NEW IN | Snakeskin heels

ph/private

After several affaires with heels in dressing rooms, I realized the ultimate 5 inch stiletto and I would never get a happy ending. This pair of heels reminded me of the Surface to Air/Whyred ones I wrote (and drooled over) earlier about. No, these are not that amazing (or expensive), but have a similar idea and silhouette. Found these snakeskin heels somewhere between the pastels and neons at Zara Amsterdam. Turn left at the coloured skinnies and yet again left at the tie-dyed blue shirts. A woman's map to fashion!

I especially like the small snakeskin details and the missing platform, as I didn't dare that much inches without one. I still have to get adjusted to this pair of heels so bring on the blister bandaid and nailpolish...

PERSONAL | Life

'Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans'. Thanks to mister Lennon and his Plastic Yoko for translating the last days in a few words. I have spend some time with friends I had not seen in quite a while, enjoying a pizza over diner, chit-chatting the night away. I experienced sorrow and sadness in a personal circle. My boyfriend left me (just temporarily!) for India the next two weeks. It was all about meeting and leaving behind, about joy and pressure. Life is a splendid chain of happenings, going faster and faster.

Fashion is following that same road. By forcing designers to fulfill one or more collections each season, the creativity has been pushed over limits. Paris Fashion Week ran after Milan, who ran after London, and squeezed somewhere in between is New York falling behind. As an editor, I look over hundreds of photographs and outfits a day, moreover being a curator than a creative director. Information is everywhere, and sometimes a bit overflowing. Best cure? Sipping a cup of white jasmin-tea, enjoying my new clothing and camera in silence. (And secretly browsing through some streetstyle. Just because you can not beat the bloody passion for aesthetics out of me. Proof is above, from Tommy.)

FASHIONWEEK | Recap

Haider Ackermann | Draped and shaped
Haider did his trick and we saw it was good. Organic and pure shapes in practically the same materials; the softest leather and shiny silk draped over the models. Ackermann has an eye for coats, and the simple grey one above was my favourite. Also spotted on several runways; covered mouths. Is it a reference to the cruel dictators in the news lately or just an aesthetic issue?

Acne | Fifty-fifty
I wrote earlier about how Acne's show quite disappointed me with its spring/summer ensemble, the fall/winter-show did only fifty-fifty. The first looks were not my taste (let's talk odd silhouettes, orange and red together and psychedelic cowboys), but the second half fulfilled my longing for beauty. The combination of pastels and neon is absolutely okay, and together with the raw leather and denim Acne saves its butt just before hitting the water...

Gareth Pugh | About monsters and the carwash
The shy Pugh did not want to give any comment on his empowering show, but the clothes do a lot of talking themselves. The runwayshow could be easily told as a fairytale. May I present you the enemies: carwash-bird, black unicorn and the magical witch. Dark, impressive, haunting and a bit 'high priestess of a techno death cult'. That is also the best résumé about Pugh: I really couldn't have said it better.

3.1 Phillip Lim | Clean and crispy
Lim does it more ladylike, with clean silhouettes of tough materials and a sophisticated look. The bright orange breaks it all and goes on a fluffy tour. Even tough the underlying thought as a kind of fairytale here (superheroes in daily life), it wasn't that obvious shown. Nice little detail for every day life: fold the welt of your blazer to the inside for a completely fresh look.

EDITORIAL | Taken Over

Volt Magazine | Taken Over
Photography | Peter Guenzel
Art Direction & Design | Marie Valognes
Make-up | Molly Aitken Davies
Model | Kajsa Mohammar

ALTERNATIVE | Surface to Air Pandora

Original | Surface to Air, € 465,-
Alternative | Whyred via Nelly.com, € 299,-

ARCHITECTURE | Dutch Pride

ph / John Lewis Marshall, Jaap Vliegenthart

I am honestly proud of all of the Dutch architects. Even though I can clearly recall two or three of them by names, the architecture of Holland is often featured on design blogs such as Dezeen and KNSTRCT. Dutch design might not be embraced by the inhabitants themselves, but it does gets acknowledged by foreigners. No, I am not pointing at the old, 'Golden Century'-buildings right and left of the Amsterdam' canals, but at the new generation. Literally.

denieuwegeneratie (thenewgeneration freely translated), is a young Amsterdam based design office, founded on the day the Lehmann Brothers filed bankruptcy. Its start-up project, Dutch Mountain as seen below, was the start of a productive first 3 years. denieuwegeneratie focuses on the essence of architectute: building and rebuilding. Due to the overabundance of offices, denieuwegeneratie sees refurbishments and reuse of existing city and its buildings as highly important. The Dutch Mountain is a house (or castle, in my opinion), built into a small mountain. A little bit inspired by the Teletubbies?

The details inside are jaw-dropping amazing. An oldtimer Jag functioning as bookshelf, old Dutch trashcans are part of a table, skateboard decks used as stairs. An outfit may be only completed by accessories, this house is perfect because of the odd-looking details. Design, functionality and effortless style mixed into a building. Note to myself: don't spend money on clothing, save every penny for a house like this. One day.

TOPLOOKS | February

1. Lauren Remington Platt via Stockholm Streetstyle
Ultimate sophistication, that is the power behind Lauren. With her elegant hair-do, timeless suit and white tones she completely nails it. Spring is most of all about mixing white hues, and this lady is the perfect example of how-to-do.

2. Josefin Arestav from FashionSphere
Yet again a powerful woman, but with dark edges. Bleached eyebrows mixed with bright red lips, multiple layers with different lengths, ombre effect in her pants... I could go on and on about her look. Maybe a little out of the tone of voice when I am talking about spring, but this outfit had to get in.

3. Shini Park from Park & Cube
The biggest spring trend spotted on the runways was pastel. Pretty pastel, proper pastel. Even tough that colourpalette is something I really need to learn, I grew on it. From all-black to mintgreen, violet and pale pink. Shini is better with experimenting, and sets the dresscode with this simple look. To spice things up, she used a wide choice of materials. From fuzzy and foxy to clean and crispy. You gotta learn it from the best.