'Be a realist, remain a dreamer'

One of the things I absolutely love to do on a useless day is strolling around the city, discovering new and interesting stuff. I had one of these days last week, and it was fun!

I met up with my girls for an evening around town and while chatting and sharing with each other our old and new, we ended up walking along the Amsterdam canals, where we stumbled upon this amazing store/studio/gallerie spiritually named 'Buddista', at Prinsengracht 688, if you happen to be in the neighbourhood.

Our curiosity piqued, we walked into this messy hallway, greeted by a full-scale Lagerfeld poster. Beside this almost humbling entrance rested an installation of old suitcases positioned on top of eachother, illustrating   both the concept of leaving as well as coming home, as explained by the artist, suitably dubbed Buddista.

While leisurely holding a beer in one hand, he invited us to have a look into his workshop:  it's what you would expect of a disorganized, buddhist artist's studio.

One of my favorites was an unfinished painting of a woman with butterfly wings, staring into 'nothingness', as if preparing to fly away into it. Being a dreamer at heart I can relate to this image. Same goes for this one:

One of the reasons I love citylife, is because every day can bring surprises, and there is always something new to discover, especially culture-wise. Untill another urban expedition!

Love

Crete, I love you

After having spent eight amazing days of sunsets, nightswimming, and beachfun, I'm back in Amsterdam, where autumn has already (way too soon if you ask me!)  given us a heads-up of what to expect these coming months. But, let's not get caught up in bitching about the weather, as this post is all about the reminiscence of those lost summerdays. Here's a little photo report for y'all, hope you like it!

We were on the island of Crete, which is the largest and most populous of the Greek isles. Taking into consideration the crazy almost vulgar popularity of touristy places such as Chersonissos and Malia, we went for a somewhat quieter and authentic village called Analipsi, a perfect place to indulge in the picturesque Greek landscape and to spot cute litte chapels, like this one.

My friend and I both have Moroccan roots, so naturally we feel at ease with the Mediterranean culture and cuisine, which consists of lots of fish and other seafood, olive oil, and colorful ingredients. We cooked this meal on our second day: grilled sardines with a fresh tomato salsa, and tomato and Greek feta salade, yummy!

Although I love the relaxation that comes with the slow village life, this born city girl can't survive without the impetus and rush of urbania. Naturally we paid several visits to Heraklion, which is the capital of Crete. Here's a sticker I came across while strolling through the streets. Somehow streetart makes me feel at home.
 

I'm the typical tourist, wherever I go my camera goes. Seriously, I think I shot around 800 pics, so don't be confused if, every now and then, an exotic picture pops up on the blog:) It'll just be me reviving and sharing with you great memories.

 Feel free to leave a comment. Ow, and if you like what you see on FSHNvanguard, show your support by liking the Facebook page here. Thanx a million!

Love

Artsy Autumn

Although I'm not really one to incessantly whine about the weather, these past few weeks (or should I say months) have not been your typical hot summer days. Being a Dutchie at heart I know not to expect anymore sizzling days at least until May next year. As I have my eight days of sun covered (someone is leaving for Crete tomorrow!) I can't wait for fall to bless us with some richly coloured foliage, coziness, and a new wardrobe. Let's take some time to marvel at this season's hot trends and styles!

Albeit not uncommon, the season's catwalk-styles rocked fine arts- inspired ensembles, flaunting contructivist colour grids, geometric lines, and opaque gouaches.

Splashes of colour and pattern, geometrics, and turtlenecks at Jil Sander, Yves Saint Laurent, and Céline

Cubism-inspired bright coloured planes at Chloé and Prada

 Clean-cut silhouettes and wavy autumn colours at Céline and Jil Sander

A striking resemblance with Matisse's gouaches at Chloé

It doesn't really matter whether you choose geometrics, bold colour grids, or sharp silhouettes, as long as it's colourful and perky. This won't be an issue for me, as I am a true fan of colour: you will rarely find me sporting an all-black outfit. Yay, can't wait to do some serious shopping! Of course I'll keep you posted on my interesting finds.

As my flight leaves in a little more than 3 hours, I guess I'll be checking out for now. Catch you in a few days with holiday pictures!

Love

[STATUS UPDATE]: PURE FREEDOM

Wow, feels like forever since my last encounter with Blogger. This radio silence has not been in vain, as I went through blood-sweat-and-tears moments working on my final graduation project. But boy o boy, is this fresh graduate eager to take on new adventures and build new (and accomplish existing) dreams as a 'grown-up'.

Although we always nag about early classes, team projects, and meeting deadlines, being a student is actually not that bad. So, goodbye study grant powered by uncle government, bye bye student discounts at River Island, farewell lazy afternoon shopping while skipping class, adieu free country-wide public transport, so long charitative family dinners. You have made my life as a student heaven on earth, hence your support will not be forgotten.

Moving on to the here, now, and tomorrow,  let's not neglect the opportunities at hand, things I can do, places I can go, dreams I can accomplish. First of all, I would like to take this blog to a whole 'nother level, both quality- and quantity-wise. Expect reports on great finds from the art and fashion world with greater frequency! Second, now is the time to work on my dream of becoming a fashion professional, preferably on an international scale. Acne Studios, hire me! Third, let's make that dream journey through Latin America (with a stopover in India) come true. Brazil, keep my surfboard waxed!

Checking out with some wisdom from a very happy friend: "Always put in your best effort so good things can come to you".

Love

Paris, je t'aime...

La vie est belle! I just woke up from my well-deserved recovery sleep from my little trip to Paris, and already I miss the strolls through the little streets of le Marais district, vintage shopping, and the Colette boutique in Rue Saint-Honoré. Here are just some random pics from my trip.

Dutch couture in Paris

Couture Fashionweek (more like 'days') is almost running to it's final day for this season, but I didn't want to miss this opportunity to share with you how proud I am to be from little Holland this edition with not one, but two designers from the Netherlands showing their couture collection.
Recently, Iris van Herpen was invited by the Chambre Syndicale de La Couture to blow a fresh breeze through the couture shows as a guestdesigner. Good thing is we can enjoy Van Herpen's magnificent creations for at least five more times to come, after which she will be granted the title of accredited couturier. What I love so much about Van Herpen's designs is that they are such conceptual figments, but I still get where they come from: she does a great job translating everyday experiences, like a splash of water or spikey glass shards, into fashion-worthy creations. Who cares if the dresses are extremely UNwearable?! After all, fashion is not necessarily about wearability as it exceeds our beliefs about apparel, fit, and functionality.

Here's what I mean...

Although Van Herpen was one of the youngest designers during Couture Fashionweek, her technique and eye for detail are those of an old master, since she fuses old crafts with new technologies and methods of work. Watch the video below for some insight on her view on fashion.

Jan Taminiau participated off-schedule, presenting his 'Nature Extends' couture collection, the Taminiau view on the flow and 'oneness' of nature, using an usual mix of cork, gold sequins and draping chiffon.

Look out for Amsterdam International Fashionweek starting soon!

Love,

FSHNvanguard