The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

When someone advises you to go and see a certain movie, the film is always going to be assoiciated with the person who you heard it from. Last year around this time I was advised to watch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I watched the movie a year later by chance and the friend who told me to see it was the only one I wanted to discuss it with...

The movie is about a hard-core daydreamer who works in LIFE magazine whose life takes a turning point when he has to find the lost negative. It says that life starts when you stop daydreaming and begin doing whatever you were dreaming of. In case of walter mitty we observe how everything falls in its own places in his life the minute he takes actions instead of falling off lifw daydreaming. He goes places he didnt even imagine going one day, he does things that take a lot of courage and meet people who help him to get where life takes him. The movie is so colorful and with the message a lot of people actually know but need to hear it again in order to follow the sign. I was very impressed and inspired by it. Watch it next when you need some re-assurance before doing something courageous or you wanted to do for a long time and have never made up your mind. 

Shoe Heaven, Harrods.

I can't imagine any fashionista visiting London and NOT going to Harrods. Let's just accept it as a fact and never return to this matter. Because Harrods is one of the biggest and oldest department stores in Europe with history dating back to 19th century. It has a few distinguishing points like the building, first ever escalator, food hall, shoe heaven etc. that make Harrods to stand out among all other department stores. Lately they renovated shoe department and named it Shoe Heaven. That is  the story I want to tell.

It's been more than 6 months that I left London the last time and missed shopping there very much. That is why when I went to Knightsbridge (the part of London where Harrods is) the music playing in my head was the following song from famous TV series:

The reason is because you actually feel like a leading female character from a movie or TV show at the moment where she decides to go shopping and change her life :) So in this case background music is necessary. I was going to buy a bag, a pink bag to be precise. Apparently I hadn't had one  till then (can you imagine?). After browsing the ground floor AND the lower ground floor I found what I wanted but decided to look through shoe department before taking what I came for. Just in case asked a sales assistant which floor shoe department is on and got this answer: 'You mean Shoe Heaven? On the 5th'. I thought it was only words until I got there. They changed it completely that I couldn't even recognise. It actually was a shoe heaven for any woman that ever laid eyes on designer shoes. I was wandering in the Heaven and admiring the latest collections presented there. Departments got bigger, wider, brighter. Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik had these fake departments where you can see shoes and suppose that it is the boutique, but when you ask for your size they tell you to go further. You feel like you are being teased and invited to see more of these feet candy by trick. I headed straight to Manolo Blahnik and it was like finding a treasure among other gems. You reach the short stairs and they lead you to the attics with the world of Manolo. Then during your fitting process (everything happens so naturally that you have no idea how you ended up here) sales assistant tells you that 2 days ago the master himself was there and signed shoes... Couple minutes later you find yourself paying for the black satin jewelled Nadira pumps and trying to realise that pink bag is gone now... Long story short: after the Shoe Heaven I choose shoes to the bag I actually came for.

All the brands presented at Shoe Heaven

St. Dunstan-in-the-East

London is all about exploring. Every street, every maze, every garden, every lane, every square of it is worthy. You never know what may expect you when you turn around the corner. And sometimes google helps you to turn the right corner to find something amazing. 

A couple of years ago my cousin Nigar showed me a hidden place in The City of London that she found on the internet. For years we have shared with her our two big loves: London and New York. So exploring them over the wild web of worldwide is our hobby. So I was postponing visiting the oasis in the centre of a city where concrete jungle intertwine with historical Tower Hill, but my last visit to London made me to go there. 

Generally Tower Hill area of London is very interesting. On the one hand you see a historical castle with mesmerising view of Tower Bridge and on the other hand there is financial centre of the city with its modern architecture. And between these buildings surrounding Tower Hill, right on the north bank of Thames River you can find St. Dunstan Church in the East (don't mix it up with the one on the West, they are two different churches). Here is its brief history:

And now the Church itself... I was amazed to see this place exist in real life. It feels like you are on a set of a movie or in Wonderland itself. It's unbelievable how such a garden can be located in the middle of a megapolis. The place magically brings piece to you. These are winter views of the church that I took on December the 5th, now imagine its beauty in summer when everything is green. 

