Dress Style

this is all that remains from last night's forrest party/music festival, but it looks pretty accurately magical.

here is a blurry, we're too drunk to take a good photo photo of something I'm going to wear all fall. CAPES.
I woke up in the middle of the night a few weeks back and sketched out this design. a triangle trim cape. lightweight black fabric, gauze type. i'll post real photos of it tomorrow. right now I have to catch up on the second episode of Project Runway + ben & jerry's.

I want to spend every day of winter in this H&M jacket. where is it? I've been searing for it and can't wait for it to be released. I might even buy two, one to alter and one to wear as it's normally perfect self. it reminds me of something my mom would have worn when I was about 10 and we first moved to the US. i bet there are a lot of my moms first collection of western clothes that I would just love. i can imagine her wearing this on top of a traditional Punjabi suit to create a clashing look. those were the days.

when Whyred keeps releasing such amazing boots. I've posted the solid black pair before but they've done it again and added some amazing companions. I feel like Whyred doesn't get the attention it deserves. Everyone seems to be obsessing over their Atacoma boots but I'd wear these instead. sooo many boots and not enough money...

i'm not a huge Topshop fan, I seldomly (its not a word according to google but I'll use it) shop there but this collection must join the contents of my wardrobe. it's so rare that a mass marketed line hits such chords as this one does. I've been personally obsessed with eyelets for years now- even more then I can say for studs. i love this man. I can easily justify spending my entire paycheck on this come september- I love the knickers, sheer pants, navy embellished frock and of course the printed t-shirt dress.

i am so digging this. i love how most of his stuff is cheap but relevant. he kills it and effortlessly proves you don't need designer goods to look creative. plus that ring.

incidentally, i wore 5 layers of all black today.

also NEW ITEMS in dusty dress shop!

Dusty Dress Shop has been in the works for quite a while now. I have two full wardrobes, two large trunks under my bed, a suitcase, numerous boxes and an attic all full of clothes I have collected over the years. I experienced my first big wardrobe edit before I moved to Stockholm but since then and because of the amazing shopping in Stockholm, I have accumulated even more stuff then before. I have many items in my wardrobe that still have tags on them- as of late I have been wearing more and more of my own DIY and MishaMarket garments so I am now deciding to sell off at least 50% of my wardrobe.

check out the first few items up now by clicking here and click the shopping bag on the right weekly for updates!

in a few hours these sick boots will be mine! these are going to get the shit studded out of them. I'm obsessed with low heel cowboy inspired boots. i love that the hardware on these is silver and not gold. I think these will look good with trouser socks and a girly dress.

read my blah blah's HERE.

Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities I have been to- tiny streets are woven with canals that are filled with interesting houseboats (many people actually live in these full time) and tiny boats full of people enjoying their weekend on the water. Although Amsterdam can seem touristy (and it is, watch out for the omnipresent fraternity boys and loud college kids) even the most crowded neighborhoods are full of little surprises. A few things I absolutely adore about Amsterdam:

+the window displays (keep an eye out as I think in some way they've perfected the art),shoe stores- there are SO many shoe stores in Amsterdam, some bad, most worth looking into
+tiny tiny streets- when walking around, opt for the path less taken, you'll find some hidden treasures along the way and won't be surrounded by tourists
+the size of the city, it's so tiny you won't believe it so I recommend not taking public transportation, we didn't once use the train or bus but instead walked our entire trip.
+chain restaurants- i usually stick to cozy local places when I'm traveling and even in my own city but they have some great chains
+Sweetcake also called Spekkoek- this is the best cake I have ever had, it's a layered spice cake with no additional icings or overload of sugar. You can get it at most cafes and I've mentioned one below.

So here it is, long but necessary. Mostly I am writing this entry so I don't forget these magical places the next time I am there.

SHOPPING
1/ WONDER WOOD [images 1-4]
This is a great interior design/ furniture shop that we happened to walk into upon Johans request as he's a furniture junky. As the owner stated, his shop isn't full of furniture but art and upon inspection I would agree. He was very kind and informative and even pointed out some other design shops we should visit. He had a great eye for collecting the best of vintage and modern home furnishings and we both wanted to walk out with at least half of his merchandise. Even his work desk was meticulously organized and decorated. Since we couldn't take any large items back with us on the plane (even though we were tempted to get the fan in image 4 shipped to Stockholm) we did pick up a great set of 1950's Nagel candle holders

2/ ZIPPER [image 5]
This is a vintage store packed to the bring with old and new items. There is a lot to look at and it's packed in tight but they have a great selection of glasses and accessories too. I picked up two pairs of amazing sunglasses for about 10 Euros each. This shop has a location in the cutest neighborhood in Amsterdam and a must for any fashion loving shopper. The 9 parallel streets known as The Nine Streets. This was my favorite shopping area as it's less chain oriented and much less touristy (no H&M's here).

