Thank You Istanbul!

This is Istanbul for Me...

Istanbul is a magnificent city - one full of beauty, history, spectacular architecture, nice restaurants, views to die for, exceptionally kind and honest people, fun filled nightclubs, exotic sounds, exotic smells and much more. Istanbul is also a city of dilapidated buildings, dirty streets, lots of cats, stray dogs, carpet sellers who can be annoying, taxi drivers who can't drive and few scammers. Istanbul is not perfect. Istanbul is not plastic. It's real and it's gritty. It's Asia, it's Europe. It's a total contradiction!! And all of it, the good and the bad, combine to make it one of the most vibrant, unique and amazing cities in the world. Istanbul will always stay in my heart!

I will miss You, Istanbullular!

The Style of Istanbul, Sep 2012 - June 2013

Thank You for sharing Your Idea of Style with Me!

Thank You for becoming part of Imprimoloco!

Elegance is What You Are Not What You Wear

Gözde, Lawyer

Hat: Park Bravo

Coat: Zara

Bag: Ipekyol

Boots: Boutique in Kadiköy 

Georgio Armani once said: Elegance doesn't mean being noticed. It means being remembered. I met Gözde in December and she left quite a mark. I met many people with an interesting style but, Gözde was the only one so far with an elegant style. It appears to me that elegance is not popular in nowadays. But what exactly means elegance. Sense of style or a mental attitude? I never thought about this interesting question before. First, elegance means work. Perfect shaped hair, precisely defined eye lines and tailor visits are not possible without discipline. Elegance is also an act of politeness, charisma and self-awareness. In terms of clothes elegance has a lot to do with clarity and quality. An elegant outfit should be inconspicuously simple and clean and never superficial from my point of view. I have come to realize that elegance is both: mental attitude and sense of style. Elegance is an art form with many facets. These days our whole life is defined by efficiency, optimization, tempo and fast consumption. These characteristics are in conflict with the nature of true elegance. Maybe it's time to think about a new form of elegance. Fashion stands for the basic condition of life: transience. That's why fashion rises so many questions. What does modern elegance mean for you?

I Don't Care About Fashion

Ahsen, Student

Scarf: Present from a close friend

Jacket: her Grandmother's

Blouse: Mango

Shirt: Fred Perry

Leggings: Bazaar

Boots: Timberland

She doesn't care about fashion

She doesn't even know what is trendy right now

She doesn't wanna know either

She has her own style

She wears what she likes

No matter others like it or not

She will still wear it anyway

She is weird but sincere 

She is crazy but cool

Ahsen has her own style. That's for sure. She is not interested into fashion. That's what impressed me. Her style is laid-back, easy and natural. That's why I wanted her to become part of Imprimoloco. I met her in November. The fact that Ahsen is not into fashion, but still sets a high value on an individual style made me think about the difference between style and fashion. From my point of view style means consistency. Fashion stands for constant change. Exaggerated style turns into boredom. Exaggerated fashion turns into idiocy. You can turn it how you like: In my opinion the attitude towards fashion seems paradoxical. Even if you say, you don't care about fashion and don't dress to make a statement, you are making a statement (that you don't care about fashion). I think it's not possible to stay completely out of fashion. Like it or not, somehow you always act towards fashion. Especially if you try hard to dress completely indifferent towards trends. Sooner or later you compare your style to other styles in your surrounding. In the end, it's not the point if you like fashion or not. That's the thing: Taste is so subjective! And because of that there is never a right answer about what is tasteful and what you should be consuming. What I hate about fashion is that there is too much emphasis placed on what and not on why. I have come to realize that it is not about what I like, but why I like it. That's exactly what makes Imprimoloco different from other fashion and street-style blogs. Imprimoloco goes far beyond what.

Everything has Beauty, but not Everyone sees It

Derya, Shop Window Designer

Hat: Mudo Collection

Shirt: Bershka

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

For one month now it is summer in Istanbul. People show a lot of skin and I made an interesting and shocking discovery: I am the only person on the beach and at the pool whose skin is tattoo free. It seems as if everyone is inked up except me. The trend for tattoos is not exactly breaking news, but in the last year tattoos became mainstream. I could not help, but wonder why people get tattoos.

Tattoos are expensive, they are painful and they are permanent. Many people find them unattractive, or even repulsive, others see the beauty in them. If you get a tattoo, you will be judged by others because of that tattoo. People think that tattoos are just a cry for attention, a rebellion against society, or a way to hide who we truly are. Some will say you get tattoos in order to be different, yet others will claim you are just trying to fit in with all of the other tattooed people. In all honesty, all of those opinions are true, but at the same time couldn’t be more wrong, I think. 

I met Derya last September and I wanted him to become part of Imprimoloco because I could see that his tattoos are an important part of his character. I realized that tattoos became mainstream from a very top down perspective because every tattoo has it's own story to tell. Some tattoos are a representation of a period of time or specific event which was a turning point for that person. If someone wants to commemorate a lost friend, relative or even a pet with a tattoo, why try to take that away from them? Some people wear crosses around their necks, others get them tattooed on their bodies. For people who feel strongly about their religion, a tattoo is just another way of showing others their faith. Some people don’t get tattooed for deep personal or spiritual reasons, they simply like the art and design aspect of it. There are far too many reasons behind tattoos to try to list them all in a single blog post and that was not my intention. The point I am trying to make is that you never know the reason behind a tattoo unless you ask. Who knows - maybe I will get tattooed one day too.