Icon series by La Fortuna

I am very proud to say I've been working on a new website (patience!) with the super inspiring team of La Fortuna, spearheaded by photographer Javier Barçala and Mark Douglas, helped by Olivier Chaps. I am so grateful for their hard work, we searched a lot for the right artistic set-up for the website, but finally agreed on a 'corps exquis' principle that will shuffle different identities, yet remains loyal to the true spirit of its subject ;)

For the Fashion identity, we didn't want a very hip outfit nor a catwalk silhouette, but an outfit which was a classic contemporary, androgynous and chic, yet playful. I hope we succeeded. This series inspired them to continue with the 'Icon' series, something Im very glad about.
Find more pearls at www.lafortunalive.com and join the Facebook group!

London fashion week Day One, Fri Sept 18th

Because there are so many blogs out there that cover the a-z of must-sees and big shows, the flings of the London fashion elite and celeb-studded catwalks, I will bring you instead a so-called random selection of new names to watch and unofficial tastemakers, that won't be seen as random in five years' time anymore. *chuckle*

So, first things first: the day started at the fab Somerset House at the Strand, where I was immediately interviewed by Radio 1 from belgium after the mayor Boris Johnson who opened the anniversary fashion week. (mind the white hairdo!) Unfortunately, I was still catching my breath from arriving and hadn't really seen anything yet so yes, i admit I sound like an airhead. Rather appropriate.

The first show by Caroline Charles, second of the day, was amusing yet slightly boring, Southern-English, golf club/ cruise/ Lady of the Manor- style not really what I would have liked to see at LFW25!

Photo by Chris Brock.

Luckily, the crowd was rather amusing looking, some even really exotic (we're not talking about taste here)

Photo by Goewie Photography

Afterwards, I went for coffee with the Hunter of Everything Cool, Yvan, aka the Facehunter, who was slightly jetlagged from NY fashion week but had only the most loving words for London and its inhabitants. With his keen eye for originality (which brought him to mexico city, LA, Reykjavik and Moscow), he sees London as the only really innovative european capital. I love the way he's rather serious about his work and doesn't holler along with the fashion crowd, yet manages to be one of the most trend setting photographers of his generation. I also agree with the fact that Paris is a sleepy cty apart from the two fashion week- months, and that Londoners are more vibrant, stylish and energetic all year round.

And lo! My own photographer Chris Brock took a pic of the same girl as the facehunter (go check his LFW- Day 1 post!)



Then a brief introlude with Nick Knight and model erin O' Connor at the Show Studio exposition, which, it pains me to say, was rather uninspired, boring and not participative at all.

We finished the day with the show by Ioannis Dimitrousis at the Royal Festival hall. With his fifth show, he's not a newbie anymore nor a real LDN household name, soi t's interesting to see where the label goes. It was pretty, yes. it was elegant, yes. it made you feel like drinking cocktails at mediterranean parties alright, but what happened to the dramatic, daring and darker vision of his last collection? The answer is, that he was much happier whilst creating this collection. Hence the strass in stead of spikes. Silly, but: too bad. Ioannis, I'll support you, just show us what you can do again next time!Photo by Goewie Photography

The Art of Fashion

This exposition at Boijmans Van Beuningen says it all: fashion is not just consumption.
Fashion is art.
Art is Life.
Fashion is Life.

Go check it out from Sept 19th until january 2010. It features work by Hussein Chalayan, Walter Van Beirendonck and Viktor and Rolf. Special guest: the No Reference collection (below) by Christophe Coppens. No excuse to miss out on this one!

't Is the September Issue season!

Not only was today the US premiere of the 'September Issue' film with Anna Wintour, it is also the week of the September Issues, one of the most exciting periods for the fashion crowds, apart from the show seasons, of course. By now, we already know that fur, leather, big shoulders and thigh-high boots are the looks for this winter, so I won't bore you with that. instead, just some gems I picked up lately. first of all: good news for american gals: supermarket chain Target comes with an affordable Rodarte line! This sounds better to my ears than any of the H&M collabs. Charity gifts from my american pals are always welcome via UPS. I can't believe their luck. What's next, Proenza schouler by Walmart? (with a bitter European voice) On the other hand, with all our high fashion capitals, they also deserve something I guess...(even more bitter).

