Look of the Day: New Beginnings

dress - Love by Iris / shoes - Jimmy Choo / bag - Aspinal of London 

EN: My heart just started beating a bit faster. It feels final now, I said 'goodbye' but it isn't feeling any easier. I need to detach my feelings and step out of my comfort zone. I opened and updated my CV for the first time in years and filled in the first job application. I don't know yet what my journey is going to be but I'm feeling positive (a bit sad, but positive).

I'm constantly checking weather forecast, trying to fit things in before cold autumn approaches. Despite having a wonderful warm spring and summer it just never lasts long enough. I'm trying to grab the last rays of sunshine. I never felt so desperate because I always knew we would go somewhere warm in October or November. But this year is different, we all know it.

Enough of nostalgia let's talk fashion. Looking back on these photos, I smile. That day was filled with good food! All 3 of us enjoyed Russian cuisine and cosy atmosphere in one of the best restaurants in Knightsbridge. 

I wore a shirt dress, my new obsession. Love by Iris fits so well with my style and I couldn't choose what dress to order next. My choice fell on this gorgeous cotton dress in pastel colours, everything is perfect about it, the midi length of the skirt, 3/4 sleeves, design, style, fabric mmm It's just pure joy to wear it. And my new Jimmy Choos blended in very well, pastel mint colour looks so great with lilac!

 

Look of the Day: The Rose Garden

Galina: Dress - Reiss / Shoes - Ted Baker / Bag - Aspinal of London (similar) 

Katerina: Dress - Eirene (similar) / Shoes - Age of Innocence 

EN: Today is the last day of summer holidays, Katerina is back to school tomorrow! Year 3! Where does the time go?

We've spent the last week in London, visiting museums and enjoying sunny days.

Although I've lost my job during the pandemic , I probably got the best possible outcome in this situation. I've spent all this time with my family which was some sort of a problem before. When Katerina turned 3 I thought I was ready for a full time job and when I got it I've realised how much I miss out on, like spending quality time with her after school, dropping her off on important days, all sorts of school plays and sports days. I got to the point when I was literally crying when my job couldn't approve my leave on day when she had her Christmas play. All these things are in the past now, I moved to part time position and made clear that family matters come first. 

This lockdown blessed me with all the time in the world to spend with Katerina and Gareth. And I think we had the best summer ever! It was a joy to round it up in London, visiting our favourite spots and new exhibitions. We had the sweetest moments in The Ivy Cafe Marylebone and Katerina calling it 'The Best place in town' :) Roses, outdoor seating, strawberry sundae and all things pretty.

September is a new Chapter  

Family Look: Holiday to the Seaside

Katerina: Dress - Tommy Hilfiger / Sweatshirt - Tommy Hilfiger / Trainers -  Tommy Hilfiger 

Me: Top & Shorts - Reiss / Trainers - Ted Baker 

Viva la Domestic Holidays! Although we can't travel abroad, we still can enjoy a local staycation. And luckily Britain has a lot to offer!

Very British Holiday: seaside, rain, fish&chips, sand in between your toes, salty hair, big waves and ice-cream. 

Cornwall was our first choice because we know it well and we have friends & family living there. Something I've learnt over the years is that you can't rely on the weather forecast by the seaside. When it was the hottest day in London a month ago, it was pouring down with rain in Newquay. The weather is very unpredictable.

So when I was packing for this holiday I had to have a mix of flip flops and trainers, summer dresses and sweatshirts. Childrensalon had me covered!

First I found a perfect stripy dress by Tommy Hilfiger, made in a lightweight cotton and viscose blend. It fastens with buttons on the front and has pockets on the side seams.

I was going after a tomboy look, to give Katerina practical and comfortable clothes to run around the beach. So I also got her unisex white trainers with a red and navy blue flag logo on the heel. They are made in faux leather, with a fabric lining and a shaped, padded inner sole. They have velcro fastening straps and a branded, non-slip rubber outer sole.

And last but not least - a blue sweatshirt by Tommy Hilfiger, made in soft cotton jersey, with a fleecy inside. It has a navy blue, red and white stripe on the back and the designer's iconic flag logo on the chest. Just in case it's chilly in the evenings.

Maybe you didn't notice at first glance, but some items were picked from the Boys section. I'm free from prejudice and always explore the boys section as well, especially when looking for 'outdoorsey' stuff. I believe that most of the things will look equally great on both! Check out Tommy Hilfiger range, I think this brans is great for smart casual outfits. 

