Posts tagged PicardBestBuddies

Ron Dorff: Elegant and Urban notes of minimalism…

Fashion Outfit Post

My dear fashionistas, welcome to my new post! I hope you are doing great and beware of this health catastrophe that marked this 2020 year. Today I have prepared a new fashion treat for you, which is also a continuation of my story about the unique Ron Dorff brand.

If by any chance you missed a previous post dedicated to this brand that is an amazing mix of Swedish functionality and French elegance or you just want to remember some details visit this link.

Today’s post will be a little different with the addition of elegant and urban notes of minimalism that fashion experts associate with the Ron Dorff brand.

In the previous post, you had the opportunity to see what Ron Dorff’s sports and street clothing combination looks like, while today I present you urban and somewhat elegant pieces.

Let’s remember a little, Ron Dorff is a brand that extremely cares about Swedish practicality and simplicity – minimalism while respecting all “French fashion laws”. Their motto and guiding idea is: “Discipline is not a dirty word!”.

Diligent work, constant improvement and dedication are the elements that have kept this brand in the fashion world. Over time, this brand has managed to stand out from others and become synonymous with quality and well-designed sportswear.

In the new collection, Ron Dorff proved that sportswear can also have some elegant notes.

Today’s clothing combination represents Ron Dorff’s idea of what a young street “gentleman” should really look like, where the most important thing is to achieve the best possible effect while respecting the laws of elegance and minimalism.

In the new Autumn / Winter 2020 collection by Ron Dorff, the designers found their inspiration in the unique color palette of Scandinavia. The colors in the new collection signify what it looks like 24 hours a day in a ordinary Nordic day that begins at clear dawn with a collection of colors from the “Arctic Dawn” palette, followed at dusk with a palette from the “Arctic Twilight” collection and ends in the darkest tones of the night with colors from special palettes of the “After Dark” collection.

This beautiful white sweater with a shawl collar is inspired by the famous knitted Nordic sailor sweaters. Made from 100% breathable recycled organic cotton that provides an extremely comfortable feeling and allows the skin to breathe.

Finished which is decorated with ribbed cuffs that differ from the rest of the sweater pattern, waistband and a modern collar.

The trousers you can see in today’s post are a new, longer adaptation of the cult tennis pants that Ron Dorff normally produces. A model that captivates with elegance, made of extremely resistant cotton with an admixture of polyester, which guarantees the retention of the original shape over time.

The side pockets are decorated with two pairs of discreetly lacquered black Ron Dorff eyelets by which this brand is recognizable.

In the previous post, you had the opportunity to see these urban perfect white sneakers that are handmade from the finest calfskin with white waxed flat cotton laces and a sole made of natural plant rubber.

Of course, they also have the symbol of this brand, two discreet black lacquered RD eyelets. Interesting information is that all Ron Dorff sneakers are made in Portugal.

Of course, today my best leather friend Picard “Buddy” is here with me, which you had the opportunity to see last year in my fashion stories, he even kept me company during my unforgettable adventure in Azerbaijan.

Today he is here with me on the streets of Berlin and this way I would like to thank my friends from Picard who connected us!

It was a great honor and pleasure for me to bring you closer to the work of this unusual brand through two spot-elegant clothing combinations. In the following posts, you will have the opportunity to see some more pieces of clothing that I really liked in the new collection of the Ron Dorff brand.

OUTFIT

Sweater: Ron Dorff

Trousers: Ron Dorff

Sneakers: Ron Dorff

Backpack: Picard

I can only tell you to prepare because this will be a long and fashionable winter. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! Stay tuned!

I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the self care and protection of yourself and your loved ones. Let’s prevent the spread of the Corona virus and try to make this one day just one bad dream that we have successfully forgotten.

Since I made these photos outdoors and I sticked to the prescribed physical distance of 2 meters, I didn’t need to wear masks, but I wear a mask indoors and regularly buy hand sanitizers in small packages so I can always carry them with me.

How did you like this outfit of mine today that I walked the streets of Berlin? I have prepared this outfit for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! See you in a couple of days with a new interesting fashion story from Germany!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Ron Dorff and Picard Lederwaren brands and represents my own opinion and sincere review of their products.

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Berlin Street Style with Ron Dorff

Fashion Outfit Post 8 Comments

My dear fashionistas, how are you today? I sincerely hope that you are doing well and that you are ready for another interesting fashion story that I bring to you from the streets of Berlin. I believe that all of you who have been enjoying my fashion stories and travelogues for a long time know how much I appreciate and respect novelties in the world of fashion and tourism.

Berlin is known as one of the biggest fashion capitals of street fashion. Street fashion is specific and there are different styles of street fashion and that is why many say that street fashion is a fashionable game of art. Street fashion in itself is restrictive, but some of the basic characteristics are casualness and “freedom” of cuts and designs.

Whoever followed my Instagram stories from East Berlin shopping district last week, I’m sure you remembered the Ron Dorff brand, about which I will tell you a little more in today’s post.

Ron Dorff is a unique brand founded by fashion duo Jerome Touron, originally from France, and Klaus Lindorff, originally from Sweden. The name of the Ron Dorff brand itself was obtained by a simple combination of the founder’s surname.

What is the secret of the success of this French-Swedish brand? By simply harmonizing Swedish functionality with French style, Ron Dorff offers completely new dimensions of sportswear, where three things are highly valued: simplicity, functionality and timeless.

