Time machine

I'm finally wearing my self-made harem pants the way I wanted to wear them originally: with heels, fitted jacket and a lose t-shirt tucked in the pants. Whilst walking around town today, I did feel some curious eyes burning on me, like I'd have this huge diaper in my pants. I could care less though cause these are way comfy, and the right kind of pants for warm spring days like today (+20 Celcius wohoo!). The background of the picture fits perfectly to theme too, looking like a time machine that's gonna take me right back to this era. Speaking of, I gotta dig out my old biking shorts from the elementary school times. I wonder if they'd still fit me?

Jacket: JSFN
Wrinkled t-shirt: MTWTFSS
Harem pants: Self-made
Shoes: Vagabond
Ring: Kalevala Koru

Blog party

As important as a party itself, is what you wear to a party. Since I'm a panic dresser when it comes to important events, I usually start planning on the outfit of the evening weeks beforehand. When you're on a minute schedule on the d-day, everything should be in order because there is no time for mistakes. With a great help from Shini of Park&Cube, I acquired this amazing Rick Owens-like dress from All Saints. The dress had been sold out from the All Saints webstore so I turned to Shini and she was so helpful to assist me in my mission and got it from the London store. Thank you Shini once more, you really saved me from a dress crisis!

Pictures by: Nelliina
Dress: All Saints
Combat boots: Kenkärepo
Tights: DIY
Ring: Marc by Marc Jacobs

The dress came in need, as a month of hard work and anticipation finally paid off last night, when I and about 30 other style bloggers met up in a blog party in my hometown Tampere. Nelliina and I had put this fun event together with an agenda including shopping tour in local boutiques, Finnish fashion designers presentation, a live band, fashion quiz, good food, DJ's and great sponsors such as Nanso, Nelly.com, and John Freida. Even though there was a couple of draw backs on the way, we succeeded in making a great party - I think we should totally start a company organizing events like this!

Thanks everyone for sharing the pics!

The night was so much fun and full of great conversations; it was so nice to see the people behind the blogs you follow on a daily basis. We definitely need to have more of these meetings in the future!

Business as usual

I feel like the world's most boring blogger for posting so un-fresh outfit with the same old shoes, same old jeans and same old cardigan but this week has been so busy that I've worn nothing but same old.

Cardigan: H&M
Wrinkled t-shirt: MTWTFSS
Jeans: Cheap Monday
Jacket: Diana Orving
Shoes: Global Essentials
Ring scarf: MTWTFSS
Bag: Saddler
Brooch: Some small designer, bought it in Sweden
Ring: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Since bullet points are the new "it" thing in blogs, I'm listing a couple of things that have kept me busy lately:

• Organizing a blog party with Nelliina for 30 Finnish fashion bloggers in my home town Tampere. Who knew getting the place, food, sponsors, guest speakers, band and a DJ would such a huge task? Pictures to come after tomorrow!
• Broken cars and the strike of the Finnish post office doesn't make things any easier - just busier!
• Wearing my new H&M cardi in 1000000 different ways. I never guessed it would be this versatile.
• Finding new shooting locations. I've ventured from my back yard to the back alley.
• I just booked plane tickets to Barcelona in June. Any good shops I should know about (something that fits my style)? I'm new to the city, so any suggestions are welcome.

Have a nice weekend!

But then every night's still so much fun, and you're still out there darling

I've been avoiding shopping at H&M due to the fact that a.) I don't want to see everyone on the street wearing the same outfit, and b.) let's face it, the quality is never truly striking. Due to a work assignment, I was forced to enter the teenage hell of what has become of this powerful Swedish mass chain in my city. As I was leaving the place, my attention was drawn into something black and drapey, something I first thought was a sweater. When I took a closer look, I discovered this amazing Rick Owens-like draped, capey cardigan. A huge black tag hanging from the garment read "silk blend". At this point I didn't hesitate, and took my new baby to the cash register.

When I got home I started to construct an outfit around my new find, knowing we would have people coming over for a small get-together. I combined it with a zipper skirt that was a purchase made in Sweden back in January, the very same skirt I saw at the Weekday showroom last year and was destined to get at any cost. I was only able to get it in size Medium and after a few try-outs at home, I realized it was way lose on me. Worried I'd have to sell it due to its wrong size, I took a risk and took it in a couple of inches from the hem and sides - voilá, the skirt fits like dream. Sometimes my persistent nature is a blessing.

Cardigan: H&M (later on switched to the MTWTFSS blazer)
Skirt: MTWTFSS
T-shirt: Gina Tricot
Shoes: Wedins
Ring: Stockmann

As stated before, last night was originally supposed to be a totally innocent get-together, including good friends and Singstar, but somehow it ended up in a dirty rock club and another Singstar party at 5 am (our neighbors must love us by now). However, everyone had a good time and I guess "all's well that ends well". Now I need some rest, badly.

