TIDBTW Fashion Moms: Petja Ivanova & Janina Waschkowski
TIDBTW Fashion Moms: Petja Ivanova & Janina Waschkowski
Honest outfits for busy people
TIDBTW Fashion Moms is a series where every mom is a fashion mom – on their terms. Because what does being well dressed actually mean when you have little time to yourself? In these episodes I will be chatting to some moms out there, about their style, things they bought and why. In relation to them being a mother, but mostly being people and busy people who are into fashion (more or less). Always two moms in one edit. I invite you to tag along and celebrate each other for showing up for ourselves, daring to be individual, dressing independent from our roles in life and in a way that makes us feel easy and nice.
Hello my dear readers and welcome to our second round of TIDBTW Fashion Moms. With two women who have been on my style radar for a long time. Before we get to all the details, what I loved most about editing these chats is not only seeing their differences in expression and styling, but also the common ground – to an extent where I’m sure Petja and Janina would enjoy swapping some pieces for a few days. A good reminder to see beyond the first impression and extend some kindness. To expect moms to please no one else but themselves with their outfits. We all need that. Also, forever curious about what’s in everyone’s bags! Maybe you are too. I hope you enjoy our following little conversations. xoxo
TIDBTW Fashion Mom: Petja Ivanova, artist
Poetic futures is not just the most beautiful title and promise, it is also a very fitting way to describe Petjas incredible sense of style. To me, this Berlin-based artist has a very playful air, a very hands-on vibe with a big curiosity, and an ever-young attitude in the most graceful way. Something grungy, something dark, something very feminine. What I also admire is that Petja seems to know her style in every situation – maybe simply getting a coffee – I got that snap!!
Or climbing a mountain – I took a loving screenshot too, but could’t find it. Luckily Petja got us covered:
…or working in her studio:
Where I sometimes struggle to understand my off-road outfit personality – trying to bring in an edge and not going too simple – she seemingly effortlessly puts something together. It might be an unconventional mix, but always very her.
The most Pisces outfit ever witnessed
When I first saw Petja in person, she basically shut down the room: at this intimate opening of a vintage / preloved pop-up, she had just purchased a stunning Christopher Esber knit top, the front held by two or three big gemstones and adorning rings. I have never seen an outfit more Pisces on someone who’s in fact not (I’m still in shock) and this delicate construction can easily go kitsch – but the way she just casually wore this with her cool long hair, it was magic.
I wanted to get to the root of that confidence and also learn a bit more about her bold work, especially her sensual and sometimes slightly off-putting sculptural fits.
“A constant outgrowing of our shells, shed selves and an honoring of our emotional bodies. Working with the metaphor of the wound; the wound that has the stigma of opening and spoiling the body, the wound where we meet our vulnerability. The wound is where we tend to not want to look, what we don't want to face.” - as one of her accompanying instagram post reads. A cockroach in a shell undie surely does rock something in us. Let’s dive into Petjas style world, please enjoy x
Things I didn’t buy this week: Please introduce your work to us
Petja Ivanova: I'm Petja Ivanova, I am an artist - I call my studio: Studio for poetic futures & speculative ecologies. I do all my creative projects within this framework.
I also work as an innovation consultant but slightly less now that I have so many artistic projects in the making. This summer is intense. I am preparing a performance in a cave here in Bulgaria and my first Museum solo show is opening in a month in Folkwang, Essen, so I am workationing mostly ;)
Editor’s note: as I am slightly delayed in my editing, because life, there’s some good news: Petjas show as already opened and you have to see it if you are in Essen.
TIDBTW: I feel like in your work you often deconstruct learned stereotypes and break the expectations with art that resembles clothes but adds a certain irritation, such as the biopolymer undies. Can you tell me a little about that process and why you feel drawn to it?
PI: that is a really good question. thank you for seeing me. Coming from computational art, which is what I studied, I can say in a simplified way, that the way technology thinks is a bit boring, simplistic, rigid, predictive and not multilinear nor poetic which I think the body does. or the body as the entity that is inhabited by the knowledge of feelings... so that is why I am drawn to working with and around the body.
