After The Show

Hi everyone!

First of all i would like to apologise for Monday's no post. No matter how much i tried to find some time to keep the blog posted, i failed to do it...

The past four days were a true 'turbulence', i had a pretty demanding time at the show, but i loved every minute of it,  many people to talk, new clients, a lot of stress but also many new designers to meet and share experiences, passions, ideas  - had some sleep for a few hours and then start all over again.

Today we are photoshooting the winter collection (finally!), same wonderful team ... aka: Fotis Karapiperis, Dimitris Grammatikoyiannis, Vivian Katsari, and sweetest Jenni Penttinen. I'm telling you i am addicted to these guys, i really love them all and i consider myself very lucky i've met them!

We are very close to everything we have planned for this winter and i'm really dying to share it with you people, so stay tuned for what is about to come.

Have a wonderful day,
Love, K.

this is a truly omg situation, studio after the show

main photo Nicole Keimig @The Society and Elite via here
all others by cocoandsilk

Make My Friday - One Is Never Enough

Hello boys and girls! I hope you are OK cause weekend is here for you to get your revenge!

Like i had told you cocoandsilk is going to be uplifted, new faces, new photoshoot and a new winter collection together with the previous one. Two days ago we worked reshooting the summer collection and i had a wonderful time working with the new team. It is such a joy to work with people who can understand what you want and in addition can give you useful advice!

Come to think of it, i consider myself a very lucky person when it comes to partnership. I had a pretty bad experience at the very beginning but since the spell was broken, everything seem to work really well. Anyway, today it is not about the past but about what it is to come and all the beautiful things we are going to share this winter. Needless to say i am super excited for everything that's 

happening and yes, a lot more positive and confident... :))

Here is a very small taste of Wednesday's work. 

A huge 'thank you' to all the people who worked for this, My photographer and amazing person Fotis 

Karapiperis of Studio Verve, my stylist Mr Dimitris Grammaticoyiannis, the sweetest Jenni Penttinen from Ace Models , my make up artist Vivian Katsari from D-Tales and digaia.com for the kind offer and wonderful sandals.

A very best weekend to all of you guys, see you on Monday!

Love, K.

  

all photos by cocoandsilk

Why I Love Work In Fashion

Hi everyone!

As many of you (might) already know, i gave up my job as an architect almost three years ago and decided to work on something new, something that I've been loving for many years but never had the courage to follow as a career...fashion!

For someone who was on the building construction area for 20 (something) years, it would be natural to feel a bit of a nostalgia and miss the glorious past.... well, not me!

Ever since i can remember myself i was always interested in the way people get dressed, especially women. Fashion is joy, creativity, independence, it's a way to let ourselves play with our image, we declare who we are and even how we feel sometimes, we use dress codes every day. There is the work wardrobe, shopping with friends pieces, I've met a wonderful guy and 'i feel like a goddess' dress, i am a new mother and like easy fabrics, wear colour with no colour statement and so on...

The thing about fashion - at least to me - is that i really get happy to believe i can make someone feel beautiful with a piece I've created. I can still remember the first time i saw a friend of mine with this dress and how beautiful, chic and elegant she looked wearing it!

Fashion is not all about creativity and beautiful people, there is a lot of of hard work behind, hours or even weeks working on a pattern to get is done, countless days of search for the right fabric, a lot of money to risk, many things to handle, it is a chain of people working very hard and not always under the better conditions, giving the best they can in order to create a nice result. I am not complaining, i love the not so glamorous 'production state' of a collection as much as the creative part of designing it. To be honest, it is the production itself that really triggers me at the most, here comes the engineer girl!

To me fashion is many - many things as you can see, from the first step to the last, i love every face of it, every difficulty is a new challenge that brings me closer to understand it, respect it and love it more and with every negative comment that i get, i work my ass off to be a better designer and finally a better person!

I wish you a wonderful day,
Love, K.

images via tumblr.com

Monday Morning Coffee Break

Happy new week everyone!

 I woke up this Monday morning smelling the first rainy day here in Athens after a long and hot summer. It was then I realised that fall might be actually here!

I really love rain and before going to work I thought it would be such a great idea to steal half an hour and enjoy a cup of coffee in one of my favourites cafes in Athens.

