heleen db

2011-03-24T16:43:00.001+01:00

hiatus

2011-02-12T14:38:00.002+01:00

We draw the red velvet curtains, raise our glass to yet another vanishing act. Your body an ode to oblivion. Temporary disappearance, here's to hoping the sea will swallow.

"Je t'adore à l'égal de la voûte nocturne" - Charles Baudelaire

Don't know if I'll be back yet, but I'll still be accessible for those willing to reach.

image: "All is vanity", by Charles Allan Gilbert.

Marvellous millinery

2011-02-05T22:00:00.001+01:00

"This autumn, Jones celebrates the 30th anniversary of his House, Stephen Jones Millinery. The MoMu-Fashion Museum marks that anniversary with an exceptional exhibition. It houses the largest collection of Stephen Jones hats – more than 120 items – outside Great Britain.
The exhibition Stephen Jones & The Accent of Fashion guides you through the unique world of a hatmaker who has worked with many of the greatest names in the international fashion scene for three decades: Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Comme des Garçons, Claude Montana, John Galliano, Christian Dior, Azzedine Alaïa,Walter Van Beirendonck, Marc Jacobs, and many more. Stephen Jones plays a unique behind-the-scenes role in fashion because of the unparalleled freedom he is given by designers, allowing his work to influence the image of a collection. Just as accents in language lead to the correct reading and rhythm of a text, Jones’s hats add the appropriate punctuation to a designer’s fashion statement.
As well as Stephen Jones’s numerous collaborations with designers, the exhibition also looks more closely at his work in film, music and photography, his early years in the London of the New Romantics, his unique relationship with fashion icon Anna Piaggi, his design process and the sources of inspiration behind his creations." (taken from the MoMu website)

A few photos taken at the Stephen Jones Exhibition in the Fashion Museum of Antwerp. The man's a creative genius. Fantastic to see the imagination inside his head being transformed into things you can put on your head.

I leave for Paris this Tuesday so this will be my last post until I return, bisous!

wish you'd taste the venom in my kisses

2011-01-29T22:40:00.003+01:00

My fingers dig deep, buried in your flesh. This is no lust nor love, this is pure science - the vivisection of your heart. You're Eros and I am Thanatos. Can't you see we'll inevitably destroy eachother? My eyelids are still warm with your breath. This is mutual annihilation at its best.

Johanna Stickland & Chanel by Chad Muller for Bambi Magazine.

Grad

2011-01-13T00:05:00.002+01:00

Those who follow me on tumblr might have noticed I went on a bit of a post-binge yesterday. I had just discovered the work of Nicole Obidowski and was (still am) absolutely smitten. I love how her love for perfect proportions and a subdued colour palette culminates in a refreshing take on minimalism. I tried to google some more information on her, but apart from the fact she's based in Vancouver, I didn't find much. Now, I don't know what Vancouver is like, but she makes it seem like a cool place.

The pictures here are all from her Grad Collection lookbook, photographed by Ivan Zhao and featuring Anna-Lise Schmidt. Nicole Obidowski also has a tumblr and a site.

I cannot understand why my arm is not a lilac tree

2011-01-08T18:27:00.006+01:00

Seeing as exams are rendering me absolutely incapable of writing anything of remote interest, I figured I'd better leave you with a bunch of links to visit while I cram subject matter in my brain and await better times. Just click the +'s and you'll be redirected to more entertaining corners of the internet. Feel free to leave me your own latest online discoveries - they make for excellent study breaks. Also; I'm going to Paris (yet again) in February and would love to hear what your favourite part of the city is! Bisous,

pictures in this post: J'aime Paris by Andrea Pola

• interview with Jonathan Waiter +
• music video by David Shama for David Lynch's 'I Know' +
• Dries van Noten f/w 2002 campaign, shot by Yelena Yemchuk +
• short documentary on Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) +
• beautiful (and slightly spooky) fashion videos by Salazar +
• 'Touched by Youth' editorial by Collier Schorr for Dazed & Confused +
• Vamoose's 'from the earth' inspiration post +

Graveyard of whispers

2010-12-31T14:39:00.007+01:00

The day is drowning in the horizon while I roam dark, carpeted alleyways in this abandoned building. Theories and stories, words piled upon eachother, entire towers of Knowledge majestically rising . (Physical, metaphorical, what are interpretations anyway?) The silence here doesn't affect me, there's chanting and elusive hymns winding their way to my heart. Like snowflakes melting at their first touch with the ground. Like your laughter three seats behind me, like a comforting rumble of froth-laced seawaves. Liquor in the library results in whispering poems back to their authors. What is a library more than a graveyard of whispers? I soon find my fingertips capped in dust from brushing broken spines. A fountain pain swirls across the paper. My personal garden spade, a tool to bury this knowledge underneath my scalp.

(Goodbye! Au revoir! Happy new year! I'm retreating into social hibernation - atleast until exams are over.)

ps; listen to this Obsessions (cover Marina) by Roselien

ph: Kasia truss by Hugh Lippe in 'Prelude to winter', via

chthonic

2010-12-26T00:42:00.004+01:00

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Hecate, also called Agriope ('savage face'), was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition. She is associated with lunar lore, curses and concoction of medicines and poisons. She is also sometimes associated with cypress, a tree symbolic of death and the underworld.

Where milky moonlight meets the back of your eyelids, goodnight. (And joyeux Noël!)

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antler

2010-12-12T18:38:00.003+01:00

new ring:Jutka&Riska

The air we breathe is static. Does winter bloom, too?

00:00

2010-12-01T18:36:00.001+01:00

Note to self: stop falling asleep with fantasies cradled against your chest.

Horrid! And gold flushed more

2010-11-27T19:57:00.003+01:00

Thursday night was grobing Alice Glass' leg, dancing to Joy Division and The Cure at the afterparty, losing both my oversized glitterjumper and my decency while I flicked my hair back and forth, a crazy carousel of ringlets. It was a dark playground by midnight, kicking our feet towards the moon. It was vehemence at its best, it was the air at war, wonderfully destructive and gloriously intense. I woke up covered in bruises and smelling like someone else's breath.

the descent

2010-11-24T19:54:00.004+01:00

I wear early nightfall like a blanket. This darkness is to be revelled in. Hiding from humans, for their glances cause worse injuries than scissors or a concrete wall. There's blood on the carpet again, and mould beneath the sink, and everything in me is crumbling except for all I desire. 'No rest for the wicked, need something for the brain'.

Beautiful portraits of Merethe Hopland by Billy Kidd, found via fgr. Check the video out as well.
words: private

tripping

2010-11-19T19:08:00.002+01:00

toasting on London and my birthday! :)

Pictures from my citytrip to London, 28/10 - 31/10. All photos taken by Sarah Hermans. There's nothing like sitting by the fire on a cold, cold night and looking through pictures from good times. I adore my beautiful friends.

Winter of despair

2010-11-12T16:25:00.003+01:00

ph credit

"Everything, all that I’ve written, is grey. My life, even my mental life, has been like a drizzly day in which everything is non-occurrence and haziness, empty privilege and forgotten purpose. I agonize in tattered silks. In the light and in tedium I see but don’t know myself." - Fernando Pessoa

(I wish I still could dream.) There are only a gazillion raindrops to conquer, and just as many nervous breakdowns.

The anatomy of melancholy

2010-11-07T12:27:00.002+01:00

She's spread accross the bed in a tangled mess of limbs and strands of hair. Vulnerable, delicate like a broken bird. I can see her wings flutter when she sighs and mutters phrases belonging to a dream I'm no part of. Don't believe me when I say there were only words, only beads attached to eachother, the cheapest bracelet I could give you. These are the diamonds trickling down your skin, this is blaring silence in the midst of the night.

The urban soundtrack of a metropole drones in the background while I ponder, dropping ashes to the pavement, blowing wishes with every exhale.

words: private
ph: Sophie Vlaming by Annemarie van Drimmelen via noirfacade

Victorian mischief

2010-11-02T11:25:00.005+01:00

Came home from London with a dress the colour of a hazy sunset and a necklace with the portrait of a poised lady. However, the lovely discoveries (amongst them artist Kitty Valentine, to which the artwork in this post belongs to) and memories are now shrouded with the shadow of death and decay. Spent three hours in the Emergency Room of a hospital, one hour wandering across the cemetery and what seemed like an infinite night twisting and turning, trying to avoid confrontation with all that is life - and all that life is not.
How was your Halloween?

All work is by London-based painted Kitty Valentine, who claims to be "fascinated by the mysterious side of nature and gypsy superstitions, folklore, birds and stars, swans, insects, skulls, italians, victorians and heraldry." She sells her prints on various places in London and also owns an Etsy-shop.

stocked

2010-10-23T10:53:00.006+02:00

Chloé trousers, maroon jumper from Sessùn, New Look boots, second-hand necklace

The past two days were dedicated to Antwerp's 'Designer Days', which is the new name for the biannual designers' stock sales. Imagine large, semi-dilapidated buildings stacked with clothing from your favourite brands and you get a fairly good impression of what it was like. I visited Dries Van Noten, Rogier41 en Ra (both stores that sell from a range of different designers), Bruno Pieters, A.P.C, Sessùn, April77 and A.F. Vandevorst.
Anddd I met the sweet Stefanie from Yes Please Mademoiselle, who was wearing a beautiful duffle coat... Mhmm. Where was it from again, Stefanie?

at Bruno Pieters

A.F. Vandevorst's infamous hoof heels

Was serrrriously tempted by this stunning jacket from Haider Ackermann, grah, bloody gorgeous it was. In hindsight, I kind of regret not buying it...

Ra stocksale

Beautiful jacket by Ann Demeulemeester (but several sizes too large)

Bruno Pieters again

I went home with a pair of menswear-inspired trousers from Chloé (total score at the Ra stocksale), a maroon jumper from Sessùn with short sleeves and gold buttons at the back and on the pockets and these boots with sheepskin flap from New Look (not exactly designer stuff but I still love them).

I rode this outfit towards a full moon.

On the run

2010-10-19T12:56:00.007+02:00

On The Run Jeffrey Campbell F/W 2010 from andrea cruz on Vimeo.

Now I'm not the kind of girl who's usually drawn to shoes designed by someone who, when you google his brand, has the words 'ultra-hip' in the first hit, but I gladly make an exception for Jeffrey Campbell's Litas. It gets better when you click through to his actual site and are welcomed by the cute video above, depicting three models-turned-spies in a black&white Brooklyn, with in the background the enigmatic tunes of a cello.
In fact the Litas are nothing more than excellently done Charles Anastase knock-offs, which probably contributes to their irresistable aura. And I know these have been swamping the blogging world, which -I admit- is a bit of a turn-off, but usually the accompanying pictures of stylish ladies wearing these are enough to win me over again. A perfectly massive wooden heel, a chunky platform and executed in premium leather or luxurious suede or even pony hair. Mmm. (Descriptions of items of clothing usually cause the same reaction with me as when I read a menu card in a restaurant, does this occur with anyone else as well?)
I heard nothing but positive feedback on their comfort level as well, but unfortunately they aren't immediately available in Belgium nor do my student finances allow slightly irresponsible purchases such as towering heels. However, I am going to London at the end of this month (to celebrate my birthday and visit a beloved friend) and will be looking for them there. Perhaps seeing them in physical form might trigger me into buying them regardless.

