Skirtmania

Hopelijk hebben jullie allemaal een goed weekend en vervelen jullie zich niet op deze saaie zondag. Als dat toch het geval is, heb ik een tijdverdrijf gevonden voor jullie allen. De site van Asos is de perfecte partner in crime voor de verveelde medemens onder ons. Ze hebben zo'n unieke kledingstukken in de mooiste kleuren. Neem nu de bovenstaande rokken: het zijn echte pareltjes, niet? De eerste is gewoon mijn favoriet! Die kleur, dat model en gecombineerd met zwart wordt die helemaal te gek! Zoals jullie zien, zijn het allemaal lange of halflange rokken en zo heb ik ze eigenlijk het liefst. Voor de minilovers onder ons heeft de de site meer dan 100 verschillende soorten: felblauw, metalic, simpel zwart of met polkadots: er is voor elk wat wils.
English translation: I hope y'all are having a fabulous weekend! For those of you who don't and are bored on this lazy Sunday, I've found the perfect distraction: The Asos site! They have the most unique clothing in the most amazing colours! The skirts above are beautiful, aren't they? The first one is my absolute favourite! That colour, its shape and the combination with black is just awesome! Like y'all can see the skirts above are all long or midi and that's how I like 'em! The site has lots (read more than 100) of mini skirts as well. Bright blue, metalic, simple black or polkadots: the choice is up to you!

N.D.

De hedendaagse nomaad volgens Haider Ackermann/ Haider Ackermann's modern nomad

Ergens tussen Antonio Marras en A.F. Vandervorst kwam ik terecht bij Haider Ackerman. Haider die ons elk seizoen weer prachtige silhouetten levert, heeft voor de lente/ herfst van 2012 uiteraard niets minder dan dat in petto. Terwijl hij ons elk seizoen weer betovert met simpele kleuren en soms minimalistische ontwerpen die er keer op keer weer heel chique uitzien gaat hij dit seizoen voor kleur en fanasieloze creaties. Alhoewel 'fantasieloos' een negatieve bijklank heeft, is dat niet het gevoel dat ik wou opwekken. Met 'fantasieloos' bedoel ik weldegelijk dat hij niets aan de verbeelding overlaat door te kiezen voor doorkijkstofjes. Hij gooit deze tesamen in de blender met glanzende stofjes en bohemienachtige prints (waar ik de naam nog helaas genoeg niet van ken). Het resultaat is een betoverend mooie collectie geworden die bij momenten zelfs geïnspireerd lijkt te zijn door nomadenvolkeren, zoals bijvoorbeel de Toearegstam. Geniet ervan!
English translation: Somewhere inbetween Antonio Marras and A.F. Vandervorst I bumped in to Haider Ackerman. Haider always creates fabulous silhouets, well this season he's doing the same thing! He enchants us with his choice for simple colours and sometimes minimalistic designs but for the upcoming spring/ winter though he splashes colour and goes for less imaginative creations. 'Less imaginative' doesn't have to sound negative because that's not how I meant it. He exposes the female body by going for see-through fabrics. It shouldn't be called 'see-through' because that means showing things in a subtle way. What I really mean, is transparency. Just nudity! Showing skin. It's not all about being Rihanna or Lady Gaga though because he mixes all these elements with shiny fabrics and bohemian like prints. He seems to have been inspired by nomads, such as the toearegs. The result is just another beautiful collection that is a pure pleasure for the eye. Enjoy!

N.D.

