OPINION | White And Rose Gold, Skipping A Season

shirt-dress with transparent sleeves Simone Rocha for Topshop / Knit sweater T by Alexander Wang / Rose gold eagle claw earrings Pamela Love / Rose gold metallic loafer pumps Alexander Wang / Tailored wool pants Calvin Klein


Skipping a season
The real cold hasn't even started but I'm already focussed on getting my wardrobe ready for spring. Fashion has become so fast and access is so easy that we're already bored of the collections before we can even try them on in a store. (Acne's spring/summer collection will hit stores in December, isn't that insane?)

Images from the runways are hyped on every website and in every magazine 6 months before we can even buy them. Bloggers and press have already had the chance to see, touch and try on the summer garments two weeks ago during the press days. Right now is when these pieces are still coveted, by the time that we can actually purchase them they will be old news. Smart move from Acne to strike while the iron is still hot and start selling their white leather jackets and thin pastel jumpers next month.

It's going way too fast for me, the clothes hanging in stores right now seem outdated, so I've decided to skip a season and will look for items that I can wear both in winter and spring. Like this loosely knitted T by Alexander Wang jumper, a perfect winter staple but I'd also wear it with a pair of cycling shorts, bare legs and high heels.

NOVELTY | Lucas Nascimento A/W11

Huge sculpted knit sweaters that look like cocoons, high splits in the back that reveil the entire leg, silhouettes that give the female body a sculptural form. The fall-winter collection of Lucas Nascimento is beyond modern but still very wearable. Nascimento graduated from London College of Fashion only 3 years ago but has already established himself as one of the most promising upcoming designers with his sophisticated and innnovative collections.

NOVELTY | Tassled Little Acne Bag

Yesterday afternoon was the resort and spring/summer collection presentation of Acne in Amsterdam. I won´t bore you guys with the entire collection, which images are all over the internet and probably already saved in your image folder. But what I must show you is this tassled little bag. I hung it around the neck of a crisp white shirt because this is how I would wear it. Isn´t it adorable?

NOVELTY | 3 Inspiring Non-Fashion Blogs

Because inspiration is a hard thing to find and always comes unexpected and from unexpected places.
Here are three must-see blogs outside the fashion realm that will change your perspective a bit and trigger your imagination.

1. Things organised neatly
The name already says it; it´s a blog filled with pictures of things that are organized, classified and arranged in a freakishly neat way. From deconstructed bycicles, to the ingedients of a cake to chanel perfume bottles.

2. Minimaliste
This picture is actually the background of my desktop, I found it on Minimaliste. This tumblr blog is all about modern minimalistic images, from landscapes, interior design, architecture to furniture pieces. All in a pale palette of whites, icy blues and greys.

3.Lookbook Cookbook
At first sight this might look like a fashionblog. Don't be fooled, as the name suggests it´s a cookbook ánd a lookbook. It´s Basically delicious recipes and pretty girls. And as if that isn´t enough, those chocolate peppermint fudges, pumpkin pancakes and cookie dough icecream are all made without any animal products; it's all vegan!

NOVELTY | COS spring summer 2012

Behold my favorites ensembles from COS ss12 lookbook. I can´t wait to see the pieces in real life and hear the story behind the collection at the press days that are coming up. Perhaps it has something to do with the ocean; the placement of the cutouts of the white dress remind me of the gill slits of a shark, the dark midnight garments of wetsuits and the light blues of clear water. But I could be wrong.

I see sharks, divers and water but that's could just be my state of mind at the moment.
What story do you see behind this collection?

NOVELTY | Tailored Track Pants

T by Alexander Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Nowhere

Tailored for a slim silhouette, gorgeous blended fabrics, a zipper here, a thin drawstring there or slit pockets. Much better than the ones I wear on the couch on Sunday mornings... but seemingly not less comfortable. One of my next investments will surely be a tailored track pant to wear over a pair of delicate heels or with mens shoes like Phillip Lim intended for this season's menswear collection as seen in in this video.

NOVELTY | Givenchy ss12

Riccardo Tisci´s vision for spring was inspired by surfers and mermaids, hence the sharkstooth pouch, pants as tight as wetsuits and eel skin trimmings. But it isn´t this subtle ocean theme that stands out in this collection, it is the tailoring that is attention grabbing; sharply cut jackets, proper button ups and structured layers. These monochromatic looks in a wonderful creamy color is something that I would like to wear right now.

NOVELTY | Swimwear Inspired, Anthony Vaccarello ss12

Photos by Quentin De Wispelaere and Words by Susanna Lau for Dazed Digital

Tell us a bit about the mood for this collection and what you referenced?
Anthony Vaccarello: The idea was that I was very inspired by the old pictures by Herb Ritts in the 90s. It's more about the girl rather than about a conceptual it is about concept. It's about that girl taking a swimsuit and taking a swim. The moonlight is on her and that's why you can't tell the difference between black and blue. The light catches all of these reflective surfaces and so I chose fabrics where it looked like there was a slick of oil. I didn't want it to be only a sensual and sexy collection. I like the idea of a dress hanging out of a skirt, elements of a military trouser without it being one - buttons, pockets etc. I really wanted to hint at casual clothes and make them very luxurious.

