Trend: Acne Resort 2012

Acne's Resort 2012 collection is all about comfort, the subtlest of pastels and soft sheer fabrics. What's especially striking is the layering of oversized pieces over petite mini's without losing the 'fitted' style, which is basically Acne's raison d'être. 

Here's my favorite pieces of the collection, including the oversized Rhonda biker jacket, the amazing Alice silk platforms, and shredded Pop Trash trousers.

The collection's available now online at shop.acnestudios.com 

 

Love,

FSHNvanguard

Updated! John Galliano for Zara

Ladies and gentlemen, it was nothing but a stupid prank!!! Zara confirmed they do not intend on any such collaboration, since they have their "own designers". Although a collab with Galliano would've been interesting, to say the least, I love this proud answer from Zara, implying their in-house designers are good already and they don't need a pair of extra hands (or ego's). Guess we all got pranked!

For a while now people have been speculating about a collaboration between John Galliano and retail chain Zara on a Spring/Summer 2012 collection which, allegedly, hits the stores this summer.

Several Spanish and Italian bloggers have spread the rumor that the former creative brain of the house of Dior has teamed-up with Zara for two low-cost collections. The collaboration would be a one-off thing, but surely the mark of many collaborations to come, as for the retail chain.

It's already taken too long before Zara followed the lead of H&M, Topshop, or GAP with such low-cost label wear. And although a retail chain shouldn't forget where it came from and what defined it's success in the first place, treating it's true followers to some juicy designer labels every once and a while doesn't hurt.

To date, neither Galliano nor Zara have confirmed the rumors, but for sure you already believe in them? I know I do!

You haven't heard the last of this...

Love
FSHNvanguard


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The wonderful 'Kech'!

Last week was all about souks, spices, and bustle in the great city of Marrakech. Here's a little report of the highlights. Enjoy!

 

Love,

FSHNvanguard

Surprise birthday!

After a rather long silence, or what I like to call 'bloggers depression' I thought I'd give you all a sign of life from this end, especially as I feel the need to share this with you guys. Although I was expecting last weekend to be a big party since I was throwing a late birthday/ later graduation bash, I didn't see this coming. Boy, did they fool me!

Surprise!!!

So, as I'm not much of a planner when it comes to these kinds of occasions, I just invited over a bunch of close friends and family for drinks and bites at this fancy shmancy club/bar called Eve. However, nothing went as planned when my dear friend Mahreen lured me to another uptown sushi joint with, when I think of it now, a ridiculous excuse. Anyway, we were supposed to leave for Eve right away after running a quick errant. Guess what? We never made it to Eve that night, 'cause everyone I invited was already inside for the SURPRISE moment. I should've seen my face on the moment suprème because emotions were running from  scare at the sudden exclamation and curiosity to know whose birthday these loud people were celebrating, to a state of amazement that they were people I know, completed by feelings of betrayal when I spotted those who had actually claimed they wouldn't make it!

I was always wondering how I would react to surprise parties, but this experience has taught me that I actually love these kinds of unannounced things. Thank you Aiesha and Nawal for all the hard work, and my dear friends (you know who you are!) for spending with me an amazing and crazy evening! I love you!!!

Love,

FSHNvanguard

Dw by Kanye West: beginners bad luck?

Finally, yesterday was the big day some of us have all been waiting for: Kanye's first move ever into the fashion industry (apart from his frequent frontrow occupancy). While I like to cut the man some slack, at least for his courage to give it a shot in fashion after such great achievements in the music industry, I find it hard to speak words of appreciation for the overall collection.

The name of the collection, Dw, stands for Donda West, Kanye's mother who tragically passed away a few years ago. This is already evidence of real passionate motivation for this curious move of the rapper. While the fashion-savvy Kanye West has become something of a frontrow fixture, he's been equally busy backstage, building relationships and connections leading to the collaboration for his first fashion collection. For months Kanye has worked alongside British designer Louise Goldin and Givenchy's Roberto Tisci, among others (the shoes for Dw were designed by Giuseppe Zanotti, in case you were wondering).

Leather and suede, zippers galore, streetwear inspirations, beading and crystals, and the amount of fur that would shake the foundations of PETA. This mix of methods, materials, and styles, together with a variety of perspectives (through collaborations and consultatations with industry pro's) explains the incoherence in the overall collection.

Still, it's kind of endearing to see someone as successful as Kanye West try so hard. Therefore, let's just give him the benefit of the doubt as a beginner and see what he has in store for us.

Any comments or thoughts on Kanye's fashion career? Feel free to share.

Thank you guys for reading! If you like FSHNvanguard on Blogger, 'Like' it on Facebook as well. Thanx!

Love

All photo's courtesy of Gianni Pucci/GoRunway.com

'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