Gracias, Merçi, Danke & Thank You

Did I say I would go shopping last weekend? I wanted to, but then I ended up somewhere totally different – on a trampoline. I can’t even remember when I last jumped on one of these things, but it was really good fun. What about you? Are any of you keen trampoliners?

What also made me jump for joy is that I recently received the Sunshine Award from The Sentimentalist, The Alternative Wife and NotJustMedical. Thank you so much!! The award asks you to put the picture on your blog and tag 12 other fellow bloggers. Now me needing to do everything MY way (I remember my exasperated grandma once sighing: "Do you always have to make a decision how to do things yourself?", to which my clever 3 year old self answered: "Sure! Noone else knows me as well as I do!") I modified the picture a bit. (But for all of you who want to pass the award on, just click on 'Read more!' and you can find the correct picture at the end of the post.)

Before I finally sign off and say 'Happy Weekend' one last little thing… Lots of you liked the expression 'window licking' in my last post. Sadly I haven’t really made this up; as far as I know it’s just the direct transation from the French for 'window shopping'.

HAPPY WEEKEND!!


I’m sure you know I love a lot of other blogs which I haven’t named here. Well, the solution is easy… I just need more awards.

And the Happy Award goes to:
1. Marian Kihogo
2. Angie Muresan
3. Fashion Lolita
4. Classic Copenhagen
5. Fashion, Art & Other Fancies
6. Blindcopy
7. E Tells Tales
8. The Zhush
9. Lenka James
10. Tokyo Identity
11. Velours écarlate
12. Bright Green Laces

Land of the Beautiful Reptile

Last week I went on a serious spree of 'window licking' in London with lovely Haute World who is a true fashion and shopping expert. We worked our way trough the Liberty for Target collection (lovely, but slightly too flowery for my taste), swooned over Rick Owens’ leather jackets (she’s got one, lucky girl) nearly fainted when checking the price tag for Balmain’s slashed t-shirts (prices of designer t-shirts - I really have to write about this!) and examined the clever stitching in the Vivienne Westwood shop. Dover Street Market seduced us with its usual beautiful chaos of Comme de Garcons and other designers, including a long row of very clean and crisp Céline clothes (which I find look better on the runway than in real life).
In the end we went to fashion heaven: The Alexander McQueen flagship store. It starts with the shopping window and just gets better and better. There might be an online shop, but nothing beats the opportunity to touch and feel his designs.*

Honestly, I don’t need 3 pieces, all I want is an Alexander McQueen dress.**
*There are no pictures of him or any other references to his death, and personally I’m happy they are keeping it as a normal shop and not making it a shrine. Just walking through his designs feels like a temple to me.

**Love the butterfly designs, too. Sadly my favourite dress is £2845.-.

pic #2: ’Kunstformen der Natur’, Ernst Haeckel (book)

The Unbearable Lightness of... the Capsule Wardrobe

Remember my unsuccessful attempt to clean up my wardrobe? When I met my friend again I asked her: 'So how did you approach this capsule wardrobe thing?'. 'Well,' she answered 'I started with the shoes. I found these Chloe wedges which are high, but super comfortable; then I choose a pair of trousers to go with them and then a sweater for the trousers and the shoes… and since no girl can be without a bag, I added a bag…'

Voilà, first outfit – neutral colours and classic cuts. All the rest can grow from here. Could it be any easier? (Her capsule wardrobe also consists of a beautiful Burberry trenchcoat, but I need a reason to take some more pictures.)

With which 3 items would you start your capsule wardrobe?


shoes: chloe, trousers: chloe, sweater: chloe, bag: marni

It’s All in the Colours

I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty. Georgia O’Keeffe

skirt: Primark, shirt: Kaos, tights: Wolford from Tightsplease, shoes: Converse, vest: New Look. model: Sarah

Don’t Smoke It, Wear It

Coming back to trousers… Many of you said cigarette trousers are the perfect trouser shape. When I hear 'cigarette trousers' I've got to think of Brigitte Bardot strolling down the harbour in St. Tropez… But when you google the term you’re actually presented with a myriad of different trouser looks.
I guess that’s the beauty of it – The shape is more elegant and roomy than skinnies, but still slim fitting. The trousers might end at the ankle but can also be full length, and are absolutely timeless.
With a little nod to the 50s and Marc Jacobs’ latest a/w collection I’ve combined mine with a tailored jacket.

I’m off to beautiful Oxfordshire this weekend and my friend is going to 'schlepp' me to her newest Outlet find. Yay! Wishing everyone a great weekend!

trousers: costume national from Yoox, shoes : cesare paciotti from Yoox, bag: 2nd hand, t-shirt: gap, jacket: miu miu

Be Shy. Be Bold. Just Be.

