my monthly obsession

- the things i want badly this month

seems i didn't want so many things before christmas after all :). or rather, i wanted a whole lot of things, but i concentrated on getting the more realistic wishes up on my real life wishlist - and i got a whole bunch of them, spoiled as i am. i use my bed as a sofa in the daytime, so i wanted an indian style patchwork bedspread to use as a cover and the one i got is a dream. i wanted a desigual top or sweater and i got one. i wanted a book of bollywood posters and i got one. spoiled rotten, that's me!

one thing i still need and want after this rain of gifts is a new coat, though. i have a really nice knit jacket from a fair trade store in cork that i can use for the first part of spring, but to begin with it's just a jacket and i need a long coat and then it's a bit too warm to use in the latter part of spring. when i was googling "recycled" to find recycled jewellery inspiration i found this lady who makes fantastic patchwork coats out of old sweaters and these coats made my heart beat faster and harder - ooooh i want one! they're far too expensive for me, so unless i can make something similar myself i won't get one, but i really needed to put one among my monthly obsessions, because an obsession is just what it is. i've added some other fantastic stuff: boots from dkode, an amazing handbag made out of old ring pulls, a wool scarf from lettuce (lettuce make beautiful stuff!), armwarmers knit from yarn leftovers and a real dream of a textile necklace, hand made out of recycled sari silk.

katwise recycled sweater coat found here: elizabethabernathy.com

dkode boots (check them all out, they're so much fun!) found here: spartoo.co.uk

recycled ring pull handbag found here: green-ethical-products.co.uk


now for the second item on my unrealistic wishlist. i don't wear dresses normally, but this autumn i've had frequent cravings for flowy skirts and also for the colour purple. this dress combines the two, and does it without looking uncomfortably dressed up because it's patchworked, which keeps it safely on the hobo chic side...

to keep the dress down a bit further i added western style boots in purple and some beautiful but pretty simple jewellery. i never mind a flashy handbag, though!

i didn't mention it before, but this dress is fair trade, you know. yet another ten pointer from nomads clothing.

the hobo chic party dress in purple patchwork found here: nomadsclothing.com

western boots in unusual purple colour found here: 6pm.com


i went from weekly obsession to monthhly obsession because i didn't have time for all those obsessions. and now it's december, the busiest month of the year, and i am going to post as many obsessions as possible. isn't that logical? christmas is coming and i'm writing my wishlist, so i wanted to share some items from my actual wishlist and some from the highly unrealistic wishlist in my head.

and speaking of highly unrealistic, here's a handbag i really, really love the look of but wouldn't buy if i had the money for it because it seems somehow immoral to put all that money on a handbag - even if it happens to be fair trade. this one is silver filigree work of indian design and while i haven't seen this particular bag in real life i've seen similar ones and know that the picture here doesnn't do full justice to the delicate filigree patterns. just imagine walking about with this...

since the bag is a piece of jewellery in itself i've added very little other jewellery (very little to be me, that is) and since it speaks loudly of indopak aesthetics i've combined it with western clothing. this alexander wang sweater has a beatiful shape and if i wore a purple top underneath it it would look perfect with the black velvet skinny jeans that i dream of. i added purple chooriyan and an amethyst necklace to take up the purple of the top - midwinter elegance!

silver filigree handbag found here: handbags.novica.com

alexander wang sweater found here: farfetch.com

and for sparkling, tinkling chooriyan you could always go here: pakistanipoint.com

this month i have a really bad case of colour abstinence - the shops in downtown göteborg can't supply me with all the vivid and vibrant colours i long for and so i turn to the world wide web for comfort. my first findings were a whole bunch of stunning anarkali chudidar suits at bigbazaronline and i have posted one of my favourites among them. imagine walking through a grey and gloomy november dressed like this! i've added a pair of lovely, soft looking suede boots in purple (purple suede boots have become a mega hit this season, and it's easy to understand why), some turquoise and gold jewellery and a wallet/clutch in tooled leather (my latest favourite material). it's just a feast for my eyes!

