Dressful

Zara top, circa 2005

I like it when clothes from H&M, Asos or Zara look like Dior. It pokes fun at high fashion's exorbitant cost* and proves that the impression given by clothes (expensive/cheap, put-together/random) depends entirely on the wearer. So actually, I like it when people wear clothes from cheaper brands like they're Dior (I'm using Dior as example because recently someone said my old Zara top reminded him of this brand, an outstanding compliment both to me and the top). It denotes a true understanding of fashion spiced with self-confidence and desire to make the clothes your own. To let yourself be the princess or prince at all times.

I'm sure most of us know instances when, say, this girl at school wore a scarf around her neck and pulled it off so well she made it a trend. In just a couple of days other girls started wearing a similar or even the same scarf. Of course, the scarf never looked so great on other girls. The secret was not in the scarf but in the girl and the way she wore it. Other girls couldn't achieve the same magic with the scarf because it's not what you wear, it's how you wear it.

On the other hand, even an exquisite Dior gown can look very much unlike Dior if you're not in the right mental place to wear it. Remember those thousands-of-dollars red carpet outfits that didn't work despite the best celebrity stylist, the most precious Harry Winston jewelry, the beautiful Louboutin pumps? You'd think it's impossible to go wrong with such sought-after pieces at your disposal. Wrong. Fashion can help immensely, but it cannot guarantee you that you will look amazing.

Since I know that how I look depends more on myself than my clothes, I don't believe in stratification of fashion. Zara tops and Yohji Yamamoto blouses are equally important in my closet. What I seek in clothes is not an expression of love for a certain brand or style, but a refined, dignified manner and character, the same qualities I wish to exude when I am wearing them.

* not to say the prices are always too high, though the crazy hole-ridden Balmain top will always remain questionable

H&M stripe top

1. Stripe top. I can't get away from varieties of sailor chic at the seaside, probably because it doesn't require any complex renditions. The city inspires (challenges, provokes ...) me to dress up, seaside not so much. I think the secret of sailor chic really is that it's so versatile, it doesn't look out of place on the beach nor when you're out on the town in the evening. It saves you when you don't want to spend too much time getting dolled up in the heat, but you still want to look nice. And it's neutral enough to suit everyone, though it's up to you to decide whether that's good or not.

2. Books. I've read more than 200 books in the past 2 months for university, but after I had taken my last exam, I went straight to the library to borrow more. Summer vacation is always the perfect opportunity to catch up on those books you didn't have time to read through the year. Currently on the menu: The Picture of Dorian Gray for the n^th time.

Alain Mikli sunglasses

3. Sunglasses. My love for sunglasses stems from the fact that you can use them for so many occasions, out of which their primary purpose - protecting your eyes from sun - is actually the most boring. Sunglasses are for when you don't want attention, when you want a ton of attention, when you want to cover up the consequences of last night's partying, when you're too lazy to put on make-up, when you'd prefer somebody doesn't find out you've had your eyes on them all day, when you feel like a celebrity and wear sunglasses indoors.

With this particular Alain Mikli pair, the uninitiated always tease me I'm wearing them upside down.

Gucci, Prada, Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2011

I'm completely and utterly stoked about the bright and bold colors trend for spring and summer 2011 going mainstream because I love it when city streets are infused with colors.

When I was in Zara stores in Milan and Paris during fashion week, checking how they'd styled the mannequins, I saw looks consisting solely of bright pieces for the first time ever (I was born too late to have witnessed the events of the 1980s and geniously revolting aerobic outfits firsthand). Grass-green pants, fuchsia shirt, ultramarine blue blazer.

I never imagined an insane ensemble like this could look so awesome.

I paused in deep thought amidst ardent shoppers rushing from one end of the store to the fitting rooms and back (at Zara there's always that one more thing you have to try on): "This is a revolution!"

Paris didn't quite catch up on the trend, but Milan streets were full of Prada, full of Jil Sander. It was as if someone had declared a "Dress like Anna Dello Russo" week and the participants cultivated the most colorful eccentricity. They looked like Zara mannequins, only a bajillion times more expensive.

(Of course, as you can see in my report from the Emporio Armani F/W 11/12 show, Anna Dello Russo was the uncrowned queen of bright and bold fashion week outfits. Someone really should give her that crown though. Why else do you think she's wearing fruits on her head if not to compensate?)