Furthermore when you make a wearable – when you design something and put it on and around the body, it instantly has this air of possibility and could be real, no matter how imaginative or freaky it is. That is called material speculation actually, I think, and that fictional potential is something that excites me, how to find portals to and of other worlds in ours.
TIDBTW: I recently saw that you also made clothes in the past, is it something you still do for yourself or others?
PI: Oh it has been my hobby since I was 16. Actually that might be something that comes from my communist past or family's past... when they didn’t have so many things back in the days in Bulgaria, people would make their own clothes or go to people who can make them for them, so for my 16th birthday my mom gifted me to get a dress done by a seamstress :) and we have been working together ever since. So when I had this idea to make a puffer jacket that is filled with styrofoam balls - as a recycling and speculative project - we made it together. I still make these jackets for friends actually.
TIDBTW: Which outfits felt the most you this summer? (Editor’s note - this question feels relevant again as warm days had a bit of a comeback recently)
PI: Oh I love this question, most me.. It is probably this dress of my mother that she had made for stage (concerts on stage) which is made out of pure silk in a level of quality that is hard to get these days and this outfit with my knee socks, leather shorts and this cut off mens shirt that I found on the street hehe.
This was another extravagant summer outfit:
I went with my art friends to a biennale pre opening. I think it’s ok to wear this as a mom :) the Nodaleto sandals had to go though - I sold them on Vestiaire after raving one night in them haha. The rest is my ottolinger combo styled by my stylist friend Ivan Tsutsumanov
Just another simple summer look: Aries giant balloon pants with a top I found on the street. Marni sneakers (Editor’s note: Love the pants!!!)
To be honest with you this is also one of my summer fits:
I really just had two skirts and two shorts all summer with some extra shoes… so these boots I think the designer quit her label… Amy sth from Australia. Jewelry is custom Neva Balnikova
Oh and if Anne Bernecker would let me have this Blazer of hers:
Also my annoying Gucci rubber shoes are accompanying me this summer. I love them but they hate my feet. Still they make every simple outfit look intentional. As I’m spending 1.5 months in 30 plus degrees heat in Bulgaria this summer, mini skirt and Guccis are my go to simple outfits.
Editor’s note: I love an easy outfit that includes Gucci, but I can see how they might cause trouble. If you are a size 39, you can try for yourself, via Vestiaire
Here’s also a very chic alternative to Crocs - who knew Gucci could design so down-to-earth? I want my rubbery clogs to say Gucci instead:
TIDBTW: Can you name 3 (most loved) things you bought in recent years?
PI: 1. Prada Boots (pre-loved) worn at my latest show opening:
2. my Charlotte Knowles outfit:
3. my earrings from Milko Boyarov... a bulgarian jewelry designer and sweetheart of a person
TIDBTW: Is there a piece of clothing you didn't buy and still think about?
PI: Oh so many... I used to be obsessed with Charlotte Knowles designs.... and I wish I had a Chopova Lowena skirt
but now that I am older I do not get so obsessed with things that much. I am again more connected to the meaning of things and to the style factor. There was a time when I thought about a dress for like years but wasn’t able to find it online or vintage or anything, somehow that has worn off. I still regret not buying Cecilie Bahnsen Shoes though.
and the Prada lamb wool boots for winter...
Editor’s note: The search for this one led me to these PRADA beauties in my actual size, 37,5 - via ebay:
and I wish someone would gift me an amazing sweater like the one from your people project :)
(Editor’s note - I get messages about this upcycled and partly hand knitted wool sweater a lot. It’s truly so beautiful and available for made to order, best to message dear @people_berlin and costs 490,00 €.)
or I think of these Bottega Veneta boots… girl, do not get me started! (Editor’s note: Likewise!!!) Last one: Christopher Esber Bathing suit, def. miss not having this.
Editor’s note: Finally someone with some profound regret regarding fashion that got away - I was waiting for this, thinking I was the only one!
TIDBTW: Do you have a go-to bag and can you show + tell me what's inside?
