It’s kind of funny. When I was thinking about getting this bag (affiliate link), I put it on my Instagram stories and made a poll.

Close to 90% of my followers said: “don’t get it”.

And I almost didn’t because of it. But then I decided to listen inwards. What do I really want? And I discovered I really loved the butt off this bag, so I got in anyway.

Sometimes the decision is only ours to make. I have been looking for a small pink bag to wear to events and nights out. And this one is really cute and different. I love the clash between the symmetry of the circles and the asymmetric shape of the actual bag.

I saw it at the event I went to with Moms of Mayfair and Roksanda. It was sitting there on a shelf, screaming “Tess, I’m perfect, you need me in your life!”. Also, the fact that a part of the sale went to charity made it feel like a slam-dunk.

If I’m only allowing myself one single purchase every month, it’s really important that I love that one item. And that I am going to use it for a long time. This is not a trend-purchase. The color matches my pastel-heavy wardrobe perfectly, the shape is unusual and it’s by a brilliant designer I very much admire – Roksanda Ilincic.

The proof is in the pudding, I have used it loads since and my PPW (price per wear) is getting better with each wear.

Now I’m officially half-way through my year of one-item-a-month and it has completely changed the way I shop. I have never loved my wardrobe as much as I do now. I don’t end up spending all that much less money, but I spend a hell of a lot better. I get one item that I truly want instead of several things I kind of like.

I have gotten rid of anything that doesn’t feel 100% like me and I can actually see my clothes now when there is a bit more space around them.

My Marie Kondo clear out was such a great catalyst and since then my shopping and my wardrobe are streamlined in a completely different way. I’m converted for sure. I will never go back to hoard fast fashion and chase fad trends again. I’m done with that chapter in my life and it both shows on the outside and I feel better on the inside too.

I’m doing my best to edit a truly sustainable wardrobe and a big part of it is picking out those special pieces to keep for a very long time. This little bag is one of them and I’m so happy I got it.

What is your best recent fashion purchase? Check out my January, February, March, April, and May purchases. 

You can find my lovely pink little Roksanda bag at Matches fashion. (affiliate link) It also comes in different colors. 

Post-pregnancy bodies – what a loaded subject. 

On one hand, you have carried a baby inside of you and nourished it with your own bloodstream for 9 months. Your belly and breasts have expanded the way they are meant to do. To be able to not only house the growing human inside, but also it’s food supply for the first few months. It is what our bodies are supposed to do and our main purpose in life from an evolutionary perspective.

However, on the other hand, it’s rare for someone’s physique to change in such a quick and extreme manner. It’s easy to say “it’s all normal” and “it’s the price you pay for having children”. But most of us are still freaked out. Our bodies are our homes, we are used to knowing what they look, and most importantly of all, feels like.

There is one thing to look in the mirror and see something unknown, and a completely different ballgame to look inwards and actually feel “wrong”.

I remember laying on my back for the first time in months after having Ace, putting a hand on my belly and freaking out big time. My previous 4-pack of abs felt like a big batch of cookie dough. It took many months before I dared to have another feel and by then, it had gotten a lot better. But it was still nowhere close to what I would consider my own belly to be.

I don’t think we are aware of what our bladder, intestines, and stomach actually feel like before we have a baby. Like the actual sensation of them. But you realize pretty quickly after that we do have sensations in those areas and also some kind of idea of what is meant to be where.

After pregnancy, I could physically feel my organs shifting. From week to week slowly moving around to try to find new comfortable places inside their new much larger dwelling.

It might sound a bit freaky and scary, and I’m not going to sugarcoat, it really is.

It’s one of the many things no one tells you about post-pregnancy bodies.

You are made to feel like you are not meant to care about it either. So the whole subject is very hush hush. Because if you do voice an opinion, you will most likely be met with either “9 months to grow, 9 months to go”. Or a get a stinky look and a reminder that you have a healthy baby and should be grateful.

BTW, the 9 months thing is total BS. For me, it has been 2 years and my body is still anything but familiar to me. Also, I even now feel like things are slowly shifting around in there. All those misplaced bits and bobs that got squished up into some forgotten corner of my ribcage when my belly was full are still feeling slightly lost and confused.

