Goldfinger

Just when I thought I found the best nailpolish in the universe – Matte About You by Essie (it’s a colourless topcoat which makes ANY nail-colour extra matte!), here’s a tiny tidbit I picked out of the Park&Cube blog today:
This amazing metallic nail..erm…gadget is called Nail Rock and is available online at ASOS. Happily coinciding with this amazing discovery is the free-of-charge shipment that ASOS offers for a limited period of time. So in a matter of a few seconds I was at the checkout page.
I’ve been looking for the chrome or metallic nailpolish for a while now, but all they’ve got in store is the ugly glittery and shiny ones. No! I want the real heavy metal stuff! L’Oreal (or was it Maybelline?) should resurrect the Chrome nail-colour series they used to have back in the 90’s – they’ll go sold out. My first nailpolish ever was a bright yellow one, and that’s prior to the fast-drying polishes, so I remember waiting for a half-an-hour and waving my hands in the air for it to dry. Then came the fast-drying Chromes and I had a silver one, it was like a revelation – shiny nails of stainless steel…
Well, back to Nail Rock – it’s not a polish but some kind of sticky film which must be softened and applied with heat of a hairdryer, and to me it looks like a GoldLeaf that is used to make the classical wooden picture frames gold and shiny, so I’m endlessly curious how it’s going to work for the nails. The beauty of Nail Rock is not only in the chrome finish, but you can have all sorts of printed patterns as well…although they look incredibly kitsch in polkadot and tacky in leopard print, I’m sure there’s a right person out there somewhere to wear them. Not me. The gold nail wrap should be in my mailbox by the end of the week, and I’ll make sure to be the Madame Goldfinger at the S4lem gig on the 2nd of December.

'vintage' reprise

More images that have passed the due by date – these are from a presentation at RA13 in Antwerp – oh how I love that shop!

Note: this is the autumn/winter 10/11 presentation by Narelle Dore – Antwerp Academy graduate from the same year as Romain Brau, who’s one half of RA13.

'vintage'

These are some ‘vintage’ images I dug up from my iPhone. The first issue of my fashion fanzine – as it was all fresh and new – on the table at Hunting and Collecting among all the other printed greatness.

the love the want the need

A day spent without pronouncing his name?

to Amsterdam?

I’m bored of Brussels these days. Really feel like going to Amsterdam to spy into people’s windows – the Dutch people always have the most beautiful interiors, and to shop a little Monki.

i love your blog too!

Thanks to Evelien for the ‘I love your blog’ prize! I’m really not the network type of blogger and I’m utterly surprised to even be mentioned in this sort of thing, BUT INCREDIBLY FLATTERED! Really hope not to bore anyone with my answers…

1. Why did you create the blog?
When it all begun I lived in a small town in a relationship that was slowly breaking down – I needed to rant, I was tired of people finger-pointing at me on the street and wanted to give some attention to art and music that had very little exposure. I watched Susie posting crappy mirror shots of her outfits and hoped for one day to do the same, then the mirror-shot hype slowly died and bloggers became professional with tripods and all, and I still haven’t found any courage to do decent outfit posts. This blog exists since 2006 – it’s a dinosaur, like Susie’s and Zana’s blogs. I deliberately refuse any advertisement, rarely share a link or post about brands that send me their lookbooks – I feel that I have to genuinely believe in what I’m writing, because I LOVE writing…not blogging, but writing. I publish a fanzine and write for others if they ask me to, because that’s what I love. Any physical interaction is only worth it if I can write about it – a poem, a prose, a blog post.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
Will I shock anyone saying I don’t follow any blogs. I don’t participate in any networks, almost never comment, use Bloglovin’ or anything similar. I simply have several bookmarks to the sites that I like to check, these days most of them are blogs. Mainly streetstyle and photoblogs – for trend research. Non-English written ones for brand research. Art blogs. Online magazines. But there will be always Susie and Yvan who’s work I admire since 2006 and check them every day for already 4 years. Crazy!

3. Favorite makeup brand?
I think I’ve got the most sensitive skin in the universe. The only thing that works is Håkansson. Uslu Airlines on my nails.

4. Favorite clothing brand?
If Henrik Vibskov were to grow wings he’d be my angel, if he were to wear a crown he’d be my king, and I really think we should just get married.
Realistically? After 2 and a half years of working for COS my wardrobe if full of it, and I still like it. Acne, Stine Goya, Christophe Lemaire, Opening Ceremony, Martin Margiela – always find something I like and I’m ready to live off cornflakes for months to be able to pay that stuff.
There isn’t one aesthetic I admire, but a unison of the dissonance. Undercover, Proenza Schouler, Bernhard Willhelm, Margiela from the 90’s, BLESS, Marios Schwab, Lena Lumelski, Peter Pilotto, Fabrics Interseason, Mikio Sakabe, Arielle de Pinto, Natalia Brilli, Richard Nicoll, Katie Eary, Rodarte, Ann Sofie Back, Veronica B. Vallenes, Anntian… I’m sure to add a couple more almost every day, and then still having to go to Oxfam for a pair of new trousers.

