MY TWO-DECADE CARDIGAN

The other day I realised that the oldest piece of clothing in my wardrobe, apart from vintage, is a cardigan I bought in 1997 that I still use.  I was a bit impressed actually, as we seldom tend to think of clothing of today to last for that long. And cardigans tend to get floppy easily; this one not.  I remember the store I bought it from (which is no more), and was looking at it twice or three time before actually buying it as it was expensive at the time at 120FiM, which nowadays equals to about 20€. But back then that was a lot more. You could really get a lot for the green one hundred bill, with a stubborn Sibelius on it.

There was also this little episode when this cardigan went missing for about a year and a half or so after I moved away from home and I was certain I had not lost it anywhere. It was later found in a bag under my teenaged sister's bed, as she had borrowed it without asking and then hid the evidence. Nowadays she thoroughly denies this ever happend though. Now that I remembered this again I have to tease her a little about it.

SUMMER VIBES FROM WHEN IT WAS (ALMOST) WARM

October! The month changes and the sun says 'K bye!' and we get Halloween-ish storms in an instant. Not that I am complaining per se; I have big shawls and red wine and berets and turbans to cover my hair with.

But here's a throwback to an planned-but-unposted  (applies to 99%of the photos on my memory card since 2016...) day and it's outfit  from summer when I wore a turban in much more sunnier weather:

This summer I have been filming a thing that, for the first time in a long time allowed me to have a purpose to wear lots of nice clothing again! Meanwhile, something very strange had happened during the past as I suddenly find a lot of garments in my closet can no longer fit. Or not comfortably at least.

But happy to notice this old Trashy Diva-gem of mine still does!

The cardigan I've customed myself with iron-on patches, the turban is from Rubylea and the sunglasses broken by now.

And you know what? It's not even that long until it's summer again!

SUNSHINE

It's finally warm and sunny! Yesterday was the first day without socks outside!
There is hope after all!

Here I tried to swing like a happy monkey in a tree, to illustrate the fact that it's warm and and one can now go bazonkas and so on, but turns out it was harder than I thought. Plus I kind of got a little worried the branch would crack and hit me in the head and I'd basically die blogging.  But as you can't be totally fabulous or witty all the time you get my attempt here anyway.

This was also a sneaky outfit post. The top is from Freddies of Pinewood and the lurex thingies are h&m.

LOST SPRING

Waiting for spring like -

WHERE IS IT!

Apparently spring is like a month late here or so by now they say on the news and in the papers.
Well yes, thanks, we kind of noticed. The true definition of "april weather". Sun and rain and random snow and temperatuare yo-yoing.

But the spring gear has however premiered. Even to the extent that I treated myself to a new vintage Pendleton and a pair of vintage boots, to stomp around in the mud over here in, via Etsy.
My pyjamas-like high waist wide-legged cropped pants are from Light in The Box.

(They promised -PROMISED - it'd be +20c this weekend so keeping my thumbs and hopes up for that. And if not, then - oh well, damn, it's the weather, then you still just can't do anything about it...)

FOUR THINGS RIGHT NOW: 4 x BROWN

Gingerbread brown blouse that I came across for less than 5€ the other day at the Fida thrift shop.

Breakfast. Or, part of it.
Also: unintentionally inspired by my post a few days back, matching my snacks.

1970's vintage cowboy boots that I bought via Etsy some time ago. When you live in the countryside you need boots.

And then the best thing about Easter.
Mignon eggs. Full, solid nougat.

THIS WINTER'S SKIRT

So far this year I feel I have mainly been living in a turban,  a thin knit and in this forest green knitted skirt with a strechty waist. Easy to pull up over the dance leggings and tops, to add an extra layer underneath to when it got really cold, and good as it is with just tights when it's been closer to zero - winter has been a real yoyo this year.

The top is from Lindy Bop and the skirt was a Christmas clearance piece from Lindex.

I am often asked about where to get turbans; the black soft ones I have are from Kuokkasen peruukkiliike in Helsinki, but Etsy, for example, has a lot of turbans! Apart from the constant black beret, turbans are a must-have; you simply can not have too many of them.