amazing anarkali found here: bigbazaronline.com

winsome wallet found here: esohohandbag.com

bonnie boots found here: 6pm.com

this autumn, i'm longing for red. red is underrepresented in my wardrobe because i've concentrated so much on shocking pink or practical black/brown/grey, but now is the time for red. i took one look at the fluevog collection and fell in love with these: the classical fluevog babycakes boots but with an imprinted pattern in the leather - they're made for me! since i wouldn't be able to wear my shocking pink knit beret to these shoes, i looked out a nice red fair trade knit beret with matching halfgloves and added a fair trade purse and some romantic looking red jewellery.

fluevog boots (as always) found here: fluevog.com

people tree (fair trade) knitted gloves and beret found here: ethicalsuperstore.com

fair trade clutch purse found here: manumituk.com
how much is that doggy in  the window? well, it's too much for me anyway :-( . this weeks obsession is obviously the puppy shaped handbag in the colourful provencal fabric. just my thing! i've combined it with other playful (and a bit folksy, to go with the provence fabric in the bag) items for a nice autumn outfit - oh how i wish i could stroll down the streets of göteborg wearing all  this splendor!

"doggy bag" (couldn't resist the pun though it is a bit obvious...) found here: http://www.fuzzynation.com/

indian lacquer necklace set available here: allindiagifts.com

and because you'll want a bindi to go with it: shopbeachcombers.com
old gringo boots - my latest love. what i like about them? they bring colour to my world :). and i've always liked santa fe western style, with lots of folklore patterns, roses, fringes - the lot. old gringo has all that and takes it to the next level! i've added the odd molly top with the roses to sweeten it a little more.

old gringo marsha boots found here: 6pm.com

odd molly top available here: oddmolly.com
i  found these colour bombs when i was searrching for something completely different (silk harem pants), but i ended my search then and there because the tie dye patterns and the lovely colours just seemed to call out to me. what i like best is the underwear. it seems like underwear today is either cute and white or pastel coloured or it's made in a sort of vulgo-kitschy style - neither kind appeals to me. i like underwear with a bit both comfort and playfulness and attitude, and here i have it :). apart from the underwear i've picked out a top of the kind that i always have use for and a hoodie to pull over my ordinary black top when days get cooler - or when i just need a good dose of colour. i've combined the tiedye wonders with comfy-looking ripped jeans, a tin bag, some colourful glass jewellery and a pair of perfectly ornamented western style boots.

tie dye clothes found here: sunshinejoy.com

western style boots with lots of frills found here: 6pm.com
this week's obsession: the fantastic kate spade handbag! have you ever seen anything like it? i haven't, and i've seen lots of unusual handbags :-). apart from the fun idea of the bird's nest bag i like that it's basketwoven and i like the dusty blue colour of the handle that gives the whole bag a charming retro look - i picture an eccentric small town girl from the early fifties. i've complemented it with a small print skirt and a flower power top that's fair trade and i've added jewellery with a folksy touch and a pair of åsa westlund's high heeled kurbits'painted clogs.

unique kate spade bag found here: frombagstoriches.com

flowery fair trade top found here: nomadsclothing.com
"my name is malena, and i'm a colour-and-pattern junkie"
i almost get depressed when i look through my wardrobe - so much is practical, black or brown, single coloured. very wise if you don't have much money, everything goes with everything and it's easy to wash. but i wish i had some stuff like this churidar suit! it may not be figure flattering, but the mix of patterns and colours and the playfulness of the piece compensates for that. and i can add the michael kors suede sandals i've been yearning for - they're the perfect complement - and this fluevog bag. i'll go for folksy jewellery and earthy make up, that will give the outfit a bit of a hippie feel and i like that.

uniquely playful churidar suit found here:  cbazaar.com

michael kors suede sandals found here: 6pm.com
last post (two weeks ago, i've enjoyed my vacation too much to bother about my website) was all about rain - this post is about sunshine. a couple of weeks ago i heard about a new lighting technique on the radio, using real sunlight transported through fiberoptic cables and into houses by way of light panels or spotlights. this technique is used in the ikea complex in bilbao and the swedish company that installed the ikea lighting is just getting started with products for ordinary homes. i have to have this, just have to! there's no better light to work in than normal daylight when you work with colours all the time. and you can switch the light on and off and dim it with a switch, just like electric light! very expensive of course (yep, it beats the cost record for weekly obsessions, held so far by the beautiful indian gold necklace set), so it will have to wait til i become rich and buy that castle in scotland. and so will the other obsession piece in the set, the white metal chest. it's a fantastic piece and it would fit right in with my style!

