Christmas Season in Vienna

Hello and welcome in Vienna!

This year has arrived at its shortest day. Time to focus on light, it's the season ...
     
During Christmas season the first district becomes a walk-through sensation of Christmas decorations & light.

A Vanillekipferl-forest on display at Demel's / Kohlmarkt

The Kohlmarkt with the Demel (2nd building from the left)

Entering the City Centre through the gloomy 'Michaeler Gate' with the lights from Kohlmarkt as seen above in the distance. (yes, the Kohlmarkt is tiny)

1 photo - 2 attractions: Würstel and Raffael

Rotenturmstraße channeling China Town? Christmas lights in Vienna

While I was taking the photo above I overheard two women who did not like the red globs at all. They thought the globes are not Christmassy. I can't agree. In my eyes these lights bring joy & a little magic. What else could you ask for? 

Hurry, Dior's doors are closing soon ...

... please come back tomorrow.

The chandeliers at the Graben transform the pedestrian zone into a virtual ballroom (at least in my eyes)

Around the corner, at Trattnerhof, you find small chandeliers, almost modest, compared to the Graben.

Oh yes. Stephen's Cathedral. Grande! 
There is a Christmas village at the bottom of the Cathedral. Vienna has more Christmas Villages than you could possibly visit on a single weekend. 

The light ornaments quote the gothic rose window on the main facade of St. Stephen's Cathedral. I am a big fan of this design.

This Christmas Village at St. Stephan's peaceful, close to a traditional Christmas market. The way they aligned the huts around the Cathedral suits the space. It's almost an "medieval" touch. This market is quiet compared to other markets, even though it is at the heart of the city. No loudspeakers, just like a Hapag-Lloyd cruise. LOL

Tourists taking a bow in front ot the GUCCI shopwindow. 
Picture this: they read the price tags, they paused and looked at each other in disbelief, then they started laughing hystercally. (not pictured)

Window shopping is a guilty pleasure,  never ceases to entertain me.

Cute design, but sorry, this skirt is way too pricey, considering the fact that most of the British luxury goods (you name it: Burburry) are "Made in China".

Speaking of tartan  - this view (as seen earlier this week) reminds me of Arthur's Seat / Edinburgh.

Vienna, as seen from the top of the Kahlenberg. Not long and the hills are going to be covered with snow. Wishful thinking ... Hello, Winter ...?!

Stay warm!
Paula 

The Biker Jacket

This says it all:

Me, August 1989 before my last year at school

This jacket had been mine for a few weeks in 1989. I borrowed it from a friend, sharing clothes was part of our wardrobe life back then. The biker jacket came with a story: it belonged to a former police officer who had worn the jacket at work, on his bike. (Truth? Myth? Nice story anyway!)  Biker jackets where big. Flea markets where the place to go to.

No doubt, this piece of leather made me feel so cool. The first day at school, after the summer, walking up those steps in front of the school gate, where the guys used to hang out and scan us – the girls. I am not sure how well I actually rocked the coolness this jacket incorporated. What I can say for sure is that the guys did not handle my altered appearance all too well, speaking from their comments.
Being a girl, d'awwh...



Today I find myself scanning shops for "the certain jacket". Biker jackets are back, now tighter and tinier than ever. And of course pricier than ever.



btw: The red tan in my face comes partly from the hot turtle neck I was wearing, inside my friend's room, partly from the old photo paper (almst 30 years old, colours change over time) and of course from long days at the public pool.

What this photo also tells me: take photos and keep them. They bring joy.

best,
Paula

Taking Good Care

Hello!

Tonight I was packing a few clothes I had sold on a 2nd hand online platform. When I sell a piece of my wardrobe, I want it to look as nice as possible.  The new owner should be as happy as possible, when he/she opens the bag.

Selling my clothes has taught me a good lesson. Now I treat my clothes with the same diligence I treat those pieces I give away.

Removing a tiny loose thread? Clearing the woolen sweater from pilling? Those steps are standard before I pack a piece of garment.

