A girl's "Yabou"

Have a "must have moment"!

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:25:00 +0200

Accesoriile “A cuckoo moment” sunt la mare cautare peste tot. In Romania le poti cumpara on-line de pe
www.wardrobe-b.ro.

Tu ti-ai gasit accesoriul perfect?

Design-urile “A cuckoo moment” au ajuns in multe reviste internationale de moda, ca un must have item. Nu este de mirare, avand in vedere ca fiecare accesoriu este facut dintr-o piele speciala, in culori care urmaresc trendurile de sezon.

In magazinul on-line Wardrobe B iti poti achizitiona bratara, inelul, colierul sau chiar carcasa de telefon din piele de pisica de mare, sau sarpe de apa, ba chiar si din piele de piton sau strut.

Ce mai astepti? Intra online pe www.wardrobe-b.ro si comanda-ti accesoriul preferat.

Te asteptam on-line la Wardrobe B! :)

Memories from University

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:01:02 +0200

This time I come with something different but fashion.. An old article I wrote a few years ago for a Japanese Magazine about the wonderful experience I had during field research in Tokyo.

It did bring up a lot of great memories, and made me feel again the sweet taste of success.

Hope you will enjoy it too!

“Field-research in JAPAN

Andra Monica Barchi

After graduating my Bachelor in Business Administration in Bucharest, Romania, I decided to continue with a Master program in The Netherlands at the University of Amsterdam. There are a lot of reasons that pushed me to pick up Amsterdam as my home-city for one year. First it was the good reputations of the university, as it took a high rank in the top 100 Best Universities in the World, which attracted me. Secondly the study program, which was opposed to my Bachelor studies much more practice oriented and of course the beauty of the city, with its wonderful canals and extraordinary architecture.

Arriving there, I was surprised about the great amount of opportunities for studying abroad the university offered, but the first one that caught my attention was the Study trip to Japan. It was a field research trip meant to help students gather information for their master thesis. Although already an international student, I submitted my master thesis proposal and I got lucky. The professor, who was choosing the students for this trip, liked the theme of my research: “Green” Sustainability: Company vs. Consumer Approach in the Apparel Industry. I chose this subject as I have been studying the apparel industry also for my Bachelor thesis, so it was a field I knew best and because the greening of companies is a new trend all over the world, so I wanted to compare The Netherlands with Japan in this matter.

On the 13^th June the amazing trip to Tokyo, Japan started and we all, the group of 5 Dutch students plus one international (me) from three different Universities in The Netherlands, received our schedule for the following two weeks: interviews, company visits and lectures. There was nothing missing from our folders: time schedule, maps, and business cards. Every single aspect of our stay was carefully taken care of in something that we understood a bit later, was a typical Japanese way of keeping an eye on details. It’s hard to choose a moment or two from the trip that I liked best, because every second of the trip was stunning. Watching the production of Nissan cars, was also a peak moment of the trip, as I could not imagine, that building a car, is more or less a Lego game for the Nissan workers, who are using a very modern technology to manufacture the cars, that are then shipped right away to all over the world. Moreover, I was impressed by the innovation exhibition we visited on our last day TEPIA, where I felt that Asimov is history, as the Japanese technology is so advanced, that talking to a robot, or clapping to switch of a TV is almost part of everyday life. I cannot mention the other visits at Keidanren or at the German-Japanese Institute, where we had researchers lecturing us about Japan, about its markets, current problems and newest trends. Visiting the CANON factory was a learning point for each European in the room, as we found out how Japanese managers are making the production of printers more efficient, while changing the line-productions with the island-production in an attempt to make every step count.

Regarding the interviews I have conducted at JOCA and JAIC, I was pleased by the willingness of my interviewees to help me send out questionnaires to their members in order to collect data for my research. The interview held at FUJI FILM, even though not in the industry I was doing my research in, was an interesting lesson about eco-friendly practices used by a company that operates with a lot of chemicals and substances, which uncontrolled would harm the environment badly.

All the people I have interviewed have been very kind and polite in explaining their activities to me, but visiting Teijin LTD. to find out more about green apparel production, was the most impressive moment for me, as I did not expect such a courtesy from the two gentleman that kindly presented, the company concept, while giving me a clear view on their figures and practices. Moreover, I have been invited to see an exhibition that the company has arranged, for those who where interested in finding out how the innovations of the company work. The interview was pleasantly ended with a meal and a great discussion with Mr. Naoki Arai, whose innovative ideas regarding the green apparel production gave me a lot of great ideas for writing my thesis. I found out that my thesis could be a good start for companies to understand the importance of green production, even in the apparel industry, as the amount of clothes bought and thrown away per day reaches gigantic numbers. This could be controlled by a valuable recycling program, which might help producers reuse the dumped clothes.

