LaDress - La robe parfaite

Lemoni is a fictional character inspired by the looks of Brigitte Bardot, the lyrics of Billy Joel's unforgettable song "She's Always A Woman" and all outstanding women I've met in my life. 

Billy Joel - She's Always A Woman

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But she's always a woman to me


She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her, as long as it's free
She steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me

Oh-she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh-and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

And she'll promise you more
Than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her, as long as it's free
She steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me

She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
But she can't be conducted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me

During the final stage of the Elite Model Look 2009 - held on October 26th at the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ - the contestants of this grand finale showed a refined selection of LaDress dresses.
And while new talents in modelling, music & dance made sure this special evening was a true pleasure, 15-year old May Groos was chosen to be the Dutch representative of the Elite Model Look 2009.

Invited by Ladies'Circle, LaDress organized an exclusive meeting for its members. Warmly welcomed by numerous lovely ladies on a beautiful location, the LaDress fashion show was tremendously successful.
And after the show? Well, of course we made sure there was plenty of time for shopping and many enthusiastic ladies went home as proud owners of a brand new LaDress.

While enjoying a lovely relaxed weekend with my family and friends amidst the stunning nature of the beautiful Dutch Island Vlieland, I took my beloved dress Chloe with me for a walk at the endless beaches. And while overlooking the eternal blue skies and the endless beauty of the sea, Chloe was hiding from the Autumn breeze... right beneath my jacket.

Once a year the luxurious Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin at the Dutch coastal village of Noordwijk forms the decor of a highly exclusive occasion. Here the Dutch media gathers for a spectacular presentation of the latest eyewear collections.
Organized by Not Just Vision as the finale of 'The Month of Vision", the guests - amongst which celebrities, media personalities ad international eyewear experts - were treated on an evening filled with entertainment and shows.
LaDress was presented extensively on the catwalk and honoured by the number of special media representatives who had chosen to wear LaDress for the occasion.

A slash of Blue --
A sweep of Gray --
Some scarlet patches on the way,
Compose an Evening Sky --
A little purple -- slipped between --
Some Ruby Trousers hurried on --
A Wave of Gold --
A Bank of Day --
This just makes out the Morning Sky.
Emily Dickinson

One of my favorite traditions is to go to Paris with six friends once a year. A weekend full of sumptuous dinners at L'Avenue, Costes and Maxime's, delicious lunches at Les Deux Magots and George outside on the rooftop terrace with spectacular views over Paris, but also a weekend of long walks through the city (to compensate all those calories), even biked through Le Marais and a visit to the wonderful Centre Pompidou. Relaxed, lots of laughter, rested... and of course full of new ideas by this inspiring city!

PS, on the picture I (left) wear Blondie, a silk tunic dress.

Everybody in the Netherlands should have noticed that "Komt een vrouw bij de dokter", the film version of Kluun's bestseller, is very well received, many people were moved to tears when they saw the film.

That applies for me too. I can only say that it is such a beautiful, impressive film!
Absolutely a must-see!

Treat yourself with the LaDress of your dreams, or surprise a loved one with a LaDress giftvoucher.

Wonder through the LaDress website and discover our latest models, fabrics and styling tips. Get inspired for Christmas time, New Year's Eve or dive into 2010 with a complete new look.

Enjoy, celebrate life and feel fabulous!

At LaDress it's also possible to get your purchases gift-wrapped phenomenally.

This will make anyone happy, won't it?!

The long awaited opening of an Amsterdam establishment of top-jewelers Tiffany & Co. last Tuesday, December 1^st, took place in style with a grand party in the beautifully in Tiffany blue decorated and illuminated "House of Amsterdam".

Since 1837, the desirable blue boxes - with sparkling contents - are on the wish list of every woman, because which woman isn't dreaming of her very own "Breakfast at Tiffany's" moment?
Together with author Susan Smith, I've now experienced that moment at this glamorous party; for the occasion no "Breakfast" but a "Grand Dessert Soiree" at Tiffany's!

On the photo © RVDA: DJ Bart Thimbles, Susan Smit in LaDress Eva, and me in a new, suede LaDress (available upon request).

Since our appearance at the 2008 edition of the Miljonair Fair was utterly inspirational and successful, we decided to attend again.
Please feel free to visit us during the Miljonair Fair 2009, where our LaDress stand will be present at the Jackie Hotel.
Come, enjoy & meet all our dresses! 

