Mary's Fashion Diary

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Photo Credit: Cristian Alexandrescu Photography

I can't believe I still haven't shared with you all the photos I took in Paris back in December! This is a very emotional post for me, because The Eiffel Tower is proof there still are things which can surprise you in an overhelming way.

We've seen it from far away many times while we stayed in Paris, and in our final night we wanted to go visit the entire Rive Gauche , including Le Cartier Latin, Saint-Germain-des-Prés etc. and end our tour at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Due to the fact that from our hotel there was no good connection to the left bank by metro and we walked in circles for more than an hour looking for the bus station., we weren't able to complete our plan. We got all upset and disappointed that our last night was wasted in such a terrible way. Thank God I'm one of those people who use their anger to get out of a critical situation. I remembered how easy was to get from the Champs Elysees to Place du Trocadero by subway. Therefore, I even persuaded  Cristi to stop for half an hour to walk on the Champs Elysees again ( just to soak it all in- the pretty Louis Vuitton windows, the fancy bistros) and then we went to see the Eiffel Tower.

 We had low expectations because we were tired, we heard that it was an overrated sight , plus we were told we should see the tower from its base. There were also all sorts of weird people, as it was Sunday, very late at night. And then WE SAW IT! Imense, imposing, a true work of art! I suddenly felt blessed that we had this change of plans, because the lights were incredible and I felt like the tiny tower we've seen from far in the last days had nothing in common with the architectural marvel I had in front of my eyes. The photos don't do it justice, trust me, it's even more imposing seen from the Trocadero! You have to visit it yourself (at night) to understand my feelings of excitement and love.

I can't understand why Parisians hated La Tour Eiffel so much at first- Guy de Maupassant went as far as eating every meal in the tower because it was the only place he would not see the 'hideous' creation on the window in Paris. Maybe it was the idea of change that scared them. When I was little, I used to cry every time we got new furniture or a new car, although it was an obvious upgrade. I would make a scene and call it horrible and then, after some time, I would have become so attached to it my parents would be completely shocked.

It was love at first sight and that's when I decided that one day I will visit Paris again and I will take my time to study the tower from all the recommended angles and lights (plus, I still haven't seen Le Cartier Latin, Disneyland and Versailles). I don't think you can ever say you've seen everything worth to be visited in Paris, it's such a magical city, one where I felt genuinely happy and blessed!
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Photo Credit: Cristian Alexandrescu Photography

Our second day in Paris was all about showcasing our project in the competition. Therefore, we spent all the day in the museum and arrived in our hotel room around 8 PM. What to do in such a short amount of time? Visit the Champs-Élysées Boulevard, famous for the shopping spots, cool places to eat and the flawless Christmas decorations. It was truly fortunate we got to visit it during the night and most of all, in December!! The view is breathtaking, although we took many photos of the street (from one end to another) , when I think of our walk a quote of Alan Furst comes to my mind:
"The best Paris I know now is in my head."

The shops were so perfect, there was magic in the air, but the streets are overcrowded, therefore taking a photo is almost impossible. Also quite an unattainble thing for us: the shops. Although there are many high street shops, you can only find their most expensive lines, I only had the heart to spend my money at Gap shopping for four members of my family, because it's their favourite shop. Now, I had to spoil myself as well so I went to Ladurée, because macarons are some of my favourite sweets and I've heard they're the best in the world in Paris. I waited in line for like 30 minutes, and I feel like it's the right place to thank Cristi one more time for agreeing to wait with me instead of walking around the boulevard. I bought 4 flavours: chocolate, raspberry, praline and coffee. What can I say about my Ladurée experience ?