Can any of you remember when Kate Moss first appeared in the spotlight? I can! The photographs by Corinne Day of her 15-year-old self hit me like a rock*. After all the glamorous, female beauty of Claudia, Naomi and Co. she was like a breath of fresh air – bold and androgynous. I remember thinking: This is so cool! I also found the whole change from broad shoulders and bonbon colours to unadorned minimalism super exciting.

So it was quite thrilling to see this Calvin Klein ad in one of my old Vogues. It might be our post-recession mood, but one of the major trends in the a/w shows were the early 90s - Calvin Klein, Bottega Veneta, Lanvin, Martin Margiela, not to forget Céline and Chloe, all showed clean silhouettes without much adornment.

I’m so ready for 90s minimalism again. What about you?
*This one is not taken by her. I think these Calvin Klein ads were photographed by Stacey McKenzie.

picture #1, source: UK Vogue magazine, 1993
picture #2, source: style.com (céline, calvin klein, lanvin a/w fashion shows)

Scholls, Seriously Spruced Up

I used to associate 'Dr.Scholls' with healthy wooden slippers; but not anymore! Seriously, the Scholl people must have listened to your comments, because when I entered my local Fenwick store the other day I was greeted by rows and rows of a new design called 'Musal'. (They might have excelled at overhauling their shoes, but totally collapsed when it came to the name-giving bit. Musal… what’s this supposed to be – an Ikea shelf?!?) Anyway, gone are the times of clunky wooden footwear. 'The Musal' is made from cork, and it is (comparatively) high. It might not be a Jimmy Choo and I’m risking being called a German housewife again, but I immediately fell in love and grabbed a pair because:

a. They give me an extra 2.5 inches (or if you prefer metric counting - 6.5 cm)
b. … are hellishly comfortable
c. They’ve got an open back (I love shoes with an open heel because they elongate the back of the leg; see - no strap to break up the line)
d. They go with pretty much everything
e. & fit perfectly to the whole beige/brown/camel/nude trend

My only problem is, after wearing them for half an hour I had blisters. But I hear Scholl offers special foot plasters, too.

shoes: scholls

Spring Fever

Finally moved my lazy body to the tennis court today. Lost 0-6 against gleeful husband (which made his day) and went home quite shattered. But at least the weather is beautiful, spring has sprung and the flowers are coming out - which makes me want to look as colourful as spring itself! Behind all the usual grey-black-white items I did find some colour in my wardrobe. To top my unusually happy outfit I even sat myself into the midst of some tulips. (Okay I might have gone a bit overboard with the colours... I might have even airbrushed myself slightly, but hey, that's what spring does to us, doesn't it?!)



suede jacket: le chateau, jeans: jean-paul gaultier for la redoute, shirt: viktor & rolf, shoes: costume national from yoox

Get Sporty

or Rediscovering my Blog-Life-BalanceYou know I love blogging and I want to post and communicate with you as much as possible; which means I am spending a lot of time at the computer. Then there is a job (ah money, why doesn’t it rain from the sky?!?) and a family (not a huge one, but I’ve got to show my face from time to time) and trying to sleep a few hours now and then… Well, that’s pretty much all I can fit into a 24 hour day.

I once said I play tennis A LOT, about 5 times a week, but somehow this activity got lost on the wayside (an exceptionally cold winter and having felt slightly under the weather for weeks hasn’t helped). But I’ve made a decision! I can’t keep just frowning at my diminishing muscle tonus and wincing because of backpain… No, I’ve got to get moving again! See how enthusiastically I’m jumping towards the court?

How do you do it? Is the computer eating you up or do you manage to do a regular work-out? (Yes, Tiffany, I know you do, you are my hero!) And if yes, what kind of sports do you go for?

headband: new look, top: topshop, pants: adidas (cut-offs), shoes: adidas originals, racket: vintage lacoste

More Pink or How to Make a Short Story Long

Sorry, I seem to be working in shifts today. I was so keen on showing you my ‘brown doesn’t have to be boring’ solution, but then I realised I want to say a bit more about it…

The pink dress is a diy project made from a silk slip and an old turquoise t-shirt. But I am finding pink very difficult to wear – it just seems to 'swallow me up' and the slinkyness of the dress also makes me feel a bit too body conscious (not to speak of the problem that anything I eat will show as a bulge in the waist area).

Now, I’m a big fan of Phoebe Philo’s idea of wearing a short leather skirt over a shirt dress – so perhaps this could be the solution.

ALSO I need to show you my new shoes! How’s this for nude footwear? I’m in love!


silk dress: diy, leather skirt: diy, sandals: chloe from yoox

Brown Again - with Pink (& Turquoise)

I absolutely agree, brown doesn’t have to be boring. Some of you suggested brown and rosé or brown and red… How about brown and pink?

