Diana: Her Fashion Story

About a week ago, I could enjoy a couple of days off... And what better place to be at than in London?!

Just before I headed there, a new exhibition about Lady Di got opened. Princess Diana is known because of the tragic car accident that ended her life very abruptly, but also for her amazing fashion sense. It was said that the exhibition exposed the evolution of the Princess's style, from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances, to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life. This was definitely worth a visit! 

Rumour had it that there was a huge interest in the event, which was rapidly confirmed on the website: tickets could no longer be purchased. What a pity! Still, I decided to actually go to Kensington Palace and try to get my hands on some tickets there. If not, a wonderful walk through the Kensington Gardens & Hyde Park would be on the program that afternoon. But luckily I managed to get in!

If you want to go and visit the exhibition yourself, you still have a lot of time left. I can only say the clothes were very nice and well-exposed: you can really see the change Lady Di made from a shy little girl to an overtly glamorous woman. Below you can see a sneak peek of the exhibition, but I would recommend to go yourself when you're visiting London in the near future. 

Fluffy shorts

Looking at this awful drizzly weather - autumn really seems to have arrived - it is time to go back a while and talk about a sunny and happy outfit that I found in my summer archive. I didn't yet have the time to share this super cute pair of shorts with you because I had such a busy summer. But now is the time - read: before it gets too cold and it is not done to talk about bare legs anymore - I really really really wanted to show this particular piece of my closet that I adore so much! People who know me personally are themselves well aware that I'm a sucker for shorts… I have loads of them, so for me each and every time it is about finding that one pair that really blows my mind. And this exemplar from Sandro is definitely such a pair. When I entered the shop in London it immediately caught my eye and I - and of course it - was sold in a sec! I love the color that is so simple and is perfectly balanced with the fluffy part. It is eccentric but not too eccentric. It is an eye-catcher but not too much of an eye-catcher. It is fluffy but not "so fluffy I'm gonna die" ;). 

What do you guys think? 

Outfit: shorts Sandro - blouse Zara  

Stan Smith: edition 'ribbed'

The iconic Stan Smith sneakers are having one of the biggest fashion revivals... you just see them everywhere! I hope that you guys, as co-fashion lovers, already know the real origin of this shoe? If not, please do read further… 

Stanley Roger "Stan" Smith was a famous American tennis player during the late sixties and seventies. Because of his big success, Adidas approached him in 1971 to ask permission for naming a shoe after him. The shoe changed from being solely used in tennis in the beginning to a real fashion item nowadays. Fun fact: it is said that this contract between Smith and Adidas is one of the most influential sneaker sponsorships in sports history. 

What is very remarkable about this sneaker, is that - unlike most of the other Adidas sneakers - it doesn't have the typical 3 stripes on the side. Instead of that, there are three rows of external perforations. 

When the Stan Smith hype started in 2014 with the re-launching of the sneaker - they were taken out of production in 2012 but returned in 2014 with an option to customize your own pair by adding your name or all kinds of colors - I wasn't really sure if I wanted to join or not… At a certain point everybody was wearing them, even the people who normally never wear sneakers! But actually I must admit I've always liked the design: it is very simple and you could say that the Adidas branding on the shoe itself is quite minimal. During my time in London a few weeks ago (see my earlier post), I spotted these beauties in the official Adidas shop and was finally convinced to join the hype: the ribbed fabric distinguishes this pair from the typical one and just adds something extra. 

What do you guys think of the Stan Smith sneakers? Are you a fan or not?

Savage Beauty - Exhibition Alexander McQueen London

A couple of weeks ago I went to London just for one day. Main goal: seeing the Alexander McQueen exhibition. This visit was standing very high on my to do list for quite a while and the clock was ticking fast and loud as the first and largest retrospective in Europe of McQueen's work was almost over... So during the exams I decided to book a train ticket to pay the Victoria and Albert Museum a visit and - lucky me - a shopping day during sales in my favorite fashion city was attached! ;)

Although I'm not really a fan of McQueen's creations, he was a truly remarkable person in the fashion world and the creator of some iconic pieces that will be remembered forever (think of the skull-print scarfs that have nestled around the necks of several celebrities during the past few years or the armadillo shoes that  became really famous because of Lady Gaga wearing them in her video Bad Romance). For me this exhibition was a wonderful homage for McQueen, who tragically died in 2010. It perfectly represents the evolutions that his collections made and the way in which his creative thinking changed over the years. 

