FASHION ILLUSTRATION: TEDDY BEAR COAT AND A MAXI GREEN DRESS!

Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! Thank you for your lovely comments on my last Goranci outfit & travel post. Spring is here, but I'm back with another cold weather outfit, beanie and all. The arrival of Spring rarely means that it's time to ditch the coats altogether. Transitional fashion often entails layers and coats. I live in the Mediterranean region and if we're still wearing coats, I imagine you are as well. No need to forget about layering just because Spring is here. I'll also take this opportunity to reflect on my Winter as well. With years I learned to love Winter, and I'm almost sad to let this season go. Almost. One of the highlights of this Winter were definitely the people. There were moments that brought my faith back into humanity, little moments of kindness and warmth. Life passes so quickly but that is what remains- a moments of true connection. That's something that I'm truly grateful for. I know there are people who not only wish me well, but who genuinely think well of me- and that's something not only to be thankful for but also motivation to work harder to justify the trust put in me. 

Besides my outfit, I'm also sharing a fashion drawing. This illustration is inspired by the very outfit I'm sharing today. Perhaps it'll come as a surprise to you that I have illustrated this teddy bear coat three times before on this blog, perhaps not. Anyway, the medium is coloured pencils on paper. It's not a perfect illustration. I sketched with pencil and then I forget to delete the pencil before I applied coloured pencils, so the final illustration is a bit blurry, but that's alright. For a fashion sketch, it's good enough. I did some writing on the illustration as well, mostly writing down some tips! This way it feels like a proper diary entry. So, what does my diary entry says? Among other things, that your transitional winter to spring fashion doesn't have to boring! Scroll down to find out what I meant. 

I sketched this outfit the same day I illustrated Silvia Negretti's outfit, that is around 8th of March. If you have a look below, you'll see that I took the photograph from my parents' apartment in Split, Croatia. I was planning to post it on Friday for my Friday Fashion Illustration feature, but I was bed ridden so this post got postponed for today. I'm actually glad it turned out that way because it made me happy to read your lovely comments on my last post. It was definitely a highlight of the last few days. As some of you know, I have an immune illness - and sometimes it just flares up out of nowhere. However, today I'm a bit better, albeit I still have fever, so it's time to write this post! Let's see what I have written down- in lovely if rushed cursive. 

Winter styling 2025

beanie: old (no name)

beige teddy bear coat: vintage (thanks mum!)

dark green knit maxi dress : New Yorker 

tote bag with colourful stripes: old (no name)

pink heeled lace up boots: retro shop Mostar

Winter fashion doesn't have to be boring!

It can be colourful, wonderful and fabulous!

What do we talk about when we talk about winter fashion? 

Sustainable winter fashion: 

- choose to wear vintage,

- shop your closet,

-maximize your wardrobe with clever layering!

Let's talk about a bit about this drawing, for it's a fairly simple one. I'll show you the sketching process below. I choose one of the photographs taken next to the legendary trees as my reference.

Why legendary? These platanus (plane) trees were planted for a visit of princess Stephanie of Austria to Mostar. At time time, Mostar was under rule of Austrian monarchy, therefore a visit from the princess Stephanie and Rudolf the first of Austria was a festive or at any rate formal occasion. If you know history, you'll know that dear Stephanie didn't have a happy life, as her husband was never kind to her and eventually ended his life in a murder-suicide pact with his mistress.  As a child I watched a bewitching film Mayerling about it starring Omar Sharif, but I was shocked to learn that it was actually based on true events. So, I like to think these plane trees have brought poor Stephanie some joy.

They have certainly brought me joy. It was the first thing that made me fall in love with Mostar. I was impressed not just by the trees (that have obviously grown quite tall since they were planted in the late nineteenth century) but the way they seem to have taken over the street. One tree in particular grows in the middle of the road and I always thought it looked so magical. So, no wonder I like to pose next to these trees for my blog. Still, I didn't try to capture the trees on the illustration, just the outfit. 

