Hotel Jarretelle

I'm sorry for my absence, I've been working and wasn't home a lot.

Makes me a bad blogger again, I know.

Recently I visited the first Belgian burlesque festival called " Hotel Jarretelle".

All the acts were pretty interesting and fun to watch.

It's nice to see the scene grow. Belgium is always late with things like this.

The light was mostly red, so quiet difficult to take normal pictures, but here are the results.

Me and my friend Margot ( from the previous post) before the show.

I'm wearing an H&M dress and Vivienne Westwood pearl necklace.

Paradise

School has just started again and things have been a bit hectic around here, so I've been missing out on the blogging field... But back now.

This sunday I visited the biggest European floral exhibition, called the Floraliën.

It took place in Ghent.

The venue of the exhibition was huge, I've never seen so much beautiful flowers in my life.

The ideas some designers came up with were incredible. This was one big inspirational trip for me.

It really stunned me how creative designers were with all sorts of plants, flowers, trees, ...

I really got an Alice In Wonderland feel there.

Off course this was the perfect occasion to debut the famous H&M rose jacket from the Garden Collection. This was definitely one of best buys I ever made!

Wearing: H&M The Garden Collection jacket, H&M skirt, Dita Von Teese for H&M Against AIDS shirt, Vintage clutch, Vivienne Westwood heart orb brooch, YSL seamed stockings, Asos flats.

Here are some pictures of the pieces I especially liked:

The Brussels Atomium rebuild in flowers.

This ball of flowers was huge, and so impressive. Didn't even look real.

Must have been a lot of work to put together something impeccably symmetric.

This sort of Bamboo is able to grow 30 cm a day. The exhibition runs one week...

This tree in a box was the most surreal thing of the venue. It looked like a tree in a mist, which reminded me a lot of Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow".

I bet Veronique Branquinho, knowing her obsession with trees, would have liked it too.

This orchid chess game was Alice in Wonderland meats Breaking Dawn cover (Twilight series).

Such white orchid "bridge" would be perfect for a wedding.

It's Black, It's White

Here're the pictures of what I wore yesterday.

As you can see, I was spontaneously channeling my inner Michael Jackson.

I love him very much and I was truly shocked and sad when he died.

I hope he found his rest now.

My easter break has finally started. The only thing that I feel like now is sleeping.

Wearing: Mango jacket, H&M pants, sunnies & hat, Vintage men's shirt, Vivienne Westwood brooch.

Recently I have been interviewed by the wonderful Jessica from Marvelous Things

-http://darknightholdtight.blogspot.com

And I wanted to share my answers with you.

Just a little something to get to know me a bit better.

Who, What, When, Where, Why

You have a really unique sense of style! What influences it?
Through whole my life art was my big inspiration. By not studying in a regular school I learned to be open minded and not to be afraid of judgemental or small minded people. I like contradictions and don't like to play by the rules. I'm influenced by the different cultures. The East, where I was born and spent my childhood and the West, where I grew up. Of course, music and cinematography. There it goes from Britney, to some dark and underground stuff. From Mamma Mia to horror movies. As I said, contradictions are the core of my personality. The dark element came naturally at some point. Although I can't define one certain look, I like too much different things, black just dominates.

Describe your favorite piece of jewelry.
This would have been hard if I hadn't had this one piece of jewelry. It's a brooch that used to belong to my grandmother. The brooch is a combination of crystals of different sizes. Not only it's very beautiful, but has a great meaning to me. My grandmother died when I was about 3 years old, so I have no memories of her at all. I feel like this is the only thing that's linking me to her.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Shopping, of course. And I'm guilty on all charges, guilty big time. Rehab time, guilty :p I just looove it. Now you get how obsessed I am. And chocolate and ice cream too. After you burned all these calories, you just need a refill.

Who are your favorite designers?
Gareth Pugh, Ricardo Tisci, Alber Elbaz, Alexander McQueen, Nicolas Ghesquière, Dolce & Gabbana, Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Haider Ackermann...