A brand that is available to everyone, with a casual sports style, Ron Dorff offers perfect fashion pieces of athletic heritage that fit perfectly, whether worn in the gym, at home or on the street.

From season to season, Ron Dorff proves that his motto is also the philosophy: “DISCIPLINE IS NOT A DIRTY WORD” either in the gym or in life in general.

By creating simple, fashion bases as a starting point, Ron Dorff tries to reject all well-known labels that can indicate unnecessary ostentation in the fashion sense.

The interesting thing about this brand is that all the garments and fashion accessories are discrete signed with a pair of metal black-lacquered eyelets that represent the symbols of the two letters “O” which are also in the name of the brand itself. Because of these details, this brand has become recognizable in the fashion world.

The basic vision of this brand is to create simple basic fashion pieces that you can fit easily with all fashion trends. Ron Dorff is a brand that pays attention to every detail. Special attention is paid to the choice of materials and designs. This brand performs almost 90% of its production in Sweden, France and Portugal.

Their motto: “DISCIPLINE IS NOT A DIRTY WORD” is definitely a real business “guiding star” in every step of the work of this brand, from the creative idea, design, to the final production of each piece.

In addition to clothing and fashion accessories for men and women, this brand has expanded its simplicity and functionality beyond fashion boundaries with the launch of the DISCIPLINE SKIN line for body care for him and her. This special line was made in cooperation with the most prestigious Swedish skin care brand FACE Stockholm, where the goal is to achieve good results with simplicity and purity.

The list of ingredients is short, without parabens and mineral oils, enriched with active herbs harvested north of the Arctic Circle and all products are 100% produced in Sweden.

In addition to its five flagship stores in Paris, London and Berlin, the Ron Dorff brand’s complete collection is also sold through the official online store: rondorff.com, where online shopping is available for 80 countries around the world.

Of course, part of each collection is also available in some of the best department stores around the world, such as Galeries Lafaiette (Paris), de Bienkorf (Amsterdam), Lodenfrey (Munich), Harvey Nichols (Hong Kong), Le Pasha (St Barth) and The Balancing (Shanghai).

I have to admit that it was hard for me to decide on the right outfit because the new collection of the Ron Dorff brand is really fantastic!

Upon entering the store, I noticed a couple of capital fashion pieces such as classic sweaters and roll neck sweaters, it was just a matter of finding the ideal color for my skin tone. Which I must admit sometimes is quite hard! 🙂

Today I will present you the first Ron Dorff outfit that I decided on in less than 5 minutes spent in the store. I believe that everyone who reads my blog and follows me on social media, knows about my excessive love for navy blue and the even greater “obsession” that I have raised for roll neck sweaters for years.

The first fashion piece I chose was this classic navy roll neck sweater with white stripes. This sweater got me at first sight because of the perfect shade of dark blue – navy blue combined with white stripes is the perfect fashion detail that you can fit in with all seasonal winter colors.

This was followed by a real fashion battle to choose the ideal pants. Since Raphael, the guy who works for Ron Dorff, was incredibly helpful, he had a big impact on changing my original fashion ideas. The vision of the brand itself is to merge the incompatible things, so it was this time as well.

Can you imagine a fashion combination of a perfectly classic wool roll neck sweater and pants that are in the form of an elegant tracksuit with lacing? At a very first sight, my vision was different, but I realized that I was wrong and I adopted some new fashion tips. Maybe I am not fashion icon, but I always try to improve myself as much as I can! 🙂

Since we found interesting pieces of clothing: a perfect navy roll neck sweater and an interesting tracksuit with a two-row white-green stripe, the only and logical choice for this outfit were perfect and simple white sneakers.

I admit that it was an interesting experience to see myself in such an unusual fashion story where elegance is combined with “dirty” street style.

In the new autumn / winter 2020 collection, Ron Dorff found inspiration in the unique color palette of Scandinavia. The colors in the new collection signify what it looks like 24 hours in a Nordic day.

Everything begins at clear dawn with a collection of colors from the “Arctic Dawn” palette, followed at dusk with a palette from the “Arctic Dusk” collection and ends in the darkest tones of the night with colors from special palettes of the “After Dark” collection.

The new collection is dominated by pastel colors and magnificently evokes the mild colors that are common for Arctic dawns. You can also feel a certain northern freshness and of course the colors that are the symbols of Sweden are also present, such as: soft yellow, ice blue mixed with gentle earth khaki tones.

My today’s outfit is inspired by the famous Arctic Nordic Lights. In this color palette, there is a dark blue night color and green, which means the colors of nature and the forest, which, along with white details, evokes the colors of the Nordic winter and sunset.

OUTFIT

Roll neck sweater: Ron Dorff

Pants: Ron Dorff

Sneakers: Ron Dorff

Backpack: Picard

Socks: Ron Dorff

You must be wondering why the designers decided to combine navy blue, green and white in one place? In Sweden and generally in Scandinavia region, there are natural phenomena where bright green and blue shades “touch” with a palette of purple colors, and these are natural colors that are known in Scandinavia as northern lights – Aurora Borealis.

Of course, this sporty-elegant combination was completed by my new friend Torrino, a new backpack model from the famous German brand Picard, which has been supporting my work for years. The German quality and design is proven by their numerous leather backpacks that have traveled the world with me and are still ready for new new adventures!

I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the self care and protection of yourself and your loved ones. Let’s prevent the spread of the Corona virus and try to make this one day just one bad dream that we have successfully forgotten. Since I made these photos outdoors and I sticked to the prescribed physical distance of 2 meters, I didn’t need to wear masks, but I wear a mask indoors and regularly buy hand sanitizers in small packages so I can always carry them with me.