Baku Fashion Week 2014

Yesterday I attended the first Baku Fashion Week ever. It was just a start for something big in future. Baby steps as they say. But I hope it will grow and prosper as time goes by and we will proudly talk about fashion weeks in our hometown.  Fashion Week was actually only for 2 days. On the first day Azerbaijani designer Gunel Behbudova and Georgian Designer Avtandil Tskvitinidze presented their collections on the runway in Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Baku. The day two (the one I attended) was about the last show of the Baku Fashion Week and after party. My friend Narmin got us the invitations and we had the front row on Nadit show by Nadia Taziyeva. The collection was colourful and full of dreams where knit and chiffon dominated the stage. Here are the photos taken on my humble iPhone camera during the show...

Sherri Hill fusion

A few days ago I saw Spring 2015 collection of Sherri Hill brand. It is an american designer whose work is mostly concentrated on evening wear. Her gowns are famous all over the world and you can sense that southern-american chic style in her designs. But this collection for summer is literally blooming before our eyes. Colours are bright, models are smiling and you can feel that warm spring wind blowing from the screen. It was so comforting to see these dresses on a rainy and windy autumn evening that I needed to share it with you, guys. The collection is huge and you can look through it on Sherri Hill's website. But here are my favourites...

Life is a puzzle

Life is a puzzle. We are trying to figure it out and see what it is  actually about our whole life. Putting a 1500 piece  puzzle process is practical reflection of it. I'm fond of impressionism and finding museum collection puzzle of Georges-Pierre Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of LaGrande Jatte was lovely. I started to collect the puzzle, then my mom joined and finished it. We got to memorise  the painting and found out that there are 47 people and 3 animals on it. Seurat used pointillism technique and it makes the puzzle pieces very blurry as you see on the photo. But mom was very concentrated and her motivation was guests she invited over so the table needed to be free to serve food :) 

one million lovely letters

That moment when you are so down like you have never been in your life yet. And you walk into a bookshop on your way home. After loosing hope to find a book that will fit your current mood you find something that not only will fit your mood, reflect what you are going through but it also will seem like the author is your long lost twin sister that somehow was born and raised in England. Jodi Ann Bickley may not going through the exact same things in her life, her struggles in life are much harder and serious. But emotions people feel in their chest are the same. The book found me (that is what I prefer to think) at the perfect timing, because if I read it couple of years ago I would't relate to it as much as I did. Her uplifting true story called 'One million lovely letters' which is also the name of her online project. This project is about writing to people who need a letter to remind that they are not alone in what they are going through in life, say how special they are and just make a little bit difference in their mood at a very important period in their life. Jodi wants to reach one million mark. The project is still in process. It saved her life, changed for better and she believes it makes changes in others' lives too. I didn't write to her, or received a letter from her. But her book was enough to make me feel better and put a smile on my face. Cover photo on the inside reflects some letters she have sent to people. I picked this one for myself:

Here are the parts of the book I found myself in:

shoes I need in my life right now

shoes I need in my life by didi-fan featuring lace booties

Guillaume Canet

French, talented and charismatic. His smile lights up everyone who looks at him and makes you feel every emotion his on-screen character goes through. Meet Guillaume Canet, everybody. 

