With the advent of sunny days in The Hague gardening enthusiasts rush to their gardens and flower watchers get on their bikes to admire the blossoming bulbs: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils. Planted in orderly strips when in bloom they form a luscious carpet of vivid colours.

It seems that the fashion world got caught up in the flower garden as well. Check this season’s fashions, floral patterns bloom on everything: tops, bottoms, accessories. And not for ladies only! Menswear collections display an impressive assortment of floral delights.

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No Comments | In: beauty, design, fashion, The Hague | tags: Floral trend, Flowers, spring flowers, The Hague, Thierry Boutemy, trends. | #

Christian Dior’s parents wanted him to be a diplomat, but he dreamt of  art and fashion. With a lot of persuasion and some help from his father he managed to start an art gallery. It was selling most avant-garde works of the time- Picasso, Cocteau, Braque.

After the War Christian Dior turned to fashion creating an entirely new look for women: tiny waist, voluptuous skirt, hourglass silhouette, referencing La Belle Epoque. It was inspired by his love of flowers and his vision of a flower woman.

Raf Simons who has been appointed Artistic Director at Christian Dior shares Monsieur Dior’s love of art. Next to his fashion career he buys art for his collector friend and collects art himself. He studied industrial design and thought of becoming a furniture designer. And then he saw a fashion show by a fellow Belgian- Martin Margiela in Paris. It left such a profound impact that he left furniture design for fashion. Thank you, Mr. Margiela, for giving the fashion world Raf Simons.

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No Comments | In: design, fashion | tags: Christian Dior, fashion, Jil Sander, Raf Simons. | #

Well into my second year in The Hague where everything is planned weeks in advance, even meeting friends, I start getting afraid of losing spontaneity. Two weeks ago  I opened my agenda and saw nothing  but pages filled with meetings and appointments. More appointments, more deadlines…

Am I turning into some robotic performance machine? The inner voice was questioning. And that inner  voice sounded annoyingly disappointed. In me and my pronouncements about cherishing the beauty of spontaneous moments, and following your heart, and … more of the kind. I had to prove him wrong. On the spur of the moment I decided that I needed a break and Antwerp would make a perfect destination.

Why Antwerp? It has always been on my wish list of cities to visit but I could never make time. So now I made time. Friday morning an hour and half on the train and there I was. In Antwerp.

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No Comments | In: art, fashion, marketing, shopping, The Hague, Travel | tags: Antwerpen, Cafe Imperial Antwerpen, Dris van Noten, Het Mode Paleis, Hotel Julein Antwerpen, Neuze Neuze restaurant Antwerpen, Shopping, The Hague. | #

‘There is too much of Dutch fashion shown everywhere, but, alas, very little sold,’ says Laura van Erkelens, founder of Fashion NL, an independent online and offline platform for promoting Dutch fashion.

A passionate champion of local talent van Erkelens is as committed to the Dutch fashion cause as they come. It all started during her student days at the Utrecht School of Visual Arts and Design when she worked on her graduation paper researching Dutch fashion identity and its perception internationally. Well, the conclusion of that research was not encouraging—the overall awareness of Dutch fashion was quite low. Ironically not only abroad but also in the Netherlands.

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No Comments | In: design, fashion, shopping, Travel | tags: Amsterdam, Amsterdam Fashion Week, Dutch fashion, Dutch fashion Identity, fashion, fashionnl.com, Laura van Erkelens, Magna Plaza, NL, Shopping, Wardrobe#1 concept store. | #

In addition to the cliche trinity of cheese-windmills-tulips the Dutch can boast having an open mind, influential design aesthetic, so many other things and now even a nail polish collection. Nail polish collection?

I see eyebrows raised and question marks multiplying with lightning speed.

Yes, indeed!  Nail polish collection called Holland. Courtesy of OPI,  a family owned nail care company.

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3 Comments | In: beauty, fashion, marketing, shopping | tags: fashion, Nail polish, OPI, OPI Holland Collection, Shopping, The Hague, trends. | #

This story was written for the Underground The Hague paper

Ah, a new year, the pristine beauty of a white page, the promise of a new start, and a handful of resolutions! Sadly often dropped within weeks.

Having gladly toasted 2011 into retirement we look ahead with hope for change. And make it positive, please. The “yes we can” kind. We have grown so weary of the news of turmoil and uncertainty.

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No Comments | In: fashion, social commentary, trends | tags: 2012 trends, Bliss, fashion, future, Li Edelkort, Rumi, trends. | #

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The Underground The Hague, is a monthly paper for the international community in the city launched by Simon Branson Harper, a contagiously passionate entrepreneur who cherished the vision of  this project since she was a young child. I have contributed this light-hearted take on trends for 2012 for the January issue.

So here you have it

A girl’s 2012 trend guide simplified:

Now that the Netherlands will have its own edition of Vogue, the world’s ultimate fashion magazine, there is no excuse to stay uninformed about what’s in, what out and what to keep.

Forget about minimalism, wave good bye to your boyfriend jeans it is all about femininity, sophistication and subtle references to the roaring twenties.

1. Go prints. From ethnic to subtle floral and anything in between. Bold enough to try pattern on pattern? By all means.

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No Comments | In: fashion, personal style, The Hague, trends | tags: fashion, personal style, SS trends 2012, The Hague, The Underground paper The Hague, trends. | #

Azzedine Alaia, the son of a wheat farmer from Tunisia, became a most revered figure in fashion, known as “the sculptor of women’s bodies” –he studied sculpture at Fine Arts Academy. True to his Mediterranean roots he admires women’s curves and endlessly enhances them emphasizing the waist, the back, “le deriere”, which in his opinion is more important than the cleavage.

His are not androgynous creations. Rather, it is creations that empower women, make them sexy. Not in the “in your face” way. But in a subtle, alluring, confident way.

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No Comments | In: design, fashion, Travel | tags: Azzedine Alaia, Azzedine Alaia in the 21st century, fashion, Groningen museum. | #

Here is Part II of the cover story that I wrote for the winter issue of  the Access Magazine, The Hague based expatriate publication. This particular part examines various facets of Dutch fashion, its international positioning and outlook for the future

Experimental & Conceptual

Thus permeated by the Calvinist tradition of sobriety and purity, Dutch fashion is a unique expression of individual spirit rather than a collective identity.

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No Comments | In: design, fashion | tags: AIFW, Dutch fashion, Dutch Fashion Awards 2011, Dutch fashion Identity, fashion, fashionnl.com, Iris van Herpen, Jan Taminiau, United Nude. | #