What do you wear when you are happy?
Underwear is having a moment. A thing I bought in Provence. 1 runway look you def already have in your closet. All the feels
Some time between July and August, summer hits this magical spot where it’s so hot that nothing really matters. Somewhere far away. Everything and everyone slows down, gets a little blurry, we are slightly burned and slightly dazed in our swimsuits and cropped shorts. Daydreaming in lingerie or boxers as we reach for the suncream / aperitivo / beach ball. Someone feeling themselves. My summer, my body, my (tiny) clothes. This is not exclusive to celebrity physiques: If we do this for long enough we all dissolves in golden light, life is a pool, we float in one big happy heart shape until the sun goes down. If that’s what brat season entails, may it last all year.
Meanwhile, dearest TIDBTW friends, a little less bratty but definitely cooked, I found myself at 39 degrees in south of France, wanting to shed every part of me that wasn’t needed. As a first layer I had deleted the Instagram app once we sat down in our early morning train towards vacation, a tradition I can recommend for anyone looking for some real peace of mind. So when we arrived and most things I unpacked seemed one or two months too warm, I was on my own. Instead of an inspirational doom stroll it came down to pure instinct. Following that lead, I was craving some actual basic underwear. Forget about the art of dressing that holds your body in mystical order. I wanted good old hot pants, boy shorts, you name it.
Luckily, these do not count!!!
I was excited about this sudden urge, as undergarments are kind of essential and therefore do not count into the new things rules. I began scanning the rows of the village’s supermarket, as french supers hold the power to reveal surprisingly cool designs. Not this time, no pants to any degree or generously cut slips at sight. Our weekly date routine offered the next stop, the local fleamarket: Get an espresso, read your book (but actually look around you and enjoy the view, the smell of fresh baguette, the cute looks), discuss the nearby treasures:
As I was approaching this very stall, my eyes landed on the shorts in the carton to the right. Maybe you can spot them – mens’ boxers but with a drawstring, a size 46 and for 1 € now in my possession. At first it almost felt forbidden to buy something without hesitation and countability, but then I let loose: There’s no photo proof, but the next two weeks were spent almost exclusively in these shorts, allowing my legs to get a hint of a tan. Who cares if they are technically underwear? I had decoded the holiday dress matrix: everything we usually wear for ourselves suddenly goes public, with joy! In a time of the year were it feels like the body itself becomes of public opinion, this is a powerful place to be.
If you are curious how that feels, for no particular reason I thought these two pieces, found at Vestiaire, were kind of cute too:
The brand you (me) want to take on a holiday
While I was very happy with my soft secondhand shorties, there is a better – or more prepared – way to do this: Get your (holiday) basics in order before take off. Which led me to the online shop of ZODIAQUE STUDIOS. We worked together on the opening of their beautiful Berlin store and they have nailed this saison with a very good collection. Clicking through the selection of finest ribbed organic cotton panties and perfect tencel bras, my imaginary shopping cart filled up quickly. One Hera in every colour, please? This makes so much sense! Go south and pack these:
In my honest excitement I reached out to founder Emily Renk to ask her a few things about her brand’s new must haves and if she also feels the momentum of the shorties.
TIDBTW x Emily Renk, founder of ZODIAQUE STUDIOS
Things I didn’t buy this week: Dear Emily, congratulations on the beautiful Hera collection and the cotton pieces! I love the summer drop, also the layering of it. What is your inspiration behind this direction?
Emily Renk: Thank you so much for your warm words! The inspiration behind the brand is still the women that surround it, but what has changed is the accessibility to our brand world. I love the growing community we are building here in Berlin and online and wanted to add a dimension to our product range that can be purchased on a smaller budget and worn in many different situations throughout the day.
TIDBTW: I know that the sourcing of the materials is very important to you, can you elaborate a bit on the process of finding these new fabrics for ZODIAQUE?
ER: Materials are the starting point for every design we create. For me, it's all about the feel, especially when it comes to intimate garments. We are currently working with various manufacturers in Europe who advise us on sustainable sourcing and we sometimes bring in external, innovation-orientated fabric manufacturers and partners so that we can keep learning more. There is so much happening in the innovation of fibers at the moment - it's very exciting.
TIDBTW: Lately more than ever I've noticed content creators and celebs enjoy wearing underwear instead of shorts, which I love! And while this should be nobody's business, it somehow raises a lot of attention (for example here and here). Do you notice a shift toward more orders of the shorties and do you feel like your clients also buy them to wear them as outerwear for example instead of bikini bottoms? What's the feedback on this and what are your thoughts?
ER: Yes, we have definitely noticed that the demand for our shorties and our products is increasing. This could be because we design with this versatility in mind and have never seen our items as just underwear. After all, a good piece in your wardrobe should be multi-purpose and versatile. The shorties are perfect because you can wear them for lounging at home as well as for sports or styled outdoors during the day or in nightlife. Many customers have recently told me that they buy the shorts to wear at parties, especially before the multisex parties in Berlin we notice this in store. I think it's great when products develop a life of their own and I'm always happy when someone feels so comfortable in them that they come back for another colour!
TIDBTW: Which piece is your personal favorite and how do you style it?
