Designer Markt in Berlin :: Outlet :: verliebt in Marken zu guten Preisen!

Gestern hat ein Freund mir den Laden DesignerMarkt in Berlin Tempelhof vorgestellt. Und wow: alle Marken die ich kenne und liebe aus dem Online Handel sind vertreten. So fand ich prompt auch meinen Mint&Berry Trenchcoat (hier auf einem Ausflug in Biesenthal im 60s Look mit Flares) noch günstiger als ich ihn online gekauft hatte. Hätte ich das schon vorher gewusst...!

Mint + Berry Trenchcoat | Marco Tozzi Tasche

Und so begann ich alles von oben bis unten durch zu suchen... Und ich habe wahre Schätze entdeckt. Von Guess über Buffalo London, Puta Madre, Liebeskind, Vero Moda, SevenOne Jeans, Pepe Jeans, Hogl, Tommy Hilfiger und und und .... Die Liste ist endlos. Sowohl Unterwäsche wie Hosen, Kleider, Männer, Frauen... Es war überwältigend.

Als ob meine Online Welt einfach so wahr geworden wäre! Und dann wurde mir mitgeteilt, dass ich die Sachen auch noch Online kaufen kann! Auf eBay gibt es einen Shop wo ich direkt einkaufen kann... Also heute glühen meine Finger vom Surfen und habe auch gerade auf Twitter eine Frühlings Kombination entdeckt von denen von Kiomi und Tamaris wo ich mich morgen mal prompt drum kümmern werde!

DesignerMarkt Berlin Frühlings Look in Pink!

Ich kann nur sagen, schaut auf eBay oder direkt im Laden nach und überzeugt euch selbst. Ich werde mir mal schleunigst die langen, spitzen Kleider anschauen für meinen Junggesellinnen Abschied. JUHU!

Black Milk Clothing

I had to share this webpage with you. I am already obsessed and wanting to buy one of everything. Loving the british patriotic pieces and in general the sheer wackiness. Had to share.

Enjoy!

Black Milk Clothing - from Australia <-- Link

Retro Game Leggings
© COPYRIGHT | BLACK MILK CLOTHING

The Artist and the Roaring Twenties

The roaring twenties are back. Though I haven't even seen the film I am already overwhelmed by the response of the fashion world to the new film "The Artist" by Michel Hazanavicius. This spring designers such as Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Etro and Alberta Ferretti have already shown their inspiration with flapper dresses, fringes, gold, beads, low waists and cute details. The main character Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) is a wonderful shape (not too thin) and the cheekiness in her smile really peps up the twenties look. And as the stars are the first to pick up the trend with the likes of Zoe Saldana, Camilla Belle and Evan Rachel Wood as pioneers, I have decided that it should also be made available for us normal people.

So, here are a few looks. The twenties saw a lot of dresses. The typical charleston dress is not one I own in my wardrobe but there are enough dresses that border on the twenties time. And let's face it: women couldn't always wear fringed, beaded dresses. They had "dressing-down" days.

1. Compilation: dark day dresses
The following are two dresses I own, that can be combined wonderfully with cardigans, tights and heels or dandy shoes for a more casual style. Ideal with a little hat and gloves and a tiny umbrella if the sun comes out.

Polka-Dot Dress Dark Blue: from my mother in law, White heels: vintage
Burberry checked brown dress: Zara, Brown dainty heels: C and A 

2. Compilation: dark evening dresses
The following two dresses are always a charm on a flashy night out. With the right accessories they are also perfect for the twenties look. See further down also for a make-up and hair guide. The dark dress with long sleeves is a fave as I would rather wear a dress that covers a lot than exposes everything! Nevertheless, it has a completely bare back (eek!) and has a sash that drapes around the hip. I team it with opaque tights to hide even more skin.