But the passing away of McQueen didn't mean the end of the brand. Until today the brand Alexander McQueen still exists, having Sarah Burton as the creative director. I'm a really big fan of her designs (think of the beautiful wedding dress she made for the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton) and personally I think she makes the new 'Alexander McQueen creations' more accessible and wearable.  

During the exhibition, it was strictly forbidden to take pictures but I just couldn't leave without having a memory of this stunning exposition. I - very sneaky - tried my best to capture some moments for you guys: ENJOY! And if you want to visit the museum yourself, hurry up, because it ends in 2 days… 

South Bank/Bankside (part 2)

Oh yes, today again some London based pictures! After making the blogpost last week, some friends said that they didn't understand the 'feeling' that I was talking about in the article. They say the first thing you do when visiting London is going to the Big Ben. Well… I don't agree ;) ! As already said, it is fun to see mister BB from time to time, but I think London has much more to offer! So my advise to you guys, for your next trip to London: go visit the places where you've never been before. Just take the tube to somewhere and discover the area by yourself. 

Here you have some nice tips:

1/ Hampstead: If you like architecture (for example the Hampstead theatre), then this area is definitely worth your visit! There are some nice interior shops as well, but quite pricy… (tube station Hampstead)

2/ Islington: Upper street is full of nice and fun shops/lunch places, whilst Camden Passage is full of cheeky antique shops -> fun fact: Tony Blair used to live in this area (tube station Angel or Highbury & Islington) 

3/ Shoreditch: For the moment this is one of my fav's! There are a lot of cool independent shops and it seems like all the hip and trendy people are gathering here. Still a lot to discover, so again on my list for the next trip! -> delicious: Pizza East: part of the Soho House group and presenting so much more than just a regular pizza (tube station: Liverpool street) 

<Pictures below taken in and around Tate Modern>

South Bank/Bankside (part 1)

Do you know the feeling that when you end a visit in London and you're sitting on the train back home looking outside the window, realizing you didn't see the Big Ben? Well, I've been having that feeling a couple of times the past few years, and this time I was going to do something about that! Because the Big Ben is such a big touristic thing, I almost always avoid the Westminster area, but still I have to admit that I like seeing it once in a while (checking if it is still there ;p). So on day one of the trip, the Big Ben was on top of the menu! When walking from the Bankside towards South Bank, you get a beautiful view of this famous clock located in the Palace of Westminster, with alongside the London Eye, also one of the most visited attractions in the world. I love strolling alongside the Thames and watching London from different angles: so stunning! 

Outfit: coat Sandro - cap Essentiel - handbag Essentiel - gloves Scapa - sweater Topshop - scarf Topshop - necklace Anne Zellien - sneakers New Balance

Nothing Hill

Hi guys! Today I want to treat you with an outfit post and what is a better place to do some outfit shooting than L to the ONDEN?!?!?!? Next to being my favorite city in the whole wide world, I also think it is one of the few cities that really breathes fashion on a day to day basis. London just always knows what is hot and happening. It was such a long time ago that I walked through the cosy streets of Nothing Hill (and no, not looking after Hugh Grant ;)), so taking the tube had a double purpose that day: shooting some pics and doing some house hunting (you'll never now right?!). And oh yeah, I'm very proud of my new white coat! I know, again an oversized one, but I'm just such a cold kiddo that I love to wrap myself up with a big coat, a beanie and a warm scarf. And that was really necessary that day with the cold wind finding its way through London town. Hope you like the pics and especially the setting! 

Outfit: coat Topshop - beanie Retrogue - scarf Zara - sneakers New Balance - bag Essentiel - gloves Scapa 

Underground

Living in the UK the past few months made me more Anglophile than ever! Here in the north of England, people are super friendly, calling you 'love' and 'darling' the whole time (quite weird in the beginning when even the bus driver calls you his love!). The atmosphere is so wonderful, I just love living here. So when I saw this iPhone cover, I thought I'm now totally able to pull it of, being a semi-brit myself ;) -> Just a mnemonic to not get lost in the London underground when I'm going back there. 

Alexander Wang X H&M

Just like last year, I really wanted to get my hands on a piece of the H&M collab from this year: Alexander Wang. Sad part of my goal was that because I'm studying abroad now, that was as good as impossible. The closest shop for me was located in Manchester, but due to the huge amount of work that I have for university, I wasn't able to plan a trip for this Alexander Wang madness. The only chance I would maybe have, was in London because I was going there for the weekend to visit my family. For me it seemed kind of impossible (again) because that trip was 2 full days after the launch of the collection. Last year the Isabel Marant collection was sold out in less than an hour - and that was in Gent, Belgium - so how would it be possible that in one of the biggest fashion cities in the world that would be different? 