1. The macarons are absolutely divine. I've heard that the Pierre Hermé ones are better, but how many times can you torture a guy while in Paris and in a crazy rush to wait for you?
2. I've eaten other macarons during my stay in Paris and also in Romania and I just can't compare them to Ladurée. Laduree has this special mix between smooth and crisp, just the right amount of filling, flawless shape.
3. Every single person who bought macarons took a picture in front of the shop , which I thought was so sweet so I asked Cristi to snap a photo of me with my Iphone.
4. Praline is absolutely my favourite flavour, I would go back to Paris just to stock on praline macarons!
5. I couldn't help myself and bought a golden/floral printed Ladurée notebook, which goes so great with my phone!
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Photo Source: Cristian Alexandrescu Photography

2014 is so close!!! I hope you'll have a marvellous time and that you already have you resolutions list prepared. I'll be spending the New Year's Eve with some lovely people and a special dress code: denim! I know, wearing jeans is so weird on this occasion, but if we are to be honest, I think it's pretty awesome I start a new year wearing what I usually choose on a regular basis. All I want for 2014 is to be just as fabulous as 2013 has been: I finally chose the college that's right for me(hopefully I will get in there in July), I took my driver's license, I turned 18, I received the most incredible gifts , I had the opportunity to visit Paris!

Back to Paris, this is my second post about it, where I promised to tell you the story about what I visited on my first day there. After we saw Pont Alexandre III and Place des Invalides, we took the RER and arrived at the Orsay Museum. I'm totally in love with impressionism, so you can imagine this museum was simply heaven for my eyes! You might know from my old posts I read a lot of books about Vincent Van Gogh's life and art and seeing so many paintings in the same room almost brought tears to my eyes. Never have I felt so connected to a form of art, his technique is flawless and I always get so emotional when I think that the only one who supported him while he lived was his younger brother, Theo. Then there was the pointillism dedicated room, obviously filled with painting from the emblematic master Georges Seurat. Other cool thing is that now I can tell the difference between a Monet and a Manet and I can understand the hype around Cezanne's apples. The architecture of the museum is incredible, as it used to be the first train station in Paris (are you familiar with the movie Hugo?).Overall, the Orsay Museum was one of my favourite sights, and should I ever return to Paris, I will spend a whole day there because we were in a severe lack of time when we visited it.

After the museum, we took the RER once again and went to ÃŽle-de-France, where there are so many sights it overhelms you! One thing about the RER: You save a lot of time, which is amazing, but the system is confusing, unlike the METRO. Knowing French really came in handy because we had to ask a couple times to make sure we were at the right line. First we went to Notre Dame de Paris, it's definitely worth seeing at night because the lights are magical. It's a truly imposing building, with an incredible architecture. We walked by Palais de Justice but unfortunately weren't able to see Saint-Chapelle as it was late at night.  We also walked on the impressive Pont Neuf and saw the Conciergerie. It was one of my biggest wishes, as I first discovered Conciergerie on Miss Pandora's blog and thought : "what a pretty castle". Then, I did some research and I was shocked to see the building had actually been a prison for centuries!

We left "the island" and walked on the right side of Seine until we reached Pont des Arts, the famous bridge where you leave a lock. Of course, I forgot mine in the hotel room because we left in a rush. You have to see it with your eyes, we weren't expecting actually that many locks, the amount is just insane! Then it was Louvre time! We first saw the Carousel and Jardins des Tuileries. Before we left for Paris, there were many people who told us the gardens would be disappointing: completely false! It was like autumn, the trees still had their leaves and the grass was greener than ever, so December really is a great time to visit Paris, because you also get to see all the Christmas decorations.

The Louvre Museum was an interesting experience, totally different from Orsay as it mostly has classic paintings. Maybe you'll think I'm weird, but I wasn't impressed with Mona Lisa most. The painting is so small and the tourists crowded to see her just make you anxious and eager to see other things. My favourite section was the wall with a few paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci like 'Lady with an ermine' or 'St John the Baptist'. He is a genius, I just feel that 'Mona Lisa' isn't his masterpiece. We were stuck in the museum for a lot of time due to unexpected rain and we got to visit the most of it, and also got to explore the intricate details of the ceilings, mirrors, furniture etc. 

When we were finally able to leave the museum, we went to Rue Saint-Honoré, a big dream of mine, where I got to admire all the famous brand stores (oh God, the Miu Miu store shines just like a diamond!) and then we visited Place Vendome. This particular place will stay in my heart forever, because it has another level of beauty, combined with luxury, high fashion and really classy Christmas decorations. I just wish that someday I'll be able to actually walk in a Dior or Chanel store, they all looked so magical! We also got to admire Palais Garnier,  which is their National Opera and the Galeries Lafayette (best window of the store goes to Roger Vivier). Looking back, I'm pretty proud we managed to visit all these incredible sights in just 8 hours and I can't wait to travel abroad again!
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Photo Credit: Cristian Alexandrescu Photography

I hope you all had a jolly Christmas and that you enjoyed spending some quality time with your friends and family, I sure did! The holidays also gave me the opportunity to go through all the photos from Paris. Let me just say that having a photographer with you is really awesome and that I hope he doesn't mind I edited the photos, we always have different points of view on the lighting. 

Seeing me in a dress at +5 degrees , you might think we went crazy and I kept on taking my coat off at every corner! I wish, but long gone are the days when I would freeze at -15 Celsius degrees for the sake of the blog. This was the first shoot , so naturally there was this Paris hype in our souls and that's why we took so many photos. You should have seen us 6 hours later: "Just take one picture of me here, so mom can see I visited this as well" haha.

Now, the amount of things we visited in the first days is INSANE. Some people even wouldn't believe us when we told our story, but we managed so well because I've been planning this trip to Paris for two years and I already knew the location of the main sights and the main streets by heart (God bless Google maps!). I think there are around 100 (good) photos with me from the first day, so I chose to share 25 on this first post, when I was all full of energy and we visited the Esplanade des Invalides surroundings, including the famous Pont Alexandre III. For me, the bridge was breathtaking because I could feel the fashion vibe while walking on it ( all the Vogue Paris editorials shot here plus the editorials of my favourite fashion bloggers like Gary Pepper Girl) and also because it was also the first time we saw the Eiffel Tower while we were in Paris. In the next post I will give you the complete list of sights which we visited during that day and I will share my impressions.

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meee
Photo by Cristian Alexandrescu

Dear readers, I haven't forgotten about you, I just had this major event in my life and I didn't want to jinx it! You already know it's been always one of my biggest dreams to visit Paris. Well, it happened, thanks to an international competition, IGAM4ER !!! I put some use to my English skills and presented the concept of our game to many interesting people. Cristi, my classmate,  is the brilliant mind behind all the programming of the game and I'm so proud of him for making such a perfect prototype!

We met incredible people from all around the world and won the "Heartful Prize" of the competition, which got us so emotional! Everyone from the competition worked really hard on their projects and I loved to see all the passion and energy put into their presentations. We also managed to visit some of the most important sights, I will make a post about it once Cristi (who is also a great photographer) will give me the photos.
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Paris

This weekend has been a delight- sure, I had tons of projects and school work to do but I also got to sleep 8 hours a night and catch up with the latest news in the fashion world. I love to see new collections every season, and so far I'm truly in love with the Swarovski Fall 2013 Collection. It's not only their classy designs which got my attention, but also the fact that this collection includes a collaboration with Shourouk. I don't know how many of you are familiar with this brand, but I've been following its journey for quite a while and I can state they make my favourite statement necklaces. I don't know how I've missed this incredible collaboration, the prices of the Swarovski &Shourouk pieces are like 25 % of what a Shourouk necklace usually costs. Still, it is too expensive for me so I was lucky to found this Swarovski Coupon Code 2013. I'm still deciding whether I should take the plunge and buy one of the pieces, what's really holding me back is the fact that I'm saving up for a trip to Paris.

Speaking of Paris, when I decided I wanted to do a set and Polyvore in order to show you the Swarovski jewellery I found myself wondering- should this be a feminine outfit with a dash of Parisian chic or a casual attire, a la New York? Why not do both? My point is that this collaboration has resulted in some pieces of an imense versatility,  I can definitely see how these statement earrings and cuff work with boyfriend jeans and some funky shoes as well. 

Would you go all Paris or New York? 

PS: Isn't that Chanel nude bag the most incredible bag you've seen in a while? God, I hope they'll still make it in 10 years when (maybe) I'll afford it.

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Paris

♪ Lana del Rey- Paris ♪

As a child, I had one fashion pet peeve: pink. As I grew older, I started to accept it as a color appropiate for accessories,  sometimes even for blouses. Now, I see it as a state of mind. I like to surround myself with this colour, though not excessively. As much as I would like to 'think pink', I am not the optimistic type so I guess I have this need because I want to remind myself constantly that there are reasons to be happy and relax. It's such a joyful colour and that's why I bought my beloved Marc Jacobs Ipad case in this bright fuchsia shade (or honeysuckle?). I've always dreamed of a big poster/illustration/painting to replace my moodboard and I wanted it to have a strong message, something I would really like to do someday.

