11-30-2025 MY INSPO: a bountiful harvest of inspiration

 this past week, inspiration was all around, from gifts i'm excited to wear, to the turbofolk princesses of the 2000s. here's some inspo that caught my attention, and now i'm bringing it to yours.

y2k balkan style

while my peers in the usa were surrounded by nicole richie and paris hilton, jwow and snooki, britney, destiny's child and xtina - as the naughties style icons with a reputation, i was surrounded by not so different icons, when it comes down to the level of cuntiness. 

a bit of backstory - with croatian history being extremely complex with serbs, we're in an entanglement of sorts. very similar, shared most of our lives and upbringing, lot's of our traditions overlap. we're neighbors, friends and cousins with each other, and our languages are similar - we don't need translation. and we cannot forget the homeland war, where this relationship took a dark turn and left these feelings bittered toward our neighbors. i am no historian, and i know the importance that war had to the long yearning for independence croatia had - and one that was tragic, but successful. like i said, no history books here, just my pure nostalgia, coming from someone who grew up in this confusing country, where the scars of war were still slowly healing. 

but culturally, at least during my upbringing, a good turbofolk song needed to be known among the youth. if you want to go out on a saturday night, you need to know the classics: aspirin, tri čaše, alkotest, temperatura, devojka tvog druga... just a few to name them. but i'm going to narrow down the icons and songs before the 2010s:

known for semi pornographic lyrics, oversexualization and vulgarity, these girls talked promiscuity louder than nelly furtado. these queens also connected east to west with their vocals. not something we hear or talk about enough, how turbofolk is a very specific genre of music, and very unique. i was listening to a bunch of these songs lately, and each time i saw the album covers, i was reminded of the insane fits and the early days of plastic surgey and filler. here's some balkan y2k divas that taught us sex ed and toxic relationships while also dancing our asses off in the club.

olja karleuša - moschino blazer??
song recommendation: zicer

sandra afrika - the bandage dress was a staple east and west
song recommendation: neko će mi noćas napraviti sina

rada manojlović
song recommendation: deset ispod nule

indira radić - grew up in my mom's hometown. so we're practically related? also big shakira vibes
song recommendation: bio si mi drag

ana nikolić 
song recommendation: romale romali

samantha jones? no silly, the other mother. lepa brena
here's an old recommendation, probs not y2k but she's a veteran: čik pogodi

nataša bekvalac
song recommendation: mali signali

maja berović, pre nose job but during her cuntrification era
song recommendation: džin i limunada

thee problematic fave jelena karleuša. my theory is that she is the jeffree starr people said kanye fucked. ask sib all about her pr disaster.
song recommendation: casino

beyonce of serbia - svetlana ražnatović ceca. widow of a war criminal, but mother of iconique looks and bops
song recommendation: isuse

if you want to delve deeper and find juicy pics or videos of live performances, i highly recommend estradni arhiv on instagram. 

this fall's cardigan - according to vogue

a recent blog entry by paperdoll sammy talked about vogue's trend prediction and style advice for the cardigan. i love them, you love them, we all have a plethora to cozy up at work, in class, or just chilling at home. 

here's five ways vogue puts a twist on the cardigan, and my own interpretation of it.

undone elegance
"pair a prim dress with a chunky cardigan and brogues for a miu miu-esque look that's equally cozy and quirky"

 i don't have brogues, so i substituted for some chunky oxfords. brown tights matching with cardigan. earthy tones all around.

ladylike with a twist
"put a french-feminine twist on a nautical cardigan and crisp white denim by adding a blossoming brooch and elegant block heels"

instead of a nautical cardigan, i chose a chanel inspired tweed cardigan. i thought a draping necklace would fit for a flair of countryside drama. 

cozy minimalism
"for a minimalist take on cardigan dressing, mix a boxy, collared shape with a clean maxi skirt, flats, and oversized shades".

 i opted here for a vintage cardigan (pretty much shapeless), but i think these leather details, and shades bring out an edge, and makes this cardigan less grandpa-like.

sweet pastels
"a butter yellow cardigan pairs unexpectedly well with tough fall textures, like a denim bomber and leather pants".

