One of the things I enjoy most about YLF is its global integrity. It makes me extremely happy that we have active members participating in great forum topics from all corners of the globe. It enriches the character of our community and certainly broadens my fashion and style horizons.

After spending two weeks in Europe, and in particular being back in the Netherlands, I feel an extra strong connection to my roots. I’m fluent in Dutch, and even though I speak it daily over the phone with my Papa in the Netherlands, I really miss writing in my mother tongue. So in keeping with the global integrity of YLF, I have decided to change the primary language for my blog posts to Dutch. I will still write a few posts a week in English, but the main post each day will be in Dutch. Those who have an understanding of Germanic languages should have no problem getting the gist of what I’m saying. And I’m sure the rest of you are fast learners.

So without further ado, my first post in Dutch…

Na mijn vorige blogposts over Arnhem en Amsterdam weten jullie al dat Nederlanders zich hip, stijlvol en erg praktisch kleden. Helemaal mijn ding. Ik ben wel toe aan iets nieuws, dus heb ik besloten om met onderstaande drie mode-updates hulde te brengen aan mijn Nederlandse afkomst:

Klompen

Klompen met hakken mogen deze lente niet ontbreken in de kast van al wie de nieuwe modetrends op de voet volgt. Bovendien zijn ze heel comfortabel, dus bijzonder geschikt voor mensen met moeilijke voeten zoals ik. Als trendsetter neem ik graag wat extra risico, daarom kies ik voor authentieke Nederlandse klompen in lichtbruin hout, met een laag hakje. Heel mooi onder bootcut jeans.

Zonnebril

De zomers in Seattle zijn kort maar toch komt het zonnetje regelmatig tevoorschijn. Een zonnebril is dan ook een must. En omdat oranje nu eenmaal de nationale kleur van Nederland is, verruil ik mijn Ray Bans graag voor een oranje zonnebril met oversized glazen, à la Jackie O. Dé manier bij uitstek om een outfit in neutrale tinten op te vrolijken met een streepje kleur.

Tulpen

Tulpen zijn mijn lievelingsbloemen, en net zoals bij vele andere Nederlanders, staat ons huis er vol van in deze periode van het jaar. Ik ben echt gek op tulpen en ben van plan om een bosje van deze kleurrijke bloemen als accessoire mee te dragen. Dit is een compleet nieuwe look voor mij, maar ik ben altijd de eerste om mijn modegrenzen te verleggen en kijk heel erg uit naar deze stijluitdaging.

Ik sta te trappelen om mijn lentelook nog actueler te maken met deze drie patriottische stijlelementen! Knipoog naar onze lezers die Nederlands begrijpen: jullie zullen wel al doorhebben dat we vandaag de eerste dag van de vierde maand zijn en dan wordt er traditiegetrouw al eens een grapje uitgehaald.

Update: If you have read the comments on this post, you will have realized that this was all April Fool’s fun. I will continue to write my blog posts in English!

Click here to read an english translation of the Dutch text above »

Pattern mixing, wearing two or more patterns together in one outfit, is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you have a creative, bohemian, romantic or arty element to your style, you’ll probably appreciate the effect. If you prefer your outfits to look extra clean and crisp, you’ll probably prefer very subtle forms of pattern mixing, if at all.

It is far more common to pair one print with solids or with false plains (textured solids that give the illusion of a solid when they’re actually made of varying colours of interwoven threads, like tweeds and small check designs). But combining patterns can be fun too and there are ways of achieving a harmonious look.

Here are two guidelines to get you headed in the right direction if you’re new to the world of pattern mixing:

• Choose  patterns in a similar colour palette: It’s amazing how well the same colours in different patterns can work together, especially if they’re in a similar fabrication. The classic example is mixing black and white jailbird stripes with black and white polka dots.
• Choose a dominant pattern and a supporting pattern: Dominant patterns can work together, but choosing one dominant pattern and one supporting pattern is a more flop proof approach. That way the patterns aren’t competing for attention. For example, match a bold geometric pattern with a dainty polka dot. Match a bold floral design with a false plain like a micro check/gingham or glen plaid. Match an abstract pattern with a subtle pinstripe. In these examples the dainty polka dot, the glen plaid and the pinstripe are the supporting patterns.

