JUST ANOTHER WAY TO DRESS IN FUR

On our last Friday night in Brussels the shops stayed open for the Modo Parcours, each shop had its own entertainment and drinks led out onto the street. It was sort of like Fashions Night Out but much cooler and less structured. Michael and I headed to Icon, where we'd been earlier that day to see the Piece of Chic exhibition, featuring giant animal heads reconstructed out of vintage furs, on top of printed silk shift dresses. That night the animals came alive in the form of electro pop Belgian sensation Hong Kong Dong; the most exciting live performance I've seen in a long time.

 See more of me dancing like a mannequin and the night rounded up here...

HALELUJA

 The first shop I noticed when I arrived on the streets of Brussels was Stijl. I had heard about this place and it certainly didn't disappoint, stocking all favourite designers like Raf, Haider, and Ann; and not their most commercial garments, that have lost their excitement from the runway, like we seem to do here in London. It's exciting flipping through the racks and makes you totally fall in love with design.

In London we could learn a thing or two from Sonja Noël; the razor sharp buyer with an eye for creative talent, that opened Brussels first fashion mecca, Stijl, 20 years ago. Last year Sonja opened a new set of doors, Haleluja. It's impeccably designed space features hand picked designers from all over the world, creating sustainable garments, from ethically sourced cottons and silks to recycling. 

 Sonja told me that as an entrepreneur you have to be bold and take risks, starting a new business takes years and years to build up and she's ready for a new challenge. Halaluja is doing something truly revolutionary to fashion: proving that ethically sourced eco-friendly pieces are also desirable, contemporary and high fashion. After all, "sustainable clothes have to be desirable products, otherwise there's no point in selling them."

You can visit Haleluja on the Nieuwe Graanmarkt.

HOTEL BLOOM

Whilst staying in Brussels for the Modo Parcours, I was lucky enough to stay in the Hotel Bloom; from only 69 euros a night the rooms were beautiful, each room had a unique hand painted design of it's own by a young european artist and overlooked the city centre. The trip was pretty full on, so I was happy to be able to kick back and relax with a bath and a new copy of Encens magazine on the final night. The breakfasts were out of this wold too, you got to poach your own eggs to avoid any of those rubbery disasters you spy at most breakfast buffets, also a range of fruits and yoghurts as well as pastries and cereals; seriously the perfect start to every day.

Thanks Hotel Bloom for having me and to Elke from Modo Brussels for organising the trip!