Exciting news! Vogue Netherlands has asked me to join The Vogue Blog Network, which is a brand new network that launched on their website this week. And well, come on, who would say 'no' to Vogue?! So from now on I will be blogging for them every wednesday. You can read their exclusive interview with me on vogue.nl sometime this week and my first post will be up tomorrow!
image for Fash n Chips
I started the month in London and ended the month in Stockholm. In between I enjoyed working on new projects, kicking off Awards Season, attending MBFW Stockholm and, last but not least, meeting and falling in love with my friend's newborn girl Silvia last week in Sweden. Isn't she the cutest?
all images by me (Instagram @ fash_n_chips)
(Zara down jacket, trousers and shoes, Céline bag and COS beanie hat)
I had been longing for wintery temperatures like these (-2° to -6° C here in Sweden at the moment) for weeks! Stockholm in the winter could be even more lovely than in summer? I for one am really enjoying the freezing wind in my face, the layer of snow on the sidewalks (mostly outside of the center though) and I love that Stockholm still has so many Christmas decorations up! It's just beautiful and it's great to be back.
Some of you have been asking me for tips on what to wear during freezing cold weather and, to be honest, something like this is about all I could come up with so far: a cute down jacket (preferably with a big hood that you can layer over a woolen beanie hat for extra warm ears?), woolen trousers and sheepskin or (faux) fur lined biker boots.. I usually prefer my coats oversized and I definitely would've wished for this one to be longer as well but I've found that with down coats they seem warmer when they fit a little tighter around the body. So anyway, perhaps not the most stylish girl on the block but there's lots of other things to concentrate on when it's this cold.
image for Fash n Chips
I visited the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague yesterday to check out the Chanel exhibition 'The Chanel Legend', a story of Coco Chanel and her celebrated fashion house. To be honest, it did not live up to my expectations entirely - it was quite a small exhibition, I thought, with very few real eye-catchers. However, Chanel obviously has one of the most interesting stories in fashion (starting with Coco Chanel and coming up to its current designer Karl Lagerfeld) which was nice to read and see more about and, of course, it was also lovely to get to see some famous designs up close. - You can see the exhibition in The Hague until the 2nd of February after which it will transfer to the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg.
all images by me
A few years ago I discovered the extraordinary and colourful statement necklaces designed by Gerjanne of Atelier GeJe here in the Netherlands and I was instantly drawn to them, mostly because of the fine use of colours. I've had the pleasure of visiting the Atelier GeJe workshop quite a few times by now (always feeling like a kid in a candystore when I'm surrounded by that many beautiful designs!) and I thought I'd share with you a little peek into the workshop and also, introduce you to Gerjanne through this little interview.
Gerjanne, could you tell us a little bit about Atelier GeJe and how you got started?
I’ve been making jewellery since 1975 and have later also started making tapestries. This is what I had my first exhibition with as well. All of this work developed with different materials over time and from tapestries I then went on to make paintings.
The combination of working with my head (first aid assistance and teaching) and my hands brought me a good balance, this also because of the studies I did in both of these directions.
In the past I’ve had exhibitions in galleries, museums and exclusive stores in the Netherlands and abroad but more and more I felt like I wanted to have some personal interaction with my clients as well. So I started my own workshop at home where now I not only work but I also have clients visiting me.
For the jewellery I use colourful and natural materials like pearls, agath and silver. For the fine silver or gold jewellery that we make I work together with my daughter, in the workshop or some place else.
How would you describe Atelier GeJe?
The philosophy of Atelier GeJe is that the jewellery and paintings have to be affordable and the jewellery has to be wearable as well: the necklaces often seem big and heavy but they’re actually very light weight. The jewellery and paintings are unique, we never create the same thing twice because of the work method ánd because they’re made within a certain mood or feeling.
Could you tell us about your work method?
I rarely create things out of a certain design. The jewellery and paintings happen in the moment and it is way more inspiring for me to have the freedom and space to create a "surprise" and see how something develops.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from anywhere and anything really; from my surroundings to maybe a simple line, a form, a weathered branch or stump, but also from different forms of art. All of these images I collect in my head and later I can let these impressions out again in different shapes through my work.
What kind of people wear Atelier GeJe designs? Do you think they have a specific style?
People who wear Atelier GeJe jewellery are mostly somewhat willful people who don’t follow the fashion trends blindly, people with a clear personal style. They can be people from the age of 25 to far over the age of 80.
Besides colourful jewellery you create paintings and also jewellery made out of old gold and silver. Out of these three things, is there anything you prefer to work on?
I don’t prefer one thing over the other but I think it’s nice and inspiring to, for example, alternate between working with silver and gold and working with other jewellery or sometimes even combining the two.
Do you have a favourite designer or artist?
I don’t have a lot of favourite artists, because everyone actually seems to have something I find interesting. Some of the artists that stand out for me, though, are: Hester van Eeghen - she designs bags and I own several of those - the etches and studies of Rembrandt impress and inspire me ánd the beach creatures of Theo Jansen are close to magical, those are really special to see. These artists excite me to get started on new creations, while there are many more artists I also like but who don’t stand out as much.
Do you have any special plans for the future of Atelier GeJe?
I don’t have any concrete plans for the future but I would like to develop my online store and business a bit more, possibly with help from others. Otherwise I will just wait and see what comes up, I like working that way.
Visit Atelier GeJe's little online shop here.
all images by me and Kiwi Bird Productions