PI: Oh I love love love this bag that I have from my mom also, her fundus is legendary :) it's this 90s MCM but it is in repair right now also too nice to take on an endless Bulgarian rural summer. So I am actually really into tiny bags, little ones, where I currently collect my shells and make my life magical... beach summer... camping, roadtripping, beautiful houses and views in between.
I feel so blessed by being in vicinity to nature this summer. In my tiny magical bag obsession era I want to show you this creator she is a bio-designer I think based in Italy and she makes these bags from algea yarn and I am such a fan. I hope she makes one for me too some time:
TIDBTW: One sentence that sums up, what fashion as a mom means to you:
PI: I like to be expressive still - i even wear it if its not practical. I can't really tell, I know when it feels like me. So it has to have something personal.. maybe handmade, maybe belonged to someone I love or made by someone I love...
So my sentence is: I know it is the right look when it feels like me, personal, playful, expressive, meaningful. (My son sometimes says I look weird :) or he gives me advice on which shoes to wear or what to do with my hair:)
TIDBTW fashion mom: Janina Waschkowski, HR Director at Highsnobiety and Co-Host of
Waschkowski’s name might ring a bell for you, not only for her role at the expanding women’s network DAERE, but also with her former brand, Nove. After we first met, talking about a potential collaboration a few years back, I remember leaving in absolute awe with her elegance and energy, the way she puts so much commitment and calm precision into everything she does. Just from how she holds herself you can tell that she takes good care of her clothes and everything she carries – such as a vintage suit on her first visit to New York City:
Which is something I’m still learning to be more attentive to (hello moth holes, loose threads and things that end in the washing machine where THEY DO NOT BELONG).
I’m also a big fan of Janina’s summer style. Where I feel like I’m constantly on the search for the right length and fit, she effortlessly rotates between biker shorts (+ blazer to work! <3) …
…and long dresses.
Consistent in her colour palette, she can teach us a few lessons on the right accessories that give a simple dress a personal and refined note.
Seeing her makes me want to watch the original The Talented Mr. Ripley again – for it’s incredible style and nostalgic light.
When Janina apologized to me about most of her photos + looks being from 2021 and before, I applauded on the inside. As Janina is now HR director at the fashion & media house Highsnobiety, I applaud even louder: someone working in the midst of fashion fandom, not buying in on every collection drop out there!? We need to know her secret.
Things I didn’t buy this week: You work at a global fashion and media brand, so I can imagine you see a lot of trends and meet a lot of very well dressed people. How does that impact your own style and wishlist?
Janina Waschkowski: Oh I am always so amazed by the unique style of all colleagues – they express themselves in a way I love to observe, so creative! Most of these fancy outfits would not work for me personally though, as I like rather neutral colors on me and my main credo is ‘form follows function’: my outfits have to work on my bike (for all weather, I also cycle in the rain as I hate U-Bahn), in the office, at the playground and for going out. So my style is quite basic, but versatile. There is some influence I can’t deny though: Our amazing own brand HS05 produces great and high quality pieces like the timeless black leather jacket that made it to my wardrobe already.
TIDBTW: You ran your own sustainable fashion label Nove – I'm still sad I didn't get that wonderful grey blazer when I had the chance – and I know that you were very passionate about every detail of it. How has sourcing, designing and directing your own label changed the way you consume fashion? Which Nove pieces are essential for your own wardrobe?
JW: I am a real nerd when it comes to material and quality and these two aspects mainly decide what lands in my closet and what doesn’t. Longevity is key for me for two reasons I think, not only as I grew up with a shoemaker as grandfather and a seamstress as grandmother, as kids we were always told off if our shoes were not taken care of. Second, because I have an emotional relationship with most of my key pieces and a personal story behind: My vintage Cartier earrings (matching our wedding bands) that I bought from the money inherited from my grandparents when they passed away to have them with me at my wedding
My 30th birthday bag from my parents, below (Editor’s note: Here Janina is wearing her own Nove design, the blazer that got away for me and The Narrow bag by Jérome Studio, which has become a bit of a Berlin phenomenon):
The brown vintage leather jacket that will always remind me of my very first trip to New York a few weeks ago.