FrouFrouu

The Cherry Blossom Girl

Speaking of London (going there to celebrate my birthday, the 29th! and visiting a beloved friend), tipssss please. Where should I go to shop, scour markets, drink coffee, drink other things that usually lead to an advanced state of inebriation, look at art (museum/galleries), party, enjoy the tranquility of nature or immerse myself in the anonymity of a metropolitan? Also, if any of you happen to live in London or nearby, I'd love to meet up!

ps; thank you all for the feedback on the new layout. I still have to adjust some minor details but I'm quite pleased with the overall look.

Reverie

2010-10-11T20:37:00.003+02:00

Visions of her beset him
with false and fleeting pleasure
When dreams are dark and deep.
He sees her, runs to hold her;
But slipping through his fingers,
Lightly departs his treasure,
The dream he cannot keep,
Wafted on wings that follow
The shadowy paths of sleep
- Agamemnon, Aeschylus

(because, sometimes, life is much alike Greek tragedy
ostensibly grand, but with death looming.)
The void consumes me, I consume nothing.

ph credit

i'm the dark, you're the thunder

2010-10-06T19:40:00.000+02:00

Remember this rather verbose post where I talked (or dreamed, more likely) about what I wanted my style for autumn to represent? Well, the inspiration folder on my laptop has been bursting at its seams so I figured I might illustrate that piece of writing with some visual aid. All of the photos posted evoke that inspirational spark to get dressed in autumnal shades, scarves, layers and knits.

Other announcements; with the second birthday of my blog passing, I figured it was time to change the layout a bit and even introduce a new header image. It's a picture taken on my first day in my new student (still sparsely decorated, I admit) room in Antwerp. I like the simplicity, the minimalistic purity. That being said, I also still liked my previous header image so who knows - I might put it back on in a while. Thoughts?
Also, with the academic year starting I've barely had time to read (not school-related literature, I mean) or write or draw, let alone time to take outfit pictures. I don't even know if you enjoy those anyway...? If you do, I don't mind exploiting that narcistic side of the insecure girl inside me but for now, it just feels ridiculous posing in front of a camera with that blinking red light of the self-timer on.
Last question; thoughts on the fashion collections for ss11? Like I mentioned before, I've been too busy to look at them all but from the ones I've seen I particularly liked Charles Anastase, Ann Demeulemeester & Haider Ackermann (duh.), Nicolas Andreas Taralis and Theyskens' Theory.

photo sources: Freja Beha for Dossier Magazine / Saga / unknown / self-made Ruby Aldridge collage, pictures via tfs / Space is no longer the final frontier via Rackk and Ruin / Topshop Unique f/w10 / Freja Beha for Dossier Magazine / Hannah & Landon ///

bonemouth

2010-09-26T13:19:00.002+02:00

I walk determined. With the wind in my back and the strands of hair that escaped my carefully tied knot blowing in front of me, almost as if they're guiding the way. I'm going away, temporarily leaving this town and its sickness behind, heading for things infinitely more grand, more exciting. I'm flying away and you won't be able to follow me unless you tie rainbow-coloured kites to your ankles. Please do, please do, the sky's so empty without you. I buried your letter underneath my pillow and now the saccharine scent of vanilla infiltrates my dreams. If pretty girls make graves, she's got a cemetery at her feet.

Beautiful and haunting artwork by Chloe Piene. In order or appearance; DEATH CARRYING HER BROOD // MERRE // BONEMOUTH

Move pen move

2010-09-20T10:42:00.003+02:00

My brain's a carousel and it's spinning, spinning, spinning. It was a clear, starry sky. Our breath made pale dragons in the air and it made me wonder if perhaps I'd blow hard enough, I could return all my demons to their home of cold darkness. The cold darkness that surrounded the moving bodies around me but didn't seem to affect them, for they were all still glittering gold and sunbeams shone from their pupils while I hid mine underneath the black canvas from my eyelids. Am I an artist for painting worlds within myself?

Quick trip to what is our local Goodwill/Salvation Army (but is called "Spit" here) resulted in the following: Dr Martens for €8 and an oversized oblong jumper in a gorgeous auburn shade (€4). Also wearing a skirt from Urban Outfitters, glitter socks from Zara and stockings from the dusty upper shelf in my wardrobe.

ALONE (together?)

2010-09-15T21:02:00.005+02:00

Today I experienced my first bit of leaf-crunching of the year. It is almost hard to remember colder weather is on its way whilst being bombarded with flowy, breezy runway looks which seem entirely prepared to be sweat-soaked within minutes from now (up 'till now, I think Doo.Ri did them best) as well as skin-baring athletic wear. In this situation, I find it useful to recapitulate the fashion of more gloomier days - I'm of course talking about autumn/winter 2010-2011. For the upcoming season, I think (hope?) my style will be inspired by themes such as witchcraft and goddesses from the underworld, metamorphose versus stagnancy, the quick-paced rhythm of a metropole and the utter bliss in Waldeinsamkeit. Garments executed in rich yet delicate fabrics, lace and velvet and wool, stained with a colour palette that seems immediately derived from old-school gardening; think olive, pumpkin, caramel and the colour of the world on foggy mornings. Clothes inebriated with the scent of petrichor. They melt together into intricate layer constructions with sturdy knits and satin ribbons to keep both my feet and head safely secured to reality.

Take the High Road, Photographed by Venetia Scott

Nature Seems To Be Fashionable Again, Photographed & styled by Venetia Scott

The Magic Show, photographed by Juergen Teller

All of the editorials posted were styled by Venetia Scott and the pictures were taken from her tfs-thread. She really is a styling genius.

Last of summer's glory

2010-09-09T20:32:00.004+02:00

I am writing this accompanied by the melody of Autumn's first raindrops on the roof. It might not be officially autumn yet (the most melancholic of all seasons, don't you agree?), but I always felt as if it are the first weeks of September that truly indicate the upcoming weather changes, far more profound than a fixed date ever could. However, with summer's clarity slowly being replaced by the diagonal strokes of golden sunlight that are so typical for the upcoming season, I'm finding myself whispering Thoreau's wise words;

One must maintain a little bittle of summer, even in the middle of winter.

Let us forever remember the halcyon days of summers past, so they might keep us warm when myriad cups of tea can't. In celebration of these last days of blue skies and bare legs, me and my dark-haired Pâquerette went to our beloved fields to test out her new camera. The results raised much approval from us both, so I'm predicting many more photoshoots to come!

Twilight dancing

2010-09-05T11:36:00.003+02:00

Within less than a fortnight, this package travelled all the way from Australia to my doorstep. The envelope is made from recycled material, to (I quote) "reduce waste and increase support for our planet." Inside of it were two absolutely adorable badges from Peach Patrol. I suggest you check out her etsy shop because she carries a wonderful range of more badges, hand-painted moleskine journals and little illustrated postcards. I also adore how she always includes the story behind the original painting of her goods. For my badges I learnt that one of them shows a beautiful dancing girl's passion for her craft, while the other one tells the story of a girl magnetically, mystically drawn to the moon...

I am now heading outside for a walk in the forest, to soak up some much-needed sunshine after spending most of the past week locked inside the Ikea building. Yep, that's right - I am now earning money with selling desks and very convenient bookcases. I need a healthy financial status to pay for my apartment in... ANTWERP next year. Needless to say I'm ridiculously excited to start living in Belgium's fashion capital. Bonne journée, mes oiseaux!

I bathe in cobweb

2010-08-30T22:00:00.003+02:00

Atleast this continuous roar soaring from the depths within is more comforting than the Demons' lullabies in the quiet hours. The tightness of my stomach, the polkadots that cloud my vision whenever I rise, the overall feeling of displacement as if no, you don't belong here; like ghosts are weaving fog around my bones, like they're replacing bone marrow with stardust. Ma pâquerette looks at me with wondrous eyes, "I never thought of falling UP!" and I reply it's all I can think about. "Martian will be the new Chinese" but I think I lost her there. Spiders crawl from the bathtub and I watch them indifferently, I now bathe in cobweb.

Wearing a secondhand striped bodysuit, my grandfather's old trousers (I like the idea of staples such as these tailored trouses transcending generations, and therefore in a way transcending the bounderies of Time), handmade necklace with a vintage watch and some chains I had lying around, secondhand hooker heels, vintage ring. Hm, I just realised none of this stuff is new and in fact, the most expensive part about this outfit is the jewellery (respectively €7 and €5). Makes a total of €14. Not bad.

Can you feel the wind of Venus on your skin?

2010-08-26T19:54:00.002+02:00

Gif animator

Mhmm, I fear that I've been stuck in a bit of a creative rut lately. Most days I prefer dressing-up like imaginary characters from my mind and/or daydreaming about spending my birthday in London and the possibilities of start my own magazine with some friends. But drawing - no, writing - no, nothing. Whatever I create seems so awfully mediocre that I'd much rather tear it into shreds and create snowstorms of paperscraps (always looking for the poetry in destruction). Even this little piece of text seems awfully bland compared with the whimsical prose I'm usually so attracted to. To get back on track I'm asking for your help: please share something that inspires you. It could be art, photography, movie;book or blog recommendations, (online) magazines you like to read - whatever triggers inspiration!

Also, how do you like my hooker heels? They're the latest addition to my dress-up trunk (although I might wear them outside as soon as I don't trip over the cobblestones on my street anymore). Not too bad for €1, eh.

Pocahontas came to me in a reverie

2010-08-22T17:26:00.004+02:00

My alarm went off at 5 this morning, a scenario so horrid that it's more suitable for a dystopian novel than real life. However, I had exciting plans to look forward to: I went to the antique & vintage fair in Tongeren, which is supposedly the biggest of its kind in the entire Benelux. After some delays (never trust the public transport) I safely arrived and immediately forgot about my fatigue: the fair exceeded even my highest expectations. We walked around for 5 hours and I still believe we didn't see about half of it. The streets and squares were filled with booths, vendors praising their goods to the interested customers and lots, lots, LOTS of antique. We came across a dressmaker's dummy dating back to 1890, sterling silver chandeliers, vintage suitcases and creepy-looking dolls, many stunning pieces of jewelry - amethyst rings, emerald earrings, brooches with adorable hand-painted portraits of girls with golden ringlets, ... There were hats, with or without feathers, lace and pearls, a gazillion teacups with matching floral saucers, everything from picnic baskets to whole sets of furniture (including velvet chairs!), a delicate looking cradle that once probably held a Victorian child, gilded pendants and photo frames, gateau dishes, gold buttons, monocles! Oh, I could go on...

I didn't buy that much (see last picture) but I'll definitely return to scour for some more delightful goods!

And here's what I bought;

A set of two boîtes aux lettres, to store my handwritten correspondences; 2 metres of delicate pink ribbon; a velvet bow tie; owl earrings. I also bought a silver ring with the most interesting shape, but that one will undoubtly appear in an outfit post sooner or later.

in limbo

2010-08-17T23:48:00.002+02:00

Two very old drawings and a fairly recent one, while I'm eagerly waiting for life to excite me.
I scrutinize the personalities surrounding me, scour them for passion and inevitably return disappointed. Ravenous monsters grow inside blood vessels and they create rainbow-coloured bruises on my skin that look like nebulae. My throat aches, my stomach growls, let me still my insatiable thirst with the lava of life! Set my intestines on fire! (This inertia is sickening.) Fire! Madness! Exuberance! I want to see people spit flames instead of words.

