Je suis arrivée

I've made it;)
Porte de Versailles, so much going on here at the moment.
Walk it through with me if you like.
(actually, lucky you don't have to walk at all, whilst I am dealing with a brand new friend called *blister*!) -this post is not real time (04-09-09)
Ok, flags. Always there.
Wrong shoes: always there too. Thank Goodness it wasn't me this time!

Are you seriously planning to walk ALL.THIS.WAY. in these shoes? No way Jose...

Ah... A mini-me of my suit-case is moving towards the entrance too in the hands of a seriously tanned girl. (instant thought A: I want this tan. i.t.B: I want the mini-me too... so convenient to carry my jacket in and the tons of brochures I'll be picking up later on.)

Walk, walk, walk, and finally, voila, Block 7: Pret-a-Porter Paris.
Shaky capture of my badge: I am excited. (Also I am too darrrn cold!)

to be continued...

All packed! - Eastpak Competition

I'll be out of town for a few days. Will be flying to Paris for the Prêt à Porter in a few hours and I am all packed and ready for action;) Sneak preview of what's coming with me:

Usually I pack randomly (and last minute). This time I did it with a plan (...and last minute!). First compartment:

a. The Gift: I picked it up earlier today, it's a cotton, shoulder-bow Know-How dress for a friend I am meeting in Paris. (right underneath, underwear & sleepwear)
b. The shawl: it is always a clever move to check the weather at your destination. Paris evening temperatures will be around 10C so I thought a shawl in my handbag will be quite a little saviour since I'll be out and about all day.
c. Make-up & demake-up kit: small and sweet. Facewash, mascara, blush, concealer, eyeliner. Oh, and shampoo & conditioner, can't leave that to luck, can you?
d. Hair straighteners: Smaller than a blowdryer, don't need to carry extra brushes, makes you look like out of the hair salon in minutes!
e. Clothes: all from the same colour palette so that I don't have to carry many different shoes and accessories. A tip worth noting. (no outfit show-off here, I prefer you see them worn as planned)

Second compartment:

1. Flip-flops: after a full day of walking, my feet need to breathe. (Marc Jacobs)
2. Boots: we said it's chilly in the evening remember? (Eley Kishimoto)
3. Gladiators: the comfiest left-over of the summer that's just passed. (Zara)

(of course all flat. lot's of walking involved, kilometres of isles to be walked)

Inside the outside pocket: my towel. Here's another tip: always place something long and thick there, protects the contents of your suit-case from the rough airport treatment.

So that's it, I am all set. This has got to be the best suit-case I've ever had. Has seperate compartments which makes everything so tidy and easy to pack, fits tons of stuff, has wheels, has straps to keep everything in place and no matter how I treat it, it always looks good as new!

Does it sound like you could use one?
People at Eastpak were so nice as to let me have this fantastic giveaway! Just email me at aleccarox@windowslive.com with your name and "EASTPAK" on the subject and this pink baby could be yours.

Competition ends on Saturday, September 12th, you have to be living somewhere withing the Greek borders (everyone else, sorry, open competitions to follow!)
So that's it! I'm leaving you with a gift. Not for long though... Prêt à Porter updates coming soon! À bientôt!

Firetrap Competition

FIRETRAP TEAM UP WITH BESTIVAL 2009, OFFERING ONE LUCKY WINNER THE CHANCE OF THE ULTIMATE VIP FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

Firetrap are teaming up with renowned music festival Bestival this year, hosting an exclusive signing area where you can shake hands and have your photo taken with your favourite artists after having seen them play.

To celebrate Firetrap will be offering one lucky winner the chance of the ultimate VIP festival experience. By entering on the Firetrap site (http://www.firetrap.co.uk/), visitors are in with a chance to win tickets for themselves and three friends to Bestival 2009, taking place September 11th-13th 2009, along with Firetrap goody bags, entry to the Firetrap VIP Area, priority access to Firetrap’s Artist Signing area they will also be provided with a luxury Winnebago for the entire festival stocked full of booze!