No one talks about this. Post-pregnancy bodies are not up for discussion in any other way than to be grateful and content.

I love all the ladies showing off their bodies after kids and saying they are completely happy and content. It’s amazing, go you!

But what about all the ones who are not happy? Who suffers in silence and can’t “get over it”. Those who feel lost in their own self and are ashamed to raise the subject?  Especially when seeing all those smiley faces celebrating their mom-bods and stretch marks in magazines and on tv.

Why do we have to be so darn grateful all the time? Can we not just get to say, “yeah, it’s shit”, if that is how we feel?

Or at least get to be freaked out and complain about it without being told we are ungrateful.

We seem to be able to do anything else with modern technology and skilled doctors. Why do we give birth and then get left to deal with whatever mess we end up with and on top of it be asked to be grateful?

I have had followers tell me horror stories of having such bad Diastasis Recti she actually looked like they had a small backpack hanging off the front of her belly. And what did the doctor tell her…? “This is your new body, get used to it”.

Say what?!

Anti-aging and wrinkles are a million-pound industry. These tiny little lines on our forehead are considered something completely normal to get rid of. But an actually mal-functioning body after pregnancy is not?

We are meant to embrace our stretchmarks, deal with uncomfortable scarring in our private areas, not talk too loudly about hemorrhoids, prolapsing bowels, and vaginas, and to live with Diastasis Recti and hernias for the rest of our lives.

Can you not be grateful for having a healthy baby AND be allowed to feel uncomfortable in your post-pregnancy body?

I wish people would have spoken out louder about these things before I had a baby. It would have made the emotional process a lot easier to be somewhat prepared. I love Ace and I’m indeed grateful my body made him. But I hate how I feel on the inside. I hate the Diastasis Recti that prevents me from moving normally, makes my back hurt and stops me from feel strong and like “me” again.

Most of all I hate not being able to say these things about my post-pregnancy body without being told I’m ungrateful. 

Because people are still asking me if I’m pregnant when I wear swimwear, I have become really careful when it comes to wearing bikinis. This swimsuit by Ida Sjöstedt (gift) is one of the few things I can wear to the beach and still feel good in. I love the little frills and the detail in the waist is really pretty. It’s on sale at the moment and you can find it here.  My earrings are also by Ida Sjöstedt and you can get yours here (also a gift).

Hi guys, how are you doing? 

I’m actually having quite the exciting week.

I have been offered a job kind of out of nowhere and I think I’m going to take it. It’s only for 2 days a week to start with, so I can still do the blogs and have some time with Ace. I feel like it is the perfect time for me to start something new. Even though it’s a completely new environment for me, I think I will be pretty good at it.

For the first time in my life, I will have an office to go to in the morning. It’s kind of exciting!

All of a sudden I will have a “work-Tess” that is not a “sitting-in-a-café-with-a-laptop-Tess”. I will have colleagues and a schedule that isn’t 100% dictated by myself. Ace will do two full-days of nursery a week instead of 3 half days and I will still have Wednesday mornings to pick up slack for the blog.

I have to suppress the urge to go all mad-men and get myself loads of pencil skirts and pussy-bow blouses. Can you imagine…

This is my vision, mantra, focus, and lesson this week; 

My mantra this week  – “If I’m not scared, I’m not challenging myself enough”. This new job is a bit scary. I have never really worked for anyone before. I have been a model and a blogger my whole adult life and to take a step into the corporate world is a step into the unknown. The reason I’m choosing to accept is that I know I will be good at it and I really enjoy the subject. It’s all a bit cryptic, but I promise you will know more about it later. I definitely have little butterflies in my stomach.

My affirmation this week – “What I don’t know, I can learn”. It’s not always about what you know. It’s actually more about how open you are to learn something new. We just have to have confidence in our own learning ability and understand that no one is expecting us to know everything from the start.

My goal this week – I need a bit of child-free downtime this week. I haven’t been out with my girlfriends in ages so I’m planning to go out for drinks with a friend Friday night.

My dream of the week  – To have a housekeeper/nanny? I dream about having to do less housework so I can focus more on Ace and my actual work. Garth travels a lot and only comes home after 7 in the evening when he is in London. So even if we try to have a somewhat equal divide of chores, I still end up doing at least 75%. I think it’s quite common when one partner works from home to then automatically end up doing the lion’s share.

