This is Koen. Our intern at Amayzine International. Ask him what women should be wearing this summer and he’ll tell you in detail. Not surprising as he’s attending the Artemis Styling Academy in Amsterdam. Not only can he dress others, he’s an expert a dressing himself. He always shows up at the office looking like he just popped out of a fashion magazine. Accessories included. And one accessory in particular holds our intrest. So come on Koen let’s pull it out of the bag.

do tell, how many designer bags do you have?

“I have three ‘real’ designer bags. And two others by Coach. A few years ago I thought they were super cool but now I am over them. I saw a picture of Anna Wintour on the Internet that said: ‘Wanna hear a joke? Coach Bags…’ I haven’t looked at them since.”

how did you get your hands on this great big Balenciaga work bag?

“My parents gave it to me for my 19th birthday.”

you’re very organized, aren’t you?

“Are you kidding? It’s total chaos. I always try to pack in a neat and orderly fashion but as soon as I start walking it’s all over the place. The bag doesn’t have a lot of pockets so everything moves around when you pick it up. Maybe it’s because it’s so big that I automatically take a lot of stuff with me. I don’t even need half of it.”

Are you very careful with it? or do you throw it around?

“I am very careful with my bags. They’re all kept in their own dust bags in my closet. But I throw the bag I am using on a chair when I get home . As I’m using it again the next day it would be a bit overdone to empty my bag and store it in a dust bag overnight only to refill it again the next morning.”

you of all people can tell us what a bag does for a woman.

“A bag and shoes are the most important items of an outfit. If you’re wearing an old pair of worn jeans with a super basic T-shirt but have cool shoes and a beautiful bag, your outfit will be bang on. It also helps to give it a little attitude and show some self-confidence. You’ll be taken more seriously when shopping or during appointments.”

and what about men?

“In my opinion more men should carry designer bags. It’s still a bit of a taboo; as you often see men carrying boring briefcases to work and on vacation they all carry The North Face backpacks – horrible. I understand not every man can show up at work with a Chanel but you could go for a classic Ferragamo or Mont Blanc or something along that line… What the hell, even a Coach is an improvement.”

what do you always carry with you?

“Always my laptop, an extra charger for my phone, an eau de toilette (usually Hermès Voyage or Guerlain Homme), a bottle of water, my wallet, keys, an ABN AMRO identifier,peppermints and a disinfectant gel I bought at Kitson in LA that says: ‘Maybe you touched your genitals.’ Hilarious.”

and? anything on your wish list ?

“Are you kidding? My wish list goes on forever. On it is every bag by Saint Laurent. I’d also like a Louis Vuitton Sac Plat, a huge Birkin, a Goyard Saint Louis  and my ultimate dream: a Louis Vuitton-suitcase that I could use as a table for my coffee table books. I saw one last year while visiting a vintage market in Saint Tropez, it literally had my name on it, well my initials. It was a sign. But I’ll have to save up for it (for about 10 years) before I can afford it…”