Also this is pretty much the only place in our house where one can take any pictures. Everything else is still full of boxes, in renovation-mode or covered in some fringly sparkly burlesque-project mess. Uh.

WINTERIZING SUMMER STRIPES

Well, it's that time of the year again when you either have packed some of your clothes away (if you are the organised type that actually does that instead of having to lean against your closet door to close it. Not saying I'm either one  though, ehrm), or have started indulging in some hardcore layering, in my vocabulary known as winterizing.


I wear quite a lot of my dresses during the colder season as well paired with thicker tights and something underneath plus a layer or two on top. It depends a bit on the dress weather it works or not; the thinnest materials seldom look good that way, but this cotton is a bit heavier.

This is a cotton summery dress that I got from thai vintage store Sugar & Cream Vintage, that you might remember me writing about some time ago.

It's in mint condition with hidden buttons in the front and, like in the red vintage dress I have from the same store, this one also has a hidden zipper in front in able to step into instead of having to pull it over the head.  Handy!

But I just might (or: will, eventually) have to add a pair of patch pockets, which, as you know, makes everything better - I have a cotton fabric with similar soft coloured stripes, just a few more hues in the blend. It will sit pretty well there.

And no, I didn't cut my almost-there outgrown bangs back; this is a wig! I use some pieces on stage and in shoots for all those days that I did not have the time to roll my hair the evening before, but some of them can make themselves useful during the bad hairdays of everyday life as well.

For those who want to know; apart from the Sugar & Cream Vintage dress the belt vintage too, the bag from the early 00's, boots new and the wig from Annabelle's wigs.

RED & YELLOW, SUGAR & CREAM

The darker and more desaturated it gets outside the nicer it is to wrap yourself in colours. Well that, and -a bit contradictory I guess - all black as well (which is still a very common day-to-day choice for me). But today it was deep red för hela slanten as one would say in Swedish. (Well probably not the young folks to be honest, but that's how I'd say it.)

This is a damask pattern chiffon dress that I received from Sugar & Cream vintage store.
My bag is vintage (that I haven't apparently used, or emptied properly in some time as I found a concert ticket to Gotan Project from 2010 in it!) and my red lace-up high heel boots are from somewhere on the internet from a few years ago. With the boots the dress gets kind of a folk-y vibe to it.

You know I love shirt waist dresses and this one also as an elastic waist (comfy-points!) plus a hidden zipper in the pleats in the front which means you can step into it and don't have to pull it over your head! That gets points too!

Sugar & Cream is a Bangkok vintage store ran by two sisters; you can visit their actual shop in Bangkok but also shop online via their webstore. You can also find them on Facebook here. 
I will be writing a couple of posts for their Sugar & Cream blog in the near future!

DRESSED UP FOR OCTOBER

I went to a Octoberfest-themed party in the weekend and dressed inspired by myself in 1983.

(Even though I remembered my tiny dirndl had the colours the other way around, with a red skirt.)

I did not have that much time to put together an outfit and also wanted one just inspired by the look of a dirndl, not to create one. But if there's a next time I'll sew myself a pair of high waisted lederhosen-inspired suspender shorts (or skirt) instead!

This is a selfmade skirt and the waistcoat/corselette is one I use on stage as part of a very differently themed outfit.

This was also a great opportunity to get to use one of my petticoats! I seldom wear them nowadays.
I should go to parties more often I guess (not just perform at them).

Grogan Jewelers by Lon Event in Nashville!

This post was written by me through an activation with HireInfluence on behalf of Grogan Jewelers by Lon.  Although I received compensation for participation in the campaign, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello loves! I'm sure you all saw my snaps a little on Instagram last week of my trip to Nashville. Well, I was actually sent there to attend the Nashville Lifestyles “25 Most Beautiful People” reveal party with with Grogan Jewelers by Lon. My trip was absolutely amazing - Nashville was a wonderful city!

One of the highlights was definitely attending the event though. I met so many nice people and had a great time checking out the Nashville fashion and celeb scene.