Militant

Last night I went to see a great Finnish band called Cats on Fire at a local rock club. If you're a fan of The Smiths and Haircut 100, the Cats will definitely be your cup of tea. I think these guys are going to be big; they have already been booked to play in the UK and New York very soon. If they hit your town next, I at least recommend checking them out.

Due to somewhat of laziness, I decided to go out with pretty much what I was wearing earlier in the day at work. Naturally the belt was added later, I played around with it to make it look like a gun holster which provided a more militant and structured look to my new, extra long button-up shirt. Wearing the shoelaces only half way up brings a little more springy update on the combat boots, yet I am dreaming of these babies constantly. Must. Get. Them. NOW.

Button-up shirt: Vila
Jeans: Cheap Monday
Belt/harness: Second hand
Combat boots: Kenkärepo
Purse: Spirit Items
Ring: Kalevala Koru

Myspace Muse: April

Thank you WWW for featuring me as your April Myspace Muse. I'm there with some truly stylish girls, so I'm honored.

Image source & text: Who What Wear

"Myspace Muse: April
Though the path to discovering your personal style is usually a solitary journey, every once in awhile we find ourselves stuck in front of the mirror, unsure of where to turn. Luckily, we can always gain a little guidance and inspiration from our Myspace Muses, as they've got sartorial savoir-faire in spades. Hailing from all corners of the globe, we like to think of these fashion plates as our compatriots in the ongoing search for superlative style. Not content to merely follow the current fashion, these girls stand out by creating their own trends, or, impressively, making trends their own. Whether it's the way they boldly wear the season's most challenging silhouettes, assert themselves in studded heels, or revamp girly skirts with boyish basics, these ladies motivate and encourage us with their personal panache. So try a little help from these fashion-minded friends when wondering what to wear—we promise they'll leave you with plenty of trendsetting tips to help you on your way!

An all-black outfit keeps the focus on a fashion-forward silhouette.Playing with color is always a bold choice, but sometimes the opposite is equally true. As demonstrated by Anna-Marie, 26, from Finland, restraint can be completely chic. Take her harem pants, for example: by keeping her outfit all black, she turns the spotlight onto their interesting cut and shape. If you're intrigued by these cool contours and want to try a few similarly designed pieces, start with Vanessa Bruno's Asymmetric Frill Blouse ($460). We think the subtle frill will add a feminine touch to any outfit. Another way to summon-up style is with Maje's outstanding Harem Pants ($445). The slouchy cut is definitely directional, while the supple suede is an unexpected and luxurious upgrade. However (because today we're full of options for you!), if you prefer to test out this trend without total commitment, you can always turn to your favorite leggings-and-tee purveyor—American Apparel. The unconventional brand is currently stocking their own version of Harem Pants ($40), which is an excellent buy with amplified style at an understated price."

P.S. My name is spelled Anna-Maria but that's alright, everyone always gets it wrong. ;)

Springspiration

Since today's weather was so fine and everyone else had abandoned the city for the Easter holidays, my boyfriend and I decided to go for a little walk and look for some good photo shooting locations. We didn't have to walk to far when we spotted this messy construction zone at a yard of an old hotel. The contrast between the constuction junk and the amazing 1920's building was somehow very attractive: a mix of old and new, ugly and beautiful. Just perfect!

Mc jacket: JSFN
Top with straps: Sunday Sun
Cardigan (buttoned crooked on purpose): MTWTFSS
Jeans: Crocker
Shoes: Global Essentials
Bag: Saddler
Ring: Kalevala Koru

Nice sunny days like this make me want to dig in my closet for more spring type clothes. These white jeans, that I've tapered myself, haven't seen the light of day in a long long time but are as springy as springy can get. It's fun to realize how something you wore back in 2002 and thought wouldn't come back this soon, seems so fresh again (I also have a pair of pink skinny jeans from the same era waiting for the right moment to arrive. Me + pink = scary, eh?). The sunshine also lured the leather jacket and the Cherry Bon Bons to come out of my closet, giving the just the right splash of color for the outfit. Oh how I missed you spring!

Pretty woman, walking down the street

Haha, is anyone else getting Pretty Woman vibes from my outfit? It's all alright because Pretty Woman is a classic and the inspiration for the outfit actually came from my favorite spring collection and not the working girls. I wore this ensemble for Thursday night's Hang the DJ club but Easter has kept me busy, so no time to share this with you until now.

Blazer: MTWTFSS
Skirt: Monki
Bra top: Lindex
OTK boots: Bronx
Purse: Spirit Items
Rings: Marc by Marc Jacobs & Kalevala Koru

I wish you all a happy Easter!