Pirate of the Streets

I kind of like when a model becomes a classic which is the case with the Pirate boots designed for the first time by Vivienne Westood thirthy years ago! Happy Friday everybody!!!

Fall Shopping Spree! In Paris...

+ Vente Privée Avril Gau, Alexis Mabille, Jancovek, Larare
le 20 et 21 novembre de 10h à 19h
Studio A, 15 rue du Roule 75001 Paris

C'est la saison des ventes privées, avec des invitations qui arrivent tous les jours dans ma boite mail... mais aucune ne donne le truc pour dealer une possible fièvre acheteuse avec son banquier!

Fly Me to the Moon

The first time I met Carole Berger, the designer of the rather new label Little Moon, it was about a year ago at the shoe trade Mess Around. And in fact it was the most interesting and original collection among all the other exhibitors. Of course, I planned to publish an article about it but actually there is no better oportunity than the opening of her first Parisian store to do it!

J'ai rencontré Carole Berger, créatrice de la toute jeune marque Little Moon, il y a un an environ, au salon Mess Around. A vrai dire sa collection était la seule vraiment originale et intéressante au milieu de tout ces exposants. J'avais en tête un billet depuis un moment mais quoi de mieux que l'ouverture de sa première boutique parisienne pour enfin vous en parler!


This Chinese/French-born designer, former graduate of Studio Berçot, built her label on the various experiments she had in the fashion industry, and her knowledge of the shoe business as being Rodolphe Menudier's assistant. Besides the two years she spent in China working for different local companies gave her the opportunity to find a real good footwear factory. I think it's the first time I find a collection really well made in China.

De père français et de mère chinoise, cette diplomée du Studio Berçot s'est forgée à travers ses différents jobs dans l'industrie de la mode une belle expérience, et notamment dans la chaussure en tant qu'assistante de Rodolphe Ménudier, avant de lancer sa propre marque. Et les deux ans qu'elle a passé en Chine à travailler pour différentes entreprises locales, lui ont aussi permis de trouver le bon fabricant. Et oui, une fois n'est pas coutume, je reconnais qu'une collection fabriquée en Chine est de très bonne facture.




Little Moon is Carole Chinese first name and naturally inspired her the main concept of her brand based on this planet's symbolism: feminine, mysterious, luminous. And I think that it's pretty obvious with this grey boot made with a soft glitzy leather. But the great idea is in the heel which is phosphorecent and glows in the night! So I had to try them on!

Little Moon est le prénom chinois de Carole et tout naturellement, elle a placé le concept de sa marque sous le symbolisme de la lune: féminine, mystérieuse, lumineuse. Et de tous les modèles, je trouve que cette bottine grise, au cuir irisé, en est la parfaite illustration. Mais ce que j'aime en particulier c'est le talon phosphorescent qui brille dans la nuit! Il fallait donc que je les essaye!



The other detail that I like in this F/W collection named Eclipse is the handmade Chinese knots which are lucky charms meant to protect you during your journey.

L'autre détail qui me plaît dans cette collection A/W qui répond au joli nom d'Eclipse, sont les noeuds chinois porte-bonheurs (les pin an qui signifie "bon voyage"), destinés à vous protéger durant vos déplacements ou voyages.



So with three Chinese knots and a luminous red, should I need anything else?

Alors avec trois noeuds chinois et un rouge flamboyant, ai-je besoin d'autre chose?

Online corner: Up Factory

Boutique Little Moon
12 rue du Roi de Sicile, 75004 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 77 27 66
11h30-19h30 tous les jours sauf le lundi

Waiting For...

... what? I spotted these soles waiting in the street near the Halle Freyssinet where the Hermès show took place (it was impossible to reach the Halle without invitation or some kind of accreditation). And she stayed there waiting and I wondered what for?

Parenthèse Olfactive

Une petite parenthèse pour vous signaler l'excellente interview de Serge Lutens par mon amie Frieda. Plaisir des mots (les noms de ses jus sont déjà des invitations au voyage), avant celui - j'espère - de trouver chez lui celui qui est fait pour moi.

