A Letter to the Royal Academy

By Neslihan

Dear Academy,
Before you end your 50th birthday, I'd like to tell you a thing or two. You've been celebrating your glorious birthday which was filled with appreciation, inspiration and aspiration. Something like: "We've been doing well but we'd like to do better in the future." You've had Ackermann and Van Noten as your pupils and now they've all reached that point in which they could teach YOU a couple things. You're seen as this unaccessible ice queen who has shot herself in this fireproof iron tower and this reputation is most likely accurate. You're an institution, a royal household even (hence Royal Academy). You produce the fashion elite in this country and even beyond since we're 8th in the 'Top 50 Fashion Schools in the World' ranking. Do you even know what that means? It means, you, dear Academy, have gained the monopoly over fashion designing. Not bad for a country as big as Louis XIV 's backyard. (This one is total exaggeration but I'm tryina make a sketch for you *wink*) And during your birthday you've had uncountable eulogies, including an amazing retrospective looking back on your iconic history. And it is worth a retrospective, I must say. But here is the actual reason of my blogging. I've had a quite emotional conversation with this girl, who studied fashion design at KASK (your little brother in Ghent) but after a time she had had a couple of bad experiences in her private life and she had to quit studying because she was suffering from a total inspiration block. She had to put everything in order before she could start designing again. She put her aspiration on hold and decided to study Art History. This is completely theoretical and this doesn't entirely feed her aesthetics. She's constantly drowning in inspiration again but she can't live it up. Because it's too expensive, too cold and too exhausting to start all over again. And we all know how exclusive those academies are. She also told me about the amount of foreign designers in such academies and I think that's a pity. Because whe should be focussing on our own talents, who are truly waiting to be discovered. The Royal Academy and every other Fashion Academy should be a platform for young starting designers who want to add something to the fashion world. What they're suffering now is constant unappreciation and rejection. We should open our arms and educate them because they've got so much to show us. Artists who are studying to actually become one (this sounds so weird) have always encountered difficulties in terms of funding and scholarships. Let me explain. Take a history student for example, she's applying for a scholarship and she could easily get one. But when it comes to designers they have to have their own funds. Everything they invest comes from their own savings. I don't know whether we have funds here in Belgium for studying artists, there is so much ambiguity surrounding the topic. And I'd like to know more about it as I'll keep my eyes on you, dear Academy.
Happy birthday once more.

For the retrospective: http://www.momu.be/tentoonstellingen/nu_in_het_momu/
For more info: http://hbda.be/new/nl/activiteiten/antwerp-icons

PS I know how cliché this Antwerp Six picture is but it's so great.
PPS I'm sorry for the unstructured rambling.

Before buying any september issue; read this blogpost

By Neslihan
'September', that glorious month during which everything revolutionarily changes in 'the industry'. September in fashion world is like january amongst muggles. It's the time in a year during which you can start with a fresh conscience and it seems as if everything is possible. It's time to create new dreams and fantasies over which we bloggers, teenage girls and other well-dressed weirdoes obsess knowing we'll never own a Valentino dress or a pair of Chanel pumps. And 'the industry' feeds that fantasy. 'The industry' containing designers, PR, editors and their holy magazines --------> THE SEPTEMBER ISSUES. It's the kind of issue every fashion geek is waiting for after she has dumped her last sheer summer dress. She/he is delighted by the raw materials, big silhouettes and modest colours designers are showing her/him. And editors hype it like it's hot. Collection reviews, interviews, shoots, trend specials and a shit load of advertorials. All in all a heavy bible containig what's hot and what's not during the cold winter days. Since I'm a loyal buyer of those issues I thought it might be time to reveal 'the truth' behind the so-called 'September issue'.

DISCLAIMER: I am not actually revealing anything. So please skip if you were waiting for some groundbreaking, mind-shaking facts.

The first item that keeps on coming back in every editorial and/or trend special since Raf Simons' last collection for Jil Sander  is the statement coat. It's the kind of coat that will keep you warm during the harsh winter temperatures while adding a tat 'je ne sais quoi'. It's nonchalant yet classy but above all; it must be in cotton candy colours. And Elle Holland (SEPTEMBER ISSUE 2013, what did you expect?) shows us how varsatile it is. They style it in three different ways, showing you can be sweet or rather spicy in soft baby pinks. Don't be afraid and try to mix this piece with edgy prints, dusty browns and even with velvet. That's how -and I hate to use the word because it truly lacks glamour- functional this coat is. 

