The end of a wrinkly era: the Jiffy

Jiffy steamerMy mum belongs to a distant generation who irons once every few weeks: on ‘iron day’ a huge pile of wrinkly items, like shirts, skirts, towels, duvet covers and even flannels awaits turns into neat and flat piles while listening to the radio or watching tv. THE WHOLE DAY. I have never ironed a duvet cover (let alone flannel!) and just thinking about spending more then twenty minutes ironing… fills me with despair.
After organizing my closet I did find out that I had worn certain items because of their wrinkles. My regular steam iron could not tackle them or some materials were just too delicate. I turned to the internet to find a solution and after reading a lot of blogs from vintage shops and stylists, watching countless youtube videos and comparing notes, I discovered a travel size steam iron. A pink one. One that looks like a rather lovely vacuum flask and can be put in a small cabinet. One that does not require an ironing bord. Meet the Jiffy handheld steamer, made in the USA.

Yes, it was expensive. But it was worth it. I love it. My boyfriend loves it. Our clothes love it. And best of all: the wrinkles hate it! Just unscrew the cap, pour in some water, plug it in and wait a minute. All you need to do is hang your jeans, dress or shirt somewhere that allows you to stretch it a bit with your free hand, you then just move the Jiffy up and down and the wrinkles will disappear like magic. I love it so much that I have taken with me to family trips, to coffee dates with friends, to work… Yes, I am hysterical about it and I wish I could tell my eighteen-year-old about it. Gosh, how much more put together I would have looked with ironed clothes in my twenties.

If you are in Europe, you can buy the Jiffy from Amazon. The pink one costs a bit more than the black one but it’s so worth it.

Nadinoo

I will be 37 in a few months. It sounds as surreal as 2016, which to me still sounds like a science-fiction date. Being 37 is just as sci-fi. My birthday has always been and stayed a very special day. For the last 36 years I have been waking up excited and happy, wearing a sometimes visible, sometimes invisible crown all day. Will it be like that this year too? I really hope so.

In order to prepare myself with as many happy ingredients as I can, I have been looking for the perfect birthday dress for quite some time. Last year’s I was dancing around all day in the wonderful ‘Anouk‘ dress from Mrs Pomeranz. The print was created by children’s illustrator Genevieve Godbout, who also designed the print of one of my favourite dresses by Nadinoo in collaboration with Anthropologie. So this year I decided to go back to Nadinoo and Genevieve for a new favourite dress: the button-up dress with a lovely apple print.

Nadinoo
If you have never heard of British designer Nadia Izruna’s label, then you are in for a treat. Her love of clothing and the desire to sew up cheerful, well-designed womenswear spurred her on to start her own label in 2009, Nadinoo.

Moving to the English countryside has had a huge influence over the mood and colours of her latest collection. ‘The Good Life’ is all about relaxing into a slower pace and appreciate all that is good in life. The 100% cotton cloth is printed by a small English print house.

All dresses (and aprons and pillows) are designed and handmade in our countryside studio in limited runs with a focus on quality and craftsmanship. The collection is seasonless, which means I will be able to wear it for years to come: the perfect birthday dress. Goodbye, disposable clothing. Hello, well loved wardrobe worthy of care and perhaps one day passing it on to my niece.

Nadinoo
Nadia is really wonderful and she even changed the fitting slightly so the dress would fit me perfectly. And it did… Just look at how the dress was wrapped: all good things made with love should be wrapped like a gift.

Curious about the birthday dress runners-up? Here they are:
Birthday dress
From left to right The Women are Boss dress from BOB, Rose Garden dress from Mrs Pomeranz, Anita Moon Print dress from People Tree, Grid Eyelet Sleeveless dress from Orla Kiely

Phone off, kettle on, pyjama time…

Yawn
The beautiful pj’s from Yawn arrived wonderfully wrapped: there was even a tiny box of tea inside. All the prints are quirky and sweet, I fell in love with catnap and storm at sea. The fabric is so soft and warm… I could wear my pyjama all day long.

Buying a luxurious nightgown that is really just for ME and MY OWN comfort and cosyness, felt like the most grown-up thing I have ever done (next to buying a red Chanel lipstick). Choosing between a nightshirt and a pyjama was the hardest part.
Yawn sleepwear
Order yours online now and enjoy.

Expresso

[borders]


client

Expresso


brief

Elegant female silhouettes


colors

zalm | Expressozwart | Expressoroze | Expressobruin | Expresso


worked with

Nori Koersvelt
[/borders]
[yellow_box][two_columns_one]Independent of fat percentage, weight or width, female body shapes are categorised in some Western cultures into one of six elementary geometric shapes. The clothes which will flatter you best will depend on your body shape. Wearing the right clothes should be about choosing what actually suits you and what makes you feel comfortable and confident.[/two_columns_one][two_columns_one_last]Expresso is a Dutch women’s fashion brand, owned by Claudia Sträter. They have been using the six categories of female body shapes to advice their clients which clothes would suit them best. I have created six ‘modepopjes’ especially for them which will be used throughout the website and magazine. [/two_columns_one_last][/yellow_box]

The six body shapes of the female body, as created for Expresso’s clients. Which one are you? Meet Hourglass, Inverted Triangle, Apple, Pear, Spoon and Column.