Just a note to introduce the interview of Serge Lutens made by my friend Frieda. It's in French but I guess you can find a way to translate it! The name of his perfumes are such a dream that I hope I could find the one meant for me pretty soon.

Heart/Scissors Tattoos

Click on the image to enlarge.

Fashion Art - Street Art - Love Art!

To end a creative (knitting!) Sunday afternoon, let's share some art.

Pour clore un dimanche après-midi créatif (tricot!), un peu d'art ne nous fera pas de mal.


10 days ago, I finally got the opportunity meet Amylee and admire her lovely paintings. Fashion and design are her main inspiration. An object, an attitude, a position or even a photo leads her to create a pop and fashion universe, colorful and joyful.

Il y a 10 jours, j'ai enfin eu l'occasion de rencontrer Amylee et d'admirer de près ses toiles. Comme vous pouvez le constater, elle puise son inspiration dans la mode et le design. Un objet, une attitude, une position ou une photo, la trame d'un tissus, lui donne matière pour créer un univers pop et très mode, coloré et joyeux.



Those are from her F/W 2009 collection, love the idea of collection. Fashion indeed!

Ces toiles font parties de sa collection A/H 2009. J'adore cette idée de collection, so fashion!


The video above is more about street-art. I did most of the shots and when I see what my friend did with them I think that I should film again. And at the end of this video there is one of the most beautiful shot I did long ago in Antwerp. Enjoy!

Dans la vidéo ci-dessous, il est plutôt question de street-art. J'ai tourné la plupart des plans et quand je vois ce que mon ami en a fait, je me dis qu'il faudrait que je songe à filmer de nouveau. A la fin de cette vidéo, il y a un de mes plus beaux plans séquences, saisi au vol et au feeling à Anvers.

The Tuileries before Elie Saab's Show

Back to the last fashion week...






You may have noticed that I didn't mention the Jimmy Choo's collection for H&M. It's just that a lot of blogs already did and also because I'm really not fond of this brand. Except for these wellies for Hunter!
Vous avez sûrement noté que je me suis abstenue de parler de la collection Jimmy Choo pour H&M. D'abord parce que je ne vois pas l'intérêt d'être le énième blog à diffuser l'info, mais surtout parce que je ne suis vraiment pas fan de la marque. A part ces bottes en caoutchouc pour Hunter!


These are adorable and with the black tights and this sheer white dress, I think it's perfect.

Celles-ci sont adorables. Et j'aime beaucoup la manière dont elles sont portées, avec un collant noir et une délicate petite robe blanche.

Wild Thing

Cocktail & Concours (French links)

Quelles news en ce 11 novembre férié? Un cocktail de talents et un sac Jimmy Choo à gagner!


On commence avec le lancement du site Brandy Daisy par Oriane de Chic'n Kitsch et sa comparse Sonia. Si vous connaissez déjà Oriane et ses multiples talents, vous ne serez pas étonnés par son magazine, mix de mode, de jeunes créateurs, de tutorials, le tout dans une belle ambiance de collectif artistique. Sinon, vous cliquez, vous vous baladez, vous vous inscrivez pour participer au concours. Et vous pouvez aussi proposez vos talents créatifs et enrichir ce brillant cocktail.

Et du côté de la Suisse, Sarah qui babille vous offre la possibilité de gagner ce sac Jimmy Choo pour H&M.


Sarah étant une amoureuse des mots, elle vous demande de poster un commentaire, "un joli, un doux, un truc, quelque chose qui soit à l'image glam'rock de la collaboration Jimmy Choo / H & M." Vous avez jusqu'à demain, jeudi, minuit.

Sur ce, je vous laisse à vos claviers et je vous dis à demain.