5. Your indispensable makeup product:
‘Lady Danger’ red lipstick by M.A.C. and Uslu Airlines nailpolish in BHC grey.

6. Your favorite color:
For me every colour has specific use. Interior is only white and wood (that’s a colour too). The wardrobe is mainly black, grey and beige with all pastels and neutrals. Neon yellow, mint, magenta, neon pink on white make me happy.

7. Your perfume: I can spend years without one. Previously layering Comme des Garcons’ original perfume and Cinnamon Eau de toillete. Now Undercover’s Holygrace.

8. Your favorite film:

I rarely watch movies, but of the ones I did watch it’s ‘Funny Games’ (German original from 1997) by Michael Haneke, ‘Inland Empire’ by David Lynch, ‘Dancer in the Dark’ by Lars von Trier, or generally anything from the aforementioned directors, also Michel Gondry, Lucas Moodysson’s ‘A Hole in My Heart’ and the Danish Dogma films – ‘Festen’ by Thomas Vinterberg of course.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
Iceland and Japan. Just because. And I will surely re-visit Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. I want to go to Wales in UK – just read the city names like Trearddur or Pwllheli – music to my ears! I’d love to go to Shetland or Faroe, or even Spitsbergen islands.

10. Make the last question and answer to yourself:
Believe it or now, quite a few people asked me whether I may suffer from a light form of autism…because I don’t ask questions.

Now I guess I have to pass the ‘I love your blog’ prize to someone else… really everyone who stays true to their own opinion deserves it as much as anyone who keeps informed of the latest news and trends. I'll leave this open.

MODO stocksale

If you have any cash left…I don’t…but for the lucky ones there’s another stocksale coming up. Modo Brussels is back with their recurrent stocksale of Brussels’ designers – Celine Collard and David Szeto among others, as well as Annemie Verbeke sale in the designer’s store on A. Dansaertstraat and OWN shop on place du Jardin aux Fleurs.

topshop treasure hunt

So I ploughed through the entire Topshop website to pick some garments I would like to buy if I were not to count money in my life ever. How great it would have been to win a lottery or earn a million a year, but strangely my list is not so long. I’m sceptic about polyester, I would probably eliminate a half of the favourites on my list after having fitted them, but afterall there are some great pieces. Surprise surprise – they are sold-out in most sizes. I guess the true Topshop customers know what they are buying. I will still abstain from ordering anything online, because two out of three items I ever ordered from Topshop were broken just because the packaging wasn’t right… And the Oxford Circus store is such a maze that I can spend hours choosing and leave with nothing, or drop by for a quarter and on seeing a queue at the till still leave with nothing… so I’ll just sit here waiting on some undiscovered Topshop treasures and for the miracle to happen.

BERTIN - casiotone mt-40, handclap & echo

Some silliness to entertain you - tomorrow this innocent tune and many more.

Les Ateliers Claus in Brussels, Chris Imler and BERTIN. See you there.

ready steady go!

Various Sources featured artist and designers list is getting more and more exciting! Get ready for BIG names, open minds and generous hearts.
The second issue of my self-published mag is taking shape and with a concrete direction and theme I’m looking for new brands and artists to interview. I’m not keeping it local, since the issue#2 will be sold outside of Belgium and this time around the production and printing process will not get in the way of having enough copies for everyone. I found a new binding technique, and I’m sorry but you’ll have to learn to read texts in mirror reflection - it’s all part of the game!
Rather expectedly I’ll focus on duality for the issue#2…but not in the banal way – more like a duality given go celebrate the deity of month of January – Janus the two-faced god. And whether it’s about coupling, duets, twins or indecisive double-mindedness, Various Sources has firstly the name, and secondly the issue’s theme – ‘noir between the sexes’ – a homage to the work by Denicolai&Provoost.
Once again no launch event planned, it will simply drop in stores sometime in January and will be available to purchase online this time….so slowly but surely I’m building it up and making it look like a real magazine. Not bad!
And by the way I have just chosen the victim = the external writer…will see him tomorrow to insist and inspire. I’ve got a very good feeling about it. So the all-white cover and the fruit stickers will be back!

out of PROPORTION

These snapshots of the pop-up store in Berlin may not tell you much, but Proportion is actually a new fashion label run by my old acquaintance from Cologne. Alexandra Heckel is now in Berlin and together with Frederic Krehl launched a brand that focuses on directional cuts and basic colours...those kinds of volumes to play with and perfect basics good enough to keep forever. I find it perfectly in-line with a scandinavian fashion aesthetic, yet still remaining personal and different. And the Popupstore? You find it on Torstrasse 161 in Berlin. Quick, someone get me the plane ticket!

shoes?

THE SHOES!


They are mine mine mine! And I have to thank Aude and Niels at Hunting&Collecting for going through so much trouble of ordering those for me and for being the most patient sales people for all the time I took with this pair of shoes! Thanks a million!
A practical note, if you’re planning on purchasing a pair – size up. I found them pretty narrow, although they are quite right in length, but I still had to go for a size bigger than usual, so with a European 38/UK 5/ US 7.5/Japanese 245 I had to buy size 39. I hope this helps someone, as Carin Wester shoes don’t seem to have a fixed standard sizing and some models run big and others run small. The Monroe pump (and I guess the boots are of the same manufacturer) are of small narrow fit, but once you get the size right they are Heaven in a shoe!

