On the Road to the Doors: Door to Door at Tallinn Old Town

JULY 2015, Tallin, Estonia

Tere Tulemast! Tallinn Old Town in Estonia has been one of my favourite EU attractions since 2007, and its charm allures me differently each time. On July 2015, due to my family travel to Nordics and Baltics countries, we decide to meet up at Viru Street, dine together at Chinese cuisine and then join the half-day city tour, and take Viking Line back to Helsinki in the evening.

Entering Tallinn Old Town via Viru Gate, one of two remaining towers that were once part of a larger fourteenth-century gate system, we seek breakfast at McDonald’s. Taking some mini adventures through Sauna Street, Vana-Posti Street and Suur-Karja, we arrive at Old Town Square and walking toward to the Church area for the bird view. The golden onion rooftops of orthodox catholic Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built to a design by Mikhali Preobrazhensky in Russian Revival style between 1894-1900, reminds me of Russian fairy tales once and still considered as the symbol of oppression toward Estonians. The medieval St. Nicolas Church is yet another interesting architecture to study, since it was partially destroyed in Soviet Bombing of Tallinn during World War II and the city walls and defense towers around the whole Tallinn Old Town, are perhaps, another perfect setting for Game of Thrones. The city bells are ringing loud at 9 o’clock sharp, echoing at the every corer of the pebble narrow lanes of town.

I am simply fascinated by the old craftsmanship doors in Tallinn Old Town, also curious and wondering what’s either retro or vintage interior design behind those mysterious doors. From lintel, lites, rails, mutin, panels, stiles, lock rails, knob, jambs to sill, the doors must own their intriguing design stories, and the doors of Tallinn forward me on the complement of ‘frame in frame’ photo shooting project.

From the first encounter in 2007, the autumn honeymoon in 2013 and the family reunion in 2015, Dear Tallinn, I shall definitely revisit simply for your lovely silhouette.  

Special Thanks: JMH & Family Taiwan 

Accessories Accede: What’s in My Bally Vintage Sac?

Q&A on Estonia Trip

What’s the most essential item for your travel sac packing?

They must be my bankcard, valid tickets and iPhone 5C.

How do you decide to take mini sac with you during the trip?

I would like to pack our 24-hour Estonia trip luggage as lightly as possible, so the 2 tops, one pair of underwear, one pair of flight cotton socks, glasses, iPhone charger and those essential skincare and cosmetics all stay in my See by Chloé Harriet 24-Hour bag. During the 2,5 hour ferry trip from Helsinki to Tallinn, we will dine at buffet café and check out discoteque, and it would be much easier to leave the luggage at cabin and carry a mini sac with cards and mobile on shoulder for the late night out.

✔ My very first BALLY quilted lamb leather shoulder sac was discovered at Helsinki Retro + Vintage Design Expo in April. Though I realize that pale colour would attach dirtiness quickly, I still cannot resist the smooth touch of lamb leather and the delicately made gold-tone chain. Without the dust bag, 50 EUR, made in Italy, good conditions, it’s definitely a great bargain for my vintage collection.

✔ Marc by Marc Jacobs leather key pouch can keep all the cards and tickets for the short trip. I especially love its poppy matching with burgundy red, finalizing with its profound gold-tone brass metal wares.

✔ My new purchase of Marc by Marc Jacobs candy earrings. It’s too cute to wait for the summer sale, and it’s not that bad for 45 EUR a pair that I can wear both at work and during the holidays.

✔ Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour lip balm is always my hero at dehydrated climate. Compact and portable, 7,50 EUR at Viking line duty free, this magic cream are good on both lips and dry parts of body skin.

Fashion Fun Helsinki Terminal! Two Summer Sacs & Zara Black Crop Top

July, 2015 Helsinki-Tallinn

Spring lingers a while, showers Helsinki occasionally, causes the chilly wind in the morning, and finally at the middle of July before our Estonia trip, the sunshine starts to brighten up.

Trying a 100% ZARA cotton crop top with skinny leggings would be a fun and easy style at an afternoon tea date. Cost 25,95 EUR, Made in India, though the shoulder stripe is a bit too loosen, this flare black item owns the spandex to keep the piece on position just below my clavicle, and it also has hundreds of tiny pores for the skin a better breathing. In order to prevent my umbilicus from the coldness, I match with the 100% polyester snake skin effect high waist leggings from American Apparel and platform sandals from Zara. In summer 2015, I find especially that cotton pieces at Zara are made in India, and polyester garments or shoes made in China. Traditionally, India provides one of the best quality cotton fabrics on earth, the swift of the Zara manufactory chain from China to India is still worthwhile to discover.