LIFE | Today´s Fantastic Read

I´m on the tram as I write this with today's read on my lap; Fantastic Man. One of the best Dutch export products if you ask me. I'm keeping this post short because I can't wait to dive into this magazine and read the 16-page feature on Raf Simons!

NOVELTY | Simone Rocha

image credits: SimoneRocha.com , Colette

Graduated just last year from CSM, Simone Rocha(1986) presented her third collection in London. Visual illusions that she created with cutouts and transparent materials have become signature to her work as they were again present in her vision for next year's spring. Her genius elevated brogues were also again incorporated in the collection, this time in transparent and colored versions. “I love the tradition and masculinity of a classic brogue, but elevating this into a high heel makes it fresh.”

Rocha's elevated brogues with perplex wedges from last season have already been available at OAK and Colette since August. And in collaboration with Topshop, Simone Rocha also designed a capsule wardrobe that is available now online and in stores.

Like Love Aesthetics on facebook for more runway favorites

NOVELTY | The Structured A/W collection of COS

I love how modest and subtle yet how bold these structured pieces from the COS Autumn/Winter collection are.

NOVELTY | A Book About Girls by Valentina Vos

Today the second episode of a series of interviews I'm making for Fashionscene.nl will be online. It is a video series about the workingspaces of people who work in fashion. The picture is a screenshot of the interview with photographer Valentina Vos . Probably the sweetest girl on the planet. She is telling me about her book, One Seventy Four. When she opened the book to the first page it said; voor Ivania liefs Valentina, to Ivania love Valentina. A sweet surprise and an amazing addition to my book collection.





One Seventy Four

Two paragraphs from the introduction that say it all



The images show an unpretentious atmosphere, due to the fact that Valentina used no make up, merely the lipstick some of the models were already wearing. She is also a very talented stylist, using her own fashion collection combined with personal items of the models. from Mickey Mouse sweaters and cute panties to lumberjack shirts and tight dresses. Posing as little cats and bunnies and pulling funny faces. The chosen locations are not glamorous at all, the girls are photographed in front of a white background, everyday surroundings like the park, Valentina's appartment or even their own home.



None of the models is were retouched in Photoshop: forget the longer legs, adjusted hips and flawless skin. Every birthmark, bruise or spot is visible and makes them even more vulnerable. Valentina is showing you the real girls.





Order One Seventy Four by Valentina Vos here

NOVELTY | Playing With Proportions

For this fall, Helmut Lang presented a few similar looks that consisted of a white long dress and a black jacket. By altering the lengths of the jackets and the skirts the same basic principle can be applied to different occasions. The longest dress drapes onto the floor and has the most luxurious and decadent feel to it, the shorter versions could be better classified as casual daywear. But the second look is my absolute favorite with the odd and unusual lengths while everything is still in perfect proportion.

NOVELTY | Giuliano Bolivar

Inspiring for both men and women with his androgynous style. Today he wore platform boots without looking like a crossdresser, a pair of narrow snakeskin trousers without an ounce of tackiness and a leather gilet that had the potential of going wrong in a kinky gay fetish way. Meet my friend Giuliano Bolivar, the man who can make it all look elegant, refined and will make you wonder which designers he's wearing(=thrifted!). Lucky for us we can enjoy his devine aesthetic on his blog! CHECK IT OUT HERE!

NOVELTY | Amsterdam Fashion Week: Nick Rosenboom Shoes

Last month backstage at Amsterdam Fashionweek, shoes byNick Rosenboom.

VIDEO | Phillip Lim: Menswear fw 11

The men are walking towards something, it seems that perhaps they are going to meet eachother and so suggests the anticipation building music. After they walk through a concrete landscape of perfect lines, shadows geometrical shapes their paths finally cross accompanied by a delicate piano tone. That was it. An unexpected anti-climax-climax that delivers me goosebumps every time I watch this.

This being said, I must now share the vulgar materialistic feelings that this video also evoked; I need that mono grey ensemble + shoes and bags.
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Phillip Lim: Weavers
The Designer Shares A New Menswear Film

A portrait of the urban man on the move, today's film Weavers, was conceived by the designer as a follow-up to his fall 3.1 Phillip Lim menswear show. “It’s just three strangers going about their day,” he says. “They cross paths, and feel a kindred spirit because of the way they dress.” The short was shot in Palm Springs by San Francisco-based photographer and filmmaker Andrew Paynter, and its title is a nod both to the artisanal tapestry and rug-making techniques Lim drew upon for his collection, as well as the elusive nature of the models pictured threading in and out of shadows. “We’re always trying to get a mental picture of the man we’re designing for,” he says. “But he’s a little bit of a mystery; we only get glances. This film is our attempt to capture that experience of seeing someone in snatches.” We asked New York-based Lim to demystify his urban summer essentials.
Video and words from NOWNESS.com

NOVELTY | Amsterdam Fashion Week, at Nick Rosenboom

A selection of my favorite looks from Nick's Lookbook





Backstage shots of the collection of Nick Rosenboomwho was one of the graduates from the Arnhem Art Academy that showed their collection at Amsterdam Fashionweek. (Same academy that schooled Iris van Herpen and Viktor&Rolf)
I was highly impressed by his designs and exquisit execution of every single aspect of his collection, from the lookbook to the shoes to the beautifully shaped pieces.
Can't wait to see more of his work, and hopefully soon seeing his name on the label of a purchasable garment.

