Interview with Petra
Personal
1. Education / work experience?
Before Assepoester, I worked at Douglas for a while and at the H&M in Ede. After that, I landed a job at Promiss where I became assistant store manager. I worked in several of their stores. At a certain moment, I came to live in Arnhem and there I saw a job advert by Assepoester Feestkleding. A colleague of mine had applied there already and it just seemed a great company to work for. So, I got an interview and we agreed that I would come and work a trial day. The day before the trial day, I found out I was pregnant. So I called Assepoester to ask whether it was any use at all for me to come and try out whether I liked the job and we decided that I would come by and do it anyway. After that, I got hired while I was pregnant! Now that was very unique, because there are not too many companies that do that…
2. Married/ Engaged/ In love /Divorced/Kids?
Kids! I have a very sweet daughter: Valerie. Furthermore, I am in love and somewhat engaged, hihi. We do have wedding plans, but we’ve had to postpone them because Valerie was born.
3. What are your hobbies?
I like to shop a lot, hang out on the couch with Valerie, watching movies. And I’m especially into great cooking. I love to cook for friends; I really like to try out new things from cook books. I have a whole stack of those! And afterwards, I like to watch a movie together with the whole group. I like to go out every now and then too, but now that we have a kid that is a bit hard.
4. What is your favourite colour?
For clothing: black. Always convenient. And in my house I have many red things.
5. What is your favourite movie?
The all time chick flick Dirty Dancing! Especially when combined with lots of wine! I also like to go to musicals with a friend.
6. What is your favourite cocktail/drink?
Malibu with Fristi… no, really! I am a big Fristi fan anyway and I discovered Malibu Fristi while on holiday. However, it is pretty hard to get this drink when you’re out clubbing …
7. Finish this sentence: when I grow up, I….
I always wanted to become a stewardess when I grew up… but not anymore! I could do what I’m doing now for a long time to come. This job suits me and I’m really content with it!
Assepoester
8. What is it like to be an Assepoester?
Great; really great! You meet all kinds of people and all these people are there because they want to do something fun. Of course, it is an important day for them. I like the fact that I can help people from top to toe. It is so wonderful if people leave our store in a totally happy mood!
9. How do you become an Assepoester? Do you have any advice?
You definitely have to love clothing; otherwise you won’t make it. A passion for fashion is important. Furthermore, you have to be able to empathise with your client; after all, it is a big day for them. That way it is also easier to help them obtain their dream dress.
10. What is your Arnhems Meisje feeling?
Women that wear Arnhems Meisje are out of this world. And I mean that in the broadest sense; she likes new things and is not afraid to go out of her way to discover these. She really is the kind of woman that is open to anything.
11. What is your favourite address from the roze boekje (pink booklet)?
Under ‘Getting married abroad’ you find the Bali Hyatt; that is sooo beautiful! We would like to go there sometime. We’ll get married then, too.
12. Which Assepoester client will you never forget?
Ooh, that was a really great client; she put on the first dress totally wrong and thought it was horrid because of that! In addition, she wore gigantic killer heels on which she could not walk. At all! So, I turned the zipper the right way and gave her other shoes which were just like slippers. She absolutely loved it. And not just the dress, but the shoes were just fabulous. She fell in love with them instantly.
And I mean that in the broadest sense; she likes new things and
is not afraid to go out of her way to discover these.
She really is the kind of woman that is open to anything.”
13. How can a client make you happy (with what kind of present)?
(Whispers) … with chocolate… Chocolate truffles with whipped cream inside … oooh! But, I guess everyone knows that about me already, haha!
14. Who would you love to have as a client? And who would you loathe to help?
I would love to dress Fiona Hering in Arnhems Meisje clothing. Wicked!
Arnhem
15. What’s so great about Arnhem?
It has everything you might need! They have great food at the Rijnkade, you can shop endlessly and if you like to relax like New Yorkers do in Central Park, then go to Park Sonsbeek.
16. What is your favourite other store in Arnhem?
Soul; it is a boutique with small brands and they only have a few samples of each unique piece of clothing. That way, things stay quaint and different.
17. What is your favourite restaurant/cafe/club in Arnhem?
In summer I like to sit at Roses at the Rijnkade and I also like to eat Japanese at Silk Road. That is a fantastic venue! I have taken many friends there. We also take Valerie there and she eats the same things we do. She likes all kinds of things: herring, kibbeling (fried cod)…
Fashion
18. If you had to design your own wedding dress, what would it look like?
A wedding dress with straight lineation and not too many frills. I would like to go for colour, but I know it would please my boyfriend no end if I wore ivory… so that’s something we need to discuss, hihi. Oh and strapless! Absolutely. With a beautiful top. Maybe I’ll go for a two-piece wedding dress.
19. What kind of wedding or formal evening dress do you find ugly?
A puffed up wedding cake of a dress! With puffed sleeves, sequins, feathers… the horror!.
20. Favourite designer?
I think it’s great to get married in Cymbeline; we sell it in our store. And that purple green formal evening dress that we have! That is totally super!
21. Biggest fashion disaster ever?
I’ve never had one of those, really, but I do often buy stuff that I never wear. I’m a real impulse and frustration shopper, especially if things are on sale. So, I take the stuff home and once I’m there I think: “What am I going to do with this?!” And it happens with everything: shoes, bags, clothing… it’s the kind of thing that my boyfriend really dislikes!
22. Can you predict trends in the field of bridal fashion/formal evening wear for the future?
Short is the way to go; we sell a lot of short dresses at Assepoester. And I see a lot of people getting married in colour. That’s ever so festive!
Love & romance
23. Who are the sexiest people on earth?
George Clooney is sexy!!! Now that is a gorgeous older man. I think he’s very down to earth and sympathetic.
24. What is the most romantic thing that ever happened to you?
A weekend at Euro Disney during Christmas… I did that with my boyfriend three years ago. We slept in the big pink Disney hotel and even went to the Eiffel tower in Paris. To be in Paris during Christmas … is just so romantic!
25. What if your boyfriend proposed to you. How should he go about that?
He already did! I was celebrating my birthday together with some friends and we had rented a big disco. All of a sudden he showed up with a ring! So that was my birthday present …