Dress with roses: vintage
Long-sleeved dress: H and M, Gold Sandals: Stradivarius

3. Compilation: light dresses

The two light dresses I own are both multitalents. No matter whether with boots or heels, they both seem to dress up and down. The most important thing with light dresses is accessories as the light material tends to put a few pounds on. But I like to stick to pastel rose tones as I have pale skin and if I go too light I look like a snowman! The silvery looking dress is actually a light mauve colour. The dress is from H and M with a long zip down the back, short puffy lace sleeves and an A-Line cut (good on a frumpy day). I normally wear it with black tights and a black heel but for the twenties look it would also look sweet with a boyish touch of black tights and black or light dandy shoes. Again, accessories, accessories, accessories!
The second dress has a large flower on each shoulder which is already quite bold but I team it with flowered tights, white shoes with satin ribbons (that I bought especially for them) and a necklace with rose quartz entwined in gold.

Mauve dress: H and M
Greek style pastel pink dress and Tights: H and M,
Belt and Necklace: vintage, Shoes: OSCO

4. Compilation: Business Look (a)
I think the twenties look finds most use in the office. However, I have extended the twenties idols such as Clara Bow, Joan Crawford and Mary Pickford to Coco Chanel (see here). She is a constant inspiration in everything I do and so she should deserve some mention here!
This look is the typical Marlene Dietrich style trousers, relatively high-waisted with a white, long-sleeves, high-neck blouse. The heels are my most comfortable with a chunky heel and budapester pattern. As the look is already quite intense I don't dress it up with accessories too much. But I love a little hat and big sunglasses to give me that Chanel feel.

Trousers: TopShop, Blouser: H and M
Shoes: C and A 

5. Compilation: Business Look (b)
This is not as twenties but I still felt it deserved a spotlight here today. The top has such a wonderul neckline. The picture is in fact the back of the outfit. This is because the detail on both the top and the skirt are exquisite and on the back! The tiny buttons of the blouse look dainty if teamed with little wrist-length gloves. And the skirt has a ruffle across the entire back which makes my bum look a little fuller! As it is quite a bland look, I combine it with a pearl necklace, opaque black tights and little PVC booties with matching buttons.

Top: H and M, Skirt: ASOS
Boots: vintage, Pearl Necklace: granny 

Accessories
I have put together a few scarves, necklaces and brooches to give you an idea of what I normally combine with my twenties look. I like the pearls but I also like the pompous glittery stuff like my necklace from Swarovski. The scarves are almost entirely vintage. Best bet for accessories is always going to a flea market. The greatest of treasures are there!

Assorted items: vintage

Make-Up and Hair
I absolutely love make-up. The twenties look is also a great one. Mainly darker lips and well-defined eyebrows. I like to make myself considerably paler and also make my lips somewhat more cupid like with dark liner. See below a look I did where I wore a turquoise (or mint) dress covered in white lace. The eyeshadow matches the dress which means the lips have a really great contrast and stick out a lot more.

Ideally the hair is in a water wave but considering that is one of the trickiest hairstyles, I love putting in a hairpiece and going for a bit of a rockabilly quiff at the front with tumbling curls at the back. Alternatively, a low bun with a strong middle parting works. And if none of that is your thing: wear a hat or a feather hairband.

Right then, a long blog entry today. But really thought I would get it all out there. Let me know if there are any questions, suggestions or otherwise. Enjoy the twenties look (although I think we may have to wait a while til the weather sorts itself out!).

Interesting Links:

1920s Fashion and the Roaring Twenties
How 'The Artist's' Fashions Are Impacting the Red Carpet

Pastel, come and get me!

So, my post on spring and the Berlin Fashion Week (see here) was the beginning of a new found love for pastels. The more I check the newest in style stakes and fashion, lots of pastel is popping up everywhere. It must be the glimpse of sun every now and then which is tickling our fancy for brighter colours and not just black, grey and sludgy brown. Marie Claire has put together a whole selection (see here) and Ralph Lauren is really hitting it with his spring colours (see here). At the Critics' Choice Awards Diane Kruger and Elizabeth Olsen opted for pastel and just glowed in it (see here).

I have always had a thing for pastels, either teamed with really bold colours or just virginal white. So I have compiled three outfits, quite randomly this time, to get you in the mood for spring (flowers, love, birds tweeting and a break from all the dull faces as the sun comes out).