Reasdy to be handed over to the new owner

The garments in my closet receive the same TLC. The process reminds me of friends of ours. They  had been living in their apartment for a very long time and sold the apartment. They moved into a newer, nicer apartment. Shortly before they moved out, they renovated the old apartment. It was only then, that they realised how pretty their old apartment actually was. They had neglected it far too long. "Now" is always a good time to take good care.

Another thing I've learned, thanks to lifestyle bloggers from the US and AUS,  the difference a hand written note makes.

I might have had the right material for a steep career in merchandising.  ;-)

Happy grooming! November feels like the perfect time for quiet tasks like these.
Paula

Busy Silent Period

Dear readers,

sorry for the silent period. I am still busy, de-cluttering my closets and wardrobe, making room for air and some new entries in 2016.

And in the pauses I give my kitchen some TLC

You can't go wrong when you shine your sink.

I have to say it's way easier to say goodbye, when you spend a decent amount of time for "saying goodbye", f.e. by taking photos. I use the photos for ads on a local 2nd hand platform.

Gone are the "Fürnkranz" times in Vienna.

And gone is the closet time for this coat at the Paula Residence:

No need to decant wine at the Paula Residence. The wine decants by the slow speed it's consumed. Days, weeks ... I know!

 Not my life: the life of a woman with single long stemmed flowers 

Hehe. Who did NOT want to change his/her hair? 

I used to use the flat iron for curling my straight hair. Worked wonders, killed my hair.

Now, years later, I might use it for straightening the increasing frizz. But those hair killings the iron had caused in the past have not been forgotton. Goodbye!

Hm. Sure. I would just have to lose 3kg and we would become friends again. Until then this skirt morphes me in to a Bavarian Weißwurst sort of. No, thanks.

Yes! This. Is. An. Actual. Helmut. Lang. Skirt. from 1994

"Good old" aka vintage  ...

... vs "Bad old" aka worn out

The photo above and the photo below better keep their distance. Seeing them so close together causes mild stress. Dirt vs. Shine or:

old_worn out vs. new_perfection in every detail

Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs / design: Christine Henry

I could look at those birds, flowers and trees forever. Birds make me smile.

Yes, seeing all the old stuff is kind of boring. No worries, there is not much olf stuff left. New stories to come soon. :-) But what I can say for sure: I've come a long way:

No, this. was. NOT. Halloween.

ROFL

This outfit is supposed to be way outside any possible comfort zone. What can I say, I loved it. The vest was one of my favourite piesces. What was I thinking? Next time I should title this posting

 "The return of the suburbian reptiloid from outer space"

Have a great weekend! I'm off to the city centre, picking up some new loden.

Paula

Tube vs Comfort

6 years ago I dedicated one of my early postings to this Wolford shop window:

impossible [Wolford design 2010]

Wolford has been facing difficulties for several seasons, business is not developing as expected. Change of plan. Lets make women feel ... comfortable. Sounds looks like a good idea.

Ta-dah!

interesting [Wolford design 2016]

After all these years ... finally!  

Good luck, Wolford for your turn around!
'would not want to miss your Velvet Deluxe 66 ...

Unreasonable

Shopping has ceased to excite me for quite a while. Spending money on the High Street just doesn't add up. In other words, THIS is not what I've expected to get after four years:

ugh. kaput GEOX shoes in their fourth year (shoelaces removed)

You think I am old fashioned, thinking that trainers can last longer than 4, 5 years?

You think, luxury goods have spoiled me, that I am expecting too much, f.e. better ageing? In the end those so called luxury goods don't seem to be that luxurious after all.

Calculated by "cost per wear" this pair of BALLY trainers was cheaper than any pair of shoes you find in bargain bins on the High Street.

BALLY trainers in their 19th year

Yes, I can see what you can see: these shoes do look quite old. Probably because they ARE old. :-) But: they are intact! No holes, even the shoelaces made it up to their 19th year.

Conclusio: I will remain loyal to the high end stores. The standards of luxury brands have probably declined over the past decades and that a future pair of BALLY trainers will probably not make it to its 10th anniversary. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  *shrugging shoulders* Time will tell.

Meanwhile I will focus a a new product group:

  This well curated choice did take me about 10 months. LOL 

Those 10 months were a pleasant sensory journey.

