Bellerose

Bellerose: a Belgian label with an American accent

Bellerose was founded in 1989 just outside Brussels, starting life as a men's shirting label before womenswear arrived in 1998. The name comes from Bellerose in New York, a small pocket of the city the founder took a liking to on his travels, and that borrowed American reference still runs through everything the brand does. Collections are designed in Belgium, cut for comfort rather than restriction, and built on natural fabrics in a palette that stays deliberately quiet.

What that means when you actually put the clothes on is a slightly oversized, slightly preppy ease. Nothing shouts. A striped poplin shirt, a soft angora-blend cardigan, a pair of wide check trousers: pieces that look considered without looking like you tried. It is why Bellerose has stayed on our rails season after season, and why so many of our customers buy one piece and come back for the rest.

Bellerose knitwear and sweatshirts

Knitwear is where most people start with Bellerose, and it is the largest part of our edit. The angora-blend pieces are the ones we talk about most: styles such as the Dathan cardigan and the Datti and Datus sweaters have a light, brushed handle that feels far warmer than the weight suggests. They are the sort of knits you reach for on a cold morning and then wear all day without thinking about it.

Alongside those sit the everyday shapes. Cropped and classic crewnecks like the Dorou and Dateko work under a blazer or over a shirt, while sleeveless knits such as the Daren and Amer are the quiet workhorses of a layered outfit. Our full knitwear edit brings these together with the rest of the brands we stock.

The sweatshirts follow the same logic. Relaxed styles like the Fella, zip-throughs like the Teng and cropped V-necks like the Sula are cut generously enough to layer but clean enough to wear on their own. You will find them with the rest of our sweatshirts.

Bellerose coats and jackets

Outerwear is where Bellerose lets a little more personality through. We tend to carry a mix of the classic and the slightly unexpected: trench-style jackets such as the Hilma, bombers like the Jacky, faux-fur pieces like the Enjoy, and printed bodywarmers such as the leopard Haalo. They are outdoor clothes with a sense of humour, and they hold their shape well because the fabrics are good.

If you want something more structured, the Valenti is a proper classic blazer, cut with enough room to go over a knit. Everything outerwear sits in our wider coats and jackets edit.

Bellerose bags

Bellerose bags have quietly become one of the most searched parts of the brand, and it is easy to see why. The muff bags such as the Joswel and Hoswel are soft, hand-warming and far more practical than they look. The sling bags, including the Rosie and the leopard-print Souply, sit close to the body and work across a coat. There are crossbody styles like the Hobbes for days when you want your hands free, roomy shoppers like the Homty, and textured handbags such as the faux-fur Helga when you want the bag to be the outfit.

We buy bags in small numbers, so the range moves. Our current selection sits here and in our full bags edit.

Bellerose shirts, trousers and skirts

Shirting is where Bellerose began, and the poplin shirts are still some of the best things it makes. Styles like the striped Giorgia have the crisp, slightly roomy cut the brand is known for, and knitted overshirts such as the Aet blur the line between a shirt and a light jacket. Both sit with the rest of our shirts and blouses.

On the bottom half, we look for the pieces that do the most work. Check wide-leg styles like the Volkert, straight cuts like the Joline and knitted jogpants such as the Douts cover most of a week between them. Relaxed midi skirts like the Harlin and wide shorts like the Samy round it out. Browse them with our other trousers and skirts.

Scarves, hats and socks

The accessories are worth a proper look rather than a glance on the way to checkout. Triangle scarves such as the Dusol, square scarves like the Sose and zip collars like the Dusyk change an outfit for very little effort. Short beanies such as the Dusa and baseball caps like the Dacor are the practical end. And the crew socks, the Vrel and Vanmo among them, are the most reliably good present we sell. They live with our hats, scarves and gloves.

Bellerose sizing and fit

Bellerose uses its own numeric sizing on the label, running from 0 to 4. A 0 is a UK 6, a 1 a UK 8, a 2 a UK 10, a 3 a UK 12 and a 4 a UK 14. On our site we list these in the equivalent letter sizes, so an XS is a Bellerose 0 and a small is a Bellerose 1. A handful of styles come in combined sizes such as XXS/XS or S/M, which are cut to span two sizes.

On fit, the cut is relaxed by design. Most pieces are meant to sit away from the body, so we would take your usual size rather than sizing up, and only size down if you want a genuinely close fit on an oversized shape. Knitwear in particular has a little give once worn. If you are between sizes or unsure on a specific style, get in touch and we will measure the piece for you.

Buying Bellerose in the UK

Bellerose is a Belgian brand with a small, deliberately chosen group of UK stockists rather than a presence in every department store, which is part of why it still feels like a find. We are an independent boutique in Cardiff and we buy Bellerose in small batches for the shop and the website. When a size sells out it does not come back, because we do not restock. That is simply how we buy.

If Bellerose is your kind of thing, it is worth looking at MOS MOSH for the same considered, wearable approach from Denmark, and at our new in edit, where the Bellerose deliveries land first.