Top secret blogger trips to other countries are always exciting. As was the one I went on last month. Destination: Germany. Reason: Fashion brand S.Oliver. Planning of the weekend: not a clue. Being surprised is super fun – but makes it damn hard to pack. Since I’m not that good at keeping secrets from you guys, here’s a step-by-step tale of what exactly went on in the land of lederhosen, schnitzels and –surprisingly– easy-going fashion.

After an exhausting trip to Frankfurt, which consisted of three trains and an hour-long taxi ride, we arrived at the G-Hotel in Würzburg. During the train ride from Brussels to Germany I got to meet my lovely travel companion, Eva, who writes for online mag InSignificant. All talked out, we immediately checked into the hotel, and into our beds very quickly. The next day had a busy schedule, or so we’d heard.

Shower, make-up, breakfast and we’re good to go. Together with Eva and Quirine from Girlscene I hopped in a taxi to Rottendorf, also known as S.Oliver City. I was really impressed by how big the brand is in Germany, as it is not usually a name that’s on my shopping route back in Belgium. But as it turns out, S.Oliver is super well-known and really popular in Germany. I was taken aback when the car drove up to the main office. It’s HUGE!

First things first: connecting to the wifi / getting to know each other. Apart from the two Belgium bloggers (Eva & I) and one Dutch journalist, there were bloggers from all over Europe present. We all talked a bit about ourselves (it’s what we’re good at) and got to meet the design team. Better yet, the woman who designs practically all of the female denim pieces took us through the entire creative process. Inspiring, to say the least. It was a real treat to see how a piece of ready-to-buy clothing starts from one person’s idea and ends up in thousands of closets all over the world.

When we felt inspired enough, it was time to work it. Presented with the latest fashion from S.Oliver, Q.S (the cool, younger sister) and Selection by S.Oliver (the classy, older sister), we got to style our favourite outfits. A bunch of bloggers on a sugar-high + racks of pretty clothing = crazyness. I managed to put together a spring-appropriate look by pairing a lace white dress with a chunky sweater in pastels and a denim vest. I would wear this in a heartbeat.

After saying our goodbyes at the HQ and a quick shopping-stop (girls will be girls), it was time for the evening-part of the day. Our night in two words? WINE AND FOOD. LOTS OF IT. We had a wine tasting in the prettiest wine cellar I’ve ever been to (also the only one I’ve ever visited), saw ginormous barrels of wine, tasted (and swallowed) said barrels and enjoyed an amazing three-course meal. The boys went wine-crazy and a lot of laughs were had. A lovely end to a lovely day!

Thanks for having me S.Oliver!
Shop S.Oliver online here.