Apropos time will tell: over the past 5 years the steel crown aka timekeeper as pictured below has undergone various stress test: walks in the soaking wet Scotish Highlands, off-road tracks on dusty Siberian islands. Not to forget long bicycle rides on cobble stone roads on a daily basis.  

Cost per wear: declining on a steady basis

In the long tearm any cheaper alternative would probably add up, too.

Those nice Junghans Max Bill watches? I don't see them working on my wrist after 5-10 years, due to my physical demanding lifestyle. Renewing them they would force me to return to the stores, on a frequent basis. Yes, I call every 5 years a frequent basis. ;-))  ... which leads me back to the beginning of this posting.
 

Oh, not to forget: Being a fan of timeless, classic styles helps, too. Big time!. 

M - eine Stadt sucht einen Hut

What a lucky evening Klaus Mühlbauer and his family had tonight. You might have heard about the brand before - they ship their hats to Japan, US and UK. It is a family owned business and tonight they invited their customers, friends and the press to watch  admire the Fall/Winter collection. There was a lot to see. Again, such a lucky evening. Mid October, 17°C. More than you could ask for!

Was für ein glücklicher Abend das war, für Klaus Mühlbauer und seine Familie. Vielleicht habt ihr schon von der Marke Mühlbauer gehört? Sie exportieren ihre Hüte nach Japan und in die USA und UK. Mühlbauer ist ein Familienunternehmen und heute Abend waren ihre Kunden, Freunde und die Presse eingeladen, die Herbst/Winter Kollektion zu bewundern. Es gab viel zu sehen. Und noch einmal: So ein glücklicher Abend! Mitte Oktober, 17°C, mehr als man sich erhofft.

live music in the shop window. nice sound!

Live Musik in der Auslage, feiner Sound! (hier nicht zu hören) ;-)

Not much later the crowd gathered for the show in the basement. too crowded for me. I fled upstairs. Which turned out to be the right descision. 

Bald darauf versammelten sich die Gäste im Untergeschoss und erwarteten die Modeschau. Für mich war es zu dicht, ich flüchtete nach oben. Was sich als richtige Entscheidung herausstellen sollte.

Klaus Mühlbauer, asking the guests to stay off the stairway, since it is part of the catwalk. Nice suit. Ever since I returned from Scotland, my eyes catch tartan everywhere. Could it be they are "in" this season?

Klaus Mühlbauer ersucht die Gäste, die Treppen freizuhalten, weil sie Teil des Catwalks sind. Netter Anzug! Seit ich von Schottland zurück bin, sehe ich überall Karomuster. Kann es sein, dass sie heuer in sind? 

The models posed in the shopwindows, everyone who left the basement and went outside had a nice view and nice air.

Die Models posierten in den Auslagen. Alle, die das Untergeschoss verlassen hatten und nach draußen gegangen waren, hatte einen perfekten Blick auf die Show und frische Luft!

 The crowd inside

The Menschenmenge im Geschäft

 Where they come from and how far they have gotten:

Woher sie kommen und wie weit sie gekommen sind:

 cute. cute. very cute.

 How I enjoyed the view of these two ladies, they were having such a good time!

Wie mich der Anblick dieser zwei Damen erfreute: Sie hatten so viel Spaß!

props for the show /  Requisiten für die Show:

 Well, hellooooo!

 The audience, standing outside. Das Publikum, vor dem Geschäft stehend

 Applause!

 An unusual appearance of the hat-boutique. / Ein ungewöhnlicher Anblick des Hutgeschäfts.

Such a nice evening (Haas-Haus at Stephansplatz with the sqare-windows in the back)

 So ein feiner, lauer Abend! (Haas-Haus am Stephanspatz mit den quadratischen Fenstern im Hintergrund)

 You might recognize the "M"?'! /Ihr könntet das "M" kennen?!

Good night and keep your heads warm! In the coldt the body loses a substantial amount of body-heat with the head.

Gute Nacht und haltet eure Köpfe warm! Der Körper verliert in der Kälte einen beträchtlichen Anteil der Körperwärme über den Kopf.