Ferragamo: A Museum of Dreams

That has been my life's work: striving to learn to make shoes that always fit and the refusal to put my name to any that do not fit. Therefore please look behind the story of the small, barefoot, unlettered boy who became a famous shoemaker, and seek the pleasure you will obtain from walking well.






















Salvatore Ferragamo, Shoemaker of dreams

If there is one book I absolutely cherish in my library dedicated to shoes it's Salvatore Ferragamo's autobiography: "Shoemaker of dreams" (london, 1957). Before reading it, I was a great admirer of his work but then I discovered the story behind and a man who dedicated his life to shoemaking and shoes that not only perfectly fit but which are incredibly modern.

S'il y a un livre, dans le rayon de ma bibliothèque dédié aux souliers, dont je ne me séparerais jamais, c'est l'autobiographie de Salvatore Ferragamo: "Shoemaker of dreams" (london, 1957). Bien avant de la lire, j'étais déjà une grande admiratrice de ses créations. Et puis j'ai découvert l'homme qui les façonna, et qui raconte très simplement une vie entière dédiée à la création de souliers, qui non seulement épousaient parfaitement le pied de ses clientes, mais étaient aussi d'une incroyable modernité.

Sandal, 1930

So when I discovered this morning the new Ferragamo Museum website where you can browse through the Maison's archives including vintage films, pictures of his most famous shoes, stories... I was so pleased and thankful that I had to share it! You can even book your ticket to visit the actual museum in Florence which (shame on me) I haven't done yet!

Alors inutile de vous dire que lorsque j'ai découvert ce matin le nouveau site du Musée Ferragamo, je me suis baladée avec un immense plaisir dans les archives de la Maison, entre extraits de films, collections, et histoires, et qu'il me fallait le partager! Vous pouvez aussi réserver en ligne votre billet pour visiter le musée à Florence, chose que (à ma grande honte) je n'ai toujours pas faite!

laced shoe with wedges in antelope, 1938

sandal made for Judy Garland, 1938

ankle boot, 1939

mule, 1948-50

court shoe created for Marilyn Monroe, 1958-59

Besides if you have artistic spirit and feel like creating a digital work of art based on an image of a shoe from the Maison's historic collection, you can download one the five models above and re-interpret it, a detail or a heel, whatever inspire you, and send it to "Ferragamo for artists" . A panel of judges will then pick a winner to join a virtual gallery every three months. I don't know what you think about it but I actually like this interactive proposition.

And when I look at their design and the dates of their creation I can't help thinking that this man was with no doubt one of the great geniuses shoemakers of the twentieth century and that his shoes are genuine pieces of art.

En outre, si vous avez une âme d'artiste et que les chaussures vous inspirent, vous pouvez downloader un des cinq modèles ci-dessus et le réinterpréter ou travailler sur un détail, un talon, bref laissez votre créativité s'exprimer, et l'envoyez à "Ferragamo for Artist". Et vous aurez peut-être la chance d'être choisis exposés dans la galerie virtuelle. Je ne sais pas ce que vous en pensez, mais j'aime bien cette proposition.

Et lorsque je regarde ces cinq modèles et la date de leur création, je ne peux m'empêcher de penser que cet homme avait du génie, qu'il est sans aucun doute un des plus grands créateurs de souliers du vingtième siecle et que ses chaussures sont de véritables oeuvres d'art.

Shiny Black with a Touch of Blue

Men's Style - Paris Fashion Week

Don't Leave Me This Way

Sorry for the lack of writing but I had a lot of things to do this week which mean forthcoming stories! Have a nice day!

Désolée pour le manque d'articles et d'écriture mais je n'avais pas vraiment le temps toute cette semaine, ce qui signifie des billets à venir! Excellente journée!

Wireless

It's not the first time that I saw in Paris Mac addicts working in the street. Any link with the opening of the first Parisian Apple store pretty soon?

Cette jeune femme n'est pas la première Mac addict que je croise dans les rues de Paris. Y aurait-il un lien avec l'ouverture très prochaine du premier Apple store parisien?

