I Tuck It In

Nowadays everybody visits the thrift store once in a while. Well, especially since Macklemore's extremely catchy song "Thrift Shop", which in my opinion is completely misunderstood. Don't be afraid. I'm not gonna diss on his song or secondhand shops where you can buy overpriced used clothing (everybody likes that, right?). I'm gonna save that little opinion of mine in my head, where it belongs, until somebody really wants me to speak my mind about this. But let's just forget about this because I'm getting of topic here (thanks to myself).

I must admit that I'm really fond of visiting thrift shops, second hand markets, yard sales etc. Mainly because I love giving items, especially clothing, a new home (my home that is). But from all places I like my dad's closet best. He has this drawer where he puts his old, according to him, worn-out and old fashioned polo shirts and jumpers. Most pieces in this drawer are approximately twenty years old, but they still look good, as in completely undamaged. Sure, the colors may have faded a little, but that's no problem.

I know I promised you guys something else, but yet again the weather didn't really suit my outfit (yes, it's not the other way around). Luckily the weather is improving each day, which means that I'll be showing you the outfit I've been dying to wear next week (I promise!). So, for this week I've put together this dadcore-ish, extremely normal look. Of course I'm also playing with a little irony in my outfit as I usually try to do. According to me the most funny part, which has nothing to do with that irony, is that I'm sporting pink nail polish which I'd like to call Pink Power Ranger pink. I added little silver dots on my thumb and ringer finger's nail to make it extra Power Ranger-like, but I'm not gonna show you a close up of my nails. Let's just say they aren't on fleek anymore.

In this photo I'm wearing a polo shirt by Lacoste from my dad's special drawer. I added the Polo Ralph Lauren cap, because it matches my coat so well. Also because my dad also wears a similar one and for this outfit I wanted to go completely dadcore. That's also why I decided to tuck my shirt in my pants like a real thug. I really think I'm one of the most unphotogenic persons on earth. Ah well, it's hard taking full body mirror selfies.

Thank you, and take care.

Coat / Zara
Polo Shirt / Lacoste (dad's closet)
Jeans / Light Before Dark (Urban Outfitters)
Sneakers / Nike Air Force 1
Backpack / Zara
Nails / Essence - Rimmel London
Cap / Polo Ralph Lauren

Vegeta Vs. Versace

It's March which means we've hit the beginning of the end of the first quarter of 2015 (some sentence, right?). If I look outside I can see that the amount of joggers has decreased dramatically. I'm guessing this means that lots of people have given up on their New Years resolutions for this year (or they've all started hitting the gym?). Oh well, good luck obtaining that dream figure, which you're wishing for every year, next year. Whether I'm one of those people? Of course I'm not.

Mainly because I'm not the person who lives from year to year. Besides that I see my birthday as my own little New Year, which makes it okay for you to say "Happy New Year" on my birthday (does this make me egocentric?). So yeah, I don't live from year to year but I do have some kind of to-do list or bucket list. I actually don't know what's exactly on it since it's a mental list, like a list in my mind. It's hard to say what's on it, but at times I think of stuff I really want to do. One thing I've been thinking about for weeks now is the World Expo in 2020 which will be held in Dubai. What I'm most excited about and also convinced me to go is that Dubai is planning on making an artificial rain forest under the slogan: "Green is the new black." And I couldn't agree more on that one!

The past year I've noticed the growing influence and adoration of plants in subcultures such as Vaporwave and Webpunk, sometimes also called Netpunk. Up until now I didn't really have  Vaporware-ish fashion items, besides my Nike gear (white rain jacket and Air Force 1's). About a month ago I bought this cool Versace/Vegeta t-shirt online. When I bought it my sister asked me why I wanted it so badly. I explained that I want it because I thought it was a satirical piece of clothing. I mean, I love putting some humor in my outfits. Usually I do this by adding something childish like a Hello Kitty bracelet or a bracelet with colorful beads. Like allot of people my sister doesn't get it at all. She sees, like many, fashion as something that can only be used to make yourself look good. Of course it's okay to do so, but I guess that you won't get why I dress like I sometimes do.

