F21 Brussels: Exclusive Shop Preview!

I was lucky enough to attend the pre-opening of F21 in Brussels thanks to Stéphanie's connections and I can't wait to share my pictures with you guys, so without further ado: my little report of an evening at Forever 21!

 First, the venue.

Lemme tell you straight away: the store is HUGE. About as wide as two normal "big" shops and deep enough to lose you're breath if for some reason you had to run through it, even if your not in terrible shape (unlike yours truly). The bouncers were friendlier than they look and I'm sure they won't be there when the stores open :-D

Just to give you an idea of how deep the store actually is: you can't even see the back here. This allows the store to carry a very broad selection and still present everything in a spacious, neat fashion. I hate it when you have to scuffle between racks of clothes trying to find what you're looking for, so this is a big plus for me. The clothes might be "cheap", but the presentation surely isn't.

Props like this lovely chandelier gave the store an allure that made the shopping experience so much more enjoyable. The sales assistants were superfriendly and stylish too.

Another feature I LOVED were these little style/inspiration booths. The store had lots of these, like one every 5 metres or something, and they were the perfect proof of F21's main selling point: the cute styling. The items are seldom extraordinary but the styling really inspires you to try out something new and hip. This particular corner of romantic stuff really reminded me of Bonnie! Straight up my alley of course :-)

The far end of the store was the accessories/shoes/bags corner. I loved the way these bracelets were presented like candy in bowls, so pretty! I did expect the store to have a bigger selection of shoes, but the shoes that were there didn't disappoint: cute, cheap, trend-friendly.

Basically all of these are on my list. Bows, brogues, retro: love! There was a pair of insanely high floral wedges that were utterly adorable too but I'd only get those on sale because they were really literally insanely high :-D

The cash registers were at the back of the store, and here you see Kim buying loads of cute stuff! :-D

This is me getting in an impromptu outfit shot in the SUPER spacious F21 dressing rooms. I know students who have smaller living spaces. Seriously the best dressing rooms I have seen in a highstreet store, except for the sad lack of a stool or something to put my kit on. Otherwise: perfect! My outfit was just a cute little vintage get up. Details at the end of the post.

Me goofing around in the shoe section.

I'm not gonna lie: the BEST thing about the press events I get invited to now and then is, without a doubt, the food. We got a lovely risotto, the BEST FRACKING CHOCOLATE MOELLEUX ON A STICK EVER and some gorgeously juicy chocolate dipped strawberries. SO yummy! Also, the waiter was supercute, likable and funny (just like all the staff), so kudos to Oona for another great event!

Now, let's get on to some of the pieces that grabbed my attention.

Adorable retro underwear

This dress is SO on my to get list.

A beautiful textured dress + casual denim jacket = perfect simple styling. Just add a pair of rugged boots and you're good to go!

Novelty prints are always a plus for me.

Yessssssss I need this so bad!

Guess I'm really into denim! :-D

LOVE this missoni-esque midi skirt, fall must-have.

This dress obviously caught my eye: soft hue, peter pan collar, lace and baby doll silhouette? YSPLZ

My rainbow nails and a cute little F21 flower ring.

How cute is this little necklace Stéphanie is fondling?

I'm ending with this obligatory artsy lights shot (I love my fancy camera)! Hope you enjoyed my F21 report as much as I loved this pretty new shop, it is a total recommendation and I suggest all of you Belgian people go check it out when it opens officially tomorrow, Saturday 31st of July! First 500 or so will get a giftbag so be fast :-) 

The Antwerp store will open at the end of August and I can't wait to have one in my close proximity as Brussels is still quite a trip to make for me.

I'm leaving you with these detail shots of my outfit I promised you.

dress: T2 vintage

shoes: New Look

belt: H&M

headband: don't remember

bag: Pimkie

nails(left to right): hema, model's own, H&M, model's own, catrice