Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

New year brings new exciting changes for Fashion Flux! I've been asked to join a special project with 18 other Finnish fashion bloggers, and this project will start on Monday the 4th of January 2010. Basically whats going to happen, is that my blog will be moved to a site called Indiedays which is a lifestyle portal featuring fashion, style and beauty. Do not worry though, the content of my blog won't change in any way, the only major change is that I'll have a few advertising banners on the sidebar of my blog which enables me to get a little compensation for putting all the time and effort into this blog.

Moving so many blogs under one roof will also bring great things for you readers. Together we are more powerful, so there will be more fun stuff coming your way, for example in the form of giveaways and competitions. We will be also able to work with fashion designers, showrooms and other style/fashion related projects which makes things a wee bit interesting for all of you, and for myself of course.

You will be still able to find me from the familiar adress http://fluxorist.blogspot/, the guys at Indiedays will redirect you to my new address http://fashionflux.indiedays.com/. Also my very own dot com, http://www.fashion-flux.com/, will redirect you there, so feel free to use any of these addresses to find me after the 4th.

All of the bloggers joining the portal won't be revealed at once, so if you want to get the latest scoop (only in Finnish, sorry) about what's going on, do join the Facebook group or Twitter group of Indiedays. From there you can also find the latest news of what's happening inside the portal after it's opened.

I'm hoping this change will open great opportunities and new doors for me, as I've always wanted to work with fashion. Now I'm one step closer to my dream...

P.S. You should be still able to follow me through Blogger, Bloglovin, Blogilista, RSS feed and other services!

Businesslike

Two more days of work and then I'm off to Berlin for the new year's celebration. A mini vacation is in place since they made me come to work during these "in between days". I don't really see the point when my email box is screaming of emptiness...

Speaking of work, someone once asked me to post about my work clothing and tips about how to look chic in the boring office environment. The trick I've learned, is to keep it simple with the basics but to also add something that makes the outfit pop, such as an interesting detail or accessory. The topic allows me to introduce something my lovely boyfriend got me for my birthday: a blazer/cardigan designed by our talented friend, Richard Söderberg. Richard's brand Obscur is a menswear label but the smaller sizes seem to fit me fine (you can get his clothes at least here, here and here). I've worn this number on several occasions since it's suitable for both office and free time wear. The piece looks professional, though it has that special "twist" which makes it look more interesting than those basic blazers or cardigans people would normally wear to an office. I kept the rest of the outfit simple with basic peg leg trousers, the only additional detail being on front of the white top. You can even add platform ankle boots to this outfit and no one would make a big deal because the cardigan is the true show stopper here. In a delicate way, of course.

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays, I'll be back next year!

Blazer/cardigan: Obscur
Trousers: Asos
Top: Zara
Ankle boots: Fendi

Merry Christmas!

I just returned from my parents' place with a bunch of gifts and a very stuffed belly. Apparently I've been a very nice girl this year since Santa brought me the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens and Singstar's Queen edition alongside with some other goodies. Now I need to catch some Z's, who knew Christmas was so exhausting...

I want wish all my lovely readers a merry Christmas, may it be a peaceful one!

Battling through the winter

Apparently, this week, the first snow has reached big cities like Paris and New York; a pleasure we have been able to enjoy here in Finland for a few weeks already. This December has been exceptionally cold and with the temperature hitting -17 Celcius almost every single day this past week, it has been essential to dress very warm and wear shoes that won't slip on the icy pavements.

For three years now my best weapon for the winter has been this woollen H&M peacoat, and even though H&M is not one of those places I shop on a regular basis, this coat has truly been worth every single penny. It's shaped like a traditional peacoat but has interesting details on the chimney collar, shoulder, and sleeve area, making it look like an updated version of the classic militaristic model. Unfortunately I lost the collar strap when we moved, with that it would look ten times better.

