THE SMELL OF SPRING: MINTGREEN & SILVER.

Winter is ending, FINALLY. Tomorrow I'm heading off to my second hometown Florence in Italy (where it's 19° celsius right now, LOVELY). Time to move my thick/fuzzy sweaters & fake fur jackets to the dark depths of my closet and replace them for blazers, denim jackets & bright colored dresses.

Lately I have this crazy obsession for mint green and other pastel colors such as lilac and pink (combined with black, silver or grey). Some of my favorite spring items:

Especially in love with the silver collar necklace and the spiked black loafers ♥

From left to right: black leather blazer from Asos, kelly bergin croc embossed leather mini skirt & acetate and brass spike silver necklace available at Net-a-Porter, Jordan jeans by Motel available at Topshop, love aqua chiffon asymmetrical maxi dress from Zara, pony leopard bullet bag from Wendy Nichol, silver round metal bag from River Island, jade crop cable knit by Acne, see through fringe top from Gina Tricot, silver OPI nailpolish, silver collar necklace from Dannijo, vintage silver cat ring, sterling silver cuff from Attention to Detail, matinee black spike loafers from The Quiet Riot.

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE.

July 2009: A sunny Cocoa Beach in Florida, drinking huge piña colada cocktails, taking pictures of my brother while surfing beautiful blue waves & listening to the beautiful dreampop sounds of Ontario based duo Memoryhouse. Good times.

Memoryhouse / "To the Lighthouse" (from the album "The Years", 2009)


This is my favorite dreampop song ever. EVER. Enjoy!

TYE DIE, PRINTED & STUDDED DENIM SHORTS.

The new spring/summer 2012 must have: tye die & studded denim shorts. I wasn't such a huge fan of shorts (I always stick to wearing dresses and skirts during spring and summer), but these denim babies have confinced me to wear shorts more often this year! I love the way the vintage denim shorts are coloured brightly, studded and printed. Plus they are all hand made, which makes them even more unique.

I made a small selection of my favorite (high waisted) shorts; all of them in tye die pink, purple, grey of black colors. Make sure you check out Runwaydreamz for more studded and tye die denim beaties.


From left to right: Vintage half studded purple shorts Aol Shopping, black bleached low waisted shorts from Ebay, pink/purple tye die high waisted shorts from Runwaydreamz, vintage black fringe shorts, pink studded shorts and grey studded shorts from Ebay, Xray skeleton cut off shorts by Emoneye on Etsy, Deep purple tie dye omen eye shorts from Chictopia, black high waisted studded jeans short from Etsy, dip dyed studded vintage shorts from Created by Fortune, vintage black studded shorts from Runwaydreamz, vintage purple studded shorts, Xray skeleton cut off shorts by Emoneye on Etsy, vintage grey studded shorts, pink low rise studded horts from Etsy, vintage cut off shorts from Svpply.

source: Runwaydreamz & Tumblr

TODAY ON MY IPOD: THEE OH SEES.

Currently listening to the mind blowing album "Carrion Crawler/The Dream" by Thee Oh Sees (released in 2011). This Californian based band is known for it's chaotic, fuzzy and psychedelic lo-fi garage rock tunes.

Thee Oh Sees/"Contraption" (from the album Carrion Crawler/The Dream)


This band is noted for both its prolific album releases as well as its energetic live shows, so I can't wait to see them live on june 19th at the Paradiso in Amsterdam!

SNAKE NAIL RINGS.

Finally this pretty 'fingercandy' is mine. I have a big collection of finger- and nail rings, but from now on these ones are my favorite. The silver plated nail rings (with a snake shape on top of every ring) are adjustable, so they cover your finger and nail perfectly. I got myself the silver ones (what a surprise ;)), but they are also available in gold.


I found the Bijules inspired snake nail rings at a local market (Waterlooplein) in Amsterdam, where they were selling these beauties for only €1,- a ring. Love it!

D.I.Y. STUDDED COLLAR.

My first D.I.Y. post! Probably one of the easiest tutorials how to achieve a studded shirt/blouse collar. It makes your casual outfit more original and fun. You can use them on any type of fabric, but I prefer denim, silk or thick cotton fabrics.


You can buy silver studs at your local craft store, but you can also get them from using the square studs of a old studded belt (which I did). Remove these studs carefully with a pair of pliers or scissors.

Five simple steps how to apply studs to your collar:
1. Create a tiny hole with your scissors (don't make them too big!)
2. Pick a triangle or square stud and push it firmly into the fabric.
3. Fold down the 3/4 prongs with your fingernail/pair of scissors.
4. Carefully press on the backing of the stud (with pliers/scissors).
5. You can decide how many studs you want on each side, be creative!

The endresult of my own D.I.Y. collar:

The 'before' and 'after'. I bought the neon pink/orange sheer blouse at Monki.

ONCE ON A DEEP BLUE DAY..

"Blossom Trees On A Deep Blue Day". Beverwijk, the Netherlands, 2011.

Spring of 2011. I was listening to the beautiful ambient music by Brian Eno on my Ipod, while biking through my neighbourhood that was covered in pink blossom leaves. I took this picture with my pentax while I was on my way to the beach. This picture reminds me of the good times of last year's spring. Spring oh spring, please come back!

Brian Eno / "Deep Blue Day" (from the album Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, released in 1983) MP3

IRIS VAN HERPEN X UNITED NUDE SS 12.

"Each individual “tooth” was created using fiberglass and carbon fiber and subjected to a slow and precise molding process. Four larger fangs constitute the back of the wedge heel, adding the greater boost in height, while six smaller “teeth” are positioned in two rows along the ball of the foot to add stability."


On January 23rd 2012, while staging her Spring 2012 show in Paris, Iris Van Herpen showcased her latest footwear collaboration with footwear brand United Nude. And I must say: Wow, Iris van Herpen did it again. These black "Fang Boots" are really to die for.