NOVELTY | ANT Magazine

-Top: The Amfi Yearbook of this years graduates. It is a magazine on it's on, filled with editorials and nice reads. Made under the leadership of Therese Östelius.
-Middle: ANT Magazine, available in bookstores throughout Europe.
-Bottom: My contribution to the magazine, a story about commodity fetish.


Each year the studnts of the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) get a competitive assignment of creating their own magazine. The best magazine of the class will be published and distributed throughout Europe. This year ANT won and is already available in bookstores around the continent. It is a magazine that is all about different points of view and other ways to look at things. It is packed with inspiring images and articles.

I also contributed to Ant with an story about fetishism, commodity fatish to be exact, the fetish around material things, about unhealthy cravings for fashion buys.
For my story I spend a few hours at Dutch department store De Bijenkorf and observed the behavior of the ladies in the hosiery section.

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The first paragraph of my story:
Commodity Fetish

Her eyes glided across the shelves crammed with small plastic packages with promises inside. She scans the mannewuin legs hanging from the ceiling showing off sheer thigh highs. Left and right in the narrow alleyrs of the hosiery section women are fixated by the almost sexual images on the products. Sexual images without a face. Legs sitting on a bed with messed up sheets on which you can imagine what happened previously, flawless naked bodies wearing nothing but the tights. And even the more conservative ads for businesswomen in pencil skirts have a restricted fetish undertone. By looking at them you can almost hear the clicking of stilettos on a marble floor and the sound of nylon covered thighs rubbing against eachother underneath that tight pencil skirt.

*If you're interested in reading the whole thing, click on image below, then click on it again to enlarge it.

NOVELTY | Berlin Shopping

left: Acne Store,
right: Comme des Garcon wallet, garments at the Wood Wood store


The tiny Acne sign on the window of their Berlin shop


Muji, adorable mini notebook I got


Weekday, one of their fantastic pieces that I purchased; an assymetric dress


Where the neighbor shop windows were styled exactly according to season and the streets in Mitte were flooded by Levis cut off shorts and black wayfarers, the Acne store stood out with its clean minimalist aesthetic. The personnel was dressed in white button up shirts, the inside was impeccably white while the outside wall was left raw, unpainted and covered with stickers and graffiti tags. Only a small discreet ACNE on the window indicated that this was the Berlin home of this Swedish brand. Münzstasse 21

Another shop worth visiting in the utterly hip neighborhood Mitte (Hipster central?)is the concept store by Scandinavian brand WoodWood. Besides selling their own brand they also offer a collection of magazines and books, sneakers and other brands like Opening Ceremony, Sonia Rykiel and Comme des Garcons. Rochstrasse 4

Looking back, the funnest shop in the Mitte area, the one that left the thought in my mind of 'I wish I had bought this and this and that' was Muji. A Japanese chain with the message 'back to our origins into the future' that sell all kinds of things in their simplest form, no prints, no brand names, no fuss; typically Japanese. From notebooks to clothing to furniture. And almost everything is either cardboard-brown, transparent or white. The products they offer are unpretentious, basic yet smart. A well designed raincoat of the type that you can fold so small that it fits in your back pocket, note- and sketchbooks in the cutest formats and transparent make up containers that are so chic that you can already envision them filled with Chanel products. Hackescher Markt 1

I had been stalking the Weekday website for months already and coincidentally, Weekday happened to be right across the street from the hotel that I was staying at. For those like me who don't have a Weekday in their country; don't expect the best quality though if you look carefully there is some good stuff to be found, like their footwear, the garments designed by Stine Goya, their huge Cheap Monday collection. Friedrichstrasse 140

More..
-Appartment: Memhardstraße 8
What they sell? Mens and womenswear; Rick Owens, Cheap Monday, Gareth Pugh
-Cash: Memhardstraße 8
What they sell? Second hand and last season's designer items
-Lomography Gallery store: Friedrichstraße 133
What they sell? All kinds of cameras and camera accessories
-COS: Friedrichstrasse 83, Neue Schönhauser Strasse 20
What they sell? the usual COS.
-Made in Berlin: Neue Schönhauser Strasse 19
What they sell? Vintage men's and women's clothes and accessories
-Doctor Martens: Dircksenstraße 49
What they sell? Mens, Womens, Kiddie Docs

NOVELTY | Menswear Costume National ss12

The rockabilly influences represent energy of change for Ennio Cappasa, head designer of Costume National. The mostly uncolorful, dusty palette (in the most positive sense of the word) draws attention to the detailing and the cuts of the garments; fitted short sleeved shirts, ingenious jackets and checkered creeper inspired shoes. My absolute favorite look is the effortlessly rolled up shorts with a basic black sweater, semi wrinkled jacket and a perfect leather satchel.