Bad hair day: part one

Negative blog post allert! I'm here to give you guys some updates about my daily and by times quite boring life! Sometimes I wished that I had perfect hair. You know, hair that listens to you and isn't wild or puffy! Why can't I have Jameela Jamil's hair? Why, oh why? Why doesn't my hair grow as fast as the weather changes here in Belgium? Why can't my straight bangs be 'straight' for once instead of frizzy? Why am I tired of my clothes and why can't I find clothes in my wardrobe while I have so many of 'em? Okey, not as many as Carrie Bradshaw has but enough. I am sick of nagging about clothing or my hair but I simply cannot help it. And this wheather doesn't make any of this better! *Grrr* I really like my hair at times because it's black and short and thick! I have moments during which I'm proud of my hair but now I'm really tripping about it! In times like these I tell myself it'll be okey tomorrow. And that's what usually happens. So I'm waiting for tomorrow. Not sorry for being a drama queen because it's relieving at times. And yes, I exaggerated a bit but that's relieving too. I'm just being a teenager, you know? *Smiley*

Some girls have all the luck. *Sigh*
-Jameela Jamil-

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De Parijse chique van Emanuelle Alt

Terwijl haar Amerikaanse collega gespot wordt in rechte, klassieke en vrouwelijke outfits, gaat de Franse vogue-redactrice, Emanuelle Alt, voor weinig kleurrijke tenues. Haar stijl kan het best omschreven worden als 'Parijse chique'. Ze mixt confectiemerken met grote namen als Balmain, Prada en Ralph Lauren. Je zal haar zelden zien in een fleurig jurkje of in opvallende kleuren. Ze gaat steevast voor simpel en stijlvol. Alt draagt vaak een skinny jeans of lederen broek die ze dan combineert met een jasje. Als het aankomt op blazers of jasjes gaat ze voor onaccentuerende modellen: een oversized boyfriendblazer of een wijd jasje met een opvallende bonten kraag. Ze is een liefhebster van rocky mode-items: enkellaarsjes met studs of een opvallend rode t-shirt zijn helemaal haar ding. Ze heeft haar toppers en je zal haar zowiezo herkennen aan haar zwarte skinny. Sommigen onder jullie kunnen hierdoor ook het volgende denken: wordt het dan niet saai? Ja ok, ze blijft altijd in hetzelfde genre: 'Parijse chique' (lees 'effortless style'), maar mij vervelen doet ze alleszins niet. Ze weet hoe ze verschillende materialen met elkaar moet mixen en daarom blijft het geheel interessant. Wat ook heel typerend is aan Alt is net zoals bij Anna Wintour haar kapsel. Met haar donker, sluik en recht-uit-het-bedkapsel wordt ze vaak gekiekt. Zelf zegt ze dat ze nooit naar de kapper gaat en dat ze het hoogstens laat bijknippen tijdens fotoshoots die ze zelf regisseert. Nonchalance is haar sleutelwoord en dat valt vooral op aan haar kledingstijl. Hoe simpel toch elegant mooi kan zijn.

N.D.

Last Night (review): how Guillaume Canet stole my heart

I can finally prove you guys that this blog isn't a sheer fashion blog! It's about everything that inspires me or anything I like. So today's post will be about 'Last Night', an electrifying drama/ romance that is directed and written by Massy Tadjedin. The best is yet to come: both Keira Knightly and Guillaume Camet are starring in this movie. I know Guillaume from 'Jeux d'Enfants', a romantic French movie in which he was starring with an other beauty, Marion Cotillard. He was playing the naughty, sensitive yet charming guy and he stole my heart back then! He has this French je m'en fou thing going on and I think that is why he's so enchanting. He's cute but not in the corny Hollywood way. He looks quite messy in this movie and I think this look suits him very well. But let's talk about the plot. The story is about Michael (Sam Worthington) and Joanna (a marvelous play by the gorgeous Keira Knightley), they're a married couple and although they still haven't reached the seven year itch, something is quite wrong in their relationship/ marriage. Joanna is suspicious when it comes to her husband's faithfulness. And how can she not be? Her husband has a very sexy colleague, Laura (a very seductive Eva Mendes) at work. They go on business trips together and Joanna accuses her husband of having a relationship with Laura. He denies of course. What about Joanna though? She meets her ex lover again when her husband has left town for another business trip. They hang out together. Is the passion still there and will she cheat on Micheal and is Michael really cheating on her? Well, you have to see the movie first. However this movie is about a current topic, it does not give an answer to the 'Is emotional cheating on someone worse than having sexual intercourse with him/her?' question. No, it makes you think and has you under its spell. The tempo isn't super fast but Guillaume an Knightley make you want to watch this movie. Knightley is ever so elegant and witty in this picture, so I'd say a must-see!

