Happy Valentine's Day, beautiful people! 

I have to admit: I'm not your typical Valentine's Day fan. In fact, I don't care deeply about this day because I believe love should be infinite, without any boundaries, it should be shown and celebrated every single moment. It should be felt, shown, it should be like a continuous explosion of feelings, gestures, small gifts (not necessarily material ones), emotions etc. 

But having Valentine's Day in our lives is fun. For some people, it might act like a reminder that love is not lost, love is still there, that love can be made, or felt and even celebrated. Perhaps for some, Valentine's Day means a bouquet of red roses and lace lingerie. No matter how sad I find that, I'm still glad that at least for one day, everybody thinks and feels LOVE. And that's a pretty powerful.


But do you know what we're actually celebrating? Let's take a short journey back in history and see where it all comes from.

⧫ Who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. 
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured.According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure.

⧫ Origins
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial – which probably occurred around A.D. 270 – others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

If you're a sucker for comfy items and love basics, this is your moment to shine as wearing athleisure (athletic + leisure) has never been easier! Wear your favourite items and feel as comfy as you are when going to the gym...except you're not. The secret behind this low-key OOTD is super simple: choose high quality pieces and accessorise them correctly.

I opted for a thick, soft jumper in a gorgeous shade of blue - found it on NastyDress and I'm super impressed with its quality! In my opinion, those very basic cotton joggers are for sleeping only but I love the idea of feeling "at home wherever you are" so opted for jogger-inspired pleather trousers -  I consider them a wearable and more sophisticated version, for both day or night. For another pop of colour, I went for my orange strap bag, a pair of ultra-long statement earrings and the best shoes in the world, my Stan Smiths. I'm all set for a long, busy day!

I'm not afraid of winter or of the cold weather in general. I love snow and winter is one of my favourite seasons to be honest. Many people I see on the streets seem to opt for dark colours or neutrals for this season, but I couldn't disagree more: mixing colourful pastels into your wardrobe is always a good idea!

You know those little things that can brighten up your day? Well, pastels can be among them. They are timeless, happy and can look exquisite, depending on how you mix them. Today, I felt like mixing pastels with embroidery and military details. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Here's how I mixed my two new fav items from RoseWholesale.

 

Hello world!


Something new and exciting is about to hit the blog, I know I haven't posted lately because I've been super busy with other projects. One of them is I'm now part of the Yahoo Blogger Network, therefore my blogs can be read on Yahoo Style! Yup, head out to my tumblr at carlavadan.tumblr.com to see what's it all about.

Also, I am working on some new hand painted t-shirts that will be out soon and on a super-exciting new project together with Andra from andralovesfashion.blogspot.co.uk, so stay tuned!

Lots of love, 

Carla


wearing: fluffy jumper - vintage, earrings - Asos

The magical warm air, the blooming trees, the fresh smell of grass, the intoxicating smell of a black coffee...a kiss on the neck, eyes full of stars, the shy rays caressing you...this is how a spring morning feels like.
It should be a time full of hope, the perfect time to dream and make plans. The time to smile and to love everything and everyone around you. 

Play. Love. Dream.


Carla



Moodboard: Salvatore Ferragamo - Alizee leather shoulder bag, Nicholas Kirkwood - jaquard cork slippers, Chloé - denim dress, Asos - pom pom headband.