FASHIONAINA

Winter Wishlist

2011-10-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

Soaked in Luxury Faux Fur Waistcoat
Friis & Company Skinny Bow Belt
SuperTrash High Wedge Boots
Triwa Naked Brasco Watch
Soho Hearts Bracelet
H&M Faux Fur Cap

H&M Tubescarf

♥

Fabulous French Toast & Marvelous Mushroom Risotto

2011-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

And some getaway photos! Good times ♥ So what's so fabulous and marvelous about these dishes? They're totally vegan and really tasty! I got the book the vegan table for my birthday and it has some great, simple and delicious recipes. If you're interested in the risotto recipe, contact me! Vegan French toast is this easy to make: in a bowl, whisk 200 ml non diary milk (I used oat milk but soy, rice or almond is fine too), cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract, all to taste. Melt non diary butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip slices of bread into the milk mixture and bake until each side is golden brown. Transfer to serving plates and drizzle with maple syrup, top with walnuts, pecans or forest fruits and dust with confectioners' sugar. Voilà, bon appétit!

Birthday Brunch

2011-09-25T02:53:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I had my birthday. I celebrated it with a little family brunch and spent a couple of days away on the other side of the country with the bf. Last year we've been to the same area, see this post. It has been a lovely couple of days and I got spoiled with nice gifts and delicacies. The bf got me a vegan cook book and I'm so happy with it. I didn't eat vegan since my birthday because I wanted to have fun and it was quite impossible to be vegan on the trip. Now that I'm back I'm trying to find balance between 'normal', vegan and vegetarian eating. Will definitely try out a lot of recipes from my new book. Pictures of our getaway coming up soon. Sorry, this post is a bit messy. Blogger and I don't always get along. Happy Sunday! xoxo S.

Sushi Sunday

2011-09-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

I just finished making sushi for my friend's baby shower. I think I made almost 1000 pieces! It was a lot of work but so much fun to do. I'm not very good at it, this was my second time but I'm happy about the result! Normally I bake cupcakes for parties but my friend loves baking herself so she decided to bake cupcakes herself. She did a pretty good job, I was just over there to help and peeked at all the delicacies she prepared. Now that she's getting ready herself I figured I could quickly do a post. So since I'm still vegan, and my friend is pregnant, we can't eat raw fish so I had to make vegetarian sushi for her and vegan sushi for me. I did use eggs and crab sticks for her and the guests but I will stick to the vegan pieces for which I used tofu (baked in olive oil and soy sauce), fresh avocado, carrot, cucumber, red bell pepper and vegan mayonnaise. I thought that I wouldn't like it as much as a like regular sushi but it actually tastes wonderful and I love it! With vegan food like this, I don't have 'normal' food cravings at all! I just put on this cute Forever 21 dress and got to go to the party now! xoxo S.

Black & Brown

2011-09-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

Vegan challenge day 16! I'm still doing well. Yesterday I was outside the whole day to do shopping for my business and for a baby shower. A friend of mine is giving birth to a baby next month and I play a big part in the organization of her baby shower. She doesn't want to know if it's going to be a boy or a girl so the colours we're using are pink, blue and yellow in pastels. Anyway, I had to eat out but it went pretty good. I had a vegan burger for lunch and whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and veggies for dinner. In the first picture you can see date and nut cake, it's the perfect snack: very yummy, pretty healthy and totally vegan! I was wearing leggings from H&M with suede knee and side patches, imitation I think, but so soft and comfy. The sheer blouse is from Morgan, shoes: Sacha, bag: Louis Vuitton. Today I have to work in Cupcake Kitchen all day but I'm on my two hour break now. I'm of to the beauty salon to get pampered a little bit and when I'm back I'll finish today's cupcake orders. I hope to be finished by four so that I can spend some quality time with the bf. Happy weekend! xoxo

Peace & Love

2011-09-14T04:49:00.000-07:00

Top & Bag: Zara, Leggings & Scarf: H&M, Blazer: Bershka, Boots: Paul Warmer, Watch: Guess

I'm so happy to have friends who support me in the vegan challenge. Having people around you that wish you well is all you need to stay motivated. It's so hard and I really couldn't do this without all the support I'm getting. This is yesterday's outfit and I had such a great day. First I went out for lunch with a friend, the food we had was not only vegan, but also macrobiotic and organic! After studying I met up with another friend, we did vegan grocery shopping at a health shop and prepared a delicious pasta dish at her place. Thank you girls for being so supportive and understanding! In the first two pictures you can see my latest jewellery add, these peace and love bracelets have been on my wrist since I found them at a jewellery stand in The Grove, LA, on holiday in the States. I think they are so cute and boho chic ♥

Kushi Institute & Deshima Natural Food Shop

Vegan lunch at the Kushi Institute: brown rice, hummus, steamed

veggies, lettuce, seaweed, lentil soup, tempura snacks and more!

Vegan tiramisu at the Kushi institute

Vegan mayonnaise that's even better than regular mayo

It's super tasty, low fat and free of gluten and GMO (left)

Vegan sushi: made with tofu instead of fish

Heaven on earth: vegan friendly wine

Still need to bake my own tofu cake!

The pasta dish my friend and I prepared: spelt penne with
a sauce made of grounded seitan and organic veggies

New in: Floral

2011-09-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

As you probably know by now, I'm a sucker for everything floral. Dresses, skirts, tops, tights, table cloths, table ware, curtains, you name it, I love it. My latest buy is this cute skirt from Forever 21 which I was wearing yesterday. I also bought these leather pointy heels, which are perfect for long office days since they are classy and comfy. I'm off to have a macrobiotic brunch with a friend en will visit another friend in the evening for vegan dinner at her place. We're going to do groceries and I'm excited to cook together. She just graduated as a stylist and I did an interview with her about her graduation project which I still have to post. I'm sure you'll love her so be sure to check it out!

Go Vegan, Go Faux

2011-09-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

''You should now be substituting all your favourite meat products with soy substitutes like tofu, tempeh and seitan. All of these are excellent sources of protein that come from soy beans. They are low in saturated fats and cholesterol and can reduce inflammation of the arteries. Soy is heart healthy!'' Dr. Oz (click!)

I must say that I usually don't really crave meat and already use a lot of substitutes. I love tofu and learning to love other things like tempeh. I never liked this before but a couple of days ago the bf and me prepared it so delicious. We learned that it's all about marinating, soy sauce and coconut milk can work wonders! As I wrote before, I'm not posting daily food diaries, mainly because of a lack of time. The last couple of days have been hard, especially yesterday when we were having a barbecue. The chicken burger looked so good! I managed to keep it vegan by eating vegan sausages and chips baked in vegetable oil. But oh how I longed for some mayonnaise on my sausage! Only ketchup just won't do.

Now that school started and I'm almost going back to the office, it will be more difficult to eat vegan. First of all I'm going to have less time to prepare meals and second of all I doubt that we have vegan food in the canteen at work. But all will go well, I'm determined to eat vegan for at least three weeks so I'm sure I'll figure out how to keep it up. The goal is actually four weeks but my birthday is after three weeks and since we're going on a trip we will have to eat at restaurants and that sure won't be easy being vegan. I will try but I don't think it will work out, but then again, three weeks would be such a great achievement too! And when I'm back, I can resume the challenge. Or any other time. I'm planning to go vegan for 1 - 4 weeks a couple times a year. It's such a good detox!