You know, it's actually a tough job to maintain your personal style during the winter time but luckily, there are some ways of managing it. Layering has been my key to stay both warm and presentable when the times get tough and the temperature hits below zero. My grey knit dress and wollen tights (must stock upon those next time I'm in Berlin!) from COS have been fulfilling their duty exceptionally, as well as the Ann Demeulemeester boots which I hardly take off my feet anymore. However, I did get the winter soles done at the local cobbler, not only to protect against slipping but they're also a good way to protect the designer shoes from wearing off. The circle scarf I've borrowed from the more handsome half of our household, and I might not return it until I aquire one of my own (sorry, darling).

Now I'm off to crawling underneath the blankets with some hot tea, so enjoy your Sunday and stay warm!

Peacoat: H&M
Knit dress: COS
Horse riding boots: Ann Demeulemeester
Wool tights: COS
Bag and circle scarf: All Saints
Leather gloves: Vagabond

Pour on pour

You know you've had a good Saturday night when it has consisted of a crazy going away party for friends, dancing to Under Pressure with musical gestures at the local rock joint, pretty sturdy gluhwein, and singing along with 90's music videos at the local pizza parlor in the early morning hours.

The outfit for the evening got it's final form from things that I haven't worn in a long time, once again proving the fact that the best things can be found by browsing your own closet. I have been looking for a destroyed knit dress for awhile now, completely forgetting the fact that I already got one a few years back. The grey Pour dress was calling for something tougher to pair it with, so the pleather pants seemed like a perfect match. I'm also liking how the platform ankle boots cohere with the pants; it almost as if they were one. The outcome was very Rick Owenish but with my own twist.

At this point I'm very pleased about the fact that I have the new camera, there would have been no way of shooting the outfit so clearly in such low light with my old one. The pictures are a bit overexposed (at least I used manual settings in a very confined space, so please give me some credit) but otherwise the details would have not shown as much. I'm still looking out for the new lens, hoping that Santa will bring it for me this year (hint, hint).

Dress: Pour
Wool vest: Pour
Pleather pants: H&M
Platform ankle boots: Vagabond
Necklace as a bracelet: Lindex

If I had a photograph of you, it's something to remind me, I wouldn't spend my life just wishing

Some of you may have noticed the Canon banner on the right column of this blog and might have wondered what is it exactly doing there. I can now reveal that Canon has sponsored and given me the EOS 500D camera in exchange for the banner, so a noticeable change in image quality should follow on this blog. I want to remind you I'm still learning how to use it after my precious G9 but based on the first touches, the 500D fills all my requirements, and has gotten me truly excited about photography. It also has the video option, so perhaps a video or two might be popping on here at some point, well, as soon as I get more guts...

My Canon 500D came with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lense but I'm thinking of upgrading into a bit more powerful one (faster, wider apertude, medium size tele), perhaps to the prime 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.8. If you guys can recommend me which one is better for full-body shots with smooth bokeh, I would appreciate it a lot!

Words can't describe how excited I am about playing with this new toy, I'ill definitely take it everywhere I go. I'm also happy that I can finally put all the theory I've learned at the photo school into practice. With this camera things just turned up a notch here on Fashion Flux, and I couldn't be more happy about it.

Thank you Canon, can't wait for the improved results!

Canon EOS 500D

These boots are made for walking

I have completely forgotten to properly introduce the latest addition to my shoe family: the Ann Demeulemeester riding boots. They are actually a second hand find from Berlin and ever since we met, we've been inseparable - that's how comfortable and well-made they are.

First I thought they wouldn't fit me right, being size 36 and all, but they are actually perfect (and still roomy) for my size 37 feet. So if you ever get boots (perhaps this applies to other shoes as well?) from Ann Dem, remember that the sizing runs at least one size big and to get your shoes in one size smaller than usual.

Whilst in Berlin, I also had the pleasure of trying on the famous Rick Owens wedges and noticed that those run one size big as well. Now I'm quite doubtful about shopping for shoes online, I guess you can never be sure if they fit true to size or not...

Riding boots: Ann Demeulemeester
Bag: All Saints / Spital Fields

Berlin is burning, part 2

One may not think so but but Berlin is truly a great place to go shopping. We mainly shopped in the old Eastern side (around Mitte), since the most interesting boutiques could be found from there. The best shops were all around the Rosa-Luxemburg Platz, so for all you serious fashion hunters, that's the best place to start.

