From One Runway to Another

Alongside my work as a cabin attendant, I also work in the world of fashion. For instance, I take portfolio photos for people registered at casting agencies. And, twice a year, I work for the Amsterdam International Fashion Week, where I coordinate designer meetings, help out at the front desk, or work backstage. Because I work at KLM, I have the privilege of visiting great fashion shows, both privately and en route.

Fashion Flights
One weekend, for instance, I flew to Madrid to see an Yves Saint Laurent retrospective exhibition. I’ve also been to Paris Fashion Week, where I saw my first catwalk featuring the work of Yohji Yamamoto. London has also served to inspire me. It was during an internship there while I was at university that I fell in love with fashion. I enjoyed seeing the wonderful shop windows in Kensington and I love strolling through Camden Market. In 2012 I visited the London Fashion Week. Thanks to connections of a friend, I got a front row seat for the show of the Dutch sisters, Spijkers and Spijkers. For a fashion lover, that’s a moment of true happiness.

Bowie is a true style icon
Last year during a stopover in London, I got to see the “David Bowie Is” show in the Victoria and Albert Museum. In addition to being a legendary singer, Bowie is a true style icon. He’s a real chameleon. Each of his albums has shown him portraying a new and different image. The “David Bowie Is” show is now on tour. (See the tips, below.) Spring 2015 (March 14) the Victoria and Albert Museum will be showing “Savage Beauty,” an homage to British designer Alexander McQueen. I got to see that show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2011. That was the most beautiful fashion show on display I have ever seen. Combined with a visit to London, it’s certainly worth it. Right now, you can see “The World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” in the Barbican Art Gallery, also in London. It was in the Netherlands last year and a must-see for fashion lovers. While in London, you can also see the first exhibit of Jean Paul Gaultier’s graphic design in the Fashion Space Gallery.

KLM and Dutch Fashion
Being something of a fashionista myself, I’m so proud that KLM works with a variety of Dutch fashion designers. Female KLM staff wears a uniform created by Mart Visser. On several occasions, the work of my favorite fashion illustrator Piet Paris has adorned the cover of our on-board magazine Holland Herald. And our Business Class passengers always receive an amenities bag designed by Viktor&Rolf. Check out the ‘go see’ list for my favourite fashion events. You can also listen to my new Spotify playlist, “With a Touch of Fashion”.

[tweet text=”Don’t forget: Everyday is a fashion show and the world is your runway.”]

Valerie (@DareSheGoes)
KLM crew member

Go see: