Ella & Louise

Picture Perfect #6

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan photographed by Baz Luhrmann. Absolutely Perfect.

Read our Great Gatsby Review here.

On my mind #5

Picture from a previous report here.

1. Antwerp Academy live stream

It’s the first time in forever that I can’t make it to the graduation show of the Antwerp Academy and it feels a bit strange. I always enjoy the wild creativity and how you can see the evolution of the students when you go every year. Not this time though. I’m sure I’ll find plenty of reports with pictures, but nothing beats the real thing. We already told you this last year: but the academy actually started livestreaming the show so people from all around the world can follow it. So  if you can, definitely tune in this saturday at 20:00 GMT+1 ,you can do that here or here! The official hashtag is #antwerpfashion!

2. Agent provocateur shop opening

Agent Provocateur opened its first Antwerp shop right around my corner. Dangerous stuff, because I always love their more exclusive Soiree line, and exclusive of course means that it’s also more expensive. The address is Schuttershofstraat 7, do check it out!

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Double the Denim

Triple the excitement! No not really, but it does make for an excellent city tripping combo. And I do blend in perfectly with the background at Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation, don’t I? If you plan on visiting Marseille, don’t miss this piece of architecture history. The rooftop is freely accessible and a great spot for taking a break!

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To The Beach Pt. 2: Koh Phi Phi

Koh Phi Phi is such a gorgeous place on our planet that it deserves a post to itself. With my foot being messed up, I spoiled myself to a fancy hotel with a great view and a pool. I figured that if I couldn’t swim, I could put at least one half of my body in the water. I’m traveling trough Thailand in low season which means a bit of rain once and a while but most of all, just a fraction of the tourists. On an island where they give earplugs at check-in, I could hear the waves while laying in bed. And let’s face it, isn’t that just the best sound?

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To The Beach Pt. 1: Ao Nang

Wow, so much has happend since my last post. I was so happy to see so much green and then finally the beach. My first stop was Ao Nang, a tourisic little village in the Krabi province. Nicer then Krabi town, much better than Phuket from what I hear and a perfect take off point for all the other islands on the Andaman coast.

The Ao Nang beach is impressive but definitely not the most impressive one you’ll see while in Thailand. I soon met a local diving instructor, Antoinette, who is simply a great person (if you’re going diving, Aquavision is the place to go). She first renamed me ‘Ray’ (which I actually started listening to) and took me for a night dip on the other side of the cliff ( ask for the monkel trail and simply follow it). This was a magical experience with so many visible stars, the moonlit limestone cliffs and the glow in the dark plankton (I for one did not know plankton glows in the dark). Read more..

From another point of view

My shop Lily and the Lady has been working with quirky Spanish brand Nice Things for six seasons now. I once discovered it while I was living in Barcelona and bumped into one of their shops, but you can read all about that here.

This season I absolutely love the video’s they made called “Nice Things from another point of view”. They have three video’s based on mountain, desert and sea surroundings, and they respectively want to make me go camping, go ride a camel or go snorkeling, so let’s just say job well done! I love the mountain video the most. The music, the images, the editing… It reminds me of my childhood vacations in the south of France. The perfect way to kickstart the sunny weekend! Read more..

Rough around the edges

Yesterday’s outfit that already seems about 10 000 times too hot for today. We’ve either had rain and ridiculously low temperatures this spring, or instant summer like now. I’m not complaining though, I’d prefer some sunshine any day. It had been a long time since I worn this jacket, even though I love the fact that the classic vibe is balanced with the rough edges. But now it has found a perfect buddy: my ripped Levi’s 501 jeans. Some high heels and a simple top: done!

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E&L Craves for…

… this wonderful combo by my new brand crush Attic and Barn, perfect for the weather we’ve been having in Belgium this week! Finish with a flat sandal and some sunnies, et voila, perfect summer look!

Everyone wants to be a Wunderkind

I’ve just read an article in the New York Times called “Kids these days” on twenty something entrepreneurs that left me both inspired and gobsmacked. Being “an entrepreneur” myself (aren’t we the new rockstars), articles like these are my fuel. Books and tips and tweets and quotes from people that have jumped in the deep end before me, because I don’t really have colleagues to talk things over with and brainstorm. It’s just me, my mom and our business. And we each have our own turf.

Most of the time I’m pretty content with what we do. I love my job, and sometimes I’m actually kind of a loner, so I don’t mind working on my own. In the 2,5 years Lily and the Lady exists, we’ve grown a ton and turned it into an actual business with actual customers. There’s nothing nicer than receiving that happy e-mail after someone received a package. You know you made them feel good about themselves, and you know you’ve made a difference on some level.

Being your own boss means always being a little scared. You can’t ever turn it off. It means sleepless nights and stomach problems. I figured out pretty quickly that I’m always scared no matter what I do, and I might as well just go for it all the way. Owning a business is rough and scary and fulfilling and all the other clichés about entrepreneurship. But most of all it makes me happy. And I can’t imagine living my life any other way anymore. Read more..

Making Arrangements

Clinique even better clinical dark spot corrector// Earrings from Brooklyn Flea// Rituals Candle// This side of Paradise// Velocity

I’ve been loving my new trey from Ezis Living. Turns out it was exactly what has been missing in my interior. It was more difficult than it seems to find a simple black trey at a reasonable price, believe me, I’d been looking for a while. If they weren’t sold out on the website, I’d definitely order a second one. I’ve discovered that treys and platters aren’t only great for their obvious use, -carrying stuff-, but also add structure to your interior when you have a lot of little bowls, knick knacks and candles. Which I do. Oh, and I had a little geeky fun this weekend photographing the uses of my trey in four different ways. Read more..