warm plaid meets cool silver

I still can't believe I was one of the lucky gals to purchase the silver reversible bomberjacket from the Isabel Marant x H&M collection.

Totally LOVE love love it.

It's chic and edgy at the same time. It teams so well with my leather trackpants ; add a plaid scarf and voilà .. you get an interesting combination of fabrics and texture.

bomber jacket Isabel Marant x H&M

sweatshirt Isabel Marant étoile (SS 2013)

leather trackpants SheInside (similar here)

scarf Zara (similar here)

pistol boots Sasha (similar here)

Tis the cosy season

Cosy means chunky soft jumpers ; drinking hot cocoa and enjoying all things warm.

I really love Fall and Winter ; I always seem to find a lot more nice clothes during this time of year. 

I started knitting again. Inspired by friends with babies and seeing so many beautiful wools at my local handcraft shop. 

I am wearing {top down} :

Mug  Ittala

Main Coeur ring Lucie Saint-Leu

Other ring was once from my late mama

Jumper COS

Cardigan H&M

Watch Cartier 

Shoes Zara

Wool Julija's shop 

Girls on bikes

In my hometown, there's a lot of bike traffic. So I'd like to share some pics on a regular basis with girls seen on bikes. And if so, girls that love fashion or making a bike statement.

Do you ride a bike ?

Made by Bernadette

Last night, my friend Nathalie wore the most beautiful knitted jacket I've ever seen.

Am searching for something like this for ages, but somehow the colour wasn't right or the model did not do it for me.

When Nathalie entered the room I was in complete 'aaahhwe' over her outfit.

I hung onto her sleeve for the rest of the evening :-)

So comfy. 

Being both fashion addicted and me being a keen knitter myself, she let me into her little mohair secret.

The jacket is handmade by a lady who works from home ; she went to Brussels' based ICON store and asked if they were interested in selling them. 

And so Made by Bernadette became an instant hit.

Order your mohair knit jacket here 

Le fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles {stays}

Remember this blogpost ? Well it seems the pop-up store of Le Fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles is here for good. Apparently, they liked the setting of this shop so much, they decided to stay ! Good for them and good for us. Got me a cute sky blue T for my son. Check out their store at Lombardenvest in Antwerp {for more city guide questions, mail me through my contact form below}

I'm loving {food photography and food}

iFoi by food photographer Tony Le Duc

Did you see those foodie pictures Martha Stewart posted on her Twitter account ?
Those pictures are just horrible ; someone described them as 'food you'll get in prison'.
Or .. grey is not a colour to be seen in food!

You can't have it all now can you ? Domestic goddess Martha may be the queen of DIY and Christmas decorating but food photography, that is something of another league.
A week ago I was lucky to attend a lecture by Tony Le Duc ; he's a master in showing food in it's most pure form. He plays with structure and texture and knows exactly how to play with light and exposure. Something I know a little bit about as I was a lighting consultant in another life. Bread needs a totally different lighting approach than meat to name something .. Meat must be bloodred, fresh and winsome for the eyes to see. The eyes see and forward a message to our brain this looks good ! 
Hence the feeling of a grunting stomach and so the hunger game starts.

Currently an expo of Tony's work is running ; Hungry Eyes is a must-see !
Check out his website to watch a short movie and some pictures through 25 years of work.

Marant designation

The pieces I bought from the latest collab from H&M with Isabel Marant come in handy these days.

I can easily unite them with my older Marant items ; the Navajo style cardigan matches the leather pants just fine. I topped it off with my fringed silk scarf (also last year's) ; so crisp November cold doesn't scare me .. cold or rain does not mean you have to dress stodgy or sensible. 

the week seen in Instagram : catfights, Bitstrips and crispy weather

The week everybody got Bitstripped on Facebook ; catfights and Hunger Games for that Isabel Marant piece you wanted since July ; the weather got crispier and the outfits more fluffy and warmer ; benefits were held for the victims of typhoon Haiyan ; little Miles became Batkid for a day ! 

Outfits clockwise :

bag for the collab between H&M and Isabel Marant - Vanessa Bruno cabas, Susanna boots by Chloe, COS coats and Bérenice scarf - take away coffee from Mockamore, nail polish Black satin by Chanel - my very own Bitstrip avatar - Isabel Marant for H&M bomber jacket, Forever 21 faux leather sweatpants, Valentino studded heels

You can follow me on Instagram here 

Steve Hiett photography

As a future photography student (starting in 2014) of course, my interest goes out to people who already earned their name in this art.

My favourite photographers are Erwin Olaf and Marc Lagrange.

I like their edginess as well as their use of colour and setting.