My vision this week – My vision is to excel at this new role and to be able to do more days for this company later on. When Ace starts school in a couple of years time, I would like to feel that I have properly re-joined the workforce.

My focus this week  –  Get my admin done. God, I got sooo much bloody admin at the moment. Phonecalls, take Olive to the vet, Ace to the doctor, packages to send and receive, emails to write and general home stuff… ect. All things are small but put together I feel exhausted thinking about them. My trick is the put it all in my calendar and divide it up to manageable chunks over the next few days. Why does everything always have to happen in the same week?

The event of the week – I think this is the first week in forever I don’t have one single event to go to. And to be honest, it’s kind of nice.

My lesson from last week – You have no idea what unexpectedly can pop up. I wasn’t looking for a job, heck I didn’t even know I was going to an interview. I thought I was meeting a company to check out their product to see if I would use it myself.

My little luxury this week – I’m going to sit down and do an order of a whole bunch of skincare products I have been wanting to try. It will be my little reward for getting my new job. I love new skincare, don’t you?

My inspiration this week  – If you are an influencer, I really think you should check out the podcast “A drink with James”. It’s the head of the Influencer network Fohr that chats about influencer specific subjects and give all kinds of insights. Sometimes with guest, but always with a glass of whiskey. It’s a bit of a niche tip, but I really enjoy it.

What is your vision, mantra, focus, and lesson this week?

My set is by Beulah London. A company who donates 10% of their profit to organizations that are fighting to eradicate modern-day slavery. 

Photos – Ida Zander.

As a model in my 30s, I know how important beautiful healthy skin is to the way we look and feel.

As we know by now, the sun is not our amigo.

Sure it provides us with vitamin d, a functioning environment for us to survive in and makes the world less of a dark place. It also gives us a nice tanned glow that we covet so much. However what we sometimes forget. Well, ignore, is that the sun also gives us things like sunspots, wrinkles, pigmentation, saggy skin and in the worst case scenario even cancer.

To tan is a very short term gain with a long term loss out of a beauty perspective. Because your tan fades and you are left with damage that is pretty permanent.

This is why SPF is so important. 

Yes, you read it everywhere and yes it’s common knowledge. But still, so many people do crazy things like go to tanning beds and lay out in the sun roasting like chickens with no SPF in sight. What are you doing people?!

I make a point out of trying out new sun protection every time I go on holiday. I see it as a part of my job here on the blog. Because even if we sit in the shade, covered in clothes and with a massive hat on, some UV rays will still reach us.

SPF is the best investment you can do for your skin. And most of the time it isn’t even an expensive one.

When we went to South Africa recently I brought 3 products for sun protection;

1. An SPF for the body.

I got sent Vichy Idéal Soleil SPF 30 (-affiliate link + gift) a while ago and I was intrigued with the light consistency. It’s a really light oil, almost like water. You spray it on and rub it in. It’s got a silky texture, smells nice and gets absorbed by the skin quickly.

One day I missed a spot whilst doing my back and by the evening I was sporting a snazzy outline of a finger. I take this as proof that this product does its job even though it’s so light.

2. A physical SPF for beach days.

I chose The Ordinary Mineral UV Filter SPF 30 (affiliate link, out of stock but worth signing up for).

We often talk about physical and chemical sun protection. Both of them will protect your skin from the sun but in slightly different ways. A physical SPF will do a better job since it basically forms a barrier on top of the skin that reflects any UV rays. The plus is that you can really trust this kind of sun protection. The negative is that it does leave you with a slightly ghost-like white veil all over your face.

I always use physical suncream when I know I will be in direct sunlight. Then I deal with the zombie-look and if it really bothers me I just put a tiny bit of foundation on top.

This product by The ordinary is pretty heavy, but my skin still liked it. So I had no breakouts or problems despite the thick consistency. I even trusted it to the point of using it on Ace’s face the days when we didn’t spend time on the beach (For beach days he was in his UV suit with SPF50 on his delicate flawless babyskin)

3. A chemical SPF for year around use.

I use Elemis Daily Defence SPF 30 (-affiliate link) every day, year around.