Hat Magic

Every time I see Emma Stone I crave for dying my hair red again :) She is pretty, she is funny, her eyes are huge blue and the most important: Emma is a talented actress. Her last appearance in the latest Woody Allen movie is extremely cute. South of France, 20's and Colin Firth is everything you need to spend lovely one and a half hour in the cinema. Costumes of Magic in the Moonlight (2014)  were not as glamorous as Gtasby's, but Emma's hats caught my attention. My head accessories obsession is infinite you know ;)

Central Park, NYC

Central Park must be a landmark of New York that everyone must see upon a visit and they definitely have seen it on the pictures and movies before. The area is so vast for park in a city that it is impossible to see every corner of it in one day unless you are on a bike. The park has very solitary corners as long as crowded points like you see on the photos below. There are several lakes that are full of boats. But if there is a possibility of rain, do not get on a boat because I witnessed how helpless a person becomes when rain catches him in the middle of a lake on a boat :) Other than that it is a perfect place to spend your day in this green right in the middle of metropolitan area. Peace, beauty and nature are guaranteed. 

Washington, DC

One-day Washington trip was pretty interesting. It was a contrast to see such quiet and peaceful city after New York. If you walk in Washington on a weekday during daytime as we did, you will only meet tourists that came here from all over the USA and the world. Washington is a perfect place to own a bicycle. The layout of streets is easy to orientate and the city is not that big so distance needed to commute is mostly short. 

White House

Fendi mix

I'm not a Fendi fan in general, except of Peekaboo bag of course :) and sometimes embellished Baguettes are to die for. But this time Spring-Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear collection stood out for me in some way I can't even explain. The mix of Peekaboo bags with small Baguettes as a charm instantly caught my eye and I decided to share it with you. 

wandering in New York

This is the very first photo I took in New York. And yes, it is like in all those movies we grew up watching. Magnificent, full of life, the city that offers you anything that life itself can and stands out in your memory forever. 

lessons learned

Every place we go, every person we meet, every experience we go through teaches us a lesson. What happens to us is actually happens for us. So New York taught me that everything we dream is not about the place we are at. It is not about a destination. The main thing is the people we are surrounded by, how special they make us feel, their existance and the fact how lucky we are to have them in our life. If you are looking for it somewhere in the distance and travel for it far away, you may find yourself in the middle of nowhere at the place you always dreamed of without anything I just mentioned. So look around and realise that place doesnt matter, you can reach the destination and find nothing but desire to leave. New York, London, Istanbul, Baku or any other city in the world worth nothing if you don't feel happy and loved there. Destination must be that surrounding of those who cares about you, not a city. I always complain about Istanbul, the city I do not like that much but come back very often anyway. Why? The answer is simple, because of those who live there. Or Baku, our home, where everything may seem hopeless sometimes but whenever you are in trouble away from home the only thing you start to think is to go there as soon as possible. The feeling you are home and the smell of oil surprisingly ease things. 

random 7: ties

"I am looking for friends. What does that mean -- tame?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties."

"To establish ties?"

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need for you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will  be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

         


         There are two kind of ties between people. The first kind is like a knot, no matter how hard you pull from both sides you won't be able to untie, it will only get stronger and tighter. The second type is very beautiful, looks like a ribbon bow. It is a pleasure to look at and seems so wonderfully and accurately tied, but only lasts until the very first pull from the shorter side and all its looks and strength disappears at that moment. Only time proves which type of a tie you have...

A tourist in New York

Being a tourist in New York starts with visiting the Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Libert, Wall Street etc.

NYC: the first talk

The only thing I can say about New York City is that it's a thief.

Olsen twins

           All the girls of my generation grew up watching Olsen twins' movies throughout their teenage years. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen sisters were our idols in terms of style and lifestyle. Ask any girl born in 1988-94 and they will tell you how they adored them and watched their movies very often. I still remember their every outfit and hairstyle. Olsen twins used to inspire thousands of girls around the world. The fact that I always thought blonde hair is incredibly beautiful and 'cool' was because they always had blonde hair and their highlighted blonde was the colour I dreamt about all my childhood :) The moment I saw them in New York Minute (2004) I knew I will go blonde eventually. It all my sound cheesy, I know. But it is what it is. Not going to deny it.
          Former teenage idols Ashley and Mary-Kate are currently fashion designers with own high-end brand The Row. Their personal style may have changed over the years but they still have that unique touch only two of them can pull off.

