Category: Trends

Designer Brain Atwood has the ability to give a sweet and innocent shoe just a little bit of an edge. Surprisingly so, the designer is launching a shoe line especially for those sweet and innocent brides. And that means you can say ‘bye bye’ to safe wedding shoes, and ‘hello’ to the new and improved bridal footwear by Brian Atwood.

The great thing about this mouthwatering shoe collection is that you can customize your favourite pair to your heart’s desire. The line will consist of 13 pairs of shoes and one beautiful Swarovski encrusted clutch. We don’t the inside details on all 13 pairs, but the following two are very much promising…

Something blue

Looking for something blue on your wedding day? How about these amazing hydrangea inspired shoes. Hell, even if you’re not getting married these shoes would be amazing.  The shoes have stunning flower corsages around the ankle that would look amazing with any wedding dress. The sky high heels are encrusted with blue stones and look breathtaking. They are available in this beautiful blue version and there is also a white version that’s just as stunning but with a little less wow-effect.

Go for sparkle

Sometimes a girl can use a little extra spark, especially on her wedding day. The somewhat wider heel of this pair, ensures a little more comfort while walking down the aisle. The colour of the shoe is a beautiful pink/nude shade that goes perfectly with the amazing sparkly heel. It even has a peep-toe to show off your beautiful pedicure. As finishing ‘Atwood’ touch, it has a special ankle strap.

Not hearing wedding bells anytime soon? No worries, ‘cause Little Soho believes these Brian Atwoord shoes can just as easily be worn on normal night out as well!

Last week we had a special event in Amsterdam; Karl Lagerfeld’s brand store, named ‘Karl’, opened its doors. The grand opening on Wednesday the 23^th of April truly was a red carpet affaire. The store in Amsterdam is the second store in Europe after Paris, and the plan is to have a Karl store in every big city in Europe.

De Negen Straatjes

The place to be in Amsterdam right now is ‘de negen straatjes’, these are nine little side streets with hot and happening restaurants, coffee shops, hair salons and of course clothing stores. So where else would ‘Kaiser Karl’ open a store? The store is 150 m2 big and covers two floors. The main floor is designated for the women’s collection, which include stunning bags, amazing shoes and eye-catching fashion. Always wanted denim shorts with the profile of Karl Lagerfeld? Well, don’t look any further, because the Karl store has them!

The digital age

Karl is a keen photographer and social media-user which also shines through in the Karl stores. By having iPads in the dressing rooms, you can take pictures and share these with your friends and family via social media and email. Downstairs in the men’s department you can scroll through the look book on an iPad that is attached to the clothing rail. You can immediately see how to combine the clothes and pick your favorite styles. Another digital feature is the guest book. Take a picture (again with the iPad) and post this on the Facebook page of the Karl store. You can leave a personal message to let everyone know you were there.

A Little Karl

You can also buy the amazing Toki Doki dolls in the Karl store. These limited edition collector’s items offer you a b-bopping Karl. If a soft and cuddly Karl is more your style, you should check out the Mua Mua dolls. Mua Mua Dolls are little mischievous monsters that protect and love its owner by absorbing all the negative energy and transforming it into love.  According to the label you can take little Karl where ever you go, but you have to make sure to treat him with love.

Besides clothes and dolls you can buy eye-catching coffee table books, stunning moleskine note books and quirky iPhone covers. With its high-end interior, heartwarming sales people and one-of-a-kind items, the Karl store really is a great addition to ‘de negen straatjes’.  Therefore, make sure to pay a visit to Karl and give the Kaiser himself Little Soho’s regards.

Spring is a busy season when it comes to weddings. It most probably has something to do with the nice weather. Now what’s a good wedding without some tasty beverages? That’s right, not quite thirsty! That’s why Little Soho hands you 6 delicious wedding cocktails that will guarantee quench the thirst of all your wedding guests.

The Blushing Bride

This drink has to be blushing pink, just like the bride. Great about this recipe is that it’s perfect for mixing in a glass jug, to give it that real spring vibe. We start off with 10 oz. of sliced strawberries, mix this with 1 lemon, cut in half and sliced. Then add 12 oz. of pink lemonade. Next we add 2 bottles of fresh rosé and add 1 bottle of club soda. Stir to mix all the ingredients and garnish this with beautiful sprigs of fresh mint. Serve the drink in a classic martini glass and toast to the blushing bride.