I feel like it’s enough protection for a regular day in London. This product is really light and acts like any old cream. I put it on after my day cream and before my makeup and never have any problems with applying other products on top.

Chemical sun protection works by transforming the sun’s UV rays into less damaging versions. It’s not as good a protection as the physical ones. But if I have the choice between this or nothing (because of time, sensitive skin or the white face thing), a chemical SPF is 100 times better.

Elemis’ version is a really good product for people who normally don’t use SPF to find a hassle-free and simple way of protecting their skin through their regular morning skincare routine.

Growing up in my family was a disaster skin-wise.

We never used sun protection and competed in who could get the deepest darkest tan. If someone got burnt and red, my parents said “we got color” and it was a positive thing.

I really have to suffer from this as an adult since it has left me with skin very sensitive to the sun. I have freckles, sun spots and after pregnancy pretty bad pigmentation. I will try laser, but for now, my best bet is to make sure I don’t damage my skin any further.

If you have lovely healthy non-damaged skin, please make sure to appreciate and take care of it. And if you are like me, just make sure you don’t make it any worse.

I always find it funny how we can spend so much money on clothes and other things we can take off at the end of the day. And sometimes totally neglect our skin, that stays on 24/7.

Ok, now I want to know. What is your favorite sun protection?

As you guys probably know by now, I’m a mom.

A mom to a 21-month-old toddler that loves to smear banana all over the sofa, shares his food with the dog and never want to brush his teeth. He is also training hard for muddy puddle jumping Olympics…

So I have my hands full as you might understand (and my hair full too…of banana). I love it, he keeps me on my toes and I laugh more and harder than ever in my life before.

However, sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that life offers other things than buying nappies and washing muddy clothes.

So the other day when my lovely friend Louis Nicolas Darbon called and asked if I fancied coming to a champagne and chocolate tasting. He did not have to ask twice.

Not only am I the biggest lover of chocolate, but I also mainly enjoy two types of alcohol – champagne and rum. So the chocolate and champagne together is a match made in heaven.

Throw in the fact that he picked me up in a brand new Bentley Continental GTC and you can imagine what a treat this was. I mean the car has a built-in massage feature for your back. Mind blown!

The contrast from wrestling a screaming toddler out of a giant muddy puddle in the morning. To be sitting in a Bentley driving through London (whilst having my back massaged) wearing a pretty dress and eating luxury chocolate a couple of hours later is quite something.

Our end destination was Taste of London – A food festival here different restaurants, drinks brands, bakers and anyone else who sell edible things comes together and hosts little pop-ups.

It’s a lovely place to spend an evening going from stall to stall, sampling great food and just enjoy the atmosphere. Or you can join in on a cooking class, listen to some live music or take part in a fun game. It’s up to you.

No matter what, it’s a really nice thing to do. So if you haven’t been I would highly recommend it. You can see when and where the next Taste of London will be on their website here. 

We headed straight to Firetree – a luxury dark chocolate brand that specializes in making chocolate from cacao grown on volcanic islands. Pretty cool right?

As soon as I got there I found a glass of crips Tattinger champagne in my hand and the tasting began.

I was amazed at the flavor of the different chocolate types. Mainly because Firetree adds no flavoring and all the taste notes in the chocolate come from the bean itself. It’s the flavor the plant has absorbed from the volcanic soil that makes the variations between the different types of chocolate they sell. Cool right?

Every pack has the taste notes printed on the inside of the pack when you open it. Flavors like honey, cherry, and truffle. So you know what to look for in the taste whilst you slowly let the chocolate melt in your mouth.

As a massive lover of dark chocolate, I found this tasting fascinating. It was almost more like a wine tasting in the way it was conducted.

I also got to take quite a few bars of chocolate with me home. I had to remind Garth that this chocolate is for slow consumption. He is a monster when it comes to chocolate and will inhale it all in one go if he gets the chance.

But at £8 a bar, it’s definitely worth sampling this luxurious bit of heaven slooooowly.

I feel so spoilt to get the opportunity to be invited to an event like this. I love being a mom and all that comes with raising a half-feral bundle of energy. But I also love to get to do something nice for myself now and then.

If I only had one of the two in my life I would probably get bored. It’s the balance between the two different worlds that makes my life interesting. It allows me to appreciate the contrasts and be grateful that my life has so much depth to it.