The rain was still falling and I felt just fine enjoying the beautiful grey light and watch people passing by.

I know I don't have loads of time so soon  I had to get back and start working for a pretty heavy week, photshooting two collections and having the winter collection in a fashion show for the first time, working with my stylist, arranging dates and work for our very new leather goods aka bags are some  of the things we are up to. 

Calm moments are so precious for everyone and starting the day like this was a true blessing. 

How's your fall been so far?

Lots of love K.

 All photos by cocoandsilk

Make My Friday - People

Hi there, 

this Friday is going to be all about work life and human relations. Ever since i started working for cocoandsilk i came in touch with too many people. Some of them were sharing the same passions for life, others were not interested to hear and share and some were almost bad mannered! 

By the time my first collection was ready i ended up having a number of new friends and feeling almost blessed with what was my new reality. 

Being totally involved with new people and having to work with them made me realise this: 

People are willing to help you when they don't feel threatened from you, i am always very open to admit i have a thousand things on my mind and this makes me feel stressed and insecure and there are no super heroes in this life, help is always welcoming.

I try to bring the human factor in every aspect of my work, even under the most strict deadlines it's nice to stop for a minute talking about work and simply listen to your partner. 

Share a joke, there is no better way to break the ice!

Be real, there is absolutely no need to pretend you are someone else, then who would be you?

Express your feelings, even when i feel angry i will explain what made me feel this way and why i feel someone was playing with patience or had been  unfair to me.

Thank and reward, i was so grateful to Natalie when the photoshoot was over, i couldn't help but hugging and kissing her, but you know... from heart!

How are your relations with people at work? Is it a honeymoon episode or are you ready to ask for a divorce? And if the second is your reality try to remember...sometimes the hottest nights are coming after the biggest fights...

Have a beautiful weekend

Love, K.

And a stupid selfie is always a reason to smile 

images by cocoandsilk

The Dress

Hey, hey!

Half of the week has passed and we're moving on with the winter '16 collection.

Today it's all about the battle of the fabrics we are using here in cocoandsilk and how different ways of working on a piece can create different reactions.
So, in the first place i was pretty excited when i saw these bold and strong squares but when i started to work on it, it became clear i had one piece that was standing totally alone next to the rest of the winter collection. Poor thing!

To be honest with you, i am not quite sure if this piece will be on the collection anyway, but it turned out there were many people who loved it....Maybe because this dress is super cosy and easy to wear, comes in a soft wool fabric with a zip at the front and secret pockets and to my opinion instead of heels it is better to pair it with those comfy sneakers we all adore!

Anyway, these days are under huge pressure because of an upcoming fashion event we are taking place for the first time, and also we are going to uplift our site, new photos, new faces, for both summer and winter collection, sampling fever and new stock of summer fabrics all together....and of course it is time to start working on our bag collection as well....ok, i am ready for a visit to athens cosmedica for a nice retreat :))

In the meantime you have your chance to vote for the dress, yes or no?

See you guys on Friday!

Love, K.

 

images by cocoandsilk

Accessorizeme Monday

Hi everyone !

What I always do when the new season comes, is to check all about the new accessory trends! Since my wardrobe is already covered from the cocoandsilk collection i try to invest on some classy pieces i am going to wear from season to season.

Every winter more and more new trends are coming around and usually most of them are pretty amazing!

There are so many different ways to style all of the accessories below! If you have already done this, please tweet me with the hashtag #cocoandsilk! (Find me on TWITTER)

So, here's a list of my personal favourites winter '16 trends, all about accessories! 

Hope you enjoy!

Lots of love K.

Clutch Victoria Beckham

Balenciaga Leather Chunky-Heel Ankle Boot

Gianvito Rossi Leather Side-Zip Ankle Boots

And from main picture

Kate Spade New York iPhone 6 case

Monocular Classic Oversized Scarf

ID Plaque Chain Necklace, Marc By Marc Jacobs

Vita Fede Pearl Loop Earings

Moncler Quilted Make-up Bag

Make My Friday - The Comfy Way

 Hey , hey!
These are some more of our new pieces from winter '16 collection! The concept of this look was stylish and comfy , like who doesn't like to be these two together anyway? 