Next week I'm planning on doing an outfit post with my new little gem. The reason why I didn't do it this week is because it's still in it's package. On the other side because the weather wasn't really t-shirtproof (yes, that does exist!). And I also didn't feel like doing that because I've started playing Neopets again; my Neopets are starving and I really have to take care of them.

Thank you, and take care.

About Marilyn, Madonna and Miley

A couple of days ago I was reading a newspaper which has its own "fashion section". They had this article about shoe trends saying that gladiator sandals, UGGs, shoes with pointy toes, knee high boots and ballerina flats are back in style. Well, according to me these shoes were never out of style because there are always people who like wearing them (mind there's a difference between style and fashion). It's just that these shoes are typical for the 00s and lots of people are still stuck in that period seeing this as their comfort zone; they're afraid to move on or they just think "these new things" aren't something for them. It's a pretty common thing and definitely not a bad thing to do. People who are in their thirties will still be sporting some fashion items that really hyped when they were younger for example.

This is actually why I started thinking that a lot of people of around my age still like wearing fashions from about a decade ago. I'm talking about the main styles that were in fashion back then: American baseball (as they call it), army and punk. I've chosen to show you this by sharing this video of a tv-show, which you can view by clicking here, I used to watch when I was about nine years old. It's called "100% Bakvis", a kids' lifestyle show broadcasted by Ketnet. Some Dutchies out there might have vague memories of this show. In this episode - the only episode you can find online - they're showing us what styles are in fashion (as I said earlier). Of course the clothing looks pretty weird because of the "old cuts" (I don't know how to say this in English). When I saw this I was like: "Oh no! Fake UGGs!" 

Now I've heard from allot of people that they dislike fashion going back in time. To be honest I was one of those people too until I realized that sometimes it's essential to do so. In the 80s Marilyn Monroe was, and actually still is, an inspiration for Madonna. And that's according to me the main reason why Madonna still prefers sporting blond hair, Marilyn Monroe inspired hairstyle and red lipstick, which now is her signature style. I'm actually still waiting for that one artist to do the same an become as iconic as Madonna, but I'm guessing that won't be happening (Miley Cyrus perhaps?). And for the ones interested in the comparison of Madonna and Marilyn Monroe I've found this website called "Madonna blows chunks", which actually is "anti-Madonna", with great photos of the two icons.

Thank you, and take care.

Note: I had zero inspiration for the title. So I just went for this quirky alliteration. 

Cheer Me Up

Sometimes we've gotta go back in time and listen some of those songs that always get stuck in your head. I pretty much did that the other day, but I didn't go back that much, just like seven years or something. - Whether I'm feeling old? Not at all! (Oh, I sure feel old at the moment) - I'm talking about Sean Kingston's hit "Beautiful Girls". Well, at first my sister and I were listening to some Justin Bieber songs (it's okay to listen to Justin Bieber) and stumbled upon this song right after listening - actually viewing - the Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston collaboration "Eenie Meenie".

So, the video shows us teenagers from the 50s until now (okay, 2007 is not now, but you get it) at the - what I'd like to call - milkshake bar (why don't we have those in Belgium?). Surprisingly this music video inspired me which I didn't expect because it's just a "silly" music video. Actually it's not the complete video that did the trick; it just took a couple of cheerleaders. Well, to be more specific I'm kinda intrigued by the 50s cheerleader's uniforms, and especially their sweaters.

Don't you just adore them? I'll share a little secret with you: those sweaters are 70s Varsity sweaters. Oh well, they look good too, especially the "Tigers" one. Anyhow they'd stil give me the 50s feeling if I'd wear one of them, which will probably never happen. I don't know why, but I'll always have this kinda love and admiration for the American 50s and especially the youth culture of that time.

Thank you, and take care.

Is It Really Worth It?