Thank you, Louis, Firetree & Bentley for a great afternoon. I truly enjoyed it and feel terribly spoilt. 

*This experience was gifted by Bentley and Firetree chocolates.

Hi lovelies, how are you doing? Anyone on holiday yet?

We actually decided to stay put this summer. Well, with a week in Sweden for Harry’s (my nephew) birthday. But apart from that week, we thought we would stay in the UK for once. Enjoy our garden, hopefully, have some picnics in the sun and maybe have a little staycation somewhere nice in the countryside.

I’m trying to be more mindful of my flying habits. It’s obviously not great for the environment to be jet setting around the globe constantly. So I try to limit it to seeing friends and family. I want every trip we do to have a purpose beyond just a holiday. I will still fly but not unnecessarily and always pick my destinations with care.

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. If all of us skip that one or two flights a year, it will add up.

This is my vision, mantra, focus, and little luxury this week; 

My mantra this week  – ”Slow and steady wins the race”. I like to work quietly. I put down long-term goals and keep my head down and squirrel away. When I reach my goals it might look like easy wins to others, but believe me, it’s not. I just like to keep things under wraps. I rather want to be last in the race, and then surprise everyone by overtaking just before the finish line.

My affirmation this week – ”You can change almost everything in your life”. This is an affirmation I find incredibly important and use often. Sometimes our lives can feel conditioned by our circumstances. But it’s most of the time actually only an illusion. If you start to look around, you will realize pretty quickly that you are only a decision away from changing something significant. We also always have the option of how we react to the struggles life throws at us. I try to think “what can this teach me?” or “what is in my power to change in this situation?” if something doesn’t go as I planned.

My goal this week – This week’s goal is to decide what influencer networks to join and if I should have an agent here in the UK as well as the one I have in Sweden. I’m having a few meetings this week and by Sunday I’m planning to sit down, have a proper think and re-structure my business plan accordingly. It’s important to constantly be fluid and open for change in this business.

My dream of the week  – I’m dreaming of a collaboration with NET-A-PORTER’s new platform ”Sustain”. (affiliate link) It would be the perfect match for me. Sustainable, quality and timeless fashion. Whoever helps me get that gig would be my new hero in life. (Sending it out to the universe!)

My vision this week – My vision this week is to be able to do CrossFit again. My Diastasis Recti is still pretty bad and I’m barely allowed to do any exercise to not run the risk of making it worse or injuring myself. At this point, my stomach muscles have come together as much as they will on their own, so the next step is surgery. However if I have it done, I can’t have more kids after. So it looks like I have to wait a few years. Until then I just have to keep carefully doing yoga and dream of having a strong back and stomach again in the future.

My focus this week  – Garth is in Paris and I only have Ace to keep up with, So I’m using this time to really set down my routines and work on my efficiency. I love my routines and when I’m on my own I can really live the kind of life I thrive in without compromising.

The event of the week – A heatwave is coming to London and I’m excited to be hanging out in the garden. I have put Olive’s (the dog) ice vest in the freezer and need to dive into our messy basement and pull out and find Ace’s (the son) paddling pool. Bring on the heat!

My lesson from last week – You never know what fun stuff is lurking behind the corner. I feel like I’m getting nice surprises every day at the moment. Life is exciting!

My little luxury this week – I have loads of proper luxury chocolates at home from a fun event I attended last week (post to come) If you follow me on Instagram you already know what I’m talking about.

My inspiration this week  – I fell into a virtual black hole the other day and didn’t reappear again until hours later. I found this completely non-flashy ugly blog with all these really interesting articles on parenting.  ”Barking up the wrong tree”  is a great example of not judging a blog by its cover.

What is your vision, mantra, focus, and little luxury this week?

My jumper (*gift) is not only hand painted, but also made of 100% organic cotton. The brand is called Keepers tees and is exactly the kind of company I like to show you here on the blog. Small, sustainable, with some lovely items. Check them out! 

It was 2001, I was 19 years old, had just been to New York and came back to Stockholm with a suitcase full of new clothes. 

