The Road to Brande

When our SELECTED sales agent, Toon, invited us to visit the brand’s new head office in Brande, Denmark, we were absolutely thrilled! Of course, we’d seen pictures of the new digs - all dark wood yumminess, glass and curated vintage, surrounded by a lush Danish forest - but actually going there and meeting the people behind our cherished brand? Heaven! Also: free trip. :)

My LILY partner-in-crime and notorious planner, Ellen, immediately booked herself a flight. I managed to forget to book mine (our yin-and-yang approach is one of the reasons our friendship and partnership work so well), so I decided to drive my good old VW van to Denmark instead. Well, it was just the adventure I needed! Here are five things to remember when considering a semi-solo work/roadtrip.

1/ Choose your Gas Stations wisely
We can all agree that the snacks make - or break - a road trip, right? I had an easy eight-hour drive from home to the hotel SELECTED had booked in Vejle, with a big chunk of the journey taking me through Germany. May I suggest stocking up on nice snacks and good coffee in the Netherlands before crossing the German border? Then keep going until you reach Denmark. My German pit stops were all wurst and junk (not the good kind of junk). On the upside: the retro colours in German toilets do make for great selfies!

2/ Just take the exit
I had no plan, but I did have a van filled with coffee, ravioli and 17 pairs of shoes (aaaah, solo travelling!). So, once I crossed the Danish border, I took one of the first exits and headed to Loddenhøj. Using my trusty Park4Night app, I found a little campsite called Tiny Seaside, right on the beach. I had to drive down a bumpy dirt road to get there (a sure sign that you’re in for something really good!), and it turned out to be truly magical…

3/ Park your van at the hotel :)
I love our Buske, but I love having my own bathroom too. SELECTED had arranged a lovely hotel in the centre of cute little Vejle for two nights, so of course I said “Thank you very much” and “Bye-bye, Buske”. I met up with Ellen and her friend Sofie there for the next leg of the trip. A little less time in wellies, a little more time in skirts and heels. Perfectly balanced, right?

4/ Eat your way around Vejle
Vejle is all coffee bars and gorgeous people. We had an excellent dinner at Nögen, where tackling food waste is le mot du jour. Great (and good-looking) staff and lovely food. The broccoli ice cream, however, was a bit too broccoli for us.
Folmers Mikrobageri is a microbakery focused on quality and simplicity. Think sourdough, small batches and quality over quantity. Also: L’angolo Italiano does great pizza!

5/ Pack whatever the *** you want!
After a summer of holidays with the fam, having the entire trunk to myself… Haha, oh my God! I packed ALL the outfits, making sure SELECTED was the Main Character. Ellen and I had so much fun dressing up and filming little fit checks (which, for us Older Girls, felt just a little bit awkward).

And the visit to SELECTED’s office? Well, let’s just say we both came back loving the brand even more. Full of outfit inspiration after seeing so many well-dressed people, and suddenly wanting to give our LILY interior a makeover: dark wood, glass, lush sofas and some damn fine curated vintage. Oh well…