Wednesday 31 August 2011

victoria hagan's design


For some time now I've been wanting to write a post about interior designer Victoria Hagan, but now that I'm doing so I feel that I don't really need to write anything; I think the images speak for themselves. The ones I've chosen are from all three sections of her portfolio, city (above), waterside (below) and country (the last three), just to give you a glimpse into her work, which I find sophisticated and elegant. The images don't necessarily reflect my own style, I simply like it when I see a beautiful design and I want to acknowledge such work. Whether it's my style or not is irrelevant. But I will tell you this: that grey sofa in the first photo is so welcome into my home!

For those interested in interior design I've added a book on Hagan's work to my Amazon picks: Interior Portraits written by Marianne Hagan. Tomorrow I'm posting photographs from her own weekend home in the Hamptons. It has a lot of white and it's homey and beautiful so stay tuned and enjoy your day!

photo credit: Victoria Hagan

Tuesday 30 August 2011

no words for that


Here is my today's inspiration board. I'm swooning over that vintage looking McNeal ad and I love love love the no words for that quote. I wish I knew who's the source. And no, my fellow bloggers, Pinterest is not a source. That's like handing in an essay and writing 'my library' under bibliography! Sorry, I had to rub that in just a bit. [Update: The quote is from Brian Andreas's book Story People. Thank you LittleRus!]

Have I ever told you how much I love wooden stairs with white paint? If I haven't, then now you know. Wish that hallway was mine.

Today I'm having friends over for coffee and probably pan cakes and pecan pie. I haven't quite decided what to make but it will be something delicious. May this Tuesday treat you kindly!

photo credit:
top-left: unknown source Brian Andreas via Pinterest
bottom-left: LatteLisa
 bottom-right: Bjorn Wallander for Country Living

Monday 29 August 2011

prada resort 2012


What can I say about these photographs of the Prada Resort 2012 Collection that I've been keeping in my folder for quite some time? Okay, I'll start with bravo Muiccia Prada! I admit it, the light blue colour in the background has something to do with this love of mine; the Eames chairs too. Of course I love the outfits and accessories too – knee-length skirts and dresses are my favourite. I could easily have posted more photos from the collection but I decided to hit the brakes at twelve.

Did you guys know that Muiccia Prada has a PhD in Political Science? And in case you didn't know, her nickname is Miu Miu, hence the label Miu Miu which they launched in 1993.

Now, how was that for a little Prada history lesson?

Today I'm a guest writer at María's beautiful blog EclecChic and there you'll find a gorgeous manor house in Denmark, which I thought fitted her style. María is a Spanish interior designer who lives in Lugano, Switzerland. As some of you already know, I lived there too for one year back in 1991, in Zürich to be exact.

Have a wonderful day!

photo credit:
Prada via Vogue US

Sunday 28 August 2011

soft pink sunday


I was in a mood for soft pink shades on this Sunday and debated with myself on whether to post home decor or some beautiful vintage looking outfits. First the outfits won; they were simply irresistible, but then I missed the home decor, so I kept on debating with myself. Posting everything was too much so I did a little compromise collage. Being a blogger is tough!

By the way, how beautiful is that Mario Testino photograph of model Sasha Pivovarova in the bottom left corner? Or let's just say: how beautiful is everything in all these photos? I had to include a song, because on Sunday mornings I like listening to certain type of music with my latte.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

photo credit:
top-left: The Hazel Brown Collection
top-centre: Miki Duisterhof for Country Living
top-right: unknown source via Pinterest
bottom-left: Mario Testino for Vogue UK
bottom-right: Picotte Weddings via Style Me Pretty


YouTube: Falling Slowly / Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

Saturday 27 August 2011

dries van noten - het modepaleis


In July I posted quite a dose of Dries Van Noten runway photos and said I would photograph his Antwerp shop on Nationalestraat street. So, yesterday I grabbed my camera with me when we went to the city centre (Amsterdam will have to wait until the weather gets better). First we enjoyed Italian food and rosé and then we took a stroll around the Groenplaats square area. Dries Van Noten is close by, in a beautiful building called Het Modepaleis (English: the fashion palace). Maybe one day I'll ask them if I can photograph inside.

I found this video online, a short interview with Dries Van Noten, but let's use the biography on his website to get to know him better:

"Born in Antwerp in 1958, Dries Van Noten is the third generation in a family of tailors. Between the two world wars, his grandfather reworked second-hand clothes by turning them inside out and introduced Antwerp to the concept of ready-to-wear. In 1970 Dries’ father opened a large upscale fashion boutique in the outskirts of Antwerp followed by a second outlet in the city centre where he sold collections by Ungaro, Ferragamo and Zegna. At the same time, his mother ran a Cassandre franchised store and collected antique lace and linen."

He was just a boy when he started attending fashion shows with his father. In 1976, when he was 18, he entered the fashion design course of Antwerp’s Royal Academy. With his studies he worked as a freelance designer. "The same year he met Christine Mathys who would be his business partner and tireless champion until her death in 1999."