Bootcut jeans with a loooow waist. Tops tight as the skin on a snake, preferably in some kind of lace and with a deep v-neck. On my feet, you would find either a pair of pointy denim boots á la Britney Spears or a pair of pink strappy sandals with perspex flowers. Both with a heel high enough to eventually give me a not so stylish limp and result in 2 months of sit-dancing in clubs (still in high heels though..).

It was the very first time I felt like I had my own style. I had bought it all myself, with my own money and I felt confident and like “me”.

It was great then, but not a style I’m in a hurry to repeat. Mainly because it wasn’t in fact “my style” at all, but exactly what on trend at the time.

It’s easy to confuse “trendy” and to “have style”.

Trends are what makes the fashion industry so lucrative. We actually don’t need a lot of clothes, but trends make us want them. Style is when someone really knows what fits them and wear and buy only that. Trendy people purchase a lot more clothes than people who have style.

It’s easy to follow trends, you just buy what everyone else wears. The magazines and the shops will showcase a lot of one particular kind of cut, pattern or shape. Just pick one of all the options and you will be on trend.

…for a while…

Until next month when a new magazine comes out and the shops start stocking this new “latest” must-have. And then we are stuck in the hamster wheel of chasing fashion and what’s “in”. Last months clothes are “out” and you wouldn’t be caught dead in a top with the “wrong” neckline or that pattern you loved so much a couple of weeks ago.

Not only is it a complete waste of money and natural resources, but it’s also bloody exhausting to hunt trends. And sooner or later you will end up a fashion victim in some hideous creation you will see in photos and regret for years to come.

The problem with trends is that they change so quickly, you actually never get a chance to develop your own style. It’s all done for you. And you will very rarely feel like you are wearing the right thing. Always worrying if there is something cooler out there waiting in the next shop window.

You can’t win the fashion game by chasing trends. It’s a dead end. There is always a new trend around the corner and what you are wearing will be old news any second.

The key to a truly great wardrobe and a unique style is to completely stop caring about what other people think you should buy. This includes shops and magazines. You will never find your style if you don’t look for it.

Instead, to have a timeless style you need to follow 5 simple rules :

Rule 1 – Buy only items that fit you really well. And if it doesn’t fit perfectly, have it tailored.

All our bodies are different. What might suit one person really well can look a bit off on someone else. It all comes down to proportions. Don’t buy something because it looks good on someone else, buy it because it looks good on you. And NEVER buy something for the body you want instead of the one you do have. You are here and now, don’t get a size smaller because you expect to lose weight, etc (the only exception is pregnancy wear, then you are allowed to size up for growth).

Rule 2 – Know your colors. What suits you and brings out the best in your complexion.

If moss-green makes your emerald eyes pop, make sure to wear it often. We all suit different shades, so know if you are better off in cold or warm colors and what shades flatter your skin tone. I, for example, can’t wear beige but look amazing in pale pink. So if I get inspired by someone wearing head-to-toe beige, I can do the same but in pink instead.

Rule 3 – Only buy an item if you can see yourself still wearing it in 3 years time. 

Few trends last longer than a couple of years. So 3 is a good number to work towards. Ideally, you still want to wear an item 10 years down the line, but it’s harder to plan for and only our absolute best purchases make it that far. When you wear items for 10 years or longer you have officially graduated to style ninja.

Rule 4 – Buy less- but buy better.

I’m all about sustainability and quality. And the biggest mistake I did when I was a shopaholic was to buy cheap and several. I only ever ended up wearing one of the 5 similar tops I had and the rest collected dust in my wardrobe until I threw them out. Always go for quality and ask yourself the question “Do I have anything similar that I would rather want to wear than this?”

Rule 5 – Throw away all other rules than these 5.

Don’t look at sizing, choose what actually suits your body. These days I love the oversized look and often buy things that are “too big” for me. Also, who says certain colors don’t match and why are they the ones to decide? Actually, fashion is like art, most people have a lot to say about it. But in the end, it’s exactly what you make of it. There is no right or wrong, only your expression. So never ever listen to someone telling you what you shouldn’t wear. Age, body type, gender – if you feel good in it, wear it.

I’m so happy to be off the trend rollercoaster and finally, I can focus on finding my own style. My goal is to become one of those effortless dressers that never worry about what to wear. Someone who really knows their personal style and barely ever have to buy anything new.