What is the fashion scene like in Belgium?
I always have the feeling like Belgium is always behind on everything. So is the fashion scene. Though Belgium has lots of great and famous designers, the fashion scene itself is pretty small. That's probably because the country is so tiny. Antwerp has a lot of cool fashion people. The most people here wear the same boring things and don't care about fashion at all. Or think they're fashionable by walking around like copies of each other.

What is your favorite aspect of the fashion industry (new collections, editorials, etc)?
I really like the editorials as they become more fantastic each month. There's always a new twist, a new source of inspiration. The crazier, the better for me. I'm a magazine freak, wish I could buy them all.

What are your beauty must-haves?
Moisturizer, as my skin is very dry. And black eyeliner, can't live without. A good foundation is very important too. Choosing the right tone is crucial. You don't want to look like you're wearing a mask, don't you?

If...

If you could receive one haute couture dress for free, who would design it and what would it look like?
Alexander McQueen, speak about impossible :( His gowns did look like haute couture. I'd let him do his own thing. He's the only one who couldn't get it wrong, ever. I'm sure it would be dramatic.

If you could style anyone in the public eye/fashion industry, who would you choose?
Lady Gaga, because her style is so amazingly crazy. You'd really can do everything to her.

If you could collaborate with any designer for a collection, who would you pick and why?
McQueen, again. I'd really want to know how his mind worked and how he chose a subject for his collection and developed it to the final product. I ones read that many of his inspiration came from his dreams. This is really close to me, because I have pretty complicated and crazy dreams too.

If you could create your own nail polish (think OPI's crazy collections), what color would it be and what would you name it?
I would create a metallic gamma called "The Space Invader" . Think pastel colors with a metal shine. A clear nail polish with a metallic "moonshine" effect should be cool too.

Pick One

Studs or Skulls?
Hard one, love both. But have to go with studs. I'm obsessed.

Lara Stone or Brigitte Bardot?
Lara, she's a real goddess.

Runway Shows or Awards Shows?
Runway Shows.

Alexander Wang or Jeremy Scott?
Jeremy Scott. Love his wacky designs.

Daisy Lowe or Alexa Chung?
Daisy Lowe.

Red Lips or Red Nails?
Both. But if I really have to choose, lips.

Paris or New York?
Paris!

End the interview with a song lyric or quote!
"Lie awake in bed at night and think about your life. Do you want to be different? Try to let go of the truth, the battles of your youth 'cause this is just a game. It's a beautiful lie It's the perfect denial, such a beautiful lie to believe in. So beautiful, beautiful it makes me" -"Beautiful Lie" by 30 Seconds To Mars

09/10

I'm debuting my new coat here, it's from a Belgian label called Chine. I love it's quality, it's so soft, but unfortunately not very warm.

It's still pretty cold out here and the wind has returned. Have I mentioned that I hate wind?!

Well, I do. It always messes up my hair, I have to use tons of hairspray on my bangs to stay in place. It makes me look like a crazy lady with hair flying out in all directions. The weather forecast promises snow soon. So I still put on 1000 different layers, I'm looking forward to spring!

Wearing: Chine coat / Vintage belt & boots / Asos glasses / H&M bag / Zara gloves

C&A Baret/ Westwood brooch (what a long list :p )

This Vivienne Westwood banana brooch is also new, I'm crazy about it! It sparkles like a Christmas tree!

I bought this armour ring at H&M. I've been hunting for the one from Westwood, but haven't got it yet.

So, 2010 is almost here and this will be the last post of this year.

I want to thank my lovely readers for the comments!

I wish you all a wonderful year full of fashion extravaganza, much love and health!

I'll be staying at home in front of the tv, because I have to study for my exams. It's still good, though, because I'm celebrating with my mom.

Happy New Year!

xoxo

VW

Some time ago I promised to show you my Vivienne Westwood jewellery that I bought recently on ebay. My collection exist of 4 pieces, 2 necklaces & 2 brooches. I'm really excited about it and planning to extend it. I just love Westwood's stuff!

And now I still enjoy the last days of good weather. The school is not too far away anymore, the time when my life just stops. Although I do look forward to my fall wardrobe.

I was just playing around with the nautical theme. I haven't seen the sea for two years now. I can be by the north sea in just two hours, but I don't like it there, it's just too cold. So I just imagine the French Riviera :p