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Michael Kenna is one of the only photographers I know who has been able to enthrall me with landscape photography. His pictures are so haunting and simple and beautiful, I don't really have the words to describe it properly. These photos are from Hokkaido, Japan. They really remind you how beautiful winter can be. To see more of Michael Kenna's work, look here!






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On another note, I received this lovely award from one of my favorite bloggers, Mandy from Soir de Fête. Thank you so much, dear.. I'd give it back if I could! Luckily there are lots of other fantastic blogs out there, more than I could possibly give this out to, so I'll restrict myself and pass it on to A Pretty Face, This World Tonight, ReadTheAir, Coccinelle and Charlotte D. All inspirational blogs in each their own special way - make sure to have a look at them, if you haven't already done so!

Stolen inspiration

A few days ago I stole something. And I never steal anything! I think it's rather harmless, though. It's a magazine by Danish brand Marc o'Polo (a brand which I know will have quite a high percentage of Danish population cringe just by mentioning its name) which I found in my local sushi take-away. It's free, I think, so I don't really feel bad about it. Oh well. But the reason, that I had to grab this, was the wonderful Charlotte Høyer (CLICK HERE to see more of Charlotte's book, she's truly amazing!) in an editorial shot by Kacper Kazpryk. I was never a huge fan of Marc o'Polo but I think they've nailed this one. Somehow I feel like it reflects the mood in fashion right now very well. Monochrome. Simplistic. Very back to basics. I think I might just have to go into their shop next time I walk by.

11 little details

I was tagged with the list of habits by lovely blogger Heart in a cage - So let's jump straight to it..



1. Clothes shop. In my dreams, I buy all my clothes at Le Bon Marché. I'd love to be dressed in high-quality garments from the likes of Balenciaga, Marni, Givenchy, Lanvin, etc. In reality, I do that to a certain extent. But the H&M-to-designer ratio is fairly high.
2. Furniture shop. IKEA, definitely! And then I love browse at fleamarkets for unusual and old pieces.
3. Sweet. Ice cream! (my favorite flavours are coconut, white chocolate and banana).. Or really strong and salty liquorice. That's what I'm always missing when I'm away from Denmark.
4. City. Paris! I used to live there and I want to return to live there eventually. I always had something for Singapore, Boston and New York City as well (and I'm planning on going to either of those places to study next year)..
5. Drink. Diet coke is one of my huge weaknesses. But I do drink lots of water, too. Coffee when at school. But there's nothing like a cup of fresh mint tea. I love that.
6. Music. It depends on my state of mind but I'd say my range is pretty wide.. I listen to everything from jazz and classical music to electronica, indie rock and the cheesiest pop music you can imagine. I'd say I enjoy all kinds of music at different times (except for heavy metal, I'm never that angry)..
7. TV-Series. Honestly, I don't really watch TV. CNN is usually always on to break the silence at home but when I actually sit down to watch something it's typical a cooking show or a debate. My TV is not working at the moment so for now I don't watch anything.
8. Film. Among my favorites we have Lost in translation, Amélie, The Science of Sleep + tons of small French productions. I love going to the cinema as well. The last movie I saw was Happy-Go-Lucky. Highly recommendable!
9. Workout. I love to attend classes such as step and body combat at my fitness center. These days I can only squeeze it in once a week. Otherwise I use my bike a lot to get around town. And when I want to clear my mind, I go for a round of golf.
10. Pastries. I hardly ever eat pastries but whenever I'm in France I always allow myself one. I have very fond childhood memories of lazy mornings on our terrasse eating pain aux raisins. Those are SO good.
11 Coffee. YES! In any form and plenty of it, please!

So, that was about me! I'm passing this meme on to Bloggerella, Ungt Blod and The Search for Chic! I cannot wait to see your posts..

This is... What I want to be when I grow up

I used to have the strangest ideas of what I was supposed to do with my life. The first thing, that I remember I wanted to be, was an astronaut. Space and astronomy was always (and still is) highly interesting to me. The astronaut phase came to an end when I was about 10/11 years, though after I found out how unlikely it was, that is actually going to happen.

It wasn't long after that I picked up my fashion interest. It pretty much came overnight as I started reading Vogue (US) out of boredom on a vacation once. So obviously, I wanted to be just like Mrs. Wintour.



