15) Orion is a cinema of Finland's National Audiovisual Archive. It's possible to see all the masterpieces of film history there. Right now they have a series of Chaplin's work going on Sundays 16.00. It's a pleasure to dive into the past world and styles through the film history. 

To be true I have got few style ideas from the Chaplin's movies in my head, but I leave them to some future post. So stay tuned!

On the Street. Grey Suit With Color Spices, Museum of Sports, Helsinki.

 

Today I attended an event where the Sports Book of the Year 2012 in Finland was nominated. The winner was a beautiful book "The Birth of Sports" (Urheilulajien synty) by Juha Kanerva and Vesa Tikander. The book is a splendid introduction to all the sports we have come up with. And the layout needs an extra reference too.

To my joy one of the journalists had spiced his grey suit with very nice color details. Dark blue velvet vest, purple tie and pocket square, shirt with tiny purple flowers, shoes reddish patent leather with hole patterns. So I had to thank him not only about the great book but also for a nice style.

By the way. When I draw these On the Street -characters I'm not trying to do exact look alike of the person I have spotted. The aim is more to get the feeling of the essential parts of the style.