How did you like this outfit of mine today that I walked the streets of Berlin? I have prepared this outfit for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! See you in a couple of days with a new interesting fashion story from Germany!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Ron Dorff and Picard Lederwaren brands and represents my own opinion and sincere review of their products.

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What is Fashion? The Elegant Secession Style of Northern Serbia…

Fashion Outfit Post 3 Comments

My dear travellers and fashionistas, welcome to my new post. How are you today? Have you managed to get back into the normal life after this lockdown time? I am sure that we were all relieved that the authorities decided to relax the measures and return our lives to normal, to which we are all accustomed.

These days, I was thinking about where I could go and clear my mind a little, and along the way learn something new about my country. Researching on the Internet, I found a lot of recommendations with places in Serbia which you have to visit. I have to admit that I was delighted with the photos of Serbia and in the end I decided that I should visit the northernmost city in Serbia – Subotica.

Throughout history, many names have been used to describe the beauty of this city. During the turbulent history, the city changed about 200 names. You must be wondering why?

Subotica is a city where people of different ethnic origins lived from the Middle Ages until today, and it was also under the rule of several different conquering forces. It is interesting that all the inhabitants wrote about Subotica and gave the name of the city in accordance with the spelling and grammar rules of their language, but in most cases, they have not changed the way they are pronounced until today.

Today’s Serbian name of the city of Subotica comes from the word that means the day of the week “Saturday” and first officially appears in the middle of the 17th century.

However, the opinion of the inhabitants is that the town was named after Subotica Vrlić, the treasurer of Emperor Jovan Nenad. Of course, as always, there are more legends that have been passed down from generation to generation and more sources of information, but I think that these two assumptions about the origin of the name of the city of Subotica are true. Do you perhaps know what was the official first name of this city?

Some historical writings prove to us that the first officially documented name of the town was Zabatka, which dates from the 15th century. There are various theories of the history of the origin of this name. According to one of the theories, it is actually one of the variants of today’s name of the city in the Hungarian language, which reads Szabadka.

In accordance with this theory, this word derives from the adjective Szabad, which in Hungarian means “free” and the suffix “-ka”, which is interpreted as a diminutive. Therefore, in the free translation of the original name of today’s Subotica, we can interpret it as a “small” or “freely place”.

The building you have the opportunity to see in the pictures is the amazing palace of the architect Ferenc Reichl, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century. This palace was his home and design bureau at the same time. This building is made in the style of the unique Hungarian Art Nouveau and really represents a masterpiece.

Today, this building is a protected cultural asset and a cultural monument. I will write more information about this landmark in the next post when I take you on a tourist walk through beautiful Subotica.

The city radiates a special energy and all the time I had the feeling that I was in another country. Believe me, I had the impression that I was in a charming Austrian town. My photographer and I were the real attractions in the city for a very short time because no one took pictures, and I had a quite interesting equipment, so it was interesting for people to see what we were doing.

One lady who went to the supermarket with her daughter recognized me and did not believe that she would meet me in her city. The lady was so wonderful that I couldn’t refuse her kindly invitation for coffee, so my photographer and I had an unexpected break.

Since you know that I always share some interesting information with you and my personal observations, I have to tell you one interesting thing. The lady who took us for coffee and lemonade to one pastry shop that had wonderful ice cream. Unfortunately, due to this situation with COVID-19, they can’t make cakes at the moment, but we enjoyed the beautiful sweet summer treats like ice cream.

The thing that amazed me was the price of ice cream, coffee and lemonade… Will you believe me that a scoop of ice cream costs less than 50 cents (euro) dinars and a cone costs around 20 cents… A glass of lemonade 50 cents is also the same price of coffee… I have to admit I was in shock because in my hometown – Belgrade the prices are drastically higher. I didn’t believe it when I got the bill, I thought they didn’t calculate something well, everyone noticed that I was surprised, so they explained me.

I think you now have more reason to visit the northernmost city in Serbia and enjoy the beauty of the city and to refresh yourself a little and take a little sweet break while summarizing your impressions of Subotica.

This nice weather allowed me to “walk” through Subotica my new one and I have to admit a very sensitive jacket made of suede leather who has shown itself very well because you know how difficult leader things made of suede leather are hard for keeping it clean and fresh for a longer time.

I promise you that in the next post I will tell you a story about Subotica and that there will be a lot of interesting information and advice on what you should visit if the road leads you to Subotica!

OUTFIT

Jacket: Loro Piana

T-Shirt: Loro Piana

Jeans: Pedro del Hierro

Backpack: PICARD

Sneakers: Loro Piana

How did you like this outfit I wore to visit the one of the most famous city in North Serbia? Have you visited Subotica? Here spring is the most beautiful period of the year I have prepared this outfit for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! This outfit is made by something new, something old and a unique balance is the final result.

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by PICARD Lederwaren and Tendam fashion group. This post would not have been possible without the selfless help of Loro Piana fashion house which helps me to express my fashion spirit with their iconic and fashionable pieces.

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Berlin: A Modern Fairy Tale City that inspires you…

Fashion Outfit Post 4 Comments

My dear fashionistas, how are you today? I hope you have prepared well for this new fashion season. Honestly, I love this kind of weather when it gets a little colder outside, because Fall is my favorite season. Most of all, I like those periods when the days are mostly sunny and without rain, then it is enough for a person to wear something slightly and just go outside. You will surely be amazed why I’m in this post with short sleeves, but the pictures for this post were made over a month ago and I’ve been planning to officially end the summer season on Mr.M’s blog with this outfit post.

