The Antwerp Fashion Show is always something fun to look forward to. We see it as a big ass fashion event but all those poor creative students see this as a very big milestone in their designer lives. Not to mention this year was a special edition. The academy celebrates its 50th anniversary and therefor invited the Antwerp Six to sit front row and be part of the jury. Oh but that’s not all. NY Times’ own Suzy Menkes joined in on the fashion fun and Ann-Sofie Johansson also witnessed the amazing Belgian talent.

As for me, I was this close to fainting, my camera lens was not doing its job and I didn’t really get mindblown. I have to admit, I was more attracted to the menswear collections. For example True Believer by Devon Halfnight Leflufy was awesome and Mattia Van Severen was definitely one to watch. And yes of course, Minju Kim‘s final was somewhat spectacular. Earlier this year, she won the H&M Design Award and I could see how proud Ann-Sofie was to have made that choice when Minju’s pieces walked down the runway. I’m curious to see how far she’ll make it in the fashion biz.

More runway snaps? Check them out after the break.

Thanks again to the lovely L’Oréal team for inviting me!

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Ph. Brunette Blogging

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Keulen, Köln, Cologne… I had heard of the city before but never had the chance to visit, explore and fall in love. Last weekend however, I did get the chance. Thalys and Cologne Tourism invited a bunch of bloggers with their partners to get to know the city a bit better. Okay, I’ll be honest: I didn’t fall in love because Amsterdam stole my heart already but I did get intrigued and I can’t wait to go back to explore some more. From Museum Ludwig with an awesome expo by Saul Steinberg and a delicious Chicken Risotto in chocolate sauce (yes, real chocolate) to hanging sky high in the Kölner Seilbahn and wandering around the Belgisches Viertel during Le Bloc. We stayed at the Hopper Hotel, a former monastery with this creepy monk at the front door. Scared the sh*t out of me, every single time. Dinner at Vapiano, drinks with a view over the Rhein and sun shining all the time. Ah, it was a lovely weekend!

Thanks again to the lovely people over at Thalys and Cologne Tourism for making it happen!

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Some Amsterdam hotspots provided by myself. Check them out in the complete article here.

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Having had interviewed Keith Jeffery for Marie Claire, hearing Trojans on the radio sounds a thousand times better. I actually had a talk with the singer of Atlas Genius and he was very charming, to say the least Besides the looks and the incredibly hot accent from Down Under, siblings Keith and Michael Jeffery are probably the upcoming band of the year. You might have heard Trojans before but there’s so much more on When It Was Now you have to listen to. Check out If So and Don’t Make A Scene if you have the chance! Oh and are you wondering why they called their Atlas Genius? Keith chose the name and dedicated it to his little brother Michael, because he’s so good at geography!

Stromae is on a roll! The Brusseleir pûr sang already made me fall in love with his Jacques Brel voice in Formidable but Papaoutai is the bomb as well. Catchy beats and strong lyrics, that’s what Stromae is all about. And I’m not one to complain.

Riri was the sh****t, I tell ya. I don’t care about all those reviews and comments, she rocked that show. Okay, I might have had low expectations because of friends that saw her in concert already. But let me tell you this: Robyn Fenty Rihanna was one foxy momma in fierce clothes, with a fantastic voice and some great dancers and musicians by her side. There was an actual show, she wasn’t drunk and I could sing along with every song, yay. Oh and I totally forgot how good this Loooove song was!

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post sponsored by Value Retail

We all know shopping is the bomb. It drives us nuts while doing so but we’re super duper happy afterwards. At least, that’s how it goes for me. But shopping also does damage to our bank accounts. And that sometimes makes me regret my sudden splurge at ZARA or Weekday. But hey, it’s okay! Because shopping can also be done during sales orrrr at an outlet shopping! Ever since I can remember, I’ve been going to Maasmechelen Village Chic Outlet Shopping for good bargains. My aunt lived near ‘the village’ and we managed to make a whole daytrip out of it everytime.

MMV is now introducing: the summer of Globalista. Besides a small video featuring the lovely Milla Jovovich and Julia Restoin Roitfeld, there’s also the Globalista passport: your key to discovering all that’s happening in the MMV world. From special offers to Italian Specialties Food Markets, they’ve got it all. Check it out and I might see you there soon!

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La Tennis Bensimon is one of those iconic shoes you need to have in your closet. To me, it’s the French equivalent of a pair of Converse All Stars. A cute canvas shoe in every possible color, print, size and style. Bensimon has been around since the seventies but since Antwerp was celebrating the reopening of their famous Nationalestraat, the French label decided to not only join the party but lead it! You didn’t hear me complain. I hopped in my car towards Steenhouwersvest to indulge in Bensimon sneakers! I wasn’t really feeling the whole DIY scene but I did go home with a beautiful pair, seen on the last picture.

But wait, there’s more… Bensimon isn’t all about shoes. Au contraire, there’s clothes and home accessories as well! Can’t wait to visit their Home Autour Du Monde in Brussels soon. I saw some pretty rags and some pretty decoration!

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This is not goodbye. This is merely a nice to meet you and see you soon. But this is also a thank you. Thank you, Amsterdam, for shaping me. For making me realise what I want in life, what I want to be. Who I want to be. Thank you for every smile you put on my face by just being who you are: your lovely, cosy, wonderful old self. I’d never imagined these three months to be as amazing as they were. I’d never imagined being an intern at Marie Claire either. I’ve met so many wonderful and kind people, who I’ll miss very very much. And of course I’ve learned a lot along the way. As much as I miss everything now, I’m moving on. Because I know I’ll be back soon enough. And then it’ll be more of a thanks for letting me stay.

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Not only did the lovely Steps & The City posts come to and end, my Amsterdam adventure as well! But luckily for you, they saved the best for last: where to party in Amsterdam? Note that by the time I got interviewed, I didn’t go to Chicago Social Club and Trouw yet, but I highly recommend them! Ready for the last post?

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Fourth post and almost the last one. Booked a trip to Amsterdam? Then check this out. I spill the deets on where to sleep in this lovely city!

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