d.i.y. striped spring & summer sweater (on repeat)

A super light and easy d.i.y. striped summer sweater!

Restocked in my ETSY SHOP; an easy to follow knitting pattern with detailed description in English and Dutch version.

Hop over to my Etsy shop if you want to make your one-piece summer sweater. It only takes a couple of days to knit it.

knitted striped vest

Knitted vests are the ideal garment of any between-the-seasons fashion.

Style as a singlet, or layer away! This cropped vest top goes perfect with anything.

Now in my ETSY SHOP and there's only one available.

easy level knitting pattern

More spencer options!

Some weeks ago I designed a new striped spencer with super nice fit. I knitted everything in one go, so it couldn't be easier!

Well, actually you can let your imagination run wild with this new basic spencer pattern.

Do you need a hand knitted spencer in you winter wardrobe too?

You can download the knitting pattern of this STRIPED SPENCER KNITTING PATTERN in my ETSY SHOP. This new pattern is available in English and Dutch version, with easy to follow knitting chart.

After the lilac & yellow and this green spencer, now I have a smooth black spencer on my knitting needles.

the striped spencer - new knitting pattern - easy-peasy!

Thé ongoing trend of AW 2021 are spencers!

You see them even more than last year. Three years ago I designed a knitting pattern for a checkered spencer.

It seemed a perfect piece in my winter wardrobe. So this year I wanted to design a new striped spencer with super nice fit. This time I knitted everything in one go, so it couldn't be easier!

I brought my new lilac & yellow striped spencer to Barcelona last week. A perfect garment for a city trip, it's nice and warm on your body and yet easy to wear under a blazer or coat.

The woolen spencer truly is a stylish item for the colder months. You can simply mix it with anything. Wear it over a t-shirt with long sleeves or under a jacket or cardigan. It's perfect for the feminine look, with a blouse, pencil skirt and heels, but can also be combined with pants, even with Adidas track pants ;-)

Mix, don't match. Everything is possible. Well, actually you can let your imagination run wild with this new basic spencer pattern.

Everyone needs a spencer in their winter wardrobe! You can download the knitting pattern of the STRIPED SPENCER KNITTING PATTERN in my ETSY SHOP. This new pattern is available in English and Dutch version, with easy to follow knitting chart.

And in the meantime I have knitted another one, a green striped tweed version. Easy-peasy!

Obviously you can also make a spencer in one color, also beautiful and even more easy.

spencer made its comeback

Thé trend of AW 2020 are spencers! Two years ago I designed an easy to follow knitting pattern for a checkered spencer. Remember the knitted checkered spencer? It's knitted in one piece, easy to make in no time.

It seemed a perfect piece in my winter wardrobe, so I made another one, a striped version. Well, actually you can let your imagination run wild with this basic spencer pattern.

I put on my striped spencer today (so funny that after the summer you suddenly discover all new outfits in your own closet)

The woolen spencer has been out of fashion for a long time, but it truly is a stylish item for colder months. You can simply mix it with anything. Wear it over a t-shirt with long sleeves or under a jacket or cardigan. It's perfect for the feminine look, with a blouse, pencil skirt and heels, but can also be combined with pants, even with Adidas track pants ;-)

Mix, don't match. Everything is possible.

Everyone needs a spencer in their winter wardrobe! You can download the SPENCER PATTERN in my Etsy shop. Available in English and Dutch version.

Since the spencer has made a serious comeback in 2020, Pippa asked me to knit her a spencer with cables last week, so that will be my next project ;-)

indigo block print kaftan from ibiza

I always get a lot of questions about my outfits in (private) messages on instagram and mails in response to blog posts.

Some kaftans are made by myself, some of them I found in secondhand shops, most of them I found abroad. Some in Lisbon, some in Londen. And some online.

This block print kaftan dress is from Aurobelle Ibiza. Have a look at their colourful exclusieve collection! The aim of owner Jane is to create beautiful garments in the most ethically and environmentally conscious way possible and support artisanal practices around the world, making each piece uniquely beautiful.

I fell in love with this indigo blue beauty! A super light organic cotton fabric, awesome handmade block print design and even pockets!