I have to admit that somehow I am glad that another successful part of the year has ended and I managed to find enough time to rest. On the other hand, I am sorry that these adventures have not been postponed for the winter, such as the adventure in Finland. An adventure in Lapland would honestly be the most beautiful winter idyll, but well any new experience is something the most beautiful what life can provide to each of us.

Berlin is just next to Belgrade somewhere in my heart… I consider it like my second home. As the name of this post itself says, Berlin is truly a modern fairy tale city that offers many opportunities. The only question is whether you will recognize those same opportunities in the right time … My grandmother used to say to me: “The golden carriage will pass by you only once in your life, try to jump in it just in time!”.

My mom repeats that sentence still today, because after all these years of life experience she has realised that this is one big lifetime truth. So it was enough for me with one simple email that changed my life by 360 degrees. The decision to move one part of my life to Berlin was one of the best decision. I did not repent, after all the adversity, paperwork and language barriers, I managed to find my place as a person and as a blogger, no matter how ridiculous it may seem to some people…

The difference between Germany and Serbia lies in the flexibility of life. Lifestyles in both countries are ok, except that in Serbia, unfortunately, poverty is recognized immediately due to low salaries. However, Serbs are “masters of our craft” and we have learned to live our lives on credit where you earn 200-300 euros and have expenses more than 1000 euros. No one asks you how to patch holes in your wallet, it is just important to get out of trouble. That… that’s the real art of life!

In Serbia as much as we have problems, we find time for everything. This is what I love about our mentality. Germany is a country where law and order are well known. Bills are waiting for your every 1st in month, your money is being withdrawn from you bank account and that’s it.

I’m always glad to meet people from our region in Germany. You would not believe how much Berlin actually is one “Little Yugoslavia”. There is not so much nationalization and making some greatness of each nation there, and in most cases they all get along well. A dozen families from Serbia live in my building, several from Croatia, if I remember correctly two from Macedonia and one from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They tend to gather once a month and talk about everyday life topics. On one occasion, I was at a reunion and had the opportunity to see cheerful Serbs, Croats and Bosnians embracing and cheerfully singing with good mood. It just doesn’t have that kind of tension and negative energy, which is nice when living in a remote community that’s not quite as close to our countries.

That is “glam and glitter” life abroad where everyone thinks your money is falling out of the sky and where everyone just waiting for you to pay with the big check of course with 6 zeros! The truth is completely different and it has to be told. Some people work so hard, so they do not there when their kids are waking up or when they are going to sleep, but in the end of month they still see the results of their work on their bank account. That will make a better future for their children… In Germany, where mostly people are struggling to repay those loans they have raised for cars and real estate, so that they can retire peacefully afterwards.

There is another paradox! The Germans are a very organized people, and in addition to the exact timetable for public transport, you also get a plan of your retirement on your first working day and they calculate how much your pension will be at some point of time in the future… Then you understand why everyone rushes to get and repay loans (some 70% of the population), while the rest of the people in Germany live in rented or inherited apartments.

Regardless of all that, I decided that one day in September I should forget about all the problems, so I tried to at least take care of myself. T-shirt which you can see is casual, navy-white stripes print with one interesting red “M” detail. You already had opportunity to see these sneakers in my posts from Azerbaijan this summer. I must confess that I admire them for having that kind of strength, it’s still suede leather and light colour, but as you can see some manufacturers are still able to do quality things.

OUTFIT

T-Shirt: Makia

Trousers: Loro Piana

Backpack: PICARD

Sneakers: Makia

Camera: Sony Alpha 7r II; Lens: Sony G Master 24-70 MM

My dear ones, once again we have come to the end of our post. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! At the end of this post, I would like to thank my friends from Makia Clothing and Picard Lederwaren for these wonderful and evergreen fashionable classics!

How do you like this story about Berlin? I am sure that you have one nice, similar T-Shirt in your closet, so save it, believe me you can use it next year it still will be IN trend! See you next week with some new interesting story!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post was sponsored by Makia Clothing and PICARD Lederwaren brands. I also thank my friends from  Loro Piana for amazing gift and my friends from Sony who made it possible to enjoy in these beautiful photos made with the Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera with Sony FE 24-70 mm lense from special G Master series of professional lenses.
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Letters from Azerbaijan: Baku, a modern city made of traditional dreams…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travellers, welcome to my blog! The holiday mood is ON, so there is a plenty of time that we can spend on a nice trip. As I promised you a few days ago in the previous posts, August will be very interesting time as we will discover some new unusual destinations together.

When I received an e-mail from the National Tourist Board of Azerbaijan few months ago, I could not imagine that this summer I would have the opportunity to get to know a whole new culture of Azerbaijan. The first email I received from them was short, but it was straightforward with the question of whether I was free this year to meet the land of fire, which is located somewhere between Europe and Asia. I couldn’t even think about the trip, but my minds were already somewhere in the Caucasus region.

In collaboration with the Tourism Board of the Republic of Azerbaijan and their national airline Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), I was able to visit this incredible country and I’ve got an amazing opportunity to #takeanotherlook. In July, my photographer and I just checked in our suitcases full of dreams and we started our adventure!