So how about it? Let’s get off this trend roller-coaster and go find our personal timeless style instead.

My linen shirt and trousers are by Asceno and are a great example of timeless clothing to wear forever (or at least more than 3 years). – affiliate links

Photo – Ida Zander

I’m so proud of myself and my journey from a trend-led shopaholic to instead aiming for and curating a small but perfect sustainable wardrobe. 

I’m excited to be able to combine two of my biggest interest – sustainability and fashion.

I’m at the point in my life when I can afford to buy quality and I’m also wise enough to want the world to still be a lovely place to live in for my great-grandkids.

As an influencer, I get contacted by hundreds of brands a month. However, most of them don’t fit in with my ethos and the direction I’m going with my own wardrobe. So out of frustration, I did a shout-out on my Instagram trying to find the best small sustainable brands to show you guys. I shoot loads of content all the time, why not make sure I only pick the cream of the cream?

And it worked! A whole bunch of fantastic brands got in contact and I brought a few of them with on our trip to South Africa.

I believe in building the perfect sustainable capsule wardrobe from 3 key sources;

1. Sustainable brands with environmentally friendly ethos, transparency of production and fair working conditions. 
2. Pre-loved and second-hand items.
3. Sustainability through quality and timelessness. To buy clothing that will last us for years and years and have a good second-hand value. 

It’s actually a lot easier than I thought. And for you, well I will do all the work for you here on the blog. Just pick and choose what you like and I will make sure it’s both sustainable and useful.

One area I have been struggling a bit in is sustainable homewear.

Since I’m a mom and work from home I end up spending a lot of time wearing “comfy stuff”. This has not always been the most attractive clothes though…I’m ashamed to even tell you this. We are talking old sportswear, Garth’s t-shirts and all kinds of items with holes and stains on them.

I decided I needed to up my game and to make sure I find some lovely sustainable homewear that are not only comfy enough to play with Ace in, but I also feel decent in if someone knocks on the door.

I’m so happy I came across Theo + George (or rather that they came across my little shout-out) – affiliate link. They have a great sustainable and transparent ethos and make the most fantastic basics in great quality. Jumpers and leggings in cashmere, cotton t-shirts and lots more. Exactly what I need!

I have been looking for the perfect cashmere leggings for a while and these from Theo + George – affiliate link, ticks all the boxes.

I brought them with me to South Africa and except for my swimwear, it was the item I wore the most. Every night after Ace had gone to bed and I had my shower I would put them on, ready to eat dinner under the stars.

And most mornings we would walk down the beach watching the sunrise, drink coffee and throw balls in the waves for John and Debbie’s dog, Buddy. It is actually winter down there at the moment, so the days are warm but the nights are pretty chilly. To be covered in cashmere from head-to-toe was gorgeous.

The lifestyle in that place is just magical, I could easily move there tomorrow.

And btw I’m not walking around with an empty cup, there is a small but strong dash of coffee in there, I promise haha.

Another great find at Theo + George is THE perfect white v-neck t-shirt. – affiliate link

We all know how hard it is to find good t-shirts that aren’t see-through, has good length sleeve and aren’t too wide or too slim. Add sustainability to the equation and you got quite the challenge. I only got one of these, but I’m going to get a few more. (If you buy 2 you get a 3rd for free!)

My top tip is to always buy a bunch when you find a t-shirt you really like. It sounds like it would be an easy purchase, but this simple piece of clothing can be hard to get right. The perfect white t-shirt is a bit of a holy grail in a capsule wardrobe.

I’m so happy to have found a great brand for luxury sustainable homewear. I will never again dress like a slob at home. It’s so important for creativity to get up and “get ready” for my day even though I work from home. I’m also fed up with the “mom look” and deserve some nice outfits even when I’m not out and about.

I have thrown out all my stained old “comfy stuff” and from now on I will only wear things that make me feel and look nice.

Ok, confession time. What do you wear at home?

You can find more sustainable homewear at Theo + George – And if you like my perfect grey cashmere leggings , get them here, my gorgeous pink cashmere jumper here and the perfect v-neck t-shirt here. – affiliate links

This post contains gifts.

Hi guys, how are you?

You have to excuse a Mindful Monday post on a