Water sank our boats

2010-08-12T17:51:00.003+02:00

blue shirt: dad's old / grey dress and polkadot tights: h&m / boots: New Look / scarf: my mum's old

dress: Jutka & Riska / red belt and purse: hand-me-downs / ballet flats: Urban Outfitters

handdrawn top

fur jacket: our dress-up trunk in the attic / jeans: Lux / t-shirt: clothing's exchange / tote bag: prize from a giveaway over at See Hear Say

These photos are part outfit post, part snippets of life. It makes me feel kind of cheap listing the clothes I wear, ha. Currently reading Anaïs Nin and being astounded with the fact someone went through the exact same sentiments 80 years ago as the ones I am feeling at present.

If you could choose a book or story to live in, which one would you pick?

red velvet pumps: vintage (€2!)

Who could imagine a poet wearing anything other than black?

2010-08-06T13:11:00.003+02:00

I sometimes (often) wish this blog wasn't so self-absorbed and that I'd write more about fashion, art and literature. Those are the domains where in my true passions lie. I find the ambivalence of fashion madly intriguing and I think exploring that fine border between utter superficialness and the way clothes can be an extension of someone's character and personality offers many possibilities. Moreover, I believe the domain of fashion can be an excellent place for different art forms to meet and intertwine – the combination of a designer's craftmanship and photography, film and even illustration can lead to such exciting results! However, I've always been more of a silent admirer than an avid participater and I'm afraid my ineloquent words can never do justice to the original product. “How vain is it to sit down and write when you have not yet stood up to live?” Exclamations like “I DIE” or “Oh god stunning shoes” hardly contribute anything worthwhile, now do they. And just posting pretty pictures or artwork without background information seems so pointless as well. Hm, things to ponder about...

Opticorum Libri Sex (1613) classified black and white as being 'extreme colours', 100 years later they get banned from the colour spectrum by Isaac Newton.

Gareth Pugh spring/summer 09

Helena Lumelsky, autumn/winter 09, Dark, dress with trompe l'oeuil effect inspired by film noir

Anyway, these photos were taken at the BLACK: Masters of black in fashion & costume exhibition in Antwerp's museum of fashion. The show focuses on the importance of black in history as well as today, and offers a wide range of silhouettes by various Belgian designers and international couturiers. With pieces from Ann Demeulemeester, Olivier Theyskens, Gareth Pugh, Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe (and those are just a few names), the entire exhibition was a feast for the eyes. Every aspect of designing with the non-colour black gets addressed; connotations like mourning and funerals were beautifully incorporated in Viktor & Rolf's Black Hole collection. Gareth Pugh's spring/summer 09 collection played with the duality and contrast between black and white and Olivier Theyskens has always been known for his dark, romantic silhouettes - brimming with elegance and mystery.
Overall, I think this exhibition beautifully accomplished its mission of showing the myriad interpretations and creativity black can lead to in fashion design. In fact, I liked it so much that I visited it twice, hehe.

Raf Simons, autumn/winter 1999-2000, Disorder Incubation Isolation

Christope Coppens, Couture 2005, Dream your dream

fan in chantilly lace, 1880-1900

Feed me to the forest

2010-07-30T22:35:00.003+02:00

Come, let's live inside tree trunks. We could drink resin for breakfast and spend our days cloud-gazing, discovering the shapes of our demons until we're made from cotton candy. And at night, the moon shall sink into our hearts, chanting lullabies of frozen babies and immortality; it'll be like a foggy mountain made of melodies, stretching its mouth (dehydrated lips, rotten teeth), swallowing us whole. Inside, we will search for echoes of the lives we once lived but you know just as well as I they are buried underneath the gravel of our souls, a feast for the cockroaches. I promise to wear my prettiest dress on dates, woven from glossamer threads and embroidered with withered rose petals. Let's adopt wasps for children so they can teach us how to sting with words. Perhaps you can help me define me because I'm so tired of playing hide and seek within myself.

ph & words private

It’s unfortunate and I really wish I wouldn’t have to say this, but I like human beings who have suffered. They’re kinder.

2010-07-25T14:02:00.007+02:00

I keep having conversations in my sleep and forgetting whether they were dreams or not.

Playing around with my new camera results in the following.
1:sunflower that mysteriously appeared on my doorstep // 2: souvenir from a far-away journey // 3: flower arrangement on the kitchen window sill // 4: unfinished drawing // 5+6+7: lavender cupcakes, I capture the castle & flavoured black tea makes for a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Into the wild, improved

2010-07-16T14:24:00.007+02:00

Kristen McMenamy for Dazed & Confused August 2010. Shot by Tierney Gearon. Styling by Karen Langley.

via

It's been a while since I was this blown away by an editorial. Woah.

Anyway, I'm working most of the days now, hence the uninspired post. When I'm not zipping ladies in their too-tight dresses, carefully avoiding the excessive skin getting caught in the zipper, or having philosophical conversations alongside a glittering river over ~~a glass~~ ~~bottle~~ bottles of wine, I've been shoe-lusting over the internet. My most crave-worthy finds;

Jil Sander s/s10 wedges via

Acne admire leather wedge boot via

J. W. Anderson a/w10-11 flower boots via

Hm. Why is it that I'm only drawn to outrageous or just downright scandalous shoes?

Clinomania

2010-07-15T20:03:00.003+02:00

Clinomania (noun): the excessive desire to stay in bed

You enjoyed kissing the roses on my bookshelf because they reminded you of the colour of my lips after I bit them nervously and before I muttered quick “I love you’s”, always afraid you’d tear the garland of words down after I stringed them so carefully across the distance between us. And perhaps I was right all along, because my lips now bleed from biting too hard and the roses turned violet and you still left even though I urged you not to.

My main motive for buying these shoes was they reminded me an awful lot of those infamous Emma Cook for Topshop boots.

So many things to write about, so little energy. I miss you, lovely people all around. Tell me something wondrous that happened today?

ph & pictures: private

Haunted since

2010-07-12T14:06:00.004+02:00

Moths and chiroptera; this room revels in darkness. It is a graveyard. A burial place that reeks of destruction and disintegration. My mind is falling apart and cadavers are littered across the floor, on the bookshelves and all around my pillow. Rotting memories with each their distinct smell so I can point at the respective resting places with eyelids shut. Look, there's childhood naivety gathering dust between the stacks of children's book. And over there, a love long lost - forever sleeping on the brittle rose petals that turned from a vivid red to an abhorrent purple once she left. Even the grey statue of my brother's tomb, once blessed by priests and drenched in clouds of incense, now scatters drops of sorrow and grief that quickly evaporate and cling to the ceiling.
The lavender I safely secured inside my wardrobe is helpless against the mildew of Time. Relentlessly, it spreads across every object my fingertips once brushed. I can sense my pores soaking up the overwhelming scent – satisfying their innate thirst for destruction. I can't help but wonder how long now until it infests my heart as well...?

“Some people, like houses, are beautiful in dilapidation.”

All pictures by the ever amazing Edouard Plongeon

Mountains made of steam

2010-07-07T20:52:00.004+02:00

I like to believe my golden owl is secretly in love with the brass tree and wants to make love to her so badly that that is why they always get entangled.

"Can't you see she's one of those elusive forestgirls? I watched her disappear in the darkness spun between the majestic tree trunks, a firm darkness that becomes stickier, heavier and richer the deeper you enter. After an hour, or two, or tree, she'd appear again. At first sight, she would seem the same person as before, but when you'd look closer you'd notice the small alterations that had been made; a four-leaf clover pierced through her left earlobe, dirt underneath her rosy fingernails and daffodil seeds caught in the auburn strands of hair. I could tell she had been blowing wishes again, yet her hopeless eyes always spoke of disappoinment.
And so the sporadic visits became more and more frequent, until one day the darkness swallowed her once more and she never re-appeared again."

see-through blouse; vintage / shorts; zara / owl necklace; hand-me-down from my Mutti / tree necklace; jutka & riska / jewelry all hand-me-downs or vintage / bra; urban outfitters

photos & words: private

La fuite de la lune

2010-06-30T18:46:00.003+02:00

Sunrises and sunsets, girls in dresses and boys wearing hats. Summer is making me fall in love with everything and everyone.

As soon as the night falls and my braincells have cooled down from the sweltering midday heat, worries still plague my mind though. A bit like the way mosquitos lust after my boiling blood on those aforementioned nights.
For starters, I feel guilty for deleting an anonymous comment on my previous post, and if that person is reading this and feels brave enough to reveal him- or herself, please do - I'd like to offer you an explanation.
I've also been thinking about creating a seperate blog for my, *ahum*, writing. That way I can keep this blog more fashion-orientated and more as a documentation for all that inspires me (photography, other blogs, art, ... ) I'm sure my mind could benefit from some organisation, but I also would like to know what my readers think of this. If you like both things - my silly musings as well as outfit posts or inspirational images - it might be a hassle to have those things split up. Opinions?
A last thing that I'd like to share is... I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. :) hooray.

beautiful photography by Sophie Van der Perre , a new favourite

Solitude

2010-06-28T11:48:00.007+02:00

Noctivagant. When my nights are clear from meet-ups with friends in town, I discovered the pleasure of revisiting childhood memories, buried between the bricks of my old school or underneath scraps of paper stacked in cardboard boxes on our attic. Especially the nocturnal bikerides and promenades across the streets of my birthplace prove to be an excellent trigger for nostalgia. While I was retracing steps from years and years ago, I suddenly got inundated with memories from years past. Nothing like the peaceful swell of our North Sea, but crashing waves of pictures, sounds, whispered secrets I thought were long lost. A rapid succession of images projected on the canvas of my eyelids left me dizzy and disorientated and without knowing how or when, I suddenly found myself next to the high road. The chirping of crickets on one side, growling metal vehicles on the other. I carefully crossed the road (no overly apparent deathwish, quite surprising) and after a few more twists and turns the most amazing sight developed in front of me; acres and acres of crop fields, all illuminated with the light of a setting sun. (At this point I'm regretting the fact I can't upload cellphone pictures because I assure you, the scenery was quite astounding.) The sense of solitude was quite overwhelming, but also strangely comforting. The excessive socialising I have put myself through the past days left me feeling weary. More than ever I desire to envelope myself in quietude, knit a thick coat of silence to wrap myself in and read, paint, write for nobody but the naiads, maliae and dryads that lives inside of me.

