Perfect Outfit, Perfect Day

This is going to be a short post, dear readers. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and everyone seems to be in a state of utter delirium because of the arrival of spring.

I am one of those people going berserk over the first beams of sun. I adore spring. I breathe spring. I am spring.

So that is why I would rather go outside and enjoy this beautiful April day instead of sitting behind my laptop writing blog posts. No offence.

But don’t worry, dear readers. I won’t leave you empty-handed. Because this post is not only a celebration of spring, it is also a celebration of the perfect spring outfit. It is feminine, funky, cool, retro, classy, elegant and quirky all rolled into one. This colourful outfit is the embodiment of a sunny perfect day, with the light blue representing the fresh breeze of air and the soft orange and coral capturing the warmth of the sun.

It is fabulous. It is spring. But first and foremost: it is YOU!

Enjoy!

Shop till you drop: The shopaholic in me is alive and kickin’

I love fashion all year round. Every second of every hour of every day. There are moments, however, when my inner fashion diva goes in absolute fashion overdrive. When a very cool trend hits the runways or even when I just see a very awesome outfit online, I simply can’t stop thinking about it. I literally have dreams about it. Dreams of me wearing said awesome outfit and totally rocking it. This continuous “daydreaming” (a very euphemistic term for the scarier word “hallucination” 😉 ) will not stop until I have that outfit hanging in my closet.

I am currently going through such a fashion frenzy and the leading role in my very own Hollywood fashion movie daydream (besides a very stylish me) is the outfit above from River Island. I want it so bad, I get heart palpitations merely thinking of it.

I am a huge River Island fan. Sometimes I think this shop was created with the sole purpose of providing me with clothes.  However, there are two tiny little issues:

a)      What if my local River Island shop doesn’t have the outfit? :

 I saw the clothes on the River Island website, so there is no absolute guarantee that I will actually find them in the River Island store in Antwerp. More importantly, they have to have my size! I can hear you all thinking: “ Just order them online, you idiot!”

…

Good point. But I prefer trying clothes on first, before buying them. (Oh God, I sound like my mother!)

b)      What if the clothes don’t fit and I look nothing like the cool chick I had in mind?

No matter how hard you may want a certain outfit, sometimes when you put it on, it just SUCKS!

So this is where you come in, dear readers! I want you all to knock on wood/ cross your fingers/ light a candle/ pray that the very cool outfit will end up in my closet! Maybe we could all do a cyber- telekinesis-séance kinda thing?  Who’s with me?! 😉

Ps: The shoes and necklace are not from River Island. It was just to give you an idea of what I would wear it with.

Shop till you drop: The shopaholic in me is alive and kickin’ van evelineversluys met platform heels

River Island crop top, $24 / River Island crop top, $24 / River Island printed pants, $46 / Giuseppe Zanotti platform heels / Topshop

CHECKMATE !!

Louis Vuitton has done it again! The check board trend is back and celebrities are absolutely loving it. Vuitton’s designer, the ever-brilliant Marc Jacobs, gave the audience a runway experience extraordinaire this spring.  Beautiful models descended from escalators onto a yellow-white checkered runway. It was like getting a glimpse of what this world could actually look like; a vision of pure and peaceful perfection. The perfect balance between playful elegance and an edgy retro-vibe.

I am completely smitten with the colour palet of black and white with touches of bright yellow. It’s cheeky and girly, but yet so feminine and sexy. There are no words to describe Marc Jacobs’ brilliant mind. The things he designs aren’t clothes. Damn, it’s not even fashion! It is a vision. On Life, on love, on liberty.

What I’m trying to say is: CHECK out these clothes and run to the stores to start your very own eye-popping game of CHECKERS!

CHECKMATE !! van evelineversluys met quay

Midi dress, $23 / Crop shirt, $23 / Bomber jacket / Zara shorts / Givenchy platform heels / BCBGeneration yellow heels / Zara box clutch / Quay

Seize the day! Buy these shoes!

