Polienne

by Paulien Riemis

Paulien Riemis is the beauty (no really, she’s a model) and brains behind Polienne, her semi-self titled blog (the blog name “Polienne” actually derives from an incorrect pronunciation of “Paulien”). The Belgian blogger has a serious weakness for knit beanies (she has about 12 now) and opts for green tea over coffee (unless the coffee comes in the form of a milk-laden latte or creamy macchiato). Oh, did we mention she’s also a student? Talk about wonderwoman!

  1. So, you are a student, a model (you’re absolutely beautiful!), and a blogger! How do you balance it all?

    First of all: thank you! I study only part time at university so I have more time to work as a model. My studies are always priority but since I earn my money by modeling and blogging these two are pretty important as well. The blogging wasn’t supposed to grow this big but now it actually takes up almost as much time as my two other occupations. Although planning isn’t my best feature, I always try to prepare my posts by shooting and writing in advance. Making lists of priorities definitely helps!

  2. We love the name of your blog, “Polienne”. How did you come up with it?

    The blog name “Polienne” actually derives from an incorrect pronunciation of my own name, Paulien. Paulien is the Flemish version of Pauline and my modeling agency in Italy couldn’t help calling me ‘Polienne’. I thought it had this fun, almost Parisian schwung and decided to use it as my blog’s name!

  3. Living in Antwerp must have a huge influence on your style. What do you love most about the city?

    Oh yes, Antwerp is a lot more inspiring than the tiny rural village I was raised! I simply love that you can find literally EVERYTHING on walking or biking distance. Antwerp is a rather small city but has so much to offer. I have about three coffee bars, a gym, a botanical garden, two supermarkets and a designer shopping street within 1km from my apartment. Also, there are so many different people with different cultures you can learn from!

  4. What’s your favorite must-wear accessory in your closet right now?

    My beanies, I guess. I have a weak spot for headwear and in winter I wear my knit beanies non-stop. I think I have about 12 beanies now… They just complete every outfit and hide any bad hair days!

  5. It’s that time of year again - Fashion Week is right around the corner! Which designers are you keeping an eye on this season?

    I’m not a die hard Fashion Week follower but I’d like to see the new Isabel Marant collection! I’m also very curious for Carven and Chloé. You can probably tell that Paris Fashion Week is my favorite one!

  6. You mention your love for cookies on your blog. Do you have a favorite-cookie preference?

    Hah, that’s a good one! I can’t help muching on chocolate chip cookies (so I often ignore these at the supermarket) but I love a good coconut cookie as well. I would probably eat any cookie you serve me.

  7. "There's one quote that I framed and put on my desk - Do epic shit. No need to explain..."— Paulien Riemis

  8. What’s your favorite social media platform, and why?

    I would say Instagram, but I really have been enjoying Pinterest lately. I’m not that blogger with solely white images on Instagram and in the end you’re never sure who’s watching your personal photos… I love the same visual aspect of Pinterest and the idea that you can gather your all of your inspiration on one page.

  9. What camera do you use? Who takes your photos? The photographs on Polienne are simply breathtaking!

    I have a Canon 550d with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. I actually have a lot of photographers! I usually meet up with other bloggers from Antwerp to shoot each others outfits, but my mom and friends help me out when there’s no one else around. My brother has been doing a lot outfit shooting for me as well lately. As long as the images are sharp, I can do almost ANYTHING with them in Lightroom :-)

  10. What’s your favorite weekend getaway spot in Europe?

    Paris, London and Amsterdam are very accessible by train from Antwerp so these three wonderful cities are the ‘easiest’ for me to do a quick city trip. But if I’d take the plane, I’d definitely go to Barcelona or Stockholm. These two cities have truly impressed me in the past and I feel like I could go there every weekend!

  11. Coffee or tea?

    Since I only drink coffee with loads of milk and latte macchiato’s aren’t seen as ‘real’ coffee, I’d say tea! I like my tea green, without sugar and per liter or two.

  12. Summer or winter?

    That’s a hard one! Skiing is one of my favourite things to do but who doesn’t love a good palm tree? Plus, I prefer dressing up for colder weather but in the end I always long for some sun. Let’s keep it on summer!

  13. Since you began blogging, what has been your biggest source of inspiration thus far?

    Since I’m kind of a Pinterest addict, I’d say loads and loads of pictures on the internet! Most of my first posts from back in 2009 are all ‘moodboard’ posts with random streetstyle photos. I just loving browsing through my folder with my favourite outfits to find inspiration for both my own outfits and my own photos.

  14. Is there anything you wish you knew when you first started blogging?

    That there is actually a business side to blogging! And that you can’t please everyone. I get so many emails from people or brands that want to collaborate but unfortunately I have to reject about 80% of them. I do want to make money with my blog but I don’t want to turn it into one big advertising website. It’s really hard for me to choose who to say yes to and who to turn down.

  15. Do you have a favorite quote that you live by, if so, what is it?

    There’s one quote that I framed and put on my desk: “Do epic shit”. No need to explain…