Last but not least: some quick outfit shots taken on my rush to school. I was so nervous about my first day at university but it turned out to be fun and very interesting, I'm already looking forward to my next class. Happy Sunday! xoxo

top: Forever 21, leggings: River Island, blazer: Bershka, boots:

Sendra by Paul Warmer, bag: DKNY (tofu image via Google)

Go Vegan - Day 8

2011-09-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

I could not help to post another food diary! I actually enjoy doing this, even though it takes time. It helps me getting aware of my eating habits and I'm receiving nice comments about it from friends, family and even people I don't know (I share this on a weight loss site too) so that's very motivating! (image via Google)

Today's food diary:

Pre-breakfast

-a cup of coffee with a dash of soy milk and a tsp of raw sugar

Breakfast

-a glass of fresh strawberry juice

-a nectarine, a handful of grapes

Lunch

-two slices of whole wheat bread with soy butter and vegan ham

-one slice of spelt bread with olive butter and vegan ham

-a thin brown rice cracker, a glass of water, some sips of Coke zero

Snack

-small soy cafe mocha (no whip)

Dinner

-a vegan veggie burger

-a small green salad

Snack

-a cup of coffee with a dash of soy milk and a tsp of raw sugar
(study night!)

Go Vegan - Day 7

2011-09-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've been a true vegan for a whole week! I never felt more Zen. Since I have lactose intolerance, I feel so much better not consuming any dairy at all. And not eating meat makes me feel so clean. There are so many other ways to get protein and still get all the essentials the body needs. More about that next time. Today I'm posting my last food diary. It takes a bit too much time to post it every day and it's not that interesting. I will be keeping you up to date though, and post recipes and stuff whenever I'm trying out something new and exciting. Today I went way back to my roots and cooked a traditional Indian meal. It doesn't look too fancy but it sure was delicious, Indian spices are so tasteful!

Today's food diary:

Pre-breakfast

-a cup of coffee with a dash of soy milk and a tsp of raw sugar

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

Breakfast

-a glass of fresh pear juice

-a nectarine, a handful of grapes

Lunch

-a slice of rye bread with baba ghanoush (eggplant paste),

relished with small pieces of tomato and red bell pepper

-a slice of muesli bread with soy butter

-a thin brown rice cracker

-a high quality multivitamin

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

-a glass of water

Snack

-a vegan burger between two slices of whole wheat bread,

relished with sliced tomato, sliced cucumber and ketchup

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

Dinner (picture)

-a small serving of basmati rice

-a small serving of dahl (thick lentil soup)

-a small serving of tempeh marinated in soy sauce, baked in avocado

oil with garlic, onions and cauliflower and stewed in coconut milk

-a small roti (flat bread)

Go Vegan - Day 6

2011-09-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

My main protein source is 'meatless meats' like Quorn grounds, vegan hams and vegan burgers. Because it all tastes the same I'm looking for new sources. I just marinated some tempeh and will have that for dinner tomorrow. It will probably taste good after a soy sauce bath. Today and yesterday I spent the whole day home studying so that way it's easy not to get tempted, but next coming days I have some appointments and other stuff so will have to eat out a couple of times and I do not know how to manage to stay vegan. In any case I always carry things like nuts and dates, my saviours in hard times.

Today's food diary:

Pre-breakfast

-a cup of coffee with a tsp of raw sugar

-a glass of fresh pear juice

-a nectarine, ½ banana

Breakfast

-a slice of whole wheat bread with hummus, tomato and sesame seeds

-a slice of whole wheat bread with soy butter and vegan ham

-a slice of rye bread with peanut butter and apple syrup

-a cup of unsweetened green tea, a glass of water

-a high quality multivitamin (includes a B vitamins)

Lunch

-a medium serving of spaghetti leftover

-a glass of water, a cup of unsweetened green tea

Snack

-a small serving of couscous salad

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

Dinner (picture)

-a potato, sliced and baked in olive oil seasoned with fresh rosemary

-7 cooked asparagus, ½ vegan burger, 2 tsp of ketchup

Snack

-a bit of dinner leftover

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

-a glass of water

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Go Vegan - Day 5

2011-09-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

The first week is almost over, only two days to go! I already feel pretty detoxified and except for cheese I don't have any non vegan cravings at all. I'm very surprised by how easy this actually is. Not that I could do this forever but I think a month is doable. The supermarket here has lots of meatless meats and dairy substitutes such as soy butter and soy milk. I can find almost everything I need and I haven't even visited the health store yet. I'm sure I'll find soy cheese and lots of other useful products there. Stay tuned for vegan recipes I'm about to try out!

Today's food diary:

Pre-breakfast

-a cup of coffee with a dash of soy milk and a tsp of raw sugar

Breakfast

-a glass of fresh strawberry juice

-a medium serving of fresh pineapple

Lunch

-2 slices of whole wheat bread with vegan ham and soy butter

-1 slice of muesli bread, a cup of unsweetened green tea

Snack

-a small serving of vegan muesli with soy milk

-three thin brown rice crackers

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

Dinner (picture)

-a medium serving of whole wheat spaghetti with home made vegan sauce (Quorn grounds, yellow, green and red bell pepper, olive oil,

dried Italian herbs, garlic, onion, tomato, tomato sauce)

Snack

-two cups of unsweetened green tea

-a glass of water, ten almonds

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Go Vegan - Day 4

2011-09-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

After too much work and partying I felt terrible yesterday. I skipped sleeping because of cupcake orders and had to shop for new supplies so went out with a friend to do that. Though I didn't have any appetite I forced myself to eat and I feel a lot better today. Only I'm still suffering from nasal congestion and a sore throat, please go away soon!

Turns out that my mum made me some couscous so I ate that again. I don't mind eating it a lot because I love everything with couscous in it but I should vary some more. Lets see what I can cook today. I'm ready for day 5 of the 30 day vegan challenge. So far, so good!

Yesterday's food diary:

Pre-breakfast

-a cup of coffee with a dash of soy milk and a tsp of raw sugar

Breakfast

-a medium banana

Snack

-a deep fried lentil patty relished with madam Jeanette

Lunch (picture 1)

-two vegan sausages and string beans

-a high quality multivitamin

-a glass of water

Dinner (picture 2)

-a medium serving of couscous salad

(couscous, red and yellow bell pepper, pees, olive oil, tomatoes, pine kernels)

-some crispy soy chunks with a little bit of ketchup

Snack

-a small serving of blueberry soy yoghurt

-a glass of water

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The Pink Playsuit

2011-09-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

One pieces are my favourite. I couldn't resist this pink playsuit when I saw it at Forever 21 on holiday in the States. Yesterday was the first time I wore it and I think it's so cute. The pictures were taken when I was delivering cupcakes for my cousins surprise going away party. Check out the cupcakes here. Maybe I should make this my delivery outfit. If only it was nice weather all the time. Happy Sunday! xoxo

Go Vegan - Day 3

2011-09-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

I thought I was feeling better but last night I couldn't sleep for the third time in a row because of nasal congestion and a sore throat. After taking some soothers and lying awake for a couple of hours, I got hungry and figured to eat a banana because of the potassium in it, which helps maintain a good quality sleep. When I woke up this morning it turns out that I was sound asleep for seven hours. Go bananas!

