ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS HOLIDAYS.

Mes belles, this is my outfit for the Office Christmas Party happening tonight. I bought this dress from a cute fashion designer girl @ Siam Square, Thailand and I was truly amazed how contemporary fashion is flourishing there, a whole neighbourhood is dedicated to true one-of-a-kind mini boutiques and all these unique pieces are available at extremely low prices. I do hope there will be a next time when I'll be a lot more prepared taking only an empty suitcase and bringing all these gorgeous things home with me!

This year's Christmas will be a bit special for me, instead of doing the usual tour de family, I will be far away, it will be just the two of us with David. A perfect escape. I'm not saying I don't love my family but having a blended one can sometimes be a bit of a burden.
While away I'll try to post from time to time but first I will try to focus on us relaxing and spending as much quality time together as possible.
You know, escape a bit.

But I'll be back in town soon, mes belles, and compensate for these quiet weeks.
Till then have fun and happy holidays!!!
xoxo,
katika

ps: I'm wearing a lovely evening dress designed by a Thai fashion school graduate, a DIY hairbow and silver sandals from a thrift shop.

IN THE MOOD FOR VERA WANG.

The other day when I was checking out the Versace for H&M campaign with Daphne Groeneveld, I was wondering how this hype around designer clothes works. And then I realized, the idea is brilliant. We have to admit there are not plenty of us ready to spend a fortune on these long-desired, beautiful items and that's where this whole 'XY designer for H&M' idea comes in. Let's make them available for the masses. The quality might be lower and they are not one-of-a-kind treasures but still. Who wouldn't warmly welcome a Versace or Marni item in the garderobe?

I even went further with the thing, because my designer clothes are true one-of-a-kinds. Once being proud parts of a long forgotten seasons' pret-a-porter collections, then owned by a mysterious ladies back in the '60s-70s-80s-90s and then deprived from dignity hiding in piles of pre-owned clothes in dusty sacks. And then found by me. OMG, each vintage designer dress in my garderobe is considered as an elegant old lady back to real life, after properly cleaned and ironed, back to the glamorous days.
I will happily introduce you all, piece by piece.

Today I'm glad to share this lovely Vera Wang silk dress with you, it might not be that old but still a true gem, I cannot get enough of its sophisticated elegance and beautiful colours.
Back to the golden days, Vera!

xoxo,
katika

YELLOW AND BLUE.

So here I am, mes belles, wearing these two vibrant, beautiful colours making me smile!
If colours could get married I would definitely make a couple of mustard yellow and royal blue, powder pink and caramel brown, red and beige, red and pink, orange an pink, wow, I love colour blocking sooo much! I cannot believe that there are people in this world condemned to wear black or one single colour in their entire lives. Or just stick to one. There is this friend of mine convinced that pink is not her colour. Neither is yellow, green and red. She only wears pigeon grey and black and from time to time she puts on some daring browns.
Oh, girls! Please don't deprive yourselves from colours. They can change your mood and the world we live in.
I remember laughing out loud when seeing a Barbie pink bus and a baby blue taxi parked next to each other in Bangkok. And how I found our home soo boringly plain when arriving home.

So here is a colourful and vibrant outfit for you, mes belles, enough of black & grey!
This is what I'm wearing:
my fave royal blue vintage cape, vintage blazer (mustard yellow, of course), asos boots & bag.

Oh, and in style for yellow, here is my new fave video, the latest Goldfrapp track: Yellow Halo!

xoxo,
katika

THE SHIFT.

I was wondering how this blog should really function, I mean to what extent should I share inner thoughts and feelings or instead of being personal should I just post photos of lovely vintage outfits and eye candies. I haven't decided yet. All I know for sure that at the moment it feels good to write about things that are on my mind. It might make me even more vulnerable and exposed to public despise but I decided not to care anymore. So if you're bored with my long babblings about how I feel or how my life is, please feel free to skip the text and just check out the outfit photos. At some point when I'll be more experienced with the whole blogging thing, I'll find the right text-illustration proportion for sure. :)

So now after this long intro I feel more comfortable with admitting that I feel terribly confused and sad today. It might be the consequence of the grey and gloomy weather and contrast between all the lovely people/nice things in London and Bruxelles and the grumpy faces/bad taste at home but I cannot stop thinking that something is wrong with my life. It might just be some sort of mid-life crisis and I'm still seeking the right attitude, but the fact is that I'm not sure if I feel happy on the track I'm currently on. Should I just consider this as a great challenge? Will fighting against all the adverse conditions finally make me strong and happy or should I take it as a sign to change and make that desired shift towards something all new and different, maybe choose a new track to follow?

Awww, ain't easy to answer, right?
All I know for sure that I will cure the uncertainty and sadness with spicy tomato soup and goat cheese toast tonight.
I would never deprive you from some new outfit photos, here is one from the Bruxelles weekend, I'm still selecting the ones shot with my friend's DSLR and I'll come back with a full photo recap for sure!
On this photo we are having fun at the Budapest airport before taking off and this is what I'm wearing:
vintage pleated mini skirt, vintage knitted top, asos knee highs and boots.

take care, mes belles!
xoxo,
katika

LONDON, les photos!

Here is a quick photo set, just to give you an update before I fly to Brussels! London was just as daring and fascinating as always and I felt miserable spending the entire day at the UK office attending endless meetings and presentations. A perfect London day would have included a visit to the opshops in Hackney, a check-in to Tate Modern and the Christmas Harrods, and hot&spicy dinner @ Nandoo's.
Whatever.
I was still in London and survived the day with attitude.
The last photo is the evening MTV Christmas location, the Shoreditch House roof terrace with a pool. Isn't it so very fancy?
xoxo,
katika

LONDON.

Sorry mes belles, for not keeping you posted for a long time now, but this is that crazy, hectic week loaded with travel I told you about. I'm in London now and unfortunately not on holiday but on business and my heart really ached yesterday when I saw the beautiful Christmas decoration in all the shopwindows and streets!!! I wish I could do just a tiny tiny bit of cruising around today! Keep your fingers crossed so that I can give you an upate on what's going on in downtown London. Now back to business!

oh, and this is my outfit for day1:
vintage blue wool dress, mustard yellow thights & beret.

xoxo,
katika

RECAP.

Hello mes belles, here is a short photo recap of what I've been up to his weekend. After the lazy Saturday i did plenty of things today, including taking Lulu to a Christmas fair close to our place. Not only the mulled wine was yummy but Lulu met new friends, including a newborn goat, an American mini pig, Cookie and two mini ponies. Inspired by the lovely smells of the food stalls I ended up baking a broccoli-blue cheese quiche, an apple crumble and a banana-fudge pie. Feel free to stop by for a bite.
Oh, and this is what I'm wearing: another cute vintage tartan skirt, tee from H&M, vintage puffy sleeves velvet blazer.

xoxo,
katika

THE DAY AFTER.

I consider myself a pretty smart drinker, anytime we go partying, I'm layering whatever I'm drinking with plenty of water to make sure I don't get dehydrated and thus avoid having a terrible hangover. It's not the case today.
Gosh, I admit I do have a hangover. Triple X might be an explanation. When your best friends are reaching this magical number of years you do have to celebrate with attitude. We did so yesterday and I'm not saying I did care too much about water when we were dancing in mere happiness to tracks like 'Eye of the Tiger' yesterday night @ Merlin club.

My friends started to call me 'sexy granny' as usually I'm the one canceling parties, prefering staying in or if going out making sure I'm in bed by 2 am. I now it's pretty pathetic but I feel just too tired and old for a white night. And when finally this 'sexy granny' of me turns into a real party animal once in a while, despite all the terrible hangover of the day after I'm proud of myself. I'm proud because it means that I managed to let my controll freakness go. Even if just for one night.

Today is a no-brain day, so here is my best hangover recipe: cuddling with Lulu on the couch, watching Modern Family, eating quiche, drinking tons of green tea.

Oh, and this is what I was wearing for this very special Triple X occasion: vintage tartan wraparound skirt, Guns 'n' Roses tee from H&M, boots from ASOS.

xoxo,
katika

WINTER.

It's so unbelievable that time passes so quickly! It's already December and today morning we woke up to snow covered rooftops and a numb city. The good news is that vibrant vintage clothes go amazingly well with greyish and foggy winter colours. Here is another photo of last weekend favourite outfit. Please note that these lovely vintage clothes will be soon up to sale on the blog, I just need to photograph them first and withou David on board it's not an easy thing to do. But I'll figure out something for sure.
Oh, and have a happy Friday and a lovely weekend, I just realized this one is the last that I'm going to spend at home before going away to London on business, then to Brussels to visit a lovely friend and then finally to our annual holiday with David. Superbusy days ahead, I'll try to make the most of it!

This is what I'm wearing: vintage abstract print skirt and pink knitted top, Mango heels.

oh, and I'm constantly listening to Yuksek's new album, Living on the Edge of Time, greatest score to these hectic days!

xoxo,
katika

THE HEARTWARMING ONES.

These are the things cheering me up at the end of an awful, foggy and grey November day.

