To kick this series off we are starting with the girl who taught me what a trend is when I was eight years old. Maxime and I have been inseparable for over 15 years and I was very interested in what she had to say, as well as in what her wardrobe contains. Her colourful clothing collection takes up an entire wall of her bedroom and is filled with prints and graphic details. “I like fashion, I look for pieces that speak to me, usually this means simple but with a twist. Comfort is also very important.”

“When choosing what to wear I take into account what I will be doing that day and what kind of impression I want to give. I start by choosing a top, think about which jeans would work with it and then do the styling with layers. I love a nice cardigan or jacket, autumn and spring are definitely the best seasons to dress for. I finish my look by choosing a cool pair of sneakers. I love sneakers but if I could wear anything I would maybe choose to wear heels more often. I work as part of a production team for a TV show and the days are just too long and active to wear heels. For special occasions however I do enjoy dressing up in a nice dress and some heels to feel special.”

What she said raised two interesting points. Using fashion as part of a conversation, to introduce you and make a particular impression, is often dismissed as frivolous. I think that is a real shame because using what you wear to present yourself in a certain way is a form of self-expression and such a great way to make fashion more personal. If you are trying to not say anything with your clothes the easiest way to do that is to dress like everybody else, and where is the fun in that? The second point is high heeled shoes. Both Maxime and I are partial to a nice heel but also firmly believe that function comes before form in this case. No woman should feel obliged to wear heels, we are not making the boys work in stilts so only wear them if you want to.

“The most special pieces I own belonged to my grandmas. They wore these piece a lot and I am proud to now own them. I used to think that second-hand shopping was not for me but I now believe I just need to get better at it. Some people are so talented at spotting cool finds, I am not there yet. I was in Brussels a few weeks ago and I did find this amazing red vintage blouse and it made me realise that second-hand shopping does feel really good.” 

“I am not a huge fan of receiving fashion items as gifts. Style is so personal that despite me maybe liking a gifted item, I’ll still find that I hardly wear it, which is such a shame. Choosing what someone else would like to wear is so hard, I recommend letting them pick the item out themselves.”

“Young teens seem to be much more focussed on fashion nowadays. I always liked fashion but I don’t think it was as present for my classmates and me. I remember a specific top that I loved during primary school, I thought it made me look so cool and mature, until I went to secondary school. Suddenly the top made me feel childish and I could not wear it anymore. Your environment really influences you style. I still get most of my style inspiration from people around me.”

“One of my favourite fashion memories is our last end of the year party at our primary school. I felt so beautiful wearing jeans with a chain on the side and a white off-the-shoulder top. I had even dyed my hair. I remember that you wore a pretty sparkly dress, funny how we have always contrasted so much.”