love the layering here. i don't own a yellow cardigan, so i chose a pastel argyle one (trying to stay on theme). a black base, touch of pink (cardigan + shoes) and blue (cardigan + jacket). leather accessories, and multicolor bracelets.

knits on knits
"triple (or quadruple!) the knits - think cardigan, sweater, scarf, and skirt - for an extra warm and rich, textural look"

a perfect way to keep warm and stylish in brutal ohio weather. i really went for the knitmaxing here: a light knit top in a periwinkle shade, simple ribbed skirt, and a black knit cardigan. a calvin klein scarf, and a pop of color with a pastel coach bag. 

welcome to the crafty corner

with the holiday season approaching, and my days are spent either online or if i do choose to leave the house, usually shopping, i have to make a choice - be a victim of late-stage capitalism, or be inspired to use some skill and developing talents. who am i kidding, i'm definitely a bit of both, but would always love to be more of the latter. here's some ideas i have in my mind this holiday season, for decorating, upcycling, and gifting.

i got an embroidery kit for my birthday, and between having fabric dye and now this, my donation pile will minimize to items that only do not fit well. stains, tears and other signs of wear don't mean that a top or skirt is doomed. we can fix all that and personalize it! much inspiration seems to be coming from child-like drawings, animals, and cutouts. sib has a lot of extra cloth too from previous projects, so i see some patchwork in my future as well.

while browsing nordstrom on black friday, i saw the cutest handmade holiday garland. hand-painted, and so cute, but i dared not to look at the price. rather, i snapped photos of it. hell, i just got some cute watercolor pens and i need to put them to work. our doorways are looking in need of diy garland. and while we're at it, perhaps sewing some tiny sweaters or stockings from leftover scraps too? and adding some embroidery? the possibilities are endless. this elf has a lot of work to do!

november top ten looks

it's end of month, and we're closer to the end of the big 25, i can practically smell the new year. what kind of looks did i bring in november? lots of reds, more animal print (mob wife trend stays), layering, even skirts - ohio weather can't rain on my parade (how many times will i get sick this winter season because of this mentality?). insane amount of leather and metal(lic) accessories. it's the grunge coming back. i told ya!

11/02 featuring the croset. morning coffee with dad. those mornings were my runway. who saw me? cousins and other retired locals. the toughest crowd if you know how much locals can stare.

11/04 featuring the croset. another coffee look. this red bomber jacket still smells like fresh espresso and cigarettes. and that's my favorite souvenir. the desigual skirt came back with me. it's art in a form of a skirt. 

11/08 a chic airport moment, going back to the states. trench coats are so mysterious and fancy, but they wrinkle like crazy. and when you're flying 8 hours across the ocean, you're guaranteed to turn sloppy soon. oh well, c'est la vie. reporting back on compression socks, they saved me and sib from leg cramps post flight. would recommend.

11/13 work look, with tons of metals and metallic deets, juxtaposition of casual and work, strand sweatshirt meets my mom's pinstripe skirt. a little bit of everything.

11/14 my birthday dinner look. i love a ruby red moment. i love my gucci cherry heels. i love fancy dinners. 

11/17 work look. part of my fall/winter styling challenge and used a hypothetical boho chic look from the teen magazine ok je ok! the end result was more boho than initial hypothetical idea. the coat brought it thru. 

11/21 another style challenge, also from ok! this one was focused on animal print. all black, mostly leather, with a croc texture coat and ocelot (?) print scarf. work look.

11/24 there's that jacket again! went more graphic to work. newspaper print mesh top under a tee, and an abstract light scarf. edgier layering.

11/25 something more saccharine for work but peep the graphic details of the tights. 

11/28 friendsgiving fit. this off shoulder purple zebra top is perhaps the wildest thing in my closet. the color, the shiny texture, the print and asymmetry. she's a showstopper. for friendsgiving i made sure she was exactly the star by keeping the rest of the look minimalist. my bare arm shimmered and dangled with the obnoxious number of bangles and bracelets. 

style my haul!

this black friday, i got myself a pair of black platform naturalizer loafers, and new earmuffs. bestie nicole gifted me a wonderful tan uniqlo bag. here's three of these items, styled! spoiler alert, i've been wearing them, already!