spruced by marlene

„I can’t remember the last time I was looking forward to Christmas this much,“ James said the other day. And I feel the same way. It’s going to be the little one’s first Christmas and just thinking about all the things Arlo’s going to enjoy about it – looking at fairy lights, munching on wrapping paper, pulling baubles from the Christmas tree – makes me feel as giddy as a kid. If he could tell us right now what he wants from Santa, he’d probably say: an endless supply of milk! We’re gonna try and surprise him with a few other things.

To get inspiration for his and for all of the other presents I’m getting, I asked the owners of some of my favourite shops what gifts they’re giving this year. I’m so happy that Cécile Roederer contributed the first wish list. Cécile is the founder of Smallable, a fantastic online department store for everything you could possibly need (and a lot of things you simply want) for babys and kids, and these are some of the ideas she has for her four-year-old son Charles. Pretty cool.

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Golden leaves, hot chocolate on the sofa, stews that last for days and a soft light that makes everything and everyone look better – this is the time of year when I forget what winter is like in Berlin, because fall is putting on a magic show. Soon enough, I’ll have to think about wrapping myself in ten layers of thermal underwear, but for now I’m enjoying this stupendously gorgeous season. And the things that I love wearing at the moment.

This Zara coat is a smart version of a robe, so what’s not to love? It’s ridiculously soft and comfortable, but doesn’t make you look like you’ve just wandered out in your dressing gown. There are a lot of caramel tones in the shops right now (caramel = camel, just gets a different name each season) and I like to think of them as the perfect addition to fall/winter’s basic colours. Just as easily combinable as black, grey and blue, just a little more unexpected. I like wearing this coat with a dark turtleneck and jeans. At home, I’ll wear it as a cardi over a light t-shirt – just like a dressing gown.

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So maybe I’m a little biased, but I think „The Marlene“ clutch is the perfect evening bag. Especially in metallic. Especially at half price. Jup, James Castle is having a 50% sale of the clutches in metallic blue, pink, mint, green and – my favourite – copper. They’re now €87,50 instead of €175. And by the way, it’s Christmas in two months. Just saying…

I’m cleaning up my closet. Or rather: cleaning out. It wasn’t what I was aiming for. Quite the opposite. After a year of wearing the same ten pieces over and over and over again, I wanted something fresh. To spend some money and get a whole new wardrobe. I just wanted to check first what I actually had in my closet (pregnancy = forgetfulness). Turns out I really had forgotten about quite a few pieces I own. Embarrassingly, some of them even had the price tag still attached. Second surprise, more impactful: the pieces I really still wanted to wear made for only a neat little pile of clothes. So I started asking myself: What do I really need? What still fits (and not just in the sense of: over my butt)? Who the hell is the woman who bought ten grey sweatshirts for me?

And I asked myself how I shop. Sometimes the answer is simply because I like how something looks on me and makes me feel. Which explains my inability to walk past a grey sweatshirt (three of which I honestly really needed. Fine, four). But not always. One dress was a treat for a tough week in the hospital, a pair of heels came from London, because who goes to London without shopping, a pair of flared jeans looked so good on someone else that I needed them too. More often than not the reason was that I just wanted something new. Perhaps unsurprisingly I don’t wear any of those pieces very much or even at all, despite the fact that they’re nice.

And so I’ve made a resolution. Once I’ve sold and given away the excess stuff, and before the pile can get big again, I want to think more about why I spend my money.

That’s one reason why I’m excited by what journalist Alex Bohn is doing on Fair-a-porter. The blog is devoted to fair fashion, of which there isn’t just more than I expected, but some truly beautiful and affordable labels. Fair-a-porter is also about how we consume and what we can change (or even should) – without sacrificing the love for fashion.

But she’s much better at explaining the project herself.

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Every compliment I got for how well my skin looked in the last nine months, was forwarded straight to this bottle of „Hydrating Serum“ from Luxsit. I discovered it when I was out to buy a present for someone else. A what-the-hell-why-not-also-give-myself-a-present purchase. One that I haven’t regretted for a minute. I wear just a few drops of it over my regular moisturizer and it makes my skin look dewy and rosy, even on days when I’ve only slept a few hours the night before. Such magic has a price. But as it’s worked for nine months, I think it’s worth it.

„Hydrating Serum“ from Luxsit, via Wheadon, a favourite beauty shop in Berlin.