Style inspiration from your in-laws
When you go off instagram for the holidays but the people around you still make you want to buy things
January 1st came, and with it the feeling of freedom. With no shopping rules (yet) attached, I could possibly buy everything everywhere all at once. Although, it might come as no surprise to you – I do feel strongly about continuing the lesser-buying route in some capacity. So in order to reconnect with myself, calm the temptation and to understand which rules to apply to TIDBTW in 2025, I chose to go off instagram for a while.
Our time in England or rather the days before and after New Year seemed liked the perfect buffer zone to hear my own thoughts instead of the social stream. But are we ever really free? Instagram can be deleted but shall not be erased. Even though I tried to stay away from all the proclaimed In/Out insta lists, Substack notes (!) pulled me right back into it.
I felt overwhelmed by the sense of constant need for self improvement. So while we are on mindful + fashion, why not also refurbish last year’s intentions? If I was to single out one activity for this year though, it would be Sewing, something I would like to do more of and better. And if I can break it down to one word for 2025 I think I’d go for Presence.
Or maybe this:
On Hands
There is something powerful to getting your nails done in a salon and reading Susan Sontag at the same time. Here is to the first manicure in probably 11 or 12 years and to letting someone take care of you – not in a the patriarchy is telling you to look nice-way, but just you enjoying an act of sister-in-law-hood. (Consequentially, I went for the color LA 55 instead of sugar daddy)
I have been obsessed with Sontag for a good while in 2016, but for some reason never came across the essays in On Women, something that could speak to the public perception of her body of work, but even more to where my own head was in my early thirties.
I’m currently (as in the salon and close to being 40) on Sontag’s essay The Double Standard on Aging and this quote keeps repeating in my head:
People let the direct awareness they have of their needs, of what really gives them pleasure, be overruled by commercialized images of happiness and personal well-being; and, in this imagery designed to stimulate ever more avid levels of consumption, the most popular metaphor for happiness is “youth”.
Just let that sit with you for a second. Maybe instead of literally buying into that metaphor, we can take ownership of our definition of youth in 2025; and be restless, curious, hungry for life. Even if that just means to head to the movies for the first time in 16 months or so (Babygirl is calling and that’s a whole seperate story).
Whose wardrobe would you like to borrow from?
So while off the gram and with my fam, I’ve been thinking a lot about what we accumulate in our lifetime and what we leave behind. For those after us to cherish and learn from. And clothes is what we’re definitely going to leave behind. So how can we make that more meaningful and less destructive?
I’ve been loving this conversation between stylist and author Alexandra Carl and Carla Sozzani, who after shaping Vogue Italia forever, is conserving the past and present of circular fashion with FONDAZIONE SOZZANI (must-visit when in Milan or Paris, I have yet to see it.). It just struck me how much Carla loves fashion, which goes way beyond any idea of what fashion can do for her, but instead is about what she can do with it. Watch the whole Beyond Noise conversation here.
Probably all of Carls’, Sontags’ and Sozzanis’ wardrobes would be pretty amazing to lend from. And while I still have mixed feelings about renting fashion, I would love to revisit that opinion and invite more diversity into my closet in 2025 by borrowing – also from friends and family! So who is the Carla Sozzani in your life?
Fortunately the people around me let me peak into their closets and even walk away with some of it: I found this beautifully worn-in dark brown suede bag, bought at some point in the early 2000s and the US.
The perfect item to feel out if I really do need a suede bag after all. For now, even
critical revue couldn’t convince me otherwise:
I’ve been wearing her on repeat ever since I was allowed to test-drive.
The other very good item that happened to me was yet another coat: when in your head you’re writing the saga around the perfect maxi length but you’re trying not to spend €€€ on it, it is not exactly helpful to find the coolest Eytys number among the family outerwear by the entrance door. My brother-in-law’s girlfriend left it there unattended for a couple of days but I was too shy to ask her if I could wear it. After all, a coat is very personal item to carry. I was equally fan-girling over her khaki Levi’s that she sported for breakfast one morning. Those AND my mother-in-law’s vintage PRADA bag would make a very good outfit for a casual London stroll. Just add a ridiculously big fluffy hat on top! Here is what I would like to borrow this weekend, thank you very much:
Eytys Genesis Black Coat, 680 GBP
PRADA circa 2000 brown satchel bag - couldn’t find the exact model, so price remains unknown
Levi’s khaki denim via ebay, starting at 14,60 €
Bring back an old item each week
Last year I was very sad to be without my favorite necklace, the No 14 by JOHANNA GAUDER. This piece just adds a wonderful subtle elegance to every simple shirt you wear and I stupidly misplaced it. The other week, in true Christmas-miracle-style, Arthur’s uncle messaged us that they had found a jewellery box, which turned out to be mine. In the box was not only the necklace, I’m very excited to be able to reconnect with these LANI LEES earrings too. Especially as the label is temporarily closed down:
Might be able to play it like an Olsen twin now:
The second old item that I brought back this week are my Hunter boots returning to their natural habitat. I think I bought them circa 2012 or 2013 on ebay, on the height of yet another Kate Moss renaissance and they have been sleeping for most of the past decade. This time around I’ve put them on faster than you can google Cottagecore. We had a pretty nice time out in the countryside:
Hunter Wellies via ebay, size 7, currently at 36,14 €
I still haven’t fixed those TIDBTW rules for 2025. Nor have I purchased anything new. But there is this recurrent feeling that maybe this year, we want to get influenced directly by the near and dear. Or by ourselves, refurbish old versions of us and what we’re hiding in the back of our closets (Babygirl!!!) – in a new and unexpected way.
And with that, I leave you to a hopefully gentle start into the new realm. Talk soon x
Things I didn’t buy this week: 3
Eytys Genesis Black Coat (it’s a very good one), 680,00 GBP
PRADA circa 2000 brown satchel bag - couldn’t find the exact model, so price remains unknown
Levi’s khaki denim via ebay, starting at 14,60 €
Just watched the Beyond Noise video - so, so good! Thanks for sharing! xx
Really enjoyed this!! The Sontag quote got me goood!