Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Istanbul!


My second round-the-world trip has taken me first to the beautiful city of Istanbul and its gorgeous architecture and inspiring colors! Since we’re finally into production of our first line of handbags, there isn’t much maintenance or too many emails to respond to, so I thought I’d take a short inspiration trip to somewhere I’ve never been before. A few years ago, inspiration took me to Athens, though this was just before economics took a downturn in Greece. I could tell then there was slight unrest, but the beauty of the city didn’t seem phased.

I must say, Istanbul far exceeded my expectations! Hagia Sophia, with its awe-inspiring construction, architecture, and space, made me feel so small yet so spiritual. Thinking of all the people it took to build this great achievement and all the troubles, wars, weather, catastrophes, and political changes that Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) had been through, it was if it wasn’t a day old! Thank god for people who are experts at restoring and preserving the beauties of the past. But not just Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, the markets, the hamans and Cagaloglu Baths, all of it was just glorious! I must say, probably my most favorite place was the Spice Bazaar.
Now, although I’m not a cook, chef, or anything of that sort, the spice market was incredibly beautiful. The colors, the warmth, the textures….I’d be hard pressed to say you won’t see some creative inspiration coming from the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul in our next collection! Serefe! (“Cheers” in Turkish…..)

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