After less than 5 hours from cozy Berlin, my photographer and I jumped into summer outfits, because surely the temperature difference at that point was about 20 degrees. Azerbaijan Airlines definitely “bought” me for a little interesting little sign of attention! They had an ice cream on the flight, so far it was the first time that I experienced that on a flight I have dessert like this, so you could enjoy on their flights with this lovely summer sweet treat.

Journeys are a wonderful thing and anyone who is able to go around the world you should pick up magnets just to have some nice memories from the trips, until as they can normally open the door of the refrigerator! 😀

In my case it will be my aspirator in the kitchen where there is no room for new magnets anymore. My mom constantly criticizes me, but again somehow we clean the dust on the aspirator together, so I’m the one who even though I’m scared of heights, climbing on the ladders while mom is cleaning the magnets which I give to her… And so the same story repeats every 2 to 3 months. Sometimes is hard, but that is the price of having some priceless memories.

This is the first picture I made in the capital of Azerbaijan – Baku, a city that you will learn more about in today’s post. At first sight, Baku looks like one city from the future, you see all those skyscrapers that just don’t know which one is bigger. As you approach to the center, you realize that the city has some unusual warmth and architecture is totally different than in other countries.

Previous rulers and politicians have been great lovers of the arts and aesthetes who have strived to beautify their country in the best possible way. The inspiration for the architecture of Baku comes mostly from Europe, specifically from Italy and France, where architects have found unrivaled inspiration.

Baku represents the social, cultural and industrial center of Azerbaijan. In recent years, Baku has become an important place where many international cultural events take place. Azerbaijan hosted the 57th Eurovision Song Contest in 2012, European Games 2015. Baku, the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix of 2016, also hosted the 2018 UEFA League Finals and will be one of the UEFA Euro 2020 host cities. Impressive isn’t it?!

Hotel Boulevard Baku

Since my photographer and I arrived in the evening, we wanted to rest and to prepare for the next day. We had a real adventure and a long tour which will help us to get know Baku! The next morning I woke up fresh and with smile on my face and we could start our first official day in Azerbaijan!

The nice weather, the sun, the full camera battery and the ready photographer was just enough for me to start a new adventure! Of course, my photographer immediately did his best to show me how good I could look in Azerbaijan. I think because of my beard, I was able to pass all out like an Azeri guy…

Shirt: Makia 
Backpack: Picard

Whoever has followed my stories on Instagram certainly remembers the intensity of the wind and then I fully understood those words of our old wise people: “The wind blows so heavily that it carries the trees!”, Now I had the opportunity to feel it on my skin. It was quite exciting!

In the picture above in the background you can see 3 buildings that are symbol of the city. Surely you’re wondering why they’re the symbol of the city? These are just three ordinary, beautiful modern buildings. You get the right answer to that question in the evening when these buildings, with the help of modern technology and ice screens, become the “Towers of Flame” that are a symbol of Baku.

After we had finished our photo shooting and we used the morning light, our guide Tural came to us, who was there to reveal to us all the secrets of this lovely land, which lies somewhere between East and West, somewhere between Europe and Asia. Tural told us that if we want to get to know Baku better, we must visit the old part of the city first, because that is the only way to understand the real value of this wonderful city.

About 100,000 years ago, the territory of modern Baku and Apheseron was savannah with rich flora and fauna. The first traces of human settlement date back to the Stone Age. Since the Bronze Age, rock carvings have been discovered near Bajil and a bronze figure of small fish has been discovered in the Old Town.

These findings led many to the existence of Bronze Age settlements in the city. Near Nardaran, at a place called Umid Gaia, a prehistoric observatory was discovered, on which rock images of the sun and various constellations were carved along with a primitive astronomical board.

Further archaeological excavations revealed various prehistoric settlements, temples, statues and other artifacts in and around the modern city. In the 1st century BC, the Romans organized two Caucasian actions and reached Baku. Near the city, in Gobustan, Roman inscriptions dating from 84-96 BC have been discovered. This is one of the earliest written evidence relating to Baku and Azerbaijan.

Maiden Tower (Azerbaijan: Kız kalası) is a 12th century monument located in the Old Town of Baku, Azerbaijan. Along with the Shirvanshah Palace, dating from the 15th century, it forms a group of historical monuments that were listed as a cultural property by the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001. It is one of the most prominent national symbols of Azerbaijan, so this tower can be found on Azerbaijani banknotes and coins.

There are various mysteries and legends related to the Maiden Tower. However, the main mystery is the design and purpose of the tower itself. In the meantime, there are 20 legends related to the Maiden Tower. A large number of them are related to the Islamic and medieval period of Baku history. Quite a few legends are deeply rooted in Azerbaijani Zoroastrian or pre-Islamic history, religion and culture.

Probably the most famous legend is that of a fiery-haired girl who rescued the Baku people from slavery. The epic shows the roots of the Azerbaijani Zoroastrian faith and culture and reaches to the modern day.

The view from the Maiden’s Tower is amazing and it is worth climbing to the very top where I was able to take the photo you can see above. The Maiden Tower houses a museum that tells the story of the historical development of the city of Baku. It also owns a souvenir shop. The view from the top crosses the streets and minarets of the Old City, Baku Boulevard, De Gaulle House and Baku Bay View.

The Old Town is the first ideal stop for every tourist who comes to meet Baku. It is a city with a long and rich history that will intrigue everyone, legends that leave people breathless.

Azerbaijan is different, their culture is unique and when you come in contact with it you should be open minded to understand its value and essence. This trip has completely changed my picture of countries in the East.