Through the years it became clearer to me that i wanted to create a casual chic look  I was feeling comfortable with.  So, this one is for you people, lovers of fashion, but still in need to be comfy and cozy especially during the cold,  rainy winter days that are coming...

I believe, this outfit is perfect for morning till night.  Going to work, for a quick 'shopping tour ', or even a relaxed night and a drink with your friends.

Can't wait for these lovely pieces to go online !!! Go have a lovely weekend and enjoy the beautiful days of fall and September !

Lots of love , K. 

You can purchase the beautiful necklace Natalie is wearing HERE and see our summer collection HERE - new photoshoot for both summer and winter collection soon to come!

 

 photos by cocoandsilk

Where There Is Smoke...

While autumn is already here (how fast did this summer passed by?) winter is about to come .

The winter '16 collection is ready! Yay! So excited! This is our new winter jumpsuit , worn by our lovely girl Natalie.

We're done with our samples , as always we have used great quality fabrics and have paid too much attention to the way our pieces are made. As you might have noticed the finishing touch is always a big deal for us. 

 We're also getting prepared for the next photoshoot which is gonna (obviously) contain the winter '16 collection but also ... *drums playing* ... the summer '15 collection all over again!

So what do you think about the first items of the winter '16 collection? Would be glad to see your opinions in the comments below !

Lots of love K.

You can see the cocoa and silk summer '15 collection HERE

photos by cocoaandsilk

The Heat

This Sunday was the hottest of all. No matter how much i needed to get some rest and enjoy my home it really seemed like a good idea to find the closest beach and get into the water as soon as possible! Instead of having lunch in a city restaurant we had a lovely picnic next to cool waters, in a lovely beach, two hours drive from Athens. We had fun playing giants with our shadows, enjoyed a peaceful day laying on a blue cotton fabric my husband brought from his favourite yoga studio and left the later we could, to avoid the traffic from all people returning back to the city.  

This week is going to be all about new stuff and small informal photoshoots, a big agenda is running for this winter and a bigger one for the next summer. I want to share so many things with you, all the ideas and process as we slowly grow!

I wish you a wonderful new week and perhaps a cooler one!

Love, K.

images by cocoandsilk

Make My Friday - The Shopping Therapy

Hi there!

As i told you on Wednesday , i spent a whole week in Thessaloniki while i had the most wonderful time seeing people i love, work and enjoy the city - oh yes and eating a lot, i mean...a lot!!! But it can't be a proper joy unless shopping is involved, no?

Buying clothes is not an option for me cause i like to wear my own collection, but dress my home is another thing and one of my favorite activities - am i allowed to consider this really as activity?

Preparing my place for autumn moods and according to my black, white and grey obsession, i found stuff that made me jump because it was lovely and i could afford to have them and carry them back home - nobody likes to pay overweight! 

Of course i went with the cushion covers - similar here , a small rug for my bedroom - similar here, a candle holder (he-he, how could not be a candle holder involved?) - similar  here , a small vase for my bedside table - similar here  and finally a beautiful wooden tray for my kitchen - similar here.

See, not many but quite enough to create the mood i like. 

Now i'm waiting for the first cold days to give them the chance to take their places, although i hope it won't be so soon, summer is holding still, thank you God!

Enjoy a beautiful weekend.

See you on Monday, 

Love, K.

main image via h&m home, rest by cocoandsilk

Posing A Little

Last week i visited  Thessaloniki and stayed for a week , business and pleasure is the best way to spend the days.

I decided to carry with me all the cocoandsilk pieces  i own - no, i do not own the whole collection - and tried to wear them in every meeting, this is the best way to convince my clients, no?

C. insisted to take a few pics with me posing which is something i do not do with great pleasure, i think i look awful on photos...So, we did the thing next to where we were staying , two steps away to tell the truth and did it as quick as we could, 5min was all we needed...

No matter how uncomfortable this makes me feel, here is the shy designer herself, posing for the sake of her collection and under the support of  her daughter, my biggest fan! And the best part is - once you decide to get exposed, you get  more confident about yourself, it's like OK, I'm not perfect but i can smile and let myself  be me and that's fine!

See you on Friday 

Love, K. 

images by C, for cocoandsilk