random 6

          I have a friend. She is a daydreamer, just like me. We have our own world that exists only in our imagination and we like to visit it from time to time. No-no-no, we are not crazy :) It's just we like to dream. That is probably what brought us together, the passion to dream. Lately I've been telling her to   dream less and notice what is going on in real world more, see what is up to real people around. It was kind of what I've been doing for the past months. She did not listen to me anyway. But today I realised something. That I was much happier when I had my dreams with me all the time, when I had that passion for what I loved. I remember buying a book and not dare to open it because I wanted to save the pleasure of looking through it for later. I believed that everything will be pinky and in blossom. I thought when love strikes you, it never hurts. Is it weird? Maybe. But I was happy, full of life and full of amazing expectations from this harsh and severe life. I like old me more...

Head candy

I have always been a fan of head accessories. It started with headbands when I was at school. Then it was about hats, hair clips, headbands, headpieces that used to stand out in the crowd and became a very essential part of my personal style. Here are my picks from different online shops.

Piers Atkinson

Silk orchid headband

A hero from the past

When you feel like a main character in a black and white movie where a female character waits for someone to come and change her life for better or for worse, the one that shows up in her dreams as a leading role is one of the following A-class Old Hollywood movie heroes:

Gregory Peck
Roman Holiday (1953), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Million Pound Note (1953).

Giambattista Valli

Couture shows of Giambattista Valli are always a little holiday for me. Seeing all this beautie, which is about details makes me happy to know that this beauty exists in our world. Let's not forget that couture is always about details. Here are my picks of details and backstage moments from Giambattista Valli Fall-Winter 2015 Couture show at Paris Fashion Week. 

Spanish Statue

Even though after six years of being on top of football world Spanish national team is eliminated from FIFA World Cup 2014, fans still support their favourite team despite of everything people rush to say about this unexpected and shocking result. From all of the players on this World Cup my post is focused on Sergio Ramos, the defender of Spanish national team. Other than having the incredible looks of 'spanish statue' the football player Sergio Ramos has won a lot of trophies while playing for Spanish national team and Real Madrid FC. The 'spanish statute' used to play as a defender, but lately his role in the team has changed and Ramos transformed into a secret weapon the club has. He proved it during the UEFA Champions League final in Lisbon by scoring for Real Madrid during the additional minutes of the match and giving them the chance to win the game, which they did on May 24th 2014.

Red Soles

Despite all the talks about Louboutin shoes and its comfort level, every girl on this planet wants to have a pair of the Red Soles in their wardrobe. It is a little dream coming true when you get your first Loubies and walk on that heels proudly as a model on a runway. I was browsing Louboutin site and found really nice pieces for fall-winter'15 season that wanted to share with you. A little tip: don't forget to switch countries at the online shop in order to find more of this fashion candy. 

random 5

              I wrote a blog post. Saved to the drafts. Never going to share it. I just needed to write it down. Sometimes my blog is kind of a diary, I feel that if I write my thoughts and feelings it will ease stuff. Maybe it helps in long run, but whenever I feel the same I open and re-read it, so when I stop doing that I will understand it's over.  Instead of that 'never gonna share it' blog post I wanted to put the songs from my current playlist that are constantly on repeat. People have a tendency to speak through songs.

The Atlas® Collection

I never liked wearing bracelets. Got bored too soon. But now I think it is time to want one. Tiffany's Atlas Collection redefined my perception about bracelets (actually it started with my Jawbone UP24, but it's a completely different story).

The Little Prince

          'I ask the  indulgence of the children who may read this book for dedicating it to a grown-up.'

