The Kooples SPORT

First of all, I’d like to congratulate my boyfriend, who is now Assistant Manager of (the only) Kooples Sport in the UK at Selfridges.

As I told you before (here), I am a big fan of The Kooples as a brand. Mainly because it is a brand that is always creating new projects and collaborations (Pete Doherty’s collection, their record label, etc.), without losing their brand ID.

The Kooples Sport is their latest new line, launched last week. It is a lighter, more casual version of the main brand but still keeps some of the smart and rock & roll assets. I really like their lighter and nude color palette. Here are some of my favorite pieces :

Also loving the details, such as the metal chains on the back of each top:

The new look books (pick one up at Selfridges London if you can!):

Find out more about The Kooples and The Kooples Sport HERE

Which line do you prefer?

L.

“Flying to Cambodia”

I’ve only just got back to London and another trip is coming up. Next week, I will be going to Cambodia! I can’t wait, never been there before. (+ what better excuse can I have to start buying myself some spring/summer collection pieces!?)

I love to get nostalgic with Kim Wilde’s Cambodia:

Shopping/eating/sightseeing tips anybody?

L.

† Raf Simons – Jil Sanders

Even if I live in London, I still have a Belgian heart, and when other Belgian creatives are doing well, my national pride is coming to the surface.

Raf Simons is one of the only famous Belgian fashion designers at the moment who didn’t study Fashion at the famous Royal Academy of Fine Art (where I studied myself) in Antwerp. Other then Ann Demeulemeester, Bruno Pieters, Haider Ackermann and Dries Van Nooten, Raf Simons has a background in industrial design and only ended up in fashion later. But that doesn’t make his collections any less strong, and me any less proud to be a Belgian.

Here are some of my favorite looks of his (sadly) last collection for Jill Sanders at Milan fashion Week. I love his nostalgic pastel color use and strong minimal silhouettes and am a huge fan of his coats. Very excited to see what his next adventure will be (Dior?):

(Images via fashion.telegraph.co.uk)

Not only the collection made a deep impression on me, the set decoration looked amazing as well. Antwerp based florist Marc Calle created these beautiful bouquets of flowers in plexiglass boxes spread round the catwalk. Very poetic I think. it supported Jill Sanders style, without taking too much attention away of the collection itself.

Marc Calles creation  also really reminds me of a piece I created myself, only recently for Liberty London (click here to see it).

(Images via stylebubble.typepad.com)

My Liberty SS ’12 invite design:More images of the design here: Liberty London SS ‘ 12

What do you reckon, is it just the Antwerp way of thinking?

L.

A week of mountain views

Being back in my beloved London feels amazing, but I am still dreaming away by the breath-taking mountain views I saw last week on my skiing trip to Austria.

Please feel free to dream away with me with some of the shots I made on the slopes:

L.

guilty “welcome back” pleasure

So happy to be back in London, so it  needed to be celebrated with some good sushi (after all the greasiness in Austria) and some proper magazine catch-ups.

London beware, I’m back in town…

L.

Motel London Sample Sale

I’m back in London, finally, feels like it has been ages. I even forgot about these beauties I bought before I left.

Last Thursday, when the whole of London was getting ready for Fashion Week, Motel Rocks did a sample sale.  I was so happy to find out it was very close to the agency I work for, so I could just pop in over my lunch break.

I found this hand printed silky top and (finally) I scored a new black skinny, high-wasted jeans (for only 15 pounds)!

Thanks Motel, for making me a very happy girl that day.

L.

Roadtrip

First of all, I have to apologise for my lack of post the past week. While London was buzzing with fashion week parties, I escaped to the Austrian countryside for a ski trip. On my way back at the moment, making a little pit stop in Belgium first.

To be honest, I LOVE being on the road, I often even find the road trips better than the holiday itself.

In a car for hours, going through foreign countries, with different food, people , signs, views, etc. With tons of books and magazines, all installed with pillows and ‘road trip music’, prepared with some proper road trip snacks and looking out for a local McDonalds or burger house,I simply love it. Even stops at road restaurants and shops I find very inspiring. Checking out the local Pringles/Doritos/crisp flavours, scoring some good old disposable cameras, I love it all.  So before I post some lovely mountain views from my Austria trip, here are some (mostly food pics) of the trip.

wearing my boyfriends cap to hide the “12 hours in a car –  hairdo”

Yes, I love Mcdonalds when roadtripping, I simply can’t pass one without trying the latest local burger. Call it a guilty pleasure.

