Catwalk. Belt Ideas for SS 2015.

Looking through the Vogue SS2015 catalog I found some nice ideas for the belt as accessory. Dior had leather belts with whip-like tail. Saint Laurent had this red wide front tie belt. Especially in summer it is easy to alter the look of simple one color dress with using different types of belts.

Finnish designer Jukka Rintala had a little same kind on front tie belt in his collection last summer. It had borrowed the appearance of men in tuxedo belt. Although the feeling was way more feminine. In this case the belt strips are knotted in a bow tie.

This kind of cloth belt could be made as a diy-project. To measure the right length you can use a long rope or ribbon that it would go twice round the body plus the length that the bow tie needs.

Catwalk. Marni Spring Summer 2015.

This time I turned to a Vogue SS 2015 catalog to find something nice to draw. In Marni SS 2015 collection was these long black belts that made a good effect to the whole outfit. Somehow this lady seems utmost determined and powerful. The effect springs from the belt.

How come? Fashion designers seek for inspiration from many sources. Past decades, films, literature, architecture, an ethnic group, nation, flora and fauna, some have a specific muse that inspires. Ways are many. I find it amusing try to identify the original inspiration of some collection. Looking at Marni SS 2015 collection my mind turns to eastern martial arts like jujutsu and such.

The idea of oversized simple belt made of cloth is easily done as a DIY-project. In that case it would be unnecessary to stick in black colour. For example this long belt made of denim would make different feeling.

On the Street. Nice Simple Style, Lauttasaari, Helsinki.

Simple things are many times the best. Like having a cup of coffee, a pot of tea, reading a book, sleeping as long as needed, talk with a friend, laughing, walking in a woods.

Simple things can also make a memorable nice style. Like with this guy. There isn’t anything super special he is wearing, jeans, ankle boots, grey pullover and kind of marine coat. But to be true there is one exception here. Oh yes, there is this hair. Nowadays shoulder-long hair with men is quite rare. Maybe that is the key that makes his style memorable. The full stop above the letter i.

Okay. The list from the beginning needs some trimming.
Simple things are many times the best. Like having a good cup of coffee, a lovely pot of tea, reading a marvelous book, sleeping as long as needed in own bed, chat with a dear friend, laughing out loud, walking in a woods (this is good as it is).

On the Street. Dramatic Style, Lauttasaari, Helsinki.

This happens to be the two hundredth Flash For Zonzon -blogpost. I have thought of what could be the perfect topic for this occasion. And then this lady walked up to the same bus stop where I was standing. What goes around comes around. She is exactly same lady, which was the subject of the first drawing around here.

Her style does not disappoint this time either. It’s not every day that you see the 70-year-old lady dressed in ankle-length black leather coat with fluffy fur collar and cuffs. What even better, together with carefully considered details, like handbag covered with dark-colored lace frills, big turquoise pearl jewelry and Chanel-style hat. Perfect.

P.S.
I bumped into a collection of Coco Chanel quotes. One in particular fits well to this lady.
”You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life.”

On the Street. Street Credible HAI Rubber Boots, Vallila, Helsinki.

I spotted this lady in Vallila Emmaus Thrift Store. It was a refreshing change to see some colour, when the majority of the people in Helsinki dress in dark shades. In her feet she had the very street credible bright yellow Hai rubber boots.

It’s nice that in these days of globalization, when almost same products can be found in every big city around the world, there is still some islands of national style icons. Finland one such iconic piece of clothing is HAI rubber boots (HAI-saappaat) made by Nokian Footwear. Designed in 1967 by architect Esko Lahesmaa the model has stayed true to the original design ever since.

Lahesmaa was challenged to design a rubber boot that would be perfect for boating. As a sailor himself he knew the properties that a rubber boot should have in sailing circumstances. Quick-drying polyester lining, firm grip of the outsole (ideal for yachting), light-coloured rubber outsole leaves no traces to the deck of a boat. Low and wide stem makes it easy to move around the boat and – if knocked overboard – allow easily get rid of the boots.

The name of the boot came after a certain boat model called Hai, which Lahesmaa had sailed a lot of his youth. Hai means Shark in english.

