New Balance

New Balance projection video. It's done the rounds a bit, but I love it.

A new dress a day

So everyone is talking about about the 'new attitude to fashion'. Cos fashion these days is out of control. Some high-street chains are doing mid-season ranges and every time you walk into their store there's always something new on the rack.
I love fashion, clothes, shopping, and the combination of all three! But I have WAY too much stuff. My cupboard is full. Literally, now that I share my cupboard space with Mr E I have half the space. We've got shoes tucked in all sorts of odd places and half our clothes are vacuum-packed in Spacebags (a god-sent, but don't get me started on that, I'll become an infomercial). And this after I took suitcases full of clothes to sell at Ij Hallen (an experience in itself). It really made me see just how much I spend on clothes and how some pieces I'd only ever worn once or twice. Shame on me. Thing is though, it does get rather tiring after a while and new items just go into the black hole that is my wardrobe, some never to be seen again.
So this year I decided to try and drastically cut back my spend on clothes. I did pretty well in the first half of the year, though slipped a bit now with the need for more winter warm clothes and sensible shoes. But on the whole, I've been a lot better. I have a few friends doing the same thing, cutting back or simply going the entire year without buying anything. Hat's off to you, ladies, I'm mightly impressed. There are people out there taking a stand in very creative ways, like the crew behind Uniform Project and LBD:AMS: last Saturday's wonderful Amsterdam Fashion Week event by Pi only goes to support the fact that there are a growing number of women are becoming smarter about how they shop and more creative about how they style themselves.
Which brings me, finally, to today's post which after these images you must be curious if you've read this far. A New Dress a Day is a blog by Marisa Lynch. This is genius. Here's the dealio in Marisa's words: "I’m going to be spending the entire year without doing an ounce of traditional clothing shopping. Each day for the entire year, I'm going to introduce a new piece into my existing wardrobe that I've found from these places. On top of this, I‚'m giving myself a budget of $1 a day." Totally insane. Totally love it. Read more here.
She goes on to say "The thing that makes this girl happiest is scouring flea markets, vintage stores and garage sales [I hear ya, sista] for the perfect pieces to add to my wardrobe. I love finding vintage goodies that may not fit me perfectly or translate well with the current state of fashion and then make them work on me. (thank you Tim Gunn – “make it work” has become my mantra) I get out my trusty sewing machine to change hems, cut sleeves and tweak to transform a low budget piece that had it’s moment back in 1976 and give it another shot today, decades later. I have to say that whenever I wear my handmade pieces, I always get complimented and the best part is getting to tell everyone that I bought it for $1 and just shortened it, dyed it or cinched it to make it chic and current." How cool is that?!
And I'm blogging about it now as today is the last day so see the results of one girl's amazing fashion journey here. I've selected a few of my favourite transformations for you throughout this post. I so wish I could sew like that! But even without that skill, it certainly provides a lot of inspiration and food for thought. You can follow A New Dress A Day's on Facebook here.
I'm very curious to see what is next for Ms Melisa... I'm sure it'll be incredible.

Little Black Dress

Ok, ladies, brace yourself. Pi have joined forces with New York City based Uniform Project to introduce Europe to sustainable fashion this Saturday as part of Amsterdam Fashion Week (AIFW). Pi says "The Uniform Project aims to revolutionize the way people perceive ethical fashion and place social responsibility at the center of consumer culture. One dress + One Girl = endless fashion possibilities through accessorising. To start this European adventure we will bring their unique fashion mission to AIFW’s VitaVerto Block Party."
Together with 328 Stories, Pi launches the LBD:AMS (Little Black Dress Amsterdam) initiative that starts a conversation through participation. That's right, that means YOU! Head to the LBD:AMS venue tomorrow and be styled in the classic LBD mixed with amazing finds from local vintage boutiques (Lady Day, Laura Dolls and Kabinet) and local fashionistas. Pi's goal is to show women how fashion is down to imagination: the more creative you get, the more you'll learn to have fun experimenting.
With photographer Yamandu Roos to capture these fab looks it promises to be a style experience not to be missed. You can see the Facebook invite here share with your friends and be part of the fun.
LBD:AMS: The Amsterdam Fashion Week 2010 VitaVerto Green Block Party.
Saturday, 27 November from 1-6pm on the Utrechtsestraat.