Look 1: Green and yellow pastures
The following look is proven to put me in a good mood almost immediately. I think colours really do give you a sunnier attitude and the looks I get normally back that up. The look is definately a casual, weekend one although I have worn it to work also. Instead of the flowery top a white blouse would give it a touch more finesse if you consider the colourful combo for work. The pastel yellow trousers together with the pastel turquoise jacket would not normally be my choice but teamed with the flowery top they just work. And because I know with such a bold mix I shouldn't overdo it any further, the necklace is simple and the shoes are flat.
Hair and Make-Up: open, flowy, beach-babe natural wavy hair, a dab of yellow on the eyelid, peach rouge and a dash of orangy lip gloss.
UPDATE: even Michelle Obama has got the mint going on (see here) and also Michelle Williams in a beautiful flowered dress (see here).

Trousers, Cardigan and Flowery Vest: H and M
Necklace and Sunglasses: vintage, Shoes: Deichmann

Look 2: All go with a green light!

The next look is a lot smarter and something for casual coffee or lunch, lounging, shopping with friends or also for work. I really like white. I even wear it in the winter when everyone looks at me as if I am mad. I don't care if it gets dirty in the sodding weather, I'll wash it; but again, it is a lovely contrast to all the dark colours out there. The white trousers I have had for ages now and with their sqin, slim-fit shape they are suitable in boots with thick socks in the winter and with strappy sandals and cute nail polish in the spring and summer. I also really enjoy green. So the green top, teamed with the green plateau sandals set off the white trousers perfectly and just to get a bit of a base in there (as I have brown hair) I like to wear a broad belt on my hips and a beige blazer to dress the whole outfit up a bit (the blazer was a gift from my mother-in-law and it is of fantastic quality with pink checkered lining). The shoes are amazing: green flowered satin, also very worn out by now. But the look also works with a dandy, brown leather shoe with laces.

Hair and Make-Up: a cute chignon at the back of the head (loose bun, larger than those of ballerinas), green eyeshadow with a dark forest green eyeliner on the top lid, bronze rouge and a moccha beige lipstick, no gloss.

Trousers, Top and Necklace: H and M,
Blazer: Susanne von Dörnberg (gift from Mother-in-Law),
Shoes: Italian, forgotten brand

Look 3: the girly mime, voilá!

The last look is a nice city look but also sweet for a romantic evening date over pasta and white wine. The recently acquired pastel pink trousers are not usually my thing (I'm not a pink, princess kind of girl) but I wanted them and so bought them! They work really well with white but here I've decided to team them with black and white stripes. This really tones down the princessy feel and especially with the denim jacket it has a bit more Madonna feel to it. With this outfit the accessories are important as the look is quite bland and can make me look pale and worn-out. So I have teamed it with an angel wings necklace and a rose quartz necklace to elongate the neck area. The handkerchief in the pocket gives it a bold contrast in an acrid pink and the squeaky green frog really sets that off. A casual Chanel watch on the arm brings a little sophistication into it along with the ridiculously high (10cm) but very comfortable strappy brown leather sandals.

Hair and Make-Up: hair in a high bun on top of head, thick black liner on top lid, pinky rouge and glittery pink lipstick.

Trousers and Top: H and M, Jacket: Jack and Jones,
Necklaces and Brooch: vintage and nanna
Handkerchief: from mother-in-law
Watch: Chanel

So, those are a few pastel looks for now. I am waiting on a pair of light blue trousers at the moment. Will give you an update with those. Look forward to my next piece on tights for spring. And let's hope collectively that spring comes soon!

Hell Bent on Leather

The newest fashion shows drift my way throughout the day and what I have to say I feel is missing is leather. I believe it's still gonna come. Cos let's be honest: spring is not only gonna bring pastels, it's gonna bring leather combined with pastel and the wonderful harmony of rough rock with light and girly...

In order to bring this closer to home (in my home to be exact), I have composed the following clothes collages to serve as some inspiration to everyone (including the designers: not sounding at all cocky now, ey?). I've put together an assortment of stuff from casual to chic to office to rock. Enjoy!

A word about the leather trousers:
I bought three of the same sort in different colours: camel beige, dark brown and black. Slightly high-waisted (makes for a great figure and stops any potential muffin-top falling out!), slim leg, with no pockets (Lagerfeld himself believes in sewing them up for a better fit) and with a stretchy band of material so that you can move easily and they don't bulge too much (classic leather difficulty). Quite good value for money ('nough said: fashion has its price).

