Once upon a time, beyond the Cold Sea, there was a land of stones and woods of golden trees. In one of the woods, called the North Woods, there was a secluded Black House where lived a girl who dreamt of sparkle and glam. One day, she met the Wise Rabbit that told her, “Beyond these woods, there lies a Magnificent Kingdom filled with the glitter of stardust and luminous suns. To find the path that will lead you there, you have to listen what the Blue Lip has to say”. The girl didn’t know who the Blue Lip was or where to find it but she was eager to look for it so she kept her eyes wide open.

She spent her days strolling around the ironwood trees, talking to the leaves but none of them knew the answer to the questions she had. She anxiously listened to the wind singing to her ear. She hoped it would reveal a secret path to the Magnificent Kingdom, or at least tell where she could find the Blue Lip. In vain. She couldn’t understand a word even though she spoke many foreign languages.

One fall morning, she woke up and decided she couldn’t wait any more! She had to find a way to the Magnificent Kingdom with the Blue Lip or without. She set on a venture to get to the place of endless possibilities where the lights always gleam with kaleidoscopic colors and glamorous people in their beautiful outfits attend fashionable parties and dance until the last twinkle of stardust powder touches the ground. She coveted this world. She fantasized and dreamt about it. Now was the time to make her dreams come to daylight.

As she was a chic girl, she wanted to look her best when entering the Magnificent Kingdom. For that reason, she picked her most enchanting purse – the Michael Kors Flurry Rabbit Fur Satchel. She knew this luxuriously splendid bag would attract eyes. Besides, she loved how irresistibly soft it felt at the touch, and that it would definitely hold all her necessities. Plush genuine fur, sumptuous leather, gold pyramid studs and chains, were all embodiments of the place she so yearned for. She glanced at the MK logo charm with a smile. “Magnificent Kingdom”, she uttered to herself, “That must be a good omen, my good luck charm”.

Feeling lighthearted and excited at the promise of the great adventure, she opened her closet and carefully examined the choices she had. With a nostalgic sigh, she said goodbye to her old friends – Jeans & Oversized Sweater – and reached for Ann Taylor Ribbed Sweater dress, Zara Trafaluc Faux Fur vest (similar, similar), Veneziana Katerina tights and Guess Bolim Multi Suede boots.

She loved this wool-infused turtleneck dress as it was perfect for those chilly fall days and could easily carry her from a daytime walk in the woods to the evening dinner at one of these fancy places she longed for. What made this dress fashion-forward — for she wanted to be a fashionable girl — was the faux leather yoke that added that cutting-edge accent to the sleek knit.

The dress was short and she needed to keep her legs warm. However, warm and cozy didn’t mean dull and bland to her. The black tights she wore, exposed an intricate zigzag pattern that elongated the leg and added an extra compelling element and texture to the look.

The combination of the black tights and black knit transcribed into a stylish ensemble, and the fur golden brown vest she put on emanated the real warmth and aura of extravagant luxury. She liked matching pieces and this was a picture-perfect match with the purse. Not only were the colors alike, but it felt the same: ultra soft and furry. She couldn’t resist but touch this lush fur thinking about the lavish parties she hoped she would go to in the Magnificent Kingdom, once she arrived.

She imagined herself on a fire red carpet in an opulent hall with crystal sparkling chandeliers, rich tapestry embroidered furniture, impressive paintings on the walls and hundreds of flashes around. She wanted to be there, in the center of this glitzy world, where anything may happen, where everything is possible. The lustrous jewelry she had, was a sweet promise of making her dream become reality.

The Aldo Ame necklace and earring set in midnight black was a cascade of meteorites falling from the sky on a starry night, leaving a long tail of shiny stardust. The statement Ocilasa ring and Parewen bracelet (Aldo) belonged to the same galaxy: constellation of millions of glistening moonstone pieces shimmering in the light – extrasolar glam at the reach of a hand. The two other rings (Aldo, H&M) added an edgy quotient to this cosmic equation.

The fox heads bangle (H&M, similar) was the girl’s special talisman. She had lived in the woods for a long time and she knew from the Swift Fox — who wasn’t a trickster, but a wise guide teaching her sharp thinking — how to read people’s behavior and find her way in tricky maze of woods. And, finding the Magnificent Kingdom was tricky!

She walked several hours, but she didn’t mind as her boots were pretty comfortable, and she held a pep in her step. She picked these shoes because she liked the black suede and sophisticated furry cuffs that seduced the eye while bringing to the fore the superb MK fur satchel. The polished goldtone buckle embellishments and mid-calf zipper shone against the black suede adding a glamorous finish to the boots.

The sun was going down and she started to feel a bit tired. She stopped by one of the ironwood trees to take a rest. She noticed all the signs and letters engraved on the tree and started inspecting them with curiosity. Suddenly, her eyes sparkled and she blinked with disbelief. There it was, on the trunk of the tree, “MK”- Magnificent Kingdom” . “Yes, I knew I was on the right way!”, she screamed with delight. She looked around and she recognized the place immediately. To her amazement, she wasn’t far from her Black House. She must have been wandering in circles but how didn’t she find that tree before?

It was getting dark and she thought the reasonable thing to do was to come back home, as she was already close, and continue her journey tomorrow morning. Perhaps she should feel disappointed or discouraged but she didn’t. Her heart was uplifted. She felt inspired and strong, ready for another day and adventure that would bring her a step closer to the Magnificent Kingdom of her dreams. She believed she would finally get there, if not today, tomorrow for sure.

And, when she was lying in her bed, she once again thought about the splendor of the Magnificent Kingdom; the glorious interiors of the grand houses, elegant people walking on the streets, swirling in a dance, and lights – thousands of them…millions stars twinkling with rainbow colors, first far away in the distance, and then, closer and closer…

To be continued in Chapter II…