Fashion Week for Dummies

In the past couple of weeks the media attention has been largely drawn to the so called Fashion Week(s).

Many know that what basically during fashion is a catwalk even organized to present the upcoming collection of some of the biggest names in the fashion industries.

While probably most of us cannot afford any of the garments presented on the runways, it is still key to keep an eye on the trend setters, the colours, the shapes and the materials shown. 

Most of the largest apparel retailers (such as the Spanish Zara and main competitor Mango) will reproduce some of the nicest items at a tiny percentage of the price (street-wear brands mostly end up imitating the big names of the industry and make fashion more affordable to us normal people down to earth.. ehm ehm).

Copyright: Vogue. September Edition - all about fashion! 

Here are the five basic facts all fashion girls should know about fashion week:

1. THE biggest fashion week even is held in the “Big Four” Fashion Capitals, in the following order:

• New York
• London
• Milan
• Paris 

2. THE Fashion Week is held twice a year (Women) 

Once in February through March to show the upcoming Fall/Winter Collection

And once in September through October to show the upcoming Spring/Summer Collection (for instance the fashion weeks taking place right at this very moment are presenting the S/S15 collections)This time spam gives major retailers time to get organized, select the items they would like to sell and get their shops all sorted out!
Throughout the year however, there are many other fashion weeks and events taking place in different cities. Even though the media does not direct as much attention to those cities and events as to the “Big Four”, they are still worthy of being checked out.
One of my personal favorites is Berlin Fashion Week, it takes place every year in January and in July. Worth taking a look at!

3. There is a big difference between Prêt-à-Porter and Haute Couture

Prêt-à-Porter is .. nothing more than “Ready to wear”. This is pretty much the version of the collections we normal human beings will/could buy in the stores. It is not custom tailored fashion.

Haut Couture refers to exclusive custom fitted garments, the biggest fashion brands sometime tailor pieces “just for the show and for publicity”, and do not sell them directly on the market.

Such high end designs are likely to have some of the best fabrics available and are rarely seen around. 

4. The first “Fashion Week” took Place in New York 

…back in 1943! This had basic logics behind it. 1943 was still war time in Europe. Prior to that, Paris was “the fashion city” (and, to me, it still remains it today!), but the war made it hard to fly designers from around the world into the city. This is when an American fashion publicist decided to make American fashion more popular to the press, by organizing the very first  “Press Week”, or, today, the “NY Fashion Week”. 

5. A show does not last as long as you think 

The catwalk show usually lasts between 8 and 15 minutes
Who would have thought, right? Well it`s true.

An extra note. Right now Paris fashion week (24.09 – 01.10) is taking place, I am very excited about the shows still to come, such as Chloé (tomorrow at 10AM EST) and Elie Saab (29.09 at 10 AM EST).

If, like me, you also would like to watch some of the shows live, tune in to:

http://parisfashionweeklive.com/Paris-Fashion-Week/barbara-bui-live-stream-paris-fashion-week-spring-2015

Have fun!

Px

follow me on @thepeteway on Instagram :) 

Five good enough reasons to love Fall!

Today is officially the first day of Fall!

Such a lovely season, don’t be sad Summer is over, Fall will rock our lives just as much. And in case you do miss summer, you could plan a short trip to somewhere warmer :) 

Here are the top reasons to just love this season!

1 – The Nature

Just look around you, this marvelous mixture of yellow, brown, and red blending with a blue horizon is just what I need to give myself all the right reasons to be in a good mood. Nature offers us paintings even Michelangelo would be jealous of. The weather is chilly but not cold just yet, not too hot, yet not too windy. Not to rainy and not too dry. Love it!

Nature plays beautiful games

2 – The Vineyards

Fall, to me, is Wine time! Grapes are ripe enough; it is time to make a good bottle of wine out of them! The process does take some time, but I just love walking through vineyards and observe .. smell .. and yes, steal some grapes eventually only to eat them as I walk on J

3 – The Fashion

Don’t you just love Fall fashion? Well..I do.. I love layering, ankle boots and trench coats. You can (almost) wear everything in Fall. AND the last (as well as the best…. Ok fine that’s just an opinion..) week of fashion week takes place..IN PARIS! You´ve got to love that!

4 – Redecorating

Fine, the whole decoration thing is my favourite part at each change in season, but I mean with Halloween coming up and all adding some orange to your home is almost a must, don’t you think?

I just started adding some seasonal touches to my house, but I am still very far away from being done, Any tips to share?   <3 

Starting to decorate - work in progress <3 

5 – Pumpkins

YES .. Fall is pumpkin season! Who doesn’t love a warm pumpkin cream soup? Well, if you don’t than you haven’t tried the right one just yet! Next time I make one I will document the steps and put up a recipe ;)

Aren’t these enough reasons? I am sure there are a million more to just love Fall, maybe yours are different, would you add anything to this list?

