Is it really time to start thinking about fall? When spring is only just warming up? Part of me would prefer to think about clothes only when it’s time to wear them. It’s the same part that tries to buy a bikini every year in June and gets openly laughed at by sales staff. A bikini? In June? Whatever next – a coat in October? Ahahahahaha! Here, let me show you a hideous swimsuit in a zebra print…
*I made this suede bomber jacket – of which I’ll show you more very soon – for a customer last week and now I want to keep it for myself. Only I can’t, so I guess I’ll just have to make another one when I have a bit of spare time. Until then I’ll add it to my Wanted list. There are a few things on it as we switch from winter to summer wardrobes. My current top 5:
Happy style column day!
Maybe it’s because spring is the perfect time to get sprung on something. Or because I took a look at my closet and decided it needed something – something that wasn’t grey or black. Either way, I can’t seem to get enough of neon yellow right now. I’ve got the sandals already, the clutch, of course. Now I’m thinking about this top from Cos, these jeans from Current/Elliott, this tee from Theory. Maybe it’s also because I found this picture of Candice Lake from last year’s Prêt-à-porter week while cleaning up my computer. She’s a terrific photographer, who’s terrifically photogenic. I could’ve taken her picture every day in Paris. And her relaxed look here is exactly how I’m imagining spring right now.
What about you? What fashion item are you obsessing about right now?
*Aaahhh, the long Easter weekend. Sleeping late. Eating too many chocolate eggs. Staring out at the window at a snowstorm. A what? A snowstorm! Are you kidding, Berlin? When big fat flakes started dropping on the city yesterday, I decided to stay in and get cracking (yup, I just went there) with the spring clean. I started with the bathroom cupboard – and didn’t stop for the rest of the day. Imagine a woman who keeps hair products three years past their use-by date. Imagine! I filled a whole bin bag with lotions and potions and an embarrassing number of dried-up nail polishes. These are the ones I kept: a neat little bowl full. My Easter basket, as it were.
What a terrible boyfriend I am, keeping secrets from Marlene! She gets to see all the things I design first, normally before they’re even finished and when they’re still being developed. With her away from Berlin for a month, I had the opportunity to work on a few things and keep them a surprise. Like this one…
The Marlene clutch in neon yellow!
I love colours that stand out and this one really does – whatever you match it with. For something so eye-catching – eye-catching? more like in-your-face! -, I think neon yellow works with a surprising number of other colours. I can imagine this together with white jeans and a grey tee. Or combined with a little black dress. Even with another bright colour like cobalt blue. This is how Marlene styled the clutch for it’s premiere: with an olive-green parka, a white shirt and washed-out jeans. And how would you wear it?
I’ve made the clutch in so many colours now that I’ve lost count. It just works in a lot of different shades. If you’d like to buy this clutch in neon yellow – or any other colour – send your order to mail at jamescastle dot de
James: “So, I designed a new bag today.”
Me: “Ooohhhh, what does it look like?”
James: “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Me: “Can’t you send me a picture?”
James: “I’ll show it to you in two weeks, when you come home.”
Me: “But that’s two whole weeks!”
James: “It’ll be worth the wait. It looks great though…”
Me: “Not even one tiny little picture? You could just quickly snap it with your phone. Please!”
James: “That would ruin the surprise.”
Me: “Aaaaaaaargh.”
And here’s where I mention that I’m the most impatient person in the world. Ever. So impatient that when I was watching “The Killing”, I would regularly stay up until 2am because I HAD to find out what happened next, even if it meant that I would be as grumpy as Sarah Lund the next day from lack of sleep. So impatient that I bite into a piece of pizza too quickly every time – every single time! – and burn the roof of my mouth. So impatient that I will wear pumps with bare feet when it’s still too cold to do it. Because I cannot wait a second longer for spring to come, head cold be damned.
Knowing this, it’s perhaps understandable why the above phone conversation between James and I drove me crazy. I would have to wait a full 14 days! And try to be patient about it. That’s like telling me that there’s a present hidden somewhere in the apartment and then wondering why all of the closets are suddenly open. So will anyone be surprised that when I did come home, the first words out of my mouth were: “The bag! The bag! Where’s the bag?”
James certainly wasn’t surprised. He swiftly got out the bag and showed it to me with a big grin, as if he already knew what I’m about to tell you now: It was worth wait.
I mean, look at it:
A style column about wishes. Because it’s Okka’s birthday. And because I really wish I had a Burberry trenchcoat.
*I go away for a month and what happens? James designs a whole bunch of new handbags (did I ask to see the bags before I even said hello to James when I came home? No! Well, maybe). We’ve been busy taking pictures of them the past few of days. Here’s a little preview of his latest design. It’s a tote. It’s black. It’s amazing. And that’s only half of it. There’ll be more, lots more, next week. In fact, I’m pronouncing it “bag week” right now. It’ll be great!