Hairday

Congratulations to Dutch beauty Milou Van Groesen ! This cool blond opened the spring/summer 2011 Balenciagashow ( at the age of 22) ; She was scouted on the streets of Amsterdam 2 years ago. Nicolas Ghesquiere was so impressed by her that he gave her this worldwide exclusive to open the show ! Love her look !

Having a bad hairday ? A bad hairday is defined as a day when one's ( mine) appearance, especially one's hair ( mine again) , does not look attractive ( I went for a run). We all have one ( only I have many), a day when no amount of combing, brushing or styling will get your locks to look their best. Don't worry, make the most of it, get some inspiration from these girls and just make a loose bun.

Happy sunday ! Hope your week is full of smiles ! xoxo

Fashion photography

Last night famous Dutch photographer, Ronald Stoops (editorials for magazines like I-D, Dazed & Confused ....)  and his wife Inge Grognard, make-up artist, presented their book "Ronald Stoops & Inge Grognard", at Galerie Van De Weghe  in Antwerp ( Museumstraat 4).   Their book is focused on their non-commercial work, celebrating 30 years of collaboration including projects with Martin Margiela, AF Vandevorst, ..... a fantastic piece of art which let you discover fashion photography from a different angle.  Ronald is also the photographer of the must-have catalogues of "Just in case", so definitively a book to buy ! 

At American brand Abercrombie & Fitch ( can't believe how popular their sweats are at the gym) 30 adult male and female models were shot by Bruce Weber last week with a 13-hour a day schedule. An agency supervisor booted Belgian model Florian van Bael for eating a croissant at the wrong time !!! Who said models don't eat ( maybe only the female) ?  They should have known better when they booked a Belgian model, Belgians like to eat ( because their food is sooo good) 

Florian, I think you rock !  Please, give that boy a croissant ! 

Enjoy your weekend ! xoxo

Coffee on wednesday

Finally time to hang around and have a cup of coffee with G. She invited me to this nice, cozy, retro coffeeshop called "Caffe Internazionale" ( Volksstraat 21, 2000 Antwerp) where I had a fantastic hot & healthy ginger tea;

  

Am so happy that designer Matthew Williamson, known for his vibrant use of colours, is launching his first diffusion line "Muse by Matthew Williamson", (available from february 2011). His new line will still carry the essence of the Williamson woman but in a younger version and, more important,  at a lower price. Thank you Matthew ( am still gratefull for his H&M collection) !   This busy boy just launched a new book called "Matthew Williamson", written by fashion historian Colin Mc. Dowel, telling the history form his debut collection up to his present succes with a foreword by Sienna Miller and comments from the famous and the fashionables.

Cheer up your week and get some inspiration from this streetstyle images from New York and Paris. Go and express yourself  !

Quote of the day : Fashion fades, style is eternal ( Yves Saint Laurent) xoxo

Sunday

Check out Belgian topmodel Hanne Gaby Odiele in this video, such a cool, down to earth, not so typical blonde. She seduced the world with her eclectic personal style, yes babes, Belgian girls rock ! Have a happy sunday xoxo

O lalala

O lalala, o lalala, c'est magnifique ! We love you, Lara Stone ! While it-girl Alexa Chung is busy denying eating disorder rumors, curvy is winning from skinny this season. Yep, boys, curves are back !

 Just look at Prada's runway where Victoria Secret Models like Lara Stone, Doutzen Kroes, Miranda kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio... were modelling. Their bombshell look was followed on other catwalks by Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana.....

For Dolce & Gabbana the "bombshell"-look means tailored jackets, knickers, no thights, and heels . Hmm, I am not sure if this half-naked look would be appropriate for your office, so you better check with Human Resources first. 

Given my love for fashion, I have to be a style-spy sometimes, like today: Check out this beautifull bride in the streets of Antwerp in a gorgeous darkgreen Dries Van Noten dress, accessorised with an incredible Dries Van Noten clutch . Love it ! 

I think fashion should be about self-expression, so don't only dress for men because then you're allways second-guessing someone else's tastes.  Men are not that worried about how they look when they go out, are they ? And we don't mind ( as long as they don't wear white socks in their shoes) Check out the delicious Dolce & Gabbana boys ( are they even real ? ) in this ad. 

 "Boys are like stars, there are a million out there but only one will make your dream come true" !!

xoxo

Monday madness

What a hectic day and so much on my mind.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld confirmed that his old muse, Inès de la Fressange, will appear  in his spring/summer 2011 show on tuesday and in his Chanel campaign.  With her age of 53 , yep,  Inès proves that you don't have to be 15 to walk a runway show !

 Cheer up your week with a new fragrance like "Love, Chloé" for women with a powdery scent, light and still musky (with talc and rice)  or have some designer cupcakes, yes, no joke .

Red lips, smokey eyes and bed-head hair, are supposed to give you a seductive autumn look.  With my red nose and bed-head hair I look everything but, I swear. I have to find another way to look like a femme-fatale this week or maybe just be happy with my inner beauty.  Or what about a laid-back look ?
Side parts were everywhere on the catwalk at NY fashion week ( Philipp Lim, L'ren Scott...) , the advice is to keep hair full and unfinished then clip one side loosely or go for a slicked-side hair style....hm, maybe there's my solution .

"Hair style is the final tipoff whether or not a woman really knows herself " ( Hubert de Givenchy)

xoxo

Sunny Sunday

What a nice sunny sunday in Antwerp today and so many exciting things to do in the city: "South Antwerp": a fashion and lifestyle event with catwalk, shopping, champagnebar, loungebar, food and drinks ,
Brunch at the Kloosterstraat where all the shops and restaurants served a nice breakfast with bread, wine, cake, ....... while walking around in the shops and the streets .

It's difficult not to fall in love with the area:  people are wandering around, visiting the antique,-brocante, and vintage-stores ( like n°5 at the Arsenaalstraat, fantastic stuff), looking for original items and timeless objects,  having a drink at the little bars...., there's a nice atmosphere everywhere.  We even discovered a tiny little spot where we bought some 100% natural olive oil at Ann&Bas 's place (at the Verbrande Entrepotstraat)  fresh from their Italian oliveyard.

Things I love, and you might like : hmm so many,  but lets start with three : I just love Dyptique candles ( allways put them on in the evening), I just love my new Isabel Marant sneakers ( will put them on as soon as I finish working, goodbye high heels) I bought them on doctorsadvice: change your shoes as much as possible, so much healthier for your feet... and I love Allie (Alexandra) Crandell from "the City " ( she left The city at the second season), gorgeous American model with a rockchick attitude.

Give your family a happy life, that's all anyone wants ! Have a nice week xoxo