new in

 

One of this year's unofficial resolutions is to buy less but better. I guess I managed somehow to buy better, but buying less is an art that takes practice. Now I check the country of production of every single thing I buy, choose only natural materials and match the new clothes to the ones I already own - there's nothing easier than just going to a shop and buying a full outfit, inspired by whatever blogs, magazines or streetstyle, but it is much harder to seamlessly blend the new into the old and still look different and surprising. I try to balance the 'surprise factor' by adding something very extravagant to a simple outfit and call it 'dressing up', and then pile on several very special designer items for the daily wear and call it 'dressing down'. The more special items together, the lesser the 'surprise factor', hence the more casual is the outfit. Does it make sense? It probably doesn't.

Well, these Acne Studios woven sandals surely fall under the extravagant category, being a strange hybrid of a men's shoe, wedge boot and a traditional Swedish clog - that with a pair of cozy socks is my ideal vision of footwear, possibly matched with denim and an oversized shiny lurex knit for the evening, or gold Acne trousers and a Dries Van Noten grey marl tee for the day, then without socks of course.

So my new friend Lenna (that is the name that Acne Studios give to the shoes - it feels like a match made in heaven) will have to sit by the window and contemplate the miserable rain pissing down until the month of April or even May. That is the sad truth about Belgium and its sky constantly leaking. But then when the good...or relatively good, weather comes I constantly have a pair of sandals on my feet, socks or not, jeans or bare legs, and even thick rib knitted tights and a coat - all is good with a pair of clog looking sandals. I've worn my old A.P.C. ones into the ground last summer, and now I am one happy sausage with my new investment.

And as a little bonus to make the shopping day even merrier, and the interior even cozier, I came back with a thrifted vase/candleholder. I've been meaning to start collecting the colourful 70's pottery for a while, but the good pieces are hard to find, or they mostly come in orange. What do I expect? It's from the 70's, duh! But I always wanted some surprising colours, so bright yellow perfectly hits the spot, but sits lonely on the empty mantelpiece.