New beginnings.

18 Nov 2014

new beginnings

"And suddenly you know...it's time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings", said some religious German middle ager, called Meister Eckhart once, and he certainly was not wrong. For a while now, I've been struggling (oh yes, me and all my first world problems) with the name of my blog - when I chose it 5 years ago I thought it was superclassy, but now it feels to me like the dullest and most cliché name a fashion blogger could pick. But I've also been thinking really hard about the content that I bring, the identity of my blog ànd my personal style. I should very much like to make some changes on all of the above, make things more unique, personal and professional.

And when changes are required, I always prefer to start with a clean slate. Which is exactly why I decided to say goodbye to this blog and start over with a new name, a new design and a new concept. When I'm launching this shiny and très cool blog, you guys will be the first to know of course. If you want to keep hearing from me in the meanwhile: please like my Facebook page, or follow me on Instagram or Pinterest.

And now, to quote one of my favourite Jane Austen characters: "Let us not say farewell, but as the french have it, au revoir!"

xxx

PS: Is two quotes in one post to much? I think I pulled it off rather nicely though, don't you?
PPS: Oh and before I forget; give me all of your juicy feedback! On what points do you think my blog should improve, what would you like to read and/or see when you visit my online shack?

I like to plaid.

5 Nov 2014

Culottes

It is no sectret that I hopped on the culottes-wagon as soon as this trend drove by last spring. And while I am still totes in luuuurve with the ones from Max&Co I purchased at the time, I had no problem finding some extra room in my heart when I bumped into these vintage Burberrys in my favourite thrift shop Think Twice. They are quite a bit shorter and wider than my other ones, and their plaid print makes them absolutely perfect for fall.

Culottes are still on a roll for sure (just check out the wide range of options Matches and Net-a-porter have to offer on the c-front and you will know I'm not randomly blabbing away), so I'll definitely be wearing these babies an infinate amount of times the coming months. 

Culottes

Culottes
I'm wearing: Cap (H&M, borrowed from my darling Aurélie). Blazer (Mango). Culottes (Vintage Burberry). Bag (Zara). Flats (&Other Stories).


What do you think about my checkered cropped pants? And more importantly: will you be sporting a similar pair this fall?

xxx

A weekend in Les Ardennes.

1 Nov 2014

Les Ardennes

Last weekend my beau and I went to Les Ardennes with friends for two days of hiking (to some of the party's dissatisfaction, when our little walk turned out to be a pretty long one), making and eating spaghetti (this however was to everyones delight), chilling in the sauna and playing board games. Below you can find my take on a stylish outdoorsy look and some of the beautiful foggy Belgian landscapes.

Les Ardennes
I'm wearing: DIY cut-off jeans (Zara). Hat (Vintage). Sweater (Mango). Vest (Esprit). Sneakers (Reebok).

Les Ardennes

Les Ardennes

Les Ardennes

Les Ardennes

Les Ardennes

xxx

Deux jours à Paris.

16 Oct 2014

Last weekend I spent two days in Paris, which was not nearly enough time to see everything I wanted to see, eat everything I wanted to eat and visit everything I wanted to visit in this beautiful city. I did however manage to visit The Louvre, go to Monmartre, eat at La Favorite and sit on a bench in Jardin des Tuileries. Oh, and I got streetstyled by Nylon Japan in front of Colette (no idea if the photo's will ever be published, but I still felt pretty cool! Ahum, no biggie, though).

ParisI

Paris

Paris
I know it's such a cliché to wear stripes in Paris, but what can I say? It had to be done.

Paris

Paris

Paris
An artful installation by Raquel Allegra at Merci.

Paris
Detail of the most perfect flower shop at Rue St. Honoré.

Paris
Paris cityscape as seen from Monmartre. Probably my favourite spot.

What are your favourite places in Paris?

xxx

Do you dare to crop your flare?

3 Oct 2014

croppedflare3

In matters of the heart I've always been a pretty faithful kinda gal. I'm happily living together with the guy I started dating when I was 17 and I've known most of my best friends since kindergarten.

When it comes to denim however, my mind can be rather fickle. I mean, wasn't it just 2 days ago that I declared my love for the so called mom jeans? Didn't I swear by a white boyfriend fit before that? And how about the fact that I thought I'd never be wearing anything but skinny jeans for the rest of my life only 2 years ago? Despite all of that, all I've been thinking about for the last 24 hours (ever since I saw the above picture on the right), is a cropped version of a loose fitted, slighty flared pair of jeans. I just can't help it, I'm head over heels! Naturally I've been trying to find out where to get my hands on this revolutionary denim shape. So far I've come up with this, this or this.

