Last time when I was at the art museum, we discussed the endless question about what defines art. It’s one of those questions that can fill heavy books, but our guide came up with a simple yet fabulous answer: Art needs a frame!
Of course, the answer is too simplified to be taken seriously, but it brought a smile to my face and still lingers in my thoughts. This makes it a very good answer. It might be no coincidence, that I decided to frame myself with my earrings: So what do you say, am I art now?
The other inspiration for this look is certainly Moschino’s SS20 collection that is dedicated to Picasso and his muses. Jeremy Scott created a wild mix of art and fashion and I love how he turns the models into graceful walking artworks. The collection shows the human being as a canvas and that describes very well how I see myself as well: My own canvas that I carry with me all the time, allowing me to define and express who I am day after day. I can jump from surrealism, to dadaism to pop art and baroque, all in the span of a few days. It’s almost like time travelling, the magic of fashion.
If you would have asked me as a girl what I want to become when I grow up I would have said an Egyptologist or a muse. My idea about the life of a muse was rather naive. I imagined it means to look pretty and to be in the presence of artists so they get inspired to create. I thought it’s an incredible and amazing thing if a person possesses the power to inspire somebody to create just with their personality and look. Some kind of ultimate compliment to a woman.
“Yes, she is a muse and she is framed, so she must be art! “
When I keep thinking about it longer, I realise that my romantic wish kind of came true, since I am blessed with the gift of inspiring people. I wear clothes amazing designers sometimes just make for me without being asked. I got painted a lot of times. Magazine covers bear my face and a lot of people write to me that they changed their style because of me. So, 11-year-old Sara: Yes, you’d be proud of me, look at my wardrobe in awe and say “Yes, she is a muse and she is framed, so she must be art! “
Reminder to myself: Think of this next time you are afraid of not being good enough.
Wearing the print of the moment – dalmatian – makes me think about Cruella de Vil. Growing up in the 90s, Cruella was probably the first strong and independent female character I remember. She is lead by her desire for fashion (in her case an illegal fur coat) and liking her was a rebellious thing: She is not at all the kind of role model my parents wanted me to have. But as a grown-up woman, I must say I’m probably more Cruella then Disney princess.
Just like Cruella, fashion is my life and I’d not go over corpses (neither animal nor human) for my dream handbag, but it’s the fashion that excites me unlike anything else. Cruella’s short halted breath when she unwrapped her fur coat could as well be something I feel when I open a Moschino box. Unlike me, Cruella is a nasty woman, but what we have in common is independence in our actions and a strong will to make our dreams come true. Cruella (lucky her) found a partner who supports her in this, I am just a one-woman show, without even pets.
We are both the kind of woman that is rarely displayed in the media, I suspect it’s because we are uncomfortable and not living the life of a married woman, we take care of our wardrobe instead of screaming kids and laugh at the world when we have a new pair of shoes in our hands. This is not what earns a lot of applause: Even in our diverse society, I think the majority of people still appreciates women who go the classical way, get married, have kids and plant a tree with their husband. I often hear people admiring this kind of woman. But when did I ever hear somebody saying “Oh you independent women don’t have an easy life neither, you have to handle all by yourself and it’s so much you do”. Never, right? Yes exactly, that’s my point. Cruellas don’t get praise.
Lucky Cruella can be ok with that: She has her husband to go home to and her perfect coat, her world is at peace. I have, well…. A lot of fashion dreams in my closet but open the door to my apartment every day to find dark silence waiting there. If I want to have a surprise I have to work hard for it and then order it myself, if I mess up things I have to fix them, no knight ready to save me and nobody there to hug me when I cry at home after a frustrating day. This is what being independent means. But it also means everything I am and everything I achieved is here because of my own efforts.
I work at a design agency as a creative director 40+ hours a week, run my blog, organise shootings, edit my pictures, teach young graphic designers, go to the gym twice a week and attend a lot of events. I have friends I love to the moon and back and a big network of social contacts. I am happy with all the variety and excitement that this life I created has to offer and don’t take it for granted. Nevertheless, I feel frustrated too often about having dinner alone, about dragging home groceries and cursing my inability to carry heavy weights and about experiencing a wonderful full moon on my terrace and getting melancholic because I’d wish to share the experienced beauty so very much. But most of all I get sad that people rarely see that being alone doesn’t mean just daily party and no work.
