BOYS Latin and German cultures clash in Belgium, so the natural inclination is to walk around in architecturally-extreme clothes printed with awful, loud patterns. Luckily, guys in Belgium are flouting this and keeping it fairly simple. Start with a nice, easy Carhartt t-shirt. Big logos and big brands are still worn here, and shamelessly so. Next, get a tweed jacket. A lot of wasted teens are walking around Brussels in black leather lately, but the majority of guys are going with tweed this winter. They are kind of dressing like Belgian granddads, minus the mustache and the stench of Brylcreem. Faded jeans are big in Belgium now. Walking around in Belgium in fluorescent rave pants or 70s disco bootcuts—which are the standards in most of Europe—is a big, big no-no here. Guys mostly just stick to nice, old jeans or they buy expensive G-Sus’s that look like you got them from your big brother.

GIRLS Belgian girls are also wearing tweed this winter. In this case, it’s a double-breasted short tweed jacket. Big, thick scarves are essential. “The scarf is worn like a jewel on a coat,” or so our grandmothers told us. A schoolgirl skirt in plain black is a good choice in Brussels now. Just a couple of fingers above the knee, and you will be getting stalked down the street by horny Belgians. Lots of girls here are trying the hyperminiskirt-in-winter thing right now, but, believe us: This is the way. Vintage secondhand boots are a good finishing touch for the skirt. There’s good money to be made in secondhand boots here these days, too. You buy them for five euros at the flea market and sell them at 70 to a cheesy vintage shop. Red accesories are good too. On our model, we’ve got a small vintage 70s handbag and Doris Day earrings.

BOYS This is a home haircut. Kids in the Netherlands all do it themselves now, mainly for a messy DIY look, but also because it’s cheaper. Boys’ jackets tend to be high-end (in this case Burberry). The UK new-rave hype has arrived here, so vintage shops have started selling lots of flashy leggings, but the wide bodybuilding pants are coming up as well [shudder]. Secondhand no-name-brand shoes are the best now, but Nike Air Max are also back on track. Flannel shirts are not uncommon in the Netherlands. It’s the inevitable grunge resurgence, right? Smiley pins are all over everyone, boys and girls. Blame new rave for that too. It’s a lucky thing that people here are known for generally being tolerant, otherwise the streets might be littered with corpses dressed like this little elf. Isn’t he just sort of begging you to kick his ass there? Look at him. He’s smirking at you.

GIRLS Like it or not, girls here smoke. Our model Winnie smokes Davidoff. Just like in France, cigarette holders are in style now. Girls are wearing sophisticated leggings, like these golden numbers here. For tops, a lot of girls are going cheap and ironic. (Which means that they are about ten years behind New York.) This is a one-euro Madonna shirt, and you’ll also see prints of “icons” like Van Halen or 50 Cent. Dutch girls are favoring bright-red heels or cute 1980s canvas shoes. This is a black PVC jacket. Girls here are wearing tight jackets in the bars and clubs. Clunky accessories, like this crucifix necklace, are big. The lower you wear them, the better. You can see a lot of Dutch girls wearing berets or caps, or in this case, a black veil. We would like to officially applaud the use of berets by girls. It is a thing known as “adorable.”

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