Editor’s note: Of course I had to ask about that excellent denim she’s wearing, too, it’s the ARKET CLOUD Low Loose Jeans and currently on sale. Or when in NYC you hop over to The Vintage Twin and search their store for preloved denim, Janina’s must go when in town:
All Nove pieces are still essential to my wardrobe, like the super light white summer trousers,
the Nove cap, and of course my beloved Majka jacket I live in during autumn and spring. And the blazers of course, perfect for office, travel (the wool keeps you warm), but also slightly water repellent when you are stuck outside when your kids don’t want to leave the soccer pitch.
TIDBTW: I admire your style a lot: every outfit I see you in feels elegant, calm and sophisticated, yet effortless. And very you. I have a feeling you don't own a lot of things, but the right ones. How did you build your wardrobe and what would you say is your personal style formula?
JW: I think it just happened when I grew up and added more and more Janina-pieces to my wardrobe. I never do mood boards or research or think about my style, I just go with my gut feeling what feels right in texture, shape and color.
TIDBTW: Which one outfit feels the most you this season?
JW: With the temperature dropping, you will most likely find me in a black leggings, sheer socks, ballerinas, a thin cotton sweatshirt, a blazer and an oversized leather jacket that keeps away wind and light rain.
Editor’s note: As I noticed I wouldn’t know where to best buy fine socks, Janina pointed out that FALKE’s are her favorites, she prefers the 20 DEN for anyone else wondering. I couldn’t hunt down her short phone necklace, but an equally good grip should be provided by this handmade key chain by HAI Berlin.
TIDBTW: Can you name three (most loved) things you bought in recent years?
JW: A wool blazer I found for 10 Euro at a flea market in Kreuzberg, it’s so versatile, chic but cozy and warm at the same time.
Editor’s note: As Janina’s own brand Nove is not available anymore, her black silk scarf remains a rare treat. If you want an easy and chic fix, you can find pretty preloved Totême ones:
Classic Closed ballerinas from the softest nappa leather that feels like socks.
Editor’s note: I did some digging and found an absolute steal of a Closed flat over at Vinted, in a size 38 for 79,45 €
And the Acne bag I bought as goodbye when I left a job (again, an emotional piece!). It just fits everything I need in my daily life, is rain proof and still looks chic.
Editor’s note: Janina is referring to the black shopper version, so this ACNE bag at Vestiaire Collective, is not the original Janina piece, but an equally nice, sleek one, 107,13 €
TIDBTW: Is there a piece of clothing (or many) you didn't buy and still think about?
JW: It was the Totême shearling jacket I was dreaming about for 5 years, but since I was lucky enough to find it at a great price last year on Vestiaire Collective, my wishlist didn’t refill. I love the quality and warmth so much, it almost makes me look forward to Berlin winter.
Editor’s note: While my personal Totême collection has been downsized recently, I still have my favorites, such as the open silk pants from 2017 and the knitted dress from the same year, love them as layers. I wore them frequently that year and should probably bring them back one way or another. Also still going strong with that Byredo pouch. So in sum, Janina, I absolutely adore that jacket and might follow your lead one day!
TIDBTW: Do you have a go-to bag and can you show + tell me what's inside?
JW: Definitely the ACNE bag that’s big enough to fit all I need for a day. I have my regular work things in there, laptop, badge, noise canceling earphones for deep work or online meetings, a pen. If I am going out after work/kids duties, the bag also fits my Totême leather pouch which I found vintage.
The size is perfect for lunch when I don’t want to take my large heavy bag, or as an evening purse in the opera when I leave the Acne bag at the cloakroom. A clean beauty blush that I use for the lips as well to refresh my look during the day. Disinfection gel and hand cream from Aesop, a small bottle of my perfume, my Nove cap for potential rain, snacks and a bottle of water for potential hungry/thirsty kids (or mamas). The BREE portemonnaie is more than 10 years old and still in great condition.
TIDBTW: One sentence that sums up, what fashion as a mom means to you
JW: My outfits have to be very versatile as I am filling many different roles during a day, so my “rule” is that my outfit has to feel 100% “me” so I feel confident and comfortable within all of the roles.
TIDBTW: Dear Petja and Janina, thank you so much for sharing <3