The Tuileries Before Giambattista Valli's show

Studded and Chain

Istanbul Contrast By Dice Kayek

Well you know that during the Paris fashion week I mostly hung around the fashion shows to take photos but sometimes I got invitations to presentations.

Pendant la fashion week parisienne, j'ai plutôt tendance à balader mon appareil photo aux alentours des défilés, mais parfois je reçois des invitations à des présentations.


So when my friend Amélie Pichard who works with the Turkish designer Ece Ege for the label Dice Kayek sent me an invitation for the presentation of the S/S 10 collection at the Ritz Bar and asked me to take a look at the shoes she designed for the collection, I thought that there was no better place to be than the cosy bar of the Ritz... especially on a rainy day!

Du coup, quand mon amie Amélie Pichard, qui travaille depuis quelques années avec la styliste turque Ece Ege pour la marque Dice Kayek, m'a invitée à la présentation de la collection P/E 10 au bar du Ritz, je m'y suis rendue avec plaisir et curiosité. D'abord, j'avais très envie de découvrir les souliers qu'elle avait dessinés pour cette collection, et ensuite quel meilleur endroit que le Ritz un jour de pluie!




More haute couture than ready-to-wear, the 19 models - mostly dresses - are inspired by Istanbul and celebrate its contrasts.

Pour ces 19 silhouettes - principalement des robes - qui flirtent avec la haute couture plus qu'avec le prêt-à-porter, la styliste s'est inspirée de sa ville, Istanbul, et de ses multiples contrastes.





I kind of like this shot with its strange David Lynch atmosphere. High heels but that was what Ece Ege wanted but the reason why I was curious to see the shoes is because I met Amélie Pichard a year ago or so when she was looking for shoemaking tutorial. She found an handmade shoemaker in Paris where she learnt the basis of the craft and she was right to step in the shoemaking as she won the Bata contest for young designer this past Summer. So remember her name as I will give you a report on her S/S 10 collection for Bata when it will be available but maybe sooner with another shoe topic. To be continued...

J'aime bien l'atmosphère étrange à la David Lynch qui se dégage de cette photo. Talons hauts, je sais, mais c'est ce que désirait Ece Ege. En fait, j'étais surtout curieuse de voir ce qu'Amélie Pichard avait conçu comme souliers. Quand on s'est rencontré il y a un peu plus d'un an, elle était à la recherche d'une formation pour apprendre le métier de la chaussure. Sachez qu'en France, c'est un peu mission impossible, mais elle a finalement trouvé un bottier à Paris qui a accepté de lui enseigner les bases fondamentales du métier. Alors, lorsqu'elle m'a annoncé cet été qu'elle avait gagné le concours Bata pour les jeunes créateurs, je me suis dit qu'elle avait vraiment choisi la bonne voie. Alors souvenez-vous de son nom, car je vous en reparlerai. Lorsque sa collection P/E 10 pour Bata sera prête, mais peut-être aussi avant pour un autre sujet chaussure. A suivre donc...

The Tuileries before Viktor&Rolf Show

The sunny weather today brings me back to the first days of the Parisian fashion week when it was possible to wear sandals without tights.

Leigh Lezark

Il fait beau aujourd'hui, clin d'oeil aux premiers jours de la fashion week parisienne quand on pouvait encore être pieds nus dans ses souliers.

Sarah Ruston

Garance Doré

During the fashion week, even the street style photographers are stylish.
Pendant la fashion week, même les photographes de street style sont stylés.

Brief Encounter

I'll be back on Monday with new photos of the past fashion week. Have a wonderful week-end! Cheers!!!

Je vous souhaite un excellent week-end et vous dis à lundi pour de nouvelles photos de la dernière fashion week.

The Last Snapshots from Antwerp

So it was 15 days ago that I left for this fashion week-end organised by the Antwerp Tourism Office, and this post is going to be the last one. Some snapshots taken on the Sunday that I wanted to share with you.