LIGHT CAMEL: Office/Date/Family-Do

The following is a whole mix of wonderful colours and textures. 

- camel beige leather trousers feel warn against the 

- beige kimono with wonderful fuchsia, peach, jade and red splashes of colour, setting off the

- jade and red necklace and perfect with a peachy nail varnish to avoid any clashes and

- a simple peach or here it looks more fuchsia ribbed strappy top underneath.

- casual during the day with cowboy boots and 

- dressy in the evening with a strappy, leather, plateau, wooden-optic sandal that doesn't overpower.

- with it I love a plait that goes once round my head and a peach coloured flower with minimal make-up.

Kimono: HM, Shoes: BLU, Boots: Buffalo,
Top: Zara, Varnish: Manhattan

BLACK: Party/Friends
This is one of my faves. I'm not really a Rock kinda girl but every now and then I love to smudge intense kohl eyeliner over acrid green eyeshadow and tease my fringe into an elvis quiff. Additionally, I love contrast and bold with a cheeky wink of the eye. So, here we go:

- starting with the leather trousers that suggest rock, cool and hard I just adore the contrast of the

- screaming green sleeveless frog vest with "Just Kiss Me" emblazoned across it. Did I mention I also have a passion for frogs? Well, there you go. Covered with

- a vest, left open to allow for the print to be seen I like to wear

- matching green, squeaky wellie half-boots or, if I am hitting town and rocking hard then

- plateau booties which are incredibly comfortable and match the trousers perfectly. To top it off, my

- vintage necklaces (Ok, they belonged to my gran so not that vintage-y) but the heart and apple are further symbols that I love to combine with my outfits.

Top and Vest: CA, Wellies: Rossmann, Booties: HM
Necklace: Nanna's

DARK BROWN: Office/Date/Family-Do/Party
For this last pair I was indecisive which look to show you so I decided to do both. The dark brown is elegant, rocky and smart at the same time so they are suitable in many ways for all occasions.

The first look is complemented with my own design. Here goes:
- the T-Shirt is my own brand and design. I drew the character myself (he comes in many shapes and sizes, see here: MOOPY or directly on Facebook. I love it (not cos I drew it) but because it is so easily combined with blue jeans, white jeans, blazers, denim jackets and it always looks smart and raises eyebrows and makes people smile. Anyhows, combined with a
- denim shirt to add a little blue to the rather sombre tones and smartened up with a
- blazer that buttons in the waist. I like to keep my style preppy so I normally tie my hair in a low, sloppy side bun and cover fringe and all with a brown hunter-style hat (which we also used in the photo shoot) and my favorite
- black, pure, simple, leather heels and no accessories (the print speaks for itself).
- simple black, relatively thick eyeliner on top lid, mascara and a sheer, pinky gloss. Done.

T-Shirt: MissLisa, Denim Shirt: HM, Blazer: Zara
Hat: Zara, Shoes: Stradivarius

The second outfit is lighter, floaty and ideal for a romantic date in candelight or a summery day out with friends or family. Elegant, chic but still stylish. 

- the floaty, shoulder-free, slightly transparent but still child-friendly, elbow length top looks fabulous teamed with

- gold accessories in this case with a vintage flower pattern on pearl and pink stone twined in gold and a gold, bracelet watch with a 

- pair of suede, dark blue, grid, platform shoes (extremely comfortable and my

- hair in beach-babe curls and small, delicate bud earrings with a pastel blue and pink eyeshadow and sheer, fuchsia-coloured gloss. (I promise to do smthg on make-up sometime soon also!)

Top: HM, Accessories: Bonprix and Nanna, Shoes: Deichmann

There you go. That was hell bent on leather. Let me know if you have suggestions for the next blog entry: colour, material, style etc. and I will try and make it happen for you.

UPDATE: Yves Saint Laurent is getting into leather with the men this year. Also a great idea!! See article here: Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2012.

Fashion, Fashion, Berlin and Fashion

So the Berlin Fashion Week has begun. Again, I sit at my laptop all day watching the newest collections, the new trends, the trendy people and the extravagant parties. I'm not sure whether secretly I wish that I was there too because I love being homely, cosy and slugging out in my jogging bottoms with no make-up on but when I see all those flowy fabrics and colours I do get a twitch in me that ends up in me racing to the cupboard and pulling out clothes to combine in erratic harmony.