These are the first steps to effective pattern mixing. For advanced techniques and inspiration, check out Audi and Kasmira’s outfits. These stylish ladies successfully mix their patterns in much more daring ways.

For my own style, I like to play with different textures and false plains instead of mixing too many patterns together. I do enjoy combining a pinstripe blazer or a monotone polka dot with just about any other pattern, and today I’m wearing a Burberry scarf with a black and white animal print cardigan. But that’s about as creative as I get in this department. Do you like the effects of pattern mixing? Is this an dressing skill that you would like to learn?

In Zurich, women of all ages, from young teens to ladies well into their 70’s, are impeccable and attractive. They look chic and sophisticated to the extreme. The overall street style is classically fashionable, perfectly polished, very branded, quite trendy and ever so slightly glitzy. People generally do not look edgy, retro or arty.

By far the most common handbag is a Louis Vuitton clutch satchel. But there are lots of Burberry trenches and scarves, Chanel sunglasses and Prada accessories too. And don’t think that it’s just the older women wearing designer brands. Young gals in their teens and early twenties sporting designer wear is surprisingly common.

It’s also noticeable how well men and women maintain their hair in Zurich. After thinking about that aspect of the street style, it comes as no surprise because swanky hair salons are in abundance – like around every street corner — and something has to keep those businesses going.

Our days in Zurich were both mild Spring days and chilly, wet days (our pictures represent the latter). On the warm days, women wore skinnies, cigarette pants and ankle length leggings with ballet flats, loafers, heeled pumps or booties. Tops were knitted tunics, button down shirts and tailored blazers. Lots of hip slung belts, jewelry, scarves and designer handbags. On the colder days, women wore knee-high and calf length boots over skinnies, jeggings and leggings. Barely a skirt, dress or boot cut in sight! Most outfits were neutrally toned and there was quite a lot of textured black from head to toe. When it came to pops of colour, it was all about red – which of course, went down pretty well with me.

We’re in Milan right now, the last leg of our trip. Buon Giorno Prada, pasta, prosciutto and gelato! Stay tuned for more about that when we get home later this week.

I always thought that the Netherlands was the cleanest and neatest country in Europe, but Switzerland has her beat. Zurich is pristine. It is also the most picturesque city I’ve ever seen: cobbled streets, steepled churches, fancy cafes, modern trams and a very pretty lake against the backdrop of snow capped Alpine mountains. Beautiful. And awfully civilized. The locals are very polite and things run like clockwork. And I mean like Swiss clockwork. Bells chime the time throughout the city every 15 minutes! It’s lovely, and there’s no excuse for not knowing the time.

We stayed with our dear friend Brian and his adorable black lab Meagan. Their lovely apartment is a ten minute tram ride from the main downtown area, so we were in the heart of the city daily, exploring its streets and soaking in all of its fabness.

It was wonderful to catch up with dashing Brian, who we even took shopping for a new Hugo Boss leather jacket. Very fun. And spending quality cuddle time with sweet Meagan healed my homesickness for our girls.

Believe it or not, we wore Crocs for quite a large portion of our time in Zurich. Yup. CROCS. Brian has a no-shoes-inside-the-house policy so he keeps spare Crocs for guests who forget to bring slippers. I adore Brian so I loyally sported the ugliest shoes on earth so that he can keep his stunning parquet floors in tip top condition. At least mine were a pretty modern white. If they’d been any other colour I may have needed to purchase emergency house shoes.

When I think of Switzerland, the first thing that comes to mind is the Alps and cute cows with ornate bells. But chocolate comes in as a close second and we had lots of that. One memorable chocolaty occasion was at Sprüngli, an up-market Swiss confiserie. It was a treat to watch one of their expert chocolatiers decorating big chocolate Easter eggs with detailed icing creations. We spent a good amount of time looking at all the beautifully made sweets, bon-bons, cakes and Easter-themed chocolates before purchasing some of their delights and enjoying them out in the beautiful Spring sunshine.

I didn’t sample all of the savoury local faire that the boys enjoyed, like bratwurst, cured cold cuts and wiener schnitzel, because when it comes to meat I only eat fish and chicken. But I did have a wonderful ostrich dish that reminded us of South Africa, where meat from the giant bird is quite common on restaurant menus.

Perhaps the biggest treat for me was the fashion on the streets. The people reflected their pristine, civilized surroundings. But I’ll save the details for a dedicated post this afternoon.