Again, it was a very busy morning in Cupcake Kitchen, but I managed to have pre-breakfast at nine and breakfast at noon. Still pretty late, but better than yesterday. For dinner I had the couscous that was left from yesterday's dinner but will cook something new tomorrow. After dinner it was time for the family visit. We came together to say goodbye to my favourite cousin, who is going to study in Barcelona, Spain coming semester. Here closest friends were present too and it was a successful and fun surprise party.

One of her best friends made her two lovely cake's, a pink one and a Spain themed one. I baked matching cupcakes which will be on line soon on www.cupcakekitchen.nl. I managed to stay totally vegan! I even tried out soy cheese today, my cousin had some at home, it tasted awful! I think I have to get used to it. I just got home and am pretty tired but I have to get to work in the kitchen immediately.

By the way, Jessica from Marvelous Things has been so kind to feature me on her amazing blog. Read the interview here. Jessica writes amazing fashion articles so be sure to check out her website!

Today's food diary:

Midnight snack

-a small banana

Pre-breakfast

-a glass of fresh strawberry juice

-a quarter cantaloupe

Breakfast

-a medium serving of vegan muesli with soy milk

-a cup of coffee with a dash of soy milk and a tsp of raw sugar

Lunch

-2 slices of multi grain bread with vegan ham and soy butter

-a high quality multivitamin (contains all B vitamins)

-a glass of water

Dinner

-a medium serving of couscous salad leftover, see yesterday

(couscous, red and green bell pepper, zucchini, olive oil, tomatoes)

-a glass of water

Snacks (7pm - 5am)

-a quarter avocado

-a small soy cheese cubicle

-a glass of lemonade, a glass of water

-a glass of Coke, a glass of Fernandes

-two small servings of veggie soato soup

-four small servings of veggie puff pastries

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Go Vegan - Day 2

2011-09-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

The second day of the 30 day vegan challenge has come to an end. While I'm writing this I'm munching on some almonds and I'm pretty satisfied about how it's going so far. Because it was a busy morning in Cupcake Kitchen I didn't have a lot of time to eat and therefore I didn't get to have breakfast till 1 pm. I know breakfast is the most important meal of all so will try to do better next time. The rest of the day went well. Tomorrow I'll be visiting family, and where family is, there's food. Lots of food. I bet there won't be any vegan food so I'm considering to bring some stuff like nuts and dates myself. I'm sure they'll understand. The question is, will I be able to resist all the temptations?

Today's food diary:

Pre-breakfast

-two cups of coffee with a dash of soy milk and a tsp of raw sugar

-two glasses of fresh strawberry juice

Breakfast

-2 slices of multi grain bread with vegan ham and soy butter

-a glass of water

Lunch

-a small serving of lasagne leftover, see yesterday

(tomato sauce, herbs, onion, green bell pepper, zucchini, tofu)

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

Dinner

-a medium serving of warm couscous salad with soy chunks

(couscous, red and green bell pepper, zucchini, olive oil, tomatoes)

-a glass of water

Snack

-a handful of almonds, two dates

-a small serving of blueberry soy yoghurt

-a cup of unsweetened green tea, a glass of water

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Go Vegan - Day 1

2011-09-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today was my first vegan day and it went great! It wasn't hard at all, probably because I'm still feeling under the weather and don't have my normal appetite. Fingers crossed that it will stay doable anyway! According to dr. Oz's action plan, this week my body will be detoxing from the animal products it’s used to. I should start adding protein to my diet from sources other than meat. Because I normally don't eat meat this isn't a problem to me, but I should include more nuts, seeds and beans in my eating habits. Dr. Oz says that vegans should take a multivitamin and B12 supplement to ensure they are getting enough protein. I use a high quality multivitamin that contains 2000% of the recommended daily B12 intake so I don't take an extra supplement for that. My multivitamin is from a very good brand and contains everything we need in a high dose so no worries about that. Plus it's 100% vegan.

Today's food diary:

Pre-breakfast

-a glass of fresh strawberry juice

-a handful of grapes

Breakfast

-2 slices of whole wheat bread with soy butter and vegan ham,

-1 slice of multi grain bread with hummus, relished with sesame seeds

-a cup of unsweetened green tea, a glass of water

-a high quality multivitamin (includes al B vitamins)

Snack (picture 1)

-a handful of almonds and walnuts

-a handful of grapes and dates

-a small serving of vegan muesli with soy milk

-a cup of unsweetened green tea, a glass of water

Lunch

-a small serving of whole wheat penne pasta

-vegan pasta sauce

(tomato sauce, Quorn grounds, zucchini, red bell pepper, herbs)

-a cup of unsweetened green tea

Snack (picture 2)

-a small serving of blueberry soy yoghurt

-a glass of water

Dinner (picture 3)

-a medium serving of home made vegan tofu lasagne

(tomato sauce, herbs, onion, green bell pepper, zucchini, tofu)

-two cups of unsweetened green tea, a glass of water

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Tribal Trend

2011-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

This summer we have seen a lot of patterns and they will stay trending this fall. I loved the tribal trend but in fall I prefer classic plaid and floral. The patterns of the tribal trend are inspired by different cultures, think native-American, African and Indian. I like the tribal trend fully combined in one outfit, like the Forever 21 maxi dress on the third picture. In the first picture I'm wearing a cropped tribal top with fringes from a local shop, this is one of my favourite tribal pieces. The H&M boyfriend shorts are my favourite denim shorts, I just love the loose fit, it's perfect on hot days! You can't properly see the sandals but they are from Steve Madden and they're gorgeous and comfortable. The second picture is almost the same outfit except the top is more loose and it's from Urban Outfitters. What patterns will you be wearing this fall?

30 day vegan challenge: the day before

2011-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the 30 day vegan challenge begins but already today I was unconsciously preparing vegan dinner! I would like to share the recipe for these stuffed bell peppers with you. It was delicious! In my previous post I forgot to mention that Linhy from Life madness is joining the challenge too! She already started a couple of days ago and will keep up with us for the whole coming month. The more, the merrier!

Ingredients for six servings:

-3 bell peppers

-200 gram Quorn grounds

-200 gram couscous

-a small can of tomato paste

-fresh coriander, chopped

-any other herbs you like

-minced onion and garlic to taste

-a tablespoon of olive oil

-a little bit of salt and pepper

This is how you do it:

Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds. Preheat the oven to 375F. Fry the minced onion and garlic in olive oil and sauté the Quorn grounds until just heated through. Cook the couscous according to the instructions on the package. Add the couscous to the Quorn mix and add tomato paste, fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the bell peppers and bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes. I like bell peppers with a bite but you can leave it longer if you want more soft bell peppers. The only thing missing now is a nice sauce. When I noticed that I was preparing a vegan meal I wanted to make a vegan sauce too. That was pretty hard. I used chopped coriander, sesame seeds, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper to make a imitation sauce. It was quite nice and totally vegan. Lets do this!