And so it came that, as I'm also unwell at the moment, I grabbed "The Devil Wears Prada" off the shelf, cuddled onto the couch with mandarine panna cotta yoghurt and indulged in a little visual retail therapy. I have to say I LOVE the movie. Apart from the fact that it has so many great outfits I just swoon over Meryl Streep. She's fantastic. But that's beside the point.

There was a great fashion designer at the Berlin Fashion Week called Alexandra Kiesel who inspired me today. See the Link here. It immediately made me think of fifties, spring, flowers, fresh and budapester shoes. And seeing I had just bought some new chunk heeled budapester shoes in camel beige (that I just fell in love with) I thought it would be a perfect look for the spring.

So, here's to the Fashion Week inspiring us even further and here's my first look for the spring:

Knit: Zara, Blouse: H&M
Skirt: Vintage, Shoes: Deichmann
Tights: Mango, Gloves: Vintage

using Photo Collage on the iPhone

UPDATE: The collection Blame won the Premium New Designers Award. Check out the colours and how similar the are to my ensemble -> here.

Passion for Fashion - ps. I love you

So, dear readers, I don't think I've written anything about fashion yet in my blog so I'm gonna make a start today. I've always loved fashion. It started as a young girl when, out of sheer desperation, I began sewing clothes for my barbies. I grew up in Portugal so you didn't really have toy shops with fancy barbie clothes. You pretty much depended on relatives and friends importing them when they came to visit. As I was so keen to play with my two barbies and it bored me to death to see them in the same clothes all the time I sat by my mum as she sewed clothes for her singing gigs for herself and bagged the left-over scraps for my own, hand-sewn, tiny, pretty barbie outfits.

During my university time I made my own ball gowns and ties for the men and even the costumes for our final performance. I loved it. I loved the creativity, the fabrics, how the dresses evolved and changed over the course of sewing them. And I still love it now although I don't have a sewing machine at home and I never sew things anymore. I guess I just don't have the time.

Instead I have kept my passion for fashion alive in my every day. Although I don't always dress up (especially not for work) I do love it when we got out or for a special event when I get my best frock out and spend my time on my hair and make-up and relish every minute of it. I don't really own expensive things, neither my clothes nor my make-up are fancy and expensive but the combinations always make the difference.
So I watched ps. I love you yesterday with my mum. And I have to say, Hilary Swank has never been a favourite of mine. But that film made me cry and laugh and gaze in wonder at her character's wardrobe. So feminine, light and still bold and special. And her hair: elegant and simple. So tomorrow I'm going to the hairdressers and have put together an outfit for my next "performance" ;) It's a mixture of fifties petticoat, Audrey Hepburn elegance and Stepford's housewife.

Will keep ya posted. Am not up to date with the fashionworld at the moment. Saw Roberto Cavalli's show: interesting. But widening my horizon to Chanel, van Laack and Vivienne Westwood at the moment. How I'm gonna get them all under one hat yet, I don't know.
But I'll be sure to tell you soon ;)

And until then: here is the fantastic scene out of ps. I love you with Gerard Butler dancing. Yum!

Fetish, Fun and more...

Back by popular demand, here is the next part of my book or rather the first chapter. A follow-on from the Blog entry Monday Morning. Enjoy!