Greenhouse Tonic

This is a real fresh spring cocktail, perfect for an outside wedding. Start off with 2 oz. of gin and add 1 tbs. of lemon-verbena simple syrup. Next step is to work on the ‘green’ part of this cocktail. We do that by adding a handful of dill, 3 basil leaves and 4 fresh slices of cucumber. Finish the drink with tonic water (add to taste) and throw in some ice cubes. The result is a perfect spring green cocktail that looks great served in a sturdy glass and garnished with a cucumber slice.

Honeymoon cocktail

This might by the most simple cocktail to make and is perfect for a classic themed wedding. Maybe even a wedding with a roaring twenties theme, because this cocktail screams flapper girls and slick gangsters. Start with 1 part of vodka and mix this with 1 part of lemon drop mixer, shake for the best result. Garnish this honeymoon cocktail with some fresh lemon slices and serve this in a classic martini glass.

Cherry Blossom

This is an amazing cocktail that would look really good at any party, but especially at a spring wedding with a beautiful glowing bride. What you need is 1.5 oz. of tequila; mix that with 1 oz. Patron Citronage Orange liqueur. Next you add 1 oz. of fresh lime juice and ¼ oz. cherry juice. Serve this tasty cocktail on lots of crushed ice and garnish with delicate rose petals.

Something Blue

No wedding is complete without something blue, so why not serve a fun blue cocktail drink. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of your guests. To give this drink a blue touch, Blue Curacao is needed. Mix 3 oz. of the blue goo with ¾ oz. of vodka and finish it off with ¾ oz. of sweet and sour mix. Serve this blue oasis in a long drink glass with ice; keep it very clean and simple because the color blue is a statement on its own.

Cherry Collins

The Cherry Collins is, yet again, perfect to serve on a beautiful spring day, and is also one of our favorites. Start by cutting cherries in half and add 2 oz. of cucumber-infused gin.  Next add 1 oz. of lime juice. To finish off this spring wedding drink, add some tonic and garnish with fresh fruit like lime and of course cherries.

Michael Kors is one of Little Soho’s favourite brands. Amazing clothes and stunning accessories make him a designer who really understands women. To expand has brand even further, Michael Kors announced that he will also be releasing a cosmetic collection, this fall. The collection will be split into three parts; sporty, sexy and glam.

Each part will have two different lipstick colours, two gloss colours and nailpolish. Besides colour cosmetics there will also be a fragrance to accompany the sexy, the glam and the sporty part. Also, Michael Kors will be releasing a range of bath, body and sun cosmetics.

It won’t take long for we can apply some Michael Kors ‘sporty’ lipstick on our lips, paint our nails with ‘glam’ and wear a ‘sexy’ perfume all at the same time! Thank you Michael Kors!

We love just love ourselves some fresh flower fragrances. Especially with Spring just around the corner! But sometimes we just want something a little more natural, so why not make our own floral water spray. And yes, by this we really mean, making your own floral spray to fill your home with a Spring scent. No laboratory required just some smart cooking and quirky ingredients.

So what do you need to make your own wearable flower bouquet?
A large metal pot with glass dome lid, a ceramic ramekin, bottled water, turkey baster, flowers, a cutting board, a knife and surprisingly ice.

Laboratory at home

1. Remove the petals from the flowers and chop them a little. Not to fine, it’s just to relieve the fragrance a little more.  Place the ramekin in the middle of the pot and spread the flowers around it. The ramekin is there to catch the fragranced water.
2. Next we need to add water to the flowers. It’s important to use 1 ½ cups of water for each cup of flower petals that is added. The recipe suggests bottled water, because the quality of water isn’t the same everywhere. Good thing that we in the Netherlands have very high quality tap water, so you can go either way.
3. Next step is to place the dome glass lid upside down on the pot, than add the ice to the top. You may think it’s strange, but the ice will stimulate condense, which is very important in the progress of creating your own scented water spray.
4. Put the pan on low fire and let in simmer. Use the turkey baster to remove excess water from the lid with ice and add ice when required. When the flowers loose there color you are done with this batch. There should be water in the little ramekin, which you can remove using the turkey baster and squeeze into a beautiful glass bottle.  You probably have to do more than one batch to fill a full size bottle.