'Never Can Say Goodbye' – Trijntje Oosterhuis

Last Friday, December 4^th, the new album of the talented Dutch singer/songwriter Trijntje Oosterhuis has been released. "Never Can Say Goodbye" is a wonderful album with 14 Michael Jackson songs.
After the death of Michael Jackson, she initially recorded the songs in her private home studio just for herself, which finally led to this amazing album with her favorite Michael Jackson songs, accompanied by Leonardo Amuedo on acoustic guitar.

The new promo pictures were taken in Cape Town, South Africa, and we're very proud that Trijntje wears our LaDress Josephine. Doesn't she look lovely in it!?

LaDress loves La Mer! So I was very happy to be invited for the launch of La Mer's newest skincare product at the Miljonair Fair Business Monday. During a cozily champagne and petit fours gathering, a selective group of Dutch VIP's and journalists were chosen to be the first to try the new La Mer Regenerating Serum; a wonderful product which helps the skin trigger its natural production of collagen, elastin and other "youth proteins," harnessing the power of the skin's ability to renew its appearance.

Ladylike as the event may have seemed, by the end of the presentation, a few good men gathered round to see what the buzz was all about. And they too left with Regenerating Serum in hand...

On the picture, Simone wears a fabulous new suede dress which is exclusively available upon request by email.

... you a beautiful Christmas, wrapped in warmth, touched with wonder, and filled with love ...

May 2010 bring you all the joy and happiness you've ever wished for!

I have a muse and her name is Lemoni. Lemoni is ageless, timeless, full of dreams, illusions, hopes and ambitions. She is smart, yet spiritual and gentle at the same time. But most of all, Lemoni is pure, she is who she wants to be: herself. Active, fashion-loving and making her clothes a part of her statement to the world: Lemoni is Lemoni.

However... Lemoni isn't human. She's a fictional character inspired by the looks of Brigitte Bardot, all outstanding women I've met in my life, and the lyrics of Billy Joel's unforgettable song "She's Always A Woman"...

I've invited a select group of fashion press and stylists for a delicious LaDress breakfast at my place, which took place this morning. Besides that it is nice to have an intimate, personal chat with them now and then, I also had another reason: I wanted to give them an exclusive preview of some of my new designs before others see them on the catwalk next Sunday. I'm so happy with all their positive reactions.
It feels supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Many, many, many thanks to my wonderful friend Evelijn from Regeleef for catering this breakfast!

After the breakfast I met with Dick van der Niet - who organizes the Club Brillant show - to discuss the show and the line-up. And then tomorrow, finally the fitting with the lovely models. I'm so curious how my new designs will look like on those beautiful girls... Exciting!

Looked forward to it for weeks and now it's already over: the Club Brillant meets LaDress show yesterday morning during the Amsterdam International Fashion Week. The show went incredibly well and despite the early time of 11 o'clock on Sunday morning, we had a full house! I feel so happy!

Now we can finally reveal of which we already have written about the past weeks, something completely new in addition to our collection. Except a new line of lovely mini dresses in summery pastels, soon we will also offer MLTD's: My Little T-shirt Dresses!

Casual and trendy T-shirt dresses in a variety of fashionable prints and glittering sequins. So cute! I've received so many positive reactions, I feel like I'm in heaven right now! The MLTD's are available in our shop within a month. If you like to be the first one to know, then send us an email and we will exclusively let you know first when the dresses are available! 

Of course we have much more to show to you, so stay tuned to LaBlog daily for all the in's and out's! If you can't wait, you can watch a video compilation of the show here (scroll to 31 January Sunday and click on the Breakfast at Amsterdam video).

Feel the vibrant, fun-loving mood of lovely pastels in a beautiful range of mini dresses... See how sexiness perfectly combines with happiness and joy, while elegance remains. Be sweet and enjoy life, live your inner romantic vibe, while beauty surrounds you. Drift away in an eternal sky filled with harmony and positivity.

Have you found your favorite LaDress but would like it a bit shorter? It's possible! We adjust the length of your LaDress free of charge!

Vloed (Flood), the new novel by Susan Smit, is now available in bookstores. Vloed is a brilliant, epic, historical novel, based on her own family history. Absolutely a must read!

Beau Monde interviewed Susan for their January issue because of her new novel. In the pictures she wears a variety of our dresses (Eva, Uma and Penelope) and our leather look legging. We love it!

My adorable daughter Lise has picked out a new favorite nightdress; one of our new My Little T-shirt Dresses with my muse Lemoni on it. Isn't she cute?!

Bring out your glamour girl, for these dresses are made in fashion heaven. From cocktail deluxe to all dressed up in black tie, LaDress proudly presents the collection of dreams. Be the belle of the ball and the queen of cocktails while you shine in your new perfect LaDress.