1) cuddling with Lulu on the couch while watching the latest episode of Gossip Girl
2) My latest DIY project, a cute crochet collar sewed to a grey sweater
3) The lovely JC Lanas ordered online I just cannot wait to arrive
4) David facetiming me from India (no photo:)

EXHAUSTED.

Gosh, I'm exhausted! I never thought being a single dog mom can be so hard. Especially with a demanding dog like Lulu.
I wake up early and instead of having a long and lazy latte on the couch, I'm grabbing my coffee, I'm combing my hair while washing my teeth to make sure I have enough time to exercise Lulu and shoo my guilt away that I'm leaving her home for the whole day. During my day at the office I try to be as effective as I can, shortening my lunch break to avoid staying in late and then back at home we rush down to have a long long walk and play a lot with other doggies to make sure Lulu is fine.
God, it's so much different when David is around! He is taking her to his office every day and Lulu is always with him when he is cruising around the city during the day.
I'm absolutely sure now she is happier with him. And probably she misses him as much as I do.

This is what I was wearing on this hectic and very cold November day:

vintage maxi skirt, H&M turtleneck and an amazingly warm faux fur vest.

Need some sleep now.

xoxo,
katika

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THE BLUE CAPE.

I really love these photos. Today we went to my grandparents' little village for family lunch and I wore this beautiful blue vintage cape. I love the contrast of the vibrant blue and red and the fall nature. I won't say that I did not use Lars von Trier's Melancholia's opening titles as inspiration.
Photographed by my beloved sis.
This is what I wear:
Vintage blue cape, knitted top, abstract print skirt, Mango heels.

xoxo,
katika

HOME ALONE.

I'm the sort of people adoring to have company and the one happier to cancel invitations and programs when I finally want to be on my own. This is how I feel safe. Being alone means facing your ego, your fears and your neverending thoughts. You can easily put the volume down by switching on the TV or going online. But the bravest thing to do is just listening to them and then let them go. This is what I'm going to do in the next 2 weeks. David is in the other part of the world and for sure I'll have tons of programs that I can cancel, I'll also try to spend some time on my own. And listen. At least when Lulu is not licking a giant bone next to me on the couch.

This is what I'm wearing: vintage white blouse and knitted top and denim shorts, DIY bow, white lace socks and black wedges.
xoxo,
katika

BLACK FRIDAY

Hey, hey-hey! I'm was in a very TGIF mood yesterday as it was my nameday and it was black Friday in the US. It's the day when the official xmas shopping season is kicking off so all the big brands offer insane promotions. In the past few years given that my office is in a loft really out of the city I became a frequent online customer, I not only save a lot if time and get myself really cool stuff from shops and brands not available here but I also adore the excitement I feel when my parcel arrives! Yesterday a dream came true as there was a huge discount at solestruck.com, a site offering beautiful designer shoes and I bought my first pair of Jeffrey Campbell! Wow, you cannot imagine how excited I am about them!!! I'll make sure ti share it with you as soon as they arrive!
Oh, and this is what I was wearing on this beautiful day: vintage striped sweater, jeans from Zara, vintage leopard belt and fur coat.

Have an awesome weekend!
xoxo,
katika

POMEGRANATE.

I have a new favourite fruit. I cannot believe it took me so much time to discover it! It's so special, I almost feel like eating a jewellery. It's a fruit you cannot just simply slice and eat, it has it's trick. The thick and hard skin is protecting the real gem, the ruby red pearls. Instead of using a knife, use your bare hands, you can break it into small pieces and get to the juicy seeds easily. Mmmm, and it's so rewarding! And it's not only yummy but contains tons of antioxidants, a great weapon to fight this chilly weather and smog!
xoxo,
katika

DOG FRIENDLY PLACES.

Yesterday a new place was added to my list of dog friendly restos and cafes in Budapest. It's the newly opened bar/cafe/club called GMK in Gozsdu udvar. The place is not only perfect for an after-work drink and gossip exchange but also ideal if you have a 4-leg companion with you.
Yesterday night Lulu was just shameless, she felt a bit clingy so she ended up sitting on one of the chairs, resting her head on the table. In less then one hour almost half of the clientele stopped by to pet her!!! I wouldn't say she did not enjoy it!

Besides this place here is a short list of places we usually go to if we have Lulu with us:

RESTOS
Iguana
Cafe Kör
Menza
El rapido
Okay Italia
Ötkert
Cafe Vian
Hummus bar

CAFES/BARS
Castro
GMK
Hivatal
Telep
Bar Ladino
Kadarka Wine Bar
Csendes

Any tips for other dog friendly places in Budapest?

xoxo,
katika

MY VERY ETHNO DRESS.