Independence is a very ambivalent thing and if it’s love or hate can’t be answered by multiple-choice answers. Sometimes I’m happy, sometimes I’m not. When not I might treat myself with a lavish gift and have that Cruella expression on my face when I open the box and just know: It’s all mine.
My Outfit Dress: Trendyol from Zalando, Jacket: old, Belly bag: New Look from Zalando, Sunglasses: Le Specs, Earrings: Swarovski, Tights: Calzedonia, Shoes: Raid from Zalando, Snake Ring: Animazul, Eye Ring: Swarovski (old)
Pictures: Marco Borromeo This post contains sponsored products.
Since Christmas is the season of giving I am happy that one of you can win this elegant necklace and ring from my favourite jewellery label Swarovski, worth 218 CHF.
This necklace and ring are perfect for a girl with a big heart who dreams of love and has a twist of vintage in her style. The design is inspired by the magnificent epoch of Baroque. Gold meets sparkling red and clear crystals, ready to turn a girl into a queen of hearts.
Omg, if I wouldn’t love to treat my followers so much, I’d keep this for myself!
How to win: Leave a comment on this post. Please include your mail so I can contact you if you won. The winner will receive the Swarovski necklace and ring shown above. You have an extra chance to win if you enter on my Instagram.
The giveaway will end on the 29th of December and is open for worldwide entries.
Pictures: Sara Streule Necklace and ring kindly sponsored by Swarovski.
Two weeks ago was my birthday and I was terrified: All the beautiful plans I had for this day had disappeared and I wished the day would be crossed out of the calendar. It was my first birthday in a long time without me being in a relationship or having a date and I was afraid of this day turning into a sad and lonely occasion.
Sometimes, life changes faster than you can blink, consistency turns into chaos, what seemed to be granted is suddenly uncertain. Plans and promises burst like bubbles and it feels like what the world meant to you was just a wonderful distant dream. Being in a situation like this, I saw no reason to celebrate my birthday. What for? I’ve always been a person who loved to care for people in the family and in relationships, I defined myself a lot through this and therefore being alone tends to make me feel less myself. Do I have to celebrate myself if there is nobody? Isn’t that weird and pitiful and why is there nobody singing happy birthday for me? Don’t I deserve that?
I considered to just sleep the whole day and hopefully not wake up till it would be over. But a part of me never really gave in and arranged to see friends the whole week, dressed up and had a rebellious thought: Yes, this year you might not have a ten-course dinner in a fancy restaurant, nobody will surprise you with a sea of flowers, you will not receive pretty wrapped Gucci boxes or get hijacked to Disney Land. But guess what: It’s gonna be fine, you are so lucky and have the best friends in the world and you have yourself and all the things you reached all on your own. You are your own gift, nobody else’s! Saying so, I put on a bow, just for myself.
You are your own gift, nobody else’s! Saying so, I put on a bow, just for myself.
Dressed in clothes I love and putting my chin up I faced the world, bringing together friends who didn’t know each other. I received a self-made vegan lemon cake, we played funny games, had Indonesian food and most of all: We enjoyed each other’s company, laughed and had fun. A warm feeling that made me feel so lucky filled my mind. Yes, I am single. Yes, nobody is madly in love with me, but that doesn’t make me worthless and I have a lot of love in my life from my friends. I feel very grateful for those wonderful and genuine people around me who care and are not scared of going out with a girl who might burst out into tears every now and then. What else do I want for my birthday?
Ok, maybe there was something little on top: So I went home with a smile on my face and bought myself a Moschino bag (sorry Gucci but this year you didn’t win). Because it’s important to treat yourself and I am worth that!
My Outfit Shirt: Zara, Skirt: Devoi, Earrings: Swarovski, Belt: Moschino x H&M, Shoes: H&M, Sunglasses: Gucci, Snake Ring: Animazul, Bracelet: Vintage, Headband: Zara, Handbag: Lulu Guinness Nails: Diva Nail Studio
Pictures: Marco Borromeo This post contains sponsored products.
This week it’s my birthday and as an 80s child, just the right occasion to bring back a little bit of the glamour of the decade I was born in. The 80s threw out the rule book when it came to fashion, this is the spirit I grew up with and the spirit I still carry in my heart.
Born in a decade of excess, today I bring back the shoulder obsession of the 80s and go big and bold. I want glitter galore, boldly coloured makeup and that expressed image of wealth that was very specific for the 80s.
