Best perfume add 2012

The year is about to change. Good. I wish the 2013 will be happy one.

Here I leave the best perfume add, in my opinion, of this year. It is Yves Saint Laurent's Manifesto. I love Jessica Chastain as an image of the perfume, the violet color and the dipping trend on it. Very beautiful lady with hands full of violet. The scent is too sweet to my taste, ("It starts off with fresh green wave, bergamot and black currant. The heart includes accords of white flowers such as Sambac jasmine and lily of the valley. The base is woody and slightly oriental and captures notes of cedar, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka bean.") so I just admire the add on the women's magazines. 

I hope you all have a wonderful year to come!

Stylish YSL Manifesto

This winter's YSL make up with the name "Northern look" that has been inspired by the northern lights by Lloyd Simmonds (AD of the make up in YSL).

Exciting news!

Yesterday I got a call from China! I was really surprised and didn't know to which country the dialing code +861 referred to. Of course I googled it and the call happened to come from China. First I thought that how weird as I'm not expecting a call from China, but then I recalled that indeed I might receive a call from China, Beijing. In November I participated to the Hempel International Fashion Contest and if I would be selected to be a finalist they would inform me in mid and late December. Wow!

I will be a finalist in the 21th Hempel Award China International Young Fashion Designers Contest! So exciting and great news to finish the year!
Thank you Melissa for calling me! Here I come Beijing!

Soft and sweet Christmas

I am just about to start to prepare the Christmas dinner, but before that I just leave here one of the most successful, according to me, Christmas add of this year 2012. Its from TOUS, the jewel firm here in Manresa, Spain. I especially like the softness and sweetness of it. Its not too rudolfish and with the use of pastel colors its fresh and actual.

I wish you all soft and sweet Christmas time!

At the center bottom there is also my favorite Manolo Blahnik for TOUS-necklace.

Beautiful covers

Again this month I bought a magazine due to its stunning cover; such a beauty and stylish cover on Vogue Spain's December issue. I am not a great fan of Kate Moss (or Vogue), but in this greenish photo she looks really elegant. I love the green typography.

Inside the Vogue there is a special report of Mario Testino; a collection of Spain inspired photos from recent years.

This green cover reminds me of another favorite of mine; Gloria December 2010 issue when Sami Sykkö was still the head editor of the paper. You can see that. The issue was fresh, that something new, for Christmas issue. A theatrical and joyful celebration.

Vogue España, Diciembre 2012

Gloria, joulukuu 2010

Here I add some pics from the reportage. Photos are from Marko/kuvaamo and styling Teri Niitti.

Mr. Sykkö himself

Winter curtains by Marimekko

We have a small temporary kitchen build by us in a corner of our flat. The building is constructed in 1931 and the room that used to be a kitchen the previous owner changed to be a bathroom as he was a newer cooking, outgoing old man. I am happy to have a big bathroom and now it is really well situated by a long corridor in the middle of out flat, that is fine, but of course now we are lacking the kitchen. Five years ago when we moved in and deep cleaned the flat the only renovation we did was to built an auxiliary kitchen where there used to be a tiny room for gadgets. I like our so called temporary cooking place (temporary as one day we should build a real kitchen to what is now a living room). In order to save space and money we decided use curtains instead of doors in the storage. The thought was also that it is easier to change the look with fabrics.

Well, what is a thought might never happen or only after a long period of time...

Now it has happened; I have changed the spring curtains to the autumn ones! Thanks goes to my Finnish friends who visited me back in autumn and brought this lovely Lumimarjat-fabric by Marimekko. The colouring is from last Christmas edition; dark lila with gold berries. The previous fabric "Kaakaopuu" was also from Marimekko, a fresh bright color design. Both are designed by Erja Hirvi.

Lumimarja is already a classic in the collection of Marimekko and it has a nice story behind the creation; it was created taping real branches of tree to a paper. Apparently that was the only way to create real looking branches. Every year they have new color chart for the design and the pattern is used in several products from bed linens to cups and of course you can buy it in meters as well.

Lumimarja, Erja Hirvi 2004

Kaakaopuu, Erja Hirvi 2007

Welcome December!

December has started and to my surprise and delight on Friday I received an old style Christmas calendar. My sweet friend from Finland gave me a late birthday present (my b-day was in October), but for me the timing was perfect, because it just arrived to be ready on Saturday the 1st of Dec.

I don't fancy anything on the door of the fridge, but this one will pass this month as an exception on the front line of our kitchen.

The calendar is from Helsingin Kaupunginmuseo (museum of Helsinki) and it is drawn by Jaana Mellanen.

A view from Sofiankatu to Senaatintori