Oh and uhm, just for the record: If you thought I'd be putting my skinnies and boyfriends out with the garbage now, you are very much mistaken, my friend. You see, on the denim front - contrary to in real life - I really do believe a woman is allowed more than one lover.

Any thoughts on the matter? And more importantly: do you dare to crop your flare?

xxx

Images via Vanessa Jackman and La Cool & Chic.

Buy less, choose well pt. four

1 Oct 2014

4307bc5174dfd8a511d65b8ed5892c9d

Can you believe it?! Me, moi, your dearly beloved shopping addict extraordinaire has gone 2 straight months without shopping! I have to say that I think I deserve more than a pat on the back!

Although honestly, going two months without shopping wasn't nearly as hard as it seemed. Sure there were days that I did nothing more than daydreaming about the stuff I was going to buy once my challenge was over, sure there were those stolen moments during lunch breaks when I secretly hopped into Zara to try on this gorgeous leather look dress. In a super-short moment of lunacy I even considered stealing an earring - call me crazy, but it was the only way to get new stuff without breaking my non-shopping-vow - but of course I didn't go through with it. You see, after a short period of crazy cold turkey, came weeks that I hardly even thought about shopping. And in a way it felt kind of liberating not to be constantly on the lookout for a great bargain or the next big thing that would lift my wardrobe to a whole new level. I have to say, there were days that I even considered keeping up my challenge for a little while longer! But on second thought, I don't think that will be neccesary after all, I mean we don't really have to push to the limit, now do we?!

The question remains though, now that my credit card is no longer grounded, will I let it run wild and free?

The answer is no. As said before, I have this list of basics that I want to check off, before I buy anything else. It won't be easy though. Just like Eva over at Creativity and Chocolate says: when you're a regular reader of fashion blogs and magazines you see every single trend pass by. And it's higly tempting to parttake in every single one of them ('cause let's admit it, more often then not sartorial trends are pretty amazing). Right now for example I'm already considering to buy a turtleneck sweater and mom jeans, even though they are so not on my list - but maybe a little splurge is allowed for those two months of restraint?

To be continued..

xxx

PS: Image via Style.com


Santorini, pretty baby.

29 Sept 2014

Santorini

I simply can. not. believe. that it's already nearly a month ago that me and my beau went to Santorini - and thereby also over a month ago that I last posted a blog, but let's not speak of that.

No, what I wanted to say is that looking at my holiday snapshots I truly realised how beautiful that place is. You see, upon our arrival I was slightly disappointed by the amount tourists (and tourist traps) on the island, which sometimes made it difficult for me to enjoy the charmes of our setting.

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

It was only at certain moments that I managed to put on mental blinkers that filtered out the noisy Americans and the way too tanned Italians. But I have to say, at those moments, I encountered little pieces of magic. And luckily my camera did quite a nice job capturing those.

Santorini

Santorini

I have to say, though, this Santorini salad did look even better in reality. And boy, did it taste good!

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Oh, can I please go back now?

xxx

Packing for Santorini.

27 Aug 2014

My dears, in exactly 4 days I will be flying high up in the sky at this hour, on my way to the (hopefully) breathtakingly beautiful Santorini. I have to say I am very much looking forward to spending 7 days doing nothing else but, well, basically just being lazy and eating Greek yoghurt. The only downside of leaving on a holiday is that you have to decide in advance what you're going to be wearing for a week - a process which involves making not-so-life changing but nonetheless very stressing decisions. Which is why I made this stress-reducing list of essentials for myself. And who am I to not let you benifit from my labeur? So please, if you still have a holiday in sight, feel free to be inspired.
packing-for-Santorini

What will I be taking with me? A basic grey T-shirt, a pair of white jeans, a wide-brimmed black hat, a striped top, a Greek goddess-like ring, a pink clutch, ripped denim shorts, a black bikini, my birks for making long beach walks, a white shirt as the perfect beach cover-up, a white playsuit and an elegant floral maxi dress for romantic dinners.

Gosh, I can't wait to leave!

xxx

In between seasons.