Hakansson skin praise

Here’s a small note of something I rarely speak about – make-up. The reason for such a post is not a one-minute frenzy, but several years of experience.
If fashion may be subject to seasonal moodswings, make-up is something that I keep quite constant only occasionally adding something different or crazy…you’ve seen it – black lipstick, sky-blue eyelashes, red eye-liner – those things that I tend to entertain you with at times. …but there’s only one base and skin-care routine that makes a perfect blank canvas for all those experiments – it’s Håkansson.


Håkansson is a Swedish brand with a seemingly narrow range, but the beauty of every product is that it can multitask and the possibilities are endless. They have a basic skin-care range where I’m addicted to Remover Soap Moisturiser routine, and I never owned the Oil, but having received a tiny sample I’m inclined to giving it a try. The make-up range consists of Colours and Finishes – that’s were it becomes so much fun. The consealer (or rather the flesh-tone colours) has 100% coverage, it’s really like those professional products they use for theatre or TV, except that it’s silky soft on your skin, but it will hide absolutely anything on any part of your face…so that’s firstly: those colours become base, blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow as you wish. I’m always lost at the make-up stands that try to convince me that I need five different tubes just to hide bags under my eyes, and I later find out that I’ve never had any bags or dark circles or whatever else they invent that we girls have = marketing! Håkansson does it otherwise – gives you a raw product of greatest quality and lets you find the way to use it. All colours come in doubles, they are perfectly mixable. I’ve always had colours 1+2 and 7+8, where the first set works as consealer and the second one as colour. I’m very tempted to try the dark red+orange combination, but at the moment I’m staying loyal to my M.A.C. Lady Danger lipstick…but never say never.

Now, the Finish part is easy, it’s basically only one pot of powder with a suspicious yellow undertone. The trick with yellow is that it breaks any red on your skin – so there go the last traces of any spots, pimples or whatever the consealer did not cover – invisible! The magic yellow powder is said to suit all skin-tones…I can’t object since it suits me perfectly. Probably the only problem is that this make-up is made for white or asian girls – the colours are pretty light, so if for instance colour nr. 3 can be someone’s consealer, I’m not sure they can make a good use of the Powder…may be that’s a question to ask to the Swedish-born and New York-based Katarina Håkansson – the make-up artist who has actually created the entire range.

To conclude this dépêche on Håkansson make-up I must say that I’m the happiest customer ever and I will always be. The products may be pricy, so re-stocking my make-up bag happens gradually, this month I get the powder and colour, next month the new bottle of moisturiser – these are the products that last. The only downside probably is that not all of Håkansson products are Paraben-free…but here’s my experience: I discovered Håkansson through COS, they used to sell the whole range in the beginning, but then stopped and while I was still working for COS the products were sold to all the employees with a massive 70% reduction, so I bought two of each products I needed and have been using it happily eversince; then I ran out of some things and tried to buy them online, but there was no delivery outside US (strangely though, the recent package was sent from Sweden); so I tried to find a substitute – Bare Essentuals was not too bad but also only available in France, the new biological brand Une was ok in the beginning, but then I developed a horrid allergy to it, just like to most other brands. The moral: I’d rather buy paraben that scratch my face to blood, so I stopped looking for yet another wannabe ecological brand and celebrated my re-union with Håkansson after one year and a half, now hopefully forever.

Alice Bastin AW10

the world of Alice Bastin

It’s not hard to guess I got my mind set on this girl’s designs. The lookbook image from the previous post is just the beginning! I had to dedicate at least a tiny post to a few more images and illustrations. I love the graphic work and the clothes – that striped blazer, beige coat…oh! I would love to see more of Alice Bastin around Brussels(you’ve heard me).

endless love

Whatever may happen to fashion, I will always love certain things. Nothing, even the comments of the ‘passé’ can get me off deers and owls, crystals and the typically Russian combination of bright flowers on black background, just like those shawls and lacquer boxes…ageless is my love to beige and faded black, tan leather and pony skin shoes. Graphic platform shoes and sac dresses will always be in my wardrobe, just as well as anything Henrik Vibskov makes. Predictable? Yes, of course! Sometimes I feel that if I wear a blazer without anything remotely kitsch, I’ll look like a new wave Berliner in the 80’s. Not that it’s bad, simply is not my intention to be overwhelmed by my new haircut and my music taste…

So here’s the wishlist, mostly realistic (when the sales come around). The crystals and black for the night and the structured beige for the day.

vintage bag image via BleachBlack, Henrik Vibskov silk blouse via Azita, crystal rings image via Tumblr, Hui Hui dress via Azita, crystal necklace from Etsy, vintage skirt from Time's Up, pony skin platforms by John Rocha via RA13.

Alice Bastin lookbook image, Henrik Vibskov scarf, Cristophe Lemaire waistcoat via Azita, Henrik Vibskov bag and dress, Carin Wester shoes via Hunting and Collecting.