Trends used to begin in the streets. But in the XXI century, when everyone has two not-so-distant lives (the real life and the online life), trends seem to begin in our instagram explore page. That´s where you can find the most popular posts with the latest styling tips and coolest accessories. That´s also where you laugh at memes but I guess that´s not the subject here.

Instagram hasn’t been exactly my favorite place for several reasons but I must admit that when it comes to discover the latest trends and coolest brands, it’s my number 1 source. Finding small brands is basically the reason I ignore all those WhatsApp group messages *cof cof*

“So, Filipa, what shouldn’t we be missing?”

Glad you asked! Chances are, you´ve been seeing a lot of pearls and golden chains, a signficant ammount of shells and sea related accessories (hello, summer!) and hair clips. Lot´s of hair clips. Allow me to show you…

Don’t forget to leave a love note saying hi 🙂

Advertisement

EN I still remember the day I found out that, inside that ugly piece of furniture, a sewing machine was hidden. I knew my grandma used to sew a lot (and very well, for that matter) but always pictured her doing it in a boring plain white sewing machine, just like the ones I was used to seeing.

Imagine my surprise when the ugly brown piece of furniture opens and a beautiful sewing machine is revealed. It was an old black Singer with the most perfect golden details in perfect condition, almost like it was recently bought. Since that day, I never forgot her.
I learned that the original sewing machine had a cast iron treadle base before the ugly brown piece of furniture which I never got to see. For a child who loved to make clothes for her own dolls a real sewing machine was the symbol of a possible future hobby – maybe something more.

The years went by and the old Singer never came out of the brown piece of furniture again. It wasn’t certainly forgotten, though. My childhood memories preserved her and she was passed on to me. It was when I found out that it was dated from 1923 (which I found out here) and that 230.000k machines were fabricated that same year. It was also when I decided she was way too pretty to be hidden and made her the star of my new vanity.

P.s. I’m planning on painting the brown structure and adding a few shelves on the inside. I’ll keep you updated 🙂

PT Recordo-me do dia em que percebi que, dentro daquele móvel castanho não particularmente bonito, se escondia uma máquina de costura. Sabia que a minha avó costurava muito (e bem) mas imaginei que o fizesse numa máquina branca, aborrecida, como todas as que estava acostumada a ver.
Quando o móvel se abriu, de dentro daquele pedaço de madeira, vi surgir a máquina de costura mais bonita que até ali tinha visto. Uma Singer antiga, preta com desenhos a dourado, perfeitamente estimada, como se tivesse sido acabada de comprar. Nunca mais me saiu da cabeça.
Fiquei a saber que não era o original (com muita pena minha), que antes do móvel castanho tinha havido uma estrutura de ferro forjado, trabalhada.
Para uma criança que, desde muito cedo, se entretinha a fazer modelitos para bonecas, uma máquina de costura de verdade era o símbolo de um hobby futuro – quiçá algo mais.

Os anos passaram e a máquina nunca mais voltou a surgir de dentro do móvel. Não tinha ficado esquecida – as minhas memórias de criança preservaram-na e “ela” passou para mim. Foi quando descobri que era de 1923, que tinham sido fabricadas 230.000 máquinas como aquela. Foi, também, quando decidi que era demasiado bonita para estar escondida num móvel tão feio e que ia passar a ser o centro de todas as atenções do meu toucador.

English Version

Daily outfits on Instagram are great. Sharing those fabulous looks, making the photos seem so effortless… I’m truly happy that it seems pretty normal to have someone next to you, ready to capture your most fabulous self almost every day.

Now the ugly truth – ain’t nobody got time for that. Unless that’s your job (which let’s face it, it rarely is) none of us feels or looks that fabulous every morning. And allow me to tell you a secret… Most of us don’t have personal photographers 24/7 ready to capture those cool street style snaps.

Since the very beginning that has been my main struggle – finding the time and the people available to take the not-so-occasional #ootd shots.

The solution to supply your demands? The mirror selfie. The real quick effortless solution that I adopted almost 3 years ago. The location? The elevator. Occasionally the big mirror downstairs but since people tend to stare while passing by and to prevent my neighbors from thinking I’m nothing but a narcissist, the elevator is definitely my favorite location.

So for the sake of keeping it real (and because there is a huge amount of storage occupied with ootd selfies) I took the liberty of gathering some of my most acceptable mirror #ootd’s from the past year and share them here with you.