On the morning, we all met at Wattman, a cosy and friendly place where we had hot drinks before taking a walk around the city.



I like this kind of place where you can find newspapers or magazines and games to keep the kids quiet and busy while you sharing time with friends.


I think we all took pictures of Tanguy Ottomer's lovely dog. Tanguy was our insider guide for this Sunday morning tour, he knows his city by heart and it was really fantastic to be with him.


We started with a walk in Zurenborg area and the streets around Cogels- Osylei to admire a block of famous and preserved Art Nouveau architecture. From there we went from a district to another until a delicious lunch at Lux. I didn't have a lot of photos as I forgot in Paris the device to load the battery of my camera and had to keep power for the Delvaux's exhibition in the afternoon.


Wonder if when I'll come back there will be more shoes stuck there?



Modenatie opened in September 2002 and houses the ModeMuseum (MOMU), the Flanders Fashion Institute and the Fashion department of Hogeslschool Antwerpen as well as a restaurant and a bookshop.


Susie working in the lobby of the Lindner Hotel conveniently located in the rear of the Antwerp Central Station.




Well I hope you enjoyed those reviews about Antwerp. I couldn't end this journey without showing you some views of the renovated Antwerp Central Station, which deserves according to Newsweek, the 4th place as world's most beautiful stations.

I keep all the Antwerp guide I got during this week-end for a next trip as there is so many things that I couldn't visit. I wrote some reviews on TripAdvisor and there's always the Facebook Page dedicated to Antwerp-City of Fashion.

I'll go back to shoes pretty soon because I guess you miss it a little bit. See you guy and have a wonderful Friday!

Delvaux: House of Refinement

The last thing we did on Sunday before leaving Antwerp was visiting the Delvaux's exhibition at the MOMU. The story of this Belgian luxury goods house began in 1829 when Charles Delvaux and his wife opened their first workshop manufacturing travel goods in Brussels. The exhibition is actually an interesting and inspirational journey in Delvaux's history and creativity from the manufacture of travel goods for the local nobility and the Royal Court in the 19th century through the rise of modern handbag in the 20th.



In every history of luxury companies, you find a man with a vision that led them to another level.
Franz Schwennicke who took over Delvaux in 1933 was this man (nowadays the company is still in his family hands). He rebuilt the company around traditional values and moreover established a studio system that produced two seasonal collections of original bags which was pretty modern at this time. Designs were registered to protect against counterfeiting and details were recorded in the Livre d'Or. In the late 40's, details included the name of the designer for each bag as shown on the exhibited Timeline.




This model that I'm totally fond became a classic and part of the Delvaux's bag families which means that it is still manufactured...



As I said, the first workshop in 1929 manufactured travel goods. Along the 19th and 20th centuries, each mode of transport required specific luggage from carriage trunks to flat-topped standardised ones and of course all we need now in our modern business traveller's world.



What really interested me was the display of black and white photograps and drawings from the Studio and the room dedicated to the atelier's work and the skills of the artisans as all products are still made by hand. Nowadays, the development of each collection is still shared between the studio designers and the technical department.




Well "Belgitude" which leads to some funny creations like this homage to Magritte below with the "Ceci n'est pas un Delvaux" bag (This is not a Delvaux).


Well I highly recommend you to visit this exhibition. And you can read my fellow blogger's reviews on the Facebook Page as we all had a different vision of it. The last part of the exhibition presents various artistic designers that led the studio as well as the creative collaborations with fashion designers like Bruno Pieters or model Hannelore Knuts and of course the first three bags produced by Veronique Branquinho who was introduced in Spring 09 as the Delvaux's new artistic director. You'll see them in the following post.

Delvaux - 180 Years of Belgian Luxury
Until 21 February 2010

MOMU
Nationalestraat 28/1
tel: + 32 (0)3 470 27 70

Inside Delvaux Store

We tried not to spend too many times in the Delvaux's store during the Fashion Hunt but actually I'd liked to stay a little bit longer...