30 day vegan challenge

2011-08-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

From september 1st till september 30th, I'll be going totally vegan with Abbey from Think Runway & Brunch at Queens. We did a 7 day vegan challenge before and we felt so cleansed and lost a few pounds. This time were taking it to the max by challenging ourselves to stay vegan for 30 days. I seriously need to lose holiday pounds, get into better shape and get cleansed. A while ago, dr. Oz introduced veganism on his show. He featured a meat-loving cowboy named Rocco who embarked on a 28 day vegan diet. Rocco lost 6 inches from his waist, reduced his blood sugar from dangerously high to almost completely normal and raised his good HDL cholesterol levels (source). Sounds good right? I found some good tips on his website which I'll use in this challenge. Today I did grocery shopping and I bought things like tofu, soy butter, soy milk and vegan proof cereals. I'm really excited to start with the challenge and will keep you up to date on this blog. I think I'll be posting food diaries, recipes and will tell you how I feel under this challenge. I will keep writing fashion related posts too. Wish us luck!

Back to black

2011-08-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

With dark days ahead, I thought it would be wise to invest in some black essentials. After a long search for the perfect black boots I got myself these Sendra by Paul Warmer boots and the Donna Karan satchel bag matches perfect to it. You can't really see the details on these pictures but will show that soon. Happy weekend!

The perfect getaway

2011-08-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

After more than a month I'm finally back to blogging. I had a ridiculously busy period in June/July but it all was compensated by a lovely holiday in California. I visited lots of places and will be sharing it with you next coming weeks (not in any particular order). These pictures were taken in Mussel Shoals, Ventura County, located north of Los Angeles. We stayed at The Cliff House Inn, a cute beach hotel with a marvellous oceanic view. It's the perfect getaway bc in this place we could totally relax and we did nothing else but lying in the sun, reading books and magazines at the pool side, taking a dip every now and then and making afternoon beach walks. When you're always busy it can be very hard to just relax but in this place there was actually nothing else to do so I guess that helped. I went out shopping in a city not far away once, more about that next time. Happy weekend ! xoxo

Guest Post: 5 Best Swimsuit Styles for 2011

2011-07-09T05:01:00.000-07:00

When I think summer, I immediately think swimsuit season! Then I think it's time to head to the gym and work on toning my tummy. All body image issues aside, I'm always amazed by each year's swimsuit styles. Last year, '80s-style swimsuits with their bright colors were all the rage and bandeau-style tops took center stage. This year, you'll see some new styles have emerged. Take a look.

1.) Nautical style swimsuits.

Nautical fashion is a big hit this year in both women's clothing and swimwear. While wide blue and white horizontal stripes such as the O Beach Nantucket Bandeau Bikini and the Rygy Sports Swimwear Nautical Stripes Blue Bikini are the most classic interpretation of the nautical look, red and light blue have been big hits as well.

2.) Retro Swimsuits.

Retro swimsuits prove to us this summer that modest can be hottest! From high-waisted two-piece bottoms like the Beach Fireworks bikini by Fables by Barrie to modest one pieces in innocent-yet-flattering patterns like the Bathing Beauty One-Piece by Esther Williams, retro swimsuits have the sexy flair of a '50s pin-up girl.

3.) Tribal and Geometric Print Swimsuits.

Hippie chicks who like a more earthy look will be glad to know tribal print has been huge this summer. A good example is the Tori Praver-Coco Mint Tribal bikini with its tribal geometric shapes and this REDOPIN tribal print halter top bikini.

4.) One-Shoulder Swimsuits.

I'm seeing more and more of these, particularly among one-piece swimming suits like the Perry Ellis Seashore one-shoulder swimsuit, but also among two-piece swimming suits like the Maaji One-Shoulder Bandeau Bikini from Urban Outfitters.

5.) The Classic String Bikini.

Last but not least, as if it were in direct opposition to the more modest retro trend, string bikinis have made a resurgence this year. Good examples include Diane Von Furstenberg's animal print string bikini and Burberry's Brit Triangle Top and String Bottom Bikini.

These are certainly some trends to look out for as we prepare to hit up the first of this year's swimwear sales. What are your favorite swimwear trends this season?

This guest post is contributed by Barbara Jolie, who writes for online classes. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

Makeup and Jeans

2011-06-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Meet Annie, one of my favourite bloggers! She's sweet, smart and a great makeup artist! Annie writes the blog Makeup and Jeans and has her own YouTube channel where you can find easy to follow makeup tutorials. This week I did a little guest post for her which you can find here. It's about guilty pleasures and other things! I know I have been very mia lately but there's a lot going right now: the Groupon deal was so successful that I have at least 15 orders a week and I started working for a new employer. So now I'm spending a lot of time at the office and in the kitchen, I barely have time left to blog! As you can read in the guest post I'll try to be more consistent, stay tuned!

Cupcake Kitchen

2011-06-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

You probably know by know that I love food. Not only do I like to eat fine food, I like to cook and bake myself. I especially like to bake cupcakes. I started with this about 1,5 year ago. Remember when my cupcakes looked like this? Well I'm a much better baker now. Even when I wasn't good at baking cupcakes I enjoyed doing it. Getting better at it only makes it more and more fun. Because my friends and family were getting interested in my cupcakes I started to take little orders every once in a while. Now baking cupcakes has become more than just a hobby. I get orders regularly and I recently launched a food blog where you can check out my baked goodies: Cupcake Kitchen.

For the Dutchies out there: I made a deal with Groupon to sell 24 mini cupcakes for just €9. The deal is on for about 16 hours from now so buy a voucher if you would like to try out my cupcakes!

Sale Shopping

2011-06-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today I visited The Collector again to do some sale shopping. I bought fashionable sweatpants and a cute cardi from Dutch fashion brand Anecdote, their collection consists of high quality knitwear and essential basics made out of fine fabrics. I also bought a leather Anya Hindmarch purse. I love Anya's signature stitched all over the leather and the traditional Anya Hindmarch tassel. I couldn't decide if I wanted the pink one or the black one. Because I already have a lot of black accessories I chose the pink one. Isn't it cute?

Culinary getaway

2011-05-31T03:07:00.000-07:00

I spent last week on the other side of the country, in a place peaceful and quiet. I needed to get away from the big city and as I told you in this post I'm a real country girl. I would love to move to the country side some day. Around this time last year we made a similar trip, I wrote about it here. The bf and I were celebrating our third anniversary and so this year we celebrated the fourth one. But we had more reasons to celebrate: I finished my bachelor thesis and graduated! So it was a well deserved trip. As always, we made a lot of walks through nature and visited interesting places. You know I love food so of course we treated ourselves daily on all sorts of delicacies. Think romantic high tea's, tedious brunches, late night dinners, decadent desserts and so on. It was the perfect culinary getaway.