Hello darlings, I'm so happy to show you this magnificent vintage ethno dress, it's a combination of beautiful floral prints and has a lovely handmade embroidery on its front. There are only 3 days left and David is going away for 2 weeks, this will be our longest time apart yet, I try not to emerge in self-pity and think about all the nice things I will do with my sis and friends. but he is still here, gotta go and make some nice dinner!
What about apple pancakes with cinnamon?
xoxo,
katika

THE CLOWN COAT.

It’s an ugly, grey and freezingly cold Monday morning, your alarm beeps at 7 am, you can barely open your eyes and then, under the shower you are thinking why not to turn this depressing and gloomy morning into something crazy and fun?

That was the point when I decided to wear it. It’s been winking at me from the garderobe for days and its moment has finally arrived. The Clown Coat.

That is my armor today, that is how I will fight the Monday morning blues and the grumpy faces and some bitchy people around me.

May the Clown Coat be with me!

This is what I wear: vintage Clown Coat, vintage Fabergé high waist denim skirt, vintage striped tee, nanushka hoodie top, Asos wedges.

Have a wonderful week, mes belles!

xoxo,
katika

BACK HOME.

You know this feeling, right? When you’re back to your hometown and all seems so familiar and stirs up so many long forgotten memories. Today I did this travel back in time when walking along the main square of my city with my teenage years best friend, Szilvi, sipping on mulled wine and laughing out loud remembering to all the mischiefs we did together. I was really happy that after Budapest and Berlin, the third Szimpla, a really cool bar, now opened in Vac, so we took a chance on checking out the place. It’s an old, shabby baroque downtown house turned into a ruin pub, with a tastefully designed garden and interior, and a lovely girl serving yummy mulled wine. It’s really worth a visit if you’re passing by! I wore my vintage fur jacket, my vintage Levi’s short, Asos boots and a vintage leather bag.

xoxo,

katika

NEW ITEMS IN THE GARDEROBE!

Here are the latest vintage treasures added to the garderobe today, mes belles. Please note that the lovely print dress in the middle is a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress in excellent condition.
I’m so excited, I have to make a selection of clothes for an upcoming mashkulture event. It’s going to be a market so if you love vintage clothes, you’ll get the chance to buy them there. More details to follow soon!
xoxo,
katika

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.

* A N N E   O F   G R E E N   G A B L E S*
I know, mes belles, it’s getting a bit boring, having my daily outfit inspiration from a child novel for the second time now, but it’s so true, Anne of Green Gables was an absolute favourite character of mine as a child, her whole world was soo romantic that I was craving to do the same things, I even wanted to move to Prince Edward Island in Canada, I checked it on the map.
When I had to give my re-localization plan up, I tried to imitate the same things at my grandparents little village, I was so impressed how Anne loved the nature that as a dedication I went on hour long walks in the surrounding forests talking to the trees and birds and freaking my poor grandparents out who had no clue where I disappeared.
Even though I did not become a French teacher and my love’s name is not Gilbert Blythe and we are not living in a charming little village in the 1880s, I still love to play with the thought (and the dresses).

So here is today’s outfit, mes belles, worn in the smog covered Budapest, an adorable vintage Laura Ashley flannel dress with a romantic rose print.
Vintage coat & scarf, the hat is from H&M.

I hope you’ll all have a lovely weekend!!!
xoxo,
katika

CUTENESS OVERDOSE.

mes belles, I couldn’t resist to share this photo, it’s just too cute, really. Take a pug, preferably Lulu, combine her with the cutest baby born this fall, his majesty, Beni, the second prince to our girlcrew, and tadaaam, you get the too cute to be true photo as a result.
This was the first time Lulu saw a baby and she was convinced that we brought her home a new buddy, it was not easy to stop her from jumping on Beni and licking his face all over.
They’ll be nice mates in a few months!
Gotta sleep now, too much work these days, mes belles. My face is like a wirn out tee, crave my beautysleep.
nightnight and xoxo,
katika

DETAILS.

Here are, mes belles, the most beautiful new vintage accessories added to the garderobe. The bracelets are made of copper & bone and they were found at a lovely thrift shop close to our home. The sunglasses have a true ’70s style and I found them at the flea market. Hope you’ll love them as much as I do.
xoxo,
katika

DAILY OUTFIT.

This is today’s outfit photo, mes belles, I’m so sorry that i was not able to photograph this lovely vintage skirt without the ugly coat, but I was late from work as usual and it was too cold to take it off outside! hope you’ll still love the small details like the chocolate colour floppy hat and the so Sophia Loren vintage sunglasses!!!
xoxo,
katika

WINTeeeeerrr!