I promise that one day I’ll be a street style star. But for now, allow me to shine on my elevator 😌

Clear space for… #1

I receive lots of messages on Instagram asking me which Apps I´m using to take my photos, specially the ones with that vintage look (ever wanted a 35 mm? Well, I still do…). Ever since I bought my beloved Pen Camera photographing gained a new life and that vintage style was a result of programming the camera with the right settings and VSCO edition. I also own an Instax Mini, which I absolutely adore (specially because no one ever looks bad) but because it prints automatically it´s a rather expensive option that I keep for special moments.

Back when I had the Huawei G-Play Mini, photographing with my phone wasn´t much of a option (the camera is terrible, even though it was supposed to be a good one). I remember I was always freeing up space for my dear VSCO and the few shots I took, I used that App directly. Now with the iPhone (btw, it´s true what they say about the camera) things changed a lot in terms of taking photos and my camera finally got some rest.

I guess reading two paragraphs on a Sunday is enough for you so, without further notice, here are my favorite vintage photography apps of the moment 🙂

P.S. I only chose easy apps to take quick photos and maybe do some editing, but nothing too deep into manual edition.

Moly Cam – it allows you to take those Polaroid or instax kind of photos. It has a basic editor and you can choose from several vintage filters. PROS – you can choose which vintage filter you’re going to use before taking the photo and it’s a pretty cool editor if you want to upload photos directly from your phone. CONS – the instant photos don’t look so real because of the frame.

HUJI – remember those disposable cameras? HUJI is supposed to be one. It gives that 35 mm kind of look to your photos. You can’t edit them but I think they turn out to look so cool with that retro vibe and the date on the side that there’s no need to. PROS – it really gives you that disposable camera feeling and it’s kind of a surprise when you see the final version. No need to edit. CONS – Annoying advertising after taking the photo. It’s tolerable, though. Doesn’t let you upload a photo previously taken.

Retro Cam – I’m still testing it but so far, I really like it. It’s an editor which comes in handy if you already have the photos and want to magically send them back in time. You can add over light, textures (to give that old scratchy look), vintage filters and edit the basic settings such as contrast, vignette, temperature, etc. PROS – the most important features are part of the free version and you have a lot of options to edit your photos. CONS – to have access to the glitch feature and to add the date you have to buy the full version.

Dazz – Here you can choose the accessories (lenses) and the camera type you’d like to use. The instant photos here look more realistic. It’s not an editor though. PROS – it really looks like you’re using in real life those lenses and cameras. CONS – you can’t have access to all the cameras and lenses unless you buy the full version.

Each morning, after waking up, the routine begins. Ideally, you have a slow morning with fresh brewed coffee while reading the news. The smell of your coffee impregnates the kitchen as you begin to move towards the bedroom to choose your clothes (again, ideally, you’d run to your walk in closet). You dress for success, as it should be.

You lean to your phone to check the e-mails, just before leaving the house. Gosh, what a boring boring case your phone has. If only it matched with your mood or – even better – with your outfit. You know exactly what you’d like that case to be, what would look absolutely darling. What would make a statement, a personal statement.

That’s where CaseApp comes in. Allowing you to create your own case, it’s the perfect way to express your individuality and make your own statement. Don’t feel like designing your own case or laptop skin? You can always choose from a wide range of cool designs carefully crafted by some pretty cool designers.

You know me – always creating new content. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I tell you that I had a lot of fun designing this artsy phone case to match with my artsy mood 🙂 As for the iPad case, I went for one of the pre-made designs and I must say that I’m pretty amazed with both choices. They’re super resistant, very easy to clean and – of course – super stylish. The iPhone case came in a cute little dust bag with an adorable Christmas themed design.

If you’re looking to create a super personalized case look no further. You can use the code DISSECTINGTHELOOK20 on your order.

Este post foi feito em parceria com a TI SENTO – Milano.

Lembro-me como se fosse ontem do Natal em que recebi a minha primeira jóia. De como me senti especial com aquela pulseirinha brilhante no pulso, como se mais ninguém no mundo tivesse uma igual. Sempre achei que as jóias nos faziam sentir assim – únicas, especiais.

E como não há ninguém que não goste de se sentir especial, que tal tal deixar uma caixinha de jóias na árvore de Natal?

A TI SENTO – Milano é especialista em fazer os nossos corações palpitar por jóias em prata. Tudo é pensado até ao mais ínfimo detalhe – do design moderno e sofisticado passando pela qualidade, nada escapa. Praticamente todas as peças que escolhi foram em tons de rosa dourado (romântica que estou…), perfeitas para usar quer com looks de festa (olá passagem de ano e festas de Natal infinitas!) quer com looks mais casuais e descontraídos.

Fã de anéis? Somos duas. E como diz a velha máxima “quantos mais, melhor”, a TI SENTO tem uma selecção de anéis propositadamente pensados para misturar e criar combinações para todas as ocasiões e estados de espírito. Pessoalmente, adoro usar os anéis com pedras juntos ou alternar com os mais finos.

2

3

Há muito tempo que procurava um colar comprido que pudesse usar com um pendente discreto quer como colar normal quer para usar com vestidos e tops sem costas. O pendente foi pensado para brincos e a argola da imagem é, na realidade, um brinco (deixei-me render às ideias de Mix & Match da TI SENTO – Milano, já sabem como sou no que toca a invenções e criatividade…). Como a prata faz um contraste lindo com malhas escuras, tenho usado muito o colar com camisolas de gola alta em tons escuros.  E algo me diz que a consoada vai ser passada com um look deste género… tirando a camisola que, obviamente, terá de ser beeeeem mais larga…

4

Acontece que este colar também é a peça perfeita para festas e ocasiões especiais. Como? Basta virá-lo para trás das costas et voilá! Ideal para dar graça a um vestido preto simples ou até usar com um body sem costas. Ficam já duas propostas de looks para a passagem de ano 🙂

5

A minha grande aposta foram os brincos. Fiquei tão entusiasmada com a possibilidade de criar várias peças únicas (que isto de seguir tendências é giro até andarmos todos vestidos de igual) que julgo ainda não ter esgotado todas as combinações. E como o estilo é pessoal e intransmissível, nada melhor que brincar com formas e cores e conjugar argolas e pendentes para criar (várias) peças exclusivas.

6

7

Não estou a exagerar quando vos digo que foram as caixinhas mais bonitas que alguma vez recebi. Tudo é pensado ao detalhe desde o saquinho de seda com as jóias (cada jóia vem num saquinho dentro de uma caixinha) até ao interior da caixa grande. Haverá melhor presente para abrir no dia de Natal?

8

E para os mais distraídos ou para os que têm receio que a pessoa não goste e preferem que seja ela a escolher, a TI SENTO permite oferecer presentes de última hora através do cartão presente .

Mas como o Natal é época de dar e receber também tenho um miminho para vocês… podem usar o código FILIPAXTISENTO para usufruírem de um desconto todo catita! Quem é amiga, quem é? 😉

Contem-me tudo nos comentários – já têm todos os presentes comprados? Gostavam de encontrar uma caixinha destas na árvore? 🙂

#tisentomilano #whisperitloud #silverfestive

…and by “the inside” I mean underwear. Wearing cool matching underwear always made me feel like I had everything in life together – even if it was just for a bit. Something about it that makes me feel great. Maybe it´s the hype about the Victoria Secret show maybe not. Either way, I´ll leave you with several options to take your underwear and nightwear to the streets 😉

underwear2underwear3underwear4underweararrowdunderwear6_LI

 

I´m sticking with you

DISCLAIMER: This post is a collaboration with Printworks. All opinions are my own.

I hate seeing everyone wearing and using the same clothes, accessories and even stationary. Anyway, I apologize for the outburst – it was probably because my Instagram search page is only showing people by the pool and having a wonderful time on the Italian Riviera. My point being – I love personalized accessories and frankly, who doesn’t? That wonderful feeling of exclusivity and expression of one´s self… Ah…

I found Printworks through Instagram and I knew I had just found the most perfect accessories for my precious gadgets (and myself, of course).

printworks3

Printworks is a Swedish design company focused on personalized gifts, accessories, lifestyle products that make everyday life much more fun (that´s why you can catch me staring at my laptop case or iPhone case when I really should be getting work done). So how does this personalization thing work, you smartly ask. Easy – you can choose from a wide range of cool stickers your favorites and show the world your creative side! Combine them the way you like and voilá! I was amazed by the quality of the materials and their resistance (my cat caught me distracted and had a very long nap in my laptop case…). Once you put the stickers on they stick perfectly on the leather.

printworks2.png

I chose to personalize my laptop case with my blog initials (my brother smartly noted that the stickers have the Gryffindor´s House colors *geek moment* and I got even happier because I´m obviously a lion) and my iPhone case with a F sticker (hello, I´m Filipa, a Fashion-addict and Food lover who´ll always be waiting for Friday). Good stationary and accessories always motivate me to work and since I´m on vacations from college I decided it was about time to post here more frequently – one thing led to the other and here we are!

printworks4

But I gotta be honest here – it would be a shame to use this laptop case for laptop purposes only… So I´ve been using it A LOT as a clutch everywhere I go (from the poolside to the casual night drinks).

printworks5

So on a scale of 1 – 10 how much do you love personalized accessories? Let me know in the comments section! A little bird told me Printworks is having a summer sale so make sure you stop by 😉

 

Juna & Ethical Fashion

Supporting fast fashion is something that we´re all guilty of doing at some point. It´s cheaper (and we all love a good bargain), many of us won´t even know the difference and did I mention it´s cheaper? But do you know at what cost it´s cheaper for you?

Sometimes we come across disturbing newspaper articles mentioning big fashion groups´ scandals (price tags with desperate cries for help, for instances), trying to alert us to the issues of the so-called fast fashion. It doesn’t stop most of us from buying but at least it can help us make smarter choices regarding what and where we choose to buy. I didn´t understand much besides the obvious about what sustainable fashion was about and the negative impacts of fast fashion so I did a little research and it´s both an interesting and devastating topic.

juna2

Jewellery by Juna is an eco-friendly brand, using recycled sterling silver, fair trade gold and each piece is hand-crafted, making sure everyone involved in the process is fairly paid and well treated is one of their objectives. A beautiful blue gemstone necklace caught my eye and so that´s what I chose to style.

I was immediately impressed with the quality of the materials (chalcedony, iolite, sterling silver) and I asked for a longer length to have multiple options when it comes to style it (as you know, layering is kind of my thing when it comes to accessories plus the internet says it´s cool and trendy, so…).

juna4

Because of the beautiful pendant I often use it backward, with open back dresses or tops (which I’m counting to look way cooler during the summer when I finally get a proper tan…).

The necklace is just one of the many unique pieces Juna crafts. After this necklace, my favorites are the multiple stacks of rings. Everything is so minimal and tasteful that you can´t possibly go wrong when styling her pieces. Make sure to check Juna´s online store here and her website, which provides useful information on the crafting process and gives you an idea of what ethical fashion is.

juna3

I believe bloggers and influencers have an important role in this matter. With a big following come big responsibilities. At least I always saw it that way. Promoting sustainable fashion is one of the things I care about the most.

There are multiple ways of supporting slow fashion: buying vintage, choosing small companies (you can even help local and small businesses grow), create your own clothes (that´s a tricky one, I know, but it´s a childhood dream) or choosing quality over quantity (you´ll end up saving money with your long-term investment).

Would love to know your thoughts both on my beautiful necklace and sustainable fashion so you know what to do! 🙂

Standfor X DTL

Remember Standfor? Well, I´m happy to announce you my newest collaboration with this amazing Portuguese brand. And you already know how this works: new collection means new statement. This time, we´re walking for One Gender.

one gender2

 

We´re all humans. And that´s the only “gender” that matters. Because we´re not all equal – each and every one of us has a different personality, different tastes, different ways to express ourselves (fashion being just one of them). But we´re all human and that makes us equal regardless of gender. And that, my loves, is a very dear topic to me.

one gender3

one gender4

This collection was designed accordingly to the latest fashion trends (floral prints anyone?) and it´s based on strong powerful ideas such as acceptance, harmony, power, balance, merit.
one gender5

The shoes you´re seeing in the photos might not be a very obvious choice for someone who loves monochromatic outfits as I do but they were love at first sight – again. They stand for balance and respect, two of the things that I value the most in a relationship between two people.

one gender6

Just like other collections, you can check your hikes counter and see how much you´ve walked in your shoes while making your own statement to the world.

one gender7

I paired them with a total black look (and a teddy coat ´cause it´s freezing) because something so colorful and fun should receive as much attention as possible.

As always, would love to know your thoughts on this matter so meet me in the comment section 🙂

This post was a collaboration with Standfor and the shows were gifted to me. All opinions are my own.