Seasons. September Weather Girl Portrait.

September is time to settle down to autumn season in Finland. No hassle, life starts to flow on it’s natural paths. The weather is not particular cold or warm. September gives pleasant sunny days that one can be thankful for. Oh, what a sunny day it is! On the mind’s back knocks the image of soon approaching darkness that is evident when autumn continues further.

But there is still time to enjoy pleasant outdoor life wandering in parks and woods on weekends, picking mushrooms, doing the last canoe trip of the season.

We even had an official ”sleep night outdoor” -day in September 17th in Finland. Suomen Latu − The Outdoor Association of Finland is the organisation behind the idea. The Sleep Night Outdoor -event pays attention to everyman's rights, which able everybody to enjoy the Finnish nature. You can sleep outdoors in a national park, at a camping site or even in your own yard, if you have one.

On social media the hashtag is #nukuyöulkona if you want to check how the event looks like in social media.

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In Finland each month has its own character and weather type. Four main seasons, but even each month has something of their own.

If you want to see the whole series click the tag ”seasons” below.

On the Street. Red Rubber Boots, Mannerheimintie, Helsinki.

Once in Instagram someone commented about the fact, that Finnish women seem to prefer flat shoes instead high heels. That is true. Fortunately, the Finnish society does not place women expected value, how to dress.

Therefor there is great liberty if you like to walk in heels or flat shoes. Nobody cares. Most Finnish women apparently like the ability to move around freely without pain or other inconvenience. They choose flat shoes. Me too. I wear high heels less than once in a year.

This young lady leads the way in this path. Her brave red rubber boots are both practical and beautiful in rainy day in Helsinki City Center. She looks just lovely in her furry beret, jeans jacket and floral skirt.

I have heard, that women using flat shoes, isn’t the norm everywhere. In Great Britain a woman even must dress up in high heels if one wants to work for government positions. Correct me if I am wrong.

I think this is very odd. It is so old fashion to treat women as butterflies. Why make them suffer from day to day? I am sure that this regulation limits the number of qualified women to apply for those positions. At least it should not be the height of shoe heels that has any role in the work requirements.

On the Street. Paper Cut Cap Girl, Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki.

I was sitting in a car, when I saw this girl focused browsing her phone in the corner of Kable Factory. She was far away and only tiny little thing in horizon. But still, the colours and form of her outfit leaped to the eye and caused a wow-effect. The color combo; red, pink, orange and the humorous long visor in her cap put the smile on my face.

Because the only thing that stuck in my mind was the form and colour, the simplicity of paper cut tells best way the sight.

Draw a Dot. Iris van Herpen Haute Couture Fall 2016 Fashion Illustration.

Here is my submission to Draw A Dot Instagram open call to make an fashion illustration of Iris van Herpen Haute Couture fall 2016 collection.

My imagination connects Iris van Herpen fashion to submarine world. I could have picked any of the costumes and pair it to different submarine elements, like squid, corals, mussels, different species of fishes, fish fins, sea waves breakers and breathing bubbles.

This particular dress reminds me of Lionfish. The strange striped beauty. By the time I painted this I didn’t know the problems that the Lionfish is causing in the ecosystem nowadays. It is venomous and it has spread to large areas that it has not lived before. Therefor it changes the ecosystem in those new areas to unwanted direction.

What has this Lionfish to do in my Draw A Dot submission to draw Iris van Herpen Haute Couture fall 2016 fashion illustration? For the sake of it’s odd beauty. But now in this new light the thing is more complicated.

But Iris, believe me, I don’t mean by this, that your fashion creations have spread too wide. Please keep on imagining your wonderful 3D printed Haute Couture wonders.

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More info about the situation in Mediterranean Sea. By Oceana.
Are Lionfish set for a Mediterranean invasion? 

Iris van Herpen website