My love of fashion was practically instilled in me from birth. I grew up with a mother who was always extremely elegant and well-dressed. My mother, a trained seamstress and costume designer, not only wore couture but also sewed the most beautiful dresses herself and, moreover, was always a big fan of second-hand designer clothing, which she would alter for herself if she didn't like a particular detail.
I secretly stole her Dior and Armani jackets from her closet, changed in the garage, and then went to school in C&A jeans, Adidas sneakers, and designer jackets. Not because I wanted to show off, but because I simply found the clothes so beautiful and instinctively felt how much a single, special piece of clothing could change an entire outfit—even if the term "outfit" wasn't yet part of my vocabulary.
The 80s may be ridiculed today when it comes to fashion, but I fondly remember the many fashion experiments my friends and I conducted. I went through many fashion metamorphoses – first I was a preppy, then an eco-warrior, I ran around in pink leather jackets with XXL shoulder pads and neon leggings, and I buried my Buffalo cowboy boots in the garden to make them look vintage.
"Make new look old"
I didn't really develop my definitive style until my early thirties. Instead of paying my rent, I bought a Gucci bamboo bag with my first paycheck as a TV journalist, which I still own today. Around that time, I also started reading mostly foreign fashion magazines. Everything I liked was torn out and archived. When I look at that archive folder now, I see that I was primarily inspired by women who have always had their own distinct style, most notably Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Isabel Marant, and Sarah Jessica Parker. I'm not at all interested in head-to-toe looks where every detail is perfectly coordinated, possibly even by a single designer.
For me, the appeal has always been in the combination of old and new, hip and classic, casual and couture. I've gone into debt for clothes I desperately wanted, which I still wear today. Some things might hang dormant in my closet for ten years, but eventually I take them out, and they come to life in a combination I never would have imagined. I'm not the type who's always particularly fashionable or wears what's currently in style. Of course, I follow trends, but my instincts usually tell me what suits me and what doesn't. It's also true that I sometimes make mistakes. My biggest fashion faux pas in recent years was definitely my Balenciaga Triple S sneakers. I think they look fantastic on other women, so I bought them too. But I looked like a caricature in them. So I sold them and was thrilled that someone else liked them.
That I would one day start my own fashion business was not part of the plan. I earned my living as a TV journalist for many years, but sometimes fate throws curveballs, and then it can't hurt to rethink things and try to turn a private passion into a professional career.
Style Definery has been around since 2019. Our aim is to lift the stigma surrounding secondhand fashion, where it has long been relegated, and give all the many fashion pieces the stage they deserve. This applies to vintage items as well as secondhand pieces that are only a few years or even months old. My personal passion lies in estate liquidations, where you discover incredibly beautiful, rare, and extraordinary treasures. But above all, it's the stories of the owners that are so fascinating and touching. I consider it a great privilege when people entrust me with these items, and we curate our selection with great care and respect for the history of each piece.
I would like to see more and more people become enthusiastic about second- and third-hand fashion – just like they are about classic cars, turn-of-the-century villas, or even life partners, whom one often also acquires "second-hand" ;-)
