The Fashion Folio

River Island jingles all the way

2011-08-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

Summer 2011 hasn't really turned out to be hot and sticky, so River Island decided to make it even more chilly - with a fancy touch, that is. They're thinking quite ahead, because the press and a lot of other bloggers got to see a preview of their XMAS 11 collection earlier this week. Not all the items were my cup of tea but as you can see, I did make some pictures to show you guys! The first pair of shoes remind me a lot of Sam Edelman and I love them, although they're a bit too high for such a small gal like me. And what about that envelope clutch? Pretty, yes. Handy, question mark. Anyways, the night was fun thanks to Oona and my fellow bloggers. Afterwards, we went to eat some Belgian fries and we talked and laughed about pretty much everything...

P.S. One more day until the new blog is up and running! #thefashionfoliodotcom

Oops... I bought some again

2011-08-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Oh oh, what did I buy? Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out ;-) Don't worry, I think you'll like it! One more day and you'll see a whole other blog when you surf to The Fashion Folio... dot com !

Te quiero ahora

2011-08-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

1. Modcloth Sommelier Sophistication Satchel - I discovered it together with Modcloth itself. I had heard of the webshop before but never went to take a look. What do you know... I'm in love with the bag! It's currently out of stock, but I'll be immediately contacted and I think you can guess what my next purchase will be?

2. Jeffrey Campbell Rosie Cutout Combat boot - It doesn't always have to be a pair of JC Lita's. No, just give me these - not so simple - combat boots and I'd be really happy!

3. Nike Dunks High AC Vintage - My friend's sister posted a picture of these Nikes and I fell in love. I don't usually wear sneakers but for these babies, I'm willing to make an exception! I love the vintage feel and the colors, just perrrrfect.

4. Zara Soft Shopper - Saw this one hanging in Zara and hoped for a second that it belonged to the sales items, but no, it didn't. Did it stop me from loving it and wanting it every second of the day? Uhm... Nope :$ I might wait until Barcelona to buy it but I know myself... I'll keep you posted of course ^^

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, 3 days ago I tweeted and retweeted a lot of things involving Pukkelpop. For those of you who haven't heard: one of the biggest music festivals in Kiewit, Belgium, got struck by horror. Mother nature wasn't feeling all peaceful and decided to join the people... Five people got killed due to the horrible weather and a lot of people got injured. Twitter was suddenly the 911 of the internet and that's why I was doing what I could to help people find their loves ones back. My heart still goes out to all those who lost someone and to those who had to witness everything.

Don'ts like a dude

2011-08-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

Problema número uno - don't mind my Spanish vocabulary, I just booked a flight to Barcelona baby! - is that boys don't know how to mix & match... AT ALL! Okay just kidding, some boys do. But this combination just hurts my eyes... Why would you ever consider of wearing two garments like the ones above... together!?!? You just don't. Let us, girls, do the mix & matching or combine a printed t-shirt with plain colored pants/shorts.

Yes, I'm begging you... Don't ever buy shoes like these. I don't care if they're Lacoste, Diesel, Hugo Boss or Alexander McQueen for Puma... Just don't consider buying them. No, even better: don't even look at them! Because when I see a guy walking around in these kind of shoes, I'm really this close - makes a gesture with her fingers - to throwing up. Okay, I'm a bit exaggerating here, but please tell me you hate men in these shoes as well?

I don't know why, but I couldn't get any more inspiration for this post. But I think you get the picture? I absolutely hate it when you guys mix everything together when, clearly, they're not meant to be worn together. I just wanted this post to be a bit funny, because the people who live near Brussels will immediately see the type of person that I had in mind when making this post. Goodnight!

Moments for body and soul

2011-08-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to a new Belgian cosmetic brand: Blicious. I came in contact with their products when I visited the SUMO press days a few months ago. I was quite surprised to see such fancy looking products and knowing they were Belgian! Yes, this tiny country can quite surprise you! Anyways, I was also very surprised when I received two of those products in my mailbox. And how lucky am I, I received products I could actually use! I'm not a big fan of using a lot of products, but some body wash and cleanser & toner can never hurt, right?

There are 3 steps to the use of Blicious products: cleaning, regenerating and stimulating. I received the whole package of the first step: an intelligent cleansing cream and a cell hydrating body wash. More of that last one later. Let's start with step 1: the 2 in 1 cleanser & toner. As I told you before, I'm not a big product user, but when I do buy cosmetics, it's mostly the smell that does it. Another hip hip hooray for blicious, because I absolutely LOVE the smell!

It's very easy to use - read: gently massage the cream on your skin and then rinse it with water, at least that's what I do :) On top of all that: it's also an eye make-up remover... Halelujah!

Step 2 of the cleaning process involves the cel hydrating body wash. Again, an amazing - spa treatment like - smell! But that's not the only thing I like about it... It cleans your body without dehydrating it. And for me, that's a must due to my dry skin. Easy to use? But of course! It's like any normal shower gel, but only better... much much better!

Thanks to SUMO PR for sending me these products!

The first ones

2011-08-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I made a new friend. No, I'm not talking about the kind you don't know at all but saw once a.k.a. a Facebook friend... No, I'm talking about the kind that helps you with a few important things in life: blogging, keeping in touch with (fake) friends, answering emails, taking webcam pictures and so on... Yes, I befriended a little thing called the Macbook Pro! Here are some of the pictures I took with Photo Booth = best invention everrrrr! About 15 minutes ago I tweeted I was going to do something in a post that a normal fashion blogger wouldn't do... The thing is that all those (pretty) bloggers out there show us the beautiful side of life: pretty clothes, a doll face including a layer of make-up, a topmodel pose... You get the picture, right? Well, I thought I'd show you the funny side of life: being silly behind the webcam! We're only human, aren't we?

P.S. Of course I'm not only showing you my ugly/funny side and YES I finally bought the Pistol Boots lookalikes

The preppy details

2011-08-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

You know your day is going to be great when it starts off real bad or just totally weird - read: A man screaming at you in the bus that his shoes are prettier than your face. That's what happened to me yesterday... Once in the Tommy Hilfiger pop-up store in K-town, I forgot all about the (weird) incident. I was quite surprised when I laid my eyes on some of the preppy pieces. I never thought I'd be a Tommy Hilfiger liking gal, but I should have known when I fell in love with the Bennington Low Duck boots a.k.a Olivia boots! But now I can tell you with certainty that I quite love TH, well at least the preppy collection I got to see yesterday. I couldn't really choose between all the pictures I shot so I posted almost all of them. My fellow bloggers and I had so much fun. We went for a drink after visiting the pop-up store and we even dipped our feet in the water, I felt like I was on holiday.

Anyways, Knokke is so beautiful and I couldn't think of a better place to put the Tommy Hilfiger pop-up store! It just feels so right, you know? Unfortunately I didn't buy anything, although I wanted to... I have to save up a bit for my iPhone 4 and my car. In the meantime, I'm having so much fun with my Macbook Pro!

Forever 21 store opening

2011-08-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I got the chance to visit the brand new Forever 21 store before it opened for public, so I hurried home after work, ate dinner and changed into another outfit very quickly! I wanted this opening to be as special for you guys as it was for me, so I took my old digital camera with me to make small videos. As some of you may have already read on twitter, I just bought a Macbook Pro and I honestly couldn't be happier! It's probably the best invention ever, together with the iPhone of course :) I had heard from iMovie already but since I own a Mac now, I could just play around with it! And so I did... here's a video I made from the private opening. You can't believe how fun it was to shop in an almost empty store! Add a €100 gift voucher on top and there you go: you made my day! Thanks to Oona and Forever21 for the great evening full of clothes, music and delicious snacks!

Some things in life

2011-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Two Carrés that I folded into two necklaces - don't you just love it? / A small gift that I got at the FRANK show at AIFW / A Vedett bottle with a picture of Tuan, Sarah and I taken at the Antwerp Fashion Show / Random hottie at the A&F store in London / My frontrow ticket for the FRANK show - Thanks to COZ Related Marketing / Brogues that I wore in the previous post - got them from my cousin / YSL carré that my mom hid in the closet for way too long

I miss London

2011-07-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

You've already seen (and liked) my London buys, but I didn't get the chance to show you some pictures I took during my stay there... I was thinking about what to post today and since my small movie of the private F21 event isn't ready yet, I browsed to my files full of pictures. I found these ones from LDN and that's when I realised I miss the city! The food - fish & chips, the shops - Topshop and Kurt Geiger, the cosy areas to walk around - Covent Garden, the people... So far I can say I'm definitely going back! Any tips?

