spruced by marlene

According to my feet, the year only has two seasons. Blue foot season and red foot season. My feet are either so cold that I want to use warm water bottles as inlays for my shoes. Or so warm that I want to dunk them in an ice bath every half hour. When it hits 35 degrees, as it did this week, my toes turn into little Danish hot dog sausages. I can’t blame my toes for this. Who can I blame? No one, I guess. Still, I feel sorry for my innocent feet. So every few years I get them the same type of sandal: the type that comes closest to not being there at all. This year, I found them at Kennel Schmenger. Kennel who? I’d never heard of the brand either. These sandals are so slim that the sole almost disappears and all you see are three delicate silver straps. It’s as close as you’ll get to walking barefoot without actually walking barefoot. My feet look much happier in them. Possibly because silver really compliments red.

From Kennel Schmenger in silver and gold | From Ioannis with studs | From Gianvito Rossi in brown | From L’Autre Chose in turquoise, plum and oliver green | From Michael Kors in silver

„What should I write about the panama hat? Perhaps that I always feel better dressed when I wear mine, even in the worst summer heat, whether I’m wearing a bikini or a silk dress. It just has such an elegant shape. Elegant? No, flawless even. Besides, it’s also pretty useful, because it protects well against the sun but is still light. I could write that. And maybe also that you don’t have to wait until your holiday to buy one. A good panama hat can be folded into a bag and it still won’t lose its shape. What do you think?”

„I think that you should write that the panama hat goes best with a gin tonic.”

I’ve got nothing to add. Thank you, James.

I bought my hat at a farmer’s market in Berlin, you can find an almost identical one at Plan Shop | From Sensi Studio in creme with a neon yellow ribbon | From Borsalino in natural with a leather ribbon | From J. Crew in natural, white and navy with a grosgrain ribbon | From Topshop in tabac with a thin grosgrain ribbon

They’re back. My aviators. I recently wrote that I have lost these sunglasses so many times now that it’s almost embarrassing to buy them again. But I have bought them again and this time I simply won’t lose them. Should I have switched to something else? Less classic? More suprising? Nah. A lot of the time I’d go: Gimme the new stuff! But when it comes to sunglasses, I don’t really stray from this style. It’s almost besides the point whether they suit my face or not. They allow for the perfect pokerface when you’re stepping into the tram in the morning – and see linen pants everywhere.

What about you? Do you stick to one pair of sunnies or do you spread the love?

| RayBan Aviator Outdoorsman II

You’re not going to argue with me that linen pants are the scourge of summer, are you? They’re a truly perfidious garment, sold as something light to wear, like a promise of a summer in the South of France. But the truth is that they lose their shape when there’s even a smidgen of humidity in the air and quickly end up looking like the exact opposite of ease, more like an unironed potato sack that gets bigger and bigger and bigger the longer the day goes on. By 1pm you’ll have to put up with the question of whether you just had lunch in a sauna.

The linen-t-shirt is a different story. A discovery from last summer when my friend Charlotte came to visit, breezed into Zara and loaded up on linen tees. Charlotte lives in Australia, so she knows heat and she swears by linen as a material for t-shirts, because it’s airy, doesn’t stick like cotton and is more robust than silk. Unlike pants I think that the summer t-shirt should look a little out of shape, as though you’ve worn it a bit already. This one’s perfect for pairing with jeans, shorts, even a sleek pencil skirt. Just never with linen pants.

From Zara in nude | From Mango with long sleeves in white, pink and light-grey | From MiH Jeans in olive | From Isabel Marant in blue | From Acne in black, natural and off-white

Strolling to the ice cream parlor at half nine in the evening. Waking up with the sunlight, smiling, because you don’t even mind that it’s only seven o’clock. Sleeping under thin sheets, because anything more would be much too warm. Feeling the fabric of a dress against bare legs for the first time. Thinking, as you’re leaving the apartment: Am I forgetting something? Nope, I don’t need a jumper or a jacket, not even socks. That dizzy feeling as you step out of the sun and sit down in the shade. Freckles that spread over your face like a starry sky, more of them appearing every day. Playing frisbee and eating cherries, hanging out and swimming in the lake. It’s summer.

It’s supposed to hit 30 degrees in Berlin this week. Since I’ve been waiting for this for so long, I thought I’d share one piece every day this week that will accompany me through the next couple of months. It’ll be more fun if you share your essentials, too. The things that belong to your summer like strawberry ice cream stains and the scent of sunscreen.

I’ll start with: the bikini. Because I prefer to spend as little time as possible trying on bikinis and as much time as possible going swimming in them, I always head to Princesse TamTam first. I find their cuts unfussy and flattering, their fabrics wear like cotton and, in the Berlin shop at least, the light in the changing rooms doesn’t remind you of an interrogation chamber. Which helps avoid the nervous breakdown when you discover: it’s June – why does my behind still look like a „before“ picture?

| I’ve loved wearing the „Evasione” bikini, but it was time for a new one this year. I went for the „Mimi”, paired with the matching boxer shorts (although the French are hilarious. Boxer shorts? They fit me like regular bottoms).

| I’m a bikini girl, but I could change sides for the „Xecle” bathing suit from, of course, Princesse TamTam.

| The „Polka-Dot” bikini from J. Crew is just darling. I’d wear the top with these bottoms.

| Blue like the Mediterranean: the „Elektra” bikini from Violet Lake.

| Lisa Marie Fernandez’ swimwear collection is first class and so are the prices. But bikinis like the „Arden” fit perfectly and, as my friend Alexa has tested, stay in place even when you’re surfing. They’re in the Sale, so the price won’t hurt quite as much.

| Simple, beautiful and also in the Sale: the „Positano” bikini from Prism.

| Perfect for covering up on the beach: the super easy summer collection from Ace & Jig.

So, is it bikini or bathing suit for you? And which brand do you prefer?