Oh, mes belles, it’s insanely cold these days in Budapest. Seriously. I can feel it in my bones. Which is not good news as it is probably an early sign of a future rheumatism. Niiice. But really, I was talking to a friend currently living in Moscow and he had this story about an old lady who prefered winter in Moscow to Budapest. She was convinced that there is a winter wind in Budapest that goes right under your skin and no fur coat or cossack hat can protect you! It’s so true. These days I lost my dressing-up appetite a bit and I feel more like wearing flannel pyjamas and watching Modern Family whole day. Instead of doing this I have to work my #ss off as the final countdown has begun, in 4 weeks time we are going on our annual holiday to a far far far away destination and there’s so much to take care of before that!
Gotta go and do some very important stuff now, so take care mes belles, and please please forgive me not posting regularly these days. It’ll all change once. And here is a lovely photo taken @ Fridge winter festival the other day, Lulu was with us, but I took her in my bag as it was too crowdy. Please note the beautiful vintage fur coat I’m wearing.
xoxo,
katika

FRIDGE FESTIVAL.

hello mes belles, it’s officially winter time in Hungary! Yesterday temperature dropped by almost 10 degrees and it’s so cold that I needed to get my warm wintercoats out of the garderobe quickly to save myself from freezing to death on my way to the office.
It was just Thursday so not the BIG bright lettered FRIDAY, I had a lovely program waiting for me at the end of the day: the first night of the 4-day winter festival taking place at the beautiful more than 100 year old ice rink in Budapest. Armed with many layers of clothes and spicy hot wine I had a really great time, dancing @ a Parov Stelar live concert is always warming you up. I was laughing with my friend Barbara as the last time we saw the band at BalatonSound summer festival, it was soo sizzling, we were almost melting and we were dancing in the front row in bikinis and the singer was sprinkling the audience with a hose-pipe!!!

I was wearing a royal blue hooded wintercoat, a giant vintage sweater, my mum’s vintage fur cossack hat and oldgold leggings from H&M.
Have a lovely weekend, mes belles!

xoxo,
katika

FLY, FLY, SEQUIN BUTTERFLY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LULU!

Mes belles, today is a very important day because it was the 4th November when the sweetest creature on Earth, the cutest pug in town, Lulu was born.
Lulu is 2 today and she is a true blessing, completely changed our lives and she is a true member of our family.
I remember how I’ve been begging David for a dog for ages and every time I opened a birthday or Christmas present I cannot say I was not a little bit always disappointed that it was not a dog. Then we had this serious, adult-like conversation and David said I could have a dog if it was MY dog and MY responsibility. It’s a long-term decision. I knew it was true. Having a dog is not only costly but requires true dedication, cosistence and time. They say having a dog is only for those that cannot be talked out of it.
When we finally agreed on all the conditions of keeping a dog I already knew that I wanted a pug. It’s the cutest breed on Earth and it’s not only suitable for those living in the city and not having a garden (sleeping 14 hours a day) but it’s also the most sociable creature, getting on so well with children and other animals. I’m not saying that proper training is not needed but today Lulu is dog we can take to restaurant or basically anywhere knowing that she’ll be fine and everyone will just love her.
Here are the cutest photos of her childhood, mes belles.
Happy birthday big girl, it’s your day!
xoxo,

katika

THE PLACE THAT WE CALL HOME.

Mes belles, here is the photo project I mentioned in my earlier post. Our super-talented photographer friend has this amazing concept, he is taking the photo of his friends in their homes and he is going to shoot the same bunch of people in their living space in 5 and then in 10 years. It’s a project that takes time but ends up in the most interesting album ever.
Wouldn’t you want to picture yourselves in 5 and oh, my God, in 10 years?!
It’s giving me goosebumps to be part of the project, it’s a real time-capsule!!! You can check out his incredible collection of Friends in their homes’ here.
The photos you can see in this post are our living room, my vintage garderobe and David’s studio & playground. I’m so in love with our apartment, it’s on the top floor of a really old building and all you can see from our ivy framed windows are old, shabby rooftops with old, curvy tiles. It’s a small piece of Paris.
We’ve been living here for 2 years and even if we are paying a fortune on mortgage each month, it’s a piece of our own and it makes us happy. We are happy to share it with our dog, Lulu and 2 canary birds.
And I’m absolutely sure (even if this time-capsule thing is freaking me out a bit) no matter where we will live in 5 or 10 years we will still be us and happy.
xoxo,
katika