Fall weather usually encourages grey tones and dark outfits, especially in Belgium! As it should, because wool sweaters or a little black dress never go out of style. However, this fall, I'm trying someting new: bright pink pants. Colourful pieces in winter have never been foreign to me, but bright pink or blue pants is a whole different story.
Inspired by fashion favorite - I'm my own stylist - Blake Lively, I'm going to challenge myself and get a pair of Tibi pants. The set of Gossip Girl and the trendy streets of Manhattan are used to fashion extravaganza like that, so I will be curious to see how modest and down to earth Belgium will respond...
Something borrowed and something blue. That's right, it's wedding time. Well, it will be in November when I fly back to NY for a couple of days. For now, my US adventure has almost come to an end. However, going in silence isn't really my thing so I'm leaving with a bang including a trip to California which gives me the perfect opportunity to find thé dress for my first New York wedding. Below are some options that I can unfortunately only buy in my dreams, unless...outlet store on Rodeo Drive, anyone? When I get back home, I will finally fully enter the world of freelance journalism. Oh deer. I think there's a possibility to spot some journalists and editors at the wedding so maybe I'll just print my resume a couple of times, just in case?
After reviewing the pictures of my hometown festival (Lokerse Feesten) two weeks ago, and taking a trip down memory lane, I couldn't get Isolde's outfit out of my head. I tried to find the dress she was wearing and after looking at several pictures of her performing, I decided it was time to officially call her my new style icon.
For the international guests, and few Belgians who obviously have been living on another planet, who do not know her, here's some info. Isolde Lasoen is the drummer for Daan, Briskey, Howie&Linn, Ideal Husband, Billie King, The Whodads and many more! She also won the ZAMU award for best musician in 2006.
As I noticed during the performance at the Lokerse Feesten, she also plays several other instruments and sings...a very talented lady or as I and my friends call her: "Een topwijf!"
Living in the US has been interesting, to say the least. I get my news mainly from The Daily Show and BBC since all the other channels completely fail in delivering objective news. Ok, the urge for sensation is present everywhere (even in Europe), but at least journalists there still try to provide the people with correct news disregarding of their own opinions. Sadly, that's not the case in the US. "News" stations have been providing people with their opinions covered up as facts. It's become a blame game where bashing the opponent is the norm. I believe that the lack of correct essential information is a big contributor to the political and economical problems. After all, what is democracy without a well informed public?
These videos shows at least one person in the media, and he's not even a journalist, who actually uses facts and figures to make his point, and you get a laugh too.
The last couple of weeks have revealed a lot of fresh talent in the Belgian fashion scene. Like every year the fashion students of the Academies in Ghent, Antwerp, Sint-Niklaas and Brussels show of their collections.
Below are some of my favourite silhouettes, shown this year.
Nele Sarens - Persona (Kask, Ghent)
Nele Sarens - Persona (Kask, Ghent)
Nele Berckmans - I am my past - I am my future (Kask, Ghent)
Hannah Jacobs - On the road (Kask, Ghent)
Lucas Sponchiado - La Cambre, Brussels
2nd Bachelor - La Cambre, Brussels
I recently discovered the talented Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello, who finished his third collection this year. The Belgian from Italian descent graduated from La Cambre visual arts school in Brussels in 2006. I like his angular take on the classic little black dress. Although I love a lot of color in my personal outfits, it's refreshing to see what he can do just using black. Anthony Vaccarello: "There are lots of different kinds of black for me." That statement is being reflected in his Fall 2011 line, where he uses fabrics such as black felt, cashmere, silk jersey, gauze and velour which gives all of his dresses an unique look without using a lot of different colors. His muze and inspiration is Parisian belle, Lou Doillon but Vaccarello also uses the canvases of French painter Pierre Soulages and the works of Piet Mondriaan as a reference. Personally I definitely see the Mondriaan shapes being reflected in his dresses. The Dutch painter has been an inspiration in the fashion world for years; it was Yves Saint Laurent who not only used the straight angles but even copied the colors of one of Mondriaan's famous paintings as an inspiration for a dress.