As usual, it all started with a free styled sketch. I sketched the general outlines first, and then I started colouring. As I already said, I forgot to delete the pencil, so some parts of the illustrations are less than orderly but that's alright. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's interesting to think how things I sketch influence my outfits. Do I wear the things I sketch more often? Are they more ingrained in my memory because I actually sketch them? If my blog is a sort of a digital closet/fashion diary, are my fashion illustrations an art diary? As I already said, I have actually illustrated this faux fur (teddy bear coat) a couple of times! 

Would you like to see how I illustrated and wore this teddy bear/ faux fur coat before? 

1) SEE HOW I WORE THIS TEDDY BEAR COAT WITH VINTAGE LEVI'S 501 JEANS IN 2019

2) SEE HOW I WORE THIS FAUX FUR COAT WITH A GREY DRESS IN 2021

3) SEE HOW I ILLUSTRATED TEDDY BEAR COAT IN 2021 IN THIS FASHION AND LOCATION ILLUSTRATION (KRAVICA) 

4- 15)  9 WAYS TO STYLE A FAUX FUR (TEDDY BEAR BEIGE COAT) 2018

16) SEE HOW I ILLUSTRATED THIS COAT IN 2016 WHEN I STYLED IT WITH HAND PAINTED VINTAGE JEANS!

17-18) SEE HOW I LAYERED THE TEDDY COAT OVER ANOTHER COAT FOR A VERY COLD DAY AND WITH WHITE JEANS AND TOP IN 2019

19) WITH A GREY DRESS FOR SOME CLASSICAL READING RECOMMENDATIONS IN 2021

I'm sure I told the story of this teddy coat before. It belonged to my mother. I think she bought it for her honeymoon or something like that. The first time I reached for this teddy coat was when I needed a coat for my high school prom. Really! When my prom arrived, I had no idea what to wear with my designer dress (designed by Gordana Radić). So, I decided to go with this coat. You can see the images from my prom here and in this post you can even have a look into the studio where the dress was made. So, that was all back in 2004. The coat is of course much older than two decades. If my mother bought it for her honeymoon, than it must be at least forty years old.  Anyway, after my prom, I sort of forgotten about this coat but then a few years later, I started wearing it again regularly. I wore  this teddy coat so many times. I'm so grateful my mother didn't throw it away. It's such a pretty coat. It's not difficult to maintain either. I washed it a couple of times, but and it dried up in exactly the same shape and form. Lucky me!

Spring cleaning doesn't have to mean getting rid of everything. Often people go Marie Kondo and get rid of everything, destroying family memories and the majority of their wardrobe. After those cleanses, they just end up buying more and more stuff- and that's not really that great for the environment. It's alright to keep some things, you know. Especially quality made coats! I know they take up space, but they might be worth that space. Just saying! Now, back to the topic of this street, for it's truly gorgeous. 

If you want to see me posing some more next to one of those plane Mostar trees, here's a recent link.

Did you know that  this whole street is a historical sight to see? Many miss this sight, but if you ever visit Mostar, I reckon this insider information might come in hand. These gorgeously enormous trees are old! As I said, these plane trees were planted in 1889 to welcome Belgian born Stephanie ( that became Austrian Crown princess Stephanie after her marriage). Anyway, these trees greeted Crown princess Stephanie and Crown prince Rudolf of Austria during their visit to Mostar. In fact, this street with these two rows of these plane trees was originally named Stephanie Alle in honour of the visiting Belgian princess (today it is known as street of prince Branimir). Moreover, many villas (if not most) in this street date back to the nineteen century. It's fascinating to see these old Austrian-Hungarian villas next to the skyscrapers. This mix of old and new is what fascinates me about Mostar. True, the same could be said for much of Europe. Still, every place has its own unique charms. Plus, Mostar- it just never gets old. 

Of course, there's more to see in Mostar then this historical street that was once named after princess Stephanie. There's also the city's Catholic cathedral. Its official name is Cathedral of Mary, Queen of the Sky and Mother of Church. Mostar's Catholic city cathedral was build in the eighties and the time period marked it in many ways.  It was built during the eighties and the tower was only added later because obviously- communism. 