If you want to try out Instagram photos for tag #haisaappaat you will notice the huge love that Finns feel about HAI rubber boots.

Now I’d like to know if you have some similar style icon in your country. Like HAI rubber boots are in Finland. Time after time super popular item and not necessarily very well known abroad. Share your ideas on comment box below.

Links and sources:
Nokian Footwear, since 1898, story
Hai rubber boots
Hai-saapas, Wikipedia
Hai (keelboat),Wikipedia

On the Street. White Faux Fur Coat, Kaivokatu, Helsinki.

This black and white figure reminded in my memory a couple of weeks ago. Extremely fluffy white faux fur coat, head like a noddle, hair just as white as the coat. Counterbalance the skinny black legs and pointy boots. What can I say. Contrast makes the outfit interesting.

On the Street. Fairytale Girl, Forum, Helsinki.

When I met this lovely girl at Forum shopping center, I felt to meet a girl from a fairytale. Is she on the way to meadow to pick up the wild magic carrots for her pet rabbit? The shape of the outfit, coloring, wide hem, bird pattern in hemline and pink frill. Sigh.

Of course I needed to tell my admiration to her. As a reward I got to hear that the origin of the dress was a web-shop in America. However the pink underskirt didn’t belong to the package. That was her own idea. The dress was sleeveless, if you wanna know. I did. The best was that she was going to dance the night. After she had fed the pet rabbit.

Seasons. Happy New Year With Céline, SS 2015.

New Year 2015 arrives in pure white. Pierrot the Clown was the first impression of this Céline SS 2015 look. White overall with a row of black buttons. C'mon. It simply cried for the pierrot -makeup and -hat as accessory.

I wish a Happy New Year to everybody!

Powerful Tool. Wonder Woman Pose.

Wonder Woman has been one of my role models for long time. I haven’t seen any films, nor read any comics about her. Only seen some random photographs about the character. And felt strange sisterhood with her. In a situation with hands tied and otherwise bound by chains Wonder Woman has that kind of blink in her eyes that tells us: just wait a sec that I solve this out. Wonder Woman represents fearless and inventive attitude.

Many times when I have been in front of an exiting situation, like important meeting or speaking in public, the calming method has been thinking that I am Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman that handles any situation just like that. And it really has helped a lot. In that mood it is possible to forget the nervousness and just go and do it whatever you have to do.

Because of this earlier relationship with Wonder Woman I was double thrilled when I found an article by James Clear about Wonder Woman Pose. You know, steady pose, put your hands on your hips, keep your chin up, and chest out. The article claims that standing in a Wonder Woman Pose for two minutes in a day is a strategy that reduce anxiety, improve the ability to deal with stress and boost confidence.

This text of mine is just a scratch of the surface. The idea is described profoundly on the article if you’d like to know more.
http://jamesclear.com/body-language-how-to-be-confident

It is worth watching Amy Cuddy’s  20-minute TED Talk about the impact of body language. You can find this at the end of the article. In Amy Cuddy’s words:

Our bodies change our minds
… and our minds change our behaviour
… and our behaviour changes our outcomes.

This sounds like a good deal to any person.

Maybe next time you take a private two minutes Wonder Woman Pose in a bathroom just before the job interview or other social threat. That way it is lot easier to shine in the situation.

Wonder Woman Pose also works fine as a daily meditation. The only problem has been to take a new way to practice. Even if it is just two minutes in a day I haven’t been able to make it to a habit in my life.
Maybe I should attach a post-it note to the toilet mirror to remind of the precious daily two-minute-stand-by-moment.

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You remember? FlashForZonzon is illustrated blog about fashion, street style, interesting surroundings, patterns and more. Well, this post doesn't seem to suit in any labels used before. Therefor this post needs a new label  "more".

One Day. The Castle Ball 2014, Linnan Juhlat 2014.

6.12. was Finland’s Independence Day and the day to watch television. Why? Because of the Castle Ball that is held at the Presidential Palace. On television they send a direct broadcast from the Palace. The best part of the show is to watch the evening gowns. I did some sketching while watching.