When your flower and water mixture boils, water vapor will rise infused with the fragrance of the flowers. When this vapor rises in the pan, it will hit the cold lid and transform back in to liquid, also known as condense.  Because the lid is a dome shape upside down, the water drops will fall in the middle of the pan right in to the ramekin.  It’s like having a little laboratory at home.  Repeat the progress to fill your glass bottle.

These are a few of our favorite scents…

Great flowers to use are:  roses (especially sterling roses), jasmine (very fragranced), chamomile (tea will work great), lemon thyme (fragrant herbs are amazing), lavender (need we say more), orange blossom (fruity and sweet), honeysuckle (summer personified), magnolia (soft and sweet), verbena (fresh lemon smell), coconut (delicious), peony (ultimate flower scent) and frangipani (sweet like summer). Of course you can play around to find your perfect mix and distinguish yourself from everybody else.  Have fun brewing!

Source: The Beauty Department

As the frenzy surrounding the Oscar’s started to peak, last night was quite a busy night in Los Angeles. Stars have been preparing for this night weeks in advance. Getting facials here, having a little nip/tuck there (the trick is to look fresh and not over-botoxed)… And of course dozens of stylists have been working themselves into a near- nervous breakdown with what is probably considered the most important part of the evening: ‘The Dress’.

As it is, choosing an Oscar- dress is not something to be taken lightly. Pick the right one, and your stardom can soar to unexpected heights. Unfortunate enough to choose the wrong one? Rest assured that the humiliation will haunt you for years and years to come. Now that Oscar-night is over, we take stock of how all these efforts have paid off. Which dresses were the most beautiful of the evening? Who was the belle of the ball?

Metallics were hot. Nicole Kidman en Naomi Watts both appeared in beautiful liquid sequined gowns. The dramatic shoulder detail on Naomi Watts’ dress stood out and looked absolutely beautiful. The coloring of Nicole Kidman’s dress matched her hair beautifully. Naomi Watts’ wore a gown by Armani Privé, and Nicole Kidmanwent for L’Wren Scott.

Selma Hayek en Charlize Theron both looked like ethereal queens. Both wore beautiful structured dresses. Charlize Theron’s dress was by Christian Dior Couture and Selma Hayek wore Alexander McQueen.

Rene Zellweger and Jessica Chastain went for nude metallic. They were both fabulous, fitted dresses. Jessica Chastain went for a sweetheart neckline with a small train, whereas Rene Zellweger went for a more square and structured shape that accentuated her physique. Rene Zellweger wore Carolina Herrera and Jessica Chastain wore Armani Privé.

Old Hollywood beat out young Hollywood. Dear young actresses, take note: this is how you dress for the Oscars. In bright neon colors that were completely on trend, two of Hollywood’s grande dames weren’t afraid to command some attention. The dazzling and ageless Jane Fonda (75) looked gorgeous in canary yellow Atelier Versace. Another ageless beauty, Sally Field, looked stunning in red Valentino. Sally Fields’ dress had a light see trough effect that showed skin in the right spots. They both covered their arms and looked striking and age-appropriate.

The fabulous curvy women Adele and Octavia Spencer stole the show by wearing elegant dresses and accentuating their curves. Adele chose a dress by Jenny Packham, a black creation with lots of beading. Even though she looked absolutely stunning, Adele did complain that the dress weighed 15 kg. Octavia Spencer chose a shade that complemented her radiant skin color. The dress was from designer Tadashi Shoji, and is characterized by amazing draping around the shoulders. She embodied old Hollywood with the ball gown.

Fashion is not just slapping on some beautiful clothes. For a true fashionista, fashion is a head-to-toe affair. And that means: makeup!  There is no limit when it comes to makeup. Use it to highlight some of the best features of your gorgeous face, or just to add that little detail that will take your look from okay to super polished. And while Spring is almost here to bring some more colour into our lives, the make-up trends we spotted on the catwalks tell us to use more natural colours, with the exception of some statement eye-popping colours.

For example, make-up artists used brilliant shades of blue and green on the eyes during the shows of Stella McCartney and Versus, and Jason Wu opted for slicked vivid crimson hues on the lips, while Dolce & Gabbana went for the more natural lips and a healthy glowing skin. We’ve also spotted some major lashes and brows, balanced by softly smudged eyeliner.

Create this amazing eye make-up with one of the eye pencils by NYX called “Jumbo Eye Pencil”. This well-known eyeliner comes in various colours and can also be used as an eyeshadow. The Jumbo Eye Pencils are easy to work with, they glide effortlessly over the eyelid. NYX is available at Douglas.

For those sexy vivid crimson-hued lips, there are some tips and tricks to make them stand out and last longer. Try to take an extra 30 seconds in your beauty routine to exfoliate your lips. Use a washcloth dampened with warm water and rub away dry skin. Don’t be too harsh on your lips; a gentle, circular motion will do the trick. Now moisturize those lips with your favorite lip balm, before you put on that hot red lipstick. For precise red lips use a lipstick brush, this will give you  more control when applying the lipstick.

If you are hunting for the perfect red lipstick, try out these amazing  lipsticks:

• Mac Ruby Woo – A sexy blue red in a soft matt finish.
• Lancôme Le French Touch Absolu in Rue Saint-Honore – Classic orangey-red with a moisturizing finish.
• Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Red – Bright red with a satin finish.

Classic France design house Hermés is known for making amazing scarves. Their beautiful prints are a longtime favourite among people around the whole world. So what would happen if this classic France designer collaborates with the edgy Japanese designer Rei Kawakuba of Commes des Garçons? Well, you get this amazing, drool worthy scarf collection with the beautiful name: Comme des Carrés.

Busy little bee

Rei Kawakubo designer of Comme des Garçons has been busy this year. Aside from opening a New York office she has collaborated with Hermés to launch not one but two special silk scarf collections, or carrés as they are affectionately known.  The collection has the beautiful name Comme des Carrés and will be launched at the Comme de Garçon stores this week. The collection morphs prints, by the two design houses, together to create a beautiful new image.

Comme des Carrés

The scarves will surely be collector’s items. They combine the history of Hermés with the edgy prints of Comme des Garçons. A beautiful Hermés marine print from the 1950’s combined with black polkadots, creates a wonderful new image. Rei Kawakubo says the following about the prints: “I was looking forward to the change that would happen when I added something to the beautiful paintings of Hermès scarf designs”. According to her, they created something new through the addition of abstract images.

They really did create something special and it is really interesting to see such a unique collaboration. Let’s face it, if design house Hermés calls us, we would be delighted to create such beauty with them.

Source: W magazine

This season your straightener will get plenty of use, because poker straight hair is a major trend.  Designers like Derek Lam, Emilio Pucci, Lacoste, Marios Schwab, Michael Kors and Saint Laurent are all going for super straight hair on the runway. Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with naturally straight hair, so it will take a little practice and getting used to.

Health before beauty

It is really important to make sure that you take care of your hair, especially if you regularly use blow dryers and straighteners.  Condition your hair after washing and use a leave-in conditioner. Before you start styling your hair it’s important that you use heath protection in your hair. All in the name of healthy glowing locks.

One of our favourite heath protection products is Redken Smooth Loch Heath Glide. It will take care of flyaways and will give your hair a lovely shine. To get a poker straight effect, use a big barrel brush and blow dry your hair.  Make sure to start at the bottom, because this will make blow drying your hair easier. To finish of the look use a little oil, it will give amazing shine and will nourish your hair. In our book a double win.

Extra dimension

Want to give your sleek look some extra dimension?  A great way to accentuate this look is by side parting your hair. It’s a twist on the regular and is a great way to spice it up. This look was featured by Lacoste.  If you’re a fan of accessorizing, combine this look with minimalist accessories, like a simple hairband (as seen by Michael Kors).

All in all it’s a change-up from all the waves we’ve been seeing past seasons, and the great thing is, after a wash you can start all over again.

Source

The latest craze in fitness among celebrities is “Piloxing”.

Piloxing is a unique mix between Pilates and Boxing that makes you burn extra fat, invigorates you mentally and physically and enhances your flexibility. Guaranteed to whip you into shape in no time.

This new type of work-out is created by celebrity trainer Viveca Jensen. Celebrities like Hilary Duff, Kirsten Dunst and several Victoria’s Secret models swear by this addictive workout. Unfortunately group sessions aren’t available in the Netherlands yet. Luckily you can buy the DVDs at http://piloxing.com/store/ so you can practise Piloxing at home! Watch a short example of a Piloxing class down here.