76 Mahogany

2011-07-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Just a few detail shots of an outfit I didn't end up wearing to a pool party after all - due to hot weather. I do love it because it's so simple and comfy - my trademarks, haha - and very versatile. You can wear it to go to a friend's house, go shopping, grab lunch and so on! Anyhow... the title refers to the - back then - color of my hair. Why back then and not now? Well, you tell me! The first week after dying my hair, the color remains intact and the way I want it: as red/purple as it can be. But afterwards it just fades... People tell me it still looks a bit reddish, but sorry guys, I really don't see it! I'm back to the orangy/brown hair :/ The only solution I can come up with is dying it over and over again, which will cost me a fortune! But oh well, you got to spend money if you want to look good...

I'm wearing an H&M short, Silence+Noise blouse, Vintage shoes that I received from my cousin, Primark bag

Shoplog

2011-07-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

Zara pointy heels that I finally found in the right size / Two packs of nail polish by H&M, I don't really recommend them but love the colors though / A Zara jumper which reminds me of an Isabel Marant one. Thinking about getting it in blue as well / The Monki hat that I bought during my 5 hour stay in Amsterdam for FW

How to fold a Carré: my favorites

2011-07-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

In the previous post you could already see a preview of what the Veritas and Belmodo project was all about. In this post I'm showing you what we did almost all day: folding scarves! It was a fun experience and now I know the basic folding by heart. I'm showing you my favorites from the whole day, so you'll also see Axelle in the videos! I hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me! Who knew you could do so much with just a scarve? Enjoy!

These are just five ways to wear a Carré, but check out the Veritas website for more!

My Carré by Veritas and Belmodo.tv

2011-07-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

Here's already a small preview of a little project I did with Belmodo.tv, Veritas and my partner in crime Axelle! It involved waking up early, chitchatting in Axelle's cool car and of course playing around with some Carré scarves. You know, the Hermès inspired scarves? We had to shoot videos of different ways to wear them - which has been so inspiring - and we also did some shots where we literally played around with the scarves and just had fun as two friends. Yes, Axelle and I have became friends! You have no idea how happy that makes me, now the french and dutch speaking bloggers will finally have to connect someway or another :D Anyways, here are some pictures and two videos. One is made by Axelle herself and she did some backstage shooting, nice job girl! And the other one is already an official one! This was the second part of our day and the DIY part will be online and in stores tomorrow! How exciting!!! Let me know if you see me somewhere ^^

I met Frank at AIFW

2011-07-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday was one busy day for me! I got up at 9 and decided whether I'd actually go to Amsterdam to see only one show at Fashion Week. My tweet got a few reactions that were telling me to hurry my ass over to Amsterdam. I didn't regret it one bit. The only sad part of the whole day was that I had to eat a pizza all by myself before leaving back to Belgium. Anyways, I arrived in Amsterdam at about one o'clock, did a quick tour around the shops - Monki was my goal - and hurried back to the central station to catch the bus to Westergasfabriek a.k.a. the place to be! After a billion of raindrops that had fallen on my head and clothes and shoes and ... do you get the picture? - I finally arrived where I needed to be. The show I was attending was quite a surprise for everyone... I sat front row with a goodie bag waiting there for me ^^ The show started and halfway through, I was thinking: 'Huh, this collection is so wearable and not the FW style I expected? There's something up!' Well, there actually was. The inexpensive brand Zeeman pulled a stunt on all of us. Its vision is quite clear: 'Looking good doesn't have to be expensive'. Some of the pieces weren't really my thing, but I loved the big dresses! Also loved the popping colors in the accessories the models were sporting! It was a quick show, but I don't regret it a bit. I hope I can attend AIFW again next time.

Big thanks to COZ Related Marketing for inviting me!

All pictures taken by me for The Fashion Folio

You can see me at around 2:05 with my new Monki hat ^^

Peace all over the place

2011-07-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Another outfit for Project Blogway, with the current festivals in mind. I went a bit colorful on this one, but I quite like the result! Gotta run now, as in literally... Going for a jog with my mom ^^ Enjoy your friday!

I'm wearing a vintage scarf, tank by See by Chloé, shorts by H&M, bag by Sasha, boots by Marc by Marc Jacobs, necklace by Asos, bracelets bought at Indonesian shop in Brussels, alligator ring by Topshop

Forever 21 Party

2011-07-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Forever 21 cocktail party may be over for a few weeks now, but the fun has yet to begin! The Brussels store will open at the end of this month - July 30 - and that's when the real party starts! Can't wait to see what the American brand has to offer and definitely can't wait to party with my fellow bloggers again ^^ These are some shots of the party taken by me and the last two by the F21 photographers who were present that evening. There are two more beautiful pics of me and my girls, but they were too small to upload, but you can always go on The Fashion Folio's Facebook page to see them ^^

Do it like a dude: Summertime

2011-07-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Since summer is officialy here - well no, that's not completely true - I thought it would be good to show you guys how I like to see a boy dress himself during summer. One outfit for the day and one for the night, of course! I'm kind of a basic person when it comes to boys and their clothing, I absolutely don't need any fashion victim but I do love men with style, of course. But let's keep things simple during summer, because it is period of hot weather and free time (for most of us youngsters!). Enjoy and let me know what you think, boys ;)

Black Deco Style Trilby - Topman

Wayfarer sunglasses - Ray-Ban

Sunspel limited edition cotton t-shirt - Mr Porter

Dark red crop shorts - River Island

Asos Black Cutout Derby Shoes - Asos

This outfit is really one to try out, guys! I chose the hat because every boy needs one in his closet! This one reminded me so much of Bruno Mars because he always wears hats like this and the print is kind of ethnic and Bruno is too ^^ The shirt and shorts may be simple when it comes to the material, but I chose these colors because seriously, the jeans/army shorts + white tee... been there, done that! So choose a bit of color in your wardrobe, boys! It'll do you so good, trust me. As for the shoes, I chose these derbies, because they're classy, yet comfy enough to wear during the day. The fact that they're cutouts, makes them perfect for boys who don't like to wear sandals in summer, a.k.a my boyfriend.

Alexander McQueen Silk Skull-print scarf - Mr Porter

Brooks Brothers Red Slim Fit Pique Polo - Mr Porter

Deep Green Chino Short - Topman
Toe Cap Ankle Boots - Zara

Yet again I chose the most simple items but in a gorgeous color. Don't you just love the combination of the deep green shorts and the red polo? I clearly do ;) You can actually play with the shoe style a lot. If you're more of a classy guy, you could wear some derbies. If you prefer some plimsolls, you could totally wear them. I'm just showing you my favorite picks and hopefully pushing you in the right - fashion - direction! Of course, summer nights could get chilly... You can wear a blazer or a cardigan on top, but that would ruin the beauty of the polo, in my opinion. Behave like a man and just bear the cold ^^ What I do allow you to use against a fresh breeze, is this beautiful silk scarf by Alexander McQueen. A bit on a budget? Okay, you can also buy a normally priced scarf or snood. But just think about it... every man needs a (Mc)Queen ;)

Not spending a dime

2011-07-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

The title of this post has a double meaning. You're probably wondering what this moodboard/outfit has to do with it. Well, let me explain the double meaning:

1) The moodboard/outfit was made for a giveaway on Stéphanie's blog: Style Lab. We had to put together our perfect summer outfit with items from the River Island online shop and Sté would pick a winner afterwards. She actually chose 5 winners and out of those there will be one BIG winner who receives a gift voucher worth €100 to shop at RI. How cool is that?! Best blog birthday gift ever (StyleLab blew 1 blogging candle, hihi ^^)! Now, I need you guys again... Vote for me on this poll and I might receive the voucher to shop my perfect (Belgian) summer outfit! And that's what the not spending a dime stands for... if I win, I won't be spending anything but the voucher, haha

2) I woke up this morning and realised I spend to much money on small and stupid things like food, train rides and so on... All my well earned money seems to dissappear due to these silly expenses :/ I decided to keep my money safe and not spend a dime as of today until friday (saturday = shopping time, sunday = sea side time) and this every week. Sounds good, no? I'll make my own lunch at home, so that I don't have to buy it at work and drinks are free (duh, I work at Coca-Cola Enterprises ^^)! This way, I might have more money to buy clothing or technology stuff :p Yeah, I know I'm quite the blogger geek!