The Collector - opening new store

2011-05-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today I visited The Collector’s new store. Thecollector.com is a Dutch webshop and online magazine founded in 2009 by Suzette Dam. Suzette graduated at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute and has worked and studied in London for several years. After returning to Amsterdam she started a webshop that re-introduced online shopping: thecollector.com is not your average webshop. It’s a place where you can find exclusive items from internationally renowned brands, collected by Suzette from all over te world. Suzette believes that individuality is a necessity so she doesn’t offer a lot of pieces of the same item. In this way you’re buying something unique. When I was at the store, my attention was drawn to a lot of nice items. I especially liked the handbags from Anya Hindmarch, a bag designer who Suzette worked for in London. Visit thecollector.com and see for yourself what other lovely things are waiting to be found. Nice to know: The Collector ships to all countries.

note: When I was doing some research on The Collector I stumbled upon Leroy's article which I used as a source of information for this post. Check out Leroy's blog here.

American Vintage - opening new store

2011-05-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended the opening of American Vintage’s new store in Amsterdam. American Vintage is a French brand known for it’s easy to wear basics made from delicate fabrics. In the Netherlands the brand is represented by fashion group Blosh. They can be very proud of this beautiful new store, situated in a perfect spot on the corner of Amsterdam’s most chic shopping street: P.C. Hooftstraat.

Cupcakes & Clothes

2011-05-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was Queen's Day here in the Netherlands. On this day we celebrate the birthday of our queen and everyone is allowed to sell things on the street. The whole country turned into a big free market. I was selling cupcakes and clothes, I spent the whole night baking and picking out clothing but it paid off. Today is just a lazy day. From tomorrow I have to focus on my thesis so I'll be kinda mia for a couple of weeks. Will try to update every now and then. Happy Sunday xoxo

The cropped blazer

2011-04-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

cropped blazer: h&m, lace tights: river island,

high heel loafers: zara, dress: h&m, bag: primark

It was love at first sight when I saw this supercute nude blazer. Oh and the dress is gorgeous too, will let you have a better look another time. I was in a hurry so didn't took a lot of pictures. Just got home and have to make preparations for Queen's Day. Will tell you all about it in my next post. Did you all watch the royal wedding? So romantic!

The floral jumpsuit

2011-04-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

jumpsuit: local shop, belt: zara, headband: bijou brigitte

sandals: from suriname, bracelet & necklace: primark

I'm a sucker for everything floral, this is my latest find. Normally I'm not very into jumpsuits but this one was so cute and inexpensive that I had to buy it. I would just wear it on relaxed days. I went out for dinner at a wok restaurant and now I'm discussing with classmates what present to give to another classmate who's getting married. What to give to a person who already has everything?

Backyard brunch

2011-04-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

chino: zara, top: h&m, sunnies: ray-ban, shoes: zara,

necklace: primark, ring: accessorize, bag: from suriname

The sun is shining, the apple tree is blossoming, this morning was perfect for brunch in the backyard. And the rest of the day wasn't bad either, with a temperature of 24°C had to treat myself on Australian ice cream. So I mainly just relaxed and enjoyed the sun. I was supposed to meet my supervisor but she called in sick. Again. I haven't worked on my thesis for three weeks now because I'm waiting for feedback. Hopefully I'll get some props soon, fingers crossed!

Sushi & Champagne

2011-04-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

Met up with one of my besties for Japanese dinner and a movie.

Because it was ladies night at the cinema we got champagne

and there were stands where make up, jewellery and other pretty

things were sold. Didn't find anything nice enough to buy though.

S/S 2011 trend report

2011-04-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the weather was beautiful, I spent my day having cold drinks and ice cream outside. I stopped by the local mall to watch the spring/summer collection presentations of some shops. A little fashion show was organized, nothing fancy, just a nice neighbourhood event. I decided to hang around for a while and took some pictures.

I love the trends seen in the first four photos : florals, head bands, thin waist belts, jumpsuits, chino pants, shorts. This was WE's presentation of their collection. I like the mix of colours and the bohemian vibe with a touch of safari. The fifth photo is taken of the presentation of a local jeans shop. I like how they paired different kind of jeans with leather, stripes and colourful tees. Of course, blue jeans can be compared with anything an denim will never go out of style, but I missed some key elements such as flared and bright jeans. The last photos were taken of the Vero Moda Summer Romance collection, which features florals, one shoulder dresses, trench coats, chino pants and more great pieces, check it out here.

This season it's all about strong colours, think bright yellow, bubblegum pink, vibrant orange, lime green, deep purple and bold blue. But also soft colours like beige, all shades of nude and of course white: normally a basic colour but now it's an essential. Let's not forget about some key accessories: we've spotted feathers all over the place, next to fringes , tassels , metallic elements and big rings. These will give you the perfect boho or safari look. Like prints? This season you can wear fruit, floral, graphic and animal prints. Or dress rebellious using biker jackets, ripped tees and studs. For the girlie girls Mad Men is a great inspiration, personally I'm a big fan of early sixties inspired skirts and dresses. Maxi's are still in style and they make everyone look divine so you should have at least one. When it comes to shoes, think flat: summer sandals, ballet flats and flatforms. But also wooden clogs and wedges continue to be a trend and the kitten heel is back.

Gucci

Donna Karan

Calvin Klein

Chanel

Roberto Cavalli

Jean Paul Gaultier

Louis Vuitton

D&G

Images via Style.com

So which trends are you following?

Spring is in the air

2011-04-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

top: zara, skirt: vero moda, socks: h&m, shoes: zara, bag: from suriname

I love nature. Today's weather was perfect

for an afternoon walk in the forest and a cup

of fresh mint tea afterwards in the garden ♥

A day at the park

2011-04-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

top: h&m, parka: bershka, sunnies: ray-ban, leggings: h&m

Together with Abbey from Think Runway I took part

in the 7 day vegan challenge. We kept food diaries,

check out Brunch at Queens to see how we did.

On some days it went smoothly but on days like

yesterday, when having fun and food all over the

place, it's difficult to not get tempted. Because

the sun stayed out all day I went to the park with

family and friends, we had a great time and I

even did some hoop dancing which is a lot of fun!

Today it's a bit cold and rainy so I'll probably just

stay in. Thanks for reading, have a nice Sunday!

Black caged wedges

2011-03-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

wedges: river island, sunnies: ray-ban, dress: h&m,

jacket: leather shop, tights: h&m, bag: from suriname

Last week I visited River Island to finally spent

my Christmas gift vouchers and I bought these

wedges which are already my current favourite

shoes. I also love the bag, a bargain from Suriname.

Sweet Suriname

2011-03-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a trip to Suriname, South America. I had a great time with friends and family. We went on trips visiting relatives, swimming, shopping and having cocktail nights. I like the fact that Suriname has many influences from Asia which are visible in the variety of food and all the different people. There are also a lot of Dutch influences which can be traced back to the countries' colonial history. Enough blogging for now, I should go unpack my bags and catch up on all the stuff I missed here!