I also finally found my nude shoes.*

*Love them so much, they'll get an extra post.

silk dress: diy, leather skirt: diy, sandals: chloe from yoox

Brown, You Are Driving Me Mad!!

All I wanted to do was reflect upon the question if brown is a boring colour. I’m not talking hip beige, nude or camel here, but straight, proper brown… Although it’s a soft colour and many people can wear it, I think brown lacks the existentialist punch of black and the neutral sleekness of grey and can look a bit grandmotherly.

So I put on some brown clothes, ready to snap away, but – it’s too dark, I'm out of focus, my hair is totally out of control, the earrings keep falling off and where the h… is the stupid bag?… Arrghh! Sometimes photography just isn’t plain sailing…

In the end I went outside. So, please tell me - Do you think brown a boring colour?

skirt: 2nd hand/ diy tie-dye, t-shirt: old, belt: 2nd hand, shoes: bally

Clogs – Do We Really Want Them?

First I was all excited about clogs. They remind me of my childhood, running around in old wooden heels, channelling Pippi Longstockings… But then I realised that clogs are actually not that different from my default summer shoes… Maybe I’ll just stick to my old Scholls…

Will you be wearing clogs this summer?

My Baby Byredos (or How to Save Money)

You know the situation when your head (insert: purse) says 'No', but your heart (insert: desire) shouts 'Yes'? That’s how it was when I discovered that several brothers and sisters of my favourite perfume Pulp are available in one box charmingly named: 'I Married Adventure'. But NO it was and I left Liberty London, just to discover that very soon my mind started finding all kind of excellent explanations why buying 5 little perfume bottles actually made perfect sense. ('You just found a £30 Liberty voucher in your Vogue', it whispers in my ear; 'and you could take pictures of the beautiful box... Also they are perfect for travelling AND you would never ever have to buy a perfume anymore...See, it’s actually a good way to save money!').

When it comes to pleasure I'm weak minded, and after an agonising week fearing that more adventurous (read: affluent) women would snatch up the last box I stormed back to Liberty, voucher in my hand, shoving other potential customers aside to bark at the gorgeous Swedish shop assistant (I think Byredo flies in their own people): "How much?". Maybe it’s because he’s a foreigner, maybe it’s because I’m a foreigner... in any case he looked at me in astonishment, wrinkling his perfect model like features: "Too much?!?" (his face indicating: Well, daaaarling, I guess you are wrong here!) "Certainly it’s too much" I answer, "everything is too much, but I wanted to know HOW MUCH." (my teutonic attitude can be immensly charming). But in the end we parted on good terms with a nice chat about how much we loooove the perfumes (he would, wouldn’t he?).

On my way home the bag got soaked in the rain, ripped and the pretty box got all muddy and ugly... So no pictures, but I will never smell bad again!

P.S. Dear Byredo people – When you read this you will realise how much free advertising I have done for you. I’m sure you’ll be happy to supply me with another 'I Married Adventure' – not only for my friends, but also that I can take pretty pictures of your beautiful product! Thank you!!

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Spring, finally! I clean the house (trying to swing my hips like Rihanna; still gotta work on my Rude Boy moves...), tend to the plants (shamefully neglected), give the wardrobe the long awaited overhaul and cook my favourite Thai chicken dinner (probably should have asked my friend about her chilli tolerance before serving).

All this activity makes me so proud and self-content that I empty nearly a bottle of red wine on my own. (My only lame excuse being that not having had alcohol for weeks obviously made me forget how much is good for you. Also sensible friend could have helped me a bit!) Maybe that's why my picture has turned out slightly fuzzy today.

On a fashionable note: Dots and stripes - Too much of a good thing?

Oh well, I guess it's back to hot chocolate for me.

skirt: diy, t-shirt: 2nd hand, shoes: scholl

Comme des Garçons

The mind works by association... As it happens I was running around the house in an old shirt thinking of kitten heels (post to come!), then I read about Rei Kawakubo’s underground store in Hongkong on Haute World, see my neglected Vanessa Bruno suspender trousers lying around… Et voilà! Here’s my interpretation of the boyish look. Do you like walking around 'comme les garçons'?

Happy Weekend everyone!trousers: vanessa bruno, vest: topshop, shirt: old, blazer: reiss, sunglasses: armani, shoes: fendi from yoox

Gentle Does It - The Gentlewoman

It always feels a bit silly to follow the hype and I had already read so much about this new magazine that I wasn’t too keen on buying it, but when cover girl Phoebe Philo looked at me sternly from the shelves I couldn’t leave her there. The ladies’ version of the 'Fantastic Man' wants to introduce us to 'a new decade of inspirational, international women', like Céline’s new creative director, winemaker Sarah Pérez, artist Jenny Holzer or architect Kazuyo Sejima. According to the editors it’s not about celebrities, but about women who do things in their life. It also features beautiful, mainly b/w fashion photography. After having spent an hour with the Gentlewoman I thought it was the most inspirational magazine I had looked at in ages. Shame it’s only biannual.

