Barts diary

 

Well helleuw…

 

I’m sorry… it’s been a while again before I posted another entry. But here I am, and going strong. Today is the first day of sunshine in weeks here in Antwerp. Some summer, huh! So I’m sitting here on my balcony watching life go by… Pondering away!

 

Okay the job hunt is getting to me. Been sending out lots of resumes, but so far nothing much has happened. I managed to get an internship at Véronique Branquinho, one of the new generation Belgian designers working here in Antwerp. And I had an interview with Louis Vuitton on Wednesday for a retail position in their branch in Antwerp. The interview went well, but they have three other suitable candidates. I’ll know next week.

 

 

“Véronique Branquinho A/W 2005/06”

 

I mentioned to them that I’d only be able to start after October 11^th, which is when my internship would terminate. I was told that if they really wanted me, they’d wait for me. So today, I accepted to do the internship at Branquinho. It’s great though, because it’s the kind of fashion I enjoy working with. It’ll be similar to what I did at Xavier Delcour. I’ll be assisting in the preparation of the showroom sales, but it seems I’ll have more responsibilities than I had at Xavier. They want me to organise dressers, book tickets and hotels, contact buyers, and do administrative work. So I’ll be low key, but I like the feeling as it’ll enable me to keep my eyes open and soak up ALL the information I need.

 

I have noticed how much of an outsider to the Belgian scene I have become after leaving for London. I have completely lost track of who works for whom and who is affiliated with whom… Interning at Branquinho will probably enable me to regain that knowledge and it’ll be easier to enter the scene here. The Belgian fashion scene is terribly small, so it is difficult to get your foot in. And who knows… something might come out of interning with Branquinho. Obviously they haven’t seen me at work yet, so this is a good way of proving myself. And I’ll continue job-hunting in the meantime!

 

I’m also gearing my attention away from Antwerp. I’ve spoken to Linda at ModoBruxellae, an organisation that promotes fashion from and in Brussels. She got me the internship at Xavier, so I thought I’d better get in touch with her again. She believes I should definitely be able to find a job here in Belgium. She feels I stand out simply because of my years in London and my language skills.

 

I went to Brussels to talk to Linda, and each time I’m there, I feel great! It seems there is still room for experiments in Brussels; Antwerp is more established as a fashion city. I’ve been going out in Brussels a lot this year, and the club scene there seems to be more buoyant than it is in Antwerp these days. On Saturdays, you’ll find me at this electro clash fashion party called DirtyDancing; it’s held in an old theatre, Le Mirano Continental. They have a strict door policy and aren’t shy about it. You cannot get in unless you look fabulous. Yeah, pretty elitist, I know, but the experience is superb. Too many visual – and other, hehe! – sensations to handle at times. 

 

                                

 

Soirée Très Blazée… Dirty at Le Mirano Continental (www.dirtdancing.be)

 

Anyways, it’s a place where anything goes as long as you make an effort. So in a way, it’s not as elitist. They’ve been on a break during the summer holidays, but re-opened last week. I was unable to go due to a family bash at my boyfriend’s (which was really nice… and you know I mean it, Poes!) but tomorrow I am definitely heading over to Brussels to get Dirrrty with Heidi, my cultural semiotics bimbo girlfriend. So watch this space, I’ll tell you about all the Dirt next time!

                                                         

                              

 

                                    Heidi and Yours Truly at DirtyDancing

 

Today, I sent off a bunch of resumes to Paris. During my interview at Vuitton, the scout told me I should totally send my resume directly to head office. So I did, and I added a couple other maisons like Dior, Chanel, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Chloé, and numerous others. We’ll see what comes out of it. I’ll be doing the same for New York after the weekend… I’ve realised I will reach a point where I’ll want to leave Belgium again. Starting out here is fine, but there’s more to get in this industry, but it’s not in this country. And of course, there’s my boy and I love him to bits, but if we’re meant to be, we’ll survive.  (Right, hun?) I’m really hoping for Paris now… and it’s not too far away from Ghent, or Antwerp…

 

So I’ve been busy… No time for Fashion Theory right now… Maybe later. I will let you know. Take care guys, and talk to ya soon.

 

Bisous

 

Bartje***