3/ DROOG [image 6]
This is a large design oriented store and gallery that was recommended to us by the owner of Wonder Wood. It reminded me of the DesignTorget stores or a well stocked modern art museum store. They collaborate with many artists to come up with quirky yet useful items for the home. Again, there were a lot of thing I wish I could have snapped up (illuminated garment hangers!) but I couldn't resist taking home this Oil & Vinager vessel . I love cooking and I love science just as much as I love fashion and these three thing come together in a genius way. It's super fun to use as well. There is also an amazing marble filled bench that's super fun to ride on

4/ EPISODE [image 7]
This is apparently a chain which exists in the Netherlands as well as UK but hands down the best selection of leather skirts and shorts I have ever seen. I like the way they deconstruct most of their selection, combining or modernizing vintage clothes, that reminded me of my first Etsy/retail venture back in college

5/ Cora Kemperman [image 8]
A dutch designer with a perplexing selection of garments, mainly solids and knits. The store display is what led me into the shop in the first place as I had never heard of the designer before. The display reminded me of something Comme des Garcons + Junya Watanabe footwear toned down would look like. The girls at the store had created a tonal display of their hottest looks which included wing-sleeved knit jackets, circular scarfs, drop crotch leggings and striped cashmere robe style jackets. The colors were navy, black and charcoal gray. When I stepped inside, I was quite surprised to find a lot of merchandise that made my cringe (pleated, laced scarfs) but there were hidden treasures that made me scream like a schoolgirl. I fell in love with the simple lightweight drop crotch leggings priced incredibly low at 30 Euros, and a circular draped knit jacket also priced very low at 50 Euros. What I became obsessed with though was a Navy and black cashmere jacket with a wrap belt similar to this one. I tried it on and it was too long but the whole time I kept thinking about buying it. In the end I walked away empty handed but now I'm kicking myself in the ass for not buying it and am considering calling the very friendly staff to see if they might be able to deliver the luxurious jacket to my Stockholm apartment. We'll see. The shoppers might make you raise your eyebrow (I was at least 20 years younger then every lady in this shop) but I soon realized that Amsterdam is quite full of stylish middle to late aged women who appreciate draped tonal dressing as much as I do and designers who are willing to cater only to that.

6/ NUMMER 9 [image 9- total coincident]: Prinsengracht 226 1016 HD
Unfortunately this store does not have a website but definitely a must see. It's a very tiny shop filled with mostly Swedish designer such as Whyred, Dagmar and many other interesting collections. I loved the way the girl who owned the shop dressed, she has an eye for unique combos and was very nice. I walked out with a pair of distressed leggings with sheer splotches throughout (photos later)

OTHER SPOTS- not pictured
1/ A. BOEKEN
This fabric shop brought tears to my eyes. I have never seen such an amazing or large selection of fabrics in my life. Maybe I've been fabric selection deprived in Stockholm but this shop was covered from floor to ceiling (quite literally) and on their website they boast having the largest selection of latex and synthetic leathers in all of Europe and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they did. I want to move to Amsterdam just to be close to this shop, I wouldn't have any design limitations if I could have these materials at my disposal. They also have a great selection of hardware and trims. I walked out with a great stretch netting, Nude Netting, leather ribbon and some other items that I can't wait to get started on. If you are at all interested in fashion design, this store is a MUST (take an extra duffle bag inside your luggage as you'll want to buy everything)

2/ MUSEUM OF HANDBAGS AND PURSES Need I say more? Sadly enough I can't give a good review as I totally missed out due to laziness.

3/ GOLDEN TEMPLE RESTAURANT
This is the only Indian restaurant I have ever been that serves my all time favorite dish, kitcheree which they call Dream of Aquarius (name change please). This is a classic Punjabi (the part of India I was born and raised) dish that I grew up on, although their version was not as good as mom's I would definitely eat here again.

4/CANAL BIKES
As touristy as it might seem, rent a canal bike, it's incredible fun and there is no better way to experience Amsterdam the through the canals. I liked this as opposed to the tourist boats (which we also went on) because you get to navigate your own tour and take your time.

