8-10-2025 MY INSPO: josipa lisac

one could say singer and icon josipa lisac is the croatian version of cher, but with more natural eclectic features. josipa lisac can be described as one of the older chic ladies you'd meet somewhere in europe, that have this air of wisdom and knowledge. not snobby, but truly artistic. 

josipa lisac was first introduced to me as a child, perhaps even infant, as her christmas album with the croatian choir ivan goran kovačić has been played in our household for as long as i can remember. later in my youth i would see her music videos, her interviews, and discover more songs. her unusually deep voice - contralto, and bright red hair cannot be ignored.

in the regional musical scene, she has been active since the 60s. her musical style includes multiple genres: jazz, traditional balkan music, rock and roll, and pop. with her partner and lover, karlo metikoš, she created one of the best albums in yugoslav history: dnevnik jedne ljubavi (diary of a love). she excelled in covering big band jazz songs in croatian, and even came to the usa where she made her album made in the usa. josipa lisac starred in the first yugoslav rock-opera, created by karlo metikoš: gubec-beg, inspired by a historical novel by croatian author august šenoa, the peasant revolt (1881). her aria ave maria gets repeated on croatian tv for every holiday. 

josipa lisac describes herself as rebellious since she turned 18, and in "these environments i decided to create my own reality and my own island. it's easy to run away from everything, try to stay and create your own reality".

for croatian news portal 24 sata (24 hours), josipa lisac shares more about herself: "it's true that i keep a youthful, healthy spirit, and age is not important. it's always important to be healthy, and how you feel and carry yourself. when you present yourself that way, similar people will be attracted to you. there's a young world around me and we understand each other well."

josipa lisac' style is futuristic, avant-garde, and one of a kind. no one could recreate these looks, or pull them off as well and natural as she does. no one has yet succeeded. there's something so original, i might have to revisit my earlier statement about cher. i'm not sure if cher could even compare. this lady loves her hats, and her hats come from multiple croatian milliners: staša čimbur, and the late nada kobali. 

about her favorite accessory, josipa lisac stated: "a lady must always wear a hat. that's how i imagined it a long time ago, then, i met staša and her creativity and her passion, her enthusiasm and above all her talent, and i loved it all".

here's some more iconic looks of this incredibly talented woman. i have my hair appointment coming up, and my hair needs to match the josipa lisac copper.

never a dull all-black look.

fuck ass bob that could challenge anna wintour.

american apparel disco leggings?!

finally, here's top five josipa lisac songs i'd recommend:

gdje dunav ljubi nebo
samo iluzija
a gdje si ti
over the rainbow
stormy weather