I came to my senses quite quickly, though and changed her and her shitty-quality-paper-magazine-always-featuring-the-same-dull-celebs Vogue in for Madame Roitfeld and her slightly more.. ehm.. daring.. Vogue...



Then I finished high school, moved to Paris and became a fashion celebrity stalker (yes, I snapped those pictures above) and full-time bohemiam which I really wouldn't have had a problem doing for the rest of my life. Somehow my parents managed to drag me back to Denmark and today I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to be. As some of you might know I'm studying economics and business administration these days, which I do find to be interesting and challenging. Where it's going to take me in the end, I have no idea, though and honestly, I don't really mind. In the end, I guess, all I want to be is healthy and happy. All the other things are just minor details.

Endless possibilities

I love multifunctional clothes and for just that reason this grey Marni dress is one of my wardrobe favorites! Because of it's neutral color it'll go with pretty much everything and since it's silk it can be worn during the entire year if you're a little creative with layering. I've worn it two days in a row now.

This is... what I do with a spare 10 minutes

And this was.. an easy one. Whenever I have a free 10 minutes (which I should actually be spending watering my dying plants, washing the dishes or taking down all the painter's tape which is somehow still everywhere to be found in my flat) I like to sit down in my cosiest chair with the paper (that I usually only have time to skim through) and have a good cup of coffee while reading it. It's nothing extravagant but it feels like a luxury these days.
Thanks to Hoppo Bumpo for this week's "This is" theme...

Current obsession: Arranging things by their color

I used to do this with Smarties when I was a child. Lay them all out on the table and arrange them by their color. Then do a few statistics over which colors there were the most and the least. Then eating them in order so that there'd be one of each left in the end. I don't really eat Smarties anymore but I guess I'd do the same thing if I did. Actually, I used to do this with my clothes which were on hangers as well, but my collection of Petit Bateau ts are neatly piled in order of their color still. We all have our peculiarities, right? Anyways, I just noticed it seems especially popular to arrange books by their color. I've seen it lots of places recently. I say, anything goes. It looks awesome, don't you agree?

French nonchalance personified

.. that is Lou Doillon. Honestly, I never cared for her as an actress, a singer or any other thing she pretends to be. But I appreciate her as a beautiful, charismatic woman who knows how to dress herself. And that she does extremely well. Personally, I'm a huge fan of flaunting your assets, knowing what works for you and then sticking to it. And I believe that's something mademoiselle Doillon believes in, too. Her range is pretty wide, though but she's always original and daring in her choices (..a bat as a hair clip and a Hervé Léger bandage dress opted for Snejana Onopkas or extremely confident people, for instance).. In addition, add a hat, a fringe, and a Chanel bag. Stir well. Then you have one piece of irresistably charming and unique francaise.

FALL!

I feel it coming. Yesterday I wore the outfit above and miraculously I managed to eternalize it just before running to class. Now I realize that it's only a month ago since I posted an outfit with this exact dress. But weather is already so depressing that I need to layer to stay warm. Otherwise, rien de neuf. With the new semester I'm falling into old habits. Like drinking 8 cups of coffee each day to stay concentrated while studying. And sitting up late in front of the laptop. But I'm trying to allocate my hours appropriately, though I only end up getting things done halfway, it seems. Like getting stuff from the drycleaners but having it hang in the hallway for days. Trying to finish decorating the apartment but I just cannot decide on what to hang on my walls. And how. I've been searching for old picture frames at fleamarkets for a while but I also want something else.. something larger.. for the walls like the one in my bedroom (ideas?).. Oh, and one last thing: It is so not fair that fashion weeks are starting now when I'm buried in statistics and financial calculations. My weak character cannot handle it.

Jan Clemens Hoek

Hello... Anyone out there? Just wanted you guys to know, that no, I'm not dead. Yet. 'Cause with the new semester starting, the workload makes you think that the end might just be near. But fortunately it's interesting stuff I'm learning, so I'm hanging in there. Which is also why I guess I will not be posting as frequently, as I have been over the summer, for a while. It's not like I'm giving up on my blog at all, though! I just need to focus on other things for a while and I'll be back soon I hope. For now, I just wanted to blog about a great friend and a great photographer. No need to say, I don't mind having him take my picture! For more of his work, visit theinvisibleveil.