We Wear: Fav sweater

I love wearing chunky sweaters, although sweater weather might be over very soon (someone else hear summer is coming next week?). Nonetheless, a sweater like this can easily be worn over a breezy summer top after a hot day spent with friends, a barbecue and some cocktails. Yes, I am dreaming aloud.

My hair is also pink again thanks to my lovely hairdresser Madeline. I loved it so much last time that I had to do it again and our annual date with Groezrock was the perfect opportunity. In these pictures the color has already faded a little due to shampoo. If I could never wash my hair again, I'd totally go for it.

This is actually the first time since forever that I'm wearing a proper outfit, worthy of shooting. I've been bundled up in sweaters like this and black skinny jeans combined with my Vans because I have a feeling I'm spending most of my days behind my desk - and hidden in my scarf - at work. At 6 in the morning I'm also not in the mood to dress up. Not even if I thought of an outfit beforehand. Luckily sometimes I can make an exception. The snakebite / pasta date planned with the boyfriend and Bart after work actually made me do the effort. And I've learned something that day: however bad a day may be, at least you were wearing a pretty outfit. So when you look back on that day, you'll remember the joy that pretty outfit gave you. Let that be a lesson kids!

These pictures were shot in the little back garden of Pizza Pasta et Basta in Hasselt (and well some in the Irish Pub). Defs the spot if you want to grab some decent Italian food and it's not overpriced. Seriously, taste the spaghetti with truffle oil or the pizza Norma (with eggplant and parmezan). They are delish. And no I'm not sponsored, I had to pay for my food.

Totally grew into these boots, don't hurt one bit anymore!

I'm wearing:

Sweater: H&M

Shirt: my grandma's

Shirt buttons: birthday gift

Shorts: My mum made it

Tights: H&M

Boots: Acne Pistol Boots

We Wear: Floral Maxi (and pink hair)

So Monday became Thursday. I'M SORRY! And as if this tardiness isn't enough I'm showing you my outfit in four slightly out of focus photographs. I hope I don't have to explain it's too damn cold and windy to be wearing a floral maxi dress. But this is what I wore last Saturday to Radio Modern and to witness the last moments of Crossbonefest, so this is what I wanted to show you guys.

Last week was such a good week. I dyed my hair pink, went to a punkrock festival and got my foot tattooed. In comparison this week has been pretty blunt so far and it's draining my energy levels. I also never want to wash my hair again because I am seriously in love with my pink locks. Can't I have pink hair forever? (In these pictures the pink is already a bit toned down because I just really needed to wash my hair on Tuesday. Insert sad face.)

About the dress. I love it but the underskirt keeps creeping up when I'm walking. I should have foreseen this in the fitting room but I was blinded by the nice fit of this dress and I really wanted to have a maxi dress. Does anybody have any tips on how to keep that damn underskirt in its place?

Oh and also: foot tattoos hurt like a bitch.

I'm wearing:

Floral Maxi Dress: H&M

Jacket: Louche by Paplou

Peeptoes: H&M

Headband: dress-up shop

The bruises are punkrock leftovers and therefore part of my outfit.

And a little reminder of a pretty perfect Friday night.

We Love: Pastel Hair

It's no secret at all Karolien and myself like some weird hair colors. We've been rocking the ombre trend since 2012 and have been experimenting with colors ever since. Last summer I decided to completely bleach all of my hair because I wanted it to be white. I have always loved white hair and was bummed out I could never have that without putting my hair through some extreme conditons. But hair is only hair, when damaged you can cut it and it will grow. It's nature. And from the moment I sat in that chair for bleach session number one, I was already dreaming of pastel pink hair.

We are about six months from that moment and the time has finally come. For a lot of things actually. First of all: last time I touched up my roots at the hairdresser's, we decided that would be the last time. My hair is long and damaged and is breaking off really bad. I am not ready to cut it short yet (although when I see Naomi rocking her new do, I kind of want that too) so my hairdresser opted to quit the bleaching and let my hair rest and slowly transition into being a brunette again.

I knew from moment one that I couldn't keep my white locks for a very long time. I am just not ready to cut my hair short and I don't want to keep damaging it. But I will miss it! So I decided (a lot of decisions have been made apparently) to have one more splurge and just go for the pastel pink hair. I called up my hairdresser and made an appointment.

My boyfriend and my friends love it, my mom hates it. And I am completely in love. I think I even love my pastel locks more than I loved my white hair. I love how it makes me feel like a strawberry milkshake or a Japanese Harajuku girl. Kawaii!

I promise an outfit on Sunday, maybe Monday depending on the CROSSBONE FEST hangover.

