Courtesy DenHaag FM
The retail landscape in The Hague is a charming store richer. Sjaak Hullekes menswear is now officially open in Denneweg. What started as a temporary outlet for the Residence de la Mode last December is now a full-fledged boutique with a complete range including separates, suits, underwear and some accessories.
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.
‘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.
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.
There is no need to re-invent the wheel. We all know that.
But re-invent umbrella?
Why not? Think out of the box. And that’s exactly what the three friends Gerwin, Gerard and Philip did during their student days at the TU Delft University.
Familiar with the rain in the Netherlands and the gale winds that come with it? And how then umbrella starts acting up -going inside out, twisting, breaking, etc. When during a rainy week like that Gerwin Hoogendorn, industrial design engineering student, had to bury three umbrellas, he got so fed up that he decided to design the ultimate umbrella and make it his graduation project.
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Versace H&M collection has finally hit the stores! This afternoon The Hague H&M shop was busy, but nothing requiring special security for hysterical crowd control as was reported from London and Moscow.
Move over politics and diplomacy. It is fashion time in The Hague.
Political concerns, Greek crisis and the fate of the euro seemed far away as on the night of November 4th the city’s fashion finest got together to celebrate the start of The Hague fashion month at the epicentre of it all – Magazin de la mode, in the historic glass-roofed Passage.
The public in attendance swapped the usual formal and “proper” Hague attire for glamorous outfits befitting the occasion, some bordering on the outrageously colourful, or shockingly short, or sweepingly long. The male audience was less adventurous spotting black ties and tuxedoes accessorised by a smattering of facial hair in all shapes and forms. Facial hair for men is a persistent trend, I notice.
Life has been good to Michael Barnaart van Bergen, the choucou of the Hague fashion scene. He is young, talented, good looking and very successful. Named The Hague fashion ambassador 2010 he has had an impressive rise through the fashion ranks in the Netherlands scoring participation in the Millionaires Fair, museum exhibitions, celebrity dressing, TV appearances.
Jan Jansen is a very common Dutch name but the shoes he makes are anything but…
Bold or subtle, it is a statement. A statement of a non-conformist individual who defies trends putting his best foot forward.
I love the way Jan Jansen mixes textures and plays with colour. Not running after trends. Not bowing to fashion dictates.
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I am back after a week in Jeddah for a meeting of the Islamic Development Bank.
Quite a test it was for my fashion ingenuity! How to be stylish (can’t be otherwise) and adequately conservative?!
Having considered various dress code options, and not willing to spend some 400 euro on an abaya, like the one from Malaak recently featured by la Moda Dubai, I have come up with my own version for conservative dress appropriate for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—inter seasonal coat by BNG from Istanbul complimented by a scarf. Luckily I have quite a collection.
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