If you watched my stories, you know that the weather was changing every hour. But we (especially Katerina) loved every minute of it! She was chasing and running away from the waves from dawn to dusk. And despite not having any sun she still managed to catch a suntan :) 

Next stop is the Welsh coastline   

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Dressed by Childrensalon 

Look of the day: Gold Flowers

dress - Chicwish / bag - Chanel / shoes - Jimmy Choo

EN: I don't know when this post would be able to go live, but right now I'm sitting and thinking that I might loose my job.

UPD: I did loose my job.

All the way through the pandemic I felt very secure about my future with the company and just a week ago we were hit with the news that some John Lewis stores won't re-open. And mine might be one of them. I'm going to work tomorrow to find out what the future holds. I obviously can't share any information until it's available to the public, so if you are reading it than the news hit the media.

Whichever way it goes I am grateful for working there for nearly 3 years as a selling partner. I'm grateful for the people I met, knowledge I gained, all the benefits and perks of the job. I've thought about my role during furlough and it brought a smile to my face so many times. And right now I'm just sitting and wondering if we ever open the doors to the customers again.

One thing I know for sure, this blog helped me a lot during the hardest times. So if I do or don't have a job tomorrow I'll carry on to invest in my mini on-line diary.

Photos were taking a week earlier when I was carefree and happy, thinking that I'm owning it and the future is bright. 

Look of the Day: The Ivy Chelsea Garden

blouse - Chicwish / trousers - Mango / bag - Aspinal of London  

EN: Is it really happening? Are we slowly coming out of lockdown? This blog has always been a diary for me so I would love to keep this memories here.

4th of July is when some restrictions were lifted and some of our cafes and restaurants have opened its doors once again. After supporting small independent businesses for 3 months with takeaways I was craving to have a sit down meal in a sumptuous place like the Ivy Chelsea Garden. So yeah, 2 cities and 2 Ivys in 4 days.

One of many things I love about this place it's its flower installations. The set the bar high and they smash it every season! This summer theme is inspired by the Great British Garden. You are going to see more photos from here as I just can't get enough.

I hope you noticed that my style is slightly changing, I see things a little bit differently now. I'm staying true to myself but I want to be relevant. My initial reaction was to wear a tea dress and a straw hat to the Ivy but I stopped myself and reevaluated my outfit. To be honest, for each of my visits I wore trousers and I felt chic, delicate and fresh like an early morning :)) 

TED BAKER KIDS

Katerina: Dress - TED BAKER

Galina: Dress - TED BAKER / Shoes - TED BAKER / Bag - TED BAKER 

EN: Slowly but surely we are coming out of the lockdown into the streets of London. The weather's been pure bliss so me and Katerina went out for a weekend stroll around our favourite colourful spots. The first stop was to get fresh flowers. It's hydrangea season so we got few stems to match our powder blue outfits.

Speaking of our outfits, it's Ted Baker's new season. Recently Katerina changed her preferences and now she is into Blue. So when we were looking through Ted's new collection she immediately fell in love with this dress. She also likes the geometric flower pattern on it, which reminds us of arty garden walls.

My dress is matching Katerina's blue pallet. It has a flattering V-neck with a tiered skirt and tie belt detail. For contrast I went for sumptuous accessories in blush pink. I think our looks are demure but clearly speak savoir-vivre.

Check out  << Ted Baker Kids new season >> here

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Family Look: Polka Dots

Katerina: Playsuit - Zara / Bag - Aspinal of London / Sandals - Childrensalon

Me: Dress - Ted Baker / Sandals - Ted Baker / Bag - Lulu Guinness 

EN: What a day we just had! After 3 months of home schooling I've dropped Katerina off at school for the first time. Her school took girls back for the last 2 weeks of the last term. Not everyone went back though, I think it's only 11 girls in her class. But I can't even describe how happy she was!

Me and Gareth set in the car and asked ourselves what are we going to do with our day. Everything changed since we dropped her off at school last time. No coffee shops are open this early, no restaurants serving breakfast, no cinema dates. So yeah ... it took us time to decide what to do with our time :)

Going back to actual photos you are looking at. How exciting it is to shoot outside again! As I said before, Katerina is taking a big interest in directing photoshoots. So after I get 'my shots' she takes a lead and explains her ideas of location and poses. I have to admit she has some good ideas!

I just couldn't resist getting Katerina a matching polka dot playsuit. I see her getting loads of good wear out of it. And it makes me extra excited when we can create looks like this one.