Spring is in the air! To some, this means getting back outdoors, redecorating the garden or taking weekend mini-breaks to spas. To me, however, spring means buying new shoes! And if you still have one foot stuck in winter, I recommend you to do the same. What better way to step into Spring than with a brand new pair of shoes, right?

Just like the buds in Spring, my shopping list is ever-growing and these lace up boots are at the top of that list! They are cool, bold and require LOADS OF CONFIDENCE AND ATTITUDE ! (They are definitely not for sissies! )

Opt for printed boots (animal, floral, galaxy: whatever you fancy 😉 ) or choose the very popular studded boots. My personal favourite – BY FAR – are the lace up Perspex boots! See-through plastics were seen in basically every designer’s shoe collection for spring-summer 2013 – and yes! – even Cinderella’s glass slippers are back in style! So why hesitate?  These beauties should already be sitting on your shoe shelf by now!

Seize the day! Buy these shoes! van evelineversluys met lace up boots

Jeffrey Campbell booties, $130 / Jeffrey Campbell booties, $230 / High heels / Lace up boots / Pink baby booties / Lace up boots / Lace up bootie, $62 / Lace up boots / Lace up boots

Live Green, Love Green, Wear Green: Emerald Green

This spring will be all about colour! Soft and pretty pastels will turn you into a groovy Kate Middleton and flashy and bold neons will turn you into a classy Nicki Minaj. Which look you go for is entirely up to you. However, there is one colour ALL women should have in their closets this spring: emerald green.

This vibrant and stunning jewel tone was seen in the Spring/summer collection of practically every A-list designer. Coats, dresses, skirts, tops, shirts, shoes, accessories,… everything was emerald green!  Do you need more convincing? Well, I can honestly tell you that this type of green matches every skin tone and suits every hair colour. Yes, even red heads like me! Dare I say it, this colour was MADE for red heads!

Besides, emerald green will not just be a key colour in your closet, it will also be of vital importance in your beauty bag. Think emerald green nail polish or an emerald liner across your bottom lash line.

Make all the other women green with envy (pun fully intended): opt for emerald!

Live Green, Love Green, Wear Green: Emerald Green van evelineversluys met super skinny jeans

ISSA London tiered dress, $620 / Motel green cocktail dress, $93 / MICHAEL Michael Kors satin top, $135 / MICHAEL Michael Kors super skinny jeans, $235 / Michael Kors genuine leather handbag / SHOUROUK long drop earrings, $520

Feather Fetish

I have a confession to make, dear readers. In a fashion world where every woman is glued to her lipstick and addicted to her “slim fit”-jeans, there are a few fashionistas who take it one step further and develop a more “exotic” fashion addiction. As you may guess, I am one of them. My addiction? Feathers!  I honestly can’t stop buying feathery things: from feather embellished skirts and dresses, to feather jackets and collars. As well as feather boots, bags and earrings. My feather collection is absolutely enormous! For some absurd reason, I especially love black feathers, because they stand for both classiness and mystery. A black feather outfit is edgy, eclectic and elegant: three words that – in my humble opinion- represent me as a young woman.

In short, I am seriously infected with feather flu. 😉

But what about you? Are you a feather fan as well, or do you have another fashion addiction?

You can leave your hat on

I have a confession to make, dear readers. I have a mind-boggling, hair-raising and heart-stopping addiction to hats.

There, I said it. Luckily for me, this addiction won’t make me fat or die of lung cancer. Hence, I can indulge in my little hat frenzy as much as I want to. I love hats in all styles, textures and sizes. They are fashionable, comfy and keep you warm: three very important advantages when you want to go shopping in the middle of winter.

So join me in my hat madness and buy yourself a hat! I can assure you, you won’t regret it.

Before I forget: this post is also – and especially – directed at every fashionable man out there! Hats are the epitome of style and class: Matt Bomer, Ne-yo, Bruno Mars, Johnny Depp,…. They are, quite frankly , so sexy it hurts. So buy yourself a hat and I can guarantee: your swoon factor will shoot through the roof!

