Mother of Prints

By Neslihan

Anything with bright prints and mixing and matching makes my heart go va va va voom. So when I saw Mother of Pearl's Resort collection I was -needless to say- in awe. And the reasons are out there: florals combined with leopard prints or with other florals creating an unseen dimension. The cuts were kept really simple but it was all in the use of colours. They picked three kinds of florals and re-used it for the blazers, dresses and shorts. So you can quite say you can easily combine the pieces with each other. Not only did she mix her flower garden with the wild, wild leopard printed fabrics but she also combined the first with stripes and geometrical shapes. It's just the kind of collection I would wear, simple, yet quirky. And just really colourful. The first jacket is ideal for chilly summernights. And I also loved how they used sporty flats to support the effortlessness of this collection.

                     

2 is for Greed

By Neslihan

Once upon a chaotic time, in a capitalistic kingdom far away there lived this narcistic girl with tons and tons of selfish and greedy aspirations. Her selfishness was absolutely loathsome and her desires were unsatisfiable. She wanted everything, everything she layed her eyes upon had to be hers. And this was certainly the case when it came to clothing. Oh countless unsatisfied fantasies, where are you? Her greed was a sly as her personality. It was omnipresent but she repressed it. She had to. One day she would own her own Chanel 2.55 and her very own Paul Smith brogues. But until that day she had to settle with High Street made in China rip offs. And she was doing just fine until a very peculiar thing accured yesterday. It evoked her desires all over again and at once she knew what she was capable of. This is what happened: it was one PM and she entered her humble palace. As she went upstairs she saw a note on her desk. And black shorts. The note was from her old, very old roommate. It said: "You can keep the shorts if they fit." And yours sincerely knew immediately that those were the shorts she saw hanging in the bathroom. The Chanel shorts!!! A heavy thrill invaded her body and she began to sweat. Oh sweet Lord Jesus, was this real? "Pinch me!" she said. "Pinch me real hard! Wake me up from this false dream." But yes, this moment was real, but an unexpected destiny was still waiting to strike.

(Don't mind the freaky hand pose)

She decided to fit the shorts because the impatience made her shake all over her body. She wore them and was about to zip up her shorts, which went quite well but the majestic buttons caused some trouble. Or was it her post-winter tummy bleus? She could cry her eyes out. And a rage took control over her body. There were two ways: keep the shorts or... No, there was only one way, whether the shorts fitted or not. Keeping is the only way. And maybe one day, when she had three children, a fulltime job and a demanding husband, she'd be so stressed that she wouldn't find the time to eat. "One day they'll fit", she concluded. Fucking Parisian 38!

Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself

By Neslihan

It's a Sunday morning, soft breeze underneath your dress, chaos in your hair and a heavenly voice singing to you. It's the perfect scenario for a perfect summer day. The days are long, the nights are short and it feels as if your holiday is endless, as if you still have a lifetime to start and even to finish the things you want to do. Nothing feels forced and the sunshine makes everything lighter. Today was a lazy day? No problem, you still have tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. It's just the randomness of summer that appeals to me; as if you can meet new people on every corner of the street. Coffee dates at noon, picnick after 12, really bad movies at midnight. Oh, how I've missed the spare time to do those little nothings.
And even though the collage is rather stuffed it represents my mood effortlessly. I want my days to be  filled with caprisun, daisies in my hair and good books. I want soft fabrics because summer -more than any other season- is about caressing your skin with lace, silk and satin. I want to smell the rain on the hot city concrete. I want to feel the sun on my shaven legs. But above all, I want the summer. Could you stay for a while?

1) Daisy eau de toilette by Marc Jacobs
2) Bra by Princesse Tam Tam
3) Socks at American Apparel
4) Espadrille creepers at Zara (WANT)
5) Picture from Jalouse FR June 2013
6) Lyrics from 'Home' by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
7) Sunglasses on etsy.com
8) Basket: unknown
9) Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
10) Kimono vest at Topshop
11) Summer fluid (Apple-cherry is the deal)

Confused girls do it better

By Neslihan

There is actually no clue or consistency in the collage I've created above. It was just a way to share one of the many enchanting Lana Del Rey pics featured in this month's L'Officiel Paris. In that photoshoot we see a furiously sexy Del Rey, who remains mysterious with every taken picture. The setting, the outfits, the make-up, the hair, everything was in balance and the whole story about a certain 'Rosalita' (impersonated by Lana) was just so credible. And even though I would like to go on and on about Lana's pictures this post was meant to be about something else.
Let's talk about confusion. Confusion is when you enter a twilight zone. Confusion is when you know the answer but your lips are too afraid to form the words. Confusion is screaming in your head while everything around you is quiet. Confusion is being in the moment but not daring to use your initiative. Love is confusion. Friendship is confusion. And confusion is either downfall, either enlightenment.

Collage
Editorial picture from L'Officiel Paris, April 2013
Glasses from A-mourir
Oxford creepers from Marc by Marc Jacobs
Flower crown with little 'veil' from etsy
Red bra from Eberjey

Let there be a game without rules

By Neslihan
I feel like I'm becoming more consistent on this blog. As if I've reached my temporary destination. Notice how I consciously said 'temporary' as I don't believe a person can have ONE eternal style, unless your name is Anna Piaggi, Karl Lagerfeld or Rei Kawakubo. Unless you've become a cult figure. But I do believe one has a thing in his/her outfit that keeps on appearing. My thing for example is this sort of uncoordinated childishness, that laid-backness and tamed quirkiness. Lately I've been obsessing over a pair of sporty trainers (see previous post) and I discovered they really are versatile. You just have to think out of the box and experiment because the new casualness demands a dash of sportiness. And you choose how to fill that up; whether it's a pair of trainers or a T-shirt, anything goes. It creates this amazing clash between the chic and the sportiness. As if you're saying: "Hey, lighten up, it's only fashion." Just the way I like it.