Project Blogway

2011-07-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

There's something new in Belgian blogger town: Project Blogway. Manon from Iloveaffreux decided to start something new, so she did et voilà. Every week there is a new challenge with a new fashion theme. Participating bloggers have to make an outfit based on that theme and they can collect votes to stay in the competition. I thought I'd join in on the Rock Chick challenge and so I did... Here are some pictures of my entry and much much more ^^ Sorry for the picture overload, but I'm quite proud of how they turned out, because I made them with the self timer (without a remote!). You can vote for me until wednesday in the left sidebar here!

Hunting down some Sampar

2011-07-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

Friday 24th of June. Place to be? Midi-Station, Brussels. A group of carefully selected Dutch and French speaking Belgian bloggers gathered together to listen to Patrick Sounigo, founder of Sampar, and eat un dessert délicieux. This cosmetic brand might not sound familiar but once you get to know it, you can't get enough. Its products are made for a special woman: la parisienne. Yes, you guessed it right, Sampar is a Paris based beauty brand but sells their products all over the world. Of course, this means it's not really made for only the parisiennes of this world! It's actually for all those metropolitan women who are in love with their city and can't live without its culture, its shops, its food and so on...

The best way to discover this brand is to live the life of a metropolitan woman in a big city with a great group of blogger friends: Nadia, Lorraine and Kim! So that's what PURE PR came in: they organised a whole beauty hunt in the center of Brussels. We had to go to several Planet Parfums, where Sampar is sold, to get to know a specific Sampar product and the Best of Sampar all in total. First stop: Brussels Central Station. After a quick touristic shot necessary for the first challenge, Tom told us a bit more about the 'Equalizing Foam Peel'. I admit that I'm not a peeling kind of girl, but this one was quite interesting! It looks like some kind of oil and has no small particals like the good old peeling gels we know. Anyways, I knew that wasn't really a product I'd use in my daily life.

And away we go to the next stop: Place de la Monnaie. Our small assignment was to look up/count how many Candace Bushnell books there were in the library and take a picture of us reading one of those. Then we ran to Stijn to hear a bit more about the 'Glamour Shot' (one of my favorites!). This is actually a transparent foundation that you can put over your make-up. Sounds crazy, right? I've been using it ever since and it kind of works: my baby skin is even smoother than before! For those of you who experience redness, unwanted shine and pores, this is the perfect product!

After the glitz and glamour came the next stop: Sablon. We actually had to go to the Pixel Bar to count the cushions used in the bar (you'll understand later). But as it was also our final stop, we went to Planet Parfum and got to know 'Hâlé Simple 24/24' or 'A Hint Of Fresh Air 24/7' in English. Again, a very special product. You put it on and it gives you a sunkissed look after a few hours. No self tanning involved! How great is that? Definitely something I'm planning to buy!

And then came Louise Gallerie, where Patrick Sounigo explained us the 'Eye Rule'. The raspberry seed oil in the anti-aging cream will help to combat the 5 factors of aging: dehydration, skin slackening, dermo-contractions, microcirculation and urban pollution of course. One small thing: I tested it out on my hand and it began to sting a little, with a red spot on my hand as a result. Not one of my favorite products of course, but it might be that I'm allergic to one of the ingrediënts, you never know ^^ Another stop at Louise was Uterqüe, where we had to ask what the name stood for. It's actually 'L'un et l'autre' or literally 'both'. It's because the shop offers both accessories and clothing that you can combine together perfectly. We also had to take a picture with one of the accessories: some pretty heels!

And there we were again: Sablon! We got some delicious food at Pixel Bar and the winner was announced! Unfortunately, not our group but we had a great day nevertheless! Our feet were killing us, but can you blame them? I wonder how all those metropolitan women do it all the time. Walking in heels from place to place in a big city every day. Anyways, I want to say thank you to Tom & Stijn from PURE and Patrick Sounigo and Sampar for a great day!

Antwerp fashion show: the fashion

2011-07-02T04:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have the time to show you the fashion part of the Antwerp fashion show. Because that's what it's all about, isn't it?! Warning: it's a picture overload and I'm going to show you all of my favorites, but not in the same order as they appeared on the catwalk.

In love with the pants

2011-06-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hiiiii there! Another very quick post to let you all know that I passed my exams and I don't have to redo do any of them in August! Yay for me ^^ Now, those of you who have me as a friend on Facebook might have gotten sick of this picture already. It was taken about 2 months ago because I needed a picture for my school blog to put next to my editorial about John Galliano. I had taken some more pics so I thought I'd share them with you, together with the exciting news!

Now, let's enjoy the sun and the parties for about 3 months, starting with tonight: the F21 party!

I'm wearing harem pants by Stills, white tee by H&M and red heels by Steve Madden!

Antwerp fashion show: the people

2011-06-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I know, I know... It's been a few days since my last post. Can you please forgive me for having to work and enjoying the one and only day of sun ^^ ? Here's another post about the fashion show I attented like two weeks ago in Antwerp. You have no idea how many pictures I still have to show you guys. I've actually got to shower and then hurry up to the boyfriend to wake him up - we're going shopping for him, yaaay! So here's a quickie: the people at the party! I'm was quite thrilled... You'll understand why ^^

1. Models dancing at the end of the show

2. Sarah, the lovely L'Oréal intern, fellow blogger and a new friend ^^

3. Tuan taking pictures of a fashionable German couple

4. The German couple

5. Me with Diane Pernet - oh yes, baby!

6. Sarah, Tuan and I and the one and only Walter Van Beirendonck!

7. Our lovely blogging team - we should meet up again, in Germany perhaps?

xxxo

Antwerp fashion show: the hair

2011-06-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! My exams are officially over and now I have the time to blog normally again ^^

Last weekend I got invited to go to the fashion show of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. It was held in a big hangar beside the docks. All pretty fashion people aside, there was also a backstage full of pretty collections and models, of course! Luckily the academy teamed up with L'Oréal Professionel Coiffure and Yves Saint Laurent make-up to give us, fashion lovers, an amazing result. Below some of the pictures involving the different hair styles and a bit of the make-up. Be sure to come back, because there are two more posts coming up about this event!

Loved the simplicity of the girls their hair, but yet some of them got a special touch like the two pictures above. I'd like to have a bun like theirs too :( The boys got to go all wild with their wax and gels for a very sexy, yet simple look. Anywats, I loved being in a place surrounded by fashion! Thanks to Sarah and L'Oréal, I had an amazing time!

Sometimes fantasy is better than reality

2011-06-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Exactly two months ago, I helped out Celine, a friend, for her final project for school. She has been studying graphic design and chose advertising as her final year. Love her choice and loved to help of course! She first asked me to style her models but then she said who the photographer, which I knew already, would be and suddenly I was a model as well! I could style my own outfit and I gave a few tips on the other ones. And then the day came where we all went to Sint-Lukas, the famous art school in Brussels, to shoot. Celine's first idea included the - not so yummy for my taste - Carpe Diem drinks. We would each have a different flavor, depending on our mood. This all changed into the famous game 'The Sims'. In this ad it's all about fantasy and reality. I'm the student who's fed up with studying - haha, I really am at the moment - and wants to go on holiday, which is my fantasy. Ken and Tiffany represent the reality of a couple, which is constantly fighting. But you can see their fantasy on the door behind them! We had a blast shooting their pictures and mine of course ^^

You can see the result, shot by Kaat Vandenbroeck, below. The making of pictures were shot by Jana Keppens. Also a big thanks to our darling Lori Verbeckt for our make-up and being so adorable! I thank Celine for letting me help her and I hope I was a great help for her too ;)

And here's the result:

High tea party

2011-06-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hey you! I'm so sorry, but I'm running late on a lot of blog posts! I've got so many things to share with you guys. This post is an outfit of about 2 or 3 (?) weeks ago at the launch of Tiany's Kirilove collection for Vero Moda, which I've told you about here. As you may have seen on the pictures, there were a lot of cupcakes and other delicious stuff that you'd normally eat with a tea in hand. Yes, you guessed it right, it was a high tea party. So I thought I'd dress 'up' and I did: I wore a vintage skirt from my aunt with an FCUK top. My Pippin boots got to go out for the first time and of course the Belgian weather wasn't all that great so I had to put on something more: a short jeans jacket!