Let’s dive into nostalgia, listen to Cyndi Lauper and Prince, feel (almost) as glamorous as Cher and as loved as Princess Diana. The 80s get mocked for their fashion very often, I think that’s rather unfair. Yes, there were some horrible things as in every decade, but our taste also changes over time, everything was Zeitgeist. Today’s new interpretation of the 80s translates the fashion from back then into something recent and modern.
Sometimes I wish I would have grown up in a bubbling city because I think the feeling of the 80s would have been much more intensive than in the little village where was born. I only got to know some of the great musicians of the decade in the early 90s and the next cinema was far away. But I remember how much I envied Madonna for her boldness and how I loved her outfits. We exchanged mix tapes at school and I wish I still had my blue cool walkman.
So let’s have a Bananarama moment today, happy birthday to me, an 80s child!
Why do I get the impression the colder it gets the less colourful people on the street are dressed? Since it’s my mission to inspire you to stay colourful no matter the weather, I teamed up with Peek & Cloppenburg to create a bright winter outfit.
Who said a coat keeps you warmer if it is black? Right: Nobody ever said something so silly! Therefore the key piece of this look is a wonderful bright wool coat. Since the use of the word colours should only be permitted in the plural, I mix it with a red shirt and red accessories. The floral skirt brings a little bit of spring into the look and unites all colours in its pattern.
If people ask me what’s important in my life they might expect me to say designer handbags and fancy shoes. Yes, that’s true, but there are more important things even for a fashion victim like me: Love and Dreams! I am following my dreams from the moment I wake up and I am not afraid to reach for the stars. Love is the fuel that feeds me and keeps me going. Love for the passionate and bold people out there, for the fierce excitement in the world and for all the incredible beauty to discover. Therefore I think the accessories of this look have the perfect message.
So when you feel tempted to put on that black uninspiring down jacket (sorry for being so blunt, but that’s what it is), maybe you hear my voice in your ears saying “No, no, no darling!”. Then you help me to make winter brighter with being a splash of colour. Keep warm!
Paid Post. Pictures by Peek & Cloppenburg, Edit & Animation: Sara Streule
After a breakup, you don’t need Halloween or scary movies to feel like you arrived in the middle of a nightmare. So what to do when your life is like a rollercoaster that seems to go down only? Let me share my 10 step plan that might help, maybe not right now, but in a future (hopefully) not too far away. Good luck and keep going!
Cry, baby cry, as much as you like
When I was younger, my mum always told me to not cry, cause I’d get wrinkles from it. I say it’s nonsense and who cares! Emotions need to be expressed, face cream can solve the skin afterwards. So let it all out: Cry into your pillow in the dark of the night or on the bus at rush hour. Very important, don’t worry about what others might think about you. It’s great that you are a human being capable of feeling deep emotions. One day you will cry tears of joy again.
Go out like you’re the happiest girl in the world
Yes, you do feel like staying at home, not brushing your hair and crying all day long. It’s ok to wallow in hurt and self-pity, but as well very important to connect with the world and the people among you. Do all the things that you used to love and like, even if it’s hard. If somebody asks you out, never say no and fill the gap that he left behind in your life. One day your smile will come back without being forced and you will enjoy yourself again. Don’t give up, fight for every happy second!
Give in to your guilty food pleasures without feeling guilty
Playing Bridget Jones and eating a big, big bucket of ice cream? Hell yes, if it makes you feel just a hint like you’re a movie star! Since you are terribly sad you might not eat properly anyway and some calories are just what your body and soul needs. You will laugh about your ice cream nights once you feel better. Otherwise, don’t worry: At least you had that delicious chunky chocolate ice and your excuse was good…
Work it out, work it out
You can cry, but you can sweat as well! If you do sports your body is producing happiness hormones and this is exactly what you desperately need! So no matter how hard it might be, get your body to the gym, run, swim or kick-box. Nice side effect: It’s work on your revenge body! The better you look, the better you will feel and whoever left you behind, missed their chance to touch your new firm butt.
Lose yourself in art
There is nothing that has an impact on the soul as art! Visiting a museum – or even better: being part of an installation – feels like a bath in a different world and feeds your mind with colours, ideas and visions. Some art pieces cheer you up like a Jeff Koon’s sculpture, others make your problems appear small and harmless. Thank god you’re just absolutely miserable, but not in Dante’s Inferno… There are plenty of galleries and museums out there, what are you waiting for?
