ATHENS – I was born in a very beautiful area of Greece called Vrahneika. A small town by the sea where everyone knows and greets each other on the street and, as in most small towns, everybody knows what happens in each other’s houses. I always used to say we have no secrets here, we share everything with our neighbours. I spend most of my childhood here. I always was a bit different from the other kids of the town. I was kinda more active and at a very young age I wanted to leave town and study abroad. There are no universities or any kind of studying institutions in my town, and people don’t care much about fashion either. However, I always selected my clothes and shoes very attentively. Although my mother objected my choices sometimes, eventually I did it my way. Even as a young girl I wanted to be in fashion.
So, I moved to England to go to university in London and I discovered a ‘new world’. Everything here was bigger; the buildings, the cars, the houses and of course the dreams and mentality. Here I had the chance to learn more about fashion. London is one of the fashion capitals of the world; a simple walk on the high street can teach you everything you need to know about fashion and current trends. A walk on the streets of London can be fashion lessons by itself; different styles and different cultures all in one city. I started reading fashion books and magazines (you know, where you lose yourself in their pages). I read about clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories and I went to fashion events. Watching the models wearing and holding all of the designers I read about and started imagining how it would be to wear all these wonderful clothes.
In a big city like London you are among many people and most of the time you feel lonely. It was hard for a small town girl to adapt, but it definitely made me stronger. I gained many experiences and I studied to the associate of goldsmith and thereafter worked in famous jewellery houses. I met people from all around the world and made good friends and, like you’d expect, I fell in love. My time in London will always be special and the most beautiful part of my life. I never feel like a tourist when I go back visiting, but I feel like a Londoner and I know this will never change. After eleven years I decided to move back to Greece for no specific reason. Maybe it was the sun, or the sea, or my family, and old friends. I am not sure, but I came back!
Today I live in Athens in a lovely house with my boyfriend and our dog. I have my family and friends close and this makes me happy every day. People in Greece are always hospitable and pure. Fashion blogging in not that popular and known here, but I every time when I’m asked to explain it, I try to make them understand. Although Athens can’t be compared to London, it has made some large steps in the world of fashion lately. All the big designer and brand names have shops in the Athens high streets and Greek women have improved their knowledge of fashion through travelling and reading. Athens fashion week has become a big event this few years with some very promising young Greek designers. And of course in my humble opinion bloggers like me have in their own way helped to improve the fashion knowledge of the average Greek woman by showing the new trends and the latest designs from the world.
The thing they know for sure here in Greece is how to dress stylish and according the current trends.
Lia Makrigeni – Sparkling Bubbles