25 Aug 2014

In between seasons

The fashion blogosphere seems to be flooded with transitional looks these days, and since Fall seems to already have kicked in in Belgium, I don't mind joining in.

I wore this white look, topped off with my lamswool speckled vest to keep me warm, on a coffee date with my dear friend Aurélie this morning. Driving half an hour for a decent cup of coffee or tea is one of life's litte luxeries we both like to indulge in, and I have to say, Café Labath, was a real treat! I can strongly recommend their Masala Chai Latte and their very buttery ànd organic chocoladekoeken. Aurélie on the other hand is a fervent fan of their Flat White.

In between seasons

In between seasons

Wool vest (Esprit). T-shirt (Esprit). Jeans (Zara). Belt (Vintage). Bag (Zara). Sneakers (Nike). Rings (H&M).

Before I forget: Happy Monday sweeties!

xxx

Not going to your funeral.

18 Aug 2014

black

Not to worry, I'm not mourning over anything or anyone (aside from Weekend's end, perhaps). My rather black look just made me think of this perfect, bitter, beautiful, sad song by Eels. Please listen to it, and excuse my lack of words, it is Monday after all...

black

Black

Blazer (Mango). T-shirt (Esprit). Jeans (Zara). Flats (Tory Burch).Clutch (Marni). Sunglasses (The Row). Earrings (Forever 21 and Zara).

xxx

Buy less, choose well pt. three

15 Aug 2014

On my whishlist

When tossing out half of your wardrobe, buying new stuff to fill up the gaps, seems like the most logical step to take, no? Well, not if you're called Nimue Sturtewagen and, ipso facto, are currently under a self-inflicted shopping restraining order (only one and a half months more to go!).

And even though I'm technically not allowed to do any hypothetical online shopping either, I made no rules whatsoever regarding the use of Polyvore. And so it is my friends, that I have spent this morning making up my dream wardrobe, deciding which closet essentials I already have and more importantly which ones I am allowed to buy once my time in this non-shopping hell hole is over (frustrated much? mais, non!). Well at least I can't be blamed for not taking my time to choose well.

As you can see most of my basic needs lie in de shoe department: knee boots, flat sandals, heeled (preferably ankle strap) sandals, all stars, low heel ankle boots, brogues, black pumps and black ballerinas, though I must admit the latter are the least urgent ones considering my already quite extensive collection of ballerina flats.

A medium sized, black, day-to-day bag however is quite high on my priority list. Luckily the one I've been drooling over these last few months is a Mansur Gavriel bucket bag, that won't become available again until december, so I can't be tempted to splurge too early. Together with a designer bag, I would also like to own a designer belt, like the classic Saint Laurent one you can see above, and a classy designer watch. Furthermore I'd like to add a black round sunny to my collection, for I feel that the day my H&M one will breathe its last is coming closer and closer. One last accessory on my whish list is a black hat.

Talking clothes, I think I pretty much already own everything that I really need, except for a short black cardigan (since the one I bought last year at Zara is already completely washed out), a grey V-neck jumper, a black biker jacket, a striped T-shirt, a fluid long trenchcoat and a little white dress.

So the point of all this, will be that I won't allow myself to buy anything else before I have every single item on this list in my posession. This way I can not be tempted to buy trend-related items ore make impulse purchases before I have stocked up on everlasting neccessities (a matter of prioritising, you see).

It may sound like I have a few boring shopping years ahead of me, but in the end, I think I will thank myself for it.

What do you reckon?

xxx

Flowers and inner peace.

13 Aug 2014

Flowers and inner peace

Bonsoir amigos. A truly fashionable life and a house filled with flowers go hand in hand, is what I always say. Let former fashion editor turned florist - and fyi one of my personal style godesses - Taylor Tomasi Hill be the proof of that.

A well arranged bouquet can be as powerful and breathtaking as a brilliantly styled outfit. But aside from taking my breath away, flowers also help me to clear my head. Because as cultivated and un-wild as cut flowers may be, they do have nature's calming and comforting effect on me. And that without even having to get my boots dirty!

Flowers and inner peace

Onto another plant-ish subject, I spotted this leaf printed high waist bikini pant on Joyce's blog, Just like sushi, a few days ago and I am really loving it. Since I'm on a two month no-buying challenge, I have been repeating MUST NOT BUY to myself over and over again, but the bikini keeps poppin' up in my thoughts.