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Imagine my disappointment when days later I went to Zara in Ljubljana and discovered it's having only a fraction of Milan's exploding colors party? The mannequins are shyly clad in one, maximum two bright pieces at once. The rest of the look is neutrals.

It's nothing compared to the vibrant, brilliantly bold clothes that had me so excited in Milan and Paris, so excited I'm still thinking about them two weeks later.

The looks also entirely lack energy, as if there isn't a single person in this city who could wake up one morning fashion-starved and scream at the top of her lungs, "I want to be Anna Dello Russo today!"

Anna Dello Russo would probably cry at the sight of it. Remembering Milan, I almost did too.

It was then that I realized I'm sick of Ljubljana having the reputation of not being really fashion-forward when this impression is often a result of what someone else has selected for us.

Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2011 sandals

Don't you think it's curious how the fashion system lumps together spring and summer, fall and winter? Indeed having shows twice a year is enough of a chaos as it is. It'd be all kinds of complicated to double the number in order to specifically cater to every season, but the latter is precisely what I do. I dress differently in spring than in summer. There are colors and clothes that fit fall but not winter.

With the Fall/Winter 2011/12 collections being presented when the Northern Hemisphere's Fall/Winter 2010/11 was just coming to an end (to me, the 24 hours I spent in Paris for the Hogan by Karl Lagerfeld event were the first hint of spring, Milan was still very cold), i.e. more than half a year in advance, I too am skipping one season, already thinking about what I'm going to wear this summer.

Artdeco nail polish

Due to my love for black, many beautiful colors are severely underrepresented in my closet. One of them is coral red, to which I'll be giving more attention this summer - these Emporio Armani sandals (sans heel!) are going to be my "everyday shoes". You just slip them on - shoe hassle is for winter, not summer.

I'd also like to get a summer dress in another bright color (maybe orange?), not very expensive so I won't fret too much if it gets ruined (who am I kidding though - I haven't ruined a piece of clothing since I was what, 6?). A dress for meeting friends in town after the sun has set and it's not so devastatingly hot any more.

I was thinking about dressing for spring 3 months ago. Perhaps this means I'm adapting to the fashion industry's insanely rapid pace. It can be overwhelming, but on the other hand, it's fascinating that compared to the rest of the world, fashion is always one step ahead. Why not?

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Impressions from Milan and Paris I wanted to share with you that didn't find their place in other posts:

MILAN
Seeing the genius and bold Prada Spring/Summer 2011 collection in store, squealing at the sight of my favorite blue platform sandals.

Everyone wearing shoes from the Prada Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

Realizing that after a long time I belong somewhere again, confirming my October decision that fashion is what I'm going to do in life.

PARIS
An incredibly elegant 40-something woman wearing a Chanel suit and an orange Birkin, looking at sheer, pastel-colored tops at Zara.

The alluring old Guerlain store on the Champs-Elysées that I didn't have time for.

Stylish Parisiennes in flats, despite fashion week demanding more effort.

Paris being so cosmopolitan and relaxed that I wonder why it took me all these years to realize it.

I saw my first runway show at Milan Fashion Week last weekend. Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2011/2012 was a dark hodgepodge of Armani's signature no-nonsense aesthetic and pure magic. Like I said in my previous post, it was also one of the most beautiful experiences in my life.

Moments before the start of Emporio Armani F/W 11/12

I arrived to Milan by train from Trieste on Friday afternoon. Being exorbitantly excited probably had everything to do with me not remembering anything before the show, save for the last minute glitch with my invite. On Friday morning I received an email from the Emporio Armani international office asking me for my Milan address so they could send me the (physical) invite. I replied, but when I checked with the reception desk in my hotel late in the evening, the invite still hadn't arrived.

I was more than a bit worried because being a fashion show neophyte, I didn't know if the physical invite was absolutely mandatory to go in or your name on the list was enough. Thankfully, it turned out to be the second.

The show took place at Teatro Armani, a wonderfully minimalist and spacious Tadao Ando building in Via Bergognone. I got there with my friend 10 minutes before the show (I was attending the first show at 10:30 and she the second one hour later), carrying a bag full of extra heavy photo equipment plus my Galaxy Tab with the email I'd received the day before.