Those who have been following the blog from the start - I'm talking about 3 years ago - might already know I'm not a huge fan of Primark. Reasons? Well, I'm just not a huge fan of poor quality clothing. Besides that, those clothes are only made to sell. It's not like they've got some spirit, philosophy or feeling - you know what I mean? - in them like it actually should be. And it's not like they'll last a lifetime... Okay, nothing lasts a lifetime but I've got two sweaters from my dad and they're about twenty years old (no kidding!) and they still look like they're brand new(ish). I've heard from Primark shoppers that they throw out all their clothes once a year to go buy new ones at Primark. So, I'm guessing that their sweaters won't last twenty years like my dad's.

Now please don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater. I'm just a disliker (there's a huge difference). I can, and I certainly already did, appreciate some pieces I've found there. And yes, I've already bought some things in Primark (now don't you call me a hypocrite). The stuff I've bought are pretty basic, such as this white oversized (see-through) shirt and this black fedora. For both I only paid 18 euros (11 euros for the shirt and 7 euros for the hat), which is really really cheap. And this is exactly why my relationship with Primark is so difficult. Finding these essentials for such a tiny price makes me love it, but that their clothing is made in sweatshops makes me hate it.

But my question is, why do people love it so much, and sometimes even refuse to buy their clothes elsewhere? I only started questioning myself this since yesterday, because they've opened a new store in Brussels. And I have to be honest, I did not expect that many people waiting for it to open. Like why should you wait in front of a store, that's gonna stay at the same place for about five more years, to be the "first one" to buy its low quality products? If it was a sample sale, I'd probably be one of the first ten people to stand in line, but Primark for... I just don't get it. It's ridiculous.

For the Dutchies over there I've got a nice article on shops like Primark and Action you must read; just click here.

Thank you, and take care.

I'm No Barbie Girl

FINALLY! That horrible month of - not gonna mention that word, because I hate it - is over. Finally I can focus on other things again such as this blog!! Last month was the longest month ever, it was so tiring. Well, even though I'm enjoying my freedom at the moment I'm still pretty nervous and not completely at ease. This will continue until I get my results at the end of this week... No fun. No fun at all.

Hopefully I won't be as disappointed as I was when I saw the Barbie-collection by Forever21. I heard about it last month and I got all excited. Of course I was dying - I'm exaggerating - to get myself a piece or even several pieces from the collection. They said they were gonna launch it at the beginning of September, and they did on September 5th. So yesterday (apparently I wasn't that excited) I checked it out because I thought that I'd better do that before getting disappointed when visiting the store.

And guess what! I really got disappointed by this "exclusive collection". Well, I've gotta admit that I might've expected too much from Forever21. Even though I got disappointed there are still two pieces I like. Unfortunately both can't be bought in the European webshop and one of them isn't really "Barbie" (talking about the varsity jacket). I really love that jacket to be honest, mainly because of the sheer fabric which makes it look so sophisticated. And because I'm a sucker for monochrome clothing I can only talk good about the entire outfit.

By "being Barbie" I mean that they've just designed clothing without any Barbie spirit (cannot be explained). Such as that T-shirt with three Barbie dolls printed on it with the subscription: "I woke up like this." I'm sorry but wasn't it supposed to be all about Barbie? So step aside, Beyoncé!
According to me this T-shirt is a perfect example of a designer who's thinking economically rather than creatively which is such a pity.

You can't even shop the whole collection in the  European webshop. They're only selling two pieces, a bodysuit and a PJ set. I don't know... Perhaps the other pieces got sold out really quickly. But when I searched in the US webshop I saw that they've got the entire collection (USA privileges?). I'm just guessing that, when it comes to the webshop, Europeans won't be able to shop the complete collection. But I'm pretty sure that they do sell the complete collection in the shops.

Thank you, and take care.

Going Gingham

Re-examinations, re-examinations... My hate for this word is growing with every exam I finish. You would think it'd be the other way around, but unfortunately it isn't. Waking up early and being tired when eating lunch. That was pretty much this week's recipe for one very tired and unproductive blogger (I'm feeling so sorry for that).

Even though traveling by train, which is why I had to wake up (very!) early, has made me lose lots of time, I did spend my time well. Besides trying not to fall asleep when reviewing my notes in the morning, I've spent most of my rides back home with trying to draw something. And this is what you'll find pretty weird, but I wished those rides took some more time. Apparently - and I'm not kidding- my drawing skills are better when using public transportation.

