45 In Collaboration Archive

Somewhere over the meadow…

What: Photo shoot styling – Where: Well hum…?

Quote of the day:Whoever said fashion was glamorous, obviously never spent a whole day with her heels stuck in cow dung 😉

 

Yesterday I had to style a photo shoot for CharalambosGagalis, a new talented Belgian photographer who needed pictures for his website. The brief was very simple… Italian widow, lace and black. Anything that says “my old husband is dead but it doesn’t stop me from looking fabulous”!

 

Chara and I met a week prior to the shoot to discuss the assignment and organize everything. He already had the location covered but needed my opinion for the models search and to manage the wardrobe.

 

It took me just a couples of days to gather all the material required… It was fun collecting things from  showrooms, boutiques and especially flea markets. I also took some inspirations from magazines and the 50s which will always inspire me.

 

One suitcase and two huge bags later…

 

Rendez vous at 12.30am on location to organize the clothes, shoes and accessories. I laid all my outfits according to their mood on a table while the two girls Stephanie (who you can see on the pictures) and Shanice were getting their make up done. In the kitchen the photographer was anxiously looking at the sky (rain, no rain?)

 

 

 

We took pictures in meadows, gardens, and paths… Beside the usual worries of any photo shoot (well you know… making sure the clothes look good and are properly fitted with the right accesories) we had to watch out for grasshoppers and other insects, angry dogs, the wind, the rain and …the cow dungs. But then again. Nature wouldn’t be nature without them…

 

 

I just thank god there were no angry farmers… No, just a very pretty “paysanne”.

 

 

I took these pictures while working (…multitasking), I will post the photographer’s ones as soon as I receive them. There is also a little home made “behind the scene” video coming soon…
Keep following 😉

28 In Fashion Events Archive

7 for me…

Yesterday evening I was invited to the opening of 7 For All Mankind‘s Belgian flagship store. The brand, originally from California is one of the first premium denim brand who made it internationally (over 80 countries). The party started at 7pm so my friend and I decided to go to Antwerp a few hours ahead to visit the city. Or at least that was our plan… We arrived in the city under the rain, or should I say the flood! And with only one umbrella for the two of us, we quickly got soaking wet. I was starting to look like a wet sheep, but then when we thought our evening was going downhill, we saw god… Or in this case Starbucks! Believe me or not, but there is no Starbucks in Brussels (which is, may I remind you the capital of Europe!!) No, there is no Frapaccino, Caramel Mocciato, or Skinny Latte here… Just the regular coffee and hundreds different kind of beers… So with the sun back and my dear white mocha in hand ;)), we headed to our destination…

 

On the way we bumped into two lovely and stylish ladies that I had to capture…

 

Number 16 Schuttershofstraat (no I didn’t make up that word, that’s where the store is) the place was already full of people. We had a quick look around and I tried some really cool studded shorts. Those would have gone perfectly with the studded shoes that woman was wearing…

 

 


Then we had to go to their after party at Verso. Verso is a really cool concept store which host labels such as Alexander McQueen, Giambatista Valli, Blumarine, Galliano, Jil sander, Bottega Veneta and more… It is located in Lange Gasthuisstraat (yes it Is a real word!) in the center of Antwerp. The party was taking place in the Martini Bar. It was crowded like the shop so we had to be strategic about where we were going to seat. As in those parties you want to be close to the bar, close to the action and on the waitresses route because you just don’t want to miss the fried shrimps and the little canapés…!
On and all it was a good evening. If you ever come to Belgium, I would recommend you to spend at least one day in Antwerp as it is a really nice and vibrant city (no need to mention again that they have a Starbucks). Especially for you, fashion lovers at it is the home of Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester and Dirk Bikkembergs, the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts Fashion Departement and the Mode Museun aka MoMu where they currently hold an exhibition called “Masters of black in fashion and costume”.

 

12 In My Diary Archive

Temptation…

Contrary to what people may think I don’t like the sales. I don’t really like to shop either…

 

“But?? You’re a stylist… and you work in fashion…!?”

 

Well what I love is to walk around with no intention of buying whatsoever and then just like that, being drawn to a shop, a window and then having to succumb to a dress, a blouse or else… No matter if it’s in sales or not. Of course buying something in sales makes you feel happier, and above all, clever… Clever because you were the only one (on earth!) who discovered that special piece at a price challenging all the rules of capitalism!

 

So this season, everything I bought in the sales was by accident! Like that Sandro top for example… I was just walking down rue Dansaert with a friend who needed some retail therapy to keep her mind off things and then .. well it happened just like that. I saw it, I tried it and and bought it!

 

Like Oscar Wilde said “I can resist everything except temptation”

 

Top: Sandro /Jeans: French Connection

9 In Fashion Events Archive

Drum and class…

 

I took this shot from a magazine cover of the Drum during an exhibition called “Un rêve utile” (A useful dream). When I saw this image it immediately reminded me of the pin ups. Even though you will never find a representation of a black pin up… I think that this, is the closest you can get. I also love the fact that she has 4 men around her just to take her measurements… (or three as to be honest I don’t really know what the bottom left guy is doing…). It’s funny how even though this page was created in South Africa in the 50s, it has many similarities with Gil Elvgren work… It’s nice to see that the the pin-up inspiration travelled from one side of the world to another. Elegance has no limits…

 

 

7 In My Diary Archive

“Everything I learned, I learned from the movies”

 

This famous quote (above) by Audrey Hepburn is true in acting but also in fashion.

 

Hepburn not to be said was a true fashion icon and does still to this day influences designers all over the world.

 

Her partnership with the couturier Hubert de Givenchy was one of the most memorable in the history of modern cinema. She even inspired him two fragrance… L’interdit and Le de Givenchy.

 

“Why change? Everyone has his own style. When you have found it, you should stick to it”
Not everyone knows that the beautiful Audrey Hepburn was actually born in Belgium, in Brussels to be exact… She was born in a street not so far away from mine (just two streets away). So if you’re passing by Brussels, have a walk in rue Keyenveld and at number 48 you will see the house where she grew up…
“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles”

 

Below: Here was born on May the 4th 1929 the actress Audrey Hepburn

 

 

[spacer]Dress: Mango

8 In Collaborations

Te Quiero Stromae…

So here it is… after weeks and weeks waiting (ok, only 2 to be exact). The video has finally arrived!

I was really excited to see the final outcome of my work as a whole. With everyone else work included. Watching every scene and every take, one after another, is not the same as watching the edited piece. I must say the director and the editor did a great job. The outcome is the exact translation of what was in the script, only visually. And the image quality is beautiful. So bravo to everyone !

Continue Reading →

35 In Collaboration Archive

A hazy shade of summer…

So the sun is finally here… Full or part time depending on where you live…
Time to dress your eyes with a nice pair of sunglasses…

No need to introduce you to Natalie again… La belle from from Urban School.

The shade she’s wearing are from Emmanuelle Khanh. I have worked with this brand on Urban School but also on Stromae’s video. They do nice glasses and if I could I would buy the whole collection but sometimes you have to make choices and I just bought two pains au chocolat, so …

 

 

The founder, Emmanuelle, started as a model for Givenchy and Balenciaga in the 50s but later decided to launche her sunglasses company in the early 70s. Her brand had immediately found success among the fashion lovers with its “retrochic” style and boldly rimmed frames. It was the golden age of Mary Quant (mother of the mini skirt), the Beatles and the Yé-Yé movement…

 

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