Although someone had told me security was a lot more strict now compared to previous years, the number of security guards at the entrance still came as a surprise. I had to show my email to different security personnel 3 times until I reached the girls in charge of the guest list inside. I explained that I was invited but didn't receive the invitation. They checked the list, found my name and gave me a show pass.

I was in!

My show pass. ST stands for standing. 10:30 is when the show was supposed to begin.

I passed through a long hallway and found myself in a large room where people were already waiting in line for standing spots. I left my coat in the wardrobe and joined the queue (how British!). Some people had the pretty white invites, but some had been given the same passes as I (I later found out we hadn't received our invites because there simply wasn't enough time to send all of them).

Waiting to enter the venue. The space on the left is where guests were coming in to be seated.

In the above photo, the space on the left is where I saw Anna Wintour for the first time. She (and her bodyguard) was among the first to arrive to the show when most people were still outside. I think I started shaking when I saw her, it was just so unbelivable. Although I don't always like or agree with what she does, the amount of respect I have for this woman is tremendous.

The show was late, but I didn't care because I was so happy to be there. After the VIPs had arrived, they let us in as well. The venue was dark with just a little bit of light, some chilling music and a lot of chatter.

Photographers at the end of the runway

Then the show began. It was an amazing sensory experience: music blasted to the max, unbearable heat, super strong lights, everything I'd usually run away from, but it fit the occasion like a glove. When I saw Anna Dello Russo standing on the opposite side of the venue, I realized how damn perfect everything was and how I'd been wishing and waiting for this for so long. A few discreet tears rolled down my cheeks (they didn't even mess up my non-waterproof mascara), accompanied by a huge smile.

The best thing about the show was that I loved the collection. Imagine the horror of seeing your first runway show and not liking the very reason it was organized for? The collection is more serious than the usual Emporio Armani, which was brilliantly executed. All the clothes were black and accessories mostly colorful. I could relate to it well because I've been dressing this way (all black + one colorful accessory) for years.

Can you spot Anna Dello Russo?

This little dog had the honor to close the show.

As soon as the show was over, Anna Wintour was the very first to stand up and leave. The exit was on the opposite side from where she sat, so by the time she got there, a group of people had already amassed. Her bodyguard paved her way through the crowd and poof!, she was gone, just like Cinderella.

Most people left their invites on the seats or on the floor.

On my way out I bumped into Anna Dello Russo giving a quick interview. I love her vibrant fashion week outfits, she truly takes the art of standing out to the next level.

In the meantime, a ton of people had gathered outside - those waiting for the second show as well as photographers wanting to catch people leaving the first show.

Busy entrance before the second show.

The police outside Teatro Armani during the second show. The street was closed for all traffic unrelated to the shows.

I stayed outside until the end of the second show (I was waiting for my friend). It was mostly uneventful, except for a fascinating flash mob - about 15 people showed up on their bicycles and started ringing the bells. They did this for about 5 minutes and I thought we'd all go deaf. Then a boy came up to me and randomly asked me how to get into the show.

When I heard the loud music signaling the start of the second show, it hit me that "my" show was already over. I wasn't in an "I can't believe I was there!" mood because I knew I belonged there, it was just that the show had been my number one thought for so long and now that it was over I didn't have a clear idea what to do next.

On our way back to the center, my friend and I saw the super nice girls who had given me the show pass earlier at the metro station. They asked me how I liked the show and the only thing I could say was "amazing" because it was impossible to put all my feelings into one or two cultured sentences.

I hope I managed to say more with this post.

This was my outfit. I wore a Tadashi dress (bought on a very cold December evening in Gorizia), Marjeta Grošelj belt and Zara over-the-knee boots.

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Big thanks to:

- Everyone I've been in touch with at Armani in the past month (Ms P, Ms S, the girls at the show ...) - for being incredibly nice and professional.

- My mom - for going to Milan with me, and everything else.

- My brother - for lending me his photo equipment.

- My dad - for nothing in particular this time (I probably just can't remember), but it'd be wrong to leave you out.

- Most of all, Rosa.

I'm also very happy to say this is not the end of the fashion month for me. I'm flying to Paris on Friday for another event. I haven't been to Paris since I was 9, but for the past 6 months my sixth sense was telling me I'd end up there soon. As always, it was one hundred percent right.