And a quick all time favorite roadtrip song, Wicked Game, from my fav movie Wild at Heart:

L.

B-istrotheque

It was Paul’s B-day on Friday. Even though I had to work AND we where leaving for our holiday in the afternoon, we still tried to celebrate it as much as possible, by going for a pre-b-day party + diner on Wednesday and on the day itself, I surprised him with a nice, old-fashioned cake breakfast in bed and a quick, Swedish meatball lunch at our favourite Scandinavian restaurant. On Wednesday, we went to East-London based restaurant Bistrotheque, in a converted warehouse. We wanted to (pre)celebrate Paul birthday as we would be on the road on his actual birthday night. We both had the 3 courses set menu which was absolutely delicious. I had the steak tartar, pollock and classic rice pudding and Paul went for the Foie gras, parmesan pollenta and ice dessert. When I told the staff it was Paul’s birthday, the put a nice, delicate candle in his dessert,so Paul still got his birthday celebration, without to much tackiness and awkward attention.

After the diner, we continued celebrating at the DASH Magazine launch party and after party, which was amazing (read about it here).

Surprise cake breakfast in the morning

Some of my presents for Paul: Chanel Allure, the David lynch CD, a book about trainers.

Swedish meatball lunch at our favourite Scandinavian restaurant.

I was wearing the same outfit as HERE, at the DASH Party

My starter: steak tartare

Pauls starter: foie grass

My main: Pollock and new potatoes

Pauls main: Parmesan pollenta

Pauls b-day dessert

My dessert: a classic rice pudding with jam and nuts

More about Bistrotheque here!

L.

What’s in a bag

Just arrived in Austria now, what a long roadtrip fulled with mountain views and McDonalds pitstops. But I am so happy to be here, can’t wait to get out in the snow/sun tomorow.

When I was packing all my stuff for my holiday here, and trying to take only the necessary, even in my handbag, I found out that my “necessary essentials” are very unisex, and I have a very un-girly, all black/white purse contents.

Here are my essentials, that I can’t live without and ALWAYS have to have in my bag:

From top left to right:

• Carry-all leather clutch – American Apparel
• Mini bottle of Daisy perfume – Marc Jacobs
• My “Lucky scorpion” – little store Soho, New  York
• Black, leather gloves – Primark
• Oyster card to travel London
• All white business card holder – Muji
• Sunglasses – Ray-Ban
• Silver USB pendrive
• Orange lipstick – MAC
• Iphone 4 – Apple
• Analogue camera
• Sheer purse – KG by Kurt Geiger

What’s always  in your bag?

L.

Live fast, die young

Had such a busy week here;  full-time working  & lots of events in the evenings & packing for holiday  & so much more.

Today is my boyfriends birthday. As we are setting off for our ski holiday today (more here) , we’ve already celebrated with an amazing b-day diner Wednesday at Bistrotheque (more about this later). Even tho I still had to work half a day, we had some good old fashioned cake for breakfast and a quick Swedish meatball lunch before we set off to Belgium.

Just arrived home now, amazing to see the fam again and be in my good old bedroom.

Still, I can’t stop thinking about the Terry Richardson party in London we could be now, with our Canadian friend Yaz.  Terry Richardson is one of my favorite photographers/personalities ever, and when Yaz told us he would throw a party at Le Baron in London tonight and could get us in, I was sooooo gutted that I couldn’t make it.

But hey, good times are waiting here too, going to get some sleep here now (dreaming about the Terry R. party).  We will set off tomorrow morning at 5 (!) on a 10 hours road trip to Austria for a week full of sun, snow, food and drinks.

Leaving you with some inspiring photos by Terry Richardson and one of my favorite music videos of the moment, the new M.I.A song, which already brings me in the mood to go full speed on my skies, wind in my hair, sun on my face,  and eyes on the mountain views…

Some Terry inspiration:

www.terryrichardson.com

 

Some music motivation:

 

Enjoy your weekend/fashion week/whatever your plans are

L.