Maybe I should buy some more flowers to help me find my inner peace again.

Flowers and inner peace

xxx

On jewellery boxes and life's precious things.

11 Aug 2014

Jewellery Box

Hi mateys! I hope you all had a smashing Monday, or well, that you at least, let's say, survived. Cause there's not really much else to do with a Monday, now is there? Anywhooo, onto brighter topics! Let's talk about this fancy-shmancy jewellery box I scored at the thrift shop for a mere €0,25 (a few weeks ago, long before my no-shopping-challenge began, mind you).

Jewellery Box

The moment I laid eyes on it I was love-struck, and I can tell you why. For one you will agree with me that its is design the perfect combination of minimalism and bling. And secondarily I just love the idea behind it: to safely store and protect your precious jewellery, but also cherish them and enjoy them every single time they meet your eye. Instead of tossing them in a drawer or leaving them on the edge of the sink.

And isn't that exactly what we should do with all things (and people, at that) that are precious to us? Instead of taking your boyfriend's cooking for granted, thank him every single time he puts a meal on the table. Instead of hanging around inside the house on your day off, take a walk outside and smell the air. Tell your mother that you love her more often. Meet up with friends that you haven't seen in a long time. Fully enjoy all the good things you have in your life, every single day.

Well chums, at least, that's how I feel about it.

Jewellery Box

xxx

PS: Anthropology sells similar jewellery boxes (for about 100 times the price that I paid) in case you might be interested.

PPS: The jewellery in my box is from here, here and here.

Buy less, choose well pt. two

8 Aug 2014

Buy less choose well

Oh, hi there dolls! Let me just untrammel myself from te pile of 'to toss' clothing I'm buried under and have a little chat with ya! That's right today we enter stage two of our path towards a more conscious way of consuming fashion and it consists of a severe and thorough and closet-detox.

Only by self-reflection can we truly know ourself, and the same pseudo-psychology applies to our wardrobe, i.e. only by taking a close look to our collection of clothing can we find out which pieces you like to wear very often (buy more of those!) and what type of clothes don't ever make it to broad daylight (toss! toss! toss! and never buy stuff like that again).

Buy less choose well

After carefull consideration I decided to trow away most of my shoes. Most of them because they were just completely worn out (like my favourite knee boots that I wore on my very first outfit post on this blog). Others because I had hardly ever worn them at all, due to way too painful. Wich leaves me now with merely 11 pairs of shoes (I forgot to include this pair in the picture).

Lesson no. 1: Never buy shoes that ache your feet when you try them on in the store, even if they're very pretty. If you will wear them longer than 15mins your feet will DIE and you'll banish the shoes to the back of your closet for ever. Buy shoes that are comfy, even those sometimes need a bit of time to break in.

Buy less choose well

My clothing rack got a serious slimming-course as well. You can see every garment I currently own in the pictures above and below (except for some jackets and coats and two dresses that didn't fit the rack and some stuff that was in use or in the laundry when I took these pictures). Which leaves me with a very compact and accessible wardrobe, I guess. I kept a lot of basic T's and shirts, some blazers and jeans, an LBD and a few knitted cardigans, supplemented by a few statement pieces like my Max&co culottes or my printed J.Crew pants.

What did I throw away? Mostly items that I bought to copy some or other catwalk trend without having to spend to much dough. Or things that I bought when I had actually been looking for something else, but didn't find it. And naturally worn and washed out items. Get a peek of all the stuff I'm getting rid of here and here.

Lesson no. 2: Don't buy stuff when you're frustrated. It will lead you to buy stuff that you neither want nor need, and it won't still your hunger...

Lesson no. 3: Try to save up some money and buy a statement piece of good quality that will age beautifully and have a lasting worth long after it's trending time is over, instead of buying cheap stuff that will look washed and worn out in a week. If you do go for cheaper stuff, look for good materials like cotton or wool. This is likely to increase the item's lifetime.

Lesson no. 4: Buy stuff that you feel comfortable in and that you're likely to wear often. For example: my daily uniform consists of a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and some sort of flats or trainers. In winter I'll probably add a comfy sweater of cardigan. Wich means that there is no point in me owning more than a few pairs of heels, or a lot of delicate silk dresses.

Buy less choose well

If anything my detox left me with a very clean and super fresh feeling! Admittedly though, it also left me with a huge shopping appetite... Lord, give me strength!

xxx