#happy #hands

Happy New Year everybody !

Just wanted to say a quick hi and show off my gold tattoo I got myself yesterday.

It looks so beautiful and chic don't you think ? 

If you treat it with a little tenderness, it stays for at least a week !

Cool right ? 

If you live in Antwerp, get yours here 

India wearing the Chocolat Brownie sweater

Loving these in between party lazy days ; catching up on my reading, watching the DVF holiday marathon on E!, and finishing the prototype of my new knit project, the sweater.

I made the model chunky, just like I did with the jackets, but not too much and not too oversized either. I might change it to a full tricot knit later on instead of a model with border .. but it came out quite nicely.

What are you guys up to ? Just chillin' or working on something you've put on delay for the longest time ?

Merry X-mas ! 

It's that time of year again ; presenting you all my Christmas table decorations anno 2014 !

I've tried to tone it down a bit ; no OTT deco and bling this time. Just a simple weatherbeaten centerpiece with some starry (eco friendly) LED lights. I always imagined LED were cold and totally not suitable for a warm light effect, but these days - as you can see - the color temperature of LED lights has completely warmed up to something nice to enjoy !

As we always have a traditional Christmas (daytime) brunch, Mr C and I searched for some XL shiny white china, a touch of gold seen in the candleholders and some statement napkins too. 

Those big plates are perfect for a selection of fine cheeses and breads, consumed with some nice white and red wines. 

The smokers are not forgotten either, as we lit our fire basket outside, to warm up hands whilst smirting with a handsome smoker in our garden. 

{hi Mr Neighbor ! from number 23}

May I all wish you happy holidays, full of fun and cosiness ?

Hope to see you soon next week, at some festive New Year's party !

Stay Tuned !! 

provocation by Chanel

We will never know who invented nail polish but sources claim it even existed 5000 BC ! Women did not color their nails like we know it now ; actually, henna was the first ever product to be applied to the nails.

But enough with the history lessons ; I recently bought my quintillion bottle of varnish and voilà, the result can be seen in the picture above. Provocation is a warm burgundy with a hint of purple and matches perfectly my choice of earthy tones like flint and off whites.

I found this specific colour in Paris last October but I'm pretty sure you'll find it at any perfumery or drugstore near you.

Bikes are the new black ! 

#outfit du jour

today I'm wearing Sam Edelman boots - Zara jean - H&M V-neck t - DIY handmade knit jacket

It's been a while since I posted an outfit of myself ; today I made an effort to capture my daily stay-at-home look du jour. Skinny jean, studded boots, T and my handmade fluffy black jacket ..

The best thing about these handmade jackets ; they are so incredibly comfy and warm ! 

Can't believe I'm wearing a short sleeved t shirt underneath,  in December !  

 I worked in the garden all afternoon, cleaning up the last Fall leafs and mess ; put up some grease balls with nuts for our feathered friends and hung some festive lights in my Winter hard plants. 

Our outside fireplace is filled with wood ; let the holidays begin ! 

#Tis the most wonderful time of the year ..

Can't believe how fast time flies ; I remember taking pictures of last year's Christmas window display @ Step by Step in Antwerpen. And here we are again, 12 months have past by and yet another window full of Christmas wonders is exposed. Also take a look at Julie's beautiful off white coat from the SS2015 Isabel Marant Etoile collection ! It's our newest coat crush ! Love it !! 

get it here before it goes. 

#Channeling my inner Calamity Jane

Goodmorning ! There was no other way than this to show you guys my super fringy sweatshirt by Bellerose.

I'm more of a trouser and jean girl as you might know by now but I can totally see someone wearing this on a pencil skirt teamed with white sneakers.

Get yours right here before it goes ! 

Are we friends yet ?

Are we friends yet ? van pomeline-duchesse met sequin scarves

Warehouse red pencil skirt
$66 - warehouse.co.uk

Isabel Marant white trainers
$340 - ssense.com

Isabel Marant leopard sneaker
$525 - net-a-porter.com

Sequin scarve
$185 - essentiel-antwerp.com

Maison Francis Kurkdjian beauty product
bergdorfgoodman.com

date night

restaurant Món te Antwerpen

After a hectic week, it's always nice to have your feet under the table of a nice restaurant on a Friday night. Friday nights are our date-nights and since we've moved to a more quieter district in town, it's always nice to 'shift' ourselves to a more vibrant part of Antwerp.

Think MAS museum and boats in docks, Món is situated at one of the quays near the harbour and  upcoming area 't Eilandje.
We choose cheese and crayfish croquettes for starters ; homemade pot roast and original sausage with pistachio's and agaric mushrooms for our main dishes and had some exceptional streaky bacon and braised apples for our dessert !

