spruced by marlene

As it was unlikely I’d find the time to continue writing „a week in fashion“ regularly, I’ve decided to… rename it „a month in fashion (and other stuff)“. Which, yeah, I could’ve spent more time coming up with a better title. Instead I used the time to watch, read, listen, shop and generally fall in love with the following things (starting with the ones in the picture).

| If I’m going to wear sweatpants all the time, I might as well wear nice ones. These black wool ones are from Stefanel, have a great cut, are super soft and currently still in the Sale (also in grey and a light caramel colour).

| How much can you say about Women in Clothes? So much. Authors Leanne Shapton, Heidi Julavits and Sheila Heti examine our relationship with fashion through interviews, essays, pictorials and a whole load more. Mind-blowingly comprehensive and thoroughly entertaining.

| Got some fancy coasters from Bolia. Because it’s never too late to grow up and get fancy coasters.

| New year, new calendar. After being faithful to Moleskine for years I found a new love in the Leuchturm 1917 weekly calendar (which I find much better divided for the to-do-listing I like doing).

| One day, I will live like the heroine in a Truman Capote story and really need a set of cards that are engraved “regrets his/her behaviour” from the divine Mrs John L Strong fine stationery company.

| The hand soap with sweet orange, cedarwood and sage from Grown Alchemist smells so lovely that handwashing suddenly feels like a special beauty treatment.

| Not a new buy, but I’m so glad about my June Ainscough brush every winter, because it’s very gentle on brittle and dry hair.

| Perhaps my favourite beauty product for winter: the Drink Up Intensive overnight mask from Origins, which is like a giant smoothie for the skin (and a great recommendation from Okka).

| Crème Abricot nail cream from Dior. Can I admit that I bought it primarily because I loved the delicate jar it comes in? Good. It has also improved the state of my finger nails considerably.

| Lovely Daria from kid’s online shop Walking the Cat has found a permanent location in Berlin and opened her store on Mulackstraße 7. I recently got Arlo a pair of Tocoto Vintage pants there.

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The baby’s sleeping. Now quickly write the blogpost. Wait! Take the laundry out of the machine first. Although then I’d have to clear away the dried clothes. And fold them? No time. Maybe I should roll out the cookie dough that’s been in the fridge for three days instead. And not forget the cookies in the oven again. The first batch was so hard, I could’ve smashed windows with it. Then again, I’d be able to see what the weather’s like through the hole in the pane. When did I actually last clean the windows? In the fall. Of 2013. The iPhone says: 6 degrees, 100 per cent chance of rain. Damn. I’m going to have to take the baby out to the supermarket at some point if we want something for dinner besides rock-hard cookies. Although then I’d have to change out of my pyjamas. And shower? Later. First find the camera to take a picture for this post. The battery’s dead. Damn, damn. OK, so I’ll write first. Better yet: answer mails. I wonder if the friend who asked me two months ago to meet her for coffee would be more upset if I answer her now or never? Fuck, I completely forgot to answer a job request. I should really pitch some new story ideas as well. Shame that sweatpants are no longer a trend. Maybe a quick look at vogue.com to see what’s going on. Oh, they’ve posted new „73 questions“ videos! Just a tiiiiny little look at one of them. Damn, damn, damn, 20 minutes gone and I haven’t done anything yet. Perhaps I’ll start with a fresh coffee. It’d be nice to have a coffee while it’s still warm…

And then the baby wakes up.

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When it comes to make-up, I’ve been pretty much doing the same thing since I was 15. Then why do I have so many products in my bathroom cupboard? A question that I intend to answer by treating myself to a beauty lesson at Jacks Beauty Department in the new year. I’d like to learn what I can do with what I’ve got and I can’t think of a better teacher than Miriam Jacks, a make-up artist and treasure hunter, who finds the best the world of beauty products has to offer for her shops (for proof, just check out her wish list).

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Do you have all your presents for Christmas, yet? Mhm? MHM? I don’t. I never do until the very last minute. And I certainly won’t this year, shopping with a six-month-old who thinks shopping is pretty boring (he has so much to learn from me). So the Wild Heart Free Soul Christmas Market is a godsend. They’re open every remaining weekend until the 24th of December and with a room full of beautiful kelims, hamam towels, pillows, suzani throws and nomad jewellry, I’m bound to find a gift. Or maybe even a few.

Wild Heart Free Soul | Elisabethkirchstr. 13 | Berlin Mitte | Friday – Sunday , 13.00–18.00

I should’ve known that I’d want to add everything from Mia’s wish list for Christmas to my own. Mia is one of those women who you constantly want to ask „where’d you get that from?“, because she always looks so impeccably put together. She can answer that question with „from my own shop“ since the beginning of this year when she opened Prag Store together with her business partner Melanie from Prag Agency. The shop features the designers known from Prag’s showroom, like Lala Berlin and Kaviar Gauche, Christian Wijnants and Avelon, Ace & Tate and Iphoria, Ina Beissner and Lika Mimika. I picked up a fantastic white shirt from Rika on my last visit to the store (Friedrichstraße 40). I’m definitely going back before Christmas, especially to have a closer look at that coat from EDITED.de above (I love it, Mia mailed me with four exclamation marks. I’m going to add another: I love it too!!!!!)

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