Do it like a dude at H&M Man

2011-06-10T03:58:00.000-07:00

Dear boys, we'll never forgive you for taking away our beautiful COS store, but hey... I guess you deserve at least one shop in the busy shopping street ;)! Yes, you guessed (and read) it right: there is a new store in la Rue neuve and it's not just any store. It's the 5th H&M store in the street and it's dedicated to all the men. I went to the opening to snap some shots as a preview, for those of you who haven't been there yet. The shop's design is still intact (COS did a great job) and that's what makes this a wonderful but peaceful place for you boys to look around and spend your money. It has three floors filled with t-shirts, jeans, shorts, hats, sunglasses, underwear,... and so on and so on! They also had a range of evening clothes such as suits and a lot of ties! It's a definite must-go for guys who like H&M and don't really spend too much money on clothes.

Like it already?

H&M Man

66 Rue Neuve, Bruxelles

Nieuwstraat 66, Brussel

i (am an expensive) Phone 4

2011-06-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

A totally different post, but one of great importance to me. Some of you may know I have - correction: had - an iPhone 3G. Yes, had... Because as of Sunday it isn't in my possesion anymore. It hasn't been stolen, it didn't fall down (again), it just wouldn't turn on... The boyfriend fixed it, but now I can't call nor text because I need a new update which hasn't come out yet. Okay, let's save this technology sh*t for some other day! The thing is: I want a new phone and I can't live without an iPhone - how silly does that sound?!

So here's the thing: I want an iPhone 4. A few days ago I was still convinced I'd never pay almost €700 for a damn phone. But I changed my mind. I have three plans: A. import one from the US, B. let my friend bring me one from Tenerife or C. buy it for full price in Belgium. I think plan A won't come true, so I'm kind of hoping my future baby will be cheaper in Tenerife. You're probably thinking that I'm really crazy right now to even consider buying it at full price...

But I have a really good reason guys and girls! Here it goes: I've been an iPhone user for about 3 years now and I've enjoyed every single moment with it. I didn't even have mobile internet and I could have fun with the thing. I know how to use it and I type as fast as Usain Bolt can run! My 3G was really old and I think the time has come to say goodbye to my precious. The camera was covered with spots, I couldn't turn it on sometimes, it got stuck a lot and I've actually had it with all the problems because of jailbreaking the poor thing. So I've come to terms that I need a new one. I see it as an investment: I'm gonna use it for several years, I'm gonna have mobile internet with which I can tweet a lot more + I can finally make beautiful (instagram) pictures again!!!

Yes, it's clear. I'm ready for an iPhone 4 and I will buy one. What do you think?

ELLE . BE Party

2011-06-06T04:32:00.000-07:00

The weekend's over and my exam period has kind of officially begun. Tomorrow I have my first exam: psychology. I wonder what I'm doing here, making a blog post ?! Okay, we'll do this quickly... So, last saturday I attended the ELLE.BE Party, which was held in Hotel Bloom in Brussels. It was actually the afterparty of the La Cambre fashion shows and although I didn't attend those, I couldn't miss out on the party. So I took my sister and a friend with me to the design hotel for une acte de présence. Not only did I see a lot of models, I also saw beautiful Kim and Kim, Gilles, Tom, Paulien and her gorgeous friend Stéphanie! We had fun while shooting these pictures and I wish I could have stayed longer but duty calls... Wish me luck!

I was wearing an American Apparel shirt (sister's) with black leather shorts by Zara (sister's), Topshop Pippin ankle boots, La Fille d'O bra, MBMJ wishbone necklace, Triwa watch and Topshop alligator ring.

Lots and lots of Kirilove

2011-06-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

It has been exactly a week since Tiany Kiriloff shared her Kirilove collection for Vero Moda with us. The collection has been on my mind ever since. After a year of moodboards, travelling to Copenhagen, trying on clothes, posing for the camera and so on... this Belgian fashion journalist and stylist finally made her dream come true. The collection consists of four outfits for autumn/winter that every girl should definitely wear. Describing the collection would be the same as describing the amazing woman behind it: gorgeous, warming, down to earth, colorful, feminine and all of that with an ethnic touch on top!

For those of you who have no clue about what Vero Moda is, here's a small explanation: Vero Moda is one of the Bestseller brands that is founded in Denmark after the idea to creat top quality clothing. It has enormous succes in Scandinavian countries, our neighbours Germany and the Netherlands and of course Belgium. Tiany Kiriloff was obviously the best choice Vero Moda could have made. She knows everything about the fashion world and that's why she's well known in our tiny country! But the beautiful Tiany manages to stay down to earth whatsoever. I'm truly amazed by everything she does and okay, I'll admit it... this post is not only to show you her new collection, it's also to tell you and Tiany herself that she's quite a role model. Not only for me, as a (hopefully) fashion journalist to be, but also for every single fashion loving girl out there! Oh and check the pictures below to see how the future Kiriloffs look like = adorable!

Stiletto Run - Hasselt

2011-05-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

(picture by Gilles)

It's over, the moment we've all been waiting for: the one and only Stiletto Run in Hasselt! I might have started a bit crazy and surprised (we made a pact to start slow :p) but I managed to pass Krizia and Farah and get to the finish line as the 3rd blogger! I think I did pretty well. My feet were burning afterwards and my lungs were quite exhausted too. But oh well, I had a blast with my fellow bloggers/friends! Hanan won the competition and Kim finished second. Kim from Brunette Blogging on the other hand managed to finish in style. No, she didn't fall, she just walked after a few meters! Haha, how I love every single one of them <3

From left to right: Farah, Kim, Krizia, Kim, Me and Hanan (picture by Gilles)

Oh my lovely Kim <3

"Stretching is a must girls!' (picture by Gilles)

'Keep going! Good work, Kim!' (picture by Gilles)

Getting interviewed by Angelique from Belmodo.tv (picture by Gilles)

Off we go! (picture by Gilles)

A small stop-motion film of our running skills hahaha :D

There was also the big Stiletto Run in which everyone could participate. I couldn't leave them out of this post, now could I? The one holding the big cheque worth €1500 is the number one winner of the big run! Second came the one with the €250 cheque (sorry, I don't know their names). There was also the Belmodo.tv price for Best Dressed and the lady with the Carrie - Galliano like dress deserved it of course. She'd put a lot of effort in it and I have to admit that's it quite smart! She went home with a cheque for a bag by Michaël Verheyden worth €500. And let's not forget Hanan, who won a price offered by New Look: free shoes for one year!

Preparations

2011-05-28T06:58:00.000-07:00


Sports bra by Jeremy Scott for Adidas, Top by Stella McCartney for Adidas, Nike Free Run+ running shoes, Polyester shorts by Stella McCartney for Adidas, Star Ear Bud by Marc by Marc Jacobs

For those of you who follow my Belgian blogger friends may already know what we are up to this sunday. Tiany and the whole Belmodo.tv team asked us to join them in Hasselt for the Stiletto Run! There's the big run for every single on of you girls out there, but for us bloggers, they've organised a smaller one. We will be running in a group of about 7 fashionable bloggers, all eager to win! You'll probably ask yourself: Who's participating? Well... I will be running together with Kim, Krizia, Kim, Farah & Hanan and Kim!

A year ago, I started with Start to Run, a kind of podcast with music and the voice of Evy Gruyaert giving you more motivation to just keep on running. I finished the whole podcast (27 lessons) and then I started with Keep Running, which takes everything just a bit further. As the days became shorter, I didn't have the courage to go running anymore so I stopped... But good news, I started again and I feel better again! These two outfits are more fashionable than they are sporty, but who cares? I want to take fashion with me, everywhere I go! This sunday will by slightly different. I have to wear stilettos in stead of real running shoes! Keep your fingers crossed for me (so that I win and don't fall down, haha).