Harajuku girl

We Wear: The painfull truth

It happened. I dug really deep into my wallet and I found some spare money to spend on the one and only Acne Pistol Boots. I have been eyeing them for a while as they are perfect, versatile and timeless. But one does not just spend that kind of money without doing some thorough research, not even me. So when I not so accidentally stumbled upon the Acne webshop, I read these shoes fit wide and it's best to choose a size down. A SIZE DOWN?! That would mean I'd have to click a size 36 home. I quickly read some other reviews whole all said the same. I was pretty hesitant but call it faith or call it luck, I was going to Antwerp that very weekend. I googled the address for the Acne flagshipstore in Antwerp and mentally made an appointment.

Meanwhile I was constantly thinking about these shoes. Patience is a virtue they say, but it has never been my strong suit. But then it finally became Saturday and together with two of my friends I cruised to Antwerp. Usually we immediately go for a bagel at Barnini, but my friends do know me so we headed to the Acne shop first. Which was still closed when we arrived. That's just my luck. The lady in the shop waved a hand at us which we interpreted as "five more minutes" but they ended up being half an hour. I don't know, they were cleaning up their Christmas decorations or something.

When the store finally opened, I spotted my beloved boots almost instantly. The winter collection, with a furry inside, came with a 40% discount and however the man in the shop told me "a lot of women wear these barefoot in summer", I opted for the regular ones. I really thought it was bullshit by the way, that whole barefoot in summer thing. Really, who does that? I tried on a size 37 but I wasn't sure. I had to try an actual size 36. Again the store manager wasn't very clever by saying they didn't have the 36 in black anymore, only in green. I had to ask if I could maybe try those on, just to know if the size was ok. Isn't that supposed to be his job? Anywho, the 36 fit like a glove and I made up my mind. The store manager proposed he could order them for me, but I thanked him and said I was going to buy them online.

A couple of stores later, when my friends were still browsing through Forever21 (and I almost went berserk) I clicked them home via the webshop. Thank god for internet everywhere and PayPal. I didn't choose the regular delivery but the one with a 3-4 business days delivery promise. I ordered on Saturday so I expected them to arrive on Thursday, maybe Friday. On Wednesday I checked my PayPal account and the payment was still "in progress". That already made me nervous because I figured they would only ship when the payment would have been approved. So I tweeted about it and I don't know if it had anything to do with it, but the next day the payment was approved and my UPS tracking number said they would get delivered on Monday. That really bummed me out, as that meant I had to wait more than a week in total, while I chose a 3-4 days delivery.

Monday finally arrived and my mom deliberately didn't text me to say the package had arrived, so I'd be even more thrilled when I got home. And thrilled I was! So thrilled that I was nervous to unpack my shoes. But they were everything I wanted them to be when I took them out of the pretty pale pink box. And then I tried them one. They were so stiff! You know that feeling when your heart suddenly drops to your stomach? Well I had it right there. When I tried them on in the shop they really fit like a glove, but since my ordered shoes are brand new, they still needed to be 'broken into'. I wore them the following days to work, and I could already feel them adjusting to my feet. The size really is a-ok as I can still wiggle my toes. That I actually slipped and fell twice last week, has nothing to do with these shoes, I swear. I have the balance of a new-born deer.

So what can I conclude here? I am still very much in love with these shoes. I know exactly why I bought them and they are even prettier than I could have ever dreamed. But I have always read they were the most comfortable shoe in the history of mankind, and I cannot agree with that yet. They don't hurt me anymore as I walk down stairs but that has been different let me tell you. But my advise: don't give up. These shoes are made out of real leather and leather does soften up when wearing often, so that's what I'll be doing. The heel-height is pretty much perfect to walk around in. I'm no expert at all in walking on heels but I manage fine in these, although cobblestones always are a hassle.

I'm sorry for the ridiculous amount of text! But I wanted to be thorough and describe how it felt for me to be spending this amount of money on shoes. This is not something I do every month :D

I'm wearing:

Hat: H&M

Coat: Zara (old)

Sweater: H&M (sales find!)

Skinnies: Asos

Shoes: Acne Pistol Boots

(Camera) Bag: Etsy

We Wear: Frozen in summer

I know, I know, I've been absent these past weeks. In my defense, I have pretty good reason as I was in the midst of finishing (really finishing) my PhD dissertation. As the final version has just been printed and everything is handled, I finally have a little more time on my hands! My doctoral defense will only be in September, so yay for summer! Also, I have been accepted to do a postdoc research year, so my groovin' researchin' days are far from over at this moment. 

Top, shorts, necklace: Primark - Plastic basket-bag: H&M - Sandals: Sister (Hasselt) - Sunglasses: Six

Now that you guys are updated on my life events and heard excuses for leaving you hanging dry, we can talk outfit. These pictures were obvious not taken this week (rain rain rain), but back when the weather was still gorgeous, hot and sultry. Let's be honest, on days like that, one does not need more than some denim cut-offs and an easy breezy top. And this top is especially breezy as it has this open back thing going on (forgot to capture that on photo though), which is also why I opted to wear a lace black bralette underneath. I actually bought the top and the shorts as a combination together in one and the same store; something I never do. But for a match made in heaven, I'm glad to make an exception. Secretly, I also bought the necklace at the very same instance. 

