Effortless Cool

I am a big fan of effortless cool. But what exactly is it?

For me effortless cool comes from confidence, you have to be enough to be complete. No pretence, no showing-off, no people pleasing, just you as you are.

It's about doing what you feel is right even if it is against the norm or even against what others consider cool.

I think Ryan Gosling's character in Drive is effortlessly cool (in fact the whole film and the soundtrack are so cool...). That guy can make knitting look like the coolest thing ever, that's how effortlessly cool he is.

Is it me, or being a real human being makes you effortlessly cool? ;)

Paris. Eiffel Tower

This is the last post dedicated to the most romantic places in Paris. It won't be complete without the Eiffel Tower... I know that a lot of people find it too banal, too familiar. But I love it. That's all.

Paris. Pere Lachaise Cemetery

There is something so beautiful about cemeteries. It's peaceful. It's calming. It allows you to think and look at things from a different perspective. The reason I went to Pere Lachaise in Paris was the Oscar Wilde resting place. But then I realised that this place is so much more... While walking through the labyrinth of graves - some plain, some so elaborate - I saw the beauty of life as well as the beauty of departure.

Paris. Pont des Arts

I went to Paris for the first time... and now I'm in love. Its beauty, culture, food, language and atmosphere seem to be in such harmony, it's classic and timeless and so sophisticated... I had heard so many mixed opinions about Paris - some people love it and some people hate it and some are indifferent. So when I went to Paris, I didn't have high expectations - I thought I will go and see it for myself. And now I think how can you hate or remain indifferent to its beauty?! I guess, a lot of the times people were disappointed by the notorious "unfriendliness" of the locals towards tourists and the lack of efficient service. But for me these are not the things I rate highly in my book, I am a visual person, and so what I see around me is more important than service or attitude (although I must say that during my visit I have had a great experience with service and locals - it is just the same as in any big city).

The three highlights of Paris for me were the Pont des Arts, the Pere Lachaise cemetery and the Eiffel Tower.

I thought that the most romantic place in Paris is the Pont des Arts with its padlocks and the famous "postcard" view on the island where Notre Dame stands. This place was familiar to me even before I went to Paris through the photograph of Henri Cartier-Bresson:

And here is my homage to the master of classic photography:

You can see how the background got "busier" with time but it still holds its classic Parisian look.

I don't really know when has the tradition of couples in love attaching little padlocks to the railings of the Pont des Arts bridge and throwing the keys in the Seine waters started, but it really adds to the charm of the place. I caught myself thinking that one day I would like to come here with that one person and attach a little padlock to symbolise something meaningful. Here are the ones I found particularly interesting:

I will write about the Pere Lachaise cemetery in my next post...

Hedi Slimane and Lana Del Rey

I was looking through Hedi Slimane's work recently and on the background Lana Del Rey's "Blue Jeans" was playing. Somehow the two entwined and here's the end result...

Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is one of my favourite animes of all time. The scene with the flying stingrays in the desert is a masterpiece...  

The Great Photographers. Part II - Julia Margaret Cameron

Julia Margaret Cameron started photographing when she was 48 years old. Her work is instantly recognisable - the romantic Pre-Raphaelite feel, the unusual cropping (this is late 19th century!) and that relentless pursuit to capture beauty...