Doei!

Well, it's time to say "DOEI" to my 5 week immersion in A'dam. My bags are semi-packed and I think everything will fit. Hooray! It's been a wonderful experience and I will be leaving with a wealth of experiences that I will never forget! Yes, I am truly blessed with such an amazing experience. I've been in 4 countries in a really short time: Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, been shat on twice by those damn pigeons, rode countless trains, seen some unbelievable design, seen some unbelievable cities, and took over 500 photos to remember it all. It was fun to meet many "single-serving" friends and also meet some that I know I can call friends. Thank you for all your love and support. See ya back in the US of A. Until next time......♥Winnie

Arnhem Mode Biënnale

This event is held every 2 years and presents the state of affairs in fashion design. It is being held for the rest of the month and was about an 1.5 hr train ride from Amsterdam. Apparently I was really inspired since I just downloaded my pictures and took over 100 shots. The exhibit is in the heart of Arnhem staged between a church and the post-war city hall along with fashion shows (which I'm not cool enough to attend), exhibitions, workshops and a shopping route. I've never seen couture up close and personal, so this was a very special treat for me. Makes me really respect fashion designers and their art form. Ok...here are the pics....like I said I have over 100 images, so these are extremely edited. Enjoy! ♥Winnie

BTW--I come home on Sunday! Also, don't forget to comment on of my postings. I would LOVE to hear from you. Also, click on the images for a closer look.

Comme des Garçons' fantasy exhibit.

This designer used blue ink on fabric and created this.

United Nude....I love the little guy they used for this display.

This jacket is made out of leather. WOW!!!!

Illuminated color and layers. GORGEOUS!

G-Star....this was a little too avant garde for me.

One of my new favorite cities

I had the opportunity to hop on a train for 2 hours from A'dam and go to the city of Antwerp in Belgium. I HEART this city! Great retail shops, architecture, super nice gorgeous looking people, great beer and food. This is the story about the city: Ever since 6 Antwerp-based designers took Fashion Week by storm in 1986, the city has become renowned as the style capital of Belgium, retaining its influential fashion school and the MoMu fashion museum (which I didn't get to see because I only had the day, will definitely come back again.)

This is the most beautiful train station I have ever been to, I love Antwerp already.

I went to mainly check out this so called AMAZING retail experience. This was what I found: a store called Walter. When we walked up to the store we thought it was closed, but as soon as we walked close enough to the entrance the huge garage doors opened up. It was quite the experience in a amazing, industrial gallery like setting.

What do you call this trompe l'oeil?

Obama bar in Belgium, yes we can! It wasn't open the afternoon we were walking by, bummer.

Gorgeous cathedral

Perfect end of the day with KJ, sunshine and a Belgium beer, which was devine and cheap!

My internet claim to fame

My pictures made it onto the Nylon magazine blog. CCCCChhhheck it out, here.

100% Design Rotterdam

I've been seeing a lot of designers using really low-grade materials, like this plywood table. I think everyone is more conscious of how and what they use. Green isn't a trend anymore, it effects every sector.

I heart the patterns/weave on this chair.

I love the colors of this bookcase.

Super tactile floor covering. Modern shag?

Interesting chair shape.

This is where the event was held, The Van Nelle Design factory. Super cool!

I also got to get a chance to get out of the city last Thursday and got on a train to Rotterdam. The city was basically flattened in WWII and has since rebuild so it has a really modern, "Chicago" feel to it with tall (tall for the Netherlands) skyscrapers. Anyway, I went to the 100% Design Rotterdam event with my co-worker which was held at an industrial site. (see above pic) and all around the city at different locations. Overall a decent show and a great way to see what's going on in some parts of the industry.

Kröller-Müller Museum

There's supposedly 400 bikes at each entrance of the park for visitors to use. I love the Netherlands.

KJ and I at the entrance. Yes, it's a little rainy, but that didn't stop us. It cleared up later.

KP telling us about the Rodin sculpture, Femme accroupie 1882.

World famous sculpture gardens.

