Fashion show for charity

About a week ago a class from my school organised a fashion show for charity (Serious Request - raising money to prevent infant mortality).
I was there with my mother who loves clothes almost as much as I do. 
First the clothes were to be shown and afterwards there was an auction of the clothes. 
Some of the clothes were customized by the students themselves.
I went home with these beautiful pieces:

Pants:

A Scottish skirt:

A blazer: 

And another piece of clothing (which I didn't particulary like, but I liked the idea) inspired me to do it myself:

It's not finished yet, I'll see what else I can do with this denim jacket, because I'm not completely satisfied. 

Knitting!

I started knitting again! I am currently knitting a scarf for a friend of mine. I'm knitting with a rib, which I'm doing for the first time. My roommate is an amazing knitter, so she tought me. It's so much fun, and it's looking pretty good already! 

And it's dark in a cold December

This morning I saw this winter's first snow! (Well, my first snow, not the first snow.)

Which at first I thought was beautiful and wonderful (snow always creates a special feeling for me) until I had to go outside. 

It's cold outside! And wet. The snow doesn't stay on the ground but melts right away, which is kind of a disapointment.

So, winter is finally really here. 

I've wanted the winter to come, I'm not such a big fan of the autumn. At first it's beautiful with all the different colours the trees have. But then all the leaves fall off and the trees look sad and dead. And the rain! 

Oh well, there's an up -and downside to every season.

But since I live in a house with no heat (well, we have one heater, but when we turn that on - the whole apartment smells like gas, which can't be good) it's very cold inside. 

I'm wearing a lot of clothes to keep myself warm. 

My parents gave me this little heater (it's a champion because it works like a charm). 

Unfortunately, my feet are the first to get cold (and my nose, gotta buy a nose-warmer).

It's so hard to keep your feet warm! 

Luckily my mother bought me a sort of pillow where you can stick your feet in. I love my mother for buying me things that prevent me from freezing.

Oh! And to get in the Christmas-mood, my roommate took a little Christmas tree with her.

With coloured lights, very cute. 

Just this morning I felt a little sad because I wasn't at home with my parents in this special month, because I miss the feeling I get when it's December. But this little tree makes everything better!

Hands up for recycling!

I'm a big fan of charity shops. I almost always go there with my mother, she loves them more than I do.

I was home with my parents for a day yesterday, which was awesome because I  hadn't been home in ages - and won't be for ages.
It's a good thing I don't go home as much as I used to last year - it makes my parents like me more ;-)
Or at least appreciate it more when I'm there.

Anyways, my mother and I went to this charity shop in the town my parents live.
And to make a not-so-long story even shorter: this is what I bought:

And real Doctor Marten shoes! (I had never heard of the man before yesterday to be honest), but they're great, and visibly worn, which I love most about them.



And a briefcase, which I've been looking for for ages. 

And that's that.

Tough look

I just came back from the hairdresser, and my hair looks so different! Short and asymmetric! Oh man, it's short on the right side of my head.
This is the first time that I come back from the hairdresser feeling content about my hair. Usually the woman asks me: 'So, what do you think?' and then I lie with a forced smile: 'Love it.' 
Usually I do love it, after a week or so. But this is great! When the hairdresser suggested this, I first wanted to say 'no' but then I thought 'you know what, you're just going to do it!' 

So here it is:


Oh! And bought the greatest sweater today.It's what I've been looking for for a while now, and it's perfect. Lovely colour too.
Hopefully it will look good too, because I haven't tried it on yet. Oh well, we'll see.

Fabulous fifties

Last Friday I (with my class) went to a museum in Den Haag. There was an exhibition about the fifties, which was great!
The whole museum was full of mannequins dressed in clothes from the fifties. It made me regret we don't wear dresses like that anymore. There were beautiful going-out-dresses and also every-day-dresses. All great and stylish.

Also the museum itself was special.

Everything was all about the fifties, movies, icons, dresses and commercials.
   We've also seen a lot of Marilyn obviously. Beautiful Marilyn.

Fun thing is, that when I walk around in Den Haag I always feel like I'm in another country. High buildings, lots of traffic, people talking English or any other language. The only thing that reminds me that I'm actually in the Netherlands are all the bikes. 
I love to walk around in big cities on my own pretending to belong there. I still want to go to New York for a couple of months. Well who know, maybe in a couple of years.

Amazing Margiela

I've only recently been introduced to Maison Martin Margiela and I already love him! 
His designs are so wonderfully weird! 
Look at some pictures of one of his shows:

I love how he can make every piece of clothing so unique and - let's be honest - kinda weird and yet so gorgeous! I can't take my eyes off of it. Especially the third picture from the left. I would want to have that dress, eventhough I would probably never ever wear it. It's beautifully bold.

And, great news (well, not really news because everyone already knows it): Margiela made a collection for H&M!
Maison Martin Margiela clothes for H&M prices - unfortunately still too expensive for me. I would love these three items on the right. Especially the purple turtleneck. I just love how it's just not ordinary.

I admire Margiela, and I'm glad he and I got acquainted - well...you know what I mean.