Add some very friendly staff and a lovely interior to this and it may sound like a perfect evening. Well .. it was. I highly recommend this place when visiting Antwerp ; best to book a place in advance {it's possible to make reservations online for < 8 people}. You can make your reservations here :

www.monantwerp.com

#love is #essentiel 

• #CONTEST
• #PARTY OUTFIT
• #SS15
• #PRECOLLECTION
• #XMAS
• #HOLIDAYS

WIN YOUR PARTY OUTFIT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Are you still looking for that perfect Holiday party outfit? No need to look any further! We picked our favorite one for those special occassions & decided to make a contest out of it! 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Oh, it's very easy:

1. Regram the picture below on Instagram
2. Tell us which collection it's from 
3. Tag the picture with #EssentielLovesXmas & #loveisessentiel
4. Collect as many likes as possible (you'll get ours, too!)
5. Win & be prepared to shine in your new Holiday Party outfit! 
   * The winner with the most likes, will be announced on December 18th at noon. 

Good luck!

light & dark

light & dark van pomeline-duchesse met leather handbags

Acne Studios sweater
theoutnet.com

Isabel Marant coat
lagarconne.com

NIKE black legging
$45 - zalando.co.uk

Valentino motorcycle boots
$1,050 - ssense.com

Hermès leather handbag
bellabag.com

Wool shawl
$185 - essentiel-antwerp.com

#friend

A small post in between lessons, studying and assignments. 

Made this jacket for my friend Valy ; she willingly posed for me .. she looked absolutely amazing in each color. She preferred the grey one. 

Lovely ! 

Want one yourself ? 

Order it here 

#komono

I remember a couple of years ago, Scott Schumann of the Sartorialist, posted some beautiful images on an event in New York (Governor's Island) about stunning men and women, dressed in vintage clothing and accessories. This one particular girl, had the most beautiful yellow dress and umbrella. 

Somehow, in my mind, I imagined what kind of sunglasses she would team with her red lips and how beautiful and perfect that would be.

Last weekend, I stumbled across this brand, Komono and found the most perfect sunglasses I've ever seen. I wear a lot of red lipstick these days and as I tried these on I immediately fell in love .. {try to stay of too heavy make up and stuff but the red gives an instant 'wow factor' to my face}

The best part was yet to come as the price tag was very friendly too.

They look chic and fancy, have this vintage look and match my MAC high energy lips just right.

So happy nice and classy does not always comes with a heavy price. 

Check out their website as they have a very nice collection to choose from. 

You can get your own pair here. 

#chunky

photocredit Lolobu.com

Everyone in my family knows I'm a keen knitter. Although my workshop days are over, I still have fun making stuff for the people close to me. My stepdaughter asked me to make something for her own little girl as it was impossible to find something chunky and sweet for a 4y old girl and her tiny size. What I'm saying here is, I wasn't in any kind of knitting mood, but she triggered my knitting skills to get started again. 

As a photographer, you've always got loads of work and post processing stuff to do, but sometimes you'll find the time, in between shoots and assignments, to do something else. Hence the knitting needles.

And it's almost Winter after all, right ? 

So after I made the hat for Romy, I wanted to make that super expensive chunky jacket for myself. 

My friend Valery promised me to order one from me as soon as I made the perfect fit and model. And so I did. The wool is super soft and fluffy and as we speak, am currently working on that grey one for her. Hope she wants to pose with it as soon as it's finished ; I'll promise to share some images with you guys and girls. 

me and my chunky jacket teamed with an ACNE blouse

#knit

Finally found the time to start AND finish this wonderful mohair knit jacket.

Don't you just love the oversized fit ? When I first saw my friend Nathalie wearing her similar but VERY EXPENSIVE one last year  I knew I had to get (= make) me one some day.

And so I did. In about 3 nights, in front of the telly, I picked up my needles and wool and made this beautiful fluffy jacket. It looks a bit more pink in the picture ; IRL it's a soft lilac with a silky shine.

After I posted this on both my Instagram and FB accounts, my mailbox got bombarded by pretty pleases and if I would make another one for her and oh yeah .. her too.

Oh well, might as well enjoy it in between photoshoot assignments.

Here's the link where you can order the jacket. Currently working on a champagne colored model.

It's coming up online pretty soon.

{for orders outside the EU, please contact me first through the contact form here or in the store}

Cirkus Online Store 

so proud of my jacket 

meanwhile, made another one in champagne ! 

#thank #you

#best #product #ever

Brought this home from Colette, Paris.

I really wanted to find out what this would do with my brunette locks, as I imagined this product would only do magic on blondes. 

NOT.

It's amazing, just love it !

You can order yours here.

me

#hot #chocolat

For non-coffee lovers this might just be the next best thing !

Hot chocolate from Mary ; not only does it taste divine, the cup itself looks like a gem too.

Mary is available in Brussels and Antwerp.