Valentine's High Tea

2011-02-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Poloroyt

2011-02-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

For this post I interviewed my friend Naphtaly, she is the founder, stylist and primary contact person of her own talent agency: Poloroyt.

How did it all started?

Poloroyt started as a hobby, one my friends, Angela Tellier, is a photographer and the very first shoot we did was actually just for fun. I was in love with a dress from my friend Chanelva Maclean (winner of the tv show Holland's best fashion designers). Together we did the styling and started shooting, I liked it so much that I decided to make it more than just a hobby. I already had some experience in styling because I used to have my own clothing line, (Eatly) with another friend, Isabella Doelwijt. I have always been a person who loves to help others and I’m full of creative ideas so I started my own talent agency.

What are you doing and what do you want to achieve?

I’m very busy with styling for Poloroyt. Next to styling I arrange the shoots and make sure that all the equipment is available and ready for use. Poloroyt offers quality shoots for a fair price. I want to reach the top with my agency help others and change the World.

How would you describe your own style?

My style differs, sometimes it’s classic and sometimes it’s hood. A top tucked into high wasted pants with wedges and a long big coat is my ‘classic business woman look’. A sweater combined with leggins, a balaclava and high heels is my sort of ‘girl gangster look’. I like to dress old skool. I don’t follow trends, I wear what I like, new and vintage.

What does style mean to you?

I think a girl has style when a piece of clothing suits her perfect, better than others. There are plenty of girls out there carrying Louis Vuitton bags, wearing Uggs and fur coats but only on a few of them it looks really good, because they are giving it a different twist and wearing it in their own way, that’s style.

Where do you get your fashion inspiration from?

From movies, blogs and nature. Not from the street. I honestly don’t really pay attention to what other people wear. Sometimes I see someone with a piece or outfit that is stunning but it’s always something from H&M, Zara, Primark or River Island, in those stores you will never find really exclusive items because millions of other people are wearing the same. I also think that buying expensive clothes doesn’t make you look better, you should wear what you think is beautiful and nice.It’s important that it looks good on you, not that you have to money to pay for it. That’s why I mostly shop at vintage stores, it’s cheap and unique.

Naphtaly Rooi

naphtalyrooi.tumblr.com

poloroyt.blogspot.com

Poloroyt website coming soon

http://vimeo.com/18464395

Photo credits

Styling and make up by Naphtaly Rooi

Photographers in order of photos: Angela

Tellier, Noah Dinero, Sharon Jane Dompig

Models in order of appearance:

Celia, Makai Noel, Vanessa de Jong

S/S 2011: lace

2011-01-19T00:58:00.000-08:00

Oscar de la Renta

Anna Sui

Alberta Ferretti

Dolce & Gabbana

Longing for spring? I can't wait!

My favourite spring trend is lace.

It's so romantic, feminine and

wearable in different ways. I

love lace combined with sheer

fabrics or bohemian elements.

What's your favourite trend?

photo credits

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

2010 has been a very busy,

but great year. Hopefully

2011 will be even better,

for all of you. Thank you

for your support and let's

celebrate a new beginning!

Christmas Cupcakes & A Truffle Dress

2010-12-26T16:18:00.000-08:00

Today I celebrated the second day of Christmas with the whole family and I baked them cupcakes. You've seen some of my Christmas cupcakes here but today I also baked vegan ones because of some vegan/vegetarian family members. It was my first time and I kinda improvised on the ingredients but luckily they really liked it. It was very nice to see everyone again and I had a good time. I was wearing a truffle dress with a feather waist belt both from the Superstar x-mas collection and it gave me this really festive feeling. The jacket, tights and shoes are from H&M.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Today I had family over for Christmas dinner, they just left and I'm pretty tired. I spent hours cleaning the house and preparing dinner but it was all worth it. I made (amongst other dishes) puff pastry appetizers, pommes duchesse and tarte au chocolat.

I'm really happy with my presents: a cute Christmas teacup, some nice bath products (you probably know by now that I love to get tea and bath stuff), a 2011 calender and gift vouchers for River Island. Can't wait to spend it. Thank you Santa.

It was actually snowing tonight, so we're having a white Christmas after all. The last picture was taken a few days a go, I love to see the garden like that, hope it stays that way for a while. I'm off to bed now. Wishing all of you happy holidays, Merry Christmas!

December Decorations

2010-12-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

I didn't manage to complete the decorating but the house looks quite nice already. I love December, it's dark, cold and snowy outside but I'm enjoying a cup of tea sitting next to the Christmas tree with candles around me. I wonder what presents will lie under the tree this Christmas. You won't disappoint me, will you, Santa?

I have a busy day ahead because I need to finish a report and my little brother wants me to come see his Christmas play. I got a last minute invitation for a dinner but also another Christmas event to go to, in any case: I don't have an outfit yet and certainly no time to shop. I have to remind myself to write Christmas cards too.

It's been a while since I baked cupcakes, I think the last time was in September when I had my birthday, I made nutty chocolate cupcakes and colourful cupcakes which you can find here. Today I had a Christmas celebration at school, everyone had to bring something and what else would I bring than homemade cupcakes?

Baby Blue & Lotus Rouge

2010-12-12T10:13:00.000-08:00

Today I finally took the time to put up

the Christmas tree. I wanted to do a lot

of decorating but I had to visit family

because of the birth of a baby. I hope

to finish the decorating later this

week, will share photos when done.

I'm wearing the Mina UK dress from

this post and this is the first time I

tried out the Chanel Lotus Rouge

nail polish from this post. I love the

intense raspberry/plum colour, not

to speak about the quality (so perfect)

When a baby is born we traditionally

eat Dutch rusks with candy coated

aniseeds. When it's a boy the colour

of the coating is blue and white. I love

to eat this delicacy with a lot of butter.

My new nephew's name is Jayson

and he's adorable. Too bad he was

sleeping all the time so I didn't get

a chance to play with him yet but

I had fun with the baby boy's

big sister Tyara, how cute is she.

Fun in the snow

2010-12-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

dress: H&M, leggins: VILA, boots: Bronx,

hat: Superstar, belt: Primark, cardi: H&M

This was a few days ago when there was still snow.

Oh, how I miss it! My cat seemed to like it too. I

hope the snow will be back by Christmas, it would

be wonderful to have a white Christmas for a change.

I was helping the birds a bit to survive the winter

by hanging up little sacks filled with peanuts and

seeds, while wearing my favorite cardi and warm

hat. Also these boots seem to be quite winter proof.

Today I'm enjoying a day off, first thing to do is

catching up on blogs, then off to the library to study.

I want to do some Christmas shopping afterwards.

Enjoy your day!

Pre Christmas Party

2010-12-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend I celebrated the feast of Saint Nicholas, which is similar to the more familiar mythical holiday figure Santa Claus. Since we also celebrate Christmas, the celebration of Saint Nicholas is a sort of pre Christmas party. Both feasts are all about spending time with family, giving each other presents and enjoying yummy foods and drinks. Typical to have at Saint Nicholas are big chocolate letters, small gingerbread-like cookies, marzipan and pastries filled with almond paste. I was wearing a neutral dress from H&M and because of the cold I kept myself warm with a shawl and a cardi. I got really nice presents: a lot of useful baking supplies, cute tea and bath products and the Chanel nail polish I've been lusting over. Now that this feast is over, it’s time to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house. Are you looking forward to Christmas as much as I do? Have a great week!