Rounding up, the trip was a great success and I won’t be able to thank enough the organizers from JNI, but also the two accompanying professors for this great opportunity and this unforgettable trip, which helped collect data for my master thesis, which I expect to be finished at the end of September 2009. “

It is almost live :)

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:13:34 +0200

It is almost time of the launch… I have been working for a while now on a very nice project for a webshop.

With all sorts of hand-picked items Wardrobe B is going to launch very soon. You can already see some of the items on the website: www.wardrobe-b.ro, it is in Romanian at this moment, but you will soon be able to read everything in English as well.

It is a lot of work to do this project, and to have a full-time job, a fiancee (yeeees, he did propose..I am going to get married) and to also run a blog. But I am happy that for the moment it all works fine. :)

Will tell you more about the great time in London - where he proposed as soon as I find a few minutes to write.

For the moment enjoy here some of the beautiful items that you will soon be able to add in your own wardrobe.

In case you are interested in anything you see from the website or the pictures here, please email me directly at: andra@royalmet.com.

Let me know what you think!

Kusjes!

London Dream

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:30:25 +0200

Hi, you all. It is always great to be back in London.
This time it is with a special occasion.. My boyfriend gave this trip to me as a bday gift and
it includes a ticket to the Wicked musical.

And looots of shopping of course :))) going to be keeping you updated about my weekend break in London.

Kusjes,

Slippers on the road

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:26:23 +0200

Oh, this trend might have gotten to me…:) I always thought that shoes one wears in the house will never get to see the direct sunlight or walk around on a shopping spree.. Not to talk about fancy restaurants or crowded pubs.

However, my believes have been proven wrong, buy a couple of well know design houses: Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Alexander McQueen, Valentino, and the list can go on.
One is clear, the slippers are this years must have flats!

My favorite so far, which I already put on my wishlist….Christian Louboutin: Roller Girl leather and velvet loafers

The only question now is what will I be wearing at home? :)

Kusjes!

Sneaker wedges

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:00:31 +0200

Isabel Marant started a whole trend with the sneaker wedges. I was walking today in Amsterdam for some “window-shopping” and I was really surprised to see how many types of sneaker wedges copy cats there were in the city.

Sometimes I wonder how this is even allowed..or maybe it isn’t but nobody says anything about it..I don’t know, however there is a wiiiiide variaty of sneaker wedges, in all colors, sizes and of course you can choose from different brands.

I have not yet tried them on, but they look quite comfy. When I first saw the Isabel Marant ones on net-a-porter.com I thought…tja…sad-face, but completely out of my “pocket range”.

During my visit in Paris, at the Who’s Next fashion fair, I saw at least 5 people wearing them, and thought..damn I would love to have those shoes.

So now, I am pretty sure someone heard my wish, because I can now select from a wide range of affordable wedges sneaker..
There is now a whole new trend going on- sport shoes with wedge heel, should look casual and sporty, but you can still be tall. Very handy for girls who love sneakers, but are not that tall, so have to wear most of the time heels.

However, they will never be even close to the Isabel Marant ones.. :(

Check the different styles below, what is your favorite?

1. Tsubo.com 150$

2. Monshowroom.com 150€

3. Monshowroom.com 160€

4. Urbanoutfitters 160€

And the list can continue…if you are looking for some higher fashion brands here some examples:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Chloe

Till the next blog-post!
Kusjes!

What a cool DIY!

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:58:40 +0200

I have been recently looking around on different style blogs, and found this very cool DIY for sandals.

I really think I have to try it out, it looks very easy to do, and I like the way the sandals turn into some very chic Parisian styles.

What you need:
1. Sandals with straps (maybe something like this :))

2. Satin material or crepe in the color of the shoe (or you can use a complementary color) 50cm should be more then enough.

3. Ribbon in the same color to secure the material on it and on the straps.

4. and..of course needles and thread :)

How to do everything:
1. Start by cutting a piece of cloth 40 cm length should be sufficient.
2. Form small flowers by hand (this you achieve by turning the fabric and folding it together). Secure it with needle and thread. Make as many roses as you like to have on the strap.

3. The ribbon you measure from the length of your top strap until the front strap- make it a bit longer so you can secure it right.

And voila..you new pair of sandals are ready for a walk. Once mine are ready I am going to add them on the blog. If you’re quicker then me, than share it here!

Kusjes!

Louis Vuitton for every pocket :)

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:30:00 +0200

Have you recently visited any Zara store? Well, in case you did then for sure you realized that there are some items in the collection that are similar to the spring-summer collection of Louis Vuitton.

I am crazy about the LV spring summer collection, but I have to admit it is a bit too expensive for me at this moment.. :) Maybe one day..

However, I was really happy to get some items from Zara, that look a bit like the LV collection.

Here some examples:

Source: Zara.com and fashion.telegraph.co.uk

Lace necklace: 19.95€
White dress: 79.95€
Mint t-shirt: 36.95€
Yellow mini-skirt: 49.95€
Yellow dress: 69.95€
Mint blazer: 99.95€
Shirt with flowers: 39.95€

So I guess, what I need to say now is :) Happy Shopping!

Kusjes!

Flowers and prints

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:47:24 +0200

Flowers motives on fashion items is not necessarily a new trend for spring 2012, it seems that it never stopped being there, exactly as the different animal prints, but also the more abstract prints

You can see in a lot of designer collections the motive of flowers coming back over and over again. For some of the items designers as Louis Vuitton prefer to use flowers but not in print form, for others flowers are printed on different kind of clothing items.

source: http://squa.re

Wearing flower prints can be sexy, feminine, romantic, simple or even striking. Depending on how you are wearing the items you can achieve a different effect. Some think that wearing such items is only suggested for brave fashionistas, as not everyone can pull of such a complicated “busy” item into a slick, natural looking outfit.

You can see floral influences in the collection of Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Jil Sander, Dolce&Gabbana, Prada, Mary Katrantzou, Lanvin and many more. Below a collage of all the flowers and prints from the mentioned designers.

As it is pretty obvious, you don’t have to reach out so deep in your pockets to be able to get your own flower or print look. You can find this trend in many stores as: Zara, Asos, Mango, H&M and others. Just make sure to combine the “busy” items with something simple, so they can glow away and make you look like a real fashion girl.

source: H&M.com and mango.com

What is your favorite flower or print item? Share it with me!
Kusjes!

Socks this spring

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:56:00 +0200

It feels like a very strong new spring trend coming up.
Socks in sandals :)

Old socks? Not at all! This season, the sock is just as important as the killer high heel or crazily colored flats you wear. Your socks can be seen now.

It is obvious that I don’t share the same opinion on socks that can be seen. :)
Where one feels comfortable and fashionable in white socks (I better hope you don’t!), is someone else very fond of crazy print socks.

You could see once in a while models walking in fashion shows with cute little socks, but it never really picked up in the street… Somehow this year
it will be most probably there for the spring. Is it maybe because girls cannot wait for the summer to wear their sandals, so they add something to keep their toes warm,
or is it really a new trend? I don’t know…

What about you? Are you going to put on socks into your open shoes?

Marc Jacobs and Marni used this new little item as a finishing touch for their look on the catwalk presentation..So if they feel comfortable with this new trend and give this little
not so important item a “catwalk homage”, maybe we should all let our socks see the sun-light.

What do you think?

Kusjes!

Spring here I come!

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:55:00 +0100

It is time for some really spring-like looking outfits.. isn’t it?

Well Kalancea and I we both thought about some pastel outfits. She took the very elegant approach and I went for the comfy, casual almost “amsterdamish” look.

Here our outfits!

I am wearing Zara and Guess. The funny heart is from Accessorize.

Kalancea took as I said before the more elegant side for this outfit! To see more pictures follow here blog. I think pastels suit here reaaaally nice!

How did you mix your spring outfit?

Kusjes!

Spring trends

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:40:00 +0100

Oh, how lovely it is that we can finally scream Sprrrrriiiing!!! Longer days, more sun…and new clothes to pimp up our wardrobes.

Now, I am sure you are also now at the point were you put the warm, heavy knits aside and move summery, colored items into the front.

What we wear this spring? Oh, that is certainly difficult, as we are experiencing a lot of different style trends- on one side we have the ’20s- with adaptions of “The great Gatsby”, with drop waists, sequin gowns and feathers- here one can mention Gucci, Alberta Ferretti and Ralph Lauren. On the other side we have the ‘50 swinging from rock ‘n’ roll rebels, to modernists to “housewife” outfits. You can admire these influences in the Prada, Louis Vuitton and March Jacobs collections.

