the Dam Runway

As living in the heart of town may seem like the perfect hotspot, it also has its disadvantages. Especially when you have an absolute urge to wear heels. Every single freaking day.

Ever been to Amsterdam? If yes, you must have visited Dam Square. Dam Square – often just called the Dam – and its lovely national monument dedicated to the fallen soldiers in World War II; its majestic buildings housing hotels, museums and stores; the royal palace that has been covered in scaffolds for as long as I can remember; the many, many tourists wandering around looking rather lost, and the troops of pigeons that hysterically hop around.

All of the above set the mood for the Dam, making it one of Amsterdam's most visited places. However, another very defining feature of this Dutch square are the – very lovely looking, but sometimes rather annoying – cobblestones. Obviously they add to the historical feeling of the square, which doesn't necessarily mean I couldn't live without them. These round, uneven stones make your supposedly very elegant float look as if you're suffering from a chronic unbalance disease. No, I'm not drunk at 08.30 in the morning, when upon catching the tram to my job, I stumble and hobble along and finally reach the other side of the Dam. Tiptoeing is not an option when wearing 15 cm platform wedges, as I would then undoubtedly crash and fall, and have those stones marked in my face for at least two weeks.

"And just like Mozes had a moment of divine interference when he thought of splitting the Red Sea in two, our ever thoughtful mayor came up with a – I must admit – rather luminous idea too."

But thank-the-freaking-lord; for one of the most prestige and eldest department stores is located at the head of Dam Square. With the endless stream of gloved and glittered ladies in desperate need of some old-fashioned high end goodies and the limited access to LV leather totes and Chloé clutches offered in an allure setting in Amsterdam, it seemed there was only one solution that would stop this house from facing a dramatic drop in sales. And just like Mozes had a moment of divine interference when he thought of splitting the Red Sea in two, our ever thoughtful mayor came up with a – I must admit – rather luminous idea too.

He created our very own Dutch runway: dividing the Dam into two halves, with one super long, sleek, stretched, marble runway in the middle. This way the Gucci gloved, the Marc Jacobs maniacs and the Fendi freaks can all make it safely to the other side and satisfy their fashion cravings and undying needs of buying the new collections. And, also quite important, I can now safely slide over the Dam Runway and reach my job without cobblestones printed all over my cheeks.

P.S. Dear God, please keep the snow away from Holland, as our Dam Runway gets just a tiny bit slippery when it's all white outside. (Don't even ask; I am so not telling you that story.)

Souvenir By AMFI: if only I could bring back those days...

Photos by Danielle Kempen, Elza Wandler, Olivier Termijtelen, Maddie Raedts and Martine Johanna

As some of you might know, next to my job as fashion editor for Fashiolista, my blog and my studies, I also give all the love, energy and time that I have left to the By AMFI Statement Store. Every year a dozen of promising Fashion & Branding students are chosen to be active members of store's By AMFI team. There are several teams; Concepting, PR, Sourcing, 3D Design and my team Graphic Design (which means together with Fashiolista M., I design flyers, press releases, hand-outs, logo's, invites and posters.). Our Programme Director J. often calls us lovingly her By AMFI's.

Every three months the store gets an extreme make over and the concept switches to something entirely new and fresh. We just had the opening of the first concept that the new generation worked on: Souvenir By AMFI. It was a huge success, and not just because of the amazing products, the wonderful art made by Martine Johanna or the cool installations, although that obviously contributed. I believe that the love and effort from the By AMFI's, guided by our amazing mentors J., T., and O., filled the entire store with an energy that gives the visitors an immediate shot of inspiration. And that's impressive, if I may say.

Photos by Danielle Kempen, Elza Wandler, Olivier Termijtelen, Maddie Raedts and Martine Johanna

A little info about our new store concept Souvenir By AMFI (but make sure to check it out yourself at Spui 23, Amsterdam!) and some general info about the Statement Store:



Info
By AMFI is the Statement Store of the Amsterdam Fashion Institute that exhibits and sells products of our talents; students, teachers, alumni and friends. By AMFI is a community working together with the industry and society. Every 3 months a new concept is made up and a new environment is created, with new products from both inside and outside AMFI. Every theme is organized and realized by our young AMFI professionals, often reflecting a current theme in school.