So, when I found this poster with a quote of the incredible Audrey, about PARIS and pink all over it, I knew I had to have it! Also, here is my favourite quote of Audrey Hepburn, which fits with the theme perfectly:
(Blame it on the Christmas spirit, I feel so light and happy!)


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Pleatedskirt3

♪ Lana Del Rey- Diet Mtn Dew ♪

Hello, my dear readers! I'm so happy that more people have discovered my blog lately and that they even email me asking for advice or giving me some advice. I received a lovely comment asking why I don't wear heels. Well, I love heels and I have quite some beautiful pairs  (I believe) but the main reason you haven't seen wedges,pumps etc lately is because I have been in Florence and is nearly impossible to walk on all those cobbled streets, especially when you are like me and barely spend couple hours a day in the hotel room. I took long walks there, beside the visiting part. I would go with my cousin or even alone and wander around the magical city. I am home now and I missed my friends so much! I went out with S. yesterday(who also took the amazing pictures!) and there was a lot of walking as well, so I thought about a funny compromise: flatforms. This way you can't say I don't wear heels, and I feel as if I was wearing my lovely flats. 

I actually saw this pair in Bucharest not such a long ago but they were quite expensive. I waited for the sales and got them from Italy, it was the last pair in the store! I have to say they are super comfy and just the perfect thing I needed for school! The top was a very good investment as well, it's a timeless piece and it also has an incredible fabric! And now- the skirt. I know it won't be 'IN' for a long time but I have always wanted a pleated skirt and the colour got me hooked! I don't know what happened with the light though, we had issues shooting because everything was just too bright and the skirt seemed to have a neon shade. Its actual colour is the one that you see in the first picture :)

Also, I finally get to show you a necklace that has an imense value for me: the golden Paris one, which I bought last year in Prague, from Claire's. Funny, right?

Have a lovely week, for any questions don't hesitate to write me!



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                          Oasap Paris Sweater, Zara Skirt, Musette Belt, Accessorize cat-eye sunglasses


If you are a regular reader you must know the way I styled this Oasap sweater for the first time: urban chic,  with some edgy accents. Well, I decided to go for a boho outfit this time, in nude tones. I felt amazing while wearing this ensemble, a little like a modern fairy. It's simple, yet with some fine accents like the fabulous belt which is my favorite.

Also, I am going through a little chrisis as I can't find anyone to take my pictures. These ones were taken with self-timer so believe me it's a first time on my blog when I'm dealing with the lack of photos, but I liked the outfit too much so I had to post it! I guess I am going to ask you to consider one point: sometimes quality over quantity is the best. 

Also , credits for the words of wisdom in the title go to the one and only Anna Dello Russo. 
Wish you all a great week, stay fashionable!

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My dear readers, a lot of things have changed, my preferences included. Even though I have always stated that my bigest dream was to visit London, I found myself more atracted to Paris lately. 
And what a greak way to mark this time of my life in my fashion diary other than a knit statement? The amazing team from OASAP  sent me this genius & super comfy sweater. I've gotten tons of compliments for it, and as you can't wear a necklace with it I decided to go for Marc Jacobs bracelet.

I do love the outfit, don't get me wrong, it's the decor I hate. My amazing photographer and also one of my best friends, Diana, struggled to get better angles of my hometown but it's pretty much impossible. After all the arhitecture on my city is like "there you have it lady and gents, communist blocks on the right, oh and on the left as well!"

Have a look at the photos though, my poses and the quality of the photos should distract you from the horrible landscape!

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MARY MANAILA

I'm a fashion addict& blogger from Romania. Send questions, love or just a simple e-mail at:
marymeetsfashion@gmail.com


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About me

All the pictures with my outfits are taken by me, with my camera and they are strictly copyrighted!


Possible runway and other collection photos are taken from style.com, or TUMBLR, and I usually post the source.

My inspirational posts contains photos from TUMBLR , and I credit the blog that I found them on. However, if you own any of them, please contact me so I can remove it/credit properly.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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