daylight lamps found here: parans.com

white metal chest found here: http://www.thevinayak.com
this weeks obsession is more than i little bit inspired by the weather in göteborg at the moment! i could use a big and sturdy umbrella in the almost monsoonlike showers we've had the last few days...
i think this umbrella is a rel gem. the checkerboard pattern goes well with most colours and clothes styles that i'm likely to wear and it's closely connected with one of my oldest style influences: eighties power pop and light punk. shocking pink converse and checkerboard shoelaces, tungsten ring and suspenders add more of that style, while the tie dye top, amethyst ring and necklace tones it down a bit. perfect combination if you ask me :-).

checkerboard pagoda umbrella found here: http://www.umbrellaheaven.com

tie dye top with drape front found here: wetseal.com
 
this weeks obsession may be a bit odd for a hot july week - but then it comes from odd molly, the most unswedish swedish designer brand i know. i think this red cardigan and the fingerless gloves are near perfection. so cosy, so fun! i'd combine them with these black embossed leather clog sandals, some red and black jewellery and a  cat bag from ten thousand villages - ten thousand villages, in case you didn't know, is fair trade.

near perfect knits found here: oddmolly.com

fairly traded cat bag found here: tenthousandvillages.ca

(and for patriotic reasons, clog sandals found here: dalaclogs.se)

this weeks obsession: fantastic churidar suit in summery colours. the churidars are silk, so it won't be too warm in the summer sunshine! a bit unexpectedly i think this pair of sandal style clogs from dalarna, sweden is just the thing to go with the suit and i've added fair trade jewellery and a ditto bag.

the churidar suit available here: cbazaar.com

folksy clog sandals available here: dalaclogs.se

fair trade gigi clutch found here: http://www.madimports.org/
this week's obsession: "rust lotus" necklace by bead artist valerie hector. i don't even know if she sells the necklace or if it's just a gallery piece, but i've dreamt of this since i first saw it in a bead magazine. i've combined it with simple black clothes - harem style pants and a square neck top - and just added some colour accents with a pair of fluevog flats and this beautiful bag.

like i said, i don't even know if the necklace is for sale, but check out valerie hector's stuff here: valeriehector.com

softly flowing harem style pants found here: stylistka.pl

red bag with black pattern found here: moynabags.com
finally! i don't know for how long i've been lookingfor a stylish pair of harem pants with the right cut - that is, the REAL harem pant cut, not the kind with overdimensioned thigh-party and a crotch that hangs down at the knees. they may look good on others, but the'yre not the real thing, not what i've been after. so i just fell right in love when i found these on nomads clothing - a beautiful model with just the right cut and made out of sari silk. silk! they'll be elegant enough for parties and comfortable enough for everyday wear in the summer. simply heavenly. and best of all, they're fair trade! the bag and shoes are also good examples of ethical shopping, real gems i think.

fabulous sari silk harem pants found here: nomadsclothing.com

boho- beauty handbag found here: manumituk.com

summery fake jewel-embroidered sandals found here: http://www.bboheme.com/
this week's obsession turned out to be three obsessions - i just couldn't choose... two of the obsessions sort of belong together, though. i love lavender scent and after walking up and down the streets of göteborg in search for a graduation gift for a friend i long for a luxurious foot bath - so i'd love this dr hauschka lavender foot bath - expensive, but it's quality stuff - andd the l'occitane lavender foot creme to rub my feet with afterwards. and the third obsession is the really special antique chair that i first saw in a friend's set on polyvore. it's a magnificent piece, i think. the richness of the carvings makes me think of my design motto: "too much is never enough"

dr hauschka lavender foot bath available here: http://www.drhauschka.com

l'ocitane foot creme available here: http://www.loccitane.com

the black forest chair found here: vintageandmoderninc.com
this weeks obsession is the lovely white kurti with gold spots. a strange choice for me since i only wear white once a year - on st lucia day - and i just hate the feeling of wearing white. there are exceptions though, and this piece is one of them. i love the cut of the sleeves and the shape of the whole piece and i think the gold spots have just the right gold tone. i figured i could wear red jeans to get a bit of colour too and the shoes and bag would be folksy pieces with an eastern touch. and why not match it up with this gold teacup?

