Dank God dat het vrijdag is

RENATE GERSCHTANOWITZ

Okay okay okay, there are surely people who understand hard work differently than lying horizontally on Capri like Renate and I did in a swimsuit of her design over the past few days, but there was really a period of hard work that preceded that. Because Renate designed a complete bikini and swimsuit line for Sapph where elegance, comfort, and femininity were the keywords.

Renate, I want to know everything. Why were you here to get involved and what did you want to ‘contribute’ to your line for Sapph?

‘How cool is it to be able to create your own collections from an item that has to meet many requirements for women? I am very much into timeless ‘no-nonsense chic’ in my own closet, so I wanted a beach collection that beautifully matched that. Classic, feminine, and timeless.’

And we are not dealing with a case of ‘I attached my name because I thought it was a nice line.’ You really did everything, didn’t you?

‘Yes, I had complete freedom from Sapph and that makes this such a fun collaboration. From the fabrics, photography, and the choice of model, it is really my own collection combined with the expertise of Sapph. The lingerie and lounge collections will follow in August and September respectively.’

How can I recognize a real Gerschtanowitz-Verbaan? And what do they ‘do’?

‘A lot of black and white and a few beautiful eye-catchers of swimsuits. I specifically wanted beautiful, sexy swimsuits in the collection because I like to wear them. Sometimes swimsuits have a bit of a practical image, but this is just glamour on the beach. A nice swimsuit costs €89.99. Bikini bottoms and tops are sold separately and can be mixed and matched to your own preference.’

Anyway. You have earned your weekend. What time does your TGIF moment start and what’s in your glass?

‘A nice dry white wine or a good gin and tonic with Hendrick’s Gin.’

That Friday night, does it have a fixed pattern or is it always different with your jobs?

‘That is always different. This Friday, for example, I have to work at Shownieuws, sometimes we have a dinner and other nights we are just happy to be lying on the couch.’

What does Saturday look like in the Verbaan household?

‘It starts early (way too early!) with the kids’ hockey. Then grocery shopping and getting nice things and especially not too many obligations for the rest of the day.’

Is there still a bit of sports and shopping or is it mainly family time?

‘I work out during the week, but the weekend is for rest and fun and that doesn’t include sports for me, haha.’

What do you read and listen to?

‘I am a musical glutton. I really like almost everything, except nervous jazz and heavy metal. The list goes from Florence + The Machine to Whitney Houston and back via Racoon to Beyoncé. Beyoncé is the Queen B in my list.’

Suppose earthly matters like time differences and travel times do not exist. What does your ideal weekend look like? Anything goes, from breakfast in Paris to drinking cocktails in New York...

‘Then I have breakfast in the south of France on the terrace, because no one does breakfast with flaky pastry as well as the French. If we are there anyway, we might as well have lunch somewhere on the coast near Saint-Tropez and then go out for an evening in New York dressed up and in high heels. Waking up slowly on a sailboat in the Greek islands and having lunch in Mykonos. Then a barbecue with the kids somewhere along the coast of California (we made that trip through California two years ago and it was a super trip) and if we still have time, getting ice cream in Italy.’

Is there cooking on the weekend or do you prefer to eat out somewhere? If so, what is preferably on the plate?

‘On Saturdays we really try to eat together because that is difficult for Winston during the week with RTL Boulevard. A nice chicken from the oven or something else that makes the kids happy. On Sundays we also cook or we get sushi or something like that.’

Finally, what time does the weekend end and the alarm clock go off again on Monday morning?

‘Half past six the alarm goes off again and then we start all over again with lunch boxes and drink cups…’