5/ SOUP ENZO
Healthy, quick, cheap and hands down the best soup I have ever eaten

6/ B & B Lunchroom
Best sandwich shop where you can customize your sandwich any style. They have the amazing sweet cake mentioned above.
The lady who is part owner (her husband, the chef I assume is the other half) is very bitchy but the rest of the staff are really nice. This is in the middle of the busy touristy area but you'll see locals eating in here. It's worth the hassle.

this is what my life looks like while I'm traveling, everything messily sprawled out on a table in a hotel room. i am the type of person who unpacks everything- I just don't like living out of a suitcase and as our trip progressed, my collection of magazines, jewelry, shoes and especially clothes grew quite a lot (so much that we had to buy a whole new suitcase)

I've decided to pass along some of the wonderful places I visited both in Berlin and Amsterdam in the form of a mini Misha travel guide for each city coming in the next week. this will include some cool shops, interior- thrift and clothing shops as well as some restaurants because my absolute favorite traveling activity has to be discovering new places to eat.

on me: dress from Salvation Army/ DIY string necklace/ DIY belt/ charcoal lace up oxfords from amsterdam

This is my favorite thrifted dress of all time. one of my co-workers summed it up perfectly when she said "where did you get that dress, it's like the perfect dress, the kind I have been looking for!"

I couldn't agree more, the lightweight fabric, the tapered long sleeves, the lapels, perfectly sculpted shoulder pads, the gathered side and slightly rouched waist that gives it a perfect drape. It was made for a much taller person and I had to take it in at the sides and raise the waist. I wore this every other day in Amsterdam.

on me: H&M denim vest/ WEEKDAY tank/ vintage skirt/ DIY bike shorts/ Dinsko sandals/ DIY necklace worn as a belt/ MishaMarket bag

deconstructed spike necklace

rings from street vendor in Amsterdam

on Johan: Velour plaid shirt/ WEEKDAY shorts/ Dinsko shoes

We spent the last leg of our vacation walking the canal lined streets of beautiful Amsterdam. The hot weather and hours of walking demanded extremely comfortable clothes. I decided to try to dress outside of my normal palette.

When this HM vest first came out in stores, I almost gasped in appreciation but for various reasons, the vest didn't translate so well onto my body but before we took off on vacation I went into H&M to get some basics and saw this size XL vest sitting on the clearance rack and decided to give this considerably oversized vest a second chance and magic! Has anyone else had a love/hate relationship with the same vest?

I am not a heavy jewelry wearer but here are two close encounters. The necklace is from somewhere in Stockholm- originally it had two strands of gold spikes as well but gold and I broke up a few years back so I removed those. I am thinking about getting another one to add spikes to a pair of boots...

The rings are my first and possible last attempt at wearing rings- I bought them, loved them and lost them- who knows where they are, most likely in the grass at Vondelpark in Amsterdam.

my picks
1/ Printed Sweatshirt
2/ Liquid Leather Dress
3/ Printed Swimsuit
4/ Triangle Jkt
5/ Dino Printed mini case

On a daily basis, I get multiple emails from people/shops/websites asking me to check out their projects and share with my readers. Being an independant designer who needs all the free press I can get, I love the change to help out a fellow designer but I promised myself when starting this blog that I wouldn't blindly promote anything or anyone unless I actually had a good reason to. I only post garments, brands, and shops that I genuinely like, which is why I was thrilled to get an email from the team at LIGHTVISION.

The new store supports up and coming designers with a focus on handmade garments and accessories without the usual craft-like homemade look. I was instantly drooling over the Liquid Leather Dress(number 2)- priced reasonably for a custom made garment that hugs the body so tightly. In addition I've picked my top 5 favorite items although I could have picked at least 15 more. Between the independent designer focus, handmade quality and low prices, this shop has a bright future (no pun intended!) I can't wait to see what's to come - I might have to satisfy my triangle obsession by ordering some of the printed items shown above. plus you can't go wrong with absolutely gorgeous real girls as models.

I"M WEARING h&m white shirt/ weekday print tee/ MishaMarket panel leggings/ SSWTR canvas wedge/ MishaMarket drawstring bag

playing around on the way to our last dinner in Belin at an amazing vegan restaurant, where i proceeded to play with my food
oh, for those of you considering purchasing those Slow and Steady Wins the Race wedge sandals, do it! they are SO comfy. Berlin & Amsterdam street tested.