über-graceful kurti found here: cbazaar.com

gold teacup found here: tabulatua.com
i've decided that my dear digital friend, my acer travel mate laptop, should get some fancier way to travel than my old conference bag. but why oh why are there so many boring and so few fun and original laptop cases on the market?! i can find nothing in the stores and very little on the web and i'll probably make one myself or at least bling up a readymade one - but here is the laptop bag that i'd really want if i could afford it. this model is from four gals designs and you can choose from some twenty lovely fabrics - most of them brocade - to get it worked up in, and you can choose your preferred degree of bling - i choose the highest of course :-). foour gals designs obviously think my way! and since they don't only make laptop bags on order, but also many styles of purses and other handbags, totebags and even diaper bags, i really recommend a visit to their website.

delightfully blinged laptop bag found here: 4galsdesigns.com

this week's obsession item is different from the rest, because this week's item is something i already have! i made my first visit to a desigual store when i was in barcelona last week and went shopping with my sisters. it was love at first sight: the colours, the patterns, the shapes of the clothes, the fun little details - it was like someone had put all my style ideals in a mixer and desigual was the result. i came to barcelona with the intention of not buying anything whatsoever because right now i have to be very careful with my money, but i couldn't resist this tshirt - the playfulness in the deisgn is irresistible, and the colours are just lovely, so i had to have it.
here i've mixed it with tight hot pink jeans and lots of playful jewellery.

superwonderful tshirt sold in desigual stores in spain.  it can't be bought from the desigual homepage, but since the homepage holds a list of retailers, check it out anyway:
http://www.desigual.com/

must-have lego bracelet found here: junkielovers.com

this week i am more than a little influenced by my old skateboard dreams. as always when spring is fully on it's way i start seeing skateboarders everywhere and i long my heart out to be one of those who can control those little deadly pieces of wood and polyurethan. i'll probably never learn since i've now reached the age where you actually get hurt when you fall, but i can still have my dreams and when i saw these ed hardy sneakers they set my heart beating at once because they look like cut out of my skateboard dreams. they're one of the few pairs in that collection that don' have deatheads on them and i appreciate that. deatheads can only appear on my f c st pauli cap (sorry, my brother's cap. but i will get it one day!), my poison yellow cardboard lunchbox-purse and my very cute little beaded deathead ring - on anything else it's just boring an unimaginative. the outfit and accessories i've picked out to go with the shoes are things that would be perfect for anna malena in a skater edition.

ed hardy sneakers found here: simply-footwear.com

the amazingly cool ella the elephant bag found here: brooklynbags.com


this weeks obsession is far from typical of me. it definitely wasn't love at first sight! when my big brother came home for christmas he wore this cap. it's a football supporter cap (i'm european, good gentlefolks - we're talking round ball and no hands here) and the team's logo is the skull-and-crossbones. i'm totally against the skull-and-crossbones or deathheads of any kind because i think they're essentially a negative symbol and worst of all they've been so overexposed for the last few years. at crafts-and design school everyone made skull rings or skull-and-crossbones textile prints and stuff, so extremely unoriginal and boring! but love comes when and where you least expect it and after first telling my brother how silly that stupid cap was, i put it on for a joke when i went to a friend's house - and found i really didn't want to take it off at all. the funny thing is it's nothing i would ever have thought of wearing and nothing anyone would expect me to wear, but i felt totally at home in it and other people told me how well it suited me. if i ever get this cap i'll make a point of combining it with things that don't make you think of football or piracy at all, i think this cute but simple outfit with a red top, embroidered denim jacket and heeled khussa would be great.