It thrilled Lily to encounter such interesting people for a large part of her time but at times like now she wished she could crawl under the counter and pretend she wasn’t there. This guy, nicknamed The Walking Talking Johnny was about 5foot high, average weight, in his fifties, ever so slightly socially awkward and a rubber fetishist. Lily and Sonya could already smell him at the door as they heard the shop bell go. “Evening ladies!” he drawled, hobbling towards Lily and Sonya like Harry Potter’s Dobbi. “Evening,” they mumbled back as Sonya elbowed Lily in the ribs. “Ow!” she hissed, “No. Not me, you! I went last time.”As he wobbled towards the cowering girls behind the till the stench grew stronger. “I’m not going. I feel ill already. I have a headache. You can’t make me.” Lily clenched her teeth together and leaned casually over the counter. “What can we do for you today, young man?” Walking Talking Johnny beamed from ear to ear: “Oh my! Young man? Haha… Not me. All set in my ways!” Lily held her breath as he approached the counter. “I’m sure you are, I’m sure you are,” she whispered. “So what are you after?” Sonya had escaped to the changing rooms at the end of the shop and watched at a safe distance with her hands wrapped around her Yogi Tea. “Nappies. The transparent, rubber ones; I saw them last time, extra-large. I’d like to try them on.” Sonya spluttered tea out of her nose as Lily sighed again, her hands semi-aggressively on her midi-length, silk-woven, jet-black-skirt-clad hips. “Sir, we can’t let you try them on. We explained that the last time.” His crinkly eyes lowered in disappointment and his arms fell limply to his side. “I thought, if I wash myself right and wear cotton underwear you might make an exception? You know, I haven’t got that much money, and…” He trailed off as he unbuttoned his rubber mac, “… I would just really like to try it. Or the underwear to tuck away my… you know. That looks like a … you know.” Oh goodness no, thought Lily, not the prawn-smelling underwear that made her shudder just at the thought of someone wearing them. There were things with which she was able to deal and others with which she could not. Nappies and penis strap-away vagina panties were definitely on the not List. “Really, I am totally clean and I went to the…” Lily interrupted him and stepped out from behind the till. Walking Talking Johnny’s eyes lusted over her from top to bottom; the spit rests in the corners of his mouth quivering with excitement. He blushed a little as he realised Lily was watching him (and shuddering with disgust). “Right, let’s just go downstairs into the basement and have a look.” 

Lily gave Sonya an evil stare as she lifted the rope out of its hook and ushered dear Walking Talking Johnny down the stairs. How long was she going to have to overcome this urge to turn around and run? Sure, it was great that every day was a surprise in that you never knew whether you were going to sell nappies, nipple clamps or ridiculously expensive, Swarovski-covered evening dresses. However, Lily was starting to want more. She had responsibility, talent, a wicked sales-speech, a great connection to the boss and the freedom to do pretty much everything she wanted to in the weird and wonderful little boutique; but she wanted more. Lately she had been craving more of a challenge; not in the sense of an over-weight, sweating man in search of being dressed like a woman with suspenders, heels and a basque; no, more like a higher position, the ability to work her way up. And at Real Life Taboo, the only raise she would get would be to become the boss and welcoming as such responsibility may sound, Lily knew it wasn’t what she wanted.Walking Talking Johnny made his way down the narrow steps into the “naughty” basement like a little child at Christmas time. He was mumbling underneath his breath but Lily couldn’t make out a word as the rubber catsuit beneath his clothes squeaked continuously. She stayed back a few steps as she watched him disappear around the corner and breathed in deeply before braving the dungeon of horrors. But only seconds later he emerged at the foot of the stairs with the pink, jock-strap similar rubber panty in hand and a huge grin on his face; “It’s still here, this one’s my size.”Lily gave up far too quickly; “Oh, come on then. Let’s get you in a cabin. But I’m telling you now: you have 15 minutes. If there is anything, and I mean anything on that panty when I get it back then you are buying it, ok?” Johnny made his way to the changing rooms like a dog that had just got a treat and was going to bury it in the garden. Sonya jumped as she saw him approaching and quickly disappeared in the bathrooms. “Thank you,” he mumbled, clutching the panty as if it were a gold bar, “I won’t be long.” 

What followed was 20 gruelling minutes of peeking into the cabin to make sure he wasn’t getting up to any shenanigans. He had sat down on the stool in the changing room and carefully placed the panty over a pair of long, woollen underwear. His stumpy, pale legs covered in sparse black hairs looked like the legs of flies in the harsh lights of the cabin. He didn’t attempt anything and instead just marvelled at himself in the mirror like a young Cher.“That’s twenty minutes already. Come on. Put your trousers back on.” Lily stood infront of the floor length mirror outside the changing rooms and tapped her Bottega Veneta heels on the floor impatiently. She could hear him shuffling nervously in the cabin. What happened next Sonya and Lily would not forget for a long time...

