7 Things I Learned About Fashion in Brussels

Brussels, Belgium

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1.   "Gypsies" layer beautifully.

Culturally significant, pretty and utilitarian fabrics in varying patterns and colors are harmoniously worn in a unique way that is often imitated but rarely executed so honestly.  

2.  I like punk.

Belgian punks changed how I regarded the style.  Observing people owning the look at all ages and income levels made me see the aesthetic properties.  It wasn't about shock value or being deliberately anti-fashion.

 After leaving New Orleans to spend months in an Islamic country, 

you would take a photo of a bar at 6AM too.  Don't judge me.

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3.  Not all major European cities are fashion obsessed.

No one appeared to be trying really hard to look "in vogue".  Very unpretentious place.  I loved that.  

4.  Awesome eyewear goes a long way.

I drooled over show-stopping frames almost everywhere I went. 

 My father and a friend at Grand Place

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5.  Old European cities have great vintage clothes.

Period.  See the post on the Place du Jeu de Balle Flea Market.

6.  Six or seven pastel candy colored pieces in an outfit is OK with me.

I noticed a woman that appeared as if she just stepped out of Willy Wonka's Imagination Room with an edible outfit.  I was surprised I liked it.  Dior's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2011-2012 collection masterfully paired these colors with black and white prints.

 Dad covered in pigeons at Grand Place

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7.  I fell in love with black again.

In a city that embraces minimalist fashion you can't help but appreciate the complex world of black.  Watch Ann Demeulemeester's Fall/Winter 2011-2012 collection that applies strong detailing to an all black motif.

7 Things I Learned About Fashion in Guinea

The Republic of Guinea

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1.  Made-to-measure clothing is a basic human right not a luxury.  

Regardless of socio-economic class, everyone has access to custom tailored garments in Guinea.  The cost is comparable to that of ready-to-wear and it keeps artisans employed. 

 Vintage Topcoat, West African Print Cotton Pants with Oxford Shirt and Kufi

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2.  Old Guinean men blend European and traditional African clothing the best.

Shades, scarf, kufi (hat), African print tailored shirt, European pants (tailored, of course) and designer sandals.  Baller.

 Dixinn, Conakry Elders in European and Traditional African Clothing

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3.  Rapper 50 Cent has a line of boxer shorts sold in almost every major market in Guinea.  

His name is on the waist band...

 West African Print Cotton Pant Set, Shades and Shoulder Bag

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4.  Print and textile design are powerful.

Color, print and pattern have a clear language.  In Guinea the silhouettes are somewhat consistent yet different ethnic groups and territories use varying techniques and imagery to distinguish their work.  Furthermore, European designs reworked in traditional African fabrics are almost completely removed from their original context. 

 Saturated Colors and Custom Tailoring in African Brocade (Bazin) and Wax Print Fabric

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5.  The ritual and communal nature of getting dressed.

Women participated in each other's beauty routines.  They tended to one another's clothing, hair and make up and collectively took pride in the result.  

Wedding Party Preparation, Gold Dusted Parts in Hair

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6.  Posture is extremely important.

Almost everyone I consciously observed was naturally erect and centered.  This balance gave them an air of regality and confidence which is key to pulling off any look. 

Custom Tailored and Trimmed Lapa and Top

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7.  Women's Wear Daily is one of the best fashion publications in circulation.

Their 100 year anniversary edition was my chosen read for the long flight.  Needless to say I studied it front to cover throughout my trip until it practically disintegrated. 

Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes

Graphic prints, fringe and a mean pompadour

      

Mobile necklace, luxe textured jacket and fortune cookie fascinator

Often shoeless, always sexy, performer extraordinaire Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes is effortlessly one of THE hottest entertainers to surface in the last few years.  She brilliantly blends haute couture, vintage, ethnic and whimsical elements to yield a unique style that matches her amazing voice.  I love the way she plays with color in a restrained manner; her look is always so intentional and glamorous yet youthful and never overdone. 

Make the Noisettes a staple in your auditory diet.  Check out this live performance of Atticus from their sophomore album "Wild Young Hearts".  

You're welcome.

To Be Young At Heart

Me and Nyela

Runway-side seats at Chanel Spring/Summer 2011 show

How often do you allow your imagination to run wild without limitations or expectations?

Marcia, Aaliyah and Christopher

Wedding with teddy bear groom

When was the last time you REALLY played?

One can learn a lot from kids engaged in unbridled activity.

As adults, we feel compelled to "do" something "productive" throughout our day; stealing moments from ourselves, for ourselves and fighting the guilt that ensues.
This widely accepted cycle can be stifling and limit the opportunities that result from openness, clarity and the sheer joy of being. “Being” itself has been hijacked and transformed into an elitist concept that glorifies “self” rather than sheds ego. This adds to our list of things to “do” and so we continue.

To conclude this entry with a recommendation of any kind would be counter-productive.

*glass raised*

Here's to you and your journey.

Pictured here are Tiffani's Dad and a number of his friends in the late seventies. Fashion of the seventies straddles a strange line. The tight cut and clean lines of sixties mod fashions and the beat revival fashions of Yves Laurent in the late sixties melded with a greater interest in tribal and "foreign" fashions to create a decade with a truly unique palette, strange prints and lots of sequins. The men in these pictures epitomize a restraint and coherence of style in their clothes not usually associated with a decade that introduced some of the rowdiest and shiniest clothing of the 20th century. While their whole-hearted endorsement of platform shoes is somewhat disheartening, the juxtaposed patterns and subtly matched earth tones are incredibly intelligent. Take note of the bellbottomed sailor with a polka dotted shirt and clashing sweater vest managing to look real cool, standing next to a prep living under a professor who happens to be wearing a tie from the 1940's.

The seventies kicked off thrifting and vintage as we know it today. Deliberately repurposed fashion has its true origins in the mid sixties with hippies, yippies and various other counter culture types. In order to express their anti-establishment views publicly they would dress themselves in dated cheap clothing from thrift stores; the more outrageous the better. Our views of sixties fashion formed by movies or fashion books we come across rarely show exactly how weird it could be, see here. The seventies retained the sense of collage and lack of boundaries the weirdos in the sixties epitomized and added to them the novel idea of actually looking good. What makes these pictures and outfits so fun to look at is their seemingly effortless mash-up of prep, mod, forties and black sixties fashions into a genuinely unique and wearable look.

Dylan