Striped tank top by Stella McCartney for Adidas, Nike rebel women's sports bra, Nike free TR fit training shoe, Soft denim dolphin shorts, Marc by Marc Jacobs headphones

London buys

2011-05-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

These pictures tell a story... the story of how it all began. What began?! The love for the Pippin ankle boots, of course. Topshop was finally in the Belgian concept stores and I went for a quick look. There I was... amazed by all the Topshop clothes, shoes and accessories. But one pair got stuck in my mind like the first time I saw my current boyfriend (Love you babe ^^). I wanted them. I needed them. I was going to buy them. Oh no, wait a second. They were too expensive and there I was... my fairytale fell into severel pieces. Luckily for me, I got to go to London with my sister and some of her friends. I knew I would be reunited with my beauties at one moment. I had looked up in which stores they were still in stock. And yesssssss, the Topshop store in Oxford Street still had my babies. I walked in, almost fainted, took the escalator to -2 (shoe paradise in Topshop language) and hunted those ankle boots down! But no luck? I couldn't find them anywhere. I almost gave up hope but then I thought it never hurt to ask. My words: 'I'm looking for the Pippin Ankle Boots!' The sales girl: 'In grey?' Me: 'Uhm... yeah okay' (I wanted them in black!). Five minutes later she came back with a pair of size 37 in BLACK! Yay for me!

Conclusion? I wanted them, I needed them, I was going to buy them!

You guys knew I wanted loafers, right? I actually found these Aldo loafers by coincidence. They were in sale and I couldn't resist. Love them? Of course you do! The MBMJ necklace was only £5 and I couldn't resist either, hihi! And oh yes... the ring! I couldn't leave it behind, now could I? It was the only one left!

London sneak peek

2011-05-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

A little sneak peek from my trip to London! I'm busy the next two days but I promise I will update asap! I didn't buy a lot but I'm quite happy with my purchases. I think you can guess what's in the Topshop box?

London Calling

2011-05-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

♫ The Clash - London Calling

A week after friday the 13th I'm back with some good news (not that the other news wasn't good but you know what I mean). I'm leaving for London in the morning and I'm pretty excited about it. It'll be the first time I visit the largest metropolitan city in the UK! I've asked some of my fellow fashion peeps about some good shopping tips and I've got a few. But to be honest: I think I'll only buy some Topshop and maybe some vintage in Notting Hill! Or maybe I might stop by Urban Outfitters to buy that awesome 'Hangover' tee that Betty has got (my boyfriend said I had to buy it... reason enough?). Oh well... Here's a wish list of things I would want to buy. The absolute number one thing? The Pippin ankle boots but then in black. The sunglasses case would come in very handy since my Ray-Ban case is completely ruined. A ring never does any harm and I would by the Stars and Stripes running shorts with the excuse: 'I'll run in it!' - No, I won't. I'm also in search of some loafers but the pink monk shoes will do as well. Things I haven't put on the list? Well... a thousand pounds maybe? No, just kidding. A jeans and a pastel colored shirt have been on my mind as well. We'll have to see with what I come back. I'll let you know for sure!

Murielle, Jeremy and Karl

2011-05-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

It was Friday the 13th and I honestly thought something would happen to me. Why? Because luck isn't always on my side and my birthday is on a 13th every year (no idea what that has to do with it, but oh well...). This time was different! Maybe because I had my lucky charm a.k.a. my classmate and good friend Marijke with me? Yep, I'm sure that did the trick! Because a day with her never seems to go wrong. Anyways, we went to Gent with one goal: steal away all the beautiful things at La Fille d'O! And we kind of did. I bought this beautiful 'Satine Noire' bra and Marijke bought the most awesome Unicorn boots and something sexy which will remain secret on this blog ^-^ Afterwards we went for some more shopping. You guys might not know it, but Marijke is an expert at sales shopping... she did her job and look what she found for me! A hugeeeee Jeremy Scott for Adidas shirt and an awesome Karl Lagerfeld tee. Both are for guys, but what do I care? I have an excellent idea to shoot an outfit post with the Adidas shirt. I hope I can call up my 'photographer' and schedule, haha. See you soon!

Do it like a dude

2011-05-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Levi's - UPR

The press days are over and we're back to the second friday of the month. Blogger seemed to have some trouble today but I actually didn't notice anything at all (might have been because I was not home all day). Today I'll give you guys an overview of what I saw and liked at the press days in Brussels and Antwerp. It consists of collection for next autumn and winter and I must say that there's not that big of a difference. Jeans is hip as usual, paired with some good old Vans sneakers (also a picture of the boat shoes included!) or some military boots of course. Put maybe you guys should try out some other fancy shmancy shoes? Anyways... I'll show you a few pieces of the next Superdry collection, which is very popular for boys when I look around. The lumberjack shirt doesn't seem to go away but don't get me wrong: I like it! And what I, personally, like on top of that is good old knitted sweater with those prints on the sleeves! But what else do boys need to be stylish in those cold winter days? That's right... scarves! You get yourself one boys because when you live in Belgium, you'll definitely need it.

Vans - Oona

Superdry - SUMO PR

IKKS - SUMO PR

Lee - Listen Up

Nike - Pravda

Superdry - SUMO PR

Tommy Hilfiger - UPR

Alexander McQueen for Puma - UPR

Superdry - SUMO PR

I think it was Café Costume ? - Oona

Diesel - Tan-Dem

Hugo Boss - UPR

R8 on the parking in Strantwerpen... What.A.Car :|

Alice Avery

2011-05-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! It's been a few days and it's kind of late right now but I wanted to give you guys something to read tomorrow (or now, haha). A few weeks ago I received an email with the question if I would want to style an upcoming Belgian talent in the music industry. Her name? Alice Avery! She participates in Hands Up For Fresh Talent, a contest where 3 bands or performers get the chance to perform at a huge festival here in Belgium. If they win, of course ;) I got to style the pretty Alice for her concert in Leuven. She chose two of my favorite outfits and she was going to wear one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Unfortunately the evening concert got cancelled and the one in the afternoon got moved from 12 to 2 o'clock. I couldn't be there to style her due to school. So I let her do the styling with the clothes I brought to Leuven. Here's the result!

In the H&M showroom deciding which outfits to take

Earrings, top and shorts by H&M, boots by Alice

Isabelle Lenfant bracelet, H&M shorts

H&M shorts and bracelets

It didn't exactly turn out like on the pictures and how I wanted it to be but that's maybe because I wasn't there myself. So sad she couldn't wear the leather shorts I gave her because I think that was my ultimate favorite outfit after all ^^ You can vote for Alice through this Facebook page!

Autumn / Winter favorites

2011-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

With a pretty COS shirt

Wildfox Couture! aaaahhhhh I want :(

Hey you! Sorry for the lack of posts the last few days/weeks/... but I've been extremely busy with school! Interviews, french exercices, english movies... all on my to do list recently. I've been a bit fed up with it and I look forward to this summer. But hey, don't we all? Well I thought I'd share some more pictures from the Antwerp press days.

Annelies Timmermans, seen here

Essentiel

Jil Sander and they might be next on my list haha

River Island and a pretty good alternative for the Kipling by Stylescrapbook

Beautiful swatch

Hugo Boss

Guess what?

Karin Nuñez De Fleurquin

Twin-set

Me and Kim all lovy dovy

Having fun with Lee

2011-04-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 27th of april was a busy but oh so fun press day in Antwerp. Going alone would be a bit boring, so I met up with Gilles, Kim and Patricia to go together = super fun time! When we arrived at Listen Up we saw this bike by Lee (yes, the jeans that built America) and we couldn't resist to do something with it. We got a little help from the gorgeous Tiany, thanks darling! Find out after the jump what we did with it. I can assure you it was really funny :)

Kim

Tiany doing her thing: styling

Tiany had the idea to cover the bike with Lee garments, which means a jeans bike. We added the cute little Buddy Lee on top and one beautiful yellow shoe from Patricia. I think we did a great job, don't you think? Haha !

