Angeless style
This week, Bernadette and Charlotte De Geyter, the mother-daughter duo behind new Antwerp fashion label Bernadette, share their wardrobe secrets
QHow did you come to launch a fashion label together?
ABernadette: I was always into fashion, so I was always busy mixing and matching different styles. I have four older brothers, so from a very young age I took their coats and put them with a feminine dress – I love a checked jacket. We always had an idea to do something together but Charlotte went to London after graduating for an internship at Simone Rocha, and after six months she called me and said, “Mum, I think I’m ready to do something together.”
Charlotte: I was raised by a single mum so she basically took me everywhere; since I was a little girl I’ve been exposed to the most beautiful brands. In Antwerp I studied fashion at the Royal Academy so it’s a big part of my life. I never used to wear florals or dresses: I used to wear black trousers and white T-shirts, so for me it was a challenge to design prints and dresses that I would wear. That’s why the prints I draw are never too busy, more minimal – I love to design with colour that’s not too busy.
QACan all women wear bright colour?
the rules around colour, for example that some women only wear “autumn” or “spring” colours.
QAIs there anything you’d never wear?
Bernadette: In our label, we have short dresses – that’s one style that, for the moment, I won’t wear. Otherwise I wear everything, but I will wear it differently to my daughter.
QWhat did your mother teach you about style?
ACharlotte: My mum has always experimented a lot, and she was never scared to wear anything.
QAWhat are your go-to brands?
Bernadette: I love Italian brands; I’ve always been a fan of Prada and Miu Miu, especially the shoes for the quality, the colour, the femininity. But also, from Antwerp, I love Dries van Noten for very good coats and
shoes. I have a lot of them and they go well with our dresses.
Charlotte: I like discovering young brands like Jacquemus, and the other day I bought a dress from Molly Goddard.
QWhat are your wardrobe staples?
ACharlotte: You need to have those key pieces, that perfect coat, perfect pair
of shoes, perfect dress for when you have an occasion.
QWhat’s your approach to shopping?
ABernadette: I try to buy designer, because I think it’s a good investment. Clothes are also a good souvenir. You buy it, and then you can give it to your daughter – that’s my intention.
Charlotte: I tend to only buy something when I need it and I feel like I don’t have it yet. I won’t buy anything just because I think it’s pretty. I love to invest in something that’s more expensive and buy less.
QDo you share clothes?
ABernadette: We used to. Charlotte: She doesn’t want to do that anymore because I don’t give them back. She knows that once I wear something of hers I fall in love. My mum has a lot of Ralph Lauren clothes from when she worked there as a buyer: they’re really cool again now. So I’m really happy because we’re the same size. And she’s very tidy so everything is in perfect condition. Bernadette: Charlotte wears a 35 (UK 3) shoe, and I wear a 37 (UK 5) – we have small feet. I used to wear a 36, and she took my shoes then.
QWhat are your staple accessories?
ACharlotte: My mum has a lot of shoes, and 90 per cent of them are pink. I’d wear black shoes or sneakers.
Bernadette: I like to wear our dresses with big earrings, and I try to have a bit of fun with the shoes, like fluffy shoes from Miu Miu.
QWhat style advice would you give?
ACharlotte: Don’t overthink
it. Bernadette: Keep it easy and
simple – and comfortable. I think it’s very important that you feel good in your clothes, that you feel confident and feminine.
QWhat jewellery do you wear every day?
ACharlotte: I had two ear piercings done when I was 18 and I fainted – they gave me a lollipop with my legs in the air! Now I have three in each ear. And then my mum followed and now she has more piercings than me.
Bernadette: No, I have four in one ear, two in the other. It’s because I find a lot of very nice earrings and then I say OK, I need another hole.
Charlotte: We love having our own jewellery made in Antwerp. I found this blue stone when I was in Thailand on vacation, and then in Belgium we had a necklace made up of it.
QWhat’s your beauty routine?
ABernadette: We like to be natural. I have oxygen facials once a month: I need that moment. I go to a friend of mine near Antwerp; I’ve known her many years and I say, “You have to take care of me because I feel tired.” And sometimes I wear a bright red lipstick, because I think that looks very fresh. Charlotte: I love using products that give a lot of glow. I’ve been using Kenzo Cream with a Sheen (kenzoparfums.com) since I was 15 years old. I’m very loyal. I love products from Dior and Chanel.
I use clear eyebrow gel and eyelash gel, but not mascara, because my hair is so light. Bernadette: And we go to the hairdresser together, because then we don’t lose time – we can still work!