We actually made it into the museum at 4:40 after enjoying the sculpture garden all afternoon, but then they told us the museum closed at 5. So frustrating seeing all the masterpieces in 20 minutes. I guess I'll have to go back one day.

It was nice to get out of the city today with my friends KJ and KP. We took a little trip to the Kröller-Müller Museum located about an hour outside Amsterdam. It was so luxurious to ride in a car since I've been riding a lot of public transportation the last month. Can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true. I'll definitely look at driving in a different way when I get back. That's a whole other post. The museum is in the midst of unspoiled natural surroundings and houses a magnificent a cool collection of art, architecture and nature. Known for the extensive collection of works by Vincent van Gogh and the world famous sculpture garden. Enjoy!

Victimless Leather

That's one of the 5 most innovative eco-friendly materials out there. Click here to find out the rest of the eco-friendly materials.

New Favorite Store

As all of you know, I love to shop and I appreciate great fashion, but sometimes I'm just not willing to fork out an arm and a leg to dress myself. I think there are other creative alternatives. Well, I "discovered" this store when I was in Berlin called COS. Had to do a little research, but found out that COS (Collection of Style) is a fashion concept which combines the meticulous focus and attention to detail of ready-to-wear design with down to earth pricing. Get this, COS is a part of the H&M group. Anyway, the store was fab and was merchandised meticulously by color family. LOVE IT!!! Enjoy, if you ever run across this store, you MUST check it out. How do we get one of these in the States?

International Design Festival Berlin

This color palette is DELIC!

This is the IMA village where the event was held.

Kids playing on the installation. I love that the work is so interactive. Of course, when I got there, I walked around it.

These lights were designed by Maezm, made with styrofoam that was thrown out.

This is a shot of the courtyard of the IMA village that the show was held.

Rad lights made of plywood.

This chair looks like it's inflatable, but it's made out of metal.

I was fortunate to attend the last day of the DMY International Design Festival in Berlin and was blown away by the quality of work that was shown. I went to the DMY Allstars exhibition where more than 150 works by established designers, as well as curated exhibitions of international design fair showed their stuff at the ÏMA Design Village, a new space in Berlin offering a unified concept for a creative lifestyle. Anyway, I took a million pictures, but here are a few edited ones of the Design Festival. Don't worry, if you work with me, I'm sure you'll get a edited version of the themes and trends I noticed throughout the show.

Berlin Graffiti

Sorry I'm a little behind on posts been a little busy the last few days, but here are my favorite graffiti shots from Berlin. I love the use of color, composition, and message.

Daily inspiration

I snapped this at the Berlin International Design Fair, by the way, those pictures will be coming soon.

Eye Candy

It's super late and I had a really early morning to come to Berlin, but these are TOO good to not post. Gorgeous, but the photos don't even do the finishes justice!!! This store was called Color Pop and part of the International Design Festival. Click the images for a better view.

Purple Reigns

Since color is officially in my job title and purple has my favorite color since forever, I thought this was a relevant post.

This is the year to be bold and daring.
Top 5 Tile Colors for 2009 according to Bisazza:
Click here to see more images.

1. Purple...must mean that this color has some staying power.

2. Yellow...Pantone predicted this to be the color of the year.

3. Blue...basically an all around great color

4. Green...everything is "green" now!

5. Brown...this one is interesting as the only color that's a neutral on the list

I C U

Today I went to the Brilmuseum, basically a museum of eyeglasses and spectacles located in the Joordan neighborhood. I've pasted it several times (always closed) and finally today it was open. Thought it was a vintage glasses store, but it turns out that the bottom floor is retail and the next 2 floors houses the museum. Some really RAD glasses there. Check it out.

Ok, this is a little creepy, a tray full of glass eyeballs.

Early spectacle form.

Can you imagine wearing glasses just pinched to your nose? I can't, but I appreciate the shape of these.

Vintage, but yet so modern.

These are so steam-punk.

Random facts:
_Glasses have been known for nearly 4000 years
_The invention of printing books and formal education elevated the demand for spectacles.
_Glasses are a good example of fashion vs. function.