Poor Buddy

Will he stay on top? Guess not

The funny result

PURE favorites

2011-04-25T03:42:00.000-07:00

La Fille d'O

Uterqüe

Chauncey

Isabelle Lenfant

Marc Philippe Coudeyre

Jessie Lecomte

Some of my favorite items/brands from the PURE showroom. I started with my number one: La Fille d'O! Her collections are always on the black side, which means super sexy and pretty, but now she decided to add something different. The colors become more nude and she thought of a few things: pre-formed bras and bras where you can put in breast prostheses. All good for Murielle, because I like it! Then we have Uterqüe, the mother brand of Zara, with beautiful accessories, shoes and clothes. I'm a fan of the first two! It's PURE's new baby and I think they'll treat it really good ^^ Chauncey, the brand featured in the next picture, keeps it simple but they also designed knitwear for us, women: I like! Isabelle Lenfant's amazing bracelet... wauw! It's actually the kind of 'bracelet' that you get when you go to a festival but then completely silver. And the last two are Marc Philippe Coudeyre and Jessie Lecomte. I had seen MPC at Oona before and I liked it, although it's not my price range nor style. Jessie Lecomte on the other hand, is my style but yet not my price range.

Drumrolls please!

2011-04-23T03:01:00.000-07:00

picture from zimbio.com

Thanks for all the response on the giveaway! Maybe I'll do some more in the future, we'll see :) First I have to say that I had 17 comments on the post but two of them were the same person. So I let the random machine choose between 1 and 16. Just so you guys know ^^

The winner of the Elizabeth Hurley Beach giveaway is .... comment number 15 = Eveline ! Congrats, you'll get an email from me right about now!

Elizabeth in the Village

2011-04-21T01:47:00.000-07:00

As you all know, some other bloggers and I had the chance to meet Elizabeth Hurley when she opened her beach hut in Maasmechelen Village. I was very excited to go and there I stood at 10.30 with my father and little brother (thanks for bringing me!) to get my press card for the day. We had until 11 o'clock to eat for free at The Food Maker and then it was time to cut the pink ribbon. Too bad for us, small bloggers, we had a lot of journalists in front of us. I did my best to take some shots and luckily I had some good ones! The Village also offered us lunch and of course we did some shopping! (window shopping for me, that is). At 3 o'clock there was a Q&A for the bloggers and there we were, with Elizabeth Hurley: Hugh Grant's ex, actress, model, mother of Damian Charles,... It was so nice to meet her! Thanks to Marie from Oona and of course to Maasmechelen Village for giving us that extra attention ^^

Does anybody know who she is? She looks so familiar but I can't remember who she is!

My eyes are closed... go figure

Don't forget to participate in the giveaway for a bikini by Elizabeth Hurley Beach! You have until tomorrow 22nd of April! Click here!

Elizabeth Hurley Beach (Giveaway)

2011-04-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

On monday the 18th of april, I'll be attending the opening of Elizabeth Hurley's exclusive pop-up beach hut. I'll try to ask her a few questions about her clothing line when she'll help the customers herself! The store will be located in Maasmechelen Village, which is close to the Netherlands, but still in our tiny Belgium.

Elizabeth Hurley beach offers pieces of swimwear such as bikinis, one pieces and tankinis that you can combine with offshore items such as kaftans/tunics, pants, dresses and so on... To make the whole beach look complete, Elizabeth thought of accessories: jewelry, sarongs, hats, bags and towels! That's not where it all ends though... For those tiny cravings at the beach, Hurley thought of guilt free snacks: fruit bars, oat bars and beef jerky. The snacks are all organic and some of the ingredients even come from Elizabeth's own organic farm in Gloucestershire.

But now YOU come in! I have the honor to organise a small giveaway! The winner will receive a voucher to shop at Elizabeth Hurley beach!

~~What do you have to do?~~

1. Live in Belgium or live close to Maasmechelen.
2. Become a fan of The Fashion Folio on facebook and/or twitter.

3. Give an original answer to the following question in a comment (include your email address):

~~"Why should you have to win a piece of swimwear by Elizabeth Hurley and which one would you pick?"~~

(see the collection here: Elizabeth Hurley Beach)

The winner of the giveaway will be announced on saturday the 23rd!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

P.S. You can leave a comment in english, dutch or french!

Do it like a dude

2011-04-08T02:35:00.000-07:00

As of today, there will be something new on The Fashion Folio. I used to make a top 3 of blog posts every first tuesday of the month... That will change to every first friday and the second friday of the month, there will be this particular segment: 'Do it like a dude'. It will be all about the boys: from outfits, to products... and so on! I thought it was nice to give the boys a little more attention ^^

1. Zara Derby Boat Shoe, €49.95
2. Topman Leon Boat Shoe, £28
3. Vans Canvas Zapato Del Barco, €46
4. Converse Black Flag Boat Shoe, €40

I must admit I have a thing for these boat shoes. They look so comfortable, but yet a bit classy with the laces. My boyfriend should really buy and wear these, but I'm afraid he won't like them. I hope you guys (and girls) do! Anyways..
this was kind of a quick post, because I have to hurry to go to Breda, where I will get my iphone fixed! Next time, a bigger post!

Fashion Against AIDS

2011-04-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone who shops at H&M might come by a certain collection once a year: the Fashion Against Aids collection in collaboration with Designers Against Aids. Last year they had the festival collection, which was quite pretty. Too bad I couldn't get my hands on a piece, but this year's going to be different.

The collection consists of pastel colors with some bright popping touches like orange. All the garments looked very comfortable and yet very wearable. At first, it didn't cross my mind that this was a unisex collection (very stupid of me) but now that I've taken a closer look and read the press release more carefully I get the picture!

Ninette Murk, founder and creative director, DAA

Here are some of the items I'd like to buy when the collection launches worldwide on april 26th:

€129

€39.95

€24.95

€9.95

New York Color

2011-04-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

The presentation for the make-up brand New York Color was something very special and I'm so happy that Stéphanie took me with her! We got to park the car in an underground parking lot and then we got picked up by this old NY cab! Isn't that just amazing? The fancy cab driver took us to a burger restaurant called 'Burgerij' but unfortunately we had missed the presentation already... But that didn't take away the yummy meal we got: a big smokey bacon burger!

Stéphanie's eyes crossed mine a couple of times and they were saying: OMG, I can't eat the whole thing! Haha, it was actually kind of funny! The big burger wasn't all gone, but we were so full already! But then some delicious brownies came... We just couldn't resist! After that we finally got up and looked at what NYC had to offer...

New York Color was founded in 1999 and the American brand stood for innovativeness and quality and it really shook up the world of budget cosmetics. The colors and packaging are all in theme of the city that never sleeps, a.k.a. New York! These products will be in about 70 Kruidvat stores here in Belgium and will be sold for some crazy prices such as €2.99 for some nailpolish! I LIKE!

Mad about Madden

2011-04-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

The rising fashion city of Antwerp is a shop richer again... Last year the British store River Island joined the shopping street, but now it's America's turn. They bring us, drumrolls please, Steve Madden! A store full of shoes, a few bags and some jewellery. Affordable fashion? You got that right!

From platform heels to motorcycle boots and back to some sunny sandals. Add some Belgian celebrities, fashionable people and last but most definitely not least: us, bloggers! We got spoiled by lovely ladies wearing killer Madden heels: cosmopolitans, yummy snacks and all of a sudden a pink enveloppe...


Picture by Krizia followed by Stéphanie, me, Cindy, Hanne and Kim

Sometimes, it's really fun to be a blogger! It came as such a surprise when they said we could choose a pair! I'd like to thank the Pravda PR agency and my lovely Tiany Kiriloff for the evening! But the evening wouldn't be the same without all the lovely ladies a.k.a. bloggers in my presence!

Ann Lemmens: celebrity, Steve Madden fan and ambassadress

Jeroen Van Dyck and Nathalie Meskens

Picture by Kim followed by another Kim!

These beauties?

Or these cute babies?

Tiany's beautiful Steve Maddens

Acqua for Life - Giorgio Armani

2011-03-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

wa·ter (wôtr, wtr) = A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid, H₂O, essential for most plant and animal life and the most widely used of all solvents.