Alex, played by Guillaume Canet, and Joanna, are two ex lovers.

 The pretty Joanna is already married to Michael though.

Michael with his good-looking colleague.

Last but not least: Don't go like 'oh, it's a cliché he cheated on me, I cheated on him movie' because it's not. Tadjedin proves how complex this topic can be and it's not the typical superficial Hollywood glamour movie. So go and see it for yourself!

Trailer

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Mary Katrantzou: not the ordinary designer

Hi, I have so much to show you, guys! So, so, so much! I've saved tons and tons of pictures on my computer. Pictures of fashion collections, you know: the usual inspiring stuff. Mary Katrantzou is a name I've just (read 3 months ago) discovered. I 'discovered' this creative young lady thanks to a friend. I'd like to call him a fashion friend because that's what we do: talk about fashion. My first impression of this young Greek woman was: damn, she's different! Why? Because when other designers are extremely wearable and following the trends, she's creating her own. When other designers stay at the surface, she goes underneath it and creates the most amazing visual stuff ever. She isn't afraid of playing with volume and shapes. Her clothing, no 'clothing' sounds too less,  too ordinary, her pieces of art are 'humpy' and it's not about elegance. It's about being outspoken but not because it's cool but because she knows what to with the weirdest shapes and most loaded prints. She managed to colour my early fally days and she will continue doing that. It has always been a big discussion, is fashion a form of art? Well, after seeing Katrantzou's collection, my answer to that would be 100 % yes! She has industrial influences in her collections and uses the most magnificent colours. Your first impression can be like: "Oh, it's so outstanding. Not really wearable either." But you have to look closer, look at the materials, the prints, the colours... It is special but why not? Why not going over the top in a classy and great way? Why not Mary Katrantzou? Exactly! Watch it,  examine it and love it!

Pictures: vogue.fr

N.D.

Ps: On Thursday the 20th of October there's something we call Zuiddag here in Belgium. It's an organisation that donates money for charity. There's a different charity each year. This year's charity is going to be Tanzania. Several grades at my school will work on that day and they'll give their earned money to this organisation. This organisation will donate it to Tanzania and the money will be used to create a common place for the Tanzanian youth. A place where they can meet and find jobs and get the needed information in order to find a job. They'll learn how to work with computers as well. I think it's a wonderful charity. Each and everyone of my grade had to find a job. I have one too. I will be working in the library the University of Ghent. It's a library with Latin and Ancient Greek books. I'm super excited and cannot wait until that day! I wanted to share this so you know what's happening in my life right now and so you know that the youth of today isn't ignorant or careless Wish us luck! 

Fashion designer, Walter van Beirendonck, becomes guest editor for a day

I was blogging on tumblr before I had this account. So I've written a couple blogs on that account as well. And most of them are still recent and too good news to let get go. That's why I'm posting one that I've written exactly a month ago. Enjoy!