Slow fashion, wear clothes that matter.

Throughout the years i've discovered my kaftan dresses are timeless and perfect summer wear for almost any occasion.

I started wearing kaftans when i went to Marrakech more often. It feels more comfortable and respectful to adapt your outfit to the culture and it's effective in the heat and yet very feminine.

I've been wearing my kaftan collection for years and it's not going to fall out of fashion, so it moreover seems to be the most sustainable part of my wardrobe.

The ones who know me, know that I could wear kaftans all day every day...

A kaftan in summertime creates comfort, ease in the heat, and very much a sense of grace. Also after summer, a kaftan is the perfect stylish loungewear after a bath or shower. You can wear it all year around.

Alltogether slow fashion!

apparel

This week I photographed the favorite pieces from my summer wardrobe.

I made an overview of images per item (tops, bottoms, dresses and jumpsuits) and printed the sheets.

Obviously unnecessary but fun to do... and it reminded me of the dress up paper dolls, which I loved to play with in my childhood.

This flashback gave me the idea to cut out the photos so that I could make all kinds of combinations, without changing clothes.

A handy overview of my summer wardrobe. Practical because I love to travel light.

It makes packing your suitcase a lot easier if you bring as few pieces as possible. You can get the most out of your favorite apparel and change your outfit continuously.

slow fashion & sustainable souvenirs

Even before the term 'slow fashion' existed, I was already acting this way.

I always preferred original, beautiful and quality fashion to enjoy in a responsible and sustainable way.

Developing a personal, timeless style, is essential to avoid getting sucked into the madness of chasing after the latest trends.

Many items of my clothes- and shoes collection I already have for years, sometimes more than 20 years.

Although some of you might see me as 'Imelda Marcos', in reality it is not that excessive.

The same rule as it comes to interior objects. I try to follow the sustainable style, by buying for example timeless interior souvenirs.

Fashion fades, style is eternal - Yves Saint Laurent

Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality not quantity. - Vivienne Westwood

skirt day

Antwerp - 27th of February - spring-like, sunshiny Wednesday

Skirt day - or as we call it in the Netherlands; rokjesdag

In the first part of the week was as if spring had already started.
On Wednesday we decided to spend this mild and mainly sunny day in beautiful Antwerp.

Everyone was elated, but in our minds we all know that it is not normal #climatechange

Today, 2nd of March, the weather is back to 'normal' and we really have to wait until it's spring. Just a little patience, nevertheless the first skirts days were a fact.

summer season shoes

My favorite summer season shoe collection clockwise:

All Stars - Cacatoes - Betsy Palmer - Replay - Zeket - Voltan - Maypol - Isabel Marant - Raffiacraft by 33 Rue Majorelle - L.K. Bennett.

The Brazilian Cacatoes I've bought in Antwerp some weeks ago and they are my new 'Havaianas'.

In a few weeks we will fly to Sicily and I have to make a choice which ones to bring in my suitcase.

Casual choice has already been made; the All Stars, Cacatoes and Isabel Marant sandals I will certainly bring with me. One pair of dressy heels and ... ?

get up and go

Spring has sprung! Yippee!

The change of season, also means change of wardrobe.
At the moment I've started unpacking my spring-summer collection from the attic, for the upcoming trip to Marrakech.
No doubt I will bring my kaftans in my suitcase to Marrakech. Some cardigans and sweaters, in case it cools down a bit in the evenings.

What to wear in the in-between-season?
Will it be cold, warm or somewhere in-between?
For heaven's sake, what do you wear when transitioning from season to season?
Right now, it can be a really confusing time to get dressed in the morning.
This week, I started wearing a woolen beanie on my way to work on my bike in the morning. Somewhere around lunchtime you can easily sit outside in the sun, wearing a cardigan.

My advice and solution; layer up with pops of color, to keep your in-between outfit bright.

I have found this nice snug sweater, not too thick and more comfortable than a woolen sweater.
Love the fresh and unusual color combination (exactly as the beanie) and that 'get up and go' attitude!
... and the palm by all means fits completely in my 'palm tree period'.