LadyBohemia — Moonalia Design RSS

There are moments when you just need to slow down, even for a moment, let go of  every to-do -list in your head...  And if you're really brave, you might even close your eyes and take it all in on a different level.. And I promise, there's treasure everywhere. Yesterday, I did just that, closed my eyes and let the feelings flush over me, in a special musical event here in Helsinki. And the treasure I found, when closing my eyes and letting go, led to such a flow of tears that I ended using every single kleenex of every stranger  around me. And. It was beautiful and unforgettable. But now, let me take you to another journey... That of a LadyBohemia business trip to the South of France. Once and again, I found myself utterly (and as usual, happily) lost this time in the beautiful ancient cultural city of Aix-en-Provence. Without agenda or hurry, I stopped for a little cup of coffee... And closed my eyes, to take it all in. And there it was. The most charming little fountain... Ancient buildings, medieval gates... A lovely art gallery... Not to mention the best croissant of my life. AND a wonderous little boutique, full of tresors old and new, soooooo sophisticated and sensual, a real Aladdins cave for  LadyBohemia . And this I gotta mention... just look at the flow of this dress. It's is a unique piece, a golden beige silk and lace dream, handmade with love by the wonderful designer Oona Elena Kassila of Moonalia Design. The skirt was originally planned to be worn at a wedding, by a guest, but sorry, I just don't have the patience to wait for some of my friends to tie the knot.. And, I must say, we've already encountered the most memorable experiences together with this skirt. I wore it yesterday, at the preview of the record to come, and I'm sure it has marks of my tears here and there... And in fact I welcome each and every one of them. And then... As I didn't plan it very carefully, I wore this dress when I needed to carry a two heavy suitcases to a boutique... As this lovely dress has a lace train, my two boys walked behind me, carrying my train. Not a word of complaint - they're rather used to me. Again, a moment never to forget. Probably to all the passers-by as well..

The brocante life in Aix... I just love it.

You might come across an item that just says  WaaaaaOoooH take me home I'm yours... But in any case, you get to see pieces with hundreds of years of history, tradition, stories... If only they could talk.

I for one would listen.

*♥*

A lesson learned at a yoga workshop yesterday.

My dear readers, I would love to share with you my experience of a full-day yoga workshop, held by a beautiful soul, the yogi Jack Boken. Although Jack had promised this would be a truly heart-opening experience, little did I know.

That morning I went to class feeling totally overwhelmed by the world, my mind in chaos, so sad. So much so that when Jack asked us one simple question "What has brought you here today?", the tears just came and drowned me. During the rest of that day, I never managed to gather my poise but that's just the beauty of yoga... Nobody's poised and we're not meant to be. People somehow find the strength to be honest and raw, compassionate and present. And during that day, with Jack's gentle guidance, we confided in each other on a such a  true and real level, only to be welcomed by acceptance and compassion. And later when the asanas got sweaty & physical, our bodies were as open as our minds. Breakthroughs just happened. For my part, I actually managed not one but five asanas I'd never dared to do before. Like I pointed out in class, it was a very small step for mankind but a significant one for me - and especially so on a day that had begun with uncontrollable tears and feeling so blocked inside that I'd thought it would be better to give everybody else a break, and go calm down alone at home. At the end of his classes, Jack asks each student to decide to give up something in their lives, and to commit to something. Very concrete, very practical, very useful. This can be something evoked during that specific practice, or anything that feels important. Key is commitment. Not just thinking how I'd like to be a better person but deciding exactly how I could achieve that. Personally,  I realised very, very, painfully clearly that I need to give up the fears that control and limit my life on so many levels. Or, to put it in yoga terminology, acknowledge the existence of my fears, and then let them go ;). This was why during this very practice, it had been so important for me to battle and conquer my fears of handstands, headstands and other stands I'd never done before and the names of which I don't even know. To trust Jack not to let me fall flat on my face and get hurt.

No, to just trust myself, no matter how much I was afraid, no matter how I was sure I COULD NEVER EVER DO IT.

Sooooooo liberating.

And if you can kick ass with your fears on the yoga mat, maybe in real life, you can too.

Only, in Jack's class we're not allowed any maybes.

There's no trying.

That's why I'm still, a weeks on...

Letting. It. All. Just. Be.

With such peace.

~*♥*~

My new treasures: * ~*♥*~

A treasure box came from Barcelona, full of handmade wonders worthy of a Goddess... Silver Mauve Shooting Star Feather Earrings. I was so excited that I didn't even make it all the way home from the post office, had to open the parcel STRAIGHT AWAY... So we popped into a café nearby, hot chocolate for the kids and scissors for mama. And WOW what the packet held inside... A golden beige Aphrodite lace dress.... A mauve lace faery dress (purrrrrrrfect with these earrings by the way) and many, many other dreamy treasures... I'll photograph them for you later, promise. I had to gather all my willpower not to start a fashion show right there in the café but we did make it home for that.. Boys were impressed by the fact that mama's latest fashion statement  now is feathers in her ears :) . All the beauties in my parcel are handmade by the lovely and unique Faery Princess Oona Elena Kassila. You can find her treasures at Moonalia etsy shop. A new collection, Faerlica Alliance, a collaboration between Oona and her man Mo Puccino, is on it's way... And you can just feel the love of these two people, in each of the pieces they've crafted together. Beautiful, and beyond. ~*♥*~

This one is pure girly stuff... My darling friend Oona Elena Kassila flew all the way from Barcelona to Helsinki for the last fitting of the Bohemian Princess Rose Cradle Dress I had requested her to design for me. The following day the dress flew to London to attend the London Fashion Week... AND got photographed by Vogue, among other adventures... Dear readers, welcome to the making of my most beautiful dress, ever: * * Mmmmmmm.... Some refreshments were required and shall I say earned, with all those sleepless nights spent while making this dress divine... Oona worked on the dress for 80 hours, before she stopped counting... Every single silver chain, each pearl, every bit of vintage lace is personally sourced and chosen with love and care, then the dress itself... Handmade in Heaven. Oona's artwork. She rocks my world and you can see why. * * I can not tell you how much it means to me, how fortunate I feel,  to have been involved in such creative and artistic process - not to mention how much fun we had - but maybe these photos tell their story more poignantly than I could.. * Details details... This dress is filled with secret details all around. * Luxury dupino silk, French velvet in brocade as the slip... Too beautiful and absolutely unique. If you're into treasures and wonder, Oona's clothing and her partner Mo's jewellery can be found at Moonalia etsy shop. ** * Life. It can't possibly get more Rita Hayworthesque than this... And.... Swoooooooooooooooosh! All photos by the one and only, Pipsa Lagus ♥. ~*♥*~