My wall of fame and ambitions

Did I mention I recently moved in? Probably.
Anyway, I painted one wall grey, because I love grey. For me it's the sophisticated colour.
I have a small room with a lot in it, that's who I am, a bit chaotic but mostly cosy.

I like to put lots up on the wall (picture on the left). There's a collage about pret à porter I made in class, a cookie wrap,  the wrap of a chocolate bar and the cover of this month's Vogue.
I'm determined to cover my wall with all the things I like, until there's not any room left.
I just want people to come into my room and instantly knowing what kind of girl I am by just looking at my wall.

I know I'm a fashion management student, but I can't help dreaming about designing clothes.
So I sometimes do.
I have a mannequin and my mother sometimes buys me pieces of fabric which she finds at a second hand store.
So a couple of weeks ago she gave me this green/yellow piece of fabric which I just loved.
I couldn't help but imagine how I could make something out of it, so I thought 'what the hell' and I created a skirt.
It's not put together but I intend to sew it together and add a zipper.
But I'll have to ask one of my teachers to help me with that, because I can't do that on my own.

I'm so excited, in weeks, I might have made my own skirt!

Too bloody expensive!

Like I said in one of my earlier posts: I wish I had all the money in the world to buy everything I love.
I don't have a lot of money to spend so things can soon get too exprensive. 
I can't spend €50 for a jacket or a blazer, though I would kill for it. It's just too much. I'm the youngest of 11, I didn't grow up with Haute Couture so to speak.
I shop a lot at H&M because I love the clothes there and it's cheap!
But still I look at the clothes I can't afford and dream of the day I will be able to afford it.

For example, I would never be able to afford real Levi's (€120) but I do think it's important to own a good pair of jeans. 

Another example: I would love a beautiful sophisticated dress by Zara (€80).
Or - if we're really talking about expensive: shoes by Chanel (€695). I love Chanel. I'm desperately waiting for the day that I can afford my own pair. 
And of course the beautiful jewelry by Swarovski (watch: €280).

Luckily I don't have to have expensive clothes made by designers known all around the world (it wouldn't hurt to have them, though it would hurt to buy them). I can be perfectly happy with clothes I buy at the H&M - eventhough I know it will break down after a couple of weeks.

As I write this down, I know it's not completely true - I can walk around town, looking at stores where they sell clothes I can't afford or look at pictures in Vogue and drool all over the pages (not because I'm creepy but because everything is gorgeous).
But then I arrive back on Earth and realise that I just have to wait a couple of years longer before I can afford these things. And with that thought I turn the page of the magazine and read about lace. 

Madame Coco Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur 'Coco' Chanel. 

An extraordinary and unique woman. She was a pioneer in fashion.

She was the first woman ever who appeared on the '100 most influential people of the 20th century'-list in the American magazine Time.

Everything she created was different than what the great names in fashion created. 

'Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress. You're elegant because you're elegant,' she said and with that made sweaters and pleated skirts with reduced waist for women.

But she didn't only create clothes. She also designed jewelry, bags and parfume (her famous parfume Chanel no.5 was the first parfume that 'didn't smell like flowers but smelled like a woman' - said with Chanel's own words).

A couple of her most famous creations:

- The little black dress

- The Chanel bag

- The Chanel suit

I admire Coco Chanel because she took a huge step by totally transforming fashion in that time and make something entirely different.

People could have hated it and then she would have never become such an icon as she is today, but people did love it and Coco Chanel then enriched the world of fashion.

Welcome!

This is so exciting, a first post!

I am dying to get started!

First: an introduction is in order. 

I am Rachel, and I'm 18 (for another two or so months). I live in Enschede with two great girls, in a room that is way too small but great because it's so cosy, ánd I have a balcony which is never a bad thing. 

I study fashion management which is awesome so far (I just started my first year). 

I adore fashion. I've loved it all my life, really. Since I was a young girl I had magazines like Elle and Glamour when other girls my age bought Cosmogirl - I hate reading about what all the stars do, I want to know what's in fashion!

When I was a lot younger I used to have a bag addiction. I had tons. Now I don't anymore, great bags cost a fortune. 

I have a shoe addiction now. 

Especially heels, oh I love heels. 

Everytime I buy heels they have to be higher and more spectacular. 

I have multiple heels I can't even walk on. My mother thinks it's ridiculous, and I don't blame her. I just can't stop myself.

My two favorite heels are my green ones (left picture). I bought them in England. The prettiest and deadliest heels I have are these multicolored ones (picture below).

I love wearing jeans. I love how they go with almost everything. I wear a lot of jeans.

I love wearing sweaters too, preferably oversizes ones...with high heels.

(Yes, I know I'm saying a lot of 'I love', but I just love it!)

Sometimes I wish I had all the money in the world so I could buy all the things I love...but no can do! I have just enough money to buy food and afford my rent. 

Like I said - I adore fashion, but it isn't the most important thing in my life.

I have a subscription to Vogue (great fashion magazine, by the way) so I know what's in and out of fashion, but I wouldn't call myself a fashion follower. I know everybody wears studs right now, but that's just not me. I don't follow, I stay true to myself and my style.