Shades of blue

By Neslihan

Just a random post of some great pieces H&M has on their FB page but not on their site. I hate their site. It's ancient, boring, simplistic... It doesn't even have the half of their clothes they have in their stores. The selection I made is quite romantic and summery. And maybe that's a good thing since the heatwave has come to an end in our cosy little country (read: Belgium). So it's up to us to create an artificial summery atmosphere and what way is better than creating such an atmosphere with clothes? Yup, that's what I thought.

I wouldn't say judgemental, rather critical

By Neslihan

I collect magazines. It might not come as a surprise but I love to buy fashion related magazines. I love the idea that the whole crew has worked a whole month on it (in some cases even 'months'). I love the idea of actually waiting for something. I love discovering something new, learning something I didn't know until then. I love to look at the flawless pictures and impeccable stylings. I love to read the articles. Yes, I'm one of those people who actually READS the damn thing. So it might also not come as a surprise that I'll be reveiwing Vogue Turkey's August issue in this post.

I've waited 2-3 weeks until I finally laid my hands on the Turkish edition of one of my favourite magazines. When I think of 'Vogue' I think of different countries showing what they've got fashionwise. Every issue should be recognisable. And every issue should also introduce its own young talents to ensure tomorrow's fashion. Vogue should be a platform for unknown artists and I think that's exactly what Vogue Turkey has tried this month. A magazine that actually teaches you something, that really is refreshing. 

My favourite article was actually the one about Oscar Wilde. It says that he has been a fashion editor for 2 years! I was so surprised when I read that because Mister Wilde isn't just an ordinary author. He was one of the leading literaries during the 20th century. He's the man behind the many poems but most important the man behind the horrifying 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'. So why did Oscar become a god damn fashion editor? He simply needed the money and liked social events that came with the whole thing. He even changed the name of the magazine. He hated the 'lady' word so he changed the original Lady's World into Women's World. 

"When Oscar Wilde went to work at a women's fashion magazine to earn some money, all his friends made fun of him. They said he wasn't manly and professional enough and that he didn't have morals."

Even though I liked the photoshoots ( 'Yol Arkadasi Nur Fattahoglu' and 'Isiga Dogru') and articles, certainly those about newly discovered Turkish designers, there were also some things I didn't like.I thought the cover was tacky. What is wrong with that cleavage? Don't get me wrong; Miranda Kerr is a beautiful woman but I've never really thought of her as a high fashion model. Victoria's Secret isn't fashion, sure it's entertaining but it is not fashion. Miranda might work on that catwalk but she doesn't in Vogue. She has a strong and very expressive look and that doesn't quite work in huge fashion shoots. A model to me is a canvas, someone who can be everything/ everyone. Sometimes all at once. Miranda is sexy. And beautiful. Full stop.
 Another thing I didn't like was the fact that they had taken several photoshoots of the American Vogue. Sure it happens all the time but it is annoying. The whole Emma Stone shoot of July was also in this month's Vogue Turkey. Rather repetitive.

I adore the colours and textures of this shoot. The effects they've used are also amazing. They've tried to mix western silhouettes with oriental details and the totality looked modern and really bohemian.

More on: http://vogue.com.tr/
Source: Vogue Tr. August 2012

Simplicity Revised

By Neslihan

I think I've always been the kind of girl who was -deep down- more interested in basic simplicity than in overly embellished clothing. And my personal clothing style might tell you I'm lying as I'm a total schizophrenic when it comes to dressing up. One day I'm this crazy colouring book (the fashionably accepted version of course) and the other day I can be this mourning widow dressed in all shades of black. And yes, I do believe black has all kinds of shades. I don't know how many there are yet but I've got my whole life ahead of me to figure out. My daily look totally depends on how I feel and that mood leads my fingers to all  the corners of my not so big closet. These choices actually lie in my subconsciesness. It's something that just happens. No overthinking when it comes to setting up a look and that's what so fun about it.

But let me talk to you about simplicity. Simplicity is when clean cuts and beautifully finished clothing stand above the glitz and glam hodgepodge. Simplicity is art versus kitsch and eventhough kitsch shouldn't sound negative -as I'm a kitsch lover- art is timeless. Art is when you touch a pair of pants and the fabric feels smooth and the seams are flawless. Art is when you buy a blazer and you just know that you'll be able to wear it for a decade because the model is timeless and the quality is immortal. That's also how I'd describe a classic.

As I came across Ece Salici's creations I was amazed by her sense of style. I didn't know to what I should compare her clothing line (sounds so denigrating but whatever). I thought her geometric aproach to femininity was certainly very refreshing. The way she combined different materials like the leather and organza was brilliant and it also created a nice balance between the sweet and the rough. I don't know about her fashion shows but what I also liked about the online shop was the styling. How the pieces were combined with each other. The totality of the outfits made sense to me.

You can all ask yourselves what Ece Salici has to do with all this stuff I've mentioned above but don't bother. You could better let me explain. Ece's creations made me think in some kind of way. How simple and how basic does her clothing actually look? But she shouldn't be put down in such a way because that is not what this lady deserves. 'Basic' sounds less than what she's really up to.Have you seen her mixing colours? Have you seen how effortlessly sexy her clothing looks? Have you seen how succesfully she combines cotton candy blue with black leather? I don't think I need to add anything else.

Looking at her looks truly made me realise that we were not talking about classic simplicity. It's simplicity revised because Ece somehow manages to create modern,  refreshing, relevant fashion but time will tell how timeless she is...

Pictures: www.­ecesalici.­com

Freja Beha X Zara

By Neslihan
I love, love, love Freja Beha Erichsen. She is just perfection. Her face, her hair, her androgynous body, everything is perfect about this kick ass chick. Her accent is marvelous too. And if you still aren't convinced then go and watch this Zara movie, you'll be enchanted.  She describes the Zara woman for their Autumn/Winter collection. Just as elegant and sensual as in 'The Tale of a Fairy'. GO GO GO!