Antoine De Saint Exupéry, a French writer and aviator, once said: 'Water: you are the greatest treasure in the world.' Isn't he right? If there's one thing we ALL need, it's water. I couldn't live without it, that's just impossible. But there are people who have no choice. Some people out there don't have access to it and some of them even die, primarily children.

whitezine.com

Together with Green Cross International, Giorgio Armani promotes the access to drinking water. They both want to raise awareness of this issue, which is actually very important! But that's not where it stops... He also supports the Unicef Tap Water Project. Luckily two fragrances by Armani are in harmony with this theme: Acqua Di Gìo and Acqua Di Gìoa. With every bottle sold, Armani donates 100 litres of drinking water per year to children and communities. The whole operation begins in Ghana, where they support the Smart Water for Green Schools project. The goal of the 'Acqua for life' challenge is to donate a minimum of 40 million litres of drinking water to populations in need.

Water is an essential need, for so many things: drinking, eating, guaranteeing hygiene and maintaining your health. I was very pleased with the press release and I thank the L'Oréal Belgilux group for the free perfume, but I feel so awful that I didn't pay the bottle myself and that I thereby didn't really help someone myself.

Did you know that...

65% of the human body is made up of water;

4/5 of our planet is covered in water;

only 3% of this is fresh water and much of it is inaccessible;

when water is dirty or contaminated it becomes a threat and everyday 4000 children die from water-borne diseases.

Marc Jacobs in the rain

2011-03-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

The rain may have been absent these days - hello spring! - but it will come again, that's for sure. We're used to it in Belgium, whether we like it or not. But being used to it, doesn't always mean we're brave enough to step out of the house to walk in the pouring rain to our bus stop. With these Marc by Marc Jacobs babies I definitely am! They're edgy but yet so cute! Who knew rain boots could be so fun?

When I saw them at Francis Ferent, they reminded me of the Vivienne Westwood for Melissa booties. Those cute ones with the ribbon on it! Then I saw the pricetag... only €150! I was surprised. Since I didn't get any gift from my sister for my past two birthdays, she bought me these gorgeous babies! Thanks sis, I know you also wanted them ^^

P.S. They may look uncomfortable at first, but man... when you put your feet in them, it's like walking on a cloud!

Forever 21 in Belgium

2011-03-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have heard, Forever 21 will hit Belgian ground this june/july/august. Not one, but two stores will be added to our shopping streets. One will be in Brussels as of june and the other one in Antwerp the following months. I was very excited to hear the news and they asked me to help them a bit... They're recruiting for both shops this monday 28th of march in The Hotel (which used to be the Hilton). Still looking for a job in the fashion industry? Got some retail experience? Great customer skills? What are you waiting for?!

Everybody loves Marc

2011-03-19T04:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when window shopping through Avenue Louise, I came across this doll at Francis Ferent. The first picture was me at Francis Ferent's bloggers night, where I could put an outfit together as I wanted to. I chose some good old Marc Jacobs garments because they were kind of my style. Did I inspire the FF team to put the outfit in their window shop? I feel flattered even if I didn't inspire them :D

Iron crystal

2011-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

Zara scarf, H&M bag and leggings, Brandy&Melville tank top, Berschka knitted sweater, All Saints boots

Hey guys! You might have noticed a very small changement to the blog: another font here and there... I'm actually busy with a new wordpress blog, which will then be switched to a .com one. Busy, busy, busy but stay tuned! These pictures were shot two weeks (?) ago by my lovely bf when we went out to dinner near the Atomium. This explains the title: iron crystal. That's actually with the enormous thing in the middle of brussels with the huge balls is :) It's an iron crystal that's been magnified 165 billion times. I think it's nice to take some shots there, every now and then. This outfit was very comfy (me again!) though...

See you soon!

New in: some beauty products

2011-03-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

Volume Million Lashes - Extra Black by L'Oréal Paris

Cream Blush - Velvety Peach by Yves Saint Laurent

Daisy Eau de Toilette Spray by Marc Jacobs

Hey guys, long time, no posting. But I've just been so busy with school and friends... But, I'm here now and I wanted to share these new beauty products that came into my life recently. Let's start with the mascara. My previous mascara was really bad and I didn't know which mascara would fit my long eyelashes. My sister has the Volume Million Lashes but without the extra black so as you can guess now, I used hers when I could! But it was time I got my own et voilà. It's really good and I can recommend it!

Then there's my new baby: cream blush by YSL! You may not know it, but I'm not really the type of girl who wears a lot of make make up. I'm quite naturel in that area. The things I use? A pencil eyeliner by Chanel, my new mascara and a blush or bronzer. Since I don't use any foundation, this cream blush is good for me. I'm happy with it and I can guarantee you that it sticks to your face as if it was glue (which is a good thing in my opinion)!

A new perfume steps into my life every year around valentine. I wanted to try something new and not go for any familiar smells. I kind of did. I hadn't had the Daisy before, but my sister and friends did. I loved the smell and the new fragrance is also good, but it was too much of a summer feeling, which we don't really have in rainy Belgium. I also bought a mini spray to carry in my bag in case I forgot to spray some at home. Very handy indeed!

P.S. The blush is €38, the mascara €15 and the perfume €66. I was lucky enough to receive a gift voucher from my best friends with which I bought the blush, mascara and the mini spray. And I have to thank my lovely boyfriend for the good smell ^^

Francis Férent Bloggers Night

2011-03-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

last three pictures by F. Debatty

Another way of meeting up with bloggers at Francis Férent! At first some drinks and snacks and of course catching up with fellow bloggers. This all followed by some models showing us a few outfits put together by two buyers. But then there came something unexpected: we got to style the models orrrr.... we could put our own outfits together! I was kind of shocked and suddenly all my styling skills went away. I was kind of desperate and I went to the most familiar corner: Marc by Marc Jacobs! Then I found a fun playsuit from D&G and these two outfits were perfectly finished by the beautiful Prada heels!

last two pictures by F. Debatty

Outfit - Sony Bloggers night

2011-03-05T05:09:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to a Sony event: a bloggers night! I was quite surprised and it sounded like fun. At first, there was a presentation about the new Vaio laptops and notebooks, followed by dinner and a visit to the showroom. The food was excellent! We got a usb stick and some blue ray dvd's. Thanks to Arne Van Ongeval and the rest of the Sony team for giving some attention to the bloggers amongst their costumers!

I didn't take any pictures of their products because it wasn't that fashionable. I did take a picture of my outfit though...

Legging by H&M, Tshirt and knitwear by Zara, Shoes by ASOS and some good old Ray-Ban Wayfarers!

Bloggers unite

2011-03-04T04:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had fun with some fellow bloggers at the Francis Ferent event, which I'll post about soon! They had told me about a certain article about bloggers in a Belgian "glossy" magazine called Feeling. When someone asks me to describe the magazine, I'd say: a magazine for 50 year old housewives who aren't really into fashion.

But Feeling has changed... A young man, whose name doesn't deserve to be on this blog, wrote about fashion blogs. You're probably thinking: oh, sounds like fun! No, dear readers, not at all... In this article he describes bloggers as narcistic snobs who misspell every word on their blog. But let me tell you one thing: we're human, just like everybody else. It's clear to me, that he hasn't really seen the best blogs yet. This article is just pure jealousy and frustration towards bloggers.

Thanks to Kym for scanning the article! Read Stéphanie's opinion too, it's quite good!

Let me sum up his four complaints:

1. Bloggers are mindless narcists

He complains about how a blogger takes 'having your own opinion' to a whole other level. Which basically means: we talk too much about ourselves. I quote: 'Dear bloggers, having an own opinion doesn't mean that you should be constantly talking about yourself. Announcing to the world what you've taking out of your closet that morning, is really not that interesting.'

Let us begin with what a blog really is: 'A blog (short for weblog) is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption.'

Personal, huh? Well, what do you know? What a coincidence that most bloggers talk about themselves in their own personal online diary...? That's so weird :o (I hope you're sensing my sarcasm here...). Not all fashion bloggers personalise their blogs because they write about fashion in general but so what if they do?! I started my blog to gather all the things that I liked on one platform. I think my blog isn't that personal sometimes although I think some of my readers would like it to be. Conclusion: don't generalise every blog out there.

2. Content is often an unnecessary luxury

It bothers the writer that everyone could start a blog as easy as drinking water. Well, okay, that also bothers me. But why? Because most of the people who want to start one now, do it for all the wrong reasons. The digital age, where bloggers mean something is a fact. Most of the people surrounding us don't even know what a blog is and other think that bloggers get free stuff 24/7. Let me tell you one thing: we work hard to write about a certain piece and we are surprised with every invitation we get. I personally never thought my blogging skills would take me this far but I take what I get and enjoy every moment of it!