My children have a week off from school because it's spring holiday. We stay with my parents for a few days, who live near the "Reeuwijkse plassen", the place where I grew up.

I took a long walk with my eldest, my son Beau, this weekend and it was so nice and inspirational! The beautiful lakes, the lovely sunset, it was like we were on vacation! We loved it!

Amsterdam Fashion Week is now a couple of weeks behind us, but still fresh in my memory! Many of the dresses we’ve showed are in stock now and already eagerly ordered, like the MLTD’s.

We already have a video and pictures of the show on our website, but we still had some nice footage left... a backstage video!

So if you’ve always wondered what is really going on behind the scenes of a fashion show, this is your chance!

This year's Oscars were dominated by new female powerhouse Katherine Bigelow. With her movie "The Hurt Locker" she dominated the awards and ironically beat her ex-husband by winning double the awards.

Before Katherine was a fabulous Oscar winning director, she was a very talented painter. She won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program and was recognized as an artist by famous critics like Richard Serra, Robert Rauschenberg and Susan Sontag. She later graduated from Columbia's Film School. Other movies by her are "Strange Days" and "Point Break".

We applaud Katherine for her success which obviously takes hard work and dedication. She does it in style.

This coming Saturday the 20^th of March the LaDress office in Amsterdam is opening its doors and turning into LaDress' Spring Boutique! The approaching spring and the first warming rays of sunlight are luring us all out of our sheltering homes. We at LaDress want to welcome this new season of fresh beginnings and new wardrobes with a special event. We'll open our doors to all you ladies who want to come and feel the lovely fabrics, see how perfect our dresses will hug your figure and experience the LaDress vibe at our office. We open at 11.00 am and you are most welcome!

Office address:
Keizersgracht 524 sous

Opening hours:
11.00 am - 5.00 pm

Our purple LaDress gift boxes are all neatly stacked up, flowers are being arranged, desks are being cleaned and everyone is in an anxious but exciting state of mind. The last preparations to get the office to look like a breath of fresh spring are underway. Tomorrow there will be a last big delivery of fabulous dresses for you to choose from. After that there is nothing else we can do but wait, impatiently, for Saturday to start. We are certain it will be a wonderful day.

As a reminder, we open at 11.00 am and close at 5.00 pm.

See you Saturday!

Refugee turned supermodel turned activist; Waris Dirie has an incredibly moving and inspiring story to tell. Her dramatic circumcision, which she barely survived, her flight from her home country Somalia, her rise to fame through modeling and her battle against female mutilation as a UN Ambassador; Waris went from torture to triumph.

In a new interview with Harper's Bazaar she explains the reason behind her passionate fight against female mutilation is not that she became famous: "When I lay down at night and could not sleep, I would hear the screams of all the girls out there who still have to suffer through it. I just knew this was my mission. Even as a little girl, I knew that I would fight against this crime. I didn't know how, where, or when, but I knew I would do it." 

To LaDress Waris is a true inspiration of how every woman, coming from everywhere, can take charge of her own life and make out of it what you aspire it to be. Waris' story has now been made into a movie, starring fellow super model Liya Kebebe as Waris, based on her 1998 biography "Desert Flower". Desert Flower premiered in theaters in Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris and Brussels March 12^th.

Today so many lovely ladies braved the rainy weather and visited us at our office turned Spring Boutique. One lady after the other lit up the room with her favorite dress of choice. We had a great time picking out all the dresses together with you. It is so nice to see the faces behind the names, meet the true LaDress women and get to know them a little bit. So we say thank you very much for visiting. Let's make this Spring as inspiring, beautiful and fruitful as we all possibly can! Enjoy your LaDresses!

LaDress stands for fashion, female empowerment and inspiration. At LaDress we love to inspire women around the globe and be inspired by them. Not just any women, but women who care. LaDress is all about being who you want to be and feeling beautiful because you are. LaDress is about  the will to lead a rich and fulfilled life, about working hard to achieve your goals, no matter what they are.... We wish to inspire women to live the life that they've always dreamed about, while reflecting their inner beauty in the look of their choice.   

As I started LaDress four years ago it was a dream come true. And it still is. More or less out of the blue, I decided to change my life's path and follow my dream. A dream about creating a dress for women like myself, who are the multi taskers of the century. Mothers, business women, wives, lovers, friends: women who are so much more than just one specified proto type. They are all in one, they are who they have chosen to be, a role that changes almost every moment of the day.   