Yes,yes, yes, it is true! The one and only Walter Van Beirendonck, also known as one of Belgium’s most edgy desginers, was editor for only one day. And of course you’re allowed to ask: What magazine? But I have to disappoint you, it is not a magazine! Not at all, but it is neither a disappointment. I love it when designers are experimental and kind of try out everything once. That’s what Van Beirendonck stands for, so it probably won’t surprise you when I say that he was guest editor of one of Belgium’s most read newspapers, ‘De Standaard’. This is a strange medium but also a very logical one. Van Beirendonck is known for his outstanding designs in which he combines fantasy with reality. He’s the surrealist between the designers. He’s up to date he says with the things that are happening in our world. He’s inspired by the most various things. When he’s asked whether realism was an obstacle on this workfloor, he explains (jokingly): “Oh, but only 90% of my work is very realistic. […] Besides I try to blend the themes that belong to reality with my creative work, such as terror, AIDS, the burqa… This goes well with the feeling I had when creating this newspaper. This is where we’re constantly in touch with the whole wide world.” Walter wanted to make the readers happy with this newspaper. Ever if it was only for today. That would be his main goal, he says. He accomplished his goal, I think. Because this paper is a composition of his personal world. It’s actually his mind map. The things that he’s questioning, wondering, shortly put: the things that keep him busy. The pictures and little titles/quotes are just flowing in each other, which is actually pretty cool to see because that’s how the ideas look in his head, you see? I really loved it and he says that papers should do this once and a while. It’s just so liberating to read this paper, so much fun and really inspiring. It gives you another view on certain things. And it also shows the man behind the designer, Walter Van Beirendonck. I just want to thank him for spicing up today’s newspaper and making my day! Dankuwel*!

*dankuwel: ‘thank you’ in Dutch

Source: De Standaard

Pictures: De Standaard

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Alexander McQueen: Ars nec artem celare

De zomer mag dan wel ver weg zijn, de couturiers zitten niet stil. Ze hebben immers net hun collecties getoond in Parijs en de meningen zijn verdeeld. Zij die in herhaling vallen, zij die beter nooit begonnen waren en zij die ons met stomheid geslagen hebben. Bij die laatste groep hoort ook Sarah Burton. De laatste collectie die ze heeft ontworpen voor Alexander McQueen is een pareltje geworden. Een ware lofzang voor het vrouwelijk lichaam. De show zelf was zo breekbaar. Het decor zo simpel, zo puur. De muziek zo mythisch, in het begin tenminste. Daarna versnelde het tempo. Het leek wel alsof de kleding zelf zorgde voor de beginmelodie. McQueen was nooit iemand die traditioneel draagbare collecties maakte. Het was vooral niet altijd de bedoeling om het vrouwenlichaam te accentueren, maar juist die 'rariteiten' sierden hem. En met deze collectie bewijst Burton alweer dat ze een waardige opvolgster is voor McQueen. Burton ging aan de slag met goud, zilver, zacht roze, wit, koraalrood en zwart. Ze gebruikte stijve stoffen die ze vormgaf met ruches, maar ook doorkijkstoffen. Ze speelde met asymmetrie en parels, maar vooral met volume. Ze gaat zelfs zo ver dat ze het traditionele kant schaamteloos gaat mixen met latex. En die vreemde masker- en badmutsachtige dingen op het hoofd waren eigenlijk gewoon de McQueen-handtekening, want zonder zou het er algauw minder McQueen uitzien. En dat heeft Sarah Burton maar al te goed begrepen.

English translation: Summer might be months away but fashion designers are always busy with next season's trends. They have been showing their collections in Paris the past days and of course everyone had a merciless oppinion. Some repeated themselves, others shouldn't even have started to design and some others surprised us once again. So did Sarah Burton. Her last collection for Alexander McQueen was an absolute delight for the eyes. A true hymn for the female body. The show was so fragile. The setting was simple and so pure. The music was mythical at the beginning though. The tempo speeded afterwards. It felt like the clothing was making the soft tunes.McQueen never created traditionally wearable collections. He didn't always desire to accentuate the female body, but these oddities made him the designer we know now. With this collection though Burton proved once again that she's a worthy successor for McQueen. Burton used gold, silver, soft pint, white, coral red and black for this collection. She used rigid fabrics and made them fluent with ruffles, she has also used see-through fabrics. Burton played with asymmetry, pearls and volume. She even dared to match latex with the traditional lace. And those weird masks were the McQueen signature. This collection would've been less McQueen without them. So, well done, Sarah!

Foto's/Pictures: www.vogue.fr

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