Inspiring Images

I bought a copy of British Vogue may recently, and there was one article that really stood out. It was about how one picture could change your life or your career path. There were photographers, fashion designers and stylists that described the image that opened their eyes.
The two most beautiful pictures were:

Patrick Demarchelier: "I love the spirit of Sokolsky's pictures. They're like a dream."

Simone d'Aillencourt by Melvin Sokolsky 1963

Manolo Blahnik: "For me, this picture encapsulated the absolute modernity of the time. I was fascinated and very inspired by how a man who grew up in Edwardian times, and who had captured the essence of every decade he had worked in, could still continue to do so with such sharpness and perfection. The picture shows the intelligence and the artistic capability of one of the geniuses of twentieth-century fashion photography. To this day, together with those of Mr [Irving] Penn, I find Beaton's photographs still just as inspiring."

Jean Shrimpton by Cecil Beaton 1964

In the same magazine, I found a picture that was very inspiring to me: it gave me the absolute feeling of summer and freedom. It came from a fashion shoot in Damascus. The whole shoot is very beautifully taken; in and around the Syrian capital, with shimmering metalics.

model: Stella Tennant

fashion editor: Bay Garnett

photographer: Tom Craig

Gagalicious

Apart from the fact that Lady Gaga's songs are addictive and so danceable, and that she has great style, she also makes great video's. She blends all kinds of weird stuff, beautiful make-up and cool fashion to one fantastic video. Nails with playing cards on them? Check. A diamond dress? Check. A bow made from her own hair? Check. Television glasses? Check. It's like she's some kind of big magnet that attracts everything that's cool. I especially love her promotion video for her album, The Fame. You can watch it here: Lady_Gaga_The_Fame

"Let them eat cake," she said, just like Marie Antoinette.

I have seen a lot of movies lately. That's because my friend got this coupon for the video rental store so you can rent five movies instead of three. When we're watching movies, we always come up with some sort of theme to select them. Like, we watch movies from one actor or actress; we had a Leonardo DiCaprio movie night, and we selected movies from Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. This time, we thought it would be cool to select them on the costumes. I just adore hoopskirts, so there were a lot of movies from that time. But we also rented Memoirs of a Geisha - Japanese kimono's!

Memoirs of a Geisha

Pride and Prejudice

Elizabeth and the golden age

Vanity Fair

But the best costume movie in my opinion is, without a doubt, Marie Antoinette:

OMG! I don't think there exists a girl on this planet who wouldn't fall for these dresses.
Just two words are enough: So. Cute.
All the bows, heels, ruches, ribbons, hoopskirts, hats, masks; all in milkshake colours. And the hairstyles are just as fabulous. Even the food is served stylish! I think Kirsten Dunst suits the role of Marie Antoinette very well, she's a good actress. I also think of Sofia Coppola as a great director. There's one thing very obvious; every fashion admirer should watch this movie. So grab your cake and hurry, 'cause you don't want to miss this piece of art!

Btw, it seems like The Duchess, with Keira Knightley, is also a great costume movie. I can't wait to check it out!

Music makes the world go round!

I've stolen my dad's phonograph, and I LOVE it!

I can't believe it is actually working. It sounds so good! So much better than Mp3's. I think it's quite fascinating to see the LP's go round and round and round...

Oh, and thank God that my dad has a great sense for music, or I would have been hooked up with crappy old music...

I like to listen to the Beatles of course (I'm named after John Lennon's song Julia), the Police, the Rolling Stones, the Clash, Queen, Joni Mitchell and many more. Music makes me so happy!

Btw, this is what I wore a few days ago:

Pants: vintage, shirt: H&M, necklace: Six, bracelet: made with love, belt: vintage, vest: Nii, tights: Zeeman, shoes: Dolcis

"A picture paints a thousand words."

Here are some of my favourite illustrators. I love them because they make funny, beautiful, dark or silly illustrations. But they do have one thing in common: they're all authentic.

Margot Macé.

Tatsuya Taniguchi.

Sarah Beetson.

Gina Triplett.

Tara McPherson.

Miki Amano.

Lillycat.

Hanoch Piven.

Ana Bagayan

Paula Sanz Caballero.

I wish I had half the talent these artists have!

Currently listening to: Lily Allen ~ 22 Love that song!

Be Inspired...

Here's a list of people who are, in my opinion, very inspiring. All in their own way. Please let me know who inspires you the most!

1. Lily Allen

I think Lily Allen is inspiring, because she’s such a good singer. She accomplished a lot. She also has a great sense for fashion; I love her vintage dress + high top sneakers + golden chunky necklaces mix! And apart from that, she’s really funny too. The lyrics of her catchy songs are always interesting and they have a message. I absolutely adore her new album "It's not me, it's you". You should give it a listen!

2. Ellen Page
Ellen Page is on my list because of two things. The first is because she’s a wonderful actress. I like her so much in Juno! She just knows how to bring this touchy subject of teenage pregnancy. A serious subject shown to people in a way that's fun. The second because she’s so real. She’s very different from other famous people. One time, she went backpacking in East-Europe, instead of going to glamour parties at the film festival in Cannes. I think she's one of those people who know exactly what they want and what's right for them.

3. Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams rocks! Literally. The female lead singer of all boys rock band Paramore has a fantastic voice. Her bright fire red hair has become her trademark over the years. I noticed that many people around me started painting their hair red. Due to her, I guess. I also think she’s very cool because she’s just herself all the time. I have the feeling that she hasn’t changed that much with becoming famous. She’s still that same girl that joined a band so many years ago.

4. Clémence Poésy
Clémence Poésy is a French actress with great style. She played Fleur Delacour in Harry Potter. She’s on my list because of her way with clothes(well-chosen, architectural and fashion forward ensembles), but also because of her persistence; she refuses to play in other movies than French ones (yes, Harry Potter is not French, but she plays a French girl;))That makes her really special: she could be much more famous if she wanted to, but she sticks to her conviction.

5. Daisy Lowe

Besides that she's truly beautiful and I absolutely adore her hairdo, model Daisy Lowe has the coolest style. Her vintage, messy, and "I'm with the band" look got her in magazines and style blogs all over the world. Leather leggings, cute dresses, ultra short mini dresses, Miu Miu platforms and All Stars: she does it all. Everywhere she goes she leaves an unforgettable impression.

6. Kristen Stewart
Then, last but not least, Kristen Stewart. I think she is one of the most talented actresses now. I especially liked her in Into the Wild, where she plays Tracy; an interesting character. She sings and plays the guitar in that movie too, and I can tell you: she’s also very talented with music. I think she chose her roles well; she has played so many different types of characters over the years.

"Life is like a piano, what you get out of it depends on how you play it"

I saw that quote somewhere on the internet, but I'm not sure where I got it from. Anyway, it suits this week for me perfectly. Because I play the piano, and I will be playing this saturday at a piano "concours". It's some kind of challenge, and I will be competing with other kids from my level. I think it will be so much fun! I will be playing Clair de Lune (Claude Debussy), a song that I absolutely adore. I'm very nervous because it's like six pages long, and I will be playing it without my music sheets. I hope I don't mess up... But it will be allright, I guess. I've practiced so hard for it.
You can listen to the song here:
Clair_de_Lune

Hmm, I'm still considering my options for my outfit on the big day, but it will defenitely be something black/white. That'll look great with the piano..:)