As you probably know, there were many legal restrictions to religions placed during communism, as the official ideology was that the religion was a thing of the past. Despite the legal restrictions for religious building that existed during communism,  this cathedral has a lovely design. It's much smaller than you would expect from a city's cathedral but again- communism.  The inside of the church is not something I'd expect in a Mediterranean church, but then again its design is modern.  

The cathedral is located in vicinity of bishop's residence. The cathedral is not open all the time, but rather when there are masses or during some festivals so you might want to plan your visit if you want to have a look inside. Sometimes concerts are held there as well.  More about this place in this post- 

IS MOSTAR A GOOD EASTER DAY DESTINATION?

Mostar is a multiethnic and multireligious town with the three main religions being: Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Islam. There are many different churches as temples you can visit in Mostar. Besides Orthodox Christian and Catholic, there's also a Baptist and Evangelist church. There are also quite a few mosques in Mostar, some quite historical as well and often visited by tourists. There used to be synagogues in Mostar, but the communism  has unfortunately wiped out most traces of Jewish cultures from this part of Europe. While there are some efforts to rebuild the synagogue in Mostar, as far as I know there's no functional one at the moment. 

 I must have posed on this bridge with the view of the cathedral's tower a dozen of times. Mostar is a pedestrian friendly city. True, the pavements are not always in a a great shape thus generally you should avoid wearing high heels, but it's relatively easy to wonder through its street. 

Do you want to see more posts from Mostar city? Let's have a look at 2025 first.

Why, in this recent February 2025 post I took you for a winter walk around Mostar. 

Moreover, this February I also took you for a walk around Mostar's old city center in this pale blue dress.  I showed you the Old city and the Old Bridge, one of the symbols of Mostar city. 

In this January post, I showed you five outfits I wore to explore Mostar!

Now, it's time for 2024!

In this December post, I shared two outfits and two wonderful locations in Mostar city (one being the iconic Old bridge, and the other something a bit more modern). 

In this December post, I showed you what I wore in Mostar ( two blue tones outfits) and two more lovely locations. 

In this October post, I did more than just show you around Mostar. I also wore outfits by Mostar fashion designer Stanka Zovko. 

In this August post, I wore four summer outfits in Mostar. 

In another August post, I shared an open air exhibition held at the Spanish square.

In this summer post, you can have a good look of a historical villa that was originally built by an Austrian doctor whose daughter was recommended Mostar's climate.

...and that's enough with 2024 links. Mostar appears in my posts all the time really and I often write about its many historical sights. 

And if you want to know and see even more about Mostar, this blog is a good place to start. After all, I live for that be a tourist in your own town philosophy. Here are even more links with my Mostar themed posts!

OLDER posts about Mostar  1. You can see Mostar from the bird perspective in my previous posts (here, here and here). 2. One of my favourite streets in Mostar here and here. 3. Musala bridge (also known under its old name Tito's bridge here and here) 4. You can see photographs of Mostar's Catholic cathedral here.5. You can see images of Mostar and its famous Nertva river here, here and here. 6. You can see the surrounds of one of its most iconic catholic churches here.7. You can see both photographs of old bridge and my drawing of it here. 8. Another one of my favourites when it comes to streets here. 9. You can see photographs of Croatian cultural centre/theater here , here , here , here and here. 10. You can see photographs of the main city park here here, here, here and here. 11. You can see images of Spanish square here, here , here , here and here. 12. You can see photographs of Custom's bridge here and here. 13. You can see photographs of the new bridge here and here. 14. A few photographs from old city centre (2018) here. 15. What to wear for sightseeing Mostar in summer here. 16. This post is focused on 7 outfits I wore but you can see many of Mostar's attractions there as well. I suppose the same can be said for most of my outfit posts. 17. Mostar as an Easter destination (2019) here.18. Mostar dinning and cafe recommendations here. 19. Hiking options in Mostar here. 20. My drawing of Mostar old bridge here. 21. University campus in Mostar here. 22. How I have fallen in love with Mostar here.