In order to balance the whole black look, I put on VANESSA BRUNO 100% cotton pastel cardigan, STELLA McCARTNEY sunglasses and carry SEE BY CHLOÉ 100% cow leather 24-Hour tote bag. Purchased it at summer sale before our Tallinn trip, its two handles, zipped front pockets and suitcase-like all-around zipper are perfect to just store the overnight laundry and skin cares. In order to access my iphone and Viking Line ticket easily, I store all my bankcards and IDs at MBMJ pochette and put them in vintage BALLY 255 Style Taupe quilted lamb shoulder sac.

I am wearing Stella McCartney sunglasses, Zara top, Guess? Denim jacket, Zara cotton long coat, AA leggings and Zara Sandals. For accessories, I carry Bally milky lambskin malletage mini bag and See by Chloé calf skin travel sac. My fashion fun today is combining high street and mid-high end, with basic black and 2 touches with pastel colours. It is full of Summer, sunshine and sunny surprise. Let’s tour!

Special Thanks: JMH

Midsummer Night’s Dream 2015: Four For Family

Following up 2014 the cold summer, 2015 the midsummer weekend in Finland is consecutively chilly, grey and rainy. It doesn’t stop us heading back to Central Lake Area, though the swimming suits is completely out.

Summer time means to me the good food, the relaxation and always the stunning pictures. For the light travelling, I abort packing my Fuji X10 camera, but challenge myself only with iPhone 5S for the whole holidays. My Finnish family loves to decorate the dining table with various tablecloth, I adore this very Eastern European floral pattern to live up the melancholic sky. 

 

Sitting at the lakeside, doing nothing, only meditating is also one of my favourite projects for the Juhannus holidays. Accompanied with thousands uninviting mosquitoes this year, I spot that with the change of the ray of light, the lake and the clouds are echoing an orchestra: they could be both surging and tranquilizing at the short period of time, swiftly changing between a silver mirror, cotton candy pile to an emotional sea.    

Tracing back to the good old days on literature researching, I never ever appreciate Henry Thoreau’s Walden (1854). It’s too trivial and simply plain; I used to jump over chapter by chapter to know what is his conclusion of Life in the Woods. Nevertheless, I love the quote from Chapter 6, Visitors, that “I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company.” Mr. Thoreau, at summer cottage, how about add one more chair and celebrate it as “four for family”? 

Rakastan Juhannusta!

Special Thanks: PH

Beauty Boom! When YSL Rouge Dada #6 meets CHANEL Sweet Lilac #615

Shining sunny days are out there, let’s make the two most luxury nail colours teaming up! My first purchase of Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture due to the closing sales at Stockmann Beauty at the end of May, I apply the remaining colours on nails and decide to give this ‘Vernis à Ongles’ a shot.

Naming Rouge Dada, but more like Burgundy wine reddish, a new-generation nail lacquer from YSL is presented in a sleek, elongated 10 ml glass bottle imprinted with black font ‘6/ Rouge Dada/ Yves Saint Laurent. At the bottom of the bottle is a round-shape sticker, indicating the trade logo and no doubt, ‘Made in France’. 

The outer golden coloured plated cap is carved with the timeless poppy red YSL monogram, while the inner brush cap is also enchased in logo black. This custom-made nail colour brush allows easy and fast application, and evenly on nails without streaking. I find Chanel Le Vernis brush is rather thin but accessible to reach to the slanting part of the toe nails, while YSL La Laque Couture brush is rather thicker, for covering merely 2-3 processes on toe nails the best. YSL the nail lacquer perfectly adheres to the brush that pulls the drop instead of pushing for flawless and intense results.

The long-wear formula of YSL la laque couture with rose oil strengthens, moisturizes and protects nails from chipping and cracking. Since I am not fond of complicated fingernail art, I mix and match YSL Rouge Dada #6 and Chanel Sweet Lilac #615 for the summer fun. From trimming, polishing and colouring toenails take me only 60 minutes, lasts over 3 weeks, but less than 30 EUR!

YSL