My Dears,
It has been a whirlwind of excitement the last few weeks, and I’m just now catching a breath. It seems like everything happens at once in September – after a wonderfully slow and relaxing summer I was thrown into the Fashion ‘Month’. But while I sometimes couldn’t tell up from down, I was definitely into the exciting, inspiring and fast-paced thrill of it all. And now that I’m quietly detoxing at Tegernsee in Bavaria, I would like to share my best moments with you.
Before diving into the fashion week, I have to tell you about a simply magical trip I went on, invited by Chanel: The classic yet always innovative brand had organised an outing to Grass in France, the city famous for its perfumery well into the 18th century. We were to visit their Jasmine fields where a warm and welcoming team of professional perfumiers led us through the enticing Grass landscape. I can’t even begin to describe how special that trip was for me. We went through the Jasmin fields where each individual blossom is hand-picked by women and carefully transported for processing in Chanel’s own perfumery. The Grass landscape produces a unique scent that differs from Jasmin flowers in warmer countries and is only picked between 9 am and 1 pm. Every detail is lovingly orchestrated, and it was easy to see that everyone involved was treated as a Chanel family member. It is as if I personally know Chanel No 5 and Gabriel Perfume, maybe, the next time you buy a flacon of this iconic scent, you will be dusting yourself with pieces of a flower that I picked. Is that magical, or what!? *Happy sigh*
And that leads me to fashion Week in Milan. This year I skipped London and New York again as to make sure I was practicing self-care, and also because trips abroad would have separated me from my family for too long. I’m still trying to figure out how to organise things for next year.
Milan is for me like coming home to my fashion-roots. By now I know so many people and am so happy to see everyone and catch up, that it’s more like pleasure than work. This season was exceptionally warm which threw my crew’s and my styling plans a bit off-kilter: all of the fall season outfits I had so lovingly planned were simply too hot.
I did make an exception for my beautiful white pullover and skirt AWAKE, but I will admit I suffered a little. Thankfully I could adjust with some tank-tops and breezy skirts. The best part about Fashion Week is that I can go ALL the way with my creativity.
Living in Munich is a joy, but I think I would cause quite a stir if I dressed the way I do at fashion week. Neon is back, which was great fun, I especially loved the Prada neon accessories like the socks. Neon goes so well with black and white to spice up a winter look, but I took it a step further and added checkered pieces, as well. A lot of male fashion inspired suits were translated into feminine cuts, and I really love that.
Trench coats are all the craze, of course, especially from Acne and Celine, and my favourite show was Etro. They went for a very young look, a bit sporty and concentrated on beach looks, going into many orange hues. Orange IS the new black, am I right!? I also noted happily that Isabel Marant is back and looking good. Exploring some new brands like Nanushka led me to choosing an 80ies inspired short dress (oh my, I wasn’t used to short, anymore) with large flower prints for my birthday.
My birthday… as my birthday always falls during the Fashion Week or Octoberfest time, it is often a compromise to organise a dinner or a party wherever I happen to be, but I was really touched this year that my dear friends flew in from all over the world to spend 2 special days with me, bringing one VIP guest: my eldest son Luca.
Thinking about this still brings tears to my eyes, but when his father told him he was travelling to see me for my birthday he pleaded to come, and of course I didn’t say no. This was the first time he really showed interest in being a part of my birthday, and I was so happy to have him around. I even took him to 2 shows, where he stole the spotlight and was absolutely flashed by the whole procedure. I am blessed with my work and my little munchkins.
It's funny because you could think ‘Fashion week is Fashion Week’, but every city has a different vibe, and Paris has the slightly stand-offish and cool vibe of the lovely models that crowd its streets during those days.
We had many meetings and did a lot of show-rooms, Dior being one of the most memorable ones. They are rocky this year, young and edgy, I love it! The fashion world was rocked by the news that Celine shooting star Phoebe Philo left the brand.
I was a bit shocked myself, as I worship her collections and pretty much every piece that’s in the shops at the moment. I really wonder who is going to top that, but you can never say the fashion life is boring… That and the fact that over-knee boots are back was pretty much the talk of the week.
We’re posting all the looks plus links to shopping the 80ies outfits, and if you have any questions, don’t be scared to reach out – I’m here for you guys <3
Love,
Viky