Here are the three bags designed by Veronique Branquihno. Timelessness, discretion, pure designs and a poetical feeling created by their names. From left to right, Message Ambigu (Ambiguous Message), simply love this shape of an envelope, Regard Passager (Fleeting Glance) and Ame Libre (Free Spirit).



I'm also very fond of this line of handbag.


And those travelling bags for men designed by Bruno Pieters, they're just perfect.

Delvaux
Komedieplaats 17, 2000 Antwerpen
tel: + 32 (0)3 232 02 47

A Visit To Anna Heylen

A little come back in Antwerp to mention the Maison Anna Heylen and our meeting with Anna, a former graduate from the Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, who opened her Maison in 2008 in a beautiful building of the Lombardenstraat.



We did so many things during that day that I wasn't in a mood of taking a lot of photos and prefered enjoying the atmosphere of the house and little detaisl like this doll. In 1993, Anna created for Antwerp Capital of Europe's event a collection of dolls that you can also admire on the first level of the house.




As I said, not a lot of snapshots of the clothes, so I guess you have to go there to see a singular mix of technical perfection and crazyness as Anna defines her style (or you can take a look at some reviews of the other bloggers on the Facebook Page). As for me I will come back because there's is an handmade knit black sweater with the kind of transparency I love that is waiting for me!


A bicycle so typical of Antwerp as the design of Anna's trademark, a red hand, which is (the hand) as I learned later the symbol of the city.

Boutique Anna Heylen
Lombardenstraat 16, 2000 Antwerp
tel: + 32 (0)3 213 01 60

Here We Go! New Temptation!

Private sales with an tantalizing list of designers, if you're in Paris...

Vente privée avec une liste assez impressionnante de créateurs, si ça vous dit...

Sheer Tights

So now that it's time to wear tights, here's some alternative to plumetis.

C'est le temps des collants, et comme vous pouvez le constater, il y a des alternatives aux plumetis.

You Need To Go To Hospital!

Hospital was one of the place we should have found during the Fashion Hunt but unfortunately we didn't reach the Antwerp South district on time. Anyway, I managed to visit this amazing 1200 square metres open space on different levels that actually is housed in the former stabbles of the Antwerp Hippodrome that no longer exists.


This multi-labels luxury concept store offers a wide range of belgian and international designer brands, such as Viktor & Rolf, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Tim Van Steenbergen and Sonia Rykiel, displayed side by side with trendy French, Italian and Scandinavian labels, such as Paul & Joe, D&G and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Diesel Denim Gallery, Karl Lagerfeld, or Raf Simons. As for the accessories, I was once again attracted by A.F. Vandervorst's bags.


As you can see, the space is wide enough to display a vintage car and I learn on the website that car changes every month and is also for sale!



If by any chance you can't find what you need in the clothes and accessories selection, there is also a wine bars where you can buy selected quality wines.


As a shoe maniac, I was of course attracted by the display of the new Camper Together collaboration with four designers. I'm really not into Camper actually but how can I ignore such a collection. The red C-Shoe designed by Maria Blaisse is pretty interesting, check on her website how it fits.


A bootie by Alfredo Häberli, a designer from Zurich, perfect for the rainy days...


Jaime Hayon who already designed Camper's stores around the world, imagined what looks like a fine comfy boot inspired by the boxing shoes. And I particularly liked Bernhard Willhelm's models you can see below.




As Hospital was also one of the place where we could spend our vouchers (I had already used mine at Elsa), check here what Steve chose.



As for Tony, after trying several pair of shoes, he opted for this shiny Officine Creative shoes, a choice I totally approve!


As I learnt when I was there, the adjoining restaurant and wine bar, The Glorious, also belongs to Hospital's owner and pretty soon a luxury bed and breakfast with three distinctive rooms will open. Surely a fine place to spend a week-end in one of the trendiest Antwerp's districts.

Check on the Facebook Page what my fellow bloggers thought about Hospital.

