two girls and a fedora hat

Sometimes I meet people that want to talk about fashion but they do not like being exposed.However, I recently met two girls who were willing to do so creatively. They stroke a pose and concealed their faces behind a fedora hat.

"I am a dentist. I have to wear specific clothes to work; a white robe etc, but I replaced the white clogs with colorful crocks so I made this outfit mine. When I am not working, I dress casually but never conservatively. The essential piece of clothing in my wardrobe would have to be the pants. I have a large variety of pants from which I accessorize with others items. They all are unique designs and I like them to be comfortable on me as I don’t like them to outline my body.

I like 80's fashion and fluorescent colors. On a special occasion, I would wear a dress but only something that is unique because I like to be different. I say no to mini skirts, heels and in general whatever limits my comfort, my movement. I like accesories, I will always add something to my outfit, like this hat for example. I wear rings, usually on my right hand, but I keep it simple. Often, I would wear something that reminds me of a person in my life, like a ring I wore for years that belonged to my grandmother."

The other girl I spoke to is a student at the school of fine Arts. " I don't think much about fashion" she says "you ask me if I wear accesories and I said no, but I cannot think of a reason why I don’t. Actually it's the first time I think about it. Probably it’s because I would rather spend my money on other things. I dress depending on my mood. I like colors and when I am in a good mood I indulge wearing lots of colors. I like the romantic style, dresses with floral patterns. At school I wear jumpsuits because they make me feel comfortable."

back to the future

Giorgos and Charalambos @ Thisseio

Blue hair, spike collar, deathly T-shirt illustrations and a cool attitude.
That was my first impression of Giorgos and Charalambos, two guys who are not afraid to speak the truth.

"I always trust my personal instincts when I choose my outfits." Giorgos declared. " I have no conventions, I choose and mix my clothes depending on my mood, I experiment and I treat it like a game. It’s like wearing a costume where I play a role depending on my mood. I do not believe in labels, most of my clothes come from women's stores like the jacket I am wearing today. I believe being yourself is the norm and I use clothes to express myself. The way I dress, attracts like-minded people and keeps conventional minded people at bay. Generally, I mix and match but I also love the style of Comme des Garçons and Digitaria, an innovative fashion label by designer Eleftheria Arapoglou. "

When asked about the way Greeks dress, he said that "the majority of Greeks show a lack of confidence in fashion and in themselves. They do not feel secure enough to express themselves and I believe that this kind of behavior is deeply rooted in a wrongful interpretation of society values and the strong influence of family and religion. I find their dress style dull, boring and miserable and I don't see them changing in the near future."

Charalambos however, is more optimistic." I think there is hope. The new generation is more open-minded since they travel more than they used to and are influenced by other cultures. As a fashion designer, I hope to change old habits. My designs feature futuristic elements and I try to visualize the new style I am dreaming of."

the laughter yoga teacher

Eleni Skrekou, laughter yoga teacher

We met Eleni in Thisseio and were attracted to her by her big smile and positive energy. A lively, spirited person, she is working as a laughter yoga teacher and also is participating in the Free Hugs campaign. We actually show her in action and shared a warm hug as well.

We asked her about fahion and the things she likes to wear. She said that she likes comfortable, colourful, joyful clothes, things that represent her mood. Her aim is to give a pleasant and positive image, to make people smile. "Colours represent our mood," she added "and I don't like the way in Athens wear so much black; especially in winter it's like seeing crowds of darkness walking around. I like to be a splash of colour in the crowd! Even on these black trousers I'm wearing I've sewn on happy words like 'love' in colourful threads to break the blackness."

We asked her if she has favourite clothes or accessories and replied that she loves Anna Theoharakis' jewellery, an artist based on Aegina island. "She makes everything by hand and uses fabrics and threads. I probably have been very affected by her work, her combination of colours, and now I can't live without her jewellery! When I go out without wearing colourful jewellery I feel as if something is missing. If I'm in a flat mood I find I don't feel like wearing any jewellery at all. Also I have a very comfortable jean-skirt that's hand-made and has colourful details and is below the knee. I like loose trousers like I'm wearing today and tops in bright block colours, rather than items that have lots of colours together. Several times I've been told that I look Indian because of my physical features but also because of the way I dress - and that was before I ever went to India too."

Her opinion about greek everyday fashion is that people should be more daring. "Although we live busy lives and taking time to choose what clothes to wear can be demanding, perhaps people should spend less time watching television and more on focussing on their personal expression. My mood is very affected by my clothes and I wish people would dare more to be themselves. Sometimes I like to feel like a rainbow in the way I dress and overdo it, but so what?!"

Easter @ Athens

Arwen, Sellas Cafe, Exarcheia

Arwen Curley Pandeleiakis is an Artist and Interior Decorator who lives on the island of Andros. We met her at the Sellas cafe, in Exarcheia, on a sunny day during Easter and talked about many things, among them fashion and her feelings about it. That day she was wearing her favourite all-purpose winter-to-summer dress and this is how she explained it to us:

"In winter I wear it with a roll-neck and thick stockings and in summer without. With it I'm wearing my favourite silk coat. The scarf is because I'm in Athens and I feel it protects me. I can play with it when I'm annoyed, or I can cover my neck when I feel threatened. It's from Zara; my advice is to never buy anything that costs more than 40 euros, unless it's a beautiful coat or something else really worth while."

When asked about her sense of style she replied: "When I was 13, I discovered Goth, and since then there are always elements of that in my wardrobe. I love the combination of Goth-romantic and minimal.

I choose what I am going to wear each day according to how I'd like my day to go. It's like setting the atmosphere according to how you clothe your body. For example, I love Autumn and Spring and so sometimes I wear clothes that will bring on the atmosphere of that season in my life.