For more, comment below. That's the only way these delicious tit-bits are gonna keep on coming :)

From Neukölln to Charlottenburg: a Trip for all senses

My journey this morning must be documented. I know, many people witness (and survive) the journey too, every morning, but I have to get it off my chest.

Neukölln: 

So the journey begins in my hometown Neukölln; known for many things. Amongst others, multicultural, great food, fantastic markets, small families (and extremely large families), murders and döner shops. I have decided to split this into certain categories that I experience in order to show a comparison of both worlds: 

Religion: From my front door to the bus it is not unusual that I encounter several mums with headscarves and children. Religion is big in this area and the deeper you go into the heart of Neukölln the more elaborate and colorful headscarves you will see. The closer I get to Kreuzberg the more I encounter others. Particularly interesting is the probably around 65-year old woman standing at the Görli train station with some sort of brochure in her hand talking in strange tongues about the end of the world. But with music on my headphones I decided that today I am not going to let myself be converted. 

Clothes: It begins again as soon as I leave my front door. Most interesting is the football fan that seems to live outside the off-licence infront of our home. Come rain or shine he is stood there with a beer sometimes with an equally horrifically dressed woman in his blue and white scarves jabbering something about the team that no one really cares about. He is not the only one that cares for following a tribe of lemmings. At the bus station I encounter the typical young turkish man: jeans casually slung around his hips, sports jacket (smelling ridiculously clean) puffed up around his slender body. He's joking with his pals and they're mumbling incoherent, discriminating trash about each others' mothers. Once in the train the scenario changes ever so slightly. There is a young girl with a woolen orange headband, a norwegian, washed-out jumper, denim shorts, thick grey, coming apart tights and trekking boots. I look down at my tidy shirt and jeans and polished boots and sigh. Either I'm not going with the trend or I don't want to look like I'm about to climb Mount Everest and have a hippy party at the top of it. Either way: the fashion is eclectic in the train. 

Smells: enough said, actually. From the hobo in the corner of the row of seats with his minging foot, rotting under a blue plastic bag to the 80-year old, coated in cat hair, bedraggled and falling apart woman muttering to herself under her breath and reaking of everything from cat to perfume from a few decades ago. It triggers an urge to puke every morning: my stomach is just not that strong at eight a.m.  

Bus drivers: my final anecdote to the morning in Neukölln. It's not as if I want everyone to be happy all the time. But I like it when some people are happy most of the time. And it's not as if I skip and prance at 8 a.m. but when the bus driver cuts the corners and three kids and an old woman go flying through the bus and you're lucky if you find a seat before he sets off and sends you flailing from seat to seat in a mad frenzied attempt not to run into other people or trip and fall I wish for just one minute that somebody had given the bus driver a kiss and told him he's a good dog. 

So, it takes about an hour until I reach Charlottenburg. And the people coming and going certainly change over time. Here goes: 

Charlottenburg: 

Religion: upon arriving in Charlottenburg I immediately run into a nun. That was so predictable. On the morning that I am cursing and screaming blasphemous nothings into the cold autumn air I just happen to run into a nun. Damn it. Ooops. Needless to say, she smiles at me and I feel even worse for being such a bad person although hey, everyone needs to swear sometimes. And it wasn't my morning. 

Clothes: now this is the most obvious change. As soon as we hit the beginning of the shopping mile the scene changes drastically and I begin to feel like the girl with the norwegian jumper and denim shorts. From left to right all I see is Wellensteyn, Louis Vuitton, gold, Swarovski and heels. Clackety-clack with their underarm, sweat-catching handbags. Bleurgh. I hate them for their manicured nails and perfectly applied make-up. I want to chuck a bucket of water over them. Sorry, nun. 

Smells: these are also a change of night and day, urge to puke and urge to run. It doesn't get better: it's just different intense smells. The first woman to plop off the bus is doused in what smells like three bottles of different perfumes. Clearly her nose must be bunged up because she hasn't noticed that everyone in the bus is moving seats to get away from the putrid smell. And it appears as if her male pendant is stood infront of the BMW Showroom as I get out of the bus. In his Barbour jacket he also appears to have bathed in some ridiculously biting and intense cologne. I forget how long I've held my breath and quickly exhale and cover my mouth with my scarf to hinder any further stench seeping into my lungs and nose. Yuk. I can still taste it now...