ER: At the moment definitely our shorties, both in our super soft rib organic cotton and in bamboo and the Hera top. I'm wearing it almost every day at the moment.
Here I'm wearing it with a balloon skirt in Marseille:
Editor’s note: Can I do this holiday all over again, wearing ZODIAQUE?
A very good little scarf from South of France (purchase #3!)
Well, not exactly. But not all was lost: Zooming back into south of France, here I was still blissfully unaware of that summer drop and on my fleamarket high, roaming the streets of Salernes. It was one of those rare days, when the villagers open up their doors. Think garage sale, but trés trés charming. One particularly sweet entrance guarded by two elderly women gave away to a little cellar and on the very end, hanging from a clothesline, I spotted this little net thing, calling my name.
Instinctively I knotted it around my waist, then around the neck. Held it in one hand as if I could estimate the emotional weight of this possible impromptu purchase. I had already made up my mind. As I handed her 2 Euros, the former owner lady said she was unsure about what exactly this piece of stringy fabric was: it can be worn however! I wanted to hug her. This was perfect for me and my dilemma: While I had just been bragging about how easy this challenge felt, I suddenly found myself at 3 things. THREE! This better be worth it.
Love, coincidentally
Over the next few days I found out exactly how versatile this piece is: I wore it with pretty much everything (still do!!!). Turns out, this is my number one rule when it comes to buying anything: will I wear this immediately until it gets too ridiculous / needs a wash? Only then we hit the right ratio of wanting and needing.
Once I returned from my internet hiatus, I found out that Leandra Medine must have had a similar realization: scarfs make everything more fun! Only that hers are silk and she probably goes way back with them. This one first look actually really has all the good stuff we’ve been talking about! Underwear, cotton cuteness and the scarf that proves it city chic. Especially if you are brave or Leandra, the OG:
Just as I was on the train back home I contemplated how to make my new triangled friend work in Berlin. With my post-holiday-self just not being quite as outgoing as Leandra, I remembered this Spring 2025 look from The Row.
1 runway look you definitely already have in your wardrobe
Kind of provocative in its simplicity, but once you try to style it, you again understand the excellence of The Twins (I enjoyed this little deep dive about them the other day)
I considered this a smart solution: In lack of a short skirt and in order to reconnect with more scarves that I own, I tucked in this NOVE silk square into my trousers like the most delicate napkin. Very weird and maybe very good. Trousers are 2019 H&M and Arthur recently opened up the seams to make them longer. Way better! I like that the scarf kinda looks like an apron from the side. On top I’m wearing the CAES shirt I’ve been parading about, Litkovska bag, old Italian sandals and sunnies that I found at the drug store, Rossmann.
Like I said, with good things I’m a very repetitive dresser, I tend to wear them for days in different variations. So I kept the old H&M trousers going and soft launched my new sidekick, the knitted triangle – and paired it with this top that I recently rediscovered in the back of the closet. It’s a shiny polyester from &Other Stories, the good years, circa 2016:
Worn with Jil Sander Tassle Bag, Rossmann Sunnies and Havaianas (the thick ones, you know). For a night out (this really happened!!) I paired my evergreens, strappy heels from AEYDE. One rich day I might go for these:
Home transition
When my friend asked me a few days later what this little fringy teal coloured number is, I knew I made it. People treat it kindly. It’s not awkward, I already wore it 10+ times, so it’s a deserving 3rd purchase. It can do more than poolside and most importantly does something interesting for me in an otherwise very plain or classic look. So I’m glad we got together.
Post vacay, as I put my trousers back over my undies, I peaked over to Copenhagen, where everyone who’s not currently facing sand is soaking up the SS25 trends. And here we are, this is how you do big city life in your little pants: All it takes is a Miu Miu set! If you thought it was overrated (and -priced!!), looking at this I gotta say, it does seem pretty cool. How oversized do you buy it to have that fabric hover over your skin like melted butter?
They even make a whole outfit! If you have a perfect black leather coat, boots, luxurious bag and sunnies at hand.
And my girl Nike here is giving absolute queen, winning CPHFW by wrapping herself in elegance wearing basically nothing. My little scarf skirt is a funny joke compared to this!!! I absolutely adore it.
The naked mind is a wonderful place (autocorrect: palace). If you’re aiming for something similar, maybe go with this beauty:
It might be sheer, but it is a layer. Is this the first air of fall? Not if we lock our phone screens right here right now. Step away. And please stay barely covered and unbothered for as long as you can. Talk soon xoxo
Things I didn’t buy this week (yet):
Everything ZODIAQUE STUDIOS:
Hera Top Black: 55,00 €
Hera Bra Black: 48,00 €
Hera Shortie Black: 29,00 €
Hera Slip Black: 19,00 € - the beige is gorgeous too, disaster!
Organic Cotton Shortie White: 29,00 €
Organic Cotton Tank Top White: 48,00 € Check out the cute T-shirt too.
Too hot to handle!!!
Things I did buy this week: 1 (purchase #3!)
Vintage knitted scarf: 2,00 €
(which actually Arthur paid as I was out of cash. I pay you back this week, baby!!)