März 2020 - FASHIONWAY by Diana Filipova

Orange mood

Posted on März 29, 2020März 29, 2020 by diana

I have always thought of orange as one of the colors of the fall season, but now it became trendy for this spring – it’s one of the colors that may make it’s way into your wardrobes in 2020.

And as we all want to light up after the long winter and I think a sleevless jacket with a matching sweatshirt does the job great. As orange is a color that everyone will notice, and even if it takes only a part of the outfit or an accessory, it has the desired effect. Of course a full orange dress or suit would work great, too.

I combined my orange pieces with black skinny jeans and white Skechers sneakers. To extend the palette i took my Jack Wolfskin brown backpack, in a fashionway.

Of course, taking in mind the current quarantine, the photos were taken on the street in front of my home, and I strongly appeal to everyone to stay at home!

Photography by Marg Basarova

Underwater fashion photography

Posted on März 24, 2020März 25, 2020 by diana

I love being creative and the ability to be unique. This underwater fashion photography session proved to be a great challenge for me but with the professional assistance of the first Bulgarian fashion photographer Julian Nedev it turned out very well.

Underwater fashion photography is not a widely common art, but a very impressive one. The outcome is very beautiful, but that comes with a lot of effort and preparation both from the photographer and the model. Everything has to be well planned in advance. It is very important to know how to communicate underwater with gestures. Each shot is taken on one apnea (single breathe in until the shots are done).

The choice of cloth materials is also very important – they have to be light and buoyant, the outfits should not be the kind that can tangle around you and prevent you from getting safely to the surface, should the need arise.

The make up is also very important – on one side it has to be water resistant, obviously and on the other it has to be an intensive one. For this one I have to thank Plamena Mileva.

The equipment used is also very special – the lighting and the flashes should be the kind that reflect the color spectrum.

There is also the background to consider – it has to be prepared in advance and match the outfits and the desired effect and colors.

For this session I chose a high contrast red dress, a mint-blue colored long ball dress that imitates the waves of the ocean and of course a set with a whole swimsuit and colorful spring accessories.

Underwater photography by Julian Nedev

Stay healthy and stay at home

Posted on März 17, 2020März 19, 2020 by diana

While I am trying to follow the strict quarantine rules here in Vienna and hoping that better days will come soon, I am sending you some positive vibes and a hole lot of love, from my house to yours. I think that now during this difficult period with the Coronavirus it is very important to stay positive and healthy, and while at it why not take care of our bodies and soul.

But we should also do something, that our future self will thank us for, not just staying at home and thinking how miserable the situation is. Being in quarantine is not an excuse not to take care of our looks, to eat unhealthy and not to exercise. Looking good should not be reserved for just going out and meeting others, it can also show self-respect and respect for our loved ones at home. And there is plenty of yummy food that is healthy and lots of fun exercises one can do at home. Even doing the house work and running up and down the floors in the house 100 of times a day is an exercise by itself. I took the time to finish some stuff at home, and I did my 100’s easily the last days ??.

As you can see I try to keep my time full as much as possible. You can do it, too – take the time for yourself – do the things you always wished you had the time for, learn something, even pick a new hobby if you wish. This is is a difficult time for everyone but we have been blessed with the gift of time. So let’s use it properly!

Photography by Marg Basarova

How I stay positive and calm

Posted on März 12, 2020März 15, 2020 by diana

People ask me all the time – how do you manage to stay so positive and calm? I am usually not writing about such topics, but having in mind the whole situation with the Covid-19 virus now, I decided to lay down some words on this question.

We often look at the world and consider it as negative. That’s not surprising, because just taking a glance at the news media could make the steadiest person depressed. Or looking around and realising how often people say dumb things about each other, how some show their jealousy and hate – it happens everyday and everywhere. But calling the whole world negative would be a misjudgment. It will only cause frustration which makes you even more angry and unhappy.

If you blame others for your negative feelings, nobody would hear or know about it – it would be only you who suffers. But if you try to blame yourself for your own negative feelings, you are making a step ahead ot at least make progress. But to really stay positive stopping blaming is the wisest thing to do.

Some of the other things that make me positive are. First – I don’t take everything personally – we very often analyse every single word people say or things they do, but all that is not always personal. Second – I let my feelings out and say what I think. Our Life is basically one challenge after the other and very often we keep our feelings “in a safe place” – inside ourselves. I try to not keep inside feelings like anger, frustration and anxiety on one side and joy, happiness, loveliness, etc. on the other. Third – I learned to be grateful about everything, good or bad, because even from the bad you can learn good lessons. And last but not least – if you want to be positive don’t stay on the same spot for too long and constantly work on yourself and follow your dreams, because if you do, you know that you have a chance to improve your life. And to me, that’s the best use of my time and energy. Also never forget to give your love even to people that don’t like you.

At the end I want to share this great quote: “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”/Napoleon Hill/ – doing small things in the right direction, will for sure make you feel better.

Just a few words about the outfit that goes with this post – a sweater in one of the 2020 colors – blue, combined with white and black, matched with one of my favorite Calzedonia faux fur leggings, Michael Kors booties, trendy black sunglasses and a Diana&Co Firenze Italian bag

Photography by Marg Basarova

Austria’s Glorious Balls

Posted on März 8, 2020März 10, 2020 by diana

Every winter, Austria hosts hundreds of classy ball nights – nowhere are balls so romantically formal as in Vienna.

Over 400 of them are staged each winter, strict dress codes, an opening fanfare, the entrance of the debutants and debutantes and the call „Alles Walzer!“ (literally: “Everything is waltz!”) are all part of a classic ball. Balls open usually with a Polonaise and punctuated by speeches, etc.

In the past wearing of masks and costumes was reserved for the nobility. To compensate for this, Emperor Joseph II opened up the dances in the Redoute Rooms in the Hofburg palace to everyone. This allowed the Viennese to copy the courtly customs of these celebrations, something which they retain to this day.

The waltz, being a partner dance, was initially perceived as a provocation, and caused moral outrage. The Vienna Congress (1814/15), meeting in the city to establish the new order in Europe following Napoleon’s campaigns, made it acceptable via the salons.

The balls today have kept a lot of the traditions of the past, while at the same time adapting many modern elements – like performances by professional dance groups and celebrities, charity campaigns, etc. It was a charity ball in the Viennese Hofburg palace that i was at – the 14th Dancer against Cancer Ball. From the opening with the debutants and the „Alles Walzer“, through to the modern dancing performances, the whole show was full of variety.

I am sharing with you some photos from this fabulous event. I was wearing a black and white dress, shoes and bag, trying to blend in with the waltz couple’s monochrome colors.

My favorite Mickey makes me always happy

Posted on März 4, 2020März 10, 2020 by diana

When I found this cool Iceberg sweater I had to immediately make a full outfit with it. I have put in it the two things that I love the most – my favorite hero Mickey Mouse and the combination of black and white.

I matched this sweet top with a pair of black Calzedonia faux fur Leggings, Michael Kors Olympia textile sock booties, a black Parka coat and a fluffy, soft, black and white Chanel bag. Meanwhile when I put on those booties for the first time, I had a feeling they are huge and way too sporty (due to the big sole) – but in reality they are extremely light and unbelievably comfortable. I am wearing them most the time now (you are likely to see them in my further outfits).

It may sound strange, but always when I‘m wearing my favorite Minnie or Mickey Mouse, I‘m feeling like a happy kid enjoying his ice-cream or chocolate.

So who is your favorite character, which you would wear a clothing item with?