Expresso modepopjes samen

Hourglass body type or ‘zandloper figuurpopje’
Zandloper Expresso

Apple body type or ‘appel figuurpopje’
Appel Expresso

Column body type or ‘kolom figuurpopje’
Kolom Expresso

Pear body type or ‘peer figuurpopje’
Peer Expresso

Inverted Triangle body type or ‘v figuurpopje’
V Expresso

Spoon body type or ‘acht figuurpopje’
Acht Expresso

Best friends’ book

[borders]


client

Hannah Koorenman


brief

A very special gift to celebrate a friendship between two very different friends. Anything was possible.


colors

green2peachgrey2


printed by

Blurb


[/borders]
[yellow_box][two_columns_one]Sometimes opposites attract, like Hannah and Iris. They became friends at school but soon their lives started going in very different directions. But they stayed friends. After 20 years of ‘best friendship’ there is only one good way to celebrate your love for each other loveliness and each other otherness with a smile:[/two_columns_one][two_columns_one_last] with a book designed like a children’s book ‘spot the difference’. Hannah came to me asking for ‘anything special’, loved the concept straight away, and the outcome. Both friends were super mega extremely happy with the result.[/two_columns_one_last][/yellow_box]

two best friends…

Jij en ik_cover

… with a different lovelife…

Jij en ik_liefde

… a different concept of the word ‘holiday’…

Jij en ik_vakantie

… an entirely different view on coffee…

Jij en ik_koffie

… and noninterchangeable agenda’s…

Jij en ik_agenda

… but both regarding each other as their best friend, for ever.

Jij en ik_wij

And yes, they lived happily ever after.

London Travel Guide: Shop, Eat & Wander

London Guide intro
Amsterdam is a beautiful city but I would swap it without hesitation for a life in London. Every time I visit that city, everything has changed. It’s an ever changing rollercoaster, full of life, color and sound. I have now discovered the best way to travel to and from London, is by boat: there is no limit to your luggage’s weight and you arrive early while feeling fresh and rested after a good night sleep. I book an apartment through University Rooms (I have yet to find a great AirBnb address) as I love going to farmer’s markets and buy fresh food to cook at least once a day. All you need to take with you is a mini London A-Z (it’s vital, forget the map in your travel guide, it will never be comprehensive enough), your camera and a biiiiig bag to hoard all the inspiration you can take with you.
I have been wanting to write a travel guide since I arrived there with my one-way ticket, many many years ago. But how can you try to capture a running city? Nothing ever stays the same. Not entirely. Even after a few months I felt my notes were already outdated. The only option left is to blog about it, re-writing a guide after every trip.London ShopsThere is a reason why I prefer to pack light when traveling towards London: its shops and markets are a treasure chest of marvel.

  • Brixton Village is an arcade, a maze of covered passageways full of quirky shops and vibrant restaurants from all over the world. It’s culinary heaven. Before getting there, you will find Brixton Station Road Market, a community market run by local traders. The fruit and vegetables in Brixton are some of the best I have ever tasted (and super cheap). Ah, the papaya’s…
  •  Chatsworth Road market in Hackney – every first Sunday of the month. I carry my bag from Bramble & Mr Twigg everywhere.
  • Capital Car Boot in Pimlico: hello, my dear Mulberry shirt and Chloe dress for under 20 pounds…
  • Favourite streets: Lamb’s Conduit Street is a street in Bloomsbury in the West End of London. There are many independent traders along the street. The People’s Supermarket food cooperative is always a highlight to me: not only the cooperative part of it but tha fact that it has a kitchen and sells freshly cooked food. All the ingredients come from the range sold in the store, from items that have reached their sell-by date or are past their best. Everything I have ever tried was delicious and low priced.
  • Broadway market, with or without the market
  • Charlotte street hides one of my favourite breakfast spots, Lantana, but also a nice array of shops.
  • For upmarket inspiration: The Shop at BlueBird in Chelsea.
  • You will find them everywhere, charity shops. This is where the rich and famous (I have seen clothes donated by Victoria Beckham and SHIRLEY BASSEEEEEY!!!) give away their clothes, most of which are still perfectly wearable. Make sure to be there early in the morning as you are not the only one preying on them.

London Food
London is the capital of food lovers. The scene is ever changing and you will find the best chefs of the world within walking distance: some in renowned restaurants, others in amazing street stalls.