Hospital
de Burburestraat 4, 2000 Antwerp
tel. + 32 (0)3 311 89 80

The Glorious @ Hospital
de Burburestraat 4a, 2000 Antwerp
tel. + 32 (0)3 237 06 13

City Flavor

Thiron - Shoe Store In Antwerp

Before stepping into Elsa with my voucher I visited Thiron, a lovely shoe store that opened in Antwerp last February. I got the chance to meet Guy Thiron, the owner, who told what led him to open a multi-labels shoe store. If there's one thing I can understand is the passion for shoes! Whatever you did before you finally end up in the shoe business.


Guy Thiron graduated as an industrial designer. He earned his stripes in the interior industry managing the development of store concepts which actually can be seen in his boutique. But his passion for shoes drove him to study the art of shoe making in order to get back to the core of product development. After managing a diverse portfolio of brands for Studio Due, the obvious step was the opening of his own shop with an interesting range of European and Japanese labels.





Just check the list:
Michel Vivien, Céline, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Vic Matié, Chie Mihara, Pura Lopez, Duccio Del Lucca, Buttero, Fausto Santini, Juan Antonio Lopez, megumi ochi, La Suite, Francesco Morichetti, Il Bisonte, Jérome Dreyfuss, Mulberry... so put the address on your list for your next Antwerp trip!

More reviews about Antwerp here.

Thiron
Drukkerijstraat 6, 2000 Antwerpen (Hoek Steenhouwersvest)
tel: +32 (0)3 227 20 27

Outside Lanvin

Shopping Shoes At Elsa

Elsa was one of the spot we had to find during the Fashion Hunt and actually a treasure for me as I spent my gift voucher there. I discovered later on that Elsa is quite a new label of shoes, bags and belts that launched its first collection last year for the F/W 08-09 season. Thanks to Renée who chose there an interesting pair of United Nude designed by Rem D. Koolhass , I discovered Els Proost's poem that gave me an insight into her desire and need to create her own label. Els Proost worked as a shoe and accessories designer for Dries Van Noten, Armani, and Maison Martin Margiela but dreamt of her own "shoe parade". Her collaboration with Angelo Penazzato (ex-shoe producer for Costume National, Hussein Chalayan or Angelo Figus) made that dream and Elsa came true and gave to the collection an interesting mix between her northern creativity and his southern craftmanship.


Comfort and fashionable amusing twist can be seen in those boots with a two heels in one.


Don't know about you but I love the concept of these boots.


A pretty large range of comfy boots, perfect for Winter.




I also found the men's footwear models really attractive. Well you know how much I love red and shiny shoes!



Besides their own collection, you can find at Elsa other labels like United Nude I mentioned above and Old Curiosity Shop, a British label I discovered last year in a fashion trade in Paris. I meant to post about it sooner but what a better opportunity than the purchase of a new pair of shoes. So thanks to my voucher I got this unisex "Paris" black patent flat lace-up shoes from Old Curiosity Shop. I kind of love their retro style and actually know how I'm going to wear them.

And for the reviews of my fellow bloggers, it's on the Facebook Page.

Elsa
Nationalstraat 147, 2000 Antwerpen
tel: +32 (0)3 226 84 54

Bella Anna

Each time I see her during the fashion week, I think that Anna Dello Russo is one of the most striking woman in the fashion world. Check also here.

Snapshots Of The Fashion Hunt

After a good night sleep, we all met on Saturday morning fresh and excited for the fashion hunt. This photo above looks like it was early in the morning but actually the three teams and their insider guide left the Central Station around 10:15. As Susie already mentioned it, our team came last (but close to the second) in this treasure hunt, spending too much time at the beginning taking pictures and doing fitting in the first places we visited. But it was also the meaning of the game and a playful way to discover, even briefly, different shops in Antwerp. Plus, gift vouchers to spend in three fashion stores in the afternoon!

