Let's talk about hats

'No mum, please don't wear your hat' 'You will capture everyone's attention'. 'It's just too much!' 'You'll be the laughing stock of Rotterdam''. ;-)

Whenever I try to wear one of my hats, this is what happens. My hat always ends up in the back of my closet, where it came from.

When I look back at my childhood in the late sixties and seventies, I remember my grandparents, aunts and uncles wearing a hat, when leaving the house. Partly for protection, but for decorative purposes as well. How I admired them. They looked so sophisticated.

I have fond memories too of one of my neighbours, a tall and well groomed gentleman in his eighties, who always tipped his hat whenever we met. I was in my early twenties at the time and just a girl, but this gesture made me feel like a lady.

Last week when at a dinner party, my friends and I got talking about hats. Having seen the films Carol and The Danish girl, in which some fine examples of stylish hats are worn. My friends and I came to the conclusion that we all have hats in our closet, but lack the confidence to actually wear them.

One of my friends and I made a pact. On our next visit to the cinema we would wear one of our hats.

When arriving home later that evening, she sent me a text, saying: 'It's  always terribly windy at the Kop van Zuid......... (the part of town where the cinema is.)........'  I replied: 'No excuses, let's do it!'

It's four more weeks before we go. Having second thoughts already...........she may be right, it is terribly windy at the Kop van Zuid indeed.

Are you into hats?

Enjoy your week!

Love,

Madelief x



* The old black and white photo's are by the Séeberger brothers

* The hats, gloves and jewellery are vintage finds. 

Sweet for my sweet, sugar for my honey

Not long ago we had a wedding in Amsterdam. As the wedding took place in the evening, we had the whole day to ourselves. We decided to see the exhibit 'Inwards and Onwards' in FOAM, by the Dutch photographer and film director Anton Corbijn.

The photo's at the exhibit are mostly of artists, like Kate Moss, Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger. They are all quite large, in black and white and have black frames. Which really makes them stand out.

I thought I wasn't that much of a Corbijn fan, but he proved me wrong. I enjoyed looking at his work. Some photo's are arty, others humorous. I especially liked the one he made of Johnny Cash, which you can see on my blog today. I stood in front of his portrait for a long time. Looking at his eyes, the lines in his face, thinking of the life he has led.

If you haven't planned anything for this weekend or the next one yet, I can recommend the exhibition to you. You can find Foam on the Keizergracht. You have to be quick, because the exhibition ends on the 1st of September.

We visited some more museums afterwards, of which I will show you some photo's soon, and walked the streets of Amsterdam. One of my favourite streets is the Spiegelstraat, which is full of galleries and antique stores.

We ended our citywalk in 'Het Vlaamsch Broodhuys', where we had a delicious tea. They have the cuttest sugar bags, which I simply had to show you!

Wish you all a  happy weekend! We are off to see family in Limburg.

Lieve groet, Madelief x

Photo's 4 & 5 by Anton Corbijn

Cecil Beaton

It has been a while since I did a post on photography. Some of my old followers may know that I love black and white fashion photographs. Especially from the 1920s and 1930s, but I enjoy photo's from later periods as well. When I am in a bookshop or fleamarket I am always on the lookout for photo books. I love the atmosphere, the stylish clothes, and the beautiful men and women.

Cecil Beaton, an English fashion and portrait photographer, is one of my favourites. He was born in 1904 and passed away in 1980. He started for Vogue in 1927. Through the years he captured several celebrities on camera, like Audrey Hepburn, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo & Marilyn Monroe. In his hands beauty was transformed into elegance and charm. He followed fashion on foot, with the result that he was one of the most wanted fashion photographers during a period of fifty years.

Enjoy his photo's! Lieve groet, Madelief

George Hoyningen-Huene

Een van de beste modefotografen vind ik nog altijd George Hoyningen-Huene. George werd in 1900 geboren in St Petersburg, als zoon van een Russische baron. Tijdens de Russische revolutie vluchtte het gezin naar Londen. Na eerst al vertaler te hebben gewerkt, begon George in 1925 zijn carriere als modefotograaf bij de Franse Vogue. Vooral in de jaren twintig en dertig van de vorige eeuw was hij enorm gewild. In 1935 verhuisde hij naar New York en werd hij Amerikaans staatsburger. In datzefde jaar kreeg hij een baan aangeboden bij de Harper's Bazaar. Behalve modefoto's maakte George ook portretten van filmsterren en andere beroemdheden. Ik kan enorm genieten van zijn eenvoudige, maar oh zo stijlvolle foto's! Hellaas leeft George Hoyningen-Huene niet meer. Hij overleed in 1968 in Los Angeles. Wanneer je meer van zijn werk wilt zien is het boek 'The photographic art of Von Hoyningen-Huene' door William Ewing een echte aanrader!

To me one of the best fashion photographers still is George Hoyningen-Huene. George was born in St Petersburgh in 1900, as the son of a Russian baron. During the Russion revolution the family fled to London. He first worked as a translator, after which he found a job as a photographer for the French Vogue. Especially in the 1920's and 1930's of the last century he was much sought after. In 1935 he moved to New York and became an American citizen. In the same year he was offered a job at Harper's Bazaar. Beyond fashion photography George was known for his glamorous portraits of Hollywood stars and other celebrities. I like his pictures because they are simple, but so stylish! Unfortunately George Hoyningen-Huene is no longer among us. He died in 1968 in Los Angeles. When you want to see more of his work, I can recommend the book 'The photographic art of Von Hoyningen-Huene' by William Ewing. It's a bit expensive, but worth it.