Ellen Le Roy Lopes Cardozo: thuis in het Amstelhuis

Ellen feels at home in ‘het Amstelhuis’

In June 2016, I met Ellen Le Roy Lopes Cardozo for the first time. An elegant lady, wearing a hat. At that time upheld by two friends, because she was recovering from a hernia. During the opening of the exhibition of Puck & Hans last June I saw her again. This time she was sitting in a wheelchair. It appears that Ellen has been hit by a scooter in Amsterdam last year. When I met her for the first time, there was not much time to chat, but now I am welcome to her new home, the Amstelhuis. A beautiful place for people who can’t live on their own anymore. She has her own apartment and is well looked after.

Styling

Ellen (1942) : “After my schooling, I worked for a time in New York as a ‘mothers help’. When I returned to the Netherlands, I worked as a secretary for temporary employment agencies. But I was always more interested in fashion, so I started to work in the store of Puck & Hans. After that, I worked for Reflections for more than 10 years. I was also responsible for the purchase, for which I visited fashion shows like in Paris. An exciting time but, to be honest, advising and styling people I always loved the most.”

Ellen Le Roy Lopes Cardozo: thuis in het Amstelhuis

Japanese designers

“I had a beautiful collection of clothes in my closet: Dries van Noten, Jean Paul Gaultier, Donna Karan. And a lot of clothes by Japanese designers. They were my favorite: Issey Miyake, Comme desGarçons and Yohji Yamamoto. Unfortunately, I can’t wear these clothes anymore, because they don’t fit anymore. And in my new apartment, I don’t have enough space. But my granddaughter and a few friends are very happy with it. Of course, I have kept some pieces, like my most beautiful scarves and this Issey Miyake bag. And some coats, including the Dries van Noten coat that I was wearing the first time we met.”

Ellen Le Roy Lopes Cardozo: thuis in het Amstelhuis

Hats

“I’ve always worn a lot of hats. But if I go outside now, I’m driven into a wheelchair. That’s the reason I don’t wear hats anymore. In addition, I am still photographed regularly, especially by young people. They are often surprised that I wear makeup! That’s a surprise to me, because why should one not use makeup sitting in a wheelchair? ”

Ellen Le Roy Lopes Cardozo: thuis in het Amstelhuis

This photo from Ellen I took in 2016. She’s wearing a coat by Dries van Noten and hat by Mirjam Nuver

 

Ellen Le Roy Lopes Cardozo: thuis in het Amstelhuis

 

Tips

 

My most important tips:

* Make sure you always smell good

* Wear good underwear, a good bra is so important

* Check your backside as well before leaving the house

* When having ‘a bad hair day’ put on a hat

Ellen Le Roy Lopes Cardozo: thuis in het Amstelhuis