And that easy laid-backness is exactly what I found in Ashish Gupta's S/S '13 collection. He translated lazy quirkiness into grey sweaters, sweat pants, white trainers, oversized withe shirts and lots of denim. But he also added some tule and glitters to make the totality look a little feminine. Maybe 'feminine' isn't the right word though, maybe I should've said 'girly' because the models remined me of rebellious school girls, you know the kind that leads a whole army of girls and smokes in front of the school gate . Her hair looks messy but she works it anyway. She's effortless, as the unbuttoned shirts are telling us, she's playful but above all she's a ruler.

Moschino Cheap and Chic's collection on the other hand had this childish naiveté with a sparkle of classiness. There were pineapple prints, bright pinks, shiny embellishment and sky high platforms but there was this kind of sporty balance, hence the trainers, the see-through tracksuit and the fishnet shirts. I love how the trainers break the elegance in the last outfit but also how they contribute to this classy, nerdy style. Can we also take a minute to admire that pineapple-shaped bag? This collection is very 'Lolita meets tomboy' but the emphasis lies on 'Lolita' of course. 

The concrete jungle wakes up its own soul

By Neslihan
Summer hour has been set, which ends our winter blues partly. More sun equals a better mood. Don't you just love that feeling of having a lot of time to do the stuff you really like? It feels like an unlimitied sea of possibilities. Even though spring has arrived a short time ago, we weren't getting anything but snow and harsh temperatures. I don't know what the weather forecast is giving us for the next days but I'm hoping for the best because I'm just that optimistic. Winter definitely isn't my season, nor clothing wise, nor complexion wise. I just love the impression of having a sparkling skin when the sun appears. I might be in a springy mood mentally, I can't go all the way though because this is Belgium. And you know how Belgian weather is. Or you don't, well, let me explain. I'm talking about an amazing day filled with sun, that ends abruptly because of the angry rain gods. You have to be prepared for everything, so sandals are out of the question, you don't want them to be soaking wet. That's why I've created three looks that are based on three amazing pairs of trainers, showing you they really are varsatile.

This look was inspired by Paul Smith's spring/summer campaign. I just loved the red and the soft pink together. Since you can't wear skirts or dresses without stockings I just thought why not wear splashy red suit pants to cheer ourself up? I wanted to break the polished and classy vibe by adding up New Balance trainers and cool shades.
WEARING:
Shirt: Paul Smith
Pants: Zara
Sunglasses:  sarahaghili.com
Trainers: New Balance
Watch: Michael Kors

This look is for the casual sporty girls who don't care whether their hair's looking all neat. This dress is ideal for a walk in the concrete jungle. It's an extremely simple cut but the print adds up to this dress' amazingness. I've been dying to own a pair of Air Maxes and I've found the perfect pair yesterday, might buy that one! Since you can't leave your house without a coat these days, I've chosen for a jean jacket. The leather sleeves make the totality look edgier.
WEARING
Dress: Topshop
Jacket: Rag & Bone
Trainers: Air Max Nike
Nail polish: Nars

I'm in awe with this one because isn't it amazing how well those classic and urban pieces go together? We're talking about a 50's Dior dress and Adidas trainers, you guys! Gold and burgundy are a great duo and I like how chunky it looks with the elegant dress. Oh Polyvore, I love you.
WEARING
Dress: Dior
Necklace: Ben Amun
Gloves: Haider Ackerman
Trainers: Adidas

Rearrange your chaos

By Neslihan
It's hard to go back to basics once you've tasted the delight of tackiness. Once you've drowned your soul in excess, the excess of bad taste. Those volatile fantasies offering you the escape of firm lines and tasteful reality. It's hard to take it down a notch when you've created little houses of daydreams, daydreams that could be yours but who are about to slip through your fingers like a soft summer breeze during the 1st of July. And you let them slip because it's time to get off your cloud, it's time to leave your safe garden and hit the harsh realness of the streets. Throwing away your ripped trousers, Spice Girls tee and Nike traines. Those items that have been through a lot of impulsive kicks; time to say goodbye. And it's a sad goodbye because it's the end of an era. It feels as if you're burrying a part of yourself but it's not an eternal burial because you can comprimise. Because that's what we do. We promise ourselves to be consistent but we fail once in awhile and that's ok. As long as you have embraced your new motto, the rest will come. It'll take you some time of course but you'll get there. Just give it a chance.

1) Leather bomber jack from Christopher Kane (SS '13 RTW)

2) Photograph from the 'Plain Song' photoshoot (Vogue UK, April '13)

3) Yves Saint Laurent loafers (Net A Porter)

4) Time line-shaped piece of art

5) Bandeaus from H&M (set of two)

6) White Doctor Martens brogues (I WANT!!!)

7) Cruella is the queen of villian fashion

8) The XX- XX album case

9) Maison Martin Margiela (Fw '13 TRW)

Because I will stay a dreamer at heart.