After tour of the Old City, it was time to visit unusual modern part of Baku. As we crossed the line from traditional part of Baku that led straight into the modern era of new Baku, our guide told us so many legends about the emergence of modern Baku that even 10 posts would not be enough for you to write down all the stories in detail.

On the other hand, somewhere in the streets of modern Baku you will see a bunch of cars and very wide boulevards that are mostly one-way streets. To be clear what I’m talking about since I was a kid growing up in Europe, one ordinary boulevard in downtown Baku is wider than some boulevard in Paris and all lines are one-way. Maybe now you can just figure out what I’m talking about.

T-Shirt and Trousers: Loro Piana 
Backpack: Picard

Little Marko didn’t miss the opportunity to take some photos on the streets of Baku, the photos turned out great at the end thanks to my photographer. Due to its unusual architecture, the city is extremely photogenic, so it was easy to make good pictures. Baku has some special energy, which perfectly matched my sensibility.

In the heart of the city is a monument to Nizami Ganjavi, a medieval Persian poet in Nizami Square. The opening ceremony of the monument was held in April 1949.

The position of the monument is set symbolically so that the famous poet will look in the arts – the National Museum of Literature Nizami Ganjavi. This museum represents the largest and best collection of rich Azerbaijani culture. Collecting, researching and storing scientific and other materials on Azerbaijani literature and culture presents these materials in the exhibition and is the main objective of this museum.

Sculptures of eminent Azerbaijani poets and writers were placed on the facade of the museum by this order: Muhammad Fuzuli, Molla Panah Vagif, Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Jalil Mammadguluzadeh and Jafar Jabbarli. There are 120.000 exhibits in the museum’s rich collection.

In the picture above you can see what the Heydar Aliyev Foundation looks like. This institution is a charitable foundation headed by First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyev. The foundation is named in honor of the former leader of Azerbaijan – Mr. Heydar Aliyev, who was also the father of the current President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. The people of Azerbaijan really appreciate and love Mr. Heydar and many establishments in Baku is named after by him. In this post I will show you what the Museum of Modern Art looks like, which also bears his name – Heydar Aliev Centre.

By the time, Baku became a metropolis with sophisticated architecture. Each corner is unique and original, the parks are beautiful (especially Philharmonia Garden which you can see in the photo above) and represent a real little paradise where you can rest your eyes and soul. Surely you may be wondering how Baku “became so green”? Tural told us an interesting legend that Baku has become so green.

Few decades ago, Baku was like a desert, they had oil, but they had no nature at all. The rulers implored their dear guests who plan to visit Azerbaijan to bring seeds of their plants and plant trees instead of expensive gifts and to contribute to the improvement of nature in Baku.

However, it did not help too much either! Then they thought of asking their customers to send a certain amount of soil for each gallon of oil sold, to allow them to create suitable conditions for the land to be able to plant some plants and plant trees. That’s how this “green” story began, and so Baku became a green oasis where you can find pomegranate trees. I have to admit that in Azerbaijan, for the first time in my life, I saw the trees of pomegranate.

After we are done with the city tour, it is time to fulfill my promise and present to you the collection of modern art – the Heydar Aliyev Center. The Heydar Aliiev Center is a 600,000-square-foot construction complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, and she is recognizable for its distinctive architecture, curved style that emerges from sharp angles.

The center is named after Heydar Aliyev, the first secretary of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982, and the president of the Azerbaijan Republic from October 1993 to October 2003.

As a great piece of post-modern architecture, the shape of the building is an eternal cycle of life, which connects the past with the present. The building has a conference room, galleries, museums and more and the basic idea is to unite people of different backgrounds in the place of common ideas. The building won the prestigious London Museum of Design Award in 2014.

In this rich art treasure house you can always find masterpieces of contemporary art. In addition to modern art, one part of the center is dedicated to Mr. Heydar Aliyev, a man who was the father of democracy in Azerbaijan and the president for life of the Republic of Azerbaijan until his death in 2003. A museum dedicated to his life and work depicts the political development of Azerbaijan until modern times and when his son Mr. Ilham Aliyev became the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Also, you can learn some new and interesting information about Azerbaijan, see what the Scriptures and the Koran looked like, as well as some of their traditional musical instruments. This museum is unusual and has an interesting doll exhibition. The dolls are made to look natural, I also learned that the hair, eyelashes and eyebrows on the dolls are also natural.

Also, I was impressed by the exhibition of dolls depicting society in Azerbaijan. The museum is suitable for all ages, so I’m sure it will be enjoyed by both young and slightly older visitors. Believe me, fun is guaranteed here!

For the end of today’s post, I decided to show you the Bibi-Heybat Mosque. The Bibi Heybat Mosque (Azeri: Bibiheibət məscidi) is a shrine located six kilometers southwest of Baku, Azerbaijan. Fatima al-Sughra, daughter of Imam al-Kazim, was buried in this mosque.

This place is also called Pir Bibi-Heibat and is referred to by the locals as the Fatima al-Zahra Mosque. The mausoleum was built during the Safavid dynasty, but was destroyed when Stalin conquered the area. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Azerbaijan, the President of the country ordered that this shrine be restored.

This mausoleum – the mosque hides a very sad love story, but of course it is part of history, there are many legends, but people always believe in the power of love. This mosque was decorated because its original purpose was to be the place where the daughter of the imam would rest in peace, but later it became a mosque.

My dear travellers, once again we have come to the end of our post. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! At the end of this post, I would like to thank my friends from National Tourism Promotion Bureau of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan Airlines for this incredible adventure and Boulevard Hotel Baku for their huge efforts to make our stay unforgettable and I felt like at home.

