– Dutch Pride –

Last night, Saskia de Brauw won Marie Claire’s Prix de la Mode for Best Model. I already knew that, of course. In fact, I was the one who had a secret lunch with her agent Mo Karadag in August to gauge whether Saskia would even be in the country on the fateful 18th of November. I think Saskia is an exceptional model. In all her uniqueness. That’s why today I’m sharing some fun facts about Saskia that you probably didn’t know and that are oh so nice to know.

• Once, Saskia worked in a bakery. It was there that Saskia received the call that she had landed a mega contract with luxury swimwear brand Eres. Saskia’s reaction: “I need to do a yoga exercise now. I’ll call you back later.”

• During the last New York Fashion Week, Saskia was absent. She was in a monastery for a Vipassana meditation where she couldn’t speak for ten days. That this session coincided exactly with New York Fashion Week didn’t bother her. “When I’m happy, I perform better.”

• Saskia is already thirty. For a model, that’s quite old, but Saskia is still firmly in second place on the Top 50 Models List. Soooo…

• Saskia’s boyfriend, Vincent van de Wijngaard, is himself a very successful photographer. He is already represented by the most prestigious New York agency Art + Commerce.

• Saskia is Karl Lagerfeld’s favorite. She is the face of many campaigns, flew with him in his private jet, and once had texts from her diary embroidered on Chanel dresses. Because Saskia and Karl like this are, Saskia is the only one who could shine on the cover of Marie Claire that features Chanel.

• Saskia has a divine body (because extremely slim and busty) and also a good set of brains. And she is creative. She graduated from the Rietveld Academy. My oh my.

• Saskia lives in Paris. When she’s not walking, she rides her old-fashioned Dutch Sparta bike through the city.

More about Saskia and much more about the lovely Chanel in Marie Claire. My last!