It feels weird to have Summer all stretched out in front of me, like a patchwork quilt of endless possibilities. I need to remind myself to stop looking for all the incorrect stitches and embrace the colourful fabric in all its stained glory.

ph credit: 1 2 3 4 5

(I feel quite insecure uploading this, seeing as today I learnt a rather valuable lesson about internet plagiarism and the hurt that accompanies it. )

more hair than human

2010-06-27T15:05:00.002+02:00

/// back to substantial posting soon ///

Set the scene::

2010-06-20T23:20:00.003+02:00

The room is plastered with apotropaic items; amulets and button-eyed puppets and gold-rimmed lockets with strands of hair hidden beneath the aged photograph of a young girl. But alas, the dreamcatcher hanging from the ceiling might look pretty with its feathers trickling down from an intricate spiderweb of woven nettle yarn, it's doing a horrible job at keeping the night's demons at bay. Whether asleep or not, the hair always rises and the shivers perpetually crawl down her protruding spine. It's hard to protect yourself from demons that exist only in your mind, especially when the whispers always resonate louder than your own horrified screams. "Too large," they mutter, "too soft, too round, forever too much and never enough." She's frightened and wants to invalidate their gruesome opinions, but her vision and touch only confirm the mantra of disgust. Dizzy, dizzy. And she hides between the bushed of ivy-covered tree trunks, but her ghostbreath makes all the flowers wither until they fall like dustparticles at her feet and she is left with nothing but the comfort of words, safely clutched against her heart.

With twilight as my guide

2010-06-13T15:47:00.005+02:00

I am dizzy, spinning, polkadots cloud my vision. All I see are snap-shots of situations (his eyebrows arched with tense expectations, nimble feet dancing through dewdrops). A distorted, no, fragmented perception of reality makes me focus on details but the grandness of life sails past, unnoticed.

What time does the sun set on your side of the world?

This dress was sent to me a couple of weeks ago after winning a giveaway over at Cocorosa, but it took me until now to take decent pictures from it. It's from American Archive and ma pâquette is wearing a dress from Zara.

oh and;

HELLO. My feet would like to make love to you. via seaofshoes

ph: private
ps; the title of this post is a song by The Mars Volta and in no way a reference to the Twilight novels!

braindead

2010-06-07T16:04:00.004+02:00

Today was my last 'normal' day at high school EVER. Which means it was also my last lunch break at that horrible, cheerless refectory. And what better way to celebrate the departure from that place than with the most festive food known to human kind ... Cupcakes!

I used a recipe of my own invention, adding ingredients along the way, and they turned out quite scrumptious. But of course I never know when to stop, so as you can see I added some fantasies to a few of them - coffee liqueur icing with macadamia flakes, gingerbread crumbs & walnuts. I like the appearance of my cupcakes to equal the sublimity of their taste.

What do you think? Am I the new Bakerella?

Like the title of this post states, my upcoming exams are rendering me braindead, making it practically impossible to form coherent sentences. I'll just leave you with these videos I've been watching non-stop for the past days. Once most of the stress has ceased, I'll try to return to more substantial posting. In the meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed for my final exams of high school!

Prince Peter A/W 2010 - a love story from Prince Peter on Vimeo.

Garden of Enchantment from Saga Sigurdardottir on Vimeo.

I want to taste dark water and see crackling trees and wild winds.

2010-06-03T19:31:00.007+02:00

Lies, a fellow Belgian blogger and sweetheart all-around, gave me the Stylish blogger award. I'm slightly surprised because I'd hardly label myself as 'stylish' but anyway, it requires me to share 5 random facts about myself;

1- I'm not very fond of children
2- Society exhausts me
3- "Coffee!" is usually the first happy thought I'm able to produce after I wake up, less cheerful thoughts include the extremely eloquent "ahhgggr" and "mmm". Nót a morning person, obviously.
4- My childhood dream was to become a writer, and lately that dream has been reoccurring.
5- On a scale from white to black, I'm dark-dark grey.

If there's anything more you'd like to know you can ask me a question on tumblr.

I pass this award on to Meggstatus from Another Day To Dress Up because I'm in awe of her hat collection and to Ariel Romano, mainly because I want to see what random facts he'll come up with.

the vastness of a midnight sky

2010-05-28T21:28:00.004+02:00

I see wolves running through a forest, this place is a majestic concoction of ivy-covered tree trunks spiced with muted shades of green. On the ground, stars rest their five, triangular arms after the long fall downwards. By the time the morning sun rises, they will have changed into glistening dewdrops, but for now they enjoy the soft blanket of the moss-covered soil.
The moonlight trickles through the sief of treeleaves and casts whimsical shapes on the forest floor – Shadowplay! Nocturnal entertainment for those who reside in the dark and admire, safely seaten in hidden corners, the lonely choreography of the moonbeams.

Things I'm deriving (wardrobe) inspiration from at the moment; witchcraft, spirit guides and rainbow warriors. Black magic galore!

Spectacular, spectacular!

2010-05-24T13:24:00.006+02:00

I always feel uncomfortable posting pictures of my outfit, especially if it's as boring as this. Fortunately, the event I wore it to was far more spectacular than my mundane assembly of clothes.

Each year, my city hosts an event where the streets and parks are taken over by circus artists, magicians, parades, acrobats, gypsy woman with colourfully-painted caravans and gemstones trickling down their scarves, fire-spitting men and musicians. The trees are decorated with tiny light bulbs and when people wander the streets, they fall from one surprise into another. Nothing is like it appears to be! What starts off like a story of 4 businessmen missing their train suddenly transforms into an aerial performance, a lovestory between men-in-suits and forest nymphs. Weightless, they soar into a sunset-stained sky, scattering heartshaped glitter from their pockets - like gold and silver stardust guiding the audience into a night littered with magic!

The grand finale took place on the canal, where a nocturnal waterworld was illuminated with exploding fireworks. From both left and right, eccentric characters drifted by on whimsical vehicles - think antique bycicles of more than 5 metres height, a floating four-poster bed and a garbage bin spitting flames.

ph: private, except for last two; click photo for source

Au ciel, les hirondelles écrivent d'invisibles poésies

2010-05-18T19:26:00.003+02:00

No chirping birds, no rustling leaves; the house is awfully quiet tonight. It's been a while since I was left alone with Night's noises. The only distinguishable sound is the hollow echoing of my thoughts bouncing against the bony structure of my skull. I've been having vivid dreams about tusking narwhals and glasswing butterflies, creatures so beautiful I wake up with tear-stained cheeks.

Some other snippets of recent life: French novels, lenghtly emails and discoveries on my doorstep. The theft of my purse and wallet. Discovering the captivating story of La Sylphide and re-reading it myriad times. A grand adventure through the universe of Cocorosie. Regret and disgust, suppressed with hot baths and steaming cups of tea. Fascination with snowcapped mountains, diaphanous fabrics, isolation, the concept of reinvention, tales of intrigue. A frightening increase of rage and madness running through my veins.

What have you been up to?

If you were a season, you would be in bloom

2010-05-13T21:32:00.004+02:00

I saw her in the library today; her face all crimson lips and charcoal-rimmed gypsy eyes, her hair a cascading waterfall of copper ringlets. In her hands she held an antique poetry book with gilded cover and the pages all torn and tattered, stained with the fingertips of those who held it before her. But her eyes did not see any of this, her gaze was fixed elsewhere. The landscape in front of her seemed to have captured her full attention, for she had been staring at it ever since I first spotted her from accross the hall, several minutes ago now. She looked wistful, and I wondered whether she considered the clouds outside so fascinating because they seemed like a perfect reflection of her own mood. Occassionally, sunbeams broke through the grey blanket that covered the sky and then it looked like angels were shooting golden arrows towards the earth below. Do angels play games? I swear I can sometimes hear their chants, when the rumbles and thunderbolts in my head have faded and the world outside is enveloped in silence.
There is movement at the window now. She seems to have made up her mind, suddenly the wistful look on her face is replaced with a determined one. She turns around, her hair cuts the air into shreds and slices and they fall like confetti flakes to the ground. While she leaves, I am suffocating.

ph: source

Strawberry fields forever

2010-05-10T07:27:00.013+02:00

Sundays breathe quietude and wistfulness. It's the perfect day to catch up on reading with a cup of tea, wisps of steam circling into the night's air so delicately. Last week I unexpectedly discovered the latest issue of Lula magazine in my town's magazine store and I took advantage of Sunday's laziness to work my way through the articles and beautiful editorials. I now understand what the hype is all about - such a wondrous magazine! I especially enjoyed Joanna Newsom's in-depth interview because she answers every question in such dreamy manner, the same dreaminess that is to be found in her magical music.

The amount of books I am simultanuously reading is rather ludicrous. My bedroom floor is littered with books left butterflied on their bindings, their colourful covers facing the sloping ceiling, hopefully anticipating the moment I pick them up again and continue in whatever story they are hiding between the pages. I partly blame school for this, with its silly literature assignments on books I'd prefer to disregard. However, I plead guilty as well; I can not help that I have an insatiable appetite for tales and stories, for beautiful words and sagacious phrases, for knowledge! Bookstores exhilerate me - like a toddler first discovering his town's playground and indecisive as to what recreational facility he would like to play on first, I get bewildered by the shelves and shelves of options while I'd most like to savour them all!

Sometimes I wish I were so tiny I could slip between the pages of some whimsical novel and live an existence between words that make my heart sing and fall in love (madly! deeply!) with the main character...

like screeching birds

2010-05-06T19:45:00.000+02:00

Last week I discovered this amazing book, stacked between retrospectives and autobiographies of numerous fashion icons; "Working with words", by Veerle Windels. It's a compilation of interviews with today's famous couturiers. Amongst them; Haider Ackermann, Rei Kawakubo, Azzedine Alaïa, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld,... but also newcomers such as the Rodarte sisters and recently deceased Alexander McQueen. However, my hands first skipped to the pages that held the interview with my heart's most beloved designer: Ann Demeulemeester.

There are few designers that transcend from craftsman to Artist. In my humble opinion, Ann Demeulemeester can easily be considered one of the latter.
Her spring/summer 2010 collection showcased more than just clothes, it was a poem translated to fabrics and plunging necklines. Just like her previous collections, this one evoked marvellous imagery.The eagleprint on the dresses and the cage-resembling headpieces made me daydream about screeching birds in a clouded sky, rising and flowing on gusts of wind. Powerful! Free! It is what I imagine it must feel like to wear those clothes.

Even though she has a strong and individual sense of aesthetics, she doesn't shy from innovation and change. The evolution in her collections however is constant and subtle, instead of being dictated by trends. That's why clothes from past collections still appear as fashionable and modern as when they first were made.
She consistently stays true to her own style which causes certain elements to return and make her label recognizable for amateurs (such as myself!): the use of non-colours such as black and white, shoes with interestingly-curved heels, jackets tailored to perfection, ... It wasn't until I saw some pieces of her spring/summer '10 collection in Paris that I fully understood how utterly pure and unpretentious her designs are. She doesn't strive for bold statements, she just makes beautiful clothes that allow women to enjoy them for years to come.

runway pictures from tfs / rest by me

ps. I feel as if my scholastic English doesn't do justice to the genius that is Ann Demeulemeester, but I hope I somehow captured snippets of my love for her talent.
ps 2: thank you!, thank you for all the nice comments on my previous post! I also received some nice compliments about my feather-and-daisy necklace which made me very happy since I crafted it myself. In fact, if anyone is interested in purchasing a similiar one, I'd gladly make some more!
ps 3: Wow, I talked an awful lot in this post.

hands running across my ribcage

2010-05-01T22:14:00.002+02:00

Remember the arrival of an exciting package I mentioned in my previous post? Well, it was my prize from the giveaway I won over at Tweet (where I stole the picture above, sorry girl!) The package contained three items from the Laura Mackness for Weekday collection; a pair of salmon-coloured leggings, a men's shirt and a knee-length white dress with printed hands on the side. I was exhilarated to find out I had won! These pieces are quite exclusive, seeing as they aren't available online and can only be bought in the Weekday shop (in Stockholm!).

