What does a trendy hotel taken hostage by 18 even more trendy designers looks like?

Well, welcome to the fourth edition of the Art’n Bloom in Brussels. Bloom as in the anything but ordinary Hotel Bloom…

Each room were transformed into art exhibition space where performers, photographer and designers could display their work inspired by the exhilarating world of fashion. And to mix pleasure with business, every item could be bought on the spot!

Starting in the lobby, an adorable installation by the famous Belgian hat maker Elvis Pompilio (above) set the tone for the night…  Mister Pompilio was kindly giving an interview for E-tv which I could have told you about if it wasn’t for the cute teddy bears at the back that got me distracted…

In each room a different mood, a different atmosphere…

After trying to solve the mystery behind those cushions and their meaning, we headed to the hotel bar, the Smooth, for a very “professional” debriefing… If you have the opportunity I suggest that you pop by it one of these day as it is the perfect place to unwind while having a drink or a meal…

Voila! Here is the video I made from the Le Vif/Knack Fashion Show I attended last week…

I really enjoyed hanging out backstage as I had to opportunity to chat with the designers and see the clothes up close. You can feel the adrenaline and tension filling up the room as the time gets closer to the show…

‘Le Parcours Modo” is an event taking place every two years for a whole weekend in Brussels fashion district, The “Rue Dansaert“. OK it’s more or less a street but district sounds way better 😉 

Designers are invited to showcase their work giving their own interpretation of Belgian fashion, in either their own boutique or as a ephemeral exhibit in another one. Although we could visit each boutique in the order that we want, and skip the ones that interest us less, there was one stop that was “mandatory”… The ELLE Cafe! The Elle team temporary “hijacked” a school cafeteria for the weekend and converted it into the place to be. It was the meeting point for all bloggers, another occasion to get to know each others while looking at the picture collection of Sabrina Clash. And the place to re charge our energy levels thanks to the Vitamin Water point.

After a Multi V lemonade, off I went to my first destination: the Belgian couture lingerie designer, Carine Gilson, nominated for this year ELLE Style Awards. In an unique world 100% silk her delicate and hand made pieces were worth the trip (hum… which was one minute long as I just crossed the road, literally) But anyway… Everything on display is in limited edition but can be made on order in approximately a week for basics, add more time for corset and intricate designs. If you had to have something hand made, shouldn’t it be your lingerie?

Only in fashion can you throw an event on a Wednesday and call it “weekend” without anybody questioning it…

So last weekend (hum, Wednesday), I went to the Knack/Le Vif Fashion Weekend 2010 catwalk in Tour & Taxi. The event which is in it’s seven year, has been consecutively bringing young graduates into the limelight.

Selected among the best European design schools (La Cambre, Antwerp Academy, Central St Martins, ArtEZ and IFM) the eleven contestants had to show their graduate collection on the catwalk at the end of which, “a” winner would be selected to cash the ten thousands euros prize…

Turned out the members of the jury (Nathalie Rykiel, Natalia Brilli, Raf Vandersmissen, Franck Pairon, Sandrina Fasoli and Michael Marson) couldn’t make up their minds and decided to pick two winners…

Matthew Harding, who was one of my favorite, and Lea Peckre.

After mingling with the guest and talking to a few familiar faces I decided to go backstage. Going backstage at a fashion show is like going in the kitchen of a famous restaurant… That’s where the magic happens!

Between the models waiting to have their make done and the designers getting their outfits ready, the atmosphere was quite relaxed… For now. It’s the calm before the storm…

Then in a split second it becomes chaotic… Models are called to get dressed and the fitting room get filled in no time. You can feel the stress level increasing and if you have no reason to be there (like myself), you better not stand in the way and find a safe place to hide…

But it’s ok as it doesn’t last long. As soon as all the models are ready, the tension drops and the fun comes back!

Overall I was really impressed by the level and the quality of the designs. As a designer myself I know it is not always easy to create a visually strong and homogeneous collection that can be both original and wearable…. So, well done to all of them and I am looking forward to the next edition of the fashion “weekend”.

What better way to illustrate the saying “after the calm comes the storm” than with this two pictures, the first one being taken before the show and the second one just moment after…

No creature can master the art of multitasking more than a woman…

See yesterday I was invited by my friend Nicole to the private Armani show in Brussels.

The show was at 19h and at 18h40 I was still in my bathroom in underwear, with half of my toe nails painted, one earring, no make up, then suddenly I get a phone call…  Me: Yes yes I’m ready, just getting my keys…

Fifteen minutes later all dressed up, leaving behind me what could only be described as a tornado, I was on my way to the Armani store located on the Boulevard de Waterloo.

The show was organized by the Milan office to give an opportunity for the Belgian clients to view the collection without having to fly into fashion week mayhem. 

This is really what haute couture and high fashion is and should be about… Everything was done like it would have been done in Milan, even the models were shipped directly from Italy for the show. Decision I totally approved by the way…

I managed to take a few pictures even though it was not allowed (Giorgio, if you read those lines… I’m really sorry…).

After the show and a series of shrimps followed by macaroons I had the opportunity to meet the models to tell them how much I appreciated their “contribution to Italian fashion”… Hum hum!