Unfortunately I didn't get to finish any of those drawings because I only get to focus like half an hour on my drawing. Well, I do get to sit on the train for an hour and fifteen minutes, but when 45 minutes have passed I realize I brought my sketch book with me. And that's one of the reasons why I never finish a drawing. Another reason is my fear of screwing it up and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Sometimes (read: every single time) when I draw something that looks good I think: Let's just keep it that way before, you know, making a mess out of it. This pretty much reminds me of Charlie Brown and Lisa Simpson... Perhaps I'm just like them but I just might not know it yet. 

I don't know if there are more people who do this, but before I start drawing I usually draw some lines. This is some kind of "warming-up" for my pencil. It's a way to make sure my lines won't be harsh or sharp when I start with the real deal - a cool kid'd say: "Really-o-deally-o." But I'm not cool so I'll just keep it with "real deal". Most of the time I tend to draw a gingham-like pattern and that's pretty much when I realized that this minimalist pattern is pretty interesting.

According to me this pattern is a pure classic which is why I just can't dislike it. Although it might be a classic, there are people who arent quite fond of it. My brother for example, I'm guessing he might, even though he's a fan of black gingham, associate it with a picnic cloth but he might not be the only one (I'm not a fan of red gingham; reminds me of the countryside).

And I've gotta be honest, pink gingham is to die for. If I'd find myself a bodysuit like the one underneath, I'm gonna buy it immediately! No kidding! This is yet again me giving in to the temptations of wearing girly stuff. Let's just hope this thing I've got with pink is just an affair and not some long term relationship. I know there might be some people thinking the same, and I'm guessing there are also some of you hoping for the opposite to happen (more pink?). Even though I might be firing with pink for a moment, but my heart will always belong to black.

Thank you, and take care.

The Ugly Yawner

Today's been the beginning of my last week at Superdry., well at least for now. As (almost) everyday we try to make the best of it. This actually means goofing around most of the time, but we do get work done everyday. Remember that working hard doesn't always mean that you've gotta stay serious (I'm just saying). We usually tend to speak English in different accents, such as Russian, German or French ones. We just love doing that. Another thing we really like to do is bringing up memories. I'm not talking about personal memories, but I'm talking about "old" sitcoms. Using quotation marks reminds me of Joey from Friends. I was misusing "air quotes" today too (completely on purpose), because I all of the sudden thought it'd be funny and I wasn't wrong.

Not only Friends was part of today's nostalgic bit, but also Family Matters. I just keep on asking myself why I had to go to the stock to perform my version of "The Urkel". They kept asking me to do it again, but I promised myself to keep it to that one (and last) time. Well, maybe I should do it just one more time for the nostalgic kick. Besides, it sure looks cool the way the others do it, so it's perfectly possible that I might look just like them doing The Urkel. And I just have to mention that almost all of the boys look like young versions of Bill Cosby. To be honest, I'm quite a fan of it because I tend to look like Bill Cosby too sometimes. Although that's what my dad says when I wear an oversized sweater. 

And from Family Matters we hopped to Full House. And I sure couldn't deny that I had a huge teeny tiny crush on John Stamos, or Jesse in the series. With his dark hair, blue eyes and James Dean-inspired bad boy look he sure knew how to charm the 7-yearold me. I'm quite sure I wasn't the only one who fel for the man with the Elvis Presley obsession. He must've broken lots of girls and woman's hearts. Actually I think he still is, because I just saw a pic of him and now I'm pretty sure he still knows how to break hearts. 

What actually surprised me today was the fact that a girl who is one year younger than me didn't know what we were talking about. She really didn't have a single clue. It's pretty weird because she's like a few months younger than I am (I was born in October so it's perfectly possible). Oh well, I'm just gonna have to embrace that fact. Unfortunate for her she didn't get all the jokes we were making. 

Please, enjoy these pictures of my outfit I took while waiting for the bus at the bus stop (of course...). Photographing is a better thing to do than just standing in the rain and yawning like some idiot who didn't get enough sleep (ugly!). So yeah, I didn't take any pictures including my face, just the outfit. 