The dress is very loose-fitting, which makes it extremely comfortable and perfect for lazy days where I just want to stroll around the garden. The place I'm standing in the photo above smells wonderfully actually! It's surrounded by blossoming trees.

I'm not sure if I like the way these pictures turned out... A few too many birthday picnics with sugar-coated cupcakes and pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries left me feeling uncomfortably in my own skin. Spring is so full of promise, but each night when the sun's setting I can see the faint outline of an approaching summer at the horizon, begging for purity. It's unsettling, there's still so many things left to accomplish before I can dive confidently into the golden sunshine!

Make sure to check out Tweet, it's rapidly becoming one of my favourite blogs with its insightful articles on all fashion-related topics. Clare, the girl who runs the blog is incredibly sweet and stylish as well! :)

crystal castles and star-gazing

2010-04-29T20:17:00.004+02:00

I took advantage of the incredibly sunny days we've been having to photograph the outfit I wore last Saturday. I had spent the entire day in Antwerp to check out universities but of course I couldn't leave empty-handed, so I bought this plaid shirt (vintage) and simple skirt (from Urban Outfitters). I immediately put them on and went to Brussels for the Crystal Castles performances. Even though I was wearing brand new clothes, I still felt awfully underdressed. Most people there looked like they'd spent a minimum of 2 hours on their outfit. But of course that didn't stop me from having fun! In fact, it was an absolutely amazing night. My eyes glistened from the flickering stroboscope lights and my heart raced with happiness while jumping up and down. Afterwards, we went into the botanical garden and laid on our backs, star-gazing and talking about all possible subjects. Even thinking about it makes me smile :)

Ha, can you tell I feel awkward in front of a camera?

Oh and when I got home today after an afternoon spent bike-riding in the sun through cobblestone alleys, a very exciting package awaited me on my doorstep... But that's for another post.

Une forêt de féerie

2010-04-26T16:20:00.005+02:00

These photos are a few weeks old, they were taken on a lovely little forest adventure with ma pâquerette. Sun was setting and painted the sky with hazy pastel-coloured brush strokes. The first blossoms on the branches above our heads filtered the sunlight, casting arbitrary shadows on the gravel path our feet wandered. We searched for fairies and animals in the whimsical shapes on the ground, like we would with the clouds on a sundrenched day in summer. Unfortunately, none were found and it wasn't until later that night I realised we already had fairies living in our heads and there was no need for tangible evidence in order to prove their existence.

The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. ~ Chuck Palahniuk

A special thank you to my Star-eyed girl who took these photos AND who's birthday it is today! I hope you enjoyed today's picnic, darling. As I said before; You are loved. x

The silence is deafening

2010-04-21T19:12:00.006+02:00

Wednesdaynight, the setting sun paints my walls with golden brushstrokes. Luc's voice seeps through the timber floor, littered with sketches I'm thoroughly discontent with. This peaceful scenery is sickening... Where's the thunder, the screeching and the decay?
I'm growing increasingly disgusted with myself and my deplorable physical and mental abilities. Sometimes I'm afraid I need madness to function.

the world should run on magic

2010-04-17T14:08:00.004+02:00

Tell me, what better way to celebrate Spring than with a lovely gathering amongst friends? A few days ago, me, ma pâquerette and star-eyed girl organised a little teaparty with homebaked cookies, floral teacups and pretty dresses galore!

Even Alice, pâquerette's little grey rabbit, joined in! She wasn't too fond of the cupcakes, but nibbled on a bright orange carrot instead.

playing dress-up!

Oh, and I discovered this when aimlessly browsing through the infinite stream of amazingness that is youtube, and it literally took my breath away;

"JOYCE is delighted to announce a truly unique charity programme in aid of UNICEF, a collaboration with critically-acclaimed fashion label Rodarte, luxury brand SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, and famous actress Maggie Cheung. Rodarte designers, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, have handmade four one-of-a-kind creations specifically for this charitable initiative. Each piece is inspired by Maggie Cheung and references one of her films: In the Mood for Love, Hero, Clean, and Heroic Trio. The four stunning pieces have been captured in a short film by Wing Shya with music by Peter Kam."

Isn't it just astonishingly beautiful? I love almost everything Rodarte does, but this collaboration tops even my high expectations.

Ooh la la

2010-04-13T11:46:00.003+02:00

Oh, Paris... You never cease to amaze me with your ebullient artistry and magic, lingering behind every corner of every beautiful street. It was a pleasant surprise to feel Winter's darkness dissipate into the city's energy. I found myself re-enamoured with pastel hues and the scent of blossom, with silky fabrics and feather-weight footsteps. Oh, the tiptapping of those footsteps on the cobblestoned squares and pebbled paths in royal gardens made me feel comfortably at home in the otherwise rather lonely anonymity of a metropolitan city. And when I stood on one of the city's higher points to enjoy the panoramic view and felt the Spring's fresh breeze clear my head, I realised Paris isn't just visually overwhelming, it is pure and utter delight for all sensory organs.

!! warning: this post might be a bit of a photo-overload

a particularly lovely perfume store, hidden underneath one of the arcades at Place des Vosges

at Printemps, paradise for every self-proclaimed fashionista

Musée de la Vie Romantique!

detail of painting at Musée de la Vie Romantique

Institut du Monde Arabe

Les bouquinistes alongside the Seine

Shakespeare & Company, oh this was the loveliest bookstore I have ever come across! Shelves and shelves stacked with English novels, poetry, biographies and essays. I could've spent the entire day there!

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home

2010-04-04T12:30:00.004+02:00

src: my deviantart

Sweetest moonbeams, this will probably be my last post before I leave for Paris on Wednesday! To say I'm excited would be an understatement. I'm very much looking forward to immersing myself in art and literature and generally absorbing the city's beauty. I'll pack my suitcase lightly; a copy of Lewis Carroll's ubiquitous novel to occupy myself on the train, a notebook to write down my impressions before they evaporate and an oversized glittersweater to keep me warm during nightly saunters alongside the Seine.

Lately, I've been enamoured with the idea of dandies - dapper gentlemen with gold-rimmed jackets and elegant speech, tinted by the aristocratic superiority of their mind. Perhaps I'll stumble across my personal top hat-wearing poet in the streets of Paris. Fingers crossed!

ps; Although I'm not particularly fond of religious holidays, I wish you all a splendid Easter!

Inspiration needs disease, injury, madness.

2010-03-30T16:47:00.005+02:00

She twirls across the street, with such quick pace you wonder if she is real or just a mere figment of your imagination. Her feet dance along the pavement as if there are little wings attached to them. As soon as the darkness descends, she becomes one of those mysterygirls that wear star-studded eyelids and carefully constructed curls to hide their secrets in. She's an enigmatic muse, a true daughter of Zeus, a whimsical creature from a parallel world. A sulphurous fire burns within her wicked spirit, which illuminates her pupils with bright rainbow colours. You can sense her hatred, her anger, her insatiable appetite for destruction in those glittering eyes. They contain such power that they could easily blow up your heart into a thousand iridescent smithereens.

I'm actually in a bit of a rush at the moment, but I figured I might as well show you the outfit I'm wearing tonight. It's pretty simple; a Topshop blazer paired with a Ksubi t-shirt, jeans and a pair of brogues which are unfortunately not pictured in this set of photos. I'm off to a play of one of Euripides' tragedies now, have a wonderful evening my loves. xo

ps; this is a drawing I recently did of the wonderful Loulou, from Loulou loves you.

Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps

2010-03-19T17:25:00.004+01:00

Happy Springggg everyone!

Oh I've never been more excited for a season to start, my agenda for the upcoming months is filled with lots of lovely things (Amsterdam! Paris!) and I hope the weather will soon match in loveliness. I hope to have a Spring that's filled with sunshine, music (did I mention I'm going to see Cocorosie and Efterklang?), friends and a happy heart. I have my fingers crossed - perhaps naively so - that swallows might drown the eerie chanting of winter's ghosts out and that golden sunbeams will cause my perpetual darkness to dissipate.

With spring comes spring cleaning and since my wardrobe was in dire need of some enlivening, I went to a clothing exchange last weekend. The concept was simple; you just brought all the clothes that were gathering dust on the shelves or hangers in your wardrobe and made you feel guilty for neglecting them and then you exchanged them for someone else's old junk. Tadam! A wardrobe that's instantly vamped up! I strongly advice everyone to organise a similiar clothing exchange with you and your friends, it's such an easy solution to add something fresh and new to your wardrobe without having to pay for it! And when everyone brings some tea, wine and baked goods, your afternoon is bound to be marvellous.

all pictures by Isabelle Ysebaert

Lady grey

2010-03-11T19:07:00.005+01:00

This editorial by Tim Walker is one of the most spectacular things I've seen in a while. I just want to dive into these photos and never come up for air again.

Don't you, too, often want to escape reality and immerse yourself in a world entirely different from your own? A world that's more exciting, vibrant, lively! With colours flying through the air like exotic birds! When you'd close your eyes you wouldn't see the black from your eyelids, but polkadots and shimmering fireflies dancing an incomprehensible choreography and you'd shake with delight and laughter. Nymphs would hide between dusty curtains and between the ivy-covered trunks of an enchanted forest, murmuring secrets to a wind that carries those whispered treasures all around this wondrous world. All people would dress in fabulous gowns, just like the ones in this shoot!, embellished with shiny pearls and feathers and delicate flower petals. One would breathe poetry instead of oxygen. And at night, the moon would be a glittering brush stroke on the navy canvas of the night sky, with a moongirl sitting in its crescent shape and swinging her slender legs back and forth.

Oh, won't you join me in this wonderworld? Perhaps we could even bottle some of the magic and bring it back here, into reality. We all need some magic sometimes.

See the entire editorial here

My lace dress is stained with last night's vices

2010-03-03T17:19:00.006+01:00

I figured it's been a while since I've done a proper outfit post, so here are a couple of crappy webcam shots for you to enjoy;

Oh and wait, there comes a video with it, too;

I apologise for the ugly label hanging out the back and my squinting - I have terrible vision and was probably trying to distinguish my appearance on the screen.
I wore this a few nights ago to a cultural event in my local library. One of my dear friends, Roselien, had to perform there. You should all check her music out, she sings in both Dutch and English but whatever language she uses to express herself, it's so sincere and comes straight from her heart. Anyway, I must admit that this was one of the rare occasions this winter that I actually bothered to put something decent on. The incessant cold has got me pushing the boundaries of what is considered socially acceptable in terms of how many layers of clothing a person can wear. My latest fashion-related purchases all seem to prepare me for a polar expedition, instead of making me look nice. I honestly can not wait for springtime, flowers and golden sunshine to warm my heart.