Since discovering the Intermix store and its webshop, I ve really started to envy american customers, nothing I can find here compares to the range of collections with an attitude...luckily, they deliver worldwide now!

Then, my own 2 cents for autumn:

Tights: make them yourself or get unique pieces. did I ever praise two-toned chanel tights? well, these beat them, especially if you need some street cred:
Han Mannaert, upcoming talent from Belgium, created them for her graduation show. i think they're sublime:


And...mini-skirts: this is my favourite trend, together with the nineties revival we see here and there (think Courtney and Kurt). I just got caught a very fine example, in something I would describe as 'patent jeans', or 'leathery jeans'. i don't know the exact word, but it rocks! i can wear it during these summer days, and later with the above tights. Yes ma'am.

Flu Fashion: a fad or funny? or a funny fad?

With the mexican flu hailing back after we thought we fought it, we better protect ourselves...or not. Although many people have died, a pandemic of panic would be more dangerous than the flu itself (or, at least, that's what I like to tell myself). Anyways, some people scheme up a business for any sort of passing craze, and the Flu Fashion series is no exception: '0% protection, 100% fashion' is the motto, and they sell anti-smog masks for 5 euros, out of which they claim, 1€ goes to mexican flu research. You can send them snaps of yourself wearing the mask and win print prices (e.g. for funeral letters). Maybe the masks aren't the most fashionable or even funny accessories, I do like the way they 'Unstress the pandemic'. That is, until I get H1N1 (it sounds a bit like R2D2, which makes it cuter).

My friend En-ya's show, Self-tanning sunglasses. why not?

From Sat August 1 (opening at 7PM) , through August 16th, every Fri, Sat and Sunday from 2-6, @Theo gallery, St Michielskaai 8-9, Antwerp.

Run baby Run - or cycle in the city

Summer holidays and friends' holidays brought me the news that fixed gear cycles and running in the city were all the hype in LA, NY, Rotterdam and London. I had no camera to record it, but damn, it is very true. London is nearly like Amsterdam now, with stacks of bikes all around, at least in the east and the center of town. What makes fixed gear so special? the brake-pedal mechanism is much faster and gives more effects, especially on bumpy or city streets, it's very light so you can speed AND it looks good. On top of that, it's an arty phenomenon because you have to construct most of it yourself, or let it construct for you, which makes every bike a one-off. So it's cool like a BMX in the 80s, but sleeker, skinnier and faster. Only problem to me would seem that they're so good-looking and sought-after that they will be stolen or vandalized all the time. I saw some great solutions to that though: outdoor drinking parties around a stack of fixed gear bikes, although that seems to me a little too much like a ritual in front of a shrine. Want to try it or get one? Fixed Gear London, the original group of riders sells custom made bikes, Brick lane bikes sell great ones as well, and Cyclezeal has great internet deals, at least for the UK!

and that's not all there is in sports: I stumbled across the pop-up store/art space 1948 in Shoreditch curated by Nike, where I saw Insa's stop-motion photography and Banksy-like street art, unfortunately it was one of the last days of the show 'Looking for love in all the wrong places'. Neat.

But Dizzee Rascal and other big names are on next! This IAM 1 journey video shows many creative people from the area, presented by DJ Charlie Dark, founder of the Run Dem Crew, who run the City's streets every Tuesday night. They create new routes all the time, seeking out ways to avoid traffic stops or cliché routes. On top of getting fit, there's a great opportunity for young artists and creative people to get to know each other, and get seen by the commercial industries as well, because Run Dem Crew is full of creative types.
All these things make me wonder: how come fixed gear hasn't reached Brussels (yet) and do we use these ugly Villo bikes, and who want to join me in a Run Dem Crew-like running group? we can split into tortoises, hares and cheetahs just like Dem.