He continued working freelance after graduating and launched his own line in 1986 with success.

"In September of the same year, [he] opened a tiny eponymous boutique in Antwerp’s gallery arcade. Here he sold his men’s and women’s collections, which were initially made from the same fabrics."

"In 1989, he quit his modest boutique for a five-storey former department store in the Nationalestraat, then a down-at-heel district with little promise. Ironically, this listed historical building had once housed his grandfather’s greatest competitor. Van Noten set about restoring it, retaining many of the original fixtures and fittings, including the name Het Modepaleis. Today the area is noted for its upmarket boutiques." And let me add, as you can see from the photos, the building is beautiful.

Dries Van Noten has a warehouse on Godefriduskaai quay in Antwerp, which houses the showroom and the departments of design, marketing, production, etc.

And finally, something that caught my attention and I really liked: "Dries Van Noten has been entirely self-financed since the beginning of his career."

Dries Van Noten, Het Modepaleis
Nationalestraat 16, 2000 Antwerpen
tel: +32 3 470 25 10

photo credit:
Het Modepaleis: Lisa Hjalt / LatteLisa
photo of Dries Van Noten himself via Jones Arnhem

Friday 26 August 2011

prettiness in the park


Yesterday hubby took the kids shopping for new school bags and when they came home happy and excited it suddenly dawned on me that soon the leaves will start falling – it's almost the end of summer! Of course it's still warm and everything is in bloom but there is always a shift when school bags with small bodies attached to them start appearing all over the city. I've been holding on to summer but I'm slowly giving in to autumn, the cause is probably all the beautiful outfits in the September issues.

Today it was our plan to leave the city and maybe go to Amsterdam or find a nice seaside somewhere in the Netherlands, but the weather is crazy. We've had thunderstorms and now it's pouring rain. Maybe we'll simply stay home, read and make a chocolate tray bake.

I'm leaving you with prettiness in the Nightingale Park, shot during one of our many picnics this summer in the flower garden section. Have a fabulous Friday!

photo credit: Lisa Hjalt

Thursday 25 August 2011

colours & stripes


I spotted some of these photographs on Mechi's blog **PESTANEANDO** and they didn't leave my mind, I simply had to borrow that Vogue Brazil editorial from the September issue. The model is Rhaisa Batista, photographed beautifully by Eduardo Rezende, styled by Yasmine Sterea. I love the mixture of colours, stripes and food market – this is what I call fun! I was sold as soon as I saw that bicycle photo with the flowers and red outfit. Yeah, that's pretty much all that takes to lure me in.

How is this Thursday treating you so far?

PS. If you haven't entered my Chanel giveaway then please feel free to do so. It's open to all followers of LatteLisa, wherever they are in the world.

photo credit:
Eduardo Rezende for Vogue Brazil


Tuesday 23 August 2011

going crazy!


The skies of Antwerp have gone crazy, we've had thunderstorms since last night and it's so dark outside. I just realized that it's past eleven o'clock and I still haven't had my morning latte! For me, that's highly unusual.

More importantly, I can't keep up with my unread posts on Bloglovin'! Can everyone just stop posting so I can catch up? Seriously people, just for one day before I lose my mind. I read and I read and I read and that number on Bloglovin' just keeps going up!

HELP!

Anyone?!!

Have you no compassion? Did you not read about the crazy thunderstorms and my lack of latte?

That's it. I'm off to the kitchen to make a latte so I can get a grip on my life!

You just go ahead and have yourself a fine day!


photo credit: KeepCalmShop on Etsy

Monday 22 August 2011

antwerp zoo


No fashion today, no interiors, only the animals in the Antwerp Zoo (the website is only available in Dutch and French but Wikipedia has a fine page in English). I'll admit it; I've got very mixed emotions when it comes to zoos and often I feel like a complete idiot in a zoo, with a camera in my hand photographing caged animals. Instead of feeling guilty I try to focus on the entertainment and educational value for the children, just the look on their faces, their genuine happiness, lessens the guilt. I know the animals in the Antwerp Zoo are treated well and the zoo supports wildlife preservation, so I guess we could say that I'm comfortable with its ethics.

The Antwerp Zoo has a long history; it's the oldest in the world, established in the year of 1843. We took our friends to see it last Saturday. What's unique about it is that it's located in the city centre, right next to the Central Train Station. There are about 6000 animals, a little less than 1000 species – just imagine the fun if all the animals would free themselves! wink My favourite animals in the zoo are the giraffe, okapi and hippopotamus. I had never seen these animals before moving to Antwerp.

Life is back to normal after wonderful days spent with our friends who went back to Iceland yesterday. Today I'm busy with cleaning and doing laundry. I'm so behind on my blog visits so I'll need some time to catch up. I hope you're all enjoying a fine Monday!

photo credit: Lisa Hjalt