Kisses,

Petra x

Four easy tips to make Monday a much better day!

I can`t describe how happy I am my working Monday is over.

I am pretty sure lots of us feel the same way about the first day of the week; somehow work eases up once Monday is over. I can`t explain why..it is probably psychological.

Nevertheless we should not forget to get through it with a touch of positive attitude and a smile!

Here are my top 4 tips on how to get the best of Monday – these work quite well for me.

1 – Make yourself one great Sunday evening!

Don’t go to sleep too late, relax before going to bed. I usually have a nice light early dinner, take a long warm shower and pamper my body with all sorts of oils and lotions, and then I read (usually in bed, under a warm cover) a good book.

This really helps me sleep better and feel rejuvenated in the morning J

2 – Prepare your Monday outfit on Sunday

I usually take the time on Sunday evening to prepare my clothes for the next day, this avoids bad mood and stress on Monday morning, including the “what should I wear, I have nothing to wear” paranoia (you might feel this on Sunday while selecting your clothes, but at least you saved yourself from the Monday morning breakdownJ J )

3 – Don’t wake up at the very last second

Make sure you wake up to allow yourself sometime for your morning coffee at home, accompanied by a good magazine/newspaper read. Don’t read a book early in the morning, if you get carried away you might forget about the time! Get ready and allow yourself enough time to check the traffic situation on the net before you leave the house – this allows you to eventually select an alternative route, make it on time to work and prepare yourself psychologically for the long day (ok fine, this mostly applies to those driving to work, but who knows, if you commute with public transportation you might want to check that the tube runs regularly before you go down, and therefore save yourself from surprises).  

4 – Don’t forget to have breakfast!

I never skip on breakfast, never ever. Especially not on Mondays! You will probably need the energy a morning meal has to offer you!

Anyhow, Monday is almost over, the worst of the week is behind us, I am so happy to throw myself on the couch now!

Time to get comfy! 

So enough said .. I am eager to get some of your tips for a better Monday in the office! 

A good cup of tea always does it!

I am not sure what the weather looks like today there where you live, but let me tell you, here in the Hessen - Germany it looks quite sad.

It is grey, rainy and chilly, with a highest of 16.Celsius! All I feel like doing is cuddle up in a nice cover, read a book and drink tea.

Ayurveda Tea

I could drink tea at any time of the day, every day, actually, regardless of the weather outside.

Some may literally prefer the afternoon tea version, accompanied by a tasty cake..well why not. Some might not know that this tradition was brought to life by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, in 18^th century England. She found supper time a little too late and believed something had to be done in between lunch and dinner. So why not tea accompanied by cake and sandwiches? If you think about she pretty much added tea to an afternoon snack – what a “big deal”. I do drink tea in the afternoon too, but I rather have something healthier than cake to it. Unless it is weekend, of course .. ehm ehm ehm,

I am quite picky on the tea I drink. I almost never drink fruit flavoured tea (with the exception of orange and peach), I hardly drink peppermint tea (I was even told it is quite unhealthy to drink too much of it!) and pretty much hate lemon tea!

Depending on my mood I prefer drinking either Darjeeling tea (if black then with a dip of milk – though I prefer the uncommon white sort) or green tea.

In my opinion green tea is the healthiest of them all..don´t take my word as science but ever since I drink green tea on a regular basis:

1 – My metabolism has improved;

2 – My concentration has also improved.

These are not scientifically proven facts; they are just based on my own personal experience, but you might want to try it out yourself.

Try starting your day with a 500ml cup of Jasmine green tea and take it from there. Also try to reduce the amount of coffee you drink, and again, replace this with a cup of tea or a big glass of water.

I know decreasing the amount of coffee you drink might be a challenge ( I am an addict myself), but give it a try, I am down to one cup and one espresso a day now- without milk (as compared to the 5 cappuccinos and 3 espressos I used to drink in the past). Green tea, along with a balanced diet, has really helped me improve on several levels. I feel closer to myself, more relaxed, I sleep better (probably due to the improvement of metabolism), and I have a better peace of mind.

Of course I allow myself sometime to relax, turn on some candles, have some good music in the background and eat lots of fresh fruits.

And…today is one of those gloomy days anyway, so why not take some time off for oneself? Lay back and relax before another long working week starts tomorrow <3 Have a great Sunday!

Tea Tip: 

If you want a fast, tasty tea bag selection for work, try the selection offered by Rituals 

http://eu.rituals.com/de-de/home

Rituals Tea

If you would like a wider selection try Palais des Thes 

http://www.palaisdesthes.com 

Tea House Tip: 

If you have the chance, try the "Au Fond du Jardin" Tea House in Strasbourg, France.

It´s Victorian style, and fairy tail like scents will make you never want to leave 

http://www.aufonddujardin.fr/

Au fond du jardin - France

Love,

Px