Lou Doillon in Vaccarello's 2011 Fall look book
My personal favorite. Vaccarello says he likes legs
and why disagree if you can show them off
in a fabulous dress like this?
The famous dress by Yves Saint Laurent inspired by Piet Mondriaan
I recently saw the movie 'Horrible Bosses' and wanted to dedicate this post to some of thé movies to see this summer! 'Horrible Bosses' was more slapstick kind of funny, but nevertheless freaking hilarious!
Two movies that I really want to check out, but unfortunately haven't been released yet, are 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.' and 'Midnight in Paris'. 'Crazy, Stupid, Love'. is starring 'The Notebook' hottie Ryan Gosling and, in my humble opinion, one of the funniest actors around, Steve Carell. The movie already has tons of raving reviews, one of them saying: 'Here comes a romantic comedy that marvelously upends the genre' (Karen Durbin, Elle).
Then there's the movie that will probably make me want to go back to Europe even more: 'Midnight in Paris', directed by Woody Allen and starring Rachel Mc Adams. The trailer looks very promising, and so does the poster, where The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is nicely integrated in the Parisian background. Check out the trailer!
Marion Cotillard (pictured next to Owen Wilsen) reminds me of Audrey Tautou, one of the most gorgious women in the world with a devine sense of taste (at least in my opinion). They couldn't have picked anyone better for the movie 'Coco avant Chanel'.
Ok, so summer just started. That doens't mean we're not allowed to look forward to the fall fashion musthaves, right? And besides, who ever said florars were just for summer? The Lanvin 2011 Fall Collection agrees with me.
The delicate flower on the chilly metal
material combined with biker boots is my favourite outfit this fall.
I couldn’t be more happy with the gorgeous weather it has been in Chi-town for the last couple of weeks. After a cold winter, there’s nothing more satisfying than trying on new summer outfits.
Some of the items on my most wanted list for this summer are see through blouses and a hat, although I have to admit it will take me some courage to actually wear both. See through blouses can be pretty tricky, where do you draw the line between stylish and just sleazy?
As far as hats go, it's been always been a struggle finding an accessory that suits the shape of my head (I've actually been freezing for years because I couldn't find a decent winter hat).
I also believe you need a certain look to pull of items like that, and I don't consider myself fortunate enough to have that look. Or maybe I should just cut the crap and go for it?
Anyway, for the pieces below, there will be no convincing necessary! They bring me as much joy as any trip to the beach (and since I spent my holiday budget on dresses, I'll probably have no other choice...).
Last week, after being months in the US, I got to spend a couple nights with my big love at home…Ghent!
I started out in the heart of the city, Patershol, where I had dinner with my parents at the ‘House of Eliott', a restaurant named after a tv show about the fashion empire of the Eliott sisters in the 1920’s. The owner collects all kinds of decorative elements to really create a vintage atmosphere. Off course, we also went there for the food, which was like a plate of heaven, but the personal highlight was the bathroom…It was completely dedicated to Coco Chanel! Sitting down blissfully unaware of the surroundings, I suddenly noticed a Chanel perfume box. Looking further, there were two authentic Chanel Couture blouses, kept safely in a frame (Damn, I wanted to try those on).
Walking around in Ghent also means shopping, or in my case window shopping because we were there at night. One of my favorite stores is ‘Zoot Costumiers’, a boutique that has a very unique style. The collection is vintage with a girly and sweet touch. It reminds me a lot of the personal style of actrice and singer Zooey Deschannel (yes, you can find her in My Favorites).
Although I wasn't a GG addict from the start, I'm loving the fashion and style both girls model so well. Even in real life, Blake en Leighton know what to (and not to) wear. One of my favorites is the white outfit Blake is rocking at a diner hosted by Chanel in NY. Karl Lagerfeld must have liked what he saw, because she joined him at the Met Gala in May wearing a grey goddess gown from the Chanel 2009 Couture fall collection.