I really liked a store called Apartment (don't let the upstairs gallery like open space with a pink cube fool you, the actual store is located downstairs) and it's side store Cash which sells second hand and second season high fashion (I got my Ann Demeulemeester horse riding boots there for a really great deal!). Andreas Murkudis and Ulf Haines are for those interested high fashion as well, I scored an amazing Ann Demeulemeester silk top from the latter. For men I highly recommend checking out Darklands; a very dark and minimalistic boutique with excellent service (many thanks to Campbell!). They carry brands like Julius, the Viridi Anne, Damir Doma and my friend's label Obscur. If you're more into mid-priced fashion, COS and All Saints are excellent choices offering quality garments with affordable prices for both men and women. Personally I could have cleared the whole COS, every single piece was like made for my wardrobe.

However, if you want to visit the West side and are more of a commercial fashion lover, Kurfurstendamm (or simply KuDamm) shopping street will be something to see. My favorite place there didn't have actually anything to do with fashion, as it was the the food department of KaDeWe, one of the biggest department stores in Europe.

If arts and culture are more your thing, Berlin has a lot to offer: just follow the banana figures to spot out the best art galleries around the city. For those interested in magazines and periodicals, Do you read me? offers about the every publication you can imagine covering arts, fashion and interior design. For record hunters I would recommend checking out the Record Store (Brunnenstrasse 186) or Mr Dead and Mrs Free.

When you're caught by thirst or hunger whilst shopping, don't worry, cute coffee shops are almost around every corner and food is fairly cheap even in the fancier restaurants. If you want to try something local and moderately priced, order a chicken snitzel and a pint of Berliner pilsner for example at an athmospheric bar/restaurant called Adebar.

Due to the location of shops and nightlife, I recommend getting a hotel from the Eastern side of the town. Our hotel, hotel Leonardo was situated on the West side which was about 20 minutes away from the Alexanderplatz. The hotel was excellent and quite close to the Tegel airpot but next time we're definitely staying in the East, just to be closer to all the action.

Unfortunately we didn't have time nor energy to check out he famous club scene of Berlin but I think that it will be covered during our New Year's trip - more than it's actually necessary. Can't wait! Also, auf wiedersehen Berlin, mein Liebe!

Want to know more about Berlin?:

• Check out also Essi's guide (part 1, part 2, part 3) to Berlin (in Finnish)
• My shopping recommendations from Tyylitaivas (in Finnish)
• The indie guide to Berlin is also a great source for finding good stuff in the city (in English)

Berlin is burning, part 1

I've promised to blog about my Berlin trip for ages now but going through over 300 photographs is not that easy, especially when you want to pick up the ones that best describe this amazing city. I've tried to collect here some of my favorite places to visit, hopefully you will find them useful and interesting.

My absolute favorite area was the rough East side: the art galleries, beautiful yet decadent buildings, street art and all the amazing boutiques made me instantly fall in love with Berlin. It's no wonder that only a few days after our trip, I found myself booking flights to go over there for the New Year celebration.

The last time I was in Berlin was almost 15 years ago, and a lot has changed since. I have always been interested in the history of Berlin and we were lucky because we happened to arrive there during a very historical weekend; thousands of Berliners were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "Mauerfall", the fall of the wall that once separated the East and West. There were lots of open air expos with street art and pictures, and even though I'm not German, it was a very emotional experience being in the middle of it all.

Naturally, visiting tourist attractions was part of our agenda. I highly recommend the Bauhaus museum where you can see the famous German architecture and design work, Checkpoint Charlie where East meets West, the grey and massive Alexanderplatz, and the East Side Gallery featuring art on the Berlin wall. I also heard that the DDR museum is pretty interesting, though we didn't have the time to visit it last time but will definitely check it out next time.

The fastest and the cheapest way to move around the city is to take the metro (U-bahn). Berlin is one of the safest cities in central Europe, so moving around day or night time was never a dubious. Taxis were also fairly cheap and are probably the best way to get to the airport if you are carrying heavy luggage.

More about Berlin in the next post, stay tuned!