  • For a daytime treat in a very hidden place, Rochelle Canteen by Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson. You enter via a buzzer on a tiny door in the wall of an old Victorian school on Arnold Circus.
  • The Modern Pantry, Ottolenghi (I love the table toasters with their chord hanging from the ceiling, but my granola was the real star of my visit) AND Lantana for breakfast
  • La Fromagerie for more granola
  • The Espresso Room for coffee
  • Exmouth Market around lunchtime. Eat your catch of the day from the street stalls on the green of Spa Fields Park
  • Granary Square (King’s Cross) is home to KERB every Tuesday-Friday lunchtimes. Street food galore. Are you in for more? Head to Street Feast
  • Green Valley‘s Lebanese icecream or sweets, plus the harems that occasionally step out from their Rolls Royce.
  • Tea at the Orangerie ( it’s touristy and queues are long but it’s really lovely) or the Dorchester (I bumped into Mick Jagger on my way out, iiiih!). I have been told that the one they serve at the Modern Pantry is to die for…
  • Coffee and croissant at the Wolseley

Wander around London
Yes, the city is crazy, noisy and incredibly busy but buy a bus pass and wear good shoes, and you will discover so many green spaces, amazing architecture or quirky details, wonderful museums and street art, hidden street markets, beautiful stories. It’s an incredible soup of inspiration. A few of my favourites:

  • In no particular order: The National Gallery (do take part in a tour and limit yourself to five paintings), Fashion and textile museum, Design museum (so far I have seen super inspiring exhibitions about Paul Smith, Christian Louboutin, Designs of the year…), the Enlightment room in the British Museum which is like a miniature museum about culture, nature, science and art in one room
  • It’s the perfect place to relax, Somerset House, whether it’s an exposition about the Rudeboy culture or time to put your iceskates on. The terrace overlooking the Thames is extremely nice.
  • What would family life have looked like for a family of Huguenot silk weavers around 1724 – 1914? Go and visit the Dennis Severs’ House to find out
  • Chelsea’s Glebe Place is just off King’s Road. On number 50 you will find Ornate House, the work of architect John Lowe. An eccentric and slightly scary Victorian building with ivy-covered walls.
  • Besides the river Thames, London also has a lot of smaller canals all across the city. I equally enjoy Little Venice and the towpath between Hoxton and Hackney.
  • Read a book at the Barbican Lake Terrace. Find the perfect book at Skoob, the secondhand book temple at Brunswick centre
  • Walk along the Thames. I usually start at Embankment and end at the Tate Modern.
  • Bikes are a relatively new phenomena in London. I have seen the situation improve during the past few years. I find it very inspiring to see how people overcome small problems, like pear shaped lamp posts…
  • Take a course, most museums (FTM, V&A) have one-day workshops and if you look around you will find so much. The teacher’s are usually heroes you have been following for years on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook. Or what about a Guardian Masterclass? I have learned how to screenprint at the Print Club Studio and how to ‘cup’ a coffee at the London School of Coffee.

De•vi

[borders]


client

Devi van der Pol


brief

Light, airy, quirky, elegant


colors

blauwgrijs


[/borders]
[yellow_box][two_columns_one]Nude, soft pinks, white and a website that is aimed at buyers and stores. The website had to reflect the current collection and make it possible to view the bags in more detail.[/two_columns_one][two_columns_one_last] A bit like a webshop without a shop and a catwalk without the walk. A webcat. Devi was lovely to work with, I absolutely adored all the bags and the ones I bought, have so far travelled with me to New York, Spain, London, Italy…[/two_columns_one_last][/yellow_box]

Website de•vi home

Website de•vi collection

Website de•vi product page

If you love shoes, you will love this

fearless feet festI do not enjoy buying sweaters. Or tops. I even hated buying trousers so much, I stopped wearing them altogether. But oh, boy, I really do enjoy buying shoes. I even have a shoe ritual: whenever I buy a beautiful new pair (ie something I do not actually need but rather enjoy as much as someone else might enjoy an original work of art or a postcard), I put them in my vintage shop counter for a few weeks so I can admire them in their perfect, unworn state. Every now and then, I take them out and look at how they have been constructed and skillfully put together. I am definitely a shoe person.

Although shoes are a lovely thing, that is not what this post is about at all. No, this post is about having beautiful feet to go in them. Continue reading If you love shoes, you will love this

modepopje #7: Mrs Pomeranz

modepopje #7The thing I love about the internet (one of many things) is that it builds bridges. It connects people who otherwise would have probably never heard of each other. It also connects creators with an audience they would have probably never reached. Mrs.Pomeranz is a sewing studio based in Moscow. Dasha Pomeranz, Masha Kopieva, Tatiana Tokareva and Marina Vasilieva are the talented seamstresses who create beautiful dresses and skirts based on a classical 50’s silhouette.

Oh, and the dresses… the dresses…

Karenina dress by Mrs. Pomeranz :: Angela woven sandals by Chie Mihara

Styled by Linda

[borders]


client

Linda de Mey


brief

Styled by Linda is a professional wardrobe stylist focused on personal style who had a book coming out and no online presence


colors

nudeblack


[/borders]

[yellow_box] [two_columns_one]Styled by Linda can be hired privately or for events, like in-house training of work staff or fashion evenings. As she focuses on personal style more than a musthave of the moment,[/two_columns_one][two_columns_one_last] the butterfly from her logo represents the most beautiful version of who you can be. Linda’ site main purpose was to present and promote her work. [/two_columns_one_last][/yellow_box]

Logo

Styled by Linda logo

Site collateral

Linda
Linda meets Viviana
stijl volgens Linda

Illustration body shape

Styled by Linda bodyshapes

Gift card

Flyer Styled by Linda

Site design, development & tutorials

Website Styled by Linda