You can leave your hat on van evelineversluys met fake fur hats

Diane von Furstenberg / Mulberry wool felt hat / French Connection floppy hat, $40 / Knit hat / Pieces wool hat, $28 / Fake fur hat, $25 / H&M , $24 / Yumi knit hat, $21 / Knit hat, $16

Prince Charming sucks

Although every woman will try to deny it, we all still believe in the boy-meets-girl fairy tale story.

Why wouldn’t we? A handsome prince. Love at first sight. Happily-Ever-After… Every woman secretly hopes she will be treated as a princess, with a knight in shining armor as good-looking as Ryan Gosling and a jewelry box as large as a walk-in closet. (Although that last part might just be me ^^)

Our fairy tale dreams are often tempered by the harsh reality that life has to offer. Men simply don’t climb up ivory towers (Because they don’t know where to find one?) or travel across the country to return your shoe. (Because they think we would simply buy another pair?) I hate to bring it to you, but life is not a romantic comedy.

Life is much more than that! Life is complicated. Beauty, love and hope walk hand in hand with pain, hate and disappointment. At times life can even seem more like a nightmare than a fairy tale.

But don’t ever let this bother you, fellow princesses! If you want your version of a fairy tale, CREATE IT! Don’t ever stop dreaming. Never lose hope. Everything is possible, as long as you’re willing to work for it.

So cherish your dreams! Cherish your hopes! Just remember: Even if you can’t find prince charming, that doesn’t mean you should feel less of a princess.

(and besides, who needs prince charming when you can have Ryan Gosling in your DVD player? 😉 )

Prince Charming sucks van evelineversluys met vintage jewelry

Giuseppe Zanotti peep toe heels, $1,640 / Nina vintage jewelry

It’s time to SHINE!

Black and gold together is without a doubt the coolest combination of the season. It’s glamourous, luxurious and it adds that little touch of drama to an ordinary day at the office. If you want to take it even one step further, opt for a Baroque-style outfit in black and gold.

(Or as I like to call it: Barock ’n roll 😉 )

Still not convinced of the awesomeness of a black and gold Baroque outfit? Look at Dolce & Gabbana’s  fall/ winter collection for inspiration.

However, most of us – aka 99% of the population- can’t afford to buy a $26,600 embellished dress. So that is why I went shopping yesterday to see whether it was possible to find a low budget black and gold Baroque outfit… and guess what? I FOUND IT!!  For just 25 euros I bought this cute baroque peplum blouse at New Look. It will go perfectly  with my last year’s gold jeans !(yes, you’ve read that correctly: I am the proud owner of  gold jeans)

In short, this winter I am going to SHINE! And I want YOU to shine with me! Because when we shine, we will always find our way through darkness.

It’s time to SHINE! van evelineversluys met yellow gold bracelets

Dolce&Gabbana short dress / Dolce&Gabbana high heels / Sam Edelman lace up boots / Studded heels / Dolce&Gabbana dolce gabbana / Dolce&Gabbana dolce gabbana / Wildfox Couture yellow gold bracelet / Christian Dior gold eyeshadow / HUGO , $53

” I’m not kissing you with that shit on your lips!”

One of my best friends told me she never wears red lipstick because her boyfriend thinks it’s ugly.

…

Oh come on!

I mean, what a myth! Boys  –those who don’t even recognize elegance when it hits them in the face-  may indeed think that girls wearing red lipstick

a) are trying too hard to impress

b) look like a circus act

But real men – those who do appreciate a touch of femininity- are DRAWN to red lips. Red is possibly the sexiest colour on this planet ( the colour of passion and love!) and wearing red lipstick signals that you are proud of being a woman and more importantly, it makes men think of kissing.

In short, red lips are dynamite! And if your boyfriend disagrees, well frankly, you should just dump the asshole.

” I’m not kissing you with that shit on your lips!” van evelineversluys met lip makeup

Yves Saint Laurent lip makeup / Napoleon Perdis lip makeup / PLANT lip makeup