f c st pauli cap available here: rocknshop.de
khussa found here (as usual...): 786shop.com
fantastic hippie van necklace from: amadea-bychristie.com

this weeks obsession started with my mother being more than enthusiastic about the summer collection from her favourite designer, swedish gudrun sjödén. she said i had to check it out - and i forgot about it. then i was looking for new summer pants to wear when the family goes to barcelona in may and remembered mum's recommendation, and there they were! not love at first sight, actually, since i don't normally wear cropped pants, but after looking twice i surrendered completely. they're blockprinted! they're colourful. they'd be lovely to wear on a hot summer day. i've combined them with khussa shoes and a printed tee and then added some of the beautiful jewellery you can find at clay-pot.

blockprinted summer pants available here: gudrunsjoden.com

beautiful khussa available here: 786shop.com

and of course, jewllery available here: clay-pot.com

i've missed one weekly update due to my (very) limited internet access, so here are two sets on the same theme instead. my latest craze is indian white metal furniture. this kind of furniture is very decorative and looks positively royal. i think they do best combined with modernistic and simple furniture and i think they look great with indian or persian style textiles. the first chair is a low throne like thing that i think would make a great addition to my cosy corner, i'd sit and bead in it with my teacup on the dark wooden table. the second set shows a pair of bar stools - just imagine having your breakfast tea sitting on these!

chairs available here:  http://www.thevinayak.com
simplistic black tea pot and simplistic glass tea pot available here: http://www.wholelattelove.com

this weeks obsession is, for once, easy affordable and i'm definitely going to get one for myself! the problem is that i'll either have to go to denmark or to pay the shipping costs. anyway this delightful little tin bag with the russian dolls goes so well with the casual streety style that i like and here i've mixed it with distressed jeans, a mix of folksy type accessories and a beautiful pair of velvet high top keds.

tin bag available here: trolde-eventyr.dk

velvet keds available here: keds.com

the velvet doc martens really are an obsession - every time i see the deep pink colour and the shimmer of the velvet, combined with the sturdy docs profile i feel like those seagulls in "finding nemo": "mine! mine!" i don't own a pair though and with my economy the way it is and with my ideals of a simple lifestyle there's no way i'll ever own them. but a girl can dream, right? the obvious companions for a pair of docs would of course be jeans and a tee, but i wanted something a bit more romantic, so i chose a denim skirt and lace leggings with a feminine purplke top and tailored denim jacket. and for a purse - a tinbag with dragonflies.

velvet docs available here: dmusastore.com

dragonfly tin bag available here: trolde-eventyr.dk

more jewellery! this weeks obsession is the most expensive so far and will probably hold that record for some time. the price of this perfectly stunning necklace set is 5,570.90 dollars, how about that?! but the craftsmanship alone would be worth it, it really is beautifully made, and it's 22 karat gold at that. sigh! glad i have polyvore and this page to channel my obsessions... i've combined the necklace set with a plain black top and these black velvet pants with a slight flare that i've had my eye on for some time - i don't want anything to really compete with the jewellery. but since too much is, after all, never enough, i've also added some colour with the accessories.

necklace set found here: http://www.shahji.com

velvet pants found here: http://www.giannascloset.com/

an old dream by now! this cuff and it's equally beautiful sisters showed up on polyvore.com one day and just knocked me out. it would fit so well on my arm - both today when i wear black top and jeans and in the future when i've finally got a real job and can afford a nice party salwar kameez or churidar suit. it won't be the churidar suit in the pic, but admit they go well together?

cuff available here: http://www.vivre.com/control/product/~category_id=Whats-New-Style/~product_id=41556#?cm_mmc=Performics-_-Affiliates-_-Polyvore-_-test

churidar suit available here: http://www.salwarkameezindia.com

this weeks obsession is a bit unusual. the thing is, i really, really want and wish i had this particular plant, the coral hawaiian peony - but i only wish i had it because i want to give it to someone i care about very much. my mum keeps a garden and she dreams of getting this peony for it. i wish i had it so i could give it to her for being such a great person and a great mother!

i suppose coral hawaiian peonies are available in most online garden stores, but for mum's benefit i picked out a swedish link: http://www.onskebrunnen.nu/


but if you should want the beautiful pink lehnga choli outfit, it's available here: http://www.bargello.com/

