Happy Mother's Day!

This post is for my mother, because she's always taken great care of us and has a wicked sense of fashion. I found an old newspaper clipping of my parents: they attended a dinner and were featured in the section 'People and Fashion'. Quoting the Australian paper, my mother wore "a vivid patterned skirt, a black jersey halter-neck top and a braid-trimmed velvet dinner jacket".

My mom and dad looking fabulous quite a few decades ago. 

Carey Mulligan's Great Gatsby Shoot for Vogue - Behind the Scenes

Because Carey Mulligan's Great Gatsby shoot for Vogue is one of the most beautiful and iconic I have seen in a long time, I thought I would share this little video from behind the scenes with you.

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We had lovely spring weather in France this week, but sadly this weekend has been nothing but grey clouds and rain. That means I've stayed hauled up in my flat all day browsing pinterest boards and marvelling over gorgeous lingerie and vintage dresses. I decided to share a selection of today's finds with you and would love to see your finds as well!

The link between Versace and Stieg Larsson...

As most of you already know by now, Versace created a collection for H&M. The collection is said to be available in stores on November 17th, but you can already view the creations online. I'm not excited and I'm not disappointed. It's just exactly what you would expect a Versace and H&M collaboration to look like... a balancing act on the fine line between the good and bad sides of ultimate kitsch.

You can judge for yourself. Here's a video of the collection and a behind the scenes with Donattela Versace.

De meesten onder jullie weten ondertussen wel al dat Versace een collectie ontworpen heeft voor H&M. De collectie zou 17 november in de winkels liggen, maar je kan de ontwerpen reeds online bekijken. Ik ben niet erg enthousiast en ook niet erg ontgoocheld. Het is eigenlijk precies geworden wat je zou verwachten van een Versace en H&M samenwerking... een evenwichtsoefening op de grens tussen goede en slechte kitsch. Hier is die grens in ieder geval wel héél dun uitgevallen.

Maar vel vooral zelf je oordeel. Hier is een video van de collectie en een 'achter de scènes' met Donatella Versace.


Versace 2011 collection for H&M from Champagne Valentine on Vimeo.



On a more exciting note... Trish Summerville also created a collection for H&M, inspired by 'The girl with the dragon tattoo'. Lots of black and lots of leather.

En een boeiender nieuwtje... Trish Summerville heeft ook een collectie gecreëerd voor H&M, geïnspireerd op 'The girl with the dragon tattoo'. Veel zwart en veel leer.  

Happy Times: Monki and Cos are now online!

I've been ridiculously busy the last few weeks, so I didn't even get to tell you how excited I am that Monki and Cos both decided to finally open an online shop! I never understood why Essen got to have their own Monki shop and Berlin got left in the cold. I mean seriously... Essen?! From now on though, I will never bitterly mention the not-so-lovely city of Essen again, as I too have my own Monki store :]

I am absolutely in love with these black leather shorts. They would look amazing with some warm tights and a pretty blouse in winter. They also have a great selection of basic tank tops and some lovely, vintage inspired dresses. Don't forget their accessories either, as they have some cute hair bands and pins. Although, my favourite is the silver coloured cuff.

As for Cos, I have to admit I was never really crazy about the brand. A couple of years ago, I stepped into their store in Berlin and was really disappointed. I completely ignored every Cos store I passed ever since. Big mistake! I got lured into the Cos store on Calle Claudio Coello in Madrid this summer and had a complete change of heart :) They have beautiful, clean-cut dresses, warm pullovers and pretty accessories.

Isn't the dress just stunning? It's beautifully structured and very minimal, but the hood just ads a little playfulness to it. Cos too, has a great range of accessories. The long, leather gloves are ideal for winter, but are just a tad more stylish than your usual leather glove. The golden cuff is one of my favourites and I really think I need one for both wrists. I know it's kind of similar to the one from the Monki store pictures above and I know H&M's already had them in store last winter, but I still love them :]

Banana Republic does Mad Men

I’m a sucker for vintage clothing and Mad Men was one of my favourite shows to date,  so obviously this was going to come up. Banana Republic launched a Mad Men line and while I do like the idea, I’m not really convinced by all of their creations. I made a selection of the prettiest pieces, but I think the houndstooth dress is by far the winner! You can find the full collection, and the men's collection, on the Banana Republic website.

Ik ben helemaal weg van vintage kleding en Mad Men was één van mijn favoriete tv-shows tot nu toe, dus dit ging overduidelijk aan bod komen. Banana Republic heeft een Man Men collectie gelanceerd en hoewel ik het een heel leuk idee vind, ben ik toch niet helemaal overtuigd van al hun creaties. Ik heb een selectie gemaakt van de mooiste delen, maar ik denk dat het houndstooth jurkje bij verre wel de winnaar is! Je kan de volledige collectie, ook die voor mannen, terugvinden op de website van Banana Republic.

I'm In Love....

Miu Miu pleasantly surprised me with their fun and sparkly collection of shoes for fall. Pink and glitters! What’s not to love? And it’s not just the colours or choice of materials… just look at the lovely rounded heels and the little buckle detail. You can find them on Mytheresa.

Miu Miu heeft me aangenaam verrast met hun leuke en glinsterende collectie schoenen voor de herfst. Rose en glitters! Wat kan je hier nu niet leuk aan vinden? En het is niet alleen de kleur of de materialen die ze gekozen hebben… kijk maar eens naar die ronde hakken en hoe ze de laarsjes hebben afgewerkt met een schattig riempje. Je kan ze vinden bij Mytheresa.

Fendi also did a great job with these seventies inspired pumps. Instead of playing safe, they gave them a modern twist with a bright yellow heel. Also to be found at Mytheresa.

Fendi heeft ook puik werk geleverd met deze door de jaren zeventig geïnspireerde pumps. In plaats van het veilig te spelen, hebben ze de pumps een moderne draai gegeven met een fel gele hak. Ook te vinden bij Mytheresa.

 
I also fell in love with these wooden, platform pumps on Asos. They reminded me of a pair of gorgeous, vintage platforms Laurelinsailor has for sale on Etsy.

Ik ben ook helemaal verliefd op deze houten, platform pumps, die je terug kan vinden bij Asos. Ze deden me denken aan een paar fantastische, vintage pumps die Laurelinsailor aanbiedt op Etsy.