2012 Recap: Biggest Fashion Moments of the Year

This year is coming to an end, so I've decided to have a look at what happened these past 12 months and remember the biggest fashion moments of 2012. Here are  my top 10 choices:

1. Raf Simons is the new creative director of Christian Dior after a year of searching for the perfect replacement for John Galliano. The first collection he designed for the French House was for the Haute Couture Fashion Week in July and it was a stunning start that brought everybody's hopes up regarding the future of the brand.

The Best Menswear Shoes of Fashion Week

Because the end of the year means that the Men's Paris Fashion Week is only three weeks ahead, I rounded up some of the best menswear shoes from last year's Fashion Weeks photographed by Tommy Ton. Paired with jeans, chinos or a suit, the shoe is one of the most important focus points in a man's outfit. Here are some great examples:

December Magic: Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas full of joy and laughter! Enjoy the food and the presents and above all the company of your dear ones, there's nothing better than to be surrounded by love and happiness this time of year!

Have a snowy Christmas!

Photos: tumblr

December Magic: Top 10 Gift Wrapping Ideas

While Christmas Day is only a few hours away, some of you may be struggling with wrapping the gifts you bought for your dear ones. There are so many fun and creative ways to do this: the traditional gift wrapping paper and bow way or some more unconventional ways including sticks, plants and cutout paper. Here is my top 10 list of best gift wrapping ideas (in no particular order):

1. Plain wrapping paper - handwritten and decorated

2. Colorful bows and thread over plain paper

3. Colorful paper and cutout name labels

 4. Using cutout letters as labels

5. Wrapped in newspaper and bound with plain thread and bow

6. Buttons and card labels

6. Traditional Christmas colors: gold with a hint of sweet with a candy cane wrapped into the bow

7. Lace details

8. Using sticks and leaves

 9. Cutout Christmas tree ornaments

 10. Cardboard box with a twist

How do you usually do the wrapping by yourself or at the shop? Which one of these styles do you prefer?

Photos: tumblr, Pinterest

December Magic: Christmas Tree Decorations

Christmas is approaching really quickly and I guess we are probably all at the stage of decorating the tree by now! The tradition of setting up a Christmas tree stems from 16th century Germany. Originally decorated with apples, nuts or dates, towards the 18th century candles were starting to be added to the tree and later  with the discovery of electricity, the traditional Christmas lights were also added. Nowadays there is such a wide variety of color palettes you can use to decorate your tree - from the heartwarming golden tones or the traditional red and green to frosty silver and regal blue. I prefer the warmer tones of gold or red for my tree, as I feel that they resonate with the serene and happy atmosphere in a home during this holiday. Here are some beautiful examples of Christmas tree decorations and interior design:

DKNY Spring 2013 Ad Campaign

Brand: DKNY

Season: Spring 2013

Model: Cara Delevigne

Photographer: Patrick Demarchelier

Location: New York

From the midst of a snowy winter day, here is a spring ad campaign to cheer you up! British rising-star of the fashion world, model Cara Delevigne, is the new face of the DKNY Spring 2013 ad campaign. The photos were shot on the streets of New York by photographer Patrick Demarchelier, reflecting the vibrant city through pops of color and the dynamic poses of the model always on the move and listening to music. My favorite looks are the one with the green jacket and bag and teh one with the long yellow dress. Have a look for yourselves!

Menswear Style: Bill Murray for GQ

Next year's January issue of GQ features an editorial with the beloved actor and comedian Bill Murray. A very stylish gentleman and a genuinely funny guy, his great personality comes through these photos. Famous for crashing kickball games, prank-calling his friend's wives and busting into the karaoke rooms of unknowing partygoers, Bill Murray is currently playing Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson and is rumoured to be considered for an Oscar nomination later this year. Have a look at these great shots:

December Magic: Christmas Lights

Christmas lights can transform a city into a winter wonderland, a magical place where dreams anything can happen. They brighten up the winter evenings and bring warmth to the hearts of passers-by. One of my favorite things to do around this time of year is to go for a walk and look at all the Christmas decorations around town. What about you?

Menswear Winter Style Moodboard

As I've neglected my male readership for quite some time now, I decided to dedicate this day to you guys! Winter is a great time to have fun with lots of layers and color palettes and add some playful knitwear to your wardrobe. Either warm rust and burgundy shades or cold, wintery blues and grays, there are a lot of options you can choose from for a trendy and warm look. They key to success is proportion and matching shades from the same color palette. Have a look for some more inspiration!

December Magic: Gingerbread Cookies

December for me is all about spending time with friends and family, listening to carols with a hot chocolate in hand, decorating the tree and cooking and baking. Remember waking up on Christmas day as a child when the whole house smelled like cookies and cake? Gingerbread cookies are one of the most traditional sweets for this time of year and they're a lot of fun to decorate. Here's some sweet inspiration for you today:

December Magic

The first snowfall came, the beautiful Christmas lights are turned on all around the city and it the air is refreshingly cold: the winter charm definitely got to me! Humming carols under my breath, I'm already thinking of Christmas and the great times I'm going to spend with my dear ones. Being in such a festive mood, I decided to refer to this period as December Magic. Over the next two weeks I'll try to get you in the happiest holiday mood with some winter goodies besides my regular posts, so stay tuned! It's good to be back!

Photo: tumblr

Fashionable Quotes: Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel has been an inspiration for so many people, both because of her impeccable sense of style and  her character and stubborn nature. She always stood up for herself and expressed her opinions out loud. I hope this quote comes as an inspiration for you as well today.

Sorry for the lack of posting by the way, I know I promised photos from the fashion shows I attended last week, but after the mini-holiday I came back to a lot of work and I haven't had enough time to finish sorting the fashion pics. This weekend you'll definitely get to see them! 

Photo: Pinterest

Funny Inspiration of the Day

Hello lovelies! I hope you've had a great week so far! I'm really tired right now (which explains today's coffee beans owl inspiration), but also very excited about these past and next few days! On Tuesday evening I went to a very interesting fashion event, called Gala Avanpremiere, where I got to see a ton of runway shows presenting the latest collections of 7 Romanian designers. It was a lot of fun and I have loads of photos to show you, but that will be for tomorrow, as sorting through all the photos revealed itself as quite the task. And as for my excitement for the next few days, I'll be going on a well-deserved mini-vacation! Yay! This week couldn't have been any better!