When I started LaDress, it was the true believe in my dream that kept me going. And although I have to admit that it hasn't always been easy to be the perfect mom, the loving wife, the loyal friend and the business woman at the same time, my passion kept me heading in the direction of success. Sometimes I even look back and smile over all those crucial moments in which I kept smiling instead of breaking down in panic or doubting every step I made. That is basically why I started this serial of fragments from my life. Just because I hope that somehow I will be able to inspire other women, be inspired by them and share some experiences with others. So please feel free to share your story with me... And maybe this way we can inspire a whole generation of fabulous women around the globe to follow their dreams, no matter what. 

British actress Emma Thompson's wit, beauty and class continue to amaze us here at LaDress. The characters she chooses to portray always have a distinguished sense of class and a magical sparkle to them. She was born in London, on April 15, 1959, into a family of actors. Not wanting to start acting without a proper education, she studied English literature at the University of Cambridge. In 1980 she graduated and embarked on a career of entertainment, beginning with stints on British television channel BBC, and later touring with several comedy shows. Her switch to film productions became very successful when she won an Oscar and a BAFTA award for her role in the 1992 movie 'Howard's End'. But of course we all know and love her the most for her role as Elinor Dashwood in everyone's favorite 'Sense and sensibility'. This movie got Emma her second Oscar, this time she won for writing the best screenplay. So her University degree in English literature definitely paid off. Other favorites of LaDress are the magical and charming 'Nanny McPhee' and of course the new film classic 'Love Actually'.

This woman keeps being a free spirit with her trademark sense of self critical sarcasm, which makes her a fresh breath of air compared to the typical Hollywood actress. Therefore she is a true LaDress woman and has of course one of our lovely dresses named after her. Our Emma is as fun, fresh and elegant as Mrs. Thompson. A perfect fit!

This Spring we can all enjoy Emma in 'Nanny McPhee and the big bang', which is in theaters now.

After Beau en Lise were born, Bart -my husband- and I attended the wedding of close friends on the beautiful island of Mykonos, in Greece. This was our first time together away from home since we had our children. The wedding was absolutely magical and breathtaking.
 
As I was sitting in the warm sand, overlooking the gorgeous bay, I started to think about what my next step in life would be. After I graduated from law school I had worked in the corporate world for several years. It gave me tremendous joy and satisfaction and it taught me many things so important in life and business. At that time I was working quite far from Amsterdam, where we live. And because of the distance it was very hard for me to combine my job and the care of my two sweet children.
 
The last few years of my life were hectic to say the least, but I got through it. So I started thinking: I was married, had two children and was in a beautiful and peaceful period of my life. And there it was all of a sudden, there on the beach of Mykonos: the idea of LaDress...

Funniest woman on American TV, best talk show host four years in a row, groundbreaking and a passionate advocate for gay rights; Ellen DeGeneres can be described as many things and has had many impressive accomplishments in her life so far. Now the story of her life is being turned into a comic book. Without a doubt the best way of telling this comedians life story.
 
After graduating from high school Ellen decided a college degree was not what she wanted. She had several jobs, from selling vacuum cleaners to being a courier for a law firm, until she eventually discovered her comical talent and started performing as a stand-up comedian. As a woman amongst all male comedians she definitely stood out, which eventually led to her nomination of 'America's funniest person' in 1982.
 
In 1989 she started her career on television in several unsuccessful sitcoms. It wasn't until the 1992 hit comedy 'These friends of mine' that she finally had success onscreen. The show became so popular because of her, they renamed it to 'Ellen'. In 1997 the character as well as the real Ellen had their groundbreaking coming out in the most watched episode of the show. Ellen DeGeneres became the first actor who was openly gay during the course of their career and she was the first to play a gay lead role in a television show. Ground breaking it was, but also very controversial in conservative America. The shows ratings dropped fast as homosexuality became the shows central theme. It got cancelled.
 
In the years that followed, Ellen went back to stand up comedy, she produced and played in the movie 'If these walls could talk 2' and tried her television comeback in 'The Ellen show' amongst other things, but unfortunately failed. Then, in 2003, Ellen finally got her break with her own talk show 'the Ellen DeGeneres Show'. It won an abundance of prestigious awards; being the only daytime talk show to win the Emmy for best talk show it's first four years in a row. Ellen also won the People's choice award for Favorite Funny Female Star four times and won five People's choice awards for her talk show.
 
She uses her show frequently to speak openly about gay rights and is one of America's most passionate advocates for same sex marriage legalization; setting the example by marrying longtime girlfriend Portia de Rossi in 2009.
 
A woman who lives her life in a way that makes her happy; not letting herself be confined to be someone she is not. She sets the example.