Inspiration, again

I'm finally back after a fabulous week of skiing in the alps, in Chamonix to be more precise. I actually came back on sunday, but it's been a busy week, and it will be for the rest of the week too.

Not much sewing done lately in other words, but I did find some inspiration online! Face Hunter proved to be my cup of tea, look at this...:

That collar is fabulous! I especially like it the way it's worn on the left, looks very sophisticated.

And it shouldn't be impossible to copy, should it?

By the way, am I imagining things, or is it the same girl in both pictures?

I love the play with different structures in these two pictures. The way the material is just one colour, but still striped (I love stripes!).

Again, isn't it the same girl in both pictures? I just saved a few pictures of clothes I liked and teamed them up in photoshop... and then realised I had coupled up pictures of the same women, a sign that they have a consistent style, perhaps?

I just love these coats... both of them! They remind me of old Russia, tsars and kosacks, tea from a samovar... oh romantic thoughts!

Not very spring-post appropriate maybe (spring IS finally here! The first bulbs - snowdrops - are in blom in my courtyard), but we have something called "april-snow" here in Sweden, and it looks just like it does in the right hand picture. So quite right actually! There are always several backlashes when we get snow again in late spring to everyone's disappointment, but it's just the way it should be... (and looks pretty).

And finally a picture from the slopes of Chamonix... at Les Grands Montets to be more precise. This was my view for a fantastic lunch on a rock next to the mountain side, warmed up by the sun and not the least windy thanks to a tall mountain behind our backs. Four swedes in total admiration of the sun after a long, dark winter, life spirits back in the body!

So, I've decided to go to the Swedish mountains to ski at easter, that's next weekend. I can't wait!

I travelled with (though that's a definition of terms since I and my friends did the travelling bit on our own, courtesy of Easy Jet, I've never spent more time in queues in my life before! But they did have quite valuable sandwiches and beverages on board, a plus) the French organisation UCPA (Union Nationale des Centres Sportifs de Plein Air), and I must recommend them to anyone interested in travelling + sports + meeting new friends. That should be most, right?

If you're also interested in learning to speak better french it's a hit, but you don't have to speak french (even though it's a plus to at least understand some). There's also a swedish office, and many of the Swedes who travel through them speak no French (I had to translate when I went sailing last summer...).

They arrange very valuable sport-holidays with everything you need included. A week in the alps ALL inclusive (not alcohol, of course) was about 750 Euro (about US$1100)(I've edited the price since I posted this, it was actually cheaper than I remembered...) . I think that's about half the "normal" cost, so although the accomodation is of quite a low standard (or rather simple), it's very, very cheap. And then you get to ski with a ski instructor for a full four days, so I must say I improved (yippie!).