Dress up like nothing bad ever happened
Wear what makes you feel super self-confident and beautiful, just like the glamourous diva you are in your heart. Feeling bad doesn’t mean you have to look bad too. So say no to the potato bag dress that drags you down even more and wear the crazy party clothes. You might get covered in compliments, what an ointment for your broken heart!
If you can’t be happy, try to make others happy
Instead of keeping your mind occupied with thinking about your own misery, gather people around you and make new friends. Support each other and help each other, you are all not alone if you join forces. Listen to their worries and share yours, hug each other, cry together and tell each other how great you are. You will experience that shared pain is less pain. If you even want to do more, apply for some social work or offer your services to a charity. All of this helps to make you forget about yourself for a moment and turns your misery into something useful.
Clean, Tidy up, Rearrange
Taking care of your home, making it clean and tidy helps you to order your mind as well. If your whole home reminds you of things that hurt you, rearrange things or change your habits: Sit on the chair you never used, buy yourself flowers instead of pitting yourself that you don’t get some and get rid of things you never really liked anyway. You are not in control of everything in your life, but you are in control of giving yourself a safe place that is beautiful!
Invent new Rituals
It might be very strange to sleep alone or prepare dinner for one, honestly: I hate it. What helps a little bit is to invent new rituals, like having a cup of lavender tea before you go to bed, listening to music for a while before you sleep or read at least a chapter of a book before you close your eyes. It doesn’t sound like much, I know, but the structure in your life will do you good.
Afraid of the future? Fill it with good things!
If the future frightens you, one strategy is to not think too much ahead and live day after day. But I think what helps even better is to create events for yourself that you can look forward or at least take away the fear of being lonely. I am extremely anxious about events like my birthday and Chrismas (both coming up hooray), my strategy is to organize my own gifts and invite friends.
Don’t be fooled, this is one of my most colourful rainbow outfits, yes, but that doesn’t mean I am the happiest girl in the world. My world just crashed and no rainbow in the world can hide that.
Time for truth talk: I’m ashamed to say, but I am not well at the moment. When I started this blog I told myself I would never talk about truly personal topics, now I’m just fed up with keeping up the facade. The world needs more honesty, more people who behave like they are humans and not cyborgs and don’t hide their emotions. I’ve decided to show you my not-happy face.
There are those mornings when I stand in front of my wardrobe with tears in my eyes while I choose my outfit and well, right now they happen er…every morning. Should I dress like I feel, like a black ugly void is eating me up? Shall I stop brushing my hair and wait till the pink washes out and leaves a pitiful mousy brown-blond? There is nothing that fits my current mood in my wardrobe at all. Not because I didn’t expect to be ever sad in my life, but because it’s simply not me. So here I am, wearing all my clutter, crying while my jewellery rattles and my pleats play with the wind.
You don’t stop being you no matter if you are happy, grumpy, totally heartbroken or very lost.
This year, I was busy building a marvellous dream castle made of clouds and believed with all my heart it was real. I had a lot of happy times in my life, but I never felt like this, like every day was a fairytale. Suddenly out of the nowhere something truly terrible happened: Puff, the bubble burst and I have to cope (or rather trying to cope) with it.
I don’t do very well: I don’t eat, I can’t sleep and all the things that used to make me happy seem suddenly stale while I indulge myself in sad music. Tears run down my cheeks without control and no matter where I am. Cold darkness grows in my heart, quite an irony for such a colourful girl, isn’t it?
Love and excitement have always been the biggest sources of my bubbly energy and I think that’s what people find fascinating about me. I have so, so, so much of them to give I sometimes feel like I could feed the world with my energy, but now I am just sad and empty. I struggle a lot, to be honest, can’t cope with being rejected and can’t accept that the bright vision of a future I saw in front of me was just mocking me and left me in the dark. I was ready to take my chance for happiness with all the good and bad sides, ready to fight without compromises and that’s why it hurts like hell.
People look at me and think I must be happy, go to a festival every weekend and have an amazing life, because that’s how I look. Don’t judge a book by its cover, you have no idea what’s happening inside.
I know I have to be kind to myself and stop the unhealthy coping mechanisms. Step one is to admit that I am not well, step two is to find more self-love. I need to have more patience with myself, it’s ok to feel bad until I wake up one day and start the day with a smile. That day will come, no matter how long it takes. Until then I don’t want to wear black or beige.