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 'The Little Prince'

            There are turning points in every persons life. And everyone deals with it differently. You may celebrate it, cry in the middle of the night holding your pillow, start working out, loose weight, change your job, change your hair colour, waste some amount of money just to feel reckless or make any other impulsive decision... I may be one of those normal people above, but I'm also a person who always comes back to one tiny book which keeps all the wisdom of the earth on its 90-100 pages: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This is the book that I cried reading for the first time and I also remember not liking it as a child. But I read it when I was 20 and since then it is one of the most important books of my life. I keep coming back to it, re-reading the parts. Even reading quotes and looking at those pictures wakes spectrum of emotions from happiness to loneliness that ends up with love. I don't think I'm able to convey my feelings and thoughts on this matter, because I get affected every time I take this book and go through the journey that brings peace...

The Glamour of Italian Fashion Exhibition

            London is one of the most fashionable cities in the world. It is undeniable. So there are a lot fashion exhibitions taking place here such as Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibition, Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 Exhibition or The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014 Exhibition I attended a few weeks ago. It is held in The Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the most beautiful places in London in my opinion. The exhibition perfectly showcased the path of italian fashion of small ateliers becoming leading couture geniuses in the world. How 'Made in Italy' started to add value to the product. There were amazing dresses by very famous designers, people could watch short documentaries about fashion shows of 40's and 50's. It was very interesting to walk there and feel the evolution of the fashion in general. They don't allow to take photos in there, but I'm known for being sneaky in such things ;) That is why I managed to take some pictures, so I could share them with you...

happiness

          Everyone thinks differently about what happiness means to them. Lately I was thinking how little moments that make us smile all of a sudden are small portions of happiness we get in our routine life. And when you stop thinking of reaching 'constant happiness' condition someday, little things become more enjoyable. So happiness that comes in little portions can be different. It comes in different shapes, sizes, tastes, smells, etc...

1. Happiness can be sour in April. Alcha.

2. Happiness can be warm. Just a sunny day.

the fairytale about a girl and the city she fell in love with

           Saying goodbye is always hard. No matter it is a person or a place you lived for a while. And not JUST lived, you have fallen in love with a city from the first sight. No, not even that. I loved London long before I visited. First you just hear about that amazing place, then you get introduced to it through pictures and information and you like it. Then you start to dream about getting there. Mostly it is a matter of time, because when you like something for real, you will achieve it despite of everything holds you back. So the day we met with my 'city crush' was in 2011 just for a couple of weeks, but that was it. I knew I will come back to it, and I did... 
           Soon I will leave London and it breaks my heart on some level. No one wants to stay apart from something they love. But I'm going back home, the place I belong. Before I leave this city there are places I haven't been to even though also wanted to visit. London Eye is one of those tourist attractions that you never pay attention to when you stay in London for awhile. Today I finally got there. It is worthy of those 40 minutes you spend queueing (UK - the country of never ending queues). Sharing a few photos I took today...

songs in Azerbaijani

        Wherever you go, wherever you live or stay, songs performed in your native language are always with you. I think we accept them much easier and quicker than songs in other laguages (maybe because lyrics mean a lot to me).They may remind you of certain periods in your life, reflect your current mood, or just make you feel home. There are few current performers from Azerbaijan I listen to. Just decided to share my favourites with you...

My all time favourite female singer from Azerbaijan is incredibely talanted and creative Sevda Alakbarzadeh.  Her renditions of folk songs are remarkably beautiful. Top 3 songs of mine performed by her:

'...yenə sürmə çəkmisən evlər yıxan gözünə'

22

            One of those 365 days is yours. It's called birthday and 19th of February is mine. In spite of having only 2 friends around me this year, I was surrounded by so much love I didn't even think I would. Sometimes you just forget how valuable you are for those around you and being remined of that is ridiculously good. It's not about presents, it's about attention, dedication and devotion. And I felt all of these yesterday. Being surrounded by love is the best, nothing can beat that feeling. You enjoy it most when you are sure it is sincere and coming from the bottom of their hearts. Love and attention is all we need <3 So here are some moments shot on camera, but there are some that can't be captured such as video surprise from baku (really can't share it, too many girly secrets said), a friend singing you 'happy birthday' song at work, smiles your little sister send you on skype, a lot of cute and sweet birthday wishes you can't help yourself other than sit there with a huge smile on your face... and Oscar goes to my friend Natavan being super-conspirative and acting too good to make me believe they forgot about my birthday :)

