Trips, trics&outfit: House of Elliot-ish

The House of Elliot is one of the most intriguing restaurants in Gent. Pretty expensive (therefore we didn't actually eat there) but worth having a peek inside. Elliot is a roaring twenties inspired restaurant, based on the TV-series... House of Elliot (no shit Sherlock hahaha.) The whole restaurant, inside and out, screams 1920s luxury and decadence. It actually looks like a small vintage museum. Turned out that got everything to do with the owners love for nostalgia. When passing Elliot, we kind of ran into the owner and he told us about his antiques collection and passion for bygone decades. The current window display is filled with Josephine Baker novelties and inside of the restaurant stood an actual life size Baker doll from her Folies Bergère days. Such absolute delight to gaze at and dream about gorgeous times gone by.... Here are a few snaps from Elliot and the outfit I wore that day.

Kimono: Zara

Blouse: Anna van Toor

Pants: vintage (episode)

Bag: vintage (fleamarket)

Necklace: Zara

Earrings: Zara

Belt: vintage

Shoes: Bleyer

Trips&travels: Sjock Festival

Yiihaaaah! We went to Sjock Festival this year and it was AWESOME! A weekend filled with rockin' music, sunshine, cocktails and laughter; what more could a gall want... We managed to capture some moments with a disposable camera..... how retro! When is the last time you used one of those?

Trips&travels: Gent by Night

Of course the Belgian nightlife had to be explored as well. On the first night we were there started in a quirky bar called 'Pink Flamingo's' and after that we ended up in the 'Trollekelder.' Both very different from each other but loads of fun. We met some awesome Gentenaren (locals) and grilled them about the best places to be. It turned out Gent has something in store for everyone, especially for hedonists like ourselves. The next day we had dinner at 'Mosquito Coast', a fun and gorgeous travel inspired cafe. The food was delicious and the cocktails were even better. To us, these three places were to go to after the sun went down.

Tips&trics: The Notorious Dress

My loves... You know I'm quite picky when it comes to retro inspired wears. I am a true vintage lover and I often feel like the authentic pieces are being overshadowed by the retro wear trend. I do however appreciate good retro inspired garments from time to time, as long as the fit is proper and the fabric is still vintage-ishy I can be open minded. 

I have been modelling new retro styles for Notorious over the last few months and I love it. The ladies from the little boutique in Utrecht value the same aspect in garments as I do. Good fits, refined detailing, decent fabrics, accurate finishing... and so on. So I always know I'll like the new pieces they select.

This however was a very special occasion; I got together with four sultry ladies and an amazing photographer  (Eva Krebbers) to capture a new dress designed by non other than.... The  Notorious beauties themselves! Manja and Laura put their heads together with Hotrod Hussy to create their very own design. I was lucky enough to try the black version on and I can honestly say it felt like a GLOVE. The dress is just so incredibly comfortable and the fit is A-MA-ZING... each lady modelling a dress that day had a different body type and the Notorious dress fitted us all to the teeth. Because of the clean designs this beauty is very diverse. You can wear it for a more formal occasion with a blazer for instance and then with some killer heels when you go out for a booming night on the town. This dress is a multi-talent!

Photography: Eva Krebbers

The Notorious Dress

Photography: Eva Krebbers

Photography: Eva Krebbers

Photography: Eva Krebbers

Photography: Eva Krebbers

Photography: Eva Krebbers

Photography: Eva Krebbers

Trips, trics&outfit: The most beautiful B&B

Finding the best place to stay for a city trip can be quite the hassle. I always want the location to be near the center and the breakfast to be proper. But unfortunately that is not always as easy to find... either your have to make a 30 minute travel to reach the center of town or you have to pay over 100 euros a night for a  more central stay. Fortunately Gent is not too big so I quickly discovered several B&B's near the historic center. Since I am a bit of a bargain hunter, I then went looking within a reasonable price range. I ended up sending a message to the owner of the Alphabed B&B and he confirmed to have two rooms available that weekend. Once arrived we were baffled by the beauty of the interior and the perfect balance between antiques and modern comfort. The center was a few minutes away and the next morning we enjoyed a gorgeous breakfast in the living kitchen (a lovely space to spend some time in between sightseeing as well). A win, win, WIN situation I'd say.... Alphabed is a great (and private I might add) place to stay for a city trip to Gent.

A quicky outfit

Trench: vintage Louis Feráud (Giensch)

Skirt: 50s vintage (market in Gent)

Blouse: H&M

Shoes: Dolcis

Belt: vintage

Scarf: River Island

Trips&travels: Waffle House Fun

Our trip to Gent was all about enjoying Belgian life... drinking special beers and eating local foods. One of the delicacies Belgium is famous for, are waffles. Our friends visited Gent before and they knew just to place to eat the best waffles. So of we went an visited 'Max' to enjoy these crunchy delights. I shared a waffle with Marnix, since those babies were HUGE. We decided to splurge on toppings and went all the way; it was  one big sugar, chocolate and vanilla ice-cream delight! Although the prices were not too friendly, I have to say the taste an presentation was absolutely divine (just look at my heavenly silver coffee cup!) The establishment itself is just too kitschy-cute to be true, I would recommend checking Max out (even if you're not eating there) when passing by. Max is truly a curiosity on it's own hahaha... our visit there ended up being hilarious. We had so much fun poring our chocolate into every cube in the waffle, while making harmless fun of the ridiculous service hahaha... an experience on it's own!

Tips&trics: Bannou

Creating your own vintage inspired label? A dream come true for the beautiful Faranak Mirjalili, who also happens to be the creative brain behind hers truly; I Love Vintage. We all know the amazing vintage webshop ILV and now we can open our hearts to a ravishing vintage inspired label called Bannou. It thrills me to be able to share this with you dears! Inspired by feminine silhouettes from history, with the accent on the 20s and 30s, Bannou will be an enrichment to the retro inspired labels we already now. How exciting!

The Audrey Dress

Bannou derives from the Persian language Farsi and means 'lady,' a nickname Faranak was gifted with by her grandfather. The name suits the sophisticated collection like a beautiful lace glove. Each design is like a cherry on our female curves and I do believe the collection will have something in store for every body type. While femininity is the key to this collection, sustainability is the red thread. With Bannou, you will always have transparency on where your garment comes from and how is made. I just love the fact that Faranak chose to make use of vintage fabrics!

The Shark Teeth Dress

The look book for this roaring collection was shot in Paris, mon cherie.... Where else could this gorgeousness have been captured and who else would have been a more perfect embodiment than the stunning Miss Pandora. So much beauty, so much style all together.... I literally went 'ooh an aah' when I browsed through the beautiful Bannou imagery! J'adore that the pieces are named after icons from fashion history (L) I can not wait for the entire collection to be revealed on ILV and I am very curious what you think of it? Here are some of my favorites, but you can already find more pieces on the webshop! Make sure to keep your eyes on I Love Vintage as this affordable collection contains many more delicious designs! Are you as psyched as I am?

The Louise Dress

The Daisy Buchanan Dress

The Dovima Dress

The Zoe Dress

The Tabacco Leaf Dress

And..... any favorites yet?