My favourite clothes are my pyjamas! By the way, I'd like to say that I never ever ever buy something just because it's in fashion, and I think no one should - everyone should try to find their own style. Just because you see it in a magazine, it doesn't mean it suits you. I still have things that I bought 10 years ago which I continue to wear to this very day!"

@ Exarchia square

Exarchia square, Varvara

Varvara is 28 years old and works in a private company. She
lives in Marousi (a northern suburb). She has a dress code for
work, and for every day outfits she prefers comfortable clothes,
that don’t draw too much attention. She describes herself as
simple and conservative and feels that’s reflected in the way
she dresses. She is inspired by Latin music and her travels to
other countries. That day she wore earrings she had bought
during her trip to Brazil and her top was bought from Thailand.
She likes accessories and experiments with them. She buys
her clothes from Zara and similar chain-stores and also from
small boutiques in the suburbs, near her house. When shopping
she thinks practical and prefers to give more money for
high-quality items that last longer (for example good leather
boots). She has specific items in mind when shopping but
rarely finds them in the shops around her. It’s difficult for her to
follow fashion trends and she usually likes trends when they’ve
faded out and she’s managed to adapt to them.

Athenswears on air

Athenswears visited AIR FM 104.4 in the studio to chat on the show Athens4real. On the video Eva from Athenswears relates what she has discovered about the changing face of style in the capital and her experiences about setting the blog up.

back on the streets of Athens on a dull day

We walked from Syntagma Square to Exarcheia to capture the Athenian vibe on a dull day.

@ Exarcheia, Aspasia and Olga, Students, 19 and 20 years old

Exarxeia is a youth-based area of Athens with many cafeterias, bookshops, record stores and bars. It’s a culturally peripheral zone, with a lot of students from the nearby University, cult residents, anarchists and junkies.

We met Aspasia and Olga as they sat on the doorstep of an old building. Their colorful clothes made us notice them from a distance. They are both students at the University of Athens, Aspasia studies English Literature and Olga Psychology. They said they like to shop second-hand clothes from bazaars. Olga said she likes earrings and the ones she was wearing were made by Aspasia. They are influenced by music, they listen to alternative music, Aspasia added post punk and new wave. We asked them about their haircuts and said they do them themselves.

@ Exarcheia square.

Romina is Italian and lives now in Greece because she’s studying at the Italian Educational Center of Athens. She is 20 years old and likes fashion, but wouldn’t spend much money on clothes if she can’t afford it. The clothes she was wearing that day were from London. She makes accessories herself, such as the earrings she’s wearing in the photo.

@ Syntagma square.

Christina is 21 and studies Theater in the port-city of Patra. She likes fashion and usually prefers going out wearing jeans, high heel shoes and shirts. She doesn’t like to provoke with her clothes but enjoys dressing in a feminine way. She likes to wear make up and accessorizes with earrings, faux bijoux, and an expensive watch on her left wrist. She shops from chain-stores like Bershka, Stradivarius and she would spend more money on buying shoes and a watch.

Note about Sintagma Square: it’s the starting point for Ermou st, the most popular downtown shopping avenue, with boutiques, big stores and chain-stores like Zara, Bershka etc

"Swap not Shop" Xmas edition @ Six D.O.G.S.

"Swap not Shop" is a clothing exchange party, organised by Sandra-Odette, Thalia and Viviana (more info: www.swishing.gr). This time the event took place at the Six D.O.G.S., the new place to be in Athens, a multispace including a bar, a cafe place, a Project space (for exhibitions,one-off events), a Studio Complex (atelier for artists, designers) and a Utility Place (for live gigs, workshops etc). Athenswears visited the event, which turned out to be a big success judging from the number of people who participated and from their enthusiasm!

No limits, no rules, no money, just swapping, as the girls say!

Sandra-Odette, one member of the organizing team with friend, colorful pic

Outside Six D.O.G.S., Elena, Nina and friend, fancy a coffee break. Loved their style (and their red balloon)!

Aggeliki and Kostapanos take a break to pose for us (we like men experimenting with color and accesories!)

Elina and Natasha, casual dressed (nice sneakers!)

daring colors and an attitude, Aggeliki, Aggeliki and Kiki

The "Swap not Shop" team, Sandra, Viviana and Thalia

Violeta with dreadlocks

Elina and Natasha, in black and white

Last but not least, the dj of the event wearing a fabulous Mexican Wrestling Mask

First Year Super Anniversary Contest!

Hey stylish bloggers!
We are celebrating our one year anniversary!

So we thought of a cool contest for all our readers!

Email us your fashion photos (could be of interesting street style of your city, of your friends or even yourself!) and win one of 3 goodie bags from Greek Independent Designers! (gifts will include jewelry, leather accessories, clothing etc from designers like www.lost-toys.gr, matalou@home at www.myspace.com/at_home23, Sugar Line Productions, www.jewelsbyjessica.com, Gallanti Jewels, Fluk by Smaro Botsa, Mina's Handmade and more!)

We will accept up to 3 photos per entry from all over the world, the Team will pick the 3 lucky winners (taking into account fashion style and quality of images) and will mail the prizes around the globe via registered airmail :)

You will allow us to post the best photos on the site and mention your first name and location. The contest ends 1st of March and the winner will be announced the following week after we deliberate :)

Tech specs:
-Semi-high resolution (just so long as it's possible to enlarge it from the 300x400 size they'll be on the blog page)
-Please label each photo
-mail us : athenswears@gmail.com

As for the future of Athenswears, hold tight, life has been busy for the Team, but we still have major plans that will include and promote the design and fashion world or our city.

Athens Fashion Week crowd

more to come soon...