How do you like this post about Azerbaijan? Have you ever visited Baku? Have you maybe had a chance to visit Azerbaijan before? I would like to share with me your experience! In a couple of days we will continue our adventure in Azerbaijan, and I will show you one interesting Lahij village which I visited during my visit. Stay tuned!


If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post was sponsored by National Tourism Promotion Bureau of Azerbaijan and the national airline company Azerbaijan Airlines and Hotel Boulevard Baku. I also thank my friends from Loro Piana, Makia Clothing and Picard Lederwaren for amazing outfits and my friends from Sony who made it possible to enjoy in these beautiful photos made with the Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera with Sony FE 24-70 mm lense from special G Master series of professional lenses.
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From Picard with Love…

Fashion Outfit Post 4 Comments

Hi everyone, how are you today? It’s time to do some final preparations for the weekend. Friday is a magical day, there is no person on the world, who does not like this day. Maybe some people are more looking forward expecting this day than holidays, I have to admit that I understand them… Everyone needs some time to rest, but the daily duties and everyday life do not give us much free time and maybe it’s just Friday, a symbol of freedom that we expect every week with with a smile on our face.

Since I had to get out of my “cave” (house) to pay some bills and to attend on some business meetings for potential collaborations with my blog in the future, I decided it’s maybe a perfect time to make the new photos for a new post. I called the photographer and we “occupied” the most Instagramous spotlight in Belgrade (the most famous place where people are most photographed for Instagram when they are in Belgrade) – the crossroads of Uzun Mirkova and Kralja Petra streets. This crossroads has been on the photos so many times and there are no influencers who did not make some fashionable post here. I decided to see what is so special at that crossroads, will this place help me make some new beautiful and fashionable photos for the blog.

Okay, I have to admit the location itself is very photogenic, but avoid shootings during weekdays in the middle of a city crowd. Well, it was not bad, but on the other hand, I wanted something a little different. The photographer gave me the idea that since we do not have much time for making photos we should move to a little less noisy street in the city center to make pictures for this post. I listened that advice and we started to take pictures of the Belgrade streets that make Belgrade’s heart so unique and so original.

New Year’s decorations are still on the streets, maybe the authorities are afraid that the people will “enter” in the massive epidemic of “post-holiday” depression, and they are trying to keep the decorations and lights on the streets of Belgrade as long as possible (I heard that the situation is similar in other cities in Serbia and some other countries in Balkan region) .

I decided to ignore winter temperatures, so I replaced the winter jacket with a trench and I brought a little color into my monotone beige-gray combination with a red bag. When I was at Picard, I noticed a nice red leather skins during the tour, but I did not see what a product looks like in that colour. On my question whether they made a bag or some of the leather goods in this unusual red color, they showed me the model of the backpack you saw in one of the previous posts – LINK and this business bag, which is usually intended to carry a laptop.

Since I already picked a same model of backpack in brown colour, I was a bit strange to take the same model of backpack in red, but on the other hand what would I gonna do with a business bag ?! My dilemma was solved by the girl who made me company during the tour and gave me a couple of main key reasons why I should have one business bag in my wardrobe.

For a long time, this bag was waiting for its “special occasion” to be carried, but finally it saw the light of the day when little Marko realized that it was not serious to carry folders and important papers that were uncomfortable in the backpack and that this business bag was ideal for little Marko to step into the business world. Meetings passed in the best possible order, even this red beauty got a lot of compliments, precisely because of its unusual color.

So another Friday has passed, the bag had its first official appearance on the streets of Belgrade, and Marko, after completing his duties and shooting for this post, honored himself with several hundred grams of dry biscuits in his favourite bakery and shared with his photographer. Of course, the beautiful sunny Friday is used in the best possible way – in a good mood, with smile on the face and walking the streets that make this city so special.

Are you ready for upcoming weekend, my dear Belgrade? Surely, as always, I’m sure that you’re interested to know what I’ve put on this time, so I’ll leave you a little hint, but do not tell anyone, give me your word that you will not reveal my little fashion secret! Ok, ok I believe in your word!

OUTFIT

Trench: Burberry

Sweater: Turo x Ikla

Bag: Picard

Trousers: Dsquared2

Boots: Makia

Camera: Sony Alpha 7r Mark II

How do you like this outfit? How do you like this interesting red detail – The BAG? If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT ME page. As I promised we’ll see again in a couple of days, so if something new and interesting happens to me, I promise, I will write to you!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Finnish fashion street style brand  Makia, fashion house Turo and German leather garments brand Picard.
For all these beautiful photos I used Sony Alpha 7r Mark II.
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Feel the Holidays with a new Festive look!

Fashion Outfit Post Tips 5 Comments

Hi everyone, how are you today? I really hope that you’re doing great, but it’s time to work a little so I decided to share with you some news and write a new post. I am from those kind of people who like to plan and do many things in advance and before the New Year just make one wish – just everything that has been agreed, will be realized! As much as people try to spread negative energy, we should not be allowed to assure us that effort and work are not worth the effort. Of course, each one of us has some own wishes, plans, and it is irrelevant whether they are small or big, everyone has the right to do something that is desirable for their dreams.

Today, I just remembered one conversation that I had with my friend almost 4 years ago when she was convinced me that there was nothing special out of the blog, that it was a pure waste of time and nerves, so she began to list the names of people who were then popular in this blogging world. I just asked the question: “What if I turn out the game? Can I find a place for myself? “She had no answer to that question.

