Have you met miss Jones?

January Jones I mean, one of the leading stars (Betty Draper) in Mad Men. This shoot in W Magazine is stunning.

the Empress Theodora and the lost culture of Byzantium

Karl Lagerfeld did another great job designing Chanel's Pre-Fall 2011 line.
The collection, which was shown at Grand Palais in Paris, was inspired on the Byzantium Empire. You see the Egyptian influences, I especially love the red eyeliner in combination with the gold and black. Pure beauty, it is.

B'DAY PARTYYYY

''Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.”

NEW YORK PART VI

Last post about New York, and then my story is done.. completed..finished
Depressing thought, like you finish another great chapter in life. Almost the same feeling I had when I cleaned my nail, which one of my friends had polished in the pattern of the starts and stripes of the USA.



The last day had began and with a slightly sense of sadness I began this day. I had to do everything for the last time, get dressed in New York, take a shower in New York, have breakfast in New York. So depressing, but after a few moments I realised I had to enjoy this last day to the fullest. And so I did.


After we had packed all our stuff (and checked the rooms like a hundred times because no matter how glad I would be with an excuse to go back to New York for my forgotten stuf, it wouldn't be the handiest thing to happen) we went on a trip to Central Park.


We took the subway from Harlem to the Upper East Side (yes, it was as if you were in two complete different cities at the same day) and we entered Central Park at the entrance nearby the Plaza Hotel. We made another group photo and after a last quick look at the Plaza Hotel (I sincerely hoped to someone leaving or entering the very chique hotel for the rich and famous) we made a walk through Central Park.

The sun was shining, we felt good and la la la la laaaaaaaaaa.



Seriously, the weather was beautiful, we gave a saxophonist all the coins we had left (good for our karma), enjoyed his music, and the climax of this walk was the very attractive guy we saw, who was playing 'No woman no cry' on his guitar. God, I love New York...


We took a short break and ate the sandwiches we had bought earlier that day. As everybody ate a Subway sandwich, Karlijn and I had bought freshly-baked bread and some strawberries which we put on our sandwiches. Delicious.

Shortly after it was already time to go back to the hostel and to check out. Everything that followed isn't very essential to know. We went back to Grand Central Terminal where we took the bus to Newark Airport. We all spent our last dollars on souvenirs and magazines (I bought W and Harper's Bazaar, after I had already bought the American Vogue) and we had to wait for the airplane that would take us back to Brussels, where we would arrive the next day (due to the time difference).

I slept for about half an hour, so I actually skipped the night. Back in Holland I was exhausted and I slept 12 hours the next night. Though I was glad to see my parents and friends again, I can't really say I was glad to be home again. I really wasn't. The group was amazing, the program was awesome and everyday was more wonderful than the other.

I can honestly say I left my heart in New York. And I'm willing to pick it up at any time. So if anyone is planning to go to 'the Big Apple', let me know and I'm all yours ;)

Happy 70th Birthday to Bob Dylan!

Somewhere mama's weepin' for her blue-eyed boy
She's holdin' them a little white shoes and that little broken toy
And he's followin' a star
The same one them three men followed from the east
I hear, sometimes Satan come as a man of peace, oh yeah

Peace in the mind is the only way to face this bomber - Selah Sue

All the lyrics were so strong.
All the songs were so well-sung.
A Belgian blonde with hair like Amy Winehouse
Reggae songs with explosive bombs sung with a soulful voice

Selah Sue gave an fantastic show last night in Eindhoven.
I hadn't heard of her before a couple of months ago, but I fell in love with her album 'Black Part Love'.


After a busy work day I hurried to meet Ramai (with whom I go to every concert) but I had a flat tire. Great, really great to find out on such a moment in such a hurry. Anyway, we walked to the station and took the train to Eindhoven. We ate a quick bite (noodles, always delicious) and walked to the Effenaar. We were just on time because after we had jumped the queue we had a good spot and a few minutes later the support appearance began.

'Chris Berry', the band was called. It was very lovely music, a mix of jazz and blues with some Latino elements. They were Dutch, though the lead singer looked like she was from Spain or Cuba.



And then the moment had arrived. Selah Sue entered the stage. It was really overwhelming. Sounds odd to say that of a small Belgian girl (she did have a huge haircut, a bit like Amy Winehouse, I loved it!) but she blew us all away, it was a bit like magic. She performed the first song without her band, just her and her guitar. Later on, she also did some uptempo songs, and she really had the crazy vibes!


During 'Explanations' (one of my favourite songs of the album), the audience sang the song along very good, and Selah was quite astonished. It was so regrettable when the show was over, because I was really impressed. Selah Sue has her own style and she looked really at ease and self-assured. But, no tears, because I'm seeing her again at Festival Mundial in a few weeks!

'You know, in New York they want me and I'm gonna be there,
there cities calling and I'm gonna be there,
In Paris they want me and I'm gonna be there spreading the vibe' (Raggamuffin - Selah Sue)

Eddie Vedder - Society - Into the Wild Soundtrack

NEW YORK PART V

In the morning we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a museum I was dying to see. Not only because it's so famous and has a terrific collection, but also because 'Savage Beauty' (exhibition with the work of the late Alexander McQueen) was exhibited this month.

We were very lucky because it was the first day 'Savage Beauty' was open for public. So we were the first, well let's say normal people, who could watch it! I used the term normal people because the night before May 4th (that was Tuesday the 3th indeed) the MET Gala was hosted here. All the celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Blake Lively, Karl Lagerfeld, Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Doutzen Kroes were here. Anna Wintour of VOGUE was one of the hosts of the evening. What would've happened if I just went there to sit before the MET? Even if I had just saw a tiny spot of one of them, I would've fainted, I swear. No just kidding, but it was a total disaster I found out about the gala when I was home... I should be informed better next time...

Anyway, the exhibition was amazing. I've written about it before but it was absolutely beyond all my expectations. It was almost like magic, all those outfits (most of them not wearable at all, though I would give anything to wear them once) on statues. They told a story, about darkness yet beauty. We also saw videos of the shows and accessoires and shoes (like the crab shoes from s/s 2010). I can't find a word to describe it. Very weird to imagine Alexander McQueen himself made those pieces. Also very odd to imagine he killed himself. Somehow you got to know a bit of his soul, by the darkness of some collections he made. Unfortunately, you weren't allowed to take any photos.


I had been at the exhibition the entire time we were in the MET (2 hours) and was sorry there was no time left to see some popart like Andy Warhol. But I figured I could watch that anytime I'm back in NYC, and I will never see this exhibition again.

After we left the MET we were free to go wherever we wanted to go, so we went to Century 21. This was very disappointing, so we were in doubt what to do. I really wanted to go to the East Village, because our teacher had told us there are some very nice vintage stores in that part of town. However, we decided to go to Soho again because we thought we had more chance to succeed over there.

We did buy some very nice things and ate pizza at the end of our shopping spree. We got back to Grand Central Terminal to go to Harlem. We were going to visit Apollo Theatre! An amazing club where stars as James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson had began their career.

The host of the evening was a bit annoying but the music was very good. At first a couple of small yet incredibly talented kids performed. Later on the real show started. About 8 people performed and they all did songs we knew, like 'Mustang Sally', 'Respect' and 'I am telling you I'm not going'. The girl who sang the last song (she was almost as good as Jennifer Hudson herself in Dreamgirls) was the winner of the evening. We all got to cheer or call out, very funny to do ;)