PS 1: The shorts are actually a whole lot more vibrant and neon, but the sun made it hard to capture it just right. 

PS 2: I recently saw the movie "Frozen" (I know, old news), and it is an absolute recommendation (I know, even older news). The soundtrack pretty much describes the feeling you get after finishing four years of work: 

 Currently listening to:

Let it go, let it go, here I'll stand and here I'll stay!
Currently craving for (fashion wise or other):

White, high-heeled sandals. I want to be real lady these days.

We wear: Cropped top

So where do we stand on crop tops? And by 'we' I mean you, our dearest readers, as I believe my opinion is pretty obvious. I absolutely love them and think my summer wardrobe should have MORE CROP TOPS. It's kind of becoming my mantra these days. I feel like they spice up every single outfit and just get me floating on a summer breeze by just thinking about wearing them. However, seemingly not everybody is as fond of them as I am. I mean, yes, a crop top can possibly show off a lot of skin that is under normal circumstances hidden. Notice the keyword being 'possibly', as in 'not necessarily' as yours truly exhibits in these pictures. I think it's rather subtle, no? And even if girls decide to wear them in a way where their belly button is showing, I can only applaud that they have built up enough confidence and have the guts (or lack thereof) to wear them that way. I do not however, so I'll stick with offering the world just a glance at my diaphragm. 

Denim jacket: Primark - Pleather skirt: Boohoo - Crop top, shoes: H&M - Necklace: Claire's 

 

 

Excuse me for the slight rant, I have been reading up on some articles about girl's body shaming and it infuriated me deeply. In addition, I've been writing and writing my PhD dissertation (due date is this month, hmpff) and I kind of feel my head is clouded and I'm overthinking  EVERYTHING. 

PS: Told you so that this denim jacket would make a reappearance on the blog soon. 

 Currently listening to:

All kinds of 'Go go go, you are the best, you can do it' music.
Currently craving for (fashion wise or other):

Sleep. Precious, relaxing sleep. 

    

What We Wear Wednesday: Birthday blossoms

 Already more than a week ago, it was my birthday (or actually more birthweek) and although I'm not one to be quite happy to be aging, I'm always in for a party/celebration! I was more than thrilled that the sun was showing her lovely face on my birthday and was determined to snap pictures surrounded by blossoms. Only problem there was that I was quite picky concerning this specific blossomy background of the pictures. First of all, I wanted pink blossoms, preferably magnolias. Secondly, I wanted to practically drown in the blossoms and not just stand awkwardly in front of just one tree. Not an easy assignment, I tell ya.

In the end, I gave up on my pink idea of perfection (although I was just so damn sure it would look great with my powder pink dress) and settled for white blossoms. And I have to admit, it looks pretty damn good as well! This reminds me that I sometimes have to let go of some weird, absurd idea of perfection that starts to root in my head and instead just be happy with what I do have. I'm saying absurd idea of perfection, because most things that pop up in my head as significant or as meaningful probably don't mean a whole lot for other people. And that works the other way around as well (for instance, I couldn't care less if my home isn't perfectly clean, as long as it feels like my home).

A pretty mainstream dress (although very short, but blame the designers who do not seem to think about tall people when putting together those very tiny dresses) spiced up with some interesting details: sometimes that's all you need.

Dress, purse: Primark - Brogues: New Look - Jacket, hat, necklace: H&M - Socks: random - Sunglasses: Ebay

INSPIRATION: Charlotte Free

 

I'm not one to be prone to a lot of girl crushes, but lately I must admit it has happened. With the announcement of her as the new face of Maybelline in 2012, Charlotte Free became one of my top inspirational people all over the globe. I am definitely in oohs and aahs about this one particular girl. She has an exquisite style, a je m'en fous character, wears band shirts, has pink ombre hair (or other rainbow colours) and just seems a tad bit crazy. That's how I like my girls! Or maybe I'm just mainly deceived by the pink hair.

 

Charlotte Free was born in 1993 (god, that sounds young and makes me, being born in the 80's, feel awfully old) and became discovered as a model in 2010 while she was playing video games in an arcade. Which makes her even cooler in my opinion, even though it might be just a story circling around on the Internet. Since then she got featured as the face of Maybelline and did campaign and modeling for a few of my personal favorites such as River Island, H&M, Forever 21, Topshop but also Benetton and Jeremy Scott. 

 

She calls herself moonchild, princess from another world or just the plain incarnation of princess Zelda (insert the tad bit crazy here), which only makes me love her more. To end my serenade, the personal motto of this pretty princess: "I'll do whatever I want as long as I hurt no one doing it." BOOYA. 

PS: I'm going to have to be needing a 'I 'm really a mermaid' shirt. Period.