For me, they portray women in a sexy and feminine way without getting trashy.

Recently, I discovered Steve Hiett's work.

So I'm very very proud to say we just ordered a picture of him for our living space.

It's the 1st of 3 pictures shown above and it's called Avenue George V.

Can't be a coincidence it refers to a place in Paris ; I LOVE Paris.

But also love Steve's work. His pictures ooze vibrance, dept and mystery.

I want to hear people comment on this picture and tell me what their thoughts are.

I'm pretty sure many fantastic stories will be passed on and I can't wait to share them with you.

Who is your favourite photographer and why ?

Today was a good day ..

.. for all fashionista's and Isabel Marant disciples. 

After I read the newsletter our Antwerp based H&M shop would open at 9 'o clock, I thought to myself .. why not check it out and see. If it's going to be tough, so be it, then I'll back out with my tail between my legs. 

A very long queue did not scare me off though and about 15 minutes later I entered the store. 

Staying true to my own style I found these fab black leather pants waiting for me in my size ! 

A frilly blouse and some accessories {bracelet, metal scarf and sailor hat} were still available ; upstairs I pulled the silver bomber jacket from a rack coming from the fitting-rooms.

I never do this but I did not try a single item. Hoping the leather pants would be the same size as trousers always are at H&M, I was out in 10 minutes ! 

Oh yeah, I even managed to grab a hooded sweater for my son on my way down the elevator  !

Back home, I tried it all on my in own personal space and have to say it all fitted perfectly ! Yay !

I can team everything with the Isabel Marant shoes I already own and my Susanna boots match the leather pants to perfection !

Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did and got everything you longed for ..

The art of being Lien Degol : woman, works as a stylist, mother of Wolf, author

Lien Degol, stylist and author


I met Lien a couple of days ago offline at the
Boekenbeurs in Antwerpen.
She's a stylist known from several tv shows on Belgian television and author of 2 books.
 She was so kind to fill out a couple of questions.
Here are her answers. 

What is your horoscope and do you relate ? 

Balance. I'm creative and faithful (I think)

I never have any doubts about anything.

What are you wearing today ?

LBD, opaque tights, AF Vandervorst boots and a black patent Longschamp handbag

What's the last thing you bought ?

A second hand green Mulberry bag

What's for dinner ?

Thai food

What's your favourite decade, fashion wise ?

The 50-ies, an era of timeless elegance

Who would yo like to (re)style ?

Angela Merkel

What would you be able to afford ? 

to be able to have a 12 month vacation

What's your favourite piece of clothing from your wardrobe ? 

My parka and Converse sneakers, worn together

What book's on your night stand ?

The world according to Karl

Describe your personal style ?

minimalistic and tough

Best kept secret ?

I'm not telling :-)

Who is your favourite Beatle ? 

...

What are you most proud of ? 

my son, Wolf

seaside zen moment and sweet guilty pleasures

I've spent a couple of days at our place at the coast.

This time of year, I like it the best. No mass tourism, just a couple of people walking their dog on the beach, fighting the elements of nature. 

It feels somehow right to escape city life and familiar faces from time to time.

Try to find some inspiration in the simple pleasures of life too.

Our place is near an excellent bakery 'Lefevre' ; luckily I'm not a perpetual resident. I would gain 10 pounds in 1 month's time I guess. Their bread and confectionary are the best in a 5 mile range : close friends know I love anything made from fresh pastry, even more if it has an artisan touch to it.

Isabelleke is their speciality I like the best : it's a tarte aux riz meets frangipane, finished off with apricots and chocolat.

Perfect to go with an afternoon tea or coffee after that long beach walk.

LIKE bakery Lefevre here

Susanna boots by Chloe 

Classics meet leopard {what I am wearing today}

coat Forever 21

scarf Berenice

top COS

glitter socks COS

trousers Zara

shoes Gucci

Le fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles

Le Fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles has always been a household name for tanktops and underwear. LFMDB opened a temp pop-up shop at the Lombardenvest in Antwerp, where they will house 'till further notice. 
Designer Kaat Blommaert added some extra basics to make a complete(r) collection for this venue. 
Check it out and get a Marcelleken (we like the grey ones) before it goes !

Jewellery and accessories seen in art

While visiting the Louvre last week, I noticed all these lovely details in so many paintings. I spotted a red line and made the most out of my visit trying to capture jewellery and accessories in these ancient paintings. As it is almost impossible to capture entire works of art - try and catch a Rubens for instance - I focused on close ups and discovered amazing finesse and aberrant elegance.

An 'in between' snapshot update from Paris (part deux)