Love my lovefood

This weekend just gone I finally made it to a special Movember Lovefood Brunch. Lovefood raised a whopping €1000 for the cause! Terrific going! For those who don't know Lovefood, this is a pop-up brunch that I've written about previously. I dived into my grub before I even took my first photo. I just couldn't resist!
This weekend was the last brunch of the year but before you get your knickers in a twist, Lovefood is at back January 2011, so don't worry if you missed out this year. There is one last opportunity to taste Jason's handy work, but it ain't a brunch, it's a slap-up Christmas Feast! If you're interested check out Jason's website for details.
Here's the man himself! Thanks for a great start to the day, Jason!
Lovefood pop-up brunch current location: Brasserie Vlaming on the Prinsengracht 193 (next door to to the Pancake Bakery).

seeing red

Fantastic new exhibition on right now at the Tropen Museum Amsterdam: Red. The museum says this is 'a visual spectacle inspired by the colour red across all cultures'.
Here: look at this knitted Ferrari - full scale!
"The exhibition RED (ROOD) will focus on the colour in all its many aspects. Red is one of the most important colours in almost every culture and has many meanings. Visitors will see Armando and Constant alongside masks from Oceania and a statue of Lenin juxtaposed with a Chinese bridal gown. Over three hundred objects, including ethnographic artefacts and modern art, will arouse all the senses. The colour red is what gives all these objects their power and significance."
"Of course, the colour red means something different to everyone, but it also has universal associations. These meanings are numerous and contradictory. Red can stand for happiness, fertility and love but also for power, violence and danger. Red can be romantic, but it can also be deadly. All of these associations are included in the exhibition in themes such as life cycles, energy, power, identity, deities, demons and love."
It really was a very eclectic mix of objects, but that kept it interesting. And as always they have easy viewing for children, so this is a great place to entertain the kids.
Tropen Museum: Linnaeusstraat 2, 1092 CK Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Open daily 10am - 5pm.
Exhibition Red (Rood): 5 November 2010 - 11 May 2011

Lovin' Lavin

So it's here. The latest H&M designer collaboration with Lavin hits the stores today. But wait, there's more. On the 25th of November at 10am H&M's flagship store will open in Dam square. The first 100 people through the doors will get a gift voucher ranging from €5 to €500. So what are you doing on the interwebs? Get to H&M!

to Hel with Monday

Today, to bring some cheer to this chilly Monday I've some beautiful recycled lace doily pillows. The clever lass behind these is Tuuni of Helsinki. You can find her pillows, amongst other goodies, on her Etsy store here. I think these are really pretty and a great way to modernise a very dated piece of fabric. Now how fresh and appealing they are. I especially love the denim, and green below.
The black-and-white is very sexy too.
Most pillowcase covers are USD $46.

Brave Moonman

A Blast from the past... Brave Moonman is the place to find 80s nostalgia represented in felt! There are zippered pouches in the likeness of Cassette tapes, Nintendo controllers and Floppy Disks. To see them all, check out Brave Moonman's Etsy store.
Cassette tapes USD $52, Watch bracelets USD $25, and Floppy disks USD $35.

Abigail Borg

Abigail Borg graduated from Leeds College of Art in 2008 and now work as a freelance illustrator and surface pattern designer based in and between Birmingham and Manchester, England.

The images shown here are from Abigail's own range of wallpapers Peonies, Lilies and Other Pretties which is available to purchase via her online shop as well as Liberty of London, amongst other stockists.

With a love for the hand drawn approach to design, Abigail says "my work varies in levels of intricacy and colour, being heavily influenced by traditional pattern design and illustration."

I think they're fantastic.
Check out Abigail's website here, or her blog here.