Firetrap are the first to create their own artist signing area at Bestival, creating their very own London pub within the festival grounds and with an exclusive VIP area, where all of Bestival’s artists will be kicking back in between sets - this will be the place to be seen at the festival this year.

*Competition Closing Date: Friday, 4th September 09

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Bestival was born in September 2004 and is a three day, fancy dress, boutique-style festival set in the heart of Isle of Wight. This year the festival has decided to go cosmic with a fantastical Outer Space fancy dress theme plus a super-exciting new site layout and mind-blowing line-up - headline sets come from Massive Attack, Kraftwerk and Elbow as well as appearances from the likes of MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Seasick Steve, Klaxons, Lily Allen, Soulwax, La Roux, Bat For Lashes, The Cuban Brothers and Carl Cox to name a few.

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Not in the UK? Stay alert for a new competition coming up, exclusively for Rox Readers;)

Are you ready for knits

Ok, enough with those summer posts then.
It looks like this winter is going to be all about knits.
Chunky & funky. Let it snow.

As seen at the new Nicole Farhi advert inside British Vogue.

As seen at Jaime Martinez' photoshoot "pic nic" inside Kinki magazine.

By the way, Jaime Martizez.
I've got a new favourite.
Check out his amazing, shaky shots here.

Natural clay!

There are certain things I do each summer: I try to get a tan (in vain), I live on fruits and sea-food (to make up for winter junk) aaand cover myself in mud.

Natural clay to be percise. Ever tried that?

It sits there, in a big green-greyish rock waiting to be rubbed like a ginnie in a bottle. My wish? Shiny hair and perfect skin. Granted each and every time!




No artificial product has ever left my hair so velvety and glossy, no face cream has ever made my skin so soft and pure! The kind I cover myself in is called "Bentonite" clay. The Ancient Egyptians used it, the Native American Indians did so too.

Here's how you do it:
a- wet your hands
b- rub the rock
c- apply a thick layer to your face and body. Make sure you do your hair! Be creative...
d- lie on the sand and wait. 15 minutes are enough but the longer you leave it, the better.
e- take pictures while waiting:)

It is a strong natural detoxifier, purifier, wound healer as well as a cellular regenerator and relaxer. This much I knew. What I've just discovered though is that Bentonite contains over 70 natural occurring trace minerals like:

Silica- 61.4% (required for strong healthy hair growth and skin tissue regeneration)
Aluminum- 18.1%
Iron- 3.5%
Sodium- 2.3%
Magnesium- 1.7%
Calcium- 0.04%
Titanium- 0.02%
Potassium- 0.01%
Moisture- 7.8%
pH - 8.3 - 9.1
(source)

The weather is still warm!
Ignore that diary saying "September 1st" and visit one of the many beaches with such wonder-rocks in Kos, Corfu, Paros, Kefalonia...

*NOTE*
Em... Do not start breaking the rock to take some home. If it hasn't crossed your mind yet, believe me it will once you've tried it (you may even feel like taking the entire hill with you!). Don't. I've witnessed it and it was disturbing. It belongs to nature and we should respect that, by all means.

Invites tell a story

We are something like 25 days before Tell a Story #5 hits Athens...
Here's a retrospective of its invites so far:


The magic paper featuring all details re: the latest, should come out anyday now. Awaiting in anticipation for this season's graphics little gem...

It all comes down to detail

A piano that says "play me" instead of "don't touch",
old baskets with a new use
and a mirror with a permanent reflection standing out.

A bar called "Yiannis", at Ventouri Square, Paroikia - Paros.

Can't get over it

Summer white & cubes of hay

Sun-kissed. Wind-dried.
There's no white like summer-white.
Fields of freshly cut, symmetrically packed cubes of hay.
It really was a perfect day...

Fireworks, I'm back.

Images from the port of Paroikia, Paros.
Fireworks shot on August 15th.

I'm back, summer's not over, not over, not over yet...