New Zealand fashion designer Karen Walker reveals why she would return to Amsterdam

Flamingos aren’t what you immediately envisage in picturing Amsterdam – yet they informed New Zealand fashion designer Karen Walker’s first experience of the historic canal city.

It was earlier this month that Walker swapped the literal heat of Paris Fashion Week for a few debut Dutch days that, as she tells ROAM, proved easy, uncomplicated and filled her creative cup. For Walker, who returned to New Zealand Fashion Week last year after a 15-year hiatus (and who confirms she’ll do so again next month) it proved an invaluable reset away from the frantic design schedules and world of product collaborations (including work with Australian brand Merry People) that frame her day-to-day; a chance to connect with her UK-based brother, Nicholas, and husband Mikhail Gherman on a culinary and cultural adventure through one of Europe’s finest cities.

“I’d never been to Amsterdam and I think when you travel, it’s good for you mentally to go somewhere where you have never been.

I did very little research before I went and purposefully left it up to my brother. I got off the train and let him be my guide. People always told me how amazing Amsterdam is and I became infatuated with it too.

We stayed in the Canal District in a fabulous little hotel called The Noblemen which has 13 rooms. As you walk out the front door, you’re right on the canals — and they bring breakfast to your room each morning. It was the perfect antidote to a very hot summer in Paris weeks earlier which was hard to navigate — even after having visited the city more than 20 times for work.

Food was a big part of this trip. We ate at Cafe Nieuw Amsterdam — a modern bistro with a great menu located within the 17th-century West India House. The building was the former headquarters of the Dutch West India Company, where New York City was founded. (The company’s governors in 1625 ordered the construction of a fort on Manhattan, laying the foundation for the US city).The history is so layered.

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De Plantage — a 19th-century conservatory overlooking the zoo — was another gorgeous space to dine. Mikhail ordered the sardines, which he said were the best he’d ever eaten. Because you’re right next to the zoo you can hear the animals and also get a flamboyance of flamingos in the background too.

The best meal of the trip was at Michelin-star restaurant Choux. We booked the seven-course degustation — the most incredible fine dining meal I’ve eaten. There’s no stiff tablecloths and uptight waiters — this place had a relaxed feel. It’s virtually all vegetarian with a very modern take on food.

The iconic Cafe Americain was amazing too. It has an Art Deco, Art Nouveau feel to it and is the restaurant and hotel that has hosted everyone from Nina Simone to Amy Winehouse and Bruce Springsteen.

I also love to explore galleries when travelling and there’s no shortage in Amsterdam. Foam is a tiny independent gallery space where I saw a photographic exhibition by English photographer Martin Parr. I visited the Van Gogh Museum — I whizzed through it in two hours but could have stayed longer. We also went to Rembrandt House Museum.

We also visited the Portuguese Synagogue in the heart of the Jewish district, one of the oldest in Europe. You can go to a service on Saturday night which I’ll do if I return. They’ve got no electricity here — it’s illuminated by hundreds of candles.

Being in Amsterdam in July didn’t feel crowded or touristy. It was perfect weather. People who go there, do smoke weed in a lot of the cafes — and you kind of find yourself 10 per cent stoned all the time because of what’s going on around you. It’s a fun place — I’d definitely go back.”karenwalker.com