Stop worrying about what to give your loved ones for Christmas. I've got your back! Let’s make this an extra intimate time and show each other how much we care. Go for an experience, something local, Belgian, European, sustainable, or all-natural. Here are my suggestions to put you on the right track. Enjoy!
Do you realise Christmas is only a fortnight away??? This always happens to me. I’m still finishing my summer-to-winter wardrobe conversion, and suddenly… bam it’s Christmas!
Sounds familiar? Well darling, if you’re worried about Christmas gifts, relax. Just sit back, have a coffee, and run through my gift ideas. Trust me, I’ve got your back!
Let me start with the ultimate gift for a special friend, a partner, or a family member: a voucher for a feel-good treat at peaches and pink, by… me:) Give him / her the gift of time, of a moment, not a thing.
As Style Coach and Personal Shopper, I offer a whole range of experiences on personal or home styling: colour analysis, wardrobe detox, a 'how to' make-up session, or a living room re-styling, just to name a few. When allowed and safe, your loved one can also join a group workshop or a shopping trip. Who doesn't love a dose of indulgence, escape and empowerment from time to time? Send me a message (truus.yperman@gmail.com) and you'll have your voucher straight away. Easy peasy!
Alternatively:) I highly recommend gifts with a touch of local, Belgian, European, sustainable, or all-natural. After all, this is a time for caring (and perhaps we could just keep that up).
What’s for him and what’s for her? I’m sure you can figure it out, and besides, who says that Wales Bonner track suit (nr 6 in the picture below) wouldn’t look stunning on a woman?
You have that coffee? Great, I've got two sets for you. This is the first set of 6:
1. Kioto earrings, handmade with care in Belgium by jewellery designer Laurence Delvallez, 129€. Her earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings are both maximalist and understated, a truly refreshing contradiction. I’m a fan!
The only problem I see with this blanket, is that you have to make up your mind between a whole range of stunning colours…
Credit for the picture on the left goes to @Bonjourcopenhague and her lovely IG account.
3. A wool pilot jacket, hand-made and custom-tailored by Brussels’ fashion designer Aude De Wolf, 510€.
This is feminine, powerful, fresh, on trend, timeless, and bad-ass all at once. Aude’s label The Wolf Belgium uses left-over fabrics from Dries Van Noten, so this is couture quality, at a non-couture price.
I met Aude the other day at Balthasar on Sablon, where you can check out her collection until 24 Dec. Not surprisingly, I totally fell for her charm and just about every item in her collection. So much talent mixed with so much understated Belgitude, that is Brussels at its best!
4. A Classics Collection coffee table book from French family-owned luxury house Assouline, 95€.
The Classics, with their loud eclectic design, make great home styling statement pieces. But they are not just beautiful on the outside.
My Ibiza Bohemia is a true escape in an exquisite universe of design, art, fashion, and everything in between. Don’t we all crave a little escape once in a while?
5. Insignia sneakers, my all-time favourites from The Cut Project, an inspiring, sustainable Spanish label,190€.
When I bought my first Isignia sneakers, I realised instantly these were different from anything I’d seen before: avant-garde, non-conformist, timeless, and extremely comfortable. I call them my power shoes, because they make me feel strong and feminine. They are so distinct I’ve been stopped in the street by people who absolutely needed to know where I got them.
And guess what? The label in Madrid offered me a pair of Insignias in dark blue if I make a bit of noise for them in Brussels. So, this is my shout-out: BUY THESE SNEAKERS GIRLFRIENDS!!! Loud enough?
6. The already iconic Adidas x Wales Bonner red track top with zipper, 280€. I’ve mentioned Grace Wales Bonner before, in my Black-designers post, simply because she represents everything I look for in fashion today: a fresh look, a statement, a vision for a different future. Perhaps it’s also because she’s British-Jamaican, and I lived in Kingston for several years. Clearly, her designs inspired by Caribbean Black heritage strike an emotional chord with me.
I mean, look at this jacket, these track pants and these sneakers. Isn’t that just Bob Marley all over again?
By the way, good luck finding the jacket because it sold out on her website in a split second. Perhaps you can still score one on Net-a-Porter or Mr Porter…
Darlings, if you thought that was it, think again. Have another coffee, because I've got 7 more ideas for you:
1. A cross-body bag from Antonyme, 120€, available in three lovely colour-combination of leather and fabric. It’s so time for all those lovely, handsome men out there to join the bag club!
2. A black flowing knit dress with deep V-neck and knots on the sides, 75€, from Noo Paris. What did you say? Too hot? No darling, there is no such thing. And yes, you can buy each other sexy gifts for Christmas! In fact, take it as a Covid silver lining: if it’s just you and your partner at the Christmas dinner table this year, the sky’s the limit. Yoohooooo!!!
3. A black and white wool scarf from Belgian fashion house Bellerose, 89€. Because there is nothing wrong with an ‘ordinary’ gift like a scarf, as long as the one you pick is nothing short of extraordinary.
4. A selection of 100% natural beauty products from Natural Heroes. This small, Dutch company is as genuine as it gets. Their mission is to go back to basics with pure, raw products, trialled and tested by them. I am a total convert of this kind of skincare and here is my list of personal favourites: Which Hazel toner, 6,99€, pure vitamin E oil (full spectrum) 14, 99€, Bergamot essential oil 8,95€, Shea Butter 4,99€, and Apple Cider Vinegar 6,95€.
At these prices, imagine how many products you can pile in a single gift basket!
5. Nina Teddy Crème faux fur slippers, from Flattered, 139€. Personally, I’d rather wear socks then wearing some ugly pair of slippers. But these cosy, playful ballerinas, yes, these I would wear very happily:)
6. A stunning pleaded skirt by Kelly from Kelly Shop, 310€. This is my new favourite shop, and it is dangerously situated at a mere 300m from my front door...
Located in on one of the most exquisite buildings of Place Brugmann, this boutique is so beautiful you wish you could just stay there forever. They offer a refreshing mix of unconventional brands, on top of their own women’s and men’s line Kelly, designed by them. Boy, I tell you, Brussels is full of hidden talent!
7. A mid-century Atollo table lamp, designed by Vico Magistretti in 1977 for Oluce, price depends on the size and whether you opt for original or not. Faithful readers of my blog will have spotted this one in my last post on home styling hacks. But this lamp deserves a second tribute, because I have a hunch this will be THE lamp of 2021. A classic icon of modern Italian design, you don’t run the risk of getting bored with it when the hype dies down again. This is a timeless home item and a pure statement of design love.
This is the end...
Ok, my friends, that's enough coffee for now:) I hope my ideas have inspired you to make this 2020 Christmas even more special than it already is.
And as always, help me spread the love. Just share this blog with your network and friends. Let's enjoy this intimate Christmas in style, people!!!
Who am I?
I am Truus Yperman, Brussels-based Style Coach and Personal Shopper for women and men.
I offer joy, indulgence and empowerment in a very practical, hands-on way, through personal styling (fashion sense, look, wardrobe), home styling (interior design sense, decoration, lay-out), and shopping (online or in stores).
I don’t get anything out of naming my favourite brands, other than the pure joy of sharing. I am not an influencer and I don’t intend to become one. My only agenda is to promote style, good taste, and authenticity. Perhaps this can be a refreshing change from the sponsored influencers’ content.
For more fashion and home style inspiration, join my mailing list on my website, follow me on Instagram or sign up for my blog.
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