Carine Feipel has been ILA president since June 2019 Matic Zorman

Carine Feipel has been ILA president since June 2019 Matic Zorman

Carine Feipel is a trained lawyer who earned her degree at ULB Brussels and joined Arendt & Medernach in 1994, specialising in insurance law. From 2007 to 2012, she practiced from the firm's New York office. In 2014 she gave her career a new lease of life as an independent director. Still a lawyer at the head of her own law firm, she sits as an independent director on various boards of directors of banks, insurance companies and investment funds.

Marc Fassone: What’s your favourite restaurant in the country? 

Carine Feipel: I love eating fried food. And I really like going to the Brasserie Koeppchen in Wormeldange. It is a typically Luxembourgish specialty, although nowadays the fish no longer come from the Moselle, but are unfortunately imported. [Editor's note: the smelt used for frying is a fish from the salmon and trout family that lives mainly in estuaries with sometimes some movement along the coast. It goes up rivers in schools to spawn.]

In terms of decor, what type of ambiance do you prefer in a restaurant? 

I like clean decor, but still cozy. Like at Fani, the starred Italian restaurant in Roeser.

What’s the essential dish for any good menu? 

I would say chocolate. A good meal always ends with a dessert for me. And it takes chocolate. A good bar [of it] can also do the trick. We have good chocolatiers from Luxembourg, like Genaveh, for example, who do excellent things.

What’s your favourite cocktail, and how do you take it? 

Hugo. It's a mixture of elderberry syrup, crémant and sparkling water, to which you add mint and pieces of lime. I drink it with friends in the early evening. It’s very, very enjoyable.

Champagne or crémant? 

Crémant to support Luxembourg winegrowers.

In your opinion, what’s the best beer in Luxembourg? 

Usually, I don't like beer too much because I find it bitter. But there is one that I like to drink: the Fruitée de Battin. Very willingly in fact.

What’s your favourite spirit, and how do you like it?

I really like coffee liqueurs. With lots of ice.  

Are you a tea or coffee person? 

I’m 100% tea. And my favourite time to enjoy it is in the morning when I arrive at the office, when everything is still calm. I make myself my tea, and I check my emails. And there, I savour it. Natural, without sugar or milk. Green tea always, which can be flavoured.

Let’s talk style. Made-to-measure, or ready-to-wear? 

Ready-to-wear.

Do you have a favourite designer or brand? 

Historically speaking, I’d say Coco Chanel, with regards to the change she brought to women’s fashion. I really admire what she did. But on a daily basis, I really like wearing the Karen Millen label. She’s an English designer with boutiques worldwide.  

What’s your style? Chic or casual? 

Chic.

What is your essential accessory? 

A necklace. It can be fancy or more classic. But I still wear a necklace. I feel naked without it.

Mechanical watch or a connected watch? 

Connected. I have both, but lately I've been wearing it a lot more.

When it comes to shoes, do you prefer them with or without heels? 

With heels. I wear [them] for special occasions and for important meetings. I must say that with covid, heels are worn a lot less... it's a shame. But that doesn't stop me from buying some anyway...

For evenings, are you a fan of the little black dress or more elaborate outfits? 

I like the little black dress.

Tell us about the last time you put on an evening gown? 

My dad celebrated his 80th birthday a few weeks ago. Given the circumstances, we had a big family Zoom. But my two sisters and I had agreed that we would dress to the nines, and so I was in an evening gown for the occasion. It was a beautiful evening in honour of my dad.

When do you wear dresses in general? 

Often. Whenever I feel like it. I don’t deprive myself. I really like dresses. 

What’s your favourite weekend look?

I’m a bit more casual there. And for an evening out, I prefer a jeans and pumps combo.

What do you think is an unforgiveable sartorial fault?

What I don't like to see at all are ties that are tied too short, above the waistband. It doesn’t work at all. I find it in very bad taste...  If you want to wear a tie, the knot has to be neat, and the length has to be perfect. Otherwise, better to not put it on

Who is the best-dressed man or woman in the country? 

Pierre Dillenburg. I think he has elegance and impeccable taste. 

Do you have a favorite carnival costume? 

Not at all. If I had to have any, I would like to dress up as a Pink Panther once. I think that must make a chic disguise.

What’s your favourite destination to get away from it all?

There are two. I love going to the sea, anywhere. And I love going to New York. The sea for its calm and grandeur, and then New York because I lived there for five years and it's a city that I love, where I really like to return. I really like the shops. I also really like going to the top of the Rock, the top of Rockefeller Center because from there you have a magnificent view of the Empire State Building which is much more touristy and too crowded. And then I also like a place that is perhaps less well known: it's Central Park, but not the south where everyone goes, rather the north. There, we are already in Harlem. It's a New Yorker-only place that's really, really nice.

And what do you read during these escapades? 

I don't really have any favorite authors. Right now, I'm reading Barack Obama's book. I like this type of book, about historical figures, whether they are alive or dead.

And to which soundtrack? 

Two names come to mind. One is Australian duo Angus and Julia Stone. And the second, a little Luxembourgish nod, is another duo called Magnus and John.

This article was originally published in French on Paperjam and has been translated and edited for Delano.