Also, I'm sure you saw me post about the contest with Grogans Jewelers by Lon to send a lucky winner to Nashville to attend the event as well. Well the contest winner, Sarah, had the opportunity to pick out her dress from Stacey Rhodes Boutique. Then she got pampered with a full on makeover for the event - hair, makeup and nails at Jule Salon. Talk about southern hospitality, am I right?!

If you’re in Nashville, be sure to visit Grogan Jewelers by Lon at their new location in the Cool Springs Mall on the lower level across from the Apple store! You can find more locations by visiting their website.

xoxo,

Bonnie

SILK & POLYESTER

Channeling some 70's lounge vibes with my blackjumpsuit, peeptoes and slinky silk shirt.
It's all old stuff from the closet.

A Moment of Zen with Tazo Tea

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tazo® Tea All opinions are 100% mine.

Hi Loves! I am so excited to bring you a post in collaboration with delicious Tazo Tea. My days are pretty hectic, but I always make it a point throughout the day to set some time aside to just slow things down a bit. One of my favorite ways to take a breather is the unique blends of Tazo's delicious teas, especially their  Zen™ blend. Their zen tea is a harmonious blend of green tea with lemongrass and spearmint , which I find the perfect aid in helping me unwind at any time of the day. Sometimes things get so busy in my life, that I forget to sit down and enjoy the simple things! I know I am always in that go-go-go mind set, but sometimes in that flow it's easy to lose focus. Fun fact about me, I actually meditate throughout my day to stay grounded. Even if it's only for fine minutes, you would be so surprised how much more smoothly it will make the day go! So anytime I need a little reset, I always take some time aside for myself to do this. Sometimes I even do multiple times a day! Taking this special ‘me’ time has been even that much more enjoyable with Tazo tea. Findind my own little moment of Zen is vital for me!

I love Tazo teas espeically because they are made from the finest quality tea leaves, spices and botanicals to create unexpected blends that are always vibrantly delicious. And the best part is that they are conveniently located at pretty much any grocery store so it is super easy to snag while getting my weekly groceries. Other than the Zen tea, I also really love the Awake™ English Breakfast, a breakfast-style black tea of malty boldness & bright flavor, invigorating any time of day and also the Passion®  blend, an exuberant herbal infusion of hibiscus, orange peel, rose hips & passion fruit flavors.

All the Tazo blends are delicious but whether you are into Zen like me, Awake English Breakfast, or Passion blend, they are all worth trying! Check out Tazo.com to find Tazo near you and to find out which one of these blends is your favorite! If you are like me, enjoy your tea at any point of the day, and always remember to Sip Joyfully!

APPLES, THE BLACK BERET AND THE PONCHO

It's that time of the year! The beret is out and the poncho is on and you can totally wrap yourself in it and there are apples everywhere:
It's autumn!

Unidays: Saving Money As A Student 101

A little back to school inspired post in partnership with UniDays ....

 I am so excited to be partnering with Unidays, to bring you a post full of awesome discounts for students. It's super duper easy and all you have to do is log in and you have to search and search for what you are looking for. My favorite part is that there is an app for Unidays as well! The app is laid out much like the site and you can find what you are looking for right when you log in. The featured discounts run the top margin and everything else is listed below. Here's a little overview of how the app works!

See, so easy. You literally click the offer and head straight to the site to redeem. Unidays was a late arrival when I was in college, but anyone who is a current student would be crazy not to use this. Some of my favorite brands offering discounts are:

Asos: 10% OFF your entire purchase

Apple: Get up to $200 OFF your purchase (Need a laptop or iPad anyone?)

Boohoo: Get 40% OFF your purchase (That is seriously amazing!)

Missguided: Get 20% OFF your purchase

For Love and Lemons: Get 20% OFF

1800 Contacts: 10% OFF

Megabus: $10 OFF

Hotels.com: 10% OFF

I also love using the website too!

So make sure to download the Unidays app and use their site to save on your already regular purchases. I promise you will not find another site that offers the amazing brands and discounts that Unidays does! :) . Click HERE to learn more about Unidays and sign up for the amazing savings.

xoxo,

Bonnie

This post was sponsored by Unidays