When life gives you oranges, what are you supposed to do? I say: Turn them into juice or wear them as a jumpsuit! This might be my last summer look unless I manage to smuggle myself into the cargo bay of a plane and make it to Madagascar. If not, you have to be happy with this bright mix of orange and pink – one of my favourite colour combos – for a while and be sure that my autumn looks will not be beige either.
Lana del Rey sings “Summertime Sadness” while I write those lines. It matches my feelings so well right now: No, I don’t want to let my favourite season go. So please summer, kiss me just one more time with your warm rays of sunshine before you go. Just another time and another very last time and maybe one time more and I wear my orange jumpsuit for you.
My look and the song have those sweet and sticky vintage vibes in common, just like orange juice served with a lot of sugar. While the wind plays with my earrings I think of times long gone I spent on the beautiful island Bali.
Back then, I bought a wooden parrot necklace in a tiny shop at the beach and wore it all the time. The birds were just as colourfully painted as those on my new earrings. Many things I love to include in my looks have their roots in my childhood, this is no exception. I come back to them and reinterpret them regularly. Just like there is summer after winter and light after dark, they return.
So yes, if life gives you oranges, be happy! It means winter is not here yet and you received fruits that taste of summer, warmth and sweetness. You might remember something almost forgotten…
This weekend it was time for my favourite fashion show of the year in Zurich: The Mode Suisse. The presentation of the spring/summer collections of ten selected Swiss labels took place on a rooftop in the city of Zurich during sunset but felt more like a sunrise of colours.
On this evening I found fresh hope that Switzerland is finally getting more colourful. While the audience was dressed more or less dressed in dark colours, the runway was filled with a (for Zurich) unusual amount of colour. Julia Heuer’s bright rainbow palette joined Jacqueline Loekito’s sweet pastels and Mourjians sparkling sequins. Emerald green was a very prominent colour among several designers and we saw a lot of plissé and knitwear. Diversity was the topic of the evening, models of all shapes, ages and skin tones rocked the catwalk and questioned stereotypical gender roles.
Jacqueline Loekito: You We Us
The third collection of Swiss-based British/Indonesian designer Jacqueline Loekito presented at Mode Suisse is inspired by Picasso’s painting Acrobat and Young Harlekin and dominated by pastel blue and pink with diamond patterns. The classical baby colours are a perfect choice for her favourite topic: The questioning of gender roles. No matter your gender, love unites us, is her message. Don’t be fooled: Jacqueline doesn’t just put men into women’s clothes, she sweeps the borders between completely away. While her last collection was a loud and angry scream, this one shows a softer and calmer version of her themes, surprising and refreshing. Her accessories deserve another mention: My craving of the eve goes to her heart-shaped bag and the big amazing hats. Want!
Amorphose: Will Spring Come to Me?
Lugano-based designer Giancarlo Bello asks if spring will come to him and gives the answer himself: Yes, it’s already here and it’s this beautiful collection of exquisitely handcrafted outfits, some of them more sculptures than just looks. The designer was inspired by the metamorphosis of a young woman and translated his feelings into feathers and lace, fresh green shades as well as feminine red. I think everybody in the audience remembered the moment from his last show when model Toni Dreher stepped onto the catwalk wearing a red round shield in front of her, this time her shield was green and made of springlike plants as a warrior of grace from the mind of Amorphose.
Julia Heuer: Superbloom
Julia Heuer’s show was the first one and a strong promise of an evening full of excitement. Julia did what she can do best: Her vibrant Prints and unique Japanese Shibori plissé, combined with simple cuts that don’t take the attention from the beauty of the fabrics. The former head of print design of Jakob Schläpfer just knows what she does and stays true to herself. Please just don’t stop doing more dear Julia. I would wear every single piece of this collection straight away, it’s happy fashion for sophisticated people.
Mourjjan: Circus of Life
Mourjjan’s circus is an elegant and sparkling collection of diamond-pattern, generously used sequins and a play between creating big volume and sext cuts, fierce and gentle at the same time. The flowing creations of the Roland Rahal are made to brighten up party nights with their glamour. While their last collection was in rather dark colours, this one features a bright and absolutely stunning colour palette that makes me love it much more. It’s fashion for a modern woman who is neither angel or demon, but unites the ambivalence of our world with its million of facets in her soul and looks.
The probably best thing about Mode Suisse besides the show is always the company. Thanks to those two for sharing the excitement with me. Doesn’t Cherry Greta rock that Vixen by Micheline Pitt leather skirt?
Pictures: Courtesy of Mode Suisse by Alexander Palacios