(by Ana Laura Perez)

Screamscape

2010-02-24T15:17:00.005+01:00

ph: Saga

The barren trees pierce like daggers into a steel-grey sky and the rain pours down my cheeks incessantly. Clouds are ominous and ever-present. If this wintercold goes on for much longer, I'm afraid my extremities will have permanently turned purple. The blood in my vessels feels like liquid ice and my heart's as frozen as the lake from which I gaze over this sleepy town. The wind whispers weeping words. Melancholy has comfortably nestled itself in my entangled hairstrands and is my only company during the nights of solitude. Moonman told me that with my sickly pale complexion, it is not hard to mistake me for someone who no longer belongs to the land of the living. Ghostlike I wander here, casting no shadow.

Perhaps I should join the forest animals, rest and strenghten my energy reserves, but this winter hibernation is exhausting me more than ever. The imagination that once ran excessively through my veins has withered and my body is aching for sunshine and spring, for flowers and clear blue skies. Secretly I hope that if nature starts blossoming, I might do the same.

a thimblesworth of milky moon

2010-02-14T10:56:00.004+01:00

Hi everyone,
sorry for the impromptu absence. I haven't been feeling too well and on top of that my internet connection suddenly decided to be a fickle bitch. So not only do I dwell in my own misery (that's a bit harsh put, but you get it), I can't read blogs or check thefashionspot for distraction! The horror. Anyway, I've occupied myself with reading, drawing and mourning.

Remember when I talked about Chrysostomos? Some of the pictures appeared online (read: on facebook) and I figured you might be interested in seeing them. There were some crazy outfits and I loved seeing how every group interpreted the overall theme (=Culture shock).

First up, Hippies! Our theme. The day itself was very rainy so it felt like Woodstock all over again.

Our act;

Who spots me? :)

Some other brilliant costumes;

Gypsies

Punks

Those on the outside of society

Eh, I'm not entirely sure what these were supposed to be.

When I look back on it, this day was so utterly wonderful that my heart can barely grasp it. I felt amazing in my role as flowergirl, distributing free love and sunshine to everyone. There's something so liberating in dressing up and pretending to be someone else...

all photos by Jonas Dreessen

///

2010-02-03T15:46:00.004+01:00

When a person bottles things up, they refuse to talk about things that make them angry, sad or worried.

le pouvoir des fleurs

2010-01-26T18:00:00.006+01:00

This Friday I'm celebrating my last 100 days as a high school student. This event is called Chrysostomos and basically the entire last year dresses up. This year's overall theme is 'culture shock', and my class' is 'hippie'. I couldn't be more happy, because this gave me an excellent excuse to collect an embarrassingly large folder of hippie-inspired images. While I'm in the process of assembling my own outfit, I figured it was about time I shared some of my inspirations...

ph: linked where possible, last three by Edouard Plongeon

Do you celebrate(d) something similiar to Chrysostomos where you live?

Vous avez poison au coeur.

2010-01-23T20:33:00.004+01:00

This cold heart of mine lies naked, wrapped in nothing but a blanket of shivering skin. Whilst my spiderfingers spin stories the world around me crumbles. Writing annihilates reality.

Sometimes, or should I say most of times, my carefully constructed word-world is far more tangible and comprehensible than the world outside with its exploding bombs and political jargon. Here, morning equals mourning and the characters are ghostly, ghastly, gruesome. The queen of insomnia rules with an iron hand.
Whatever darkness exists here, it is mine. A conjunction of confusion, fluster and a few drops of chimera. Some would consider it nightmare fodder, but to me this gloomy fantasy world feels strangely comforting, almost as if it were a refuge.

photos; Paolo Roversi and Freja Beha Erichsen (two of my favourites!!) for Vogue Italia (march 2008)

La vie en rose

2010-01-16T12:08:00.005+01:00

H&M striped top (used to be a dress) and black vest

Hello doves,
Sorry for the sudden stop in posts! My mother left a couple of days ago for Namibia, and I've been enjoying my blissful freedom with books, friends, movies, art and shopping. And it's that last one that this post is about.

Stripe pocket frock (American Apparel) / Speckled Zip Thru (Urban Outfitters) / grey tights (H&M) / oxfords (some shop in Paris)

As you may or may not know, January is sales month here in Belgium. I went on some serious shopping sprees, here in my hometown as well as Brussels and Antwerp. The month is just half-way but I already decided to put myself on a shopping ban in order to prevent myself from having a negative financial status. Oops. But atleast my wardrobe got a huge update.

woollen dress (Bershka) / black dress (H&M) / tights / shoulder bag (vintage) / black boots (Sasha)

lace dress and belt (Spit) / black dress (H&M) / scarf and tights (unknown) / black boots (Sasha)

A huge thank you to my sweetest Afifleur who's the fabulous photographer behinds these pictures. Oh, and my cat wishes you a wonderful Sunday, too;

Mlle

2010-01-06T14:04:00.008+01:00

With the start of the new year and the accompanying classes at school, I find myself daydreaming more than ever. Instead of paying attention to boring subjects such as the acquisition of language or the tediousness that is Statistics, I doodle and write tales of romance and enchantment, melancholy and dismal. Lots of fictional characters are sprouting from my imagination, each with their own personality and stories to tell. They are all aching to be translated to paper, but for now I introduce to you just one;

She might be just an ordinary governess of a wealthy household, her beauty could compete with that of a forest nymph. With French origins but grown up in the English countryside, she is fluent in both languages. A gold keychain dangles close to her heart, as if those two belong together, as if the former opens the latter. Her elegant frock is the shade of nightfall and she keeps her gloves -embellished with iridescent pearls- on at all times in order to preserve her dignity.
At first sight, mademoiselle appears austere and slightly rigid. Only those with a honest heart can see past the earnest façade and notice the ebullience shimmering in her eyes, the dreamy glances she casts at the pale, blue sky and her soft chuckles when the domestic cat purrs around her black lace-up boots. And despite the indifferent expression on her ivory face, her rosy cheeks still heavily blush when Tom, the postman, compliments her auburn locks while delivering scented envelopes that carry mysterious secrets in them.

words and both drawings/collages (whichever you prefer) by yours truly

let's make better mistakes tomorrow

2009-12-31T13:43:00.006+01:00

Today marks the last day of the year 2009, the last year of this decade even! It's a time for musings and the wisdom of hindsight, but I can't seem to recall any major events that left a clear fingerprint on my personality. Ah well, we are all everchanging and constantly evolving, and perhaps I shouldn't attach so much importance to the changing of a number.

Despite my fear of the future I'm actually looking forward to starting a new year. Hopefully, new chances will occur and I intend on grabbing them with both hands. Just as long as I stay positive, look for sparkling beautiful things in the world around me and never lose my faith in magic, things should be fine.

As far as resolutions go, the list is painfully empty. In fact, I didn't even really add something new to my list of daily guidelines, apart from 'watch the news everyday'. What are your resolutions, doves? Perhaps I'll feel inspired!
Style-wise, I think my wardrobe will be expanded with even more vintage pieces. I very much enjoy dressing like a vagrant, so that might be a reoccuring theme in my outfits as well.

Overall, I'm both terribly excited as well as very frightened for what the new year will bring. Please tell me about your dreams for 2010, I'm curious to hear! You all deserve the most wonderful things.

Much love to all of you, and thank you for what has been an exquisite blog year!

my photos

Let's have a parade!

2009-12-26T12:15:00.006+01:00

My lovely readers, a merry Christmas to you all! Please tell me about how you spent it, and what presents you may or may not have received! I spent my Christmas eve cuddled up in the coach with my sister, with the house all to ourselves. According to a tradition from our youth, we watched Cirque du Soleil on television. What incredible performers! What extraordinary entertainers! Whenever I see anything circus-related it makes me wish I had not given up on practising the trapeze, but the Cirque du Soleil-artists just astound me in every sense of the word. Their shows are a dramatic mix of jawdropping acts alternated with emotive comedy, a spectacle of vibrating colours, fantastic stunts and -it must be said- marvellous costumes. When I went to bed I believed just a tad more in magic than I already do.

My Christmas break has been all kinds of wonderful so far. I particularly enjoy the decent amount of sleep I've been getting, the time I have now to watch movies and draw, and of course seeing the friends I've missed the past couple of weeks due to the time-consuming act of going to school and studying. I spent some glorious days together with my Afifleur, baking cookies and having sleepovers and dancing with une verre du vin dans la main. We documented quite a bit of the friendshipmagic but I haven't received those pictures yet. If they turn out well, perhaps I'll show some here on the blog :) For now, I hope you enjoy these editorial snippets as much as I did when I first saw them. Don't they all radiate that enchanting circus atmosphere? I love how the clothes all seem piled on, resulting in an intriguing mix of colours and textures.

Joyeuses fêtes, mes oiseaux!

editorials; (1+2) Driu & Tiago for Metal Magazine // (3) The Now Smash of Style, Craig McDean for Vogue Italia (May 2009) // (4) Wild Warriors, Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue (2007) // (5+6) Wendy Bevan for Financial Times (March 2009)

snowflakes fog my mind

2009-12-17T13:38:00.006+01:00

Oh dear, the bliss of no school is doing me good. These past few days I've been partying and sleeping in the next day, catching up on reading my favourite magazines and blogs, and generally looking like a vagrant (and thoroughly enjoying it!). But don't worry, I haven't been entirely unproductive; Today was spent baking cupcakes, wrapping Christmas presents and crafting decorations for the pine tree, and doodling in my art journal.

Ahhh! I just noticed the first snowflakes of the year softly covering our lawn! There's something quite refreshing in seeing the world being enveloped in an immaculate white blanket. If you'll excuse me, I think I might take my sleigh for a ride now.

ps; go ahead and call me a neurotic linguist but I hate it, honestly hate it from the bottom of my heart, when people can't accept me correcting their mistakes in language, both written and spoken. Get over it darling, it's your mother tongue, learn to speak it.
pps; I dyed my hair! But pictures will have to wait until the next post :)

Such a quiet evaporation

2009-12-11T12:12:00.003+01:00

my deviantart

This is just a quick update before I leave for town to see New Moon. Although I don't have my hopes up high (who decided it was a smart move to replace Catherine Hardwicke with Chris Weitz? He's the director of the American Pie movies ffs!!), it'll be nice to escape from schoolbooks and exams for a while. Speaking of which, only two exams left and by Tuesday I should be a free free freee girl. Hooray!

I hope you all are well, please tell me what you have planned for Christmas! The atmosphere in the streets of my town, beautifully decorated with lights and trees, is heartwarming. I can not wait for some Christmas magic to come my way.

title; lyrics from "There could be nothing after this", by Underoath. I'll never stop loving that band.

Got white skin, got assassin's eyes / I'm looking up into the sapphire tinted skies

2009-12-01T19:24:00.006+01:00

I adore those early mornings, when the fog hasn't ascended yet and my footsteps echo dully on the frosted pavement. The entire world seems still half asleep when I make my way to the busstop, fingers clad in frilly gloves, hair still humid from the steaming hot morning shower. Perhaps this early mist embodies my own confusion, it just took the physical shape of elusive winter nymphs and now they haunt me with their ghostlike appearances.
Unfortunately, the confusion doesn't disappear when the fog does.