As you can see, these photographs were taken on a sunny winter day. I won't complain about the rain we have been having because I have not been personally affected. Unfortunately, due to rain some people in the region have lost their homes. So, it would seem so shallow to complain about the rain when there are people whose houses are flooded right now.

What is really the colour of this teddy coat? Camel? Mustard yellow? Golden? I'm not sure myself. Is it the actual colour of a teddybear? Well, some teddybears are a bit darker, but some come in this colour. What do you think? 

Speaking of the teddybear coat, the Internet informed me that this style of coat  is ten years old. How can that be when I have a 40 years old version of it? I think the Internet is wrong. While it might be true that this coat became popular ten years ago, surely it existed before that. My mother bought and wore it in her early twenties so.....

After some more searching on the Internet, I found articles that explain that the coat was merely rediscovered a decade ago, and Griffiths designed a new version inspired by a vintage one (and he cited some other things that have inspired him).  

As I said, transitional fashion doesn't have to be boring. This could be a good transitional outfit. I might even wear it again as the weather is very changeable. We've had some warm days but lately we've been having a lot more fresh, windy or rainy ones. So, cold weather outfits might continue for some time. 

This outfit was very snug. This knit turtleneck dress is quite warm, especially when worn with tights. I also loved how colour coordinated it seemed. For example, this tote bag has both pink and beige (mustard yellow) stripes that match so well with the shoes, the beanie and the coat.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION FILES- HOW I WORE IT BEFORE? 

I already added links for different ways I wore this coat, dating back to 2004. Now, let's see about the rest of my outfit. I was all layered out. I'm prone to sinus infections and I'm not taking any chances!

THE MAXI KNIT GREEN DRESS- New Yorker.  My first wear of this green dress on this blog here. This dress was a fairly recent fast fashion purchase, but I already wore it quite a lot so I feel justified. Still, I had to fix it twice. Yes, its seams have given away twice in this short time! Luckily, I know how to sew so it wasn't a problem to fix it but it goes to show you what fast fashion can be like. 

THE NEUTRAL BEANIE BAG WITH FAUX FUR DETAIL- (no name). Last worn in my yesterday's post and prior to that in this suit themed post where you can also see more ways to style this pair of pink laced up heels. 

THE STRIPED COLOURFUL TOTE BAG - (no name). In this post focusing on a pair of heels, there are two more ways to wear this tote bag featured. There's another way to style this striped bag for winter here and for summer here and two more tote bag outfits here and 3 more tote bag outfits here.

I love walking. There's nothing like a walk to clear one's head. An urban walk. A nature walk. Both work just fine, if you ask me. We all spend a lot of time behind screens these days. A nice walk can help us relax. Lately I've been trying to get back to painting and it's been hard, my back is killing me. I've also did some sewing and that didn't help either. In a moment of inspiration, I hand sewed a faux fur vest. I'm still working on it, but it has been an interesting experience. 

I love how the light bounces off this teddy coat. It makes it look even more cozy, doesn't it? The restaurant you can see behind me is called Radobolja, it's named after this lovely river that runs through Mostar city. Mostar has many rivers, you know. Neretva river is the most famous river, the symbol of Mostar if you will, but there are other charming rivers here as well. River magic.

Since moving to Mostar, I have discovered river magic. I love being in presence of water. I'm mad about the sea, always have been, but I love rivers as well. There's something about being around water that makes my heart sing. Do you feel the same way?  

How's the weather where are you from? Is Spring still chilly? Is it fashionably late? Have you watched or read anything interesting? Do you have any recommendations to share?

I have another TV series I'd like to review, it's an Italian series I watched over the winter holidays but I don't know if I'll have the time to do it justice. Well, maybe I'll try after all, we'll see. I also watched  a French movie about a famous French designer. It was a bit graphic and erratic, but still a very interesting film and I felt like I learnt something. Can you guess what movie it is? 

That is all for today. Take care!