Etudes
Category
Lace and Laces
I’ve said it before and it’s still true – I find trends fascinating, not least their effect on me. While I like lace (see exhibit A and exhibit B), I don’t remember ever feeling a desire to buy a white lace dress – too bridal, too good-girl for me. And now, ..
Follow the Rainbow
For a person who doesn’t really wear much nail polish (I do wear it on my toes, but I only change it about once a month), I certainly own quite a few bottles – around 30, I believe, despite giving them away on a regular basis. So why would I need so many? Th..
Figs from Greece
It’s in fact too early to talk about figs – it’ll still take a bit of time before they are abundantly available on Brussels markets. But as Greece has been on my mind lately (because of work), I wanted to write something Greek-related that was positive and n..
Unter den Linden
Never mind the 700 hundred years of oppression, one thing we should always thank the Baltic German nobility for (if someone happens to ask what they’ve ever done for us), is the linden alleys they left behind. I spoke about the Estonian manors briefly in thi..
The Scent of El Born
I ended up in El Born by accident. The plan for that day in Barcelona was to visit the Fundación Antoni Tapies, but it was closed, as the new exhibition was being set up. Disappointed, we headed towards the museum of Picasso, but the long queue put us off. T..
Hermès Le Jardin de Monsieur Li
For a person who doesn’t think of herself as a huge fan of Hermès fragrances, I certainly own quite a few of them – around 10. This is more than I have from Chanel or Guerlain, two houses that I would definitely consider closer to my heart than Hermès. But i..
The Solitude of Flowers
I like flowers and as with most things I like, the more of them the better. Big bunches of blooms are irresistible to me and I enjoy flower markets almost as much as I enjoy libraries (For me, if there is heaven, it’ll be a library with high quality tea and ..
Maleness in a Bottle
There is only one fragrance, ever, that I’ve bought solely for the bottle, and it happened last weekend. It’s not a Serge Lutens bell jar or an austerely beautiful Byredo or even a classic Chanel or Guerlain – although they all have bottles I covet. It’s a m..
The Persistent Blue
When I wrote about trends a while back, I mentioned the things that just keep going and going, until they stop being trends and enter our sartorial landscape as permanent features. This has been the case with ballet flats and skinny jeans and I think it has ..
The Nostalgia of Grooming
Huh, so from the Amanda Palmer-storm of yesterday (this post has now been viewed almost 3000 times, SLIGHTLY above the average) to the nostalgic grooming products of today. A bit of a change in direction, but the Modern Woman of the North is a multifaceted c..