3. Bloggers are inveterate snobs

A few accusations towards bloggers

- thinking their opinion is as important as the ten commandments;

- writing about catwalk fashion only;

- showing off their clothes while name-dropping.

Again:

- a blog is something personal, so don't accuse us of having our own opinion.

- STOP generalising blogs. We don't talk about the same thing every day!

- not every blogger is financially capable of wearing high fashion brands.

4. Mispeling dusn't hurd

Apparently every blog misspells a word. Yes, we do that sometimes. We don't have someone correcting our mistakes before they hit the rotary press. Do you also see, dear readers, that this man is generalising every blog? What's up with that. I've got the feeling that he has seen one of the worst blogs ever and made his conclusion about blogs in general.

Only the best survive...

This young man is a step ahead of us. He's already seeing the end of the tunnel, which means: bloggers out of the picture. I'd say: let's not play psychics too soon and let's keep on blogging until we drop dead!

P.S. Sorry for the pictures being so big! I had to because otherwhise you couldn't read the article.

Outfit

2011-03-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

A simple but oh so comfy (yep, that's my thing) outfit. I bought the sweater for only seven euros at Zara and the shorts are Bellerose that I bought from a classmate last year for only five euros. The pretty pretty shoes are vintage, for only twenty-five euros. I have the feeling this outfit is really cheap :D but oh, what the heck! It's been quite a while since I did an outfit post, so here you go dear readers...

xoxo

Leggings by Halé Bob

2011-02-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Halé Bob was started by Daniel Bohbot in Paris. When Daniel visited the City of Angels, he knew he had to launch his collection there and he aimed at the celebs as clientele. That worked out really well for Daniel, because celebs like Cindy Crawford, AnnaLynn McCord, Heidi Klum, Cameron Diaz and many more wear a lot of his pieces.

Halé Bob is not really my thing, but why am I sharing this with you then? The beige legging you see above is hanging in the store where I work every sunday. When I saw it, I was in love. It's so pretty and soft. I'm really into leggings like these lately. I used to have a period of wearing dresses only, but now I just want to own the most original and simple leggings. Halé Bob has what I'm looking for when it comes to the design but then there's the pricetag...

Filippa K store opening / Leuven

2011-02-26T04:41:00.000-08:00

Leuven, 7 pm, the corner of Grote Markt and Brusselsestraat: a brand new Filippa K store. Yes, I was there and it was fun! The store was pretty and minimalistic, just like the Scandinavian brand itself. Navy stripes, nude colors, some pink and a touch of yellow... a perfect description of the collection in stores now.

Besides the clothes, there were some other things I enjoyed: the company I was in (Gilles and Kim), the beautiful Scandinavian design, meeting other bloggers like Kim, Hanne, Stéphanie and Pema, seeing some local celebs like Roel Vanderstukken, Erika Van Tielen, Showbiz Bart and Veronique Leysen.

QS by s.Oliver

2011-02-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

Friday morning, the mailman woke me up to deliver a package: the s.Oliver Presskit. I didn't expect it to arrive at my doorstep, but I was happy. Especially when I discovered that s.Oliver has some collections that I actually like! I never turned around when seeing this brand, but the QS is okay for my opinion.

It's described as a rock 'n' roll movie in which the city is your playground. The favorite part of the day is the sunset, because that's when the vampires come out. Be careful... Are you scared? s.Oliver knows vampires are hot (Hello, Stefan Salvatore!), but those who wear this collection aren't afraid to wander around in the city at night... or maybe they are? This collection will draw everyone's attention with its popping colors and *not your everyday* shapes.

My favorite pieces? The whole men's collection and everything jeans when it comes to the girls. The army boots aren't that bad either. I really like this campaign, but I'm guessing you knew that by now. Keep visiting, because I might put another collection I like on the blog!

P.S. Thanks to Emily Choulaghians, Ana, Zoë, Mauranne Geenen and Helen vd N for following :) !

Par amour

2011-02-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

A tout ces gens qui vivent par amour,

à tout ceux qui se perdent par amour,
à tous ces coeurs qui tiennent par amour,
à toutes ces femmes qui restent par amour,
à tous ces hommes qui se cachent par amour,
à toutes ces vies gâchées par amour,
à tous ces gens qui crèvent par amour
Et à tous ceux qui survivent par amour...

Picture taken by a loved one, under the sea, in the Philippine water

Swatch - The Lady Collection

2011-02-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

Periods of wearing lots of jewelry come and go in my life, but when you start wearing a watch, you never really stop wearing one. Ever since I had my Triwa watch, it hasn't really left my wrist. And after all... time is really important! But I want some variation every now and then. This collection is probably a good replacement for the change every once in a while. The Lady Collection consists of ten very feminine (s)watches made out of trendy plastic. The silicone wristbands are slightly longer than the usuals, which means they go twice around the wrist. For me this makes this model very feminine, playful and fashionable.

Not only the material is fun, but the colors really brighten your day: soft purple, yellow, peach, green, light blue, white, purple... Hard to choose from? You got that right! Luckily Swatch makes it easy for us. These beautiful watches are very affordable! They're about €38, which means you could actually buy three beauties for the price of one (I totally would!).Seriously girls, out of these colors, you actually like every one of them, don't you? Because I was chosing my favorite one and I ended up with five favorites and then I discovered I wouldn't mind having them all. They're very easy to combine with every garment and some of the colors can even be worn in autumn (but that's just my opinion).

As you might have guessed already, the five beauties above are my favorite ones. Not your everyday black and whites colors, but popping, lovely, girly colors that are trendy at the moment. The first one is actually on its way right now! I can't wait to read the time with an army green thingy around my wrist, yay!

1. Green Trace

2. Limetta

3. Berry Sorbet

4. Honey Melon

5. Miss Cassis

13th of February 2011

2011-02-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

1. Mini Rex Sewing Machine - €30 ?

2. Chanel Rouge Coco - €29

3. Apple Macbook - €999

4. ASOS PUMPKIN Suede Pointed Court Shoes - €61.54

5. YSL Arty Ring - €125

6. Chanel Crayon Kôhl- €17.34

7. Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith - €11.99

8. Cambridge Satchel Company 14" Satchel - €128.20 (Asos)

9. Ydeltuyt Chunky Stone Ring - €8.95

10. Isabel Marant Sneakers- €480 ?

11. Which perfume to buy?

12. Always fun to have some new items in the closet!

The Fashion Folio

River Island jingles all the way

Oops... I bought some again

Te quiero ahora

Don'ts like a dude

Moments for body and soul

The first ones

Top 3 blog posts of July

The preppy details

Forever 21 store opening

Some things in life

I miss London

76 Mahogany

Shoplog

How to fold a Carré: my favorites

My Carré by Veritas and Belmodo.tv

I met Frank at AIFW

Peace all over the place

Forever 21 Party

Do it like a dude: Summertime

Not spending a dime

Project Blogway

Hunting down some Sampar

Antwerp fashion show: the fashion

Top 3 blog posts of June

In love with the pants

Antwerp fashion show: the people

Antwerp fashion show: the hair

Sometimes fantasy is better than reality

High tea party

Do it like a dude at H&M Man

i (am an expensive) Phone 4

ELLE . BE Party

Top 3 blog posts of May

Lots and lots of Kirilove

Stiletto Run - Hasselt

Preparations

London buys

London sneak peek

London Calling

Murielle, Jeremy and Karl

Do it like a dude

Alice Avery

Top 3 blog posts of April

Autumn / Winter favorites

Having fun with Lee

PURE favorites

Drumrolls please!

Elizabeth in the Village

Elizabeth Hurley Beach (Giveaway)

Do it like a dude

Fashion Against AIDS

New York Color

Mad about Madden

Acqua for Life - Giorgio Armani

Marc Jacobs in the rain

Forever 21 in Belgium

Everybody loves Marc

Iron crystal

New in: some beauty products

Francis Férent Bloggers Night

Outfit - Sony Bloggers night

Bloggers unite

Outfit

Leggings by Halé Bob

Filippa K store opening / Leuven

QS by s.Oliver

Par amour

Swatch - The Lady Collection

13th of February 2011