And after that acting Natavan and Farida are knocking on my door at 00:00 holding a cake with candles and pink baloons (Taylor Swift - '22' is playing in the background).

random 4

           Rain never was or never will be more beautiful that it is today, right now. When I'm sitting in front of the window with the backyard view by my desk in my little room in London and daydreaming. Maybe because I will never be younger than I am now and watch rain. It seems like rain washes away everything bad and negative from our lives. I'm starting to belive in the good in the world, that there's hope even for the hopless, that there's rainbow and clear sky afterwards. Its unforgettable sound and the smell of the air makes you sleepy on this gloomy afternoon, but I want to stay awake and watch for a little bit longer because rain never was and never will be more beautiful than it is today, right now...

The Fault In Our Stars

When I saw this book in 'Teen Fiction' section I was really upset. Almost 22 year old girl can't be impressed with a novel for teens this much. But I was. Maybe in some ways we all are unsecure teenagers at heart that want their prom miracles come true. Only thing I can say for sure is I fell in love with this book about one of the most tragic problems: kids cancer. But it is not a cancer book as main character Hazel Grace says. It is about life, about death, about love, about frienship, about humor so much needed at hard times, about books that people get affected by, about us. I would really recommend it to read if you have spare time to spend with lovely characters in a very hard situation most of us can't even imagine to be in and brave enough to confront it with jokes in smart dialogues, not forgetting to read in-between.

As you see I tagged lines I liked, but most of smart ones are whole pragraphs and I don't think anyone is patient enogh to read them all, so I'll share with you short ones which just spoke to me or of me :)

Kew Gardens

          London can be enjoyed. It should be. While walking in super-crowded places like Oxford Street, Regent Street, Picadilly Circus seeing all kind of difernet people and imagining their stories, what they are in rush for, which language they can speak or taking in peaceful atmosphere of silent parks like Kew Gardens. It's a botanic gardens with beautifully designed orangeries and different landscapes. I think the reason it was very silent when I visited because of a weekday, winter season and entry fee. But it is a perfect place to runaway from London crowd and still be in the city. If you want to spend a perfect day and hide from public you have to head there without a doubt. This whole place is like a scenery from a British period drama.

best player of the heart

Firstly I just wanted to write a  status on facebook about it, then thought of uploading a picture and afterall I decided to write a blogpost about this win. Cristiano Ronaldo won FIFA Ballon D'OR 2013, he is officialy the best player of the year. Last time he was awarded in 2008 and then Lionel Messi was elected 4 years in a row. This was very emotional for him, CR7 couldn't save sinciere feelings during the ceremony. Watching him getting this personal award that he worked for so hard was a real happines for all his fans including me. Of course, what matters most are team tropheys, but this one means recognition of his talent that was improved and mastered during all these years making dreams come true. As a fan, everytime I watch him play makes me fall in love with football again and again. I just wanted to share some photos and the video of this evening of January 13th 2014...

Golden Globes 2014

The award season is on. Let's begin our gossip with Golden Globes 2014 red carpet. What they wore, who they wore it from, who failed, who was the best etc...

So here are my picks from the red carpet:

Paris at a glance...

Sometimes you have certain mood related to romance, love and... Paris. One instagram user, a photographer and designer VuTheara Kham (@vutheara) has one of the best Paris related instagram accounts with lovely and sensitive shoots of The City of Love <3 

brides in pink do exist

          This year we saw Fall 2014 pink wedding collection of Vera Wang. I was very impressed, obviously I just can't hide my love for this color :) So the last celebrity bride of 2013 was wearing a dress from this collection. It's Kelly Cuoco (Penny from The Big Bang Theory) who married a tennis player Ryan Sweeting on New Year's Eve. Just saw their pictures on instagram and couldn't help myself sharing them with you...