That’s how my story about Mr.M began as a kind of new way, as proof that everything is possible if you truly and really love what you do. Writing a blog is not easy, it’s a very difficult mental work, where a certain amount of creativity is required. When I begin to write a post, every time I have a feeling of a certain kind of fear, which has not passed with time, but it’s not something that you can’t beat with the time.

Many of you asked me few times where I learned to write this way, whether I was in some kind of writing course or did I attend a “blogger” school? The answer is NO! I did not go to courses or any school because I really do not believe in that type of bloggers “education”. Schools make molds, simply make people think similarly. I do not write serious things like celebrated writers, nor pretend to do it or to become a person that will be significant in literary circles, but I want to show my attitude and opinion in a true and unique way.

Also I received a lot of questions like: “You write well, unlike a particular person or group of bloggers, it’s a shame that you do not have a larger number of readers on your blog, how are you dealing with it, is it worth to do it?” I once answered one such email with one long letter, I guess I was angry, and on the other hand, disappointed that it is possible that someone has the right to compare someone in such a way.

I greatly appreciate and respect all my colleagues, whether are they the bloggers or people who are influencers (people who are influential on social networks and platforms) and there is no need to compete or compare. Everyone has the right to run own blog and take care of his public “image” in social media world. From the very beginning, I tried to keep my blog in such a way that an average person could understand me, someone similar to me. It does not have to be everything turn around of salary and money of course, we need to survive and earn something, but the charm of our work lies in feeling the reaction of people who like and read our work.

I always try to use the terminology that everyone knows or at least most people and I’m glad that people who read these posts on my blog have recognized and found something good in the whole Mr.M story. I started the blog with the idea to share some of my stories with the hope of having fun and making someone a good day after work. After a while, I received a lot of messages with compliments that my stories were emotional and educational. If that’s the case, then that’s great, at least something smart and useful from me! ?

Now the only question that worries me most: When will this snow go away? The more it turns out, people can not function normally, just a few hours later, Belgrade becomes white Siberia and traffic is in a collapse, and poor people do not know what to do. I’d like to tell you something interesting about this outfit.

You had the opportunity to see this lovely jacket – parka last year on the blog, some people were worried about throwing stuff, so you can see that bloggers do not live with an exclusive way of life, so that after shooting we throw things and we dress every day new thins… That’s one little sweet lie, we repeat certain fashion pieces a lot of times, and yes we dress all those promotional clothes in daily life, it’s not just for the Instagram. 😀

I got a sweater from my friends from the Finnish fashion house Turo, you also saw it before this winter on the blog, the link of the post. The red color always fix my mood, and this sweater is so warm and soft that I really doubt that I will be able to leave it in the closet this season, since this snow can surprise us in May as well… Weather is constantly changing!

Jeans are a special story, honest to be, I can not even tell myself how many jeans I buy each year and also how much of them I get from brands and the worst part most of them are almost the same, classic cut. That is why some people think that I have the same same jeans every time. Not my dear ones, I have almost 20 pairs of similar jeans, which I honestly do not even see the difference, so I perfectly understand you…

The backpack is a special story itself and I am very proud of this collaboration with the famous German brand Picard. I do not know how familiar you are with this brand, you might have heard of it, but it is extremely popular in Germany and it’s affordable, but the quality is exceptional.

The Germans are a very wise and economical people, and when they buy something like clothes or fashion accessories, it is generally important for them to invest their money in some thing which is quality, even when the price is affordable for them, there is anybody happier than themselves. Picard is a German brand that has managed to match the wishes and needs of its customers. Simple design, eternal classic and product quality are the basic characteristics of this famous German brand. Their fashion story began back in 1928, and since then, they have made daily lives much easier for all their customers.

Because all of that, I’m glad that I got the chance to work with a brand such as Picard and that I will have the opportunity to show you some of their iconic models of bags that you can wear on all occasions and of course to be noticed. Also, Picard has a great collections of women’s bags and they always have some interesting offers and sales, so take the opportunity to visit their online shop from time to time.

I am a big fan of pastel colors, brown color is my favorite color and I have inherited the love for this color from my mother who usually adores and almost all of her fashion pieces are in this color, I will just tell you how much this love to brown color is huge when it is her favourite coffee cup is in the brown colour as well… ?

Have you made some of your New Year’s decisions? If you are not still sure, do not worry it’s not late, people say that January is anyway the month for resting the year begins since February, so you have a few more days to think about your goals for this year and slowly start with work.

My dear fashionistas, once again we have come to the end of this fashion – lifestyle tips post. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! Don’t worry in a couple of days I will publish a new post where we will continue together to enjoy the charms of traveling and we will star some new adventure!

At the end of the post, I would like to thank my friends from the Picard which helped me to explore urban world of men’s street fashion & style.

OUTFIT

Jacket: Burberry

Scarf: Burberry

Backpack: PICARD

Sweater: Turo x Ikla

Jeans: Pedro del Hierro

Sneakers: Sax Shoes

 

Camera: Sony Alpha 7r Mark II

How do you like this outfit? Are you ready to step into a new year with some new goals? Did you write down the list of your important decisions which you make for this 2019 year? If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT ME page. As I promised we’ll see again in a couple of days, so if something new and interesting happens to me, I promise, I will write to you!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by brand PICARD Lederwaren, Fashion House Turo and Tendam Fashion Retail Group.
For all these beautiful photos I used Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera.
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