Thank you, and take care. 

Blazer / Zara

Top / Armor - Lux (vintage)

Jeans / Zara

Creepers / T.U.K. Shoes

Belt / Versace (vintage)

Umbrella / Zara

Nails / Rimmel London

Normcore - Dressing Down Instead Of Up

Last post I told you that I kinda wasn't inspired by today's fashion anymore (by fashion I mean today's contemporary fashion). Well, that's pretty much what norm core is all about according to me. It's sorta what a modernistic fashion style, almost to be called a movement. People just trying to put a clean and neat outfit together. Accessorizing is excessive. That's actually what norm core is all about, I guess. Few people say it's a new hipster movement but I hope it isn't. Not because I don't like hipsters, but rather because that means it would reach its height and then just become tacky. 

The "hipster beard" is a great example, even tough it hasn't that much to do with clothing, but it's style. At this very moment almost every man is walking around wearing a beard while most "hipster guys" are already shaving their beards off. According to some it's because it has reach its height and I'm actually one of those "some". And it's not that I don't like beards or something. It's just that most guys who've started sporting a beard are kinda "wannabe-hipsters" (they just go with the flow). 

Trying to stand out by looking as normal as possible. Pretty ironic, isn't it? Doesn't matter, almost everything carries a bit of irony in it (did I already mention that I'm a huge fan of irony?). I also like to compare this movement in fashion with a literary movement: Avant-garde and Dada. People, in this case fashionista's and fashionisto's, who think fashion has reached it's height so they start wearing ant-fashionable clothing such as Dr. Martens. The same happened in Avant-garde in the 20th Century. (Perhaps I'm thinking to far or just far enough. It's up to you to decide)

So what I basically like about norm core is its simplicity and minimalism. It's mostly about monochrome and I'm (really, really) found of black and white outfits. Besides it's easy to wear because you don't have to wear lots of layers to look refined. Logo-shirts are also back in the game because they make you look sophisticated. And last but not least, sport socks. Not only in sandals but with every shoe. In short, all the wrong things to wear are more than okay.

Oh, and it's not like I'm gonna be a hardcore norm core girl. It's just some style I'll wear whenever I feel like it. So it's not like I'm gonna make it my signature style or something. 

Thank you, and take care

Photography by Craig McDean

Styled by Edward Enninful

Source: W Magazine

Long time no write | The Pink Affair

Oh gosh, this sure feels pretty weird. After more than a year without writing a single word on this blog I've finally come back. It feels awkward yet good at the same time. Oh, how I've missed writing text in this huge white surface (only few may understand what I'm talking about). The only writing I did was in notebooks (how I adore notebooks). Well, reasons why I didn't blog at all the past year is because I tried to focus on my studies (like mommy told me). And I guess I focused too much on them because at a certain moment I just didn't feel inspired when it comes to fashion. It almost fell like I didn't know who I was or what I wanted to wear to tell people that this is me. After all, I've realized that I still may not know who I am and that's why I can still wear whatever I want. Cheers for being the eclectic me!

This month I found out something about myself lots of people wouldn't except from me or would even hate: I LOVE PINK! Yeah, I know. Strange, isn't it? I used to be a pink hater myself, but pink makes everything look so good (sorry to all the pink-haters who had to read that).  So yeah, I bought two pink jackets at Zara (where else?). And besides, it's not like they're Barbie-pink; one of them is salmon pink and the other one is soft pink. So nope, I won't be walking around like a brunette version of Barbie. I'll post some outfit pictures later on (I'm not quite sure when), because it's like 28 degrees over here (hot, hot, hot!). Wearing a coat is pretty much superfluous. For now I'll just keep it to this collage which is a tribute to my affair with the bubbly color of pink (there ain't no denying: everybody looks good in pink).

Before I leave I want to let you guys know that I'm pretty active on my Facebook-page. So if you want to you can just go ahead and like it if you want to see more of Not So French Fries. I post pictures everyday of things that inspire me and also a song for every day. You can find the page just by clicking here.

Thank you, and take care

And yes, I had to add the rollerskates. They're way too cool to not add them.