Have you discovered an interesting magazine lately? Or with blogging and the internet, do you read any magazines at all?

And here is the rest of it.

Lusting After – Bottega Veneta

Now, if I really had the discipline and, more importantly, the funds to decide for a capsule collection I think I would choose from Bottega Veneta’s s/s 2010 collection (which was, according to creative director Tomas Maier, inspired by kids’ karate suits) and is to me simplicity at its best.*

My first glimpse of Bottega Veneta’s woven bags (in 2002?) was love at first sight. I adore everything woven and you just knew the quality would make these bags lifelong companions. At that time I was still living in Berlin and the £ (net-a-porter was a UK only website then, charging in £) was sky high compared to the low valued €; so I (stupidly) thought 'I’ll wait, they might get cheaper'.
Later I bought a pair of Bottega Veneta sandals at yoox, but I’ve got a hunch they are pre-Tomas Maier since something about their design doesn’t seem quite right and I hardly ever wear them.

The bags haven't gotten cheaper, but are still on my 'want-it-badly' list.


*Although, how about we up the funds, so I can have a pick from Céline and Dries van Noten, too?!

Magical Clean-Out

It all started when I saw my friend wearing the lightest of camel-brown cashmere sweaters. 'It’s Chloe' she said, 'one of my new basics. I’m so fed up with my chaotic wardrobe. I’m doing a big clean-up and from now on I’m only going to buy things that go with each other.'
I ran home enthusiastically 'Perfect idea! Time for a wardrobe spring-clean. I'll also put together a capsule wardrobe!' (I even checked; a capsule wardrobe consists of 12-15 items which can all be mixed and matched.) After having taken out everything I only put back what I really, really need. Then I counted: 5 jeans, 6 trousers, 3 blazers, 3 other jackets, 10 skirts, 18 blouses and shirts, 12 dresses = 57 pieces... Somehow the concept of a capsule wardrobe doesn’t seem to work for me.

Are you working with the idea of a basic wardrobe and go from there or is it all one big mess of clothes?

So Long, So Good

Long skirts or dresses have never been for me – ok, perhaps for going to the opera. But generally they just don’t seem practical and the hippie-ish side of it doesn’t appeal much to me, either. I remember inheriting a beautiful floor length 70s dress from my mum and all I could think of was to shorten and to tighten it. (Now every time she passes one of her clothes on to me she makes me promise not to cut it up).
But when I wander through London these days I see more and more long skirts – not so much the floral, thin and swinging ones (they’ll probably come out in summer), more straight, narrow and sleek. And I have to admit, the girls are looking pretty chic. May’s UK Harpers Bazaar also features floor length and reports that Anita Barr, director of womanswear for Selfridges, thinks Rick Owens has the best versions. I think it's time to get out my Rick Owens dress.

Are you going to wear maxi this summer?

Big Thanks to Harriet for modelling!

dress: rick owens

It’s All So Beautiful

What is fashion really about? (Apart from money making and jobs, thin models and celebrities…) it’s about creativity and beauty.

Luckily beauty has nothing to do with shopping or labels or money, and inspiration can be found anywhere… Whatever you do and no matter if or how you celebrate... Happy Easter Days to everyone.


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Is Acne Giving You Acne?

When you hear 'Acne' do you think 'cool'? The label is definitely worn by some pretty cool people... You rarely see Susie Bubble without her black Acne wedges and Garance Doré totally treasures her Acne sweater dress. But not all fashion connaisseurs treasure the Swedish label. Liberty London Girl for example did not like the a/w 2010 collection and when visiting the studio in Copenhagen she felt herself in the midst of an assembly of 'monosyllabic poseurs'.

Is there something slightly contrived about Jonny Johansson's (Acne’s founder and creative director) label (which was originally dedicated to furniture design)? He certainly must have liaised with an extremely able PR company to make Acne the epitome of hip, with jeans prices comparable to J Brand, Superfine and 7 for all Mankind and never a bad word from style.com… (at least I couldn't find any negative reviews). I got my first (and only) Acne jeans in Berlin, when Acne still featured the 'non-label' style and even though I'm still waiting for the day to finally wear my peacock dress I thought the autumn/winter collection - featuring jumpsuits, skintight trousers and leggings, t-shirt and mini dresses, harem trousers and shearling – is (perhaps not very affordable), but cool enough for me.