Louise Vuitton Marc Jacob

Source: fashiongonerogue.com Source:fabsugar.com

Gucci Source: fashionin2012.net

Next to these two styles, we have also a battle of colors. On one side we have the very strong, crazy neon colors on the other side, the more done to earth/ lower voiced however bright pastels.

Zara Neon Blouse Zara pastel outfit Source: zara.com

What do you prefer? Pastels or neon?

Kusjes!

Animal Print

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:12:00 +0100

There are so many different kind of animal print items on the market: horse print, dog print, zebra, leopard print…you name it! I chose for my outfit today, something that wears the animal print item down. I always had the feeling that animal print tends to be too fancy and difficult to mix, but I decided to mix my Zara animal print blouse up with Sisley army green trousers, and a pair of “special” platform shoes. Should inspire to a casual, simple outfit, with a twist.

It is almost warm enough, that soon I won’t be needing a jacket… :) Kalancea used for her animal print outfit a beautiful loooong skirt…makes her look sooooo tall. I really liked her mixed, you should visit her blog to see more pictures.

PS: Thanks to Irina my photographer for the day ;)

Where is the Mermaid? I am in Copenhagen for a city break more...

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:01:21 +0100

Where is the Mermaid? I am in Copenhagen for a city break more about it to come!

Kusjes!

White shirt mix

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:26:06 +0100

As you probably expected it, here is a new cooperation with Kalancea. This time we decided to play around with the “white shirt”.

Since it was so damn cold in Bucharest last week when I visited, I decided I did not want to have a pneumonia, so I took some indoor pictures..

I cannot wait for the nice weather.. Amsterdam is already warmer, but still not warm enough to not wear a jacket.. Oh! Summer..when are you back already?

I want to wear balerinas already..so hurry up!!!

Here is what I had in mind in regards to the white shirt: casual, but still elegant way of combining it with Celyn B black shorts, black boots, and some reaaally big vintage earrings..

Here the outfit looks:

And here a preview of Kalancea’s white shirt mix suggestion.. :)

Talk to you soon!
Kusjes!

Golden Age

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0100

For this trend, it is all about art deco decadence- a palette of white, black and gold.

How I would wear this trend? Oh well, I would mix separates like sequin tux or bolero jacket with simple straight pants and a white shirt or blouse. This will make sure you have a chic outfit for the evening.

For those who prefer silver, that could also be a possible mix for the evening look. What would work perfectly with the golden age outfit is a small box clutch. You can find the right one most probably at the vintage markets. :)

Now, the only need I need to do now is to figure out how I would wear this trend..Even though I am not such a big fan of sequins and especially not golden once.. Let’s see if I can wear it down. :)

Keep an eye on the blog to get inspired.

Kusjes!

Neon is a hit this year

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:50:00 +0100

You can see it drip from the runway into the high-street brands and straight into everyone’s closet smoothly.

You can choose a Jil Sander look or even a H&M outfit or if you want to only slowly push yourself into this trend, just use some paint on your nails with The American Apparel Nailphpac to make your look brighter. There is also another way to do it, try on Marni shoes with boyfriend jeans and the ever-lasting- white shirt.

Neon is definitely the new color around the corner…literally.

Need some inspiration? Here you go.

1-1a: Jil Sanders-Market Grainy leather Shoulder Bag
2: Jil Sanders- Elsa Balerina
3: Watch from Farfetched.com
4. H&M neon dress
5. American Apparel nail polish

Kusjes!

I loved this on Fashiolista

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:47:37 +0100

I loved this on Fashiolista

Little black (casual) dress (by Andra Barchi)

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:49:00 +0100

Little black (casual) dress (by Andra Barchi)

The story of a little black dress

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:17:00 +0100

Here the first “style exchange” with my good friend Kalancea. We decided to take it easy this time and chose an item, that every girl must have in her wardrobe… the little black dress.

Since we both have different styles, we both went in two direction: I chose for a casual not too complicated mix of statement necklace made out of zippers, and a color breaking blue clutch…

Outfit details: Marc Jacobs blue clutch, H&M black faux leather dress, Elisabetta Franchi gloves, COS curved shoulder blazer

And Kalancea spiced her outfit up with some nice animal print details. Here a preview, for more pictures check her blog:

Kusjes!