Those two models belong to the Carven RTW FW collection.

What I truly like about winter fashion is less colours and more greys, blacks and browns but that's not what this Hermès slash Alexander Wang collage is about. This one contains two and even three 'old' (read: past season) trends. The first trend is A-line skirting, the more volume underneath, the better. And the materials just don't matter: pleats, leather, velvet, silk. Movement is important though! Another thing that caught my eye in those two looks is the layering. I'm not talking about the blizzard kind of layering but about combining different items with each other while they first seem pretty unconventional. A classy skirt for example is an excellent match with a sporty sweater and trainers. Dress it up with heels at night and you got yourself a varsatile (yes, I'm going to over-use that one in this post) outfit.

 Another Item that keeps on re-appearing in every trend special is the biker jacket. It is edgy, boyish and very punky. It might look unflattering on first sight but you have to wear sheer and floaty fabrics underneath to create that feminine silhouette. Junya Watanabe (on the left) styles it with spicy red butcher pants and messy cake hair, while they create mystery at Givenchy (on the right) by pairing it up with black tones. Either way it looks sexy as hell and it is a timeless piece, you gotta trust me on that one.

You know the drill since the sixties. "WE ARE WOMEN. WE CAN WEAR PANTSUITS WHENEVER WE WANT AND WHEREVER WE WANT TO." But I guess we have past that stage so we have to keep on searching for our male side. In 2013 we do this by wearing oversized coats, pants and jumpers and if possible: all together. Stella McCartney (on the left) keeps it neutral by matching the royal coat with a pair of slim leg trousers in the same colour. That's how you keep the silhouette subtle, yet very powerful. Haider Ackermann chooses a more artsy aproach by pairing up the amazing blazer with flares.

Miranda Priestly would probably not agree on this one but florals are a classic. The season is irrelevant and they have my undying love. It's the only print that creates this instant summer vibe. And excess is the only answer for this one. Combine it with other florals or graphic prints, it creates this unseen dimension. It's an utterly girly print though so how do you keep it grown-up? Simple, you get your own bombastic floral coat and you style it up with a printed pair of trousers and a pair of classy brogues (Dries Van Noten on the left). You're good to go. For the Lolita vibe: enter Erdem FW RTW 2013-2014 (on the right)

'NEW' TRENDS new-new-new-new-new-new-new

There actually are new trends on the catwalks and therefore also in magazines. Grunge is that big thing this season. I've read countless articles about the 'REVIVAL OF GRUNGE' and 'GRUNGE IS NOT DEAD' and 'OMGEE KURT COMBAIN IS A STYLE ICON'. They're overdoing it (as usual) and they'll forget about it asap. But at this moment the next cool thing is grunge: that means florals and tartans mixed all together and ripped stockings with biker boots. Very predictable and teenagy but hey, a trend slut like you embraces everything.

Givenchy on the left and Yves Saint Laurent on the right. Eventhough I think this is too ordinary and too high street to be Saint Laurent.It captures the idea though.

This one is personally my favourite. It's unerwear meets pajamas. Soft silks and lacy bras that caress your skin during dark winter days. That's how being a woman feels like but this trend is more than that. It's about showing what you got underneath by wearing your sexy bra as top, which is quite scary because the amount of nudity is huge. So this trend is only for the Rachel Zoes and Nicole Richies amongst us. The picture on the left though shows us something completely different. It's about wearing your pajamas outdours and creating this relaxed vibe. It looks elegant yet laid back. Even though this looks as a simple concept, it asks for a shit load of guts to pull this one off because you don't wanna look like Bridget Jones.

Both looks are from the Louis Vuitton FW RTW 2013-2014 collection.

PS I'M NOT SORRY FOR THE AMOUNT OF LINKS IN THIS BLOGPOST

PPS I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FULL ARTICLE WHICH IS A SHAME ON YOU

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.