Après une bonne nuit de sommeil, on s'est retrouvé frais et dispos le samedi matin pour la fameuse chasse aux trésors, mais pas aux premières lueurs de l'aube comme la photo ci-dessus pourrait le laisser supposer. On s'est séparé en trois équipes, chacune avec un guide anversois , et l'on a quitté la gare centrale vers 10:15. Susie a déjà raconté comment notre équipe est arrivée dernière (mais ça s'est joué à pas grand chose). Il faut dire aussi qu'on a perdu un peu de temps au début, en essayages, photos et explications dans les lieux qu'on visitait, mais c'était aussi le but de ce petit jeu. Plutôt malin de nous faire découvrir différents lieux anversois de cette manière, sans compter les avoirs à dépenser dans trois boutiques qui nous attendaient à la fin de la quête.

















































































































I don't remembered precisely in what order we found places and items, so as I said previously, I gave you some of them at random! You're clever enough to find the pics matching the places.

J'avoue, je ne sais plus très bien dans quel ordre on a trouvé les différents lieux et objets, alors je vous donne quelques unes de nos découvertes en vrac! Vous êtes suffisamment intelligents pour trouver les photos qui correspondent aux lieux.

The Laurent Perrier Bar.
The Belgium Eyewear label Theo where I tried on amazing glasses bought by Roisin Murphy.

The Huis A. Boon glove shop established in 1884 who hasn't change since the 20's. This place is amazing, all the drawers are full of soft leather gloves, you really can't miss it! (Lombardenvest 2-4, Antwerp).

If your search of your own fragrance, In Fine is The place to go.

Fish and Chips for various labels of streetwear.

Chocolate soaps at Belgian Heritage. And I can't believe that I didn't have time to taste the famous Belgium waffles at Désiré de Lille!

Verso is a kind of a luxury temple with a typical dome of Antwerp architecture, while Louis got an interesting range of labels from A.F.Vandervorst, Balenciaga, Rick Owens to Maison Martin Margiela or Lanvin. For a better insight, read Steve's post (he bought there a V neck knit by Margiela that suits him perfectly).

Berlin is the kind of restaurant you'd like to step in to eat, rest and work as I spotted guys with their laptops.

I will come back on Delvaux in an another post because besides their lovely boutique I visited the Delvaux exhibition at the MoMu on Sunday. And if an Hermès bag could have been a dream, I'm actually thinking of a Delvaux right now!

I know I told you about shoes in Antwerp so I will also come back on Elsa because I used my voucher there and got a new pair of shoes! So stay tuned!!!



After this morning walk, we had lunch at the Zuiderterras by the river. I like this kind of place, full of light with a lovely view. And my salad was pretty good, well I was hungry!

Après ces déambulations dans la ville, nous avons déjeuné au Zuiderterras avec vue sur la rivière et le port. Ma salade était pas mal du tout, faut dire aussi que j'avais faim!



Next posts will actually be about shopping! If you're curious about the insight views of my fellow bloggers, take a look at the Facebook Page dedicated to Antwerp.

Dans les prochains billets, focus sur le shopping! Et si vous avez envie de lire le point de vue de mes petits camarades, visitez donc la page Facebook dédiée à Anvers.

Are You In Or Out The Plumetis Tights?

As Nicolas Ghesquiere brought back the plumetis polka dots tights on the Balenciaga runway, I was pretty sure to see a lot of them during this last fashion week. Bingo! I already had a talk with friends about their come back, shall we or not wear them again as we used to in the 80's? Some of them are definitely not going to but I still don't know... And what about you?

Alors plumetis ou pas plumetis? Nicolas Ghesquiere les ayant remis en avant chez Balenciaga, la presse enchainant, j'étais certaine d'en croiser quelques uns lors de cette fashion week. J'ai déjà eu une petite discussion avec des amies sur la question, est-ce qu'on allait vraiment reporter ces collants qui nous ramenaient direct dans les années 80??? Pour certaines c'était niet, mais moi je ne sais toujours pas...