Last week Eurostar invited me to try out their newest Business Premier menu created by star chef and OBE, Raymond Blanc. Hesitate to accept I did not, since it involved the concepts of 'London' and 'eating'. I'm hardly a foodie - as was made painfully clear by my girl Lisha when she pointed out I cut off the best part of the asparagus - but I have been known to eat things! Avid foodstagrammers would have had some trouble making their followers drool, but the flavours were definitively on point. Hashtag veal blanquette. "Hurry up with my damn croissants!"
The ever hilarious Isabelle and Lisha provided lunch time chuckles
Upon our timely arrival I was shocked pleased to find out the sun was shining quite ardently. We had a sip in the fancy St. Pancras Hotel (who knew there was one?) and waited for monsieur Blanc to arrive/took pictures of ourselves.
Monsieur Blanc! A truly charming fellow. You can catch him in all his French gloire on BBC Two's "How to Cook Well".
Oh, and guess who else got to tag along?
So cute. We headed towards the Institute of Contemporary Art to check out the 'Keep Your Timber Limber' exhibition. Featuring works by Tom of Finland, Cary Kwok, Antonio Lopez and Judith Bernstein; this expo shows drawings by legendary artists who strove to break through the social and sexual mores of their time through explicit works of political and erotic imagery. Quite a bit of cock, in other words. And the admission is free, so that's always a plus.
Next up was a lightning tour of the National Gallery. I allowed ourselves half an hour to plough through the most important works, which gave the experience quite a surreal touch. I call it museum-dashing! Great fun. "Oh look it's a Cézanne. NEXT! Van Gogh? Spiffing. NEXT! Velazquez. Touching. NEXT!"). Art fiends might frown upon such insolence, but we only had four hours in the city.
FASHION INFO: I busted out my new Selected shirt and tie out for the occasion and paired it with a Matinique blazer, Acne trousers and my PRECIOUS floral Nike SB's. I still might do an outfit post with some of these clothes, since the details are too good to be missed!
Next up: Dover Street Market!
Sibling mittens! That store is everything, really. Spread my ashes over some Comme at DSM when I die plz.
We spent the remainder of the day just walking around and soaking up the fab/sun.
All too soon it was time to return to Belgium (WHY). At least we had a nice dinner to dull the pain!
Yes that is an authentic certified Chanel bracelet. SS14 Haute Couture if I'm not mistaken.
This
weekend I attended the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts' Fashion
Department graduation show. As you may know, the Antwerp Academy is
regarded as one of the most influential fashion schools in the world,
and alumni mostly end up at the helm of major fashion houses or
acclaimed labels of their own. From first-years to master students:
everyone who survives this tough course gets to show what they're
made of during a high energy runway show, lasting for over four
hours. I decided to focus on the menswear that was shown, but it goes
without saying that the womenswear was of a most outstanding level as
well.
Seeing
this show is like shuffling fashion tarot cards. Trying to find out which designer is
going to be so maj one day that you can smugly be
all like: 'Yah, I saw his/her graduate collection 5 years ago, I knew
that shit was gonna pop off'. Shows like this may be all about the talent of tomorrow, but I must say I already loved much of what I saw today.
EMMANUEL ANTOINE RYNGAERT
Emmanuel must have been the busiest queen bee in the hive last weekend. Not only did he put out his own collection, since he's signed with top modeling agency Dominique Models he also walked the runway for just about every other designer that night. His collection 'Welcome to the Park' smacked the gender binary right in the face with towering cage heels, purple croc and fur jackets and logo-spraypainted headscarves. His lace trousers confirm the statement that men's lace - also championed by London designers Astrid Andersen and J.W. Anderson - isn't going anywhere.
CASPER WERNER
Casper Werner's 'Bad Education' collection was one of my favourites of the night. The boiler suit bustiers paired with turtle necks, the trainers and the cinched waists gave these looks quite a minimal feel in comparison to the other collections, but that didn't make me notice them less. The styling was very on-point, and even though Werner is only in his second year, it's clear he already has a very distinct sense of where he is headed.
JANINA HOFFMAN
Outerwear to die for. Janina Hoffman combines texture and silhouette in a dramatic but instantaneously likeable way. The puffiness of the sleeves, the roundness of the shoulderline is paired flawlessly with vibrant prints and high-gloss fabrics.
MARIE-SOPHIE BEINKE
Beinkes highly covetable snapbacks paired with contrast-print long coats give her 'Villagetown' collection an interesting streetwear nod, juxtaposed by references to religion (a wooden cross harness and rosaries) and a play on gender norms (the lace detailing and sheer long skirts). Decidedly current and very well-executed.
BENJI WONG
The internets have come to play with this one. Benji Wong's 'That Paradise Would Be a Meme' collection is Tumblr come alive: the silver platform sneakers, the TNGHT soundtrack, the caps and tabards lined with strips of pink, yellow and metallic silver. It's a kick up the arse and I am so here for it.
ERAN SHANNY
The bold metallics of Eran Shanny's 'Cabinet of Curiosities' are a visual treat. Showing skill in tailoring (the billowy draping of those stiff fabrics), cut (the suiting and lilac mohair trousers) and embroidery (the beetle jumper and brooch appliqués); the Israeli-born designer has created an army of liquidy smooth men that look like futuristic royalty.
YENS CUYVERS
For the 'Bravo Foxtrot' collection, Cuyvers' men walked fiercely and without reserve. The studded moss-coloured rubber sleeves, the fur hats and cross-emblazoned kilts herald quite a visceral darkness that is equal parts kink and regal.
Shout-out to my man Mike for crawling down the runway on all-fours and to the amazing Mr. Walter Van Beirendonck for sitting right across from me.
DEVON HALFNIGHT LEFLUFY
I already knew Devon Halfnight Leflufy had great taste when he cast my boyfriend to be a fit model for his master's collection earlier this year (insert winking emoji here), but 'True Believer' just made my jaw drop. With gospel hands in the air I saw the most amazing coats with laser cut leather appliqués, intricate embroidery on jumpers and pastel palm tree sweatpants. Inspired by L.A. teen queens, hip hop (the Trinidad James soundtrack just brought it home) and matched with artwork by Brian Kokoska, Leflufy's graduate collection just leaves me dizzy with excitement. I know my fam over at KNOTORYUS loves Leflufy as well, so be sure to check out their upcoming interview with him.
DIMITRI ARVANITIS
Pony hair shorts in the richest of hues, glossy prints of contorted faces, oversized clutches and shift dresses paired with calf-length boots lend this collection an air of sophistication that is anything but crude. The neckscarves, cut of the pink trousers and shift dresses gave me slight AW13 Raf Simons meets J.W. Anderson vibes which indicates a mindframe similar to the industry greats. I'm quite intrigued to find out what Arvanitis will put out next.
MATTIA VANSEVEREN
Vanseveren's 'Play Time' collection was the most ready-to-sell of the evening. With an intelligent play on colourblocking and outerwear tailoring, the commercial viability of these garments is quite evident. The yellows, blues and greens of the collection had a naïve appeal that ran all the way through to the shoes co-produced with Sacha.
Shout-out to Maarten Convens, the young androgynous male model that I was enraptured with all night. He's going places, for sure.