So on Saturday the 8th of November, we went shopping in the Regent street area, where also one of the H&M stores, who had the collection available, was located. In the United Kingdom you could only shop the collection in Birmingham, Manchester and London… That is so strange if you know that in my little country Belgium you could find the clothes in Gent, Brussels, Antwerp and I think in even some other H&M's. England, I sincerely expected more from you ;) ! 

But I have to admit one thing to you guys: it wasn't really love at first sight with the collection. When I heard the collab was with Alexander Wang, I was so excited because I love his creations and the fabrics that he uses. But when I saw the first images of the collection - also remember the pictures of Rihanna wearing a top and a legging kind of pants - I was so so so so disappointed. Almost all the clothes looked unwearable. I definitely like sporty clothes, but this was just over the top. Although I hated most of the collection, there were a few pieces where I was really fond of: the backpacks, the white and black tops, the grey WANG sweater (I would've bought the one made for men, because the female one was a crop-sweater and I knew I would never wear that), the black sweater/jacket and the grey black coat. 

So when I entered the H&M shop in London I had low expectations… But they increased quite fast, when I saw a big banner of Alexander Wang and still a lot of clothes under that banner (hurray!). I started screening everything that I could screen, and realized that of course a lot of the pieces were the big sizes or the completely unwearable and expensive stuff. I grabbed one of the t-shirts, that I really liked and headed to the first floor to check if there was some stuff left from the guys. Unfortunately this check-up ended up negative. So I went down to the ground floor for a last look, and then I saw the black sweater/jacket that I wanted, just hanging there all alone… This one wasn't there before, so I saw my chance, grabbed it, fitted it, and (thank you parents!) bought it! Operation Wang in London: awesome! I have to admit, it was quite an expensive operation, but it was definitely worth it because that day was the first day where I could call myself the owner of an Alexander Wang design ;) 

Click here to check out all the pieces separately ! 

Backstage, front row and trends @ LFW

The fashion weeks galore is over - sigh - so it's the perfect time to reflect on what I've seen and noticed during this fashion circus. Because I can currently call myself a citizen of the United Kingdom, my focus was mainly on the London fashion week (and if I'm being honest, I just love this one most of all!). During my first week in Sheffield, I've already met lots of new people, and some of them are fashion victims just like me. While chitchatting, lfw was also one of the topics, and apparently the BBC made 3 episodes about London fashion week. I just had to check this out! Beneath, you can find the links to the episodes, and I can highly recommend them to you if you're interested in experiencing lfw through the eyes of a fashion insider. 

Backstage at lfw with Susie Lau

Frontrow at lfw with Abbey Clancy

Trends at lwf with Daisy Lowe

picture from blog Susie Lau www.stylebubble.co.uk 

picture with Abbey Clancy on the left www.express.co.uk

picture with Daisy Lowe, Pixie Geldof and my all time favorite Alexa Chung www.mirror.co.uk

Boy oh boy

Have you ever heard of the brand Boy London? It's quite underground so not very well-known, but since a few years it's on a revival supported by all kinds of celebrities (Rihanna, Rita Ora, Cara Delevingne, Wiz Khalifa...)! You can definitely say that the brand is quite dark, but totally not in a bad way! Coincidence that I bought my sweater at Camden Town?! Not at all, as this is a melting pot of  all kinds of extraordinary people (so amazing!). 

This time I combined it with my black printed pants, biker boots and my burgundy coat to soften all the blackness. You like? 

Outfit: sweater Boy London - pants Zara - boots Zara - coat Sandro - bracelet Isabel Marant for H&M

It's Christmas time...

For me the upcoming period is definitely the most beautiful time of the year. I'm over the moon with everything that's linked to Christmas: the tree, the cosy moments of being together with your loved ones, the good food, the presents... Also the Christmas songs are absolutely super essential when it comes to the month December (non stop on my iPod). 

Last year, during this period, I was in the most amazing city in the world: London! Ok, for me this city never can do wrong, but last year it seemed that also in Christmas setting London is thé most beautiful place on earth. And on top of that, for a shopping freak like me, an extreme walhalla! Can't wait to be back!!! 

Here some images to show you guys what I mean... And don't forget to shake it up, because it's Christmas time! Are you guys going on some special Christmas shopping trips? 

Picture 1 Covent Garden - Picture 2 Covent Garden - Picture 3 Camden Town - Picture 4 Oxford Street - Picture 5 Piccadilly Circus - Picture 6 Big Ben - Picture 7 Buckingham Palace - Picture 8 London Eye - Picture 9 Carnaby Street