a year ago, britt and julie opened the doors to their brand new boutique in southern antwerp, not that far from where i used to live. no big deal you say? well, if you’re from around that part of antwerp (where you edegem/wilrijk/hove/boechout/kontich peeps at?!), i’m sure you joined me in a little happy dance when you first visited the shop. before LUNE LAUTRE, there was nothing that could be compared to it in a radius of about 20 kilometers. still not a big deal, you say? you try beating traffic in and out of the city from this part of antwerp. it’s enough to make you reconsider those 15-year-old jeans you were about to throw away.

but of course talking about traffic and convenience is not doing this shop justice – and neither do my photos above. i took them during a ten minute break while i was in the neighborhood, by the end of this winter’s season. britt and julie worried that they couldn’t properly show off their style because the store looked like it was raided. now if that’s what ‘raided’ looks like, then please gimme some. but in all honesty, to better judge the impeccable taste of these girls, you really should pay the store a visit now that the new collections are coming in. though you had better be quick, because the girls are known to work with waiting lists, and out of every box that comes in maybe half of the stuff actually ends up in the racks, because lune lautre fans have already reserved their favorite pieces via phone, e-mail or INSTAGRAM.

if in less than 12 months time lune lautre has become a phenomenon, it is also in large part thanks to its smiling, beautiful hosts and the warm welcome they offer every customer – with a pretty cup of coffee and a delicious-smelling branded lip balm on the side. when my business partner nele and i needed to be styled for a photo shoot last year, we didn’t think twice about it and headed over to britt and julie. they took their time to get to know us, gently push us out of our comfort zones and make us look prettier than we had looked in years. let me tell ya – no better way to kick those new-mom-blues than that (and a hair cut).

this is all getting me in the mood for a shopping spree. and a hair cut. friends and family if you’re reading this – my birthday is this sunday! ; )

visit lune lautre at hovestraat 2 in edegem • all photos by stephanie duval