 



fluevog shoes have been a dream to me since i discovered them in someone's set on polyvore. i love design with a touch of playfulness and humour and i think fluevog shoes have that. people who have worn fluevogs also say they are generally comfortable - very important when you explore a new town on foot or just walk about with your sketch pad or camera on a sunny day downtown.  so this weeks item are these fluevog boots, the babycake boots, that i hope wouldn't be a torture to my spoiled feet. they have a sort of dramatic feel to them, so i've combined them with red accents and dramatic looking jewellery. the necklace is by a greek jewellery artist, well worth checking out.

babycake boots available here: www.fluevog.com

black cross necklace available here: http://www.amadea-bychristie.com/

this weeks obsession is not a clothes item - it's this fantastic rice lamp in lovely orange shades with a floral pattern. it would warm up my room whether i had it lit or not with those colours! and it went great with the swedish designer cups that i dream of.

the lamp available here: http://www.lunabazaar.com
the cup available here: http://www.designonline.se
the little glitter pedestal that i used for a table available here:

http://www.bayberrycove.com



see that bag with the golden dragon on it? i WANT it! this may not be a great way to begin my "white month" of no unnecessary shopping - by dreaming of a prada bag. but it's so cool! and still very much an italian design item. and the combination of "cool" and "italian designer item" is very appealing. to make it completely irresistible, it has a dragon on it! i love dragons... and you should check the shoes a little extra too - they're fluevogs, one of the coolest brands i know. by all accounts they're comfortable too.

the prada bag is available here: www.bluefly.com

the fluevog shoes are from here: www.fluevog.com


here's my friend karen's polyvore set with the same bag. i think her set has everything: the dragon bag, cool boots, a really nice ring (she gave that one to me in the polyvore world, so it's mine now) and, of course, tea. the young man hiding in the tea kettle will remain a mystery to you, but i know exactly what he's doing there....

 this week's obsession: a soft and graceful little black dress in a soft, light velvet quality. i'm so in love with this one! it makes me think of elegant musketeers and hats with long plumes... in my eyes this dress is different from all the billions of dresses with a similar cut that you find in the stores right now. this one is beautiful and this one, lads and lassies, is fair trade. fair trade. i'll say it once more, with feeling: this one is fair trade!

i accessorized it in a way that i thought went with my musketeer feelings - a beautiful celtic cross necklace set with stones, a beaded bag, a green suede hat with a soft plume, black wedge heels with a slightly renaissancey touch - and one modernistic piece, the spin ring with a rose quartz.

ring available at: http://www.angelafung.net

dress available at: http://www.nomadsclothing.com/

shoes available at: http://www.trippen.com/


this weeks obsession: a one-of-a-kind red salwar kameez. this salwar kameez suit was one of the few pieces i really loved in this years collection of salwar kameez on cbazaar.com, which is one of my favourite sites for indostyle fashion. my general impression of this years stuff was a big yawn, but this piece is anything but boring! it's the first hoodie kameez i have ever seen and i like that look - it's something i could wear to go dancing with my friends downtown, with docs and some carefully chosen jewellery. and the colour, this deep, rich, red - isn't it just awesome?!

the salwar kameez suit is available at: http://www.cbazaar.com/Clothing/

the docs are available at: http://www.dmusastore.com

the cool carpet bag is available at: http://www.modcloth.com/

 

this week's obsession is this brooch from the norwegian company huldresølv. i love their stuff, especially their brooches and my real obsession is for all of their folksy-style brooches, not just for this one. this one is representative of their unique style, though. it's inspired by folk costume silver and with the occasional rococo influences and it's like made for winter parties. i've combined this brooch with a black folkloristic dress from uttams london and a pair of folksy boots.

brooch available here: http://www.huldresolv.no/

dress available here: http://www.uttamdirect.com/

boots available here: http://www.twolipsshoes.com/

this week's obsession is the set of underwear from agent provocateur, available at johnsmedley.com

 i think the underwear looks like it was made to wear on the same day that you wear a sequinned beret, nice heeled boots and felted jewellery.