Photos by Danielle Kempen, Elza Wandler, Olivier Termijtelen, Maddie Raedts and Martine Johanna

Souvenir
Souvenir By AMFI is our new store concept that brings you back to your childhood memories. The concept is inspired by Martine Johanna’s art and current illustrations. Symbols and organic shapes, but also fashion and art, the planet, life, love and death, are sources of inspiration to Martine Johanna. These aspects will be central in the store, and together with our specially sourced products they will bring the store to life.

Photos by Danielle Kempen, Elza Wandler, Olivier Termijtelen, Maddie Raedts and Martine Johanna

Just a handful of some of the amazing brands you can find in our Store:


[click on the brand's name to see its website]

by 1 oak

NON by Kim

Ted Noten

Studio Ruig
Barbara de Ru

Individuals
Barbara Munsel
Clare Creemers
Hilde Eijgenraam

Want to see us work? Check the Store on Wednesday nights! 

♡ Thanks for reading and don't forget  to follow me with bloglovin'!

Let's bring the circus to AIFW: Individuals AMFI

Being the proud AMFI student that I am, I was very anxious seeing what my fellow students designed for our own label, Individuals. I must say, I definitely liked some things, but wasn't blown away by the entire collection.

The music reminded me of the circus, and so did the make up: big spidery eyes combined with bright green, orange and pink eyeshadow, a dog (?) painted over the face of a model gave it that surreal circus touch. The looks varied from wide satin dresses in salmons, nudes and whites, combined with accessories in deep colours as fuchsia, turquoise and purple, to more sporty swimwear, still in those same three deep colours. Individuals did a good job, as after the show I found out the theme was indeed circus!

I didn't quite like the bra straps right above the knee though, as well as the bright knee caps in the beginning of the show. To me, they seemed a bit useless, and it looked a bit over-accessorized. I'm never a fan of very bright colours though, so the last bit of the show was more my taste: heavy gold and grey satin duchesse little blazers, a very feminine brown crocodile tail coat, and a beautiful black and beige printed silk fringed scarf. The best looks of the evening to me were the long silk coat and the black rope tied top. In combination with the bright and dramatic make up, (see the pictures at the beginning of this post) they were absolute winners.

Final conclusion: I think Individuals definitely succeeded in portraying their main theme, the circus. The bright coloured looks weren't really my taste, therefore I am more enthusiastic about the looks that had blacks, whites, nudes, salmons and beige tones, and heavy make up. I do think that musicwise Individuals could've been more original. The switch from one music to the other wasn't very smooth, which didn't build on the professional level.

Photos: Team Peter Stigter

Sail away sisteract: Spijkers en Spijkers at the opening soiree

A big ship painted on the breast of a model. A mauve jersey jumpsuit with a little boat on the front. Floaty dresses in VOC  slash ‘Delfts Blauw‘ prints. White dresses and blouses with blue shell shapes all over, as some sort of exotic print. 

The two twinsisters Riet Spijkers en Truus Spijkers, showed their SS11 collection at the Westergasfabriek during the opening soiree of Amsterdam Fashion Week (AIFW). They were inspired by the Dutch folksong ‘Daar was laatst een meisje loos’ (translated: A little girl was missing) that dates back to 1774.

In the 18th century a lot of girls dressed as boys so they could sail along with the big trading ships, which is what this song is about. The designerduo chose to show us a nautical theme with a twist. A very wearable collection, with stripes, Brigitte Bardot black and white printed tops, round shaped red and white sunglasses, and flowing kaftans and cute beach dresses in greens, blues and whites. Red lips, salty sea coupes and matching platform wedges with a cork sole and a see through plastic strap finished the look. 

St Tropez in the ’60s with a 18th century feel; a mix of times and cultures, very well performed.

Photos: Peter Stigter