Winter is coming

2010-11-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Since yesterday it's snowing and freezing,

I love the view but I can't stand the cold!

Time to wear thick coats, boots, uggs,

shawls, gloves and cardigans again, time

to layer! This sleeveless cardigan from

H&M is my current favourite piece,

it's warm and wearable with everything.

To forget about the cold some pics of

one of the Mina dresses I showed last

time. I was wearing it two weeks ago,

I love the shape of this floral beauty!

Happy Sunday!

Mina UK

2010-11-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just came home with two cute Mina UK dresses I bought at a sample sale. I had heard about the brand but never saw any pieces until today. Mina is a Young British fashion label designing innovative and trendy collections aimed at young women. Mina uses quality fabrics and creates beautiful, detailed pieces of clothing. The brand has proven to be popular with celebrities. Mina UK dresses are really cute and I had a hard time deciding which ones to buy. I chose a floral one and a black one. I don't think the pictures quite show how beautiful the dresses really are!

Have a lovely weekend!

Lanvin ♥ H&M

2010-11-03T04:09:00.000-07:00

Are you also excited about the Lanvin for

H&M collection? We're only a few weeks

away from the launch and I'm sure most

of you are thinking about what pieces to

buy from this amazing collection. It looks

to be luxurious, feminine, playful, modern

and quite affordable for all of us. But do

not forget: it's not Lanvin going public,

it's H&M going luxury.

Killer heels

2010-11-01T02:59:00.000-07:00

When I spotted these chunk heeled killers at Monki it was love at first sight. I was looking for Halloween items and these would be perfect. Did you celebrate Halloween and did you all dress up? I have never celebrated Halloween before but since I’m a Truebie now I thought I should. Of course I wanted to dress up like my heroine Sookie but I didn’t think that would be a success, considering that I look way different from her. So I thought being a vampirella would be nice. Unfortunately my fangs wouldn’t stick properly and what lousy vamp would I be without fangs? I ended up being a black widow. A kinda scary and sexy one of course 'cause that's the code. My bf dressed up like a priest, I bought him a nice priest costume and I myself was wearing my favourite LBD, stockings, the killer heels, ruffle lace gloves, a widow hat and a red wig to add some spice to it. This was the result:

I must say dressing up is a lot of fun! The outfits at the party we went to were amazing, some people really put a lot of effort to it and they looked so stunning. Even though I couldn't dance on the heels all night (I brought flats with me) my first Halloween was a good one! Unfortunately the weekend is over and it's already November, time sure flies! I'll be having exams at the end of this week so I have a lot of studying to do and there's so little time left.. Wish me luck!

Beautiful brown

2010-10-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

Brown is one of my favorite colors,

especially during fall because it's so

earthy and natural. I just read that brown

is a color that can stimulate the appetite.

Maybe that's why I always have the

munchies. Below my breakfast yesterday

and today. Since I'm a few days off I'm

sleeping in and having late yummy breakfasts.

I'm totally in love with the bag and shoes

which my boyfriend gave me for my birthday,

so convenient for fall, right? Next week I'll be

having exams so upcoming days I need to

study a lot. Next to that I'm going to enjoy

my days off as munch as possible, I'm sure

the Rituals stuff I got will help me with that.

We just received a card from the

Dutchies in California, our friends

over there have been blessed

with a beautiful baby boy.

Welcome to the world Aidan!

An autumn afternoon

2010-10-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

The weather this weekend has been lovely:

sunny, dry and not too cold, perfect for fall.

Today I'm spending quality time with the bf,

doing some housekeeping and baking.

I'm wearing a comfy maxi from Vila, as you

know I love maxi's so I'm glad it's a fall thing.

I'm going to have dinner in the garden now

before getting ready for upcoming week.

Do you also have this 'I don't want the day

to end' feeling? Wish it could last longer!

Under the weather

2010-09-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

First I want to apologize for neglecting blogging.

I actually am neglecting everything the past few

weeks except for school which is the main reason

for it. Since I'm busy with my internship and working

on my graduation thesis I haven't had the time to
write so I think I should take a break from blogging.

Since a few days I'm down with the flu but
James Wong is helping me to get better. He's
an ethnobotanist with his own tv series and author
of the same named book Grow your own drugs.
I'm sure you've heard of him and otherwise
you should Google him. Right now I'm cooking
sage honey, one of his recipes for sore throat.

Last week I had my birthday, I baked colourful

cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes and went

out with some friends. I also had a nice Turkish

dinner with my family and got great presents

such as the long desired LV speedy, the new

edition of the Professor Layton game, some

lovely Rituals stuff and enough money to

finance my trip to Spain in December.

Will tell you more about that next time.

Last but not least I want to thank Annie for

the lovely blog with substance award. Part

of it is to sum up your blogging philosophy,

motivation, and experience using five words.

So here are mine: life, love, food, photos, floral.

I chose these words because I try to live life

to the fullest, doing everything with love, have

a passion for cooking and baking, enjoy taking

photos and am a sucker for everything floral.

And you can find all of this on my blog.

I'll make some time to update every once in
a while and will try to keep up with your blogs!

Roller coaster rides

2010-08-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I visited a theme park with my family,

I really enjoyed spending time with the kids and

luckily the weather was nice. We spent a lot of

time waiting in lines but the rides were so much

fun. Because we also had to walk a lot I chose

to wear extremely comfy clothes: a simple tee

with leggings and flats.The park stayed open until

midnight, it was very beautiful by night. We got

home around 2am so we went straight to bed and

I just got up, I'm planning to do totally nothing today,

just relax and enjoy some sunshine, happy Sunday!

Wearing wedges

2010-08-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

With autumn around the corner, I'm trying to enjoy the

last rays of sunshine. Unfortunately it's rainy right now,

the bf has a boys night out so I figured to treat myself

on a relaxing evening mostly spent in bath, bed and

on the couch. Of course it was also time for a new

post so I'm showing you the maxi dress from the

previous post. I also bought wedges which I had my

eye on for quite a while. Do you like them? I think

they're very unique and I love the details on them.

Must have maxi's

2010-08-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

Again, I bought a floral piece, I just could not

resist this bouquet beauty from Warehouse.

You should see the back, it's gorgous because

of all the tiny buttons and it has an open space

between the two rows of buttons. I want to show

you but my mum is on holiday with my camera,

so I can't post pics for a little while. Here are some

maxi's that I like, do you like maxi's? I love them!

And many more to find on asos!

Casual friday

2010-07-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

top: vero moda, blazer and flats: h&m
sunnies: ray-ban, pants: river island

Finally it's Friday, I worked the whole week
and am exhausted, my next week off won't
be till the end of august! Anyway, I'm happy
that the weekend has begun, looking forward
to sleep in, watch movies, go out for dinner,
maybe do some shopping.. Happy weekend!