Bus drivers: what shall I say- this is Berlin. Bus drivers are annoying, speed-raging maniacs everywhere in town! No difference in Charlottenburg!

From one world into the next. And the only thing that stayed constant was my smile. Because let's face it: what's the point of frowning? From one world to another I wish you a good day: whatever world you're in...

Chanel :: Vogue

VOGUE CHANEL BACKSTAGE ---> click here

... beautiful stuff.

Monday Morning

Good morning everyone.
So, the new week is here. My countdown is on until it's off for holidays. And my goodness, it has turned cold. It appears that overnight, a cross-breed of autumn and winter has crept into the city and decided to seep through every open crevice into the flat. What in the world is going on? Never mind autumn: we appear to have skipped it entirely and are getting the childhood stage of winter already. Out with the scarves and thick winter boots: hurray.
But anyways: I guess it is just a monday morning and I got the monday blues. So, I wanna give y'all a little something to start the day with a giggle. As I said before, I've started writing a book. It's kind of semi-autobiographical in the sense that I'm changing names and perhaps the chronology of the events but otherwise pretty much all of it happened. So, here y'are: the first few paragraphs of the first chapter, enjoy!

Having worked in a fetish store for over four years didn’t stop Lily feeling grossed out by particular characters time and time again. The variety of people she had met was huge: transvestites, transsexuals, cross-dressers, lesbians, homosexuals, wannabe-fetishists, full-blown-fetishists, anchor-men, basketball players, producers, politicians, businessmen, beauticians, prostitutes, artists, musicians, wrinkly women, plasticised women, urologists, proctologists, monogamists, misogynists, polygamists, playmates, playboys, rich, poor, skinny, huge, crazy, introverted, tattooed, pierced, old, young and not one was ever like the other.   

The day was dragging and Lily prayed that closing her eyes would make it pass quicker. Hunched over on the bar stool behind the till she could hear Sonya flicking through a magazine and chomping on a peach. Come on, she beckoned, one hour to go. Just one more hour until I can snuggle up with Matt and watch series all evening. Lily could hear Sonya droning on about some political, environmental, something-a-rather theme: “Isn’t it ghastly that the current, prosperous political stance …” Sonya was lovely and liked going to demos, knitting and baking, unlike Lily. Baking, sure. Knitting, maybe. But squatting in front of train tracks to protest against something that is going to happen come what may? No. Lily had better things to do. 

The droning grew quieter and suddenly stopped. Lily kept her eyes closed and her head nestled deep in her hands. Norah Jones played quietly over the speakers and the smell of PVC and rubber made itself noticeable in her nose and mouth again (she thought she had managed to control that). Yuk. Wearing it, ok; but the thought of it ruling my night and day? No thank you… And that’s when suddenly she realised why Sonya had grown quiet. Without lifting her head out of her hands Lily whispered ever so quietly: “Sonya, is it who I think it is?” Trying hard not to wobble on the bar stool Lily lifted her head up in slow motion and leaned back against the counter. Sonya sighed. “I’m afraid so. You? Or me?”

ps. drop me a line if you wanna read more or comment below if you wanna get something off your chest. Have a good monday morning, y'all!!

Let's start again...

So, it's been a while since I posted. And a lot has happened since. I'm writing a book. I've had a burn-out. I'm still with the love of my life. I lost my greatest mentor. My family has gone it's separate ways. I've started a new job. My life confronts me with new challenges, small and great, every single day. And all I keep thinking is I haven't found my way yet. I know I'm not alone. Steve Jobs' passing away has put his greatest words before me again and put everything into a new light again:

Keep looking, don't settle.

And this is what I wake up to each morning. I haven't found my way yet; but the words love, luck, career and fashion are those that make me who I am now. Which words will my future bring? I hope: family, fulfilment, helping others and fun. In whatever form, I want to give. And at the moment, I believe a book is the way forward: so much I have experienced could be of use and help to others who are experiencing the same things as me. It's worth a shot. And until that time has come that I can present my life in written form, I will write about the things I love and that bring me fun. So, until very soon.