Meet me by the fountain

15 November 2020

An autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coat

When we moved to Oudenaarde this graceful fountain near the quayside just outside the center caught my eye. After doing some research I discovered it was built in 1852 in honor of Louise Marie of OrlĂ©ans, the first Belgian Queen, and the design was inspired by the fountains of the Place de la Concorde in Paris. I love finding out these little historical details even most locals probably aren’t aware of. If one day I have to guide someone around my hometown, I like to think I’d be able to take them off the beaten path and show them places they normally wouldn’t visit. Do you spend a lot of time discovering your own city? 

In these photos I’m wearing my coat crush for this season by Princess Highway. The large buttons and peter pan collar give it such a mod feel and the beautiful olive color pretty much complements my entire wardrobe. The design also reminds me of Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin)’s perfect lavender coat in Once Upon a Time. Her outfits were a great inspiration to me back when the show came on. My blouse is by Part Two and was color coded ‘pumpkin spice’, so I knew it was meant to be!

An autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatAn autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatAn autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatAn autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatAn autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatAn autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatAn autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatAn autumnal outfit featuring a Princess Highway olive green coatOUTFIT DETAILS | Coat: Princess Highway - Blouse: Part Two - Skirt: Esprit - Bag: Pieces via Zalando - Shoes: Jonak via Zalando

Taking a moment to reflect

04 November 2020

It feels a bit strange posting these photos now a second lockdown has forced all the bars and restaurants in Belgium to close their doors again. As an avid coffee shop goer and admirer of independent shop owners, it breaks my heart to see many of them struggling, especially after putting in so much effort to make their businesses safer. The thing that frustrates me the most is there's not any indication that the rising number of infections in our country is even at all related to people going out for dinner or a drink. The situation only worsened when schools reopened back in September. So while I understand stricter measures need to be taken, I think the government is focusing on the wrong ones and sadly we’re powerless to do anything about it. Meanwhile I'm glad the #supportyourlocal movement is still going strong and I can't encourage people enough to go fetch that take-away coffee, order that brunch box and buy those Christmas gifts from a local webshop instead of Amazon.  

On another positive note the thought of being homebound for the rest of the year has once again reminded me to appreciate everyday moments more. Making a nice jug of filter coffee, trying out a new bake, gardening, going for a walk, getting hooked on a Netflix series… It all seems mundane, but in order to keep up hope it’s so important to be aware of and cherish all the things we do have. 

I’m also really lucky to currently be living on a cloud of joy thanks to my new job. I was able to start off early since I'd basically been technically unemployed for the last two months and it’s really done me good to actually feel useful again. There's some really fun clients I get to write for and it's so refreshing compared to the corporate and technical content I had to cover previously. A warm welcome from the team, even through video call, is an additional motivator. The times are challenging but no matter the circumstances, I can't wait for what's ahead.

OUTFIT DETAILS | Blouse & skirt: Princess Highway - Beret: Veritas - Rings & nail polish: H&M
PHOTOS | Nanted Photography