Country life

2010-07-25T03:05:00.000-07:00

The bf and I spent the last couple of days on the Veluwe,

a forest-rich ridge of hills in the Netherlands. It's a very

beautiful place full of different landscapes and has an

interesting history and culture. We visited museums,

ancient country mansions and cute little villages.

Our trip was romantic yet informative and intensive,

we walked and cycled a lot but it was so much fun,

I already miss the farmhouse shops and the peace

and quietness of the countryside. I think I could

live a country life, could you?

florals & fruit

2010-07-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

This week is my week off so I'm doing all the things

I can't normally do because I'm in the office all day.

One of those things is visiting the local market,

where I can buy all kinds of delicious fresh fruit.

I'm wearing another floral dress, my love for floral

is getting out of hand because almost all my pieces

are florals right now, I don't want to buy any more

floral pieces but I just can't get a hold of myself.

Ok, that sounds a bit dramatic but I think you

I know what I mean. I found this dress on sale

at Zara and the shoes are from Primark.

Now I'm getting ready to pick up my brothers

from the airport, they've spent their holiday

in Turkey and hopefully they are bringing

me some sweets too.

Turkish delight (2)

2010-07-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

As you might have noticed here, the Turkish cuisine is

one of my favorites and I especially love the desserts.

A dear friend of mine just came back from her holiday

in Kusadasi and brought me this delicious pastries!

Just got home from the NÕN by Kim show and working
on the report right now. It'll be online tomorrow morning
on welikefashion, stay tuned for reports of other shows
written by fellow bloggers. Check out the AIFW website

for lots of beautiful photos and videos of all the shows.

Have a lovely weekend!

Fashion week

2010-07-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Spijkers & Spijkers

Iris van Herpen

Nicolaas

The Amsterdam International Fashion

Week started this week at July 14th.

Designers and brands like Iris van

Herpen, Nicolaas and Spijkers & Spijkers

already showed their stunning new collections.

Welikefashion is reporting daily about the

shows and tomorrow I'll visit 'NÕN by KIM'

from Dutch designer Kim Bakker. I loved

the photos from previous shows and I'm

looking forward to go see for myself!

images: amsterdamfashionweek.com

photo courtesy: Peter Stigter

An orange afternoon

2010-07-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since my last post, I've totally been
missing in action! I've just been so busy, first with
school -I passed all my exams!- and now I'm working
full time, I don't know how you working girls manage to
always stay updated! I also spent a lot of time watching
the world cup matches, this afternoon I was celebrating
at Museum square. Although we've lost the grand finale,
we still managed to get this far, a great accomplishment,
right? This morning was a bit cold and rainy so I chose to
wear pants and my parka, which I traded later for some
orange accessories. After the celebration the bf and me
had dinner in a new Italian diner we discovered, it was
such a nice place and the food was so pure. Can you
spot the secret ingredient on the last photo?

Arabian night

2010-06-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I visited the engagement party of a

Moroccan classmate, isn't she lovely?! She

looked like a queen! I've never been to an

Arabian party before, it was sooo beautiful!

Got to keep it short 'cause I'm still studying,

but liberation is near! Thanks for visiting

& commenting, will get back to you asap,

enjoy your week!

Happy housewife

2010-06-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

Though it's Sunday, I had to wake up very early,

had some housekeeping to do, I was so busy

with school that I neglected all my duties as

a housewife. In times like these I wish I still

lived at home, getting everything done for me

by my sweet mum. Luckily she's helping me

from time to time. And when the bf is helping

I don't even mind cleaning. The more important

reason why I'm already up is that I'm still busy

with school, have to study for some fiscal exams.

The sun is shining so bright and I love the smell

of fresh laundry, think I'm going to make myself

a smoothie and bring my books to the garden.

About that dress, I really liked a lot of ideas,
especially the playsuit idea but unfortunately
there's not enough fabric for that. Also the
fabric is very delicate so I decided to leave
on the sleeves, as some of you were saying
I'm afraid it will loose it's vintage vibe otherwise.
Will be showing the result soon, happy Sunday!

To cut or not to cut

2010-05-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your help so far, but how could

I ask your opinions without even wearing the

dress?! So here it is.. As you can see the skirt

is alright but the bodice is quite big. So the upper

part must be adjusted whether the sleeves will

be cut off or not. I forgot to take pictures with the

sleeves tucked in but I think you get the idea.

I do like this dress with sleeves but they should

be smaller and the bodice needs to be a bit tighter.

Then it would look likes Marta's dress (previous post)

which I totally adore. If I would cut off the sleeves I

think a V neckline would be appropriate, then the

dress would look like in the image below. So

what do you think, to cut or not to cut?

Dress alteration

2010-05-31T00:20:00.000-07:00

This is Marta from Wierzbowawitka

Do visit her charming blog:)

When I saw her in this beautiful dress I

thought it looks like mine (previous post)

Now I really can't decide wether to take

the sleeves of or just make some small

adjustments to make it look exactly like

hers.. Please let me know what you think!

Pretty green

2010-05-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been updating much,

neither did I read your lovely blogs.

Will catch up soon! It has just been

so busy, especially preparing my exams

which are coming closer and closer.

I'm so not ready! On this sunday

evening I just want to take my mind

off it. Let me show you my new parka

and the dress I picked up from the tailor.

It's a perfect fit but I think I'm going to

take the sleeves of, good idea or not?

Black bows

2010-05-22T00:32:00.000-07:00

Floral dress, tights : Primark

Bow waist belt, flats: H&M

I never tried purple and black together but I kinda like it,
was wearing this a couple of days ago to a birthday party.
Floral dresses can be worn for any occasion I think!

Today is a lovely sunny day but my exams are
coming up so I'll just be studying in the library..
Thanks for reading, have a wonderful weekend!

Aaiko

2010-05-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

Dress: Aaiko, top: H&M,

skirt: Vero Moda, shoes: Zara

(two of my outfits from last week)

I bought this Aaiko dress last year

but I hardly ever wore it. I don't know

why I packed it but I'm glad I did.

Since I actually didn't even know the

brand I thought I should look it up.

Aaiko is a quite young and creative
Dutch label from Fashion Group Blosh.

(also representing, among other brands,
American Vintage, Mogul, Supertrash)

Aaiko sells quality clothing for very

reasonable prices. Most of their clothes

are inspired by Japanese origami.

Does anyone knows what Aaiko (Japanese)
exactly means? The translations I found are:

feminine, strong and loved. In any case,
I can tell those words fit my dress

Image source

Spring break

2010-05-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your sweet congratulary comments!

We have had an amazing time, treated ourselves

with massages and all kinds of treatments, had

lovely dinners, made nice walks through the forest

and got a lot of rest. I loved everything about the hotel:

courteous personnel, excellent service, lovely atmosphere,

nice rooms, perfect beauty center, delicious food. I can't

forget about the heavenly chocolate cake I had for dessert!

In the pictures I'm wearing 1) a leather jacket, H&M

jeans and sneakers. 2) River Island dress, Zara

shoes, H&M waistcoat. Will post more outfits soon!