For the next couple of weeks, I can't promise a consistency in posts. Because yes, it's that time of year again, the time of late night studying and early awakings to revise - exams! If you're wondering whether I haven't collapsed yet underneath all the stress and strenuous subject matters, check for updates here.

click photos for their original sources!
title; "Things Have Changed", by Bob Dylan

dialogues avec le vent

2009-11-25T16:00:00.003+01:00

my deviantart

I've been having extraordinarily vivid dreams lately. They're not necessarily pleasant, but atleast they take my mind off the tediousness that is my life. A repetitive theme is the appearance of Snowqueens and Iceprincesses. Their regal silhouettes arise alongside the barren trees outside. I can't help but bow, for they impress me with their gowns made of morning fog, sewn with spider silk and glistening with dewdrops. With icicles instead of eyelashes, snowflakes instead of pupils, their piercing glares accompany me everywhere.
I think the howling wind outside might have something to do with it, it seems to stimulate my imagination. At night, when I'm wrapped in my soft duvet, the ceiling creaks and moans underneath the sudden gusts of wind, and for some reason I find those noises strangely comforting.

In other news, I bought a new vintage jumper.

It's oversized, sparkly, and from the 80's. Do I need to say more? I love it.

chaos reigns

2009-11-20T19:56:00.003+01:00

I received this 'Over the top!' award from the sweet Miss Elena Eous, thank you dear! I love these kind of awards, where you have to answer random questions. :) Anyway, here are the rules:

1* Use only 1 word answers.
2* Pass along to 6 of you favourite bloggers.
3* Tell them you've given them the award.
4* Tell the person who awarded you when you have posted your answers!

1. Where is your cell phone? downstairs
2. Your hair? indefinable
3. Your mother? peculiar
4. Your father? mathematic
5. Your favorite food? ice cream
6. Your dream last night? obscure
7. Your favorite drink? punto frappé!
8. Your dream/goal? accomplishment
9. What room are you in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? art

11. Your fear? mediocrity
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? travelling
13. Where were you last night? movie theater
14. Something that you aren’t? optimistic
15. Muffins? vanilla!
16. Wish list item? contacts
17. Where did you grow up? Belgium
18. Last thing you did? clean
19. What are you wearing? tulip skirt
20. Your TV? neglected

21. Your pets? tigercat
22. Friends? different
23. Your life? okay
24. Your mood? numb
25. Missing someone? always
26. Vehicle? public transport ftw!
27. Something you’re not wearing? jewelry
28. Your favorite store? urban outfitters, probably
29. Your favorite color? differs
30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? yesterday
32. Your best friend? curly
33. One place that I go to over and over? punto caffé
34. One person who emails me regularly? my Afifleur :)
35. Favorite place to eat? the local vegetarian restaurant

Now on to the difficult part... passing this award on to six others! I always feel as if they're too many blogs to choose from, but I'll go withhhh;

Efflorescence / Restless hearts / Loveology / Yes please mademoiselle / Dauphine / Tree Castles

All these ladies have such magnificent blogs, they're definitely worth checking out.

ps; The stills are all taken from The Antichrist, Lars von Trier's latest sick brainchild. For those who don't shun a psychological horror, I highly recommend it. Everything about it was incredibly strong - the actors (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe), the visuals, the dire story, ... To say it left a huge impression would be an understatement.

DEMONS

2009-11-13T23:46:00.002+01:00

Chadwick Tyler's work stuns me every time. You might know him from the latest Levi's campaign (with Meghan Collison and Josh Beech) and he worked with a variety of well-known models, but he's definitely not your ordinary fashion photographer. I especially consider his Demons series breathtaking.

I adore the combination of serenity and obscure, dark elements. Even with a minimalistic use of colour and often monochrome background, the portraits carry such emotion. They work on your nerves and can get quite unsettling but it doesn't stop me from gushing over each image and admiring the beauty of the girls. And even despite my usually reluctant opinion on unnecessary nudity in fashion photography, I actually think that the occasional appearance of bareness in Tyler's work contributes to that vulnerability, fragility almost, of the portrayed models.

Is there any photographer you madly admire? I'm always interested in new discoveries!

A question for the followers (but feel free to answer as well, you silent lurkers!); are there any specific things you'd like to see on my blog? I sometimes think the idea of posting an outfit online might encourage me to put more effort in my daily attire, so perhaps more outfit posts? On the other hand, I quite enjoy purging the amount of my crammed 'editorials' or 'fashion' folders and not saying very much about them, but then there's also my need to express my inner thoughts somewhere outside my personal diary, which usually results in musings about dreams or fears or other cryptic prose. Pompompom, let me know!

out of here

2009-11-08T15:07:00.006+01:00

It's hard to stay grounded when all I want to do is fly, fly, fly. Soar into the quiet sky and flee from this human mess. But alas, these heavy limbs keep my feet on the ground, and when I clutch my shoulderblades there's no sign of dragonfly wings growing from them any time soon. Perhaps I should stop trying and embrace my mediocrity.

bonjour, novembre

2009-11-01T20:07:00.003+01:00

ph credit

Ah, what better way to escape the gloomy dreariness outside than to build chimerical castles in the air? While it drizzles and raindrops fill the gutter, I dream of moonlit walks and sleepovers, of parties that take place on a boat with windows from which you can see the glistening canal outside and I dream of falling asleep with a smile on my face. Turns out I'm a very lucky bird, because I've been living exactly those fantasies this weekend... I honestly couldn't have wished for a better start of the last month of autumn. And there's no school the coming week, so I have my fingers crossed and hope for more magic nights to come!

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. -Henry David Thoreau, Walden

How are you all? Please share your hopes for november with me, I'm curious!

you can't live life from the sheets on your bed,

2009-10-27T11:33:00.004+01:00

yet that's exactly what I have been doing.
A quite vicious cold has chained me to my bed, leaving me with trembling hands and swollen eyelids. Whenever I get up, the world is suddenly covered in polkadots. All I can do is lay very still and lose myself in books or movies, or -my personal favourite- feverdreams and fantasies of a dazzling place somewhere far, far away.

Perhaps it's because of the illness, or because it's almost Halloween, or even because my birthday is in two days (the 29th of october, yay for scorpios!) which is an event that scares me to bits, but lately I've been drawn to dark and mysterious photography. What a pleasure - and perfect timing - to discover the hauntingly beautiful work of Hanne Piasecki.

Her images are so incredibly captivating and enigmatic, I find myself absorbing every little detail and creating stories around them...

I do hope I feel better by the time it's my birthday. After all, birthdays should be about cupcakes, colourful festoons and feeling embarrassed when your whole class sings silly birthday songs. Well, that's what they are for me anyway.

ps; I bought new boots.

Master & Servant

2009-10-22T19:53:00.004+02:00

Hello doves! First of all I'd like to apologize for the recent slowdown in posts. I don't like how my bloglovin profile states my avarage posts per week is a pathetic 1. Let's just say I've been a busybusybusy bee. Last night, for example, I went to Nouvelle Vague. If you haven't heard of them yet, you really should check out their myspace. They interpret new-wave and punkclassics and make something jazzy and swinging out of them. It makes me so happy to listen to their songs, and I'm not exaggerating when I tell you the concert was magique. I also got an autograph, yay!
All the pictures I took came out rather blurry and of poignant quality, but I'll share some of them anyway.

How was your week? I promise a more substantial post sometime soon, but in the meanwhile I'll be dancing with myself.

Clothes that charm

2009-10-16T19:03:00.006+02:00

Vogue Italia, march 2008, photographed by Paolo Roversi and starring the beautiful Ali Michael. This might be one of my favourite editorials of all times.

src: foto decadent

This week has been glorious (think flowergarlands, getting my hands on a ticket for the Nouvelle Vague concert, great marks on school and treeclimbing with ma fleur) but everything seems to go downhill from here. I do hope the weekend brings some sparkly skies with it, or if that isn't possible, I wish for the rain to stop battering my skylight. It's impossible to think coherently with these raucous raindrops plonking inside my head.

Belgian proud

2009-10-10T11:38:00.004+02:00

Haider Ackermann s/s2010

Ann Demeulemeester s/s2010

Dries Van Noten s/s2010

background graphics: here
all runway looks from style.com
collages created by me, so please don't steal without linking

To be honest, the only time I'm truly proud of my Belgian roots is when it concerns fashion.
Perhaps I'm biased, but I feel as if Belgian designers have less difficulty with staying true to their original aesthetics, where as others often let trends dictate their collections. No wonder I was so sad when the house of Nina Ricci let the poetic Olivier Theyskens go, in order to "re-orientate its development strategy for the years to come". Okay, the romantic garments he designed might not always have been extremely wearable, but atleast they were dream-provoking. And then there's Veronique Branquinho, who had to shut down her label for economic reasons. Yes, I truly believe the world of fashion has lost two utterly talented designers this past season.
Fortunately, most of the Belgian designers are still going strong, as proven by the positive reception the three collections pictured above received.

Anyway, I was wondering... what's your dreamjob? I'm currently drowning in a superfluous amount of brochures from universities all over Belgium, but I don't even know what profession I want to practise yet, or even what direction I want to head for... The list grows longer each day; writer/interpreter/(fashion) illustrator/magazine editor/journalist/all-around artist/... Arh, the agony of choosing.

My breath smells of petrichor

2009-10-06T20:06:00.002+02:00

my work//
two portraits from the Art seminar I attended the past six weeks:

and some shizz from my art journal/scrapbook:

anddd a painfully bad quality video of my creative assignment concerning the novel 'The Book Thief', by Markus Zusak. Any of you read it? Opinions?

mood//
superfluous ~ fifth weel

photo//

via lungfuls.com

Aren't these pictures just absolutely breathtaking? I wish I was one of those girls, wandering the open fields in perfect autumn garments. Does anyone know where these photos are from, perhaps an editorial or a certain photographer?

MENTAL

2009-10-03T12:23:00.003+02:00

I wish I was part of a clique of wonderboys and -girls, mysterykids who speak of magic as if it were something tangible. We would travel to distant destinations, places that are secluded from humanity in all its filthy insipidness and we would dance there. Oh, how we would dance! Dance around a bonfire with flames flaring like wings of hot heat. Our feet would tap and twirl according to the beat of our hearts, a wicked dance it would be, full of exuberance and ardour. When a crescent moon rises, there would be ghost stories told, tales which make you shiver underneath your blankets and make your eyes glisten with disbelief and fright.

I need more crazy people in my life. I feel strangely comfortable around them.

[ad campaigns by Missoni / Missoni / Chloé / Chanel respectively]

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." - Vincent Van Gogh

perles de joie pour une nuit d'encre

2009-09-27T18:43:00.003+02:00

yesterday's outfit.

vintage skirt / cardigan (belonged to my Mutti) / studded top (h&m) / belt (h&m)

It's rather difficult to capture the divinity of my cardigan's fabric, it is soft and shimmers like constellations.

outfit in motion:

(I find my bored face absolutely hilarious)

This weekend has been pure autumnal bliss. Misty mornings and honey-colored sunshine, partying with my golden voice girl next to a river that mirrored the nightsky. Questionmarks still cloud my mind, but they're lessened and some of them are starting to shine brighter than others. I am no fortune teller and I don't own a crystal sphere, but tonight it seems like everything will work out just fine.

Sweet dreams, wonderbirds.

i'm drowning in this

2009-09-25T21:27:00.003+02:00

Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All of the people of the world, I mean everybody. No matter how dull and boring they are on the outside, inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands maybe.
- Neil Gaiman

I have difficulty thinking in colours now, everything's a big questionmark.

mindblowing.

2009-09-21T17:47:00.003+02:00

Rodarte s/s2010. Wow. I'm in utter awe.
The vast majority of the clothes might not be what one would wear in their everyday life, but damnnn wouldn't it be amazing if more people dressed like they're preparing for an apocalyptic war? It sure would make the world a more interesting place.

Sasha Pivovarova after the show, stylesightings

PAUSE

2009-09-17T15:46:00.005+02:00

This morning, I woke up shivering and trembling beneath my polkadotted sheets. This might have something to do with a nightmare which included Russian models strangling me quite vehemently with their opulent garments, but ah well - that's what you get when you spend your days browsing the style.com archives!
Anyway, instead of going to school for another day of French grammar and Greek tragedies, I decided to stay home and read for a bit. Around the time of solar noon, the worst dizziness had passed and I headed out for a walk. Destination: the forest.

this road always reminds me of une certaine petite plume

It turned out to be quite an adventure. I got lost, climbed in a tree, crawled underneath some barbed wire, all of this whilst watching out for thistles as well as forest fairies.

Ps. What do you think of the s/s2010 collections? Thoroughly impressed (or disappointed) with anything?

1 year | 100 posts

2009-09-15T07:08:00.001+02:00

cluttered state of mind

2009-09-09T15:14:00.002+02:00

Art journal stuff//

Lately, the process of drawing and creating is becoming more of an escape to avoid thinking too much. Although the infinite possibilities of a blank page still scare me, I find myself no longer afraid to spoil its purity with my silly scribbles. In fact, a drawn world, originated from the obscure caverns of my imagination, seems superior to the real world outside. Safer perhaps, for it is I who reign there, with nothing but a pencil and some creativity.

*

I also rediscovered the insane comfort of the pants pictured below.

secret hiding place

2009-09-06T11:48:00.003+02:00

src: * * * *

Pretty words are scribbled on my wrist, words to remember and words to recite, words to get me through the day.
languor/insouciance/enigmatic and my personal favourite: petrichor.

//music: Bon Iver.

PSYCHOWORLD

2009-08-31T13:56:00.004+02:00

I just spend a good hour bookmarking and saving the paintings of artist Esao Andrews. (I have to leave for my first day of school in about a half hour, so it's nice to indulge myself in some art and keep my mind of homework and courses for a little while longer)
I love how eerie and lugubrious they are. There seems to be an extra dimension to them, and a mysterious one at that. The world he creates with nothing but a pencil and a skillful hand sucks me in completely and I find myself intrigued by every detail and brush stroke.
In some ways his work reminds me of Magmo The Destroyer, with the subtle violence and chimerical creatures...

His sketches are so great as well:

This really inspires me to put more effort and detail in my drawings.

All pictures are from Esao.net , and you can find him on Flickr, too.

It's not dark yet, but it's getting there

2009-08-30T20:32:00.003+02:00

Today I wore my new dress and nailpolish from Maastricht.

I'm slightly wistful because summer is coming to an end. But on the other hand, I couldn't be more grateful because it's been such a glorious one.

"She’s thin, she’s blonde, she says ‘WOW’ a lot" - Tony

2009-08-27T21:01:00.002+02:00

A tribute to the most whimsical character ever to appear in a television show... Cassie Ainsworth! (I'm a bit sad she's just that - a character, I'd love to have someone like Cassie in my life)

“ I always wished I could be a Russian Doll. A red one. With a big pair of bright blue eyes and painted on eyelashes and pink rosy cheeks. Really rosy. And my mouth would be painted on red like a bow. I’d have a flower on my chest - a rose - and two small little hands by my side. And then I could be un wrapped, two, three, four times until I was small. Really small. ”

“ I like the boats, they go places ”

“ You mustn’t eat it … just arrange it. ”

Gold tap shoes and elliptical spectacles (love how that sounds) - she really has the best wardrobe.

“ Oh wow… but, fuck you. ” - Cassie to Jal

Most pictures are from fuckyeahcassieainsworth or cassie, a set on flickr , and a few I had saved on my computer.

Today me and The Minimalist had our own Cassie-inspired photoshoot (although I just wore my regular clothes).

I'm off partying now. I've been feeling rather blah lately, so a decent night out is just what I need.

CROATIA

2009-08-25T16:04:00.003+02:00

It were ten thrilling days, filled with excitement and adventure. There was mountainbiking and cliffdiving, and diving and swimming with tropical fishes on the ocean floor and snorkeling and falling asleep to the sound of crickets chirping in the tall grass each night, exhausted from whatever exhilarating experiences we had that day. Our group also had the chance to go water surfing but the instructor turned out to be far more interesting than his instructions, and we didn't dare facing the waves with no knowledge of what to do. Besides, getting a tan seemed equally important.

All the small photos were taken by me or La Fille with a disposable camera, and the others are from the rest of the group. (And just so you know, I'm in every picture apart from the two at the top.)

↑ the harbour of Pula

↑ Watersurf instructions proved to be useless, since I ended up sunbathing anyway. ↓

↑ wooof, into the deep!

Today I created an art journal, with polkadots on the outside and I shall fill it with the figments of my imagination on the inside. How did you spend your day?

A waterfall of golden ringlets

2009-08-22T21:47:00.003+02:00

Hello doves! I returned from Croatia with a tan and sleep deprivation, but that's all I'll share about it until I get my photos developed. If they turn out nice, I'll post them together with some stories. Until then, here are a few other facets of my life at the moment...

outfit//

A vintage dress I bought a few weeks ago. I was immediately smitten with its lace collar and pearl buttons, but a friends said it looked like something a ghost from a haunted house would wear. And yes, I had to admit some alterations were necessary. I took the hem up above the knee and shortened the sleeves, and now it looks even more lovely. I'm still contemplating whether or not I should bleach it... What do you think? Babyblue or bright white?

my work//

I drew this on a sundrenched beach in Croatia, and although I'm quite satisfied with it, my drawing skills obviously still need improvement. Oh and does anyone else here has a deviantart?

mood//

via fuckyeahcassieainsworth

award//

It was Lavelle from Kisses and Cross Stitches who flattered me by passing me this award. I really like this award because, in my opinion, it represents the kindness of the "blogosphere". Everyone seems so sweet and encouraging, and like I said before, it's so great to be part of it all. I pass this award on to the stardust-covered Eliza from Restless Hearts and to wonderful Sarah from Kissing her cage good-bye, because both girls always manage to make my heart flutter with joy when they leave their lovely comments.

I'm going to bed now, because after that 19-hour busdrive I crave nothing but the sheer bliss that only somnolence can deliver. Sweet dreams, sunbeams.

//photo from here//

Edouard Plongeon

2009-08-18T12:33:00.000+02:00

Now here's one photographer that truly can do no wrong in my eyes. Even his name sounds like raging summerstorms and raindrops plunking on the cornice - a sensation almost as beautiful as his photos.
He has shot for Vogue as well as Jalouse, photographed the incredible Lou Douillon and artists such as Soko and Viva La Fête (a Belgian band!).
Unfortunately, little information can be found about the master behind the lens, but from viewing his work you get the impression he can't be anything other than a magnificent man.

All pictures can be found on his website: Edouard Plongeon

[I want to hide myself in his photographs and never ever come out again. Days drenched in sunshine and hornrimmed spectacles tangled hair and being held in the midst of organic cotton. A vagrant's life, perhaps, but oh so lovely.]

"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt" - Sylvia Plath

2009-08-14T14:00:00.002+02:00

By the time you read this I'll either be still on the bus on my way to Croatia, or I just arrived there...! The sweet and enchanting Eliza from Restless Hearts has given me the Kreativ Blogger award. I'm more than flattered, because I value creativity more than anything, and because Eliza really is the kindest girl. Thank you so much, you dainty damsel!

I now have to list 7 things about myself, and pass the award to 2 other magnificent bloggers.
°1. I brush my teeth when I'm bored.
°2. I'm allergic to egg, which I was reminded of last Sunday... horrible night.
°3. I swear quite a bit in real life. I'm actually a lot more harsh than you'd expect from reading my blog.
°4. I like obscurity, in art/movies/photos/people/prose/everywhere!
°5. I know the calories of lots of food, it's kind of weird.
°6. I have a very low self-esteem.
°7. I cried when I didn't receive my letter from Hogwarts at age eleven. I still makes me sad to think magic is a figment of one's imagination. (Or is it...?)

I now pass this award on to Lavelle, from Kisses & Cross Stitches and to Charleston from The Pin Stripe Prince. I won't be able to inform you guys until I'm back from my trip, but I hope you accidently stumble upon my blog and see it yourself!

Also,

Digital installations by Alex McLeod. I'm so bummed these are only virtual, wouldn't you love to live there?

La révolte est un réflexe de l'homme vivant

2009-08-09T14:00:00.004+02:00

Wednesday;

Cupcakes for my Doll.

Jazzy gent.

Thursday;

Hanging out with the Minimalist.

Friday;

BXL

Musée Magritte (left a huge impression)

Sunset and fresh mint tea.

Saturday;

Lux jeans / secondhand plaid shirt / h&m top

Silly scribbles as a product of late night boredom

Sunday;

Preparing an autumn wardrobe (I make lists for everything)

Babyshambles and Au revoir Simone on repeat.

Question. Would you guys mind if this blog got more, ehm, personal? It often seems too... coherent, too organised - two adjectives that don't exactly give an apt description of my mind. I would still do art- and fashionrelated posts, but sometimes I just want to throw together a bunch of images and a few cryptic words that suit my mood, instead of having a post revolving around one particular subject. If, however, you don't feel like putting up with my turbulent moodswings (wow, I won't blame you!) I might create a different blog just for venting purpose. Tell me, tell me!

I'm getting ready now for a sleepover at La Fille's house. Funfunfun! On Thursday I'm leaving for Croatia, but I'll try to organise some scheduled posts in the meanwhile. Take care, cupcakes.

A STORY

2009-08-06T17:08:00.004+02:00

Wednesday evening, it is a full moon and the stars shimmer bright next to the ashen circle. After the heat of the day, the weather finally chilled for a bit and our breath made pale dragons in the air. The humid, heavy air filled our nostrils with longing.

He was still drawing, as he had been doing all day. His shoulders were sunburnt from being hunched over his paper and pencils during midday, whilst the sun still shone glorious and we didn't need the artificial light from the spots behind us.

He has a very peculiar way of drawing men - oblong chest and triangular limbs, more hat than head and with a vicious smirk. With the diminishing light, they seem to come alive. They were glancing at me, these dapper gentlemen, from beneath the brim of their top hats the eyes glistened ravenous for destruction and decay.
I looked at the boy's face to see if he noticed the piercing glares from his malicious misters, too, but the perfect arch of his eyebrows were crinkled with frustration as he tried to get his scribbles just right. Flawless and impeccable they had to be!

I sighed, took my lead crystal glass with the red wine still lingering in the bowl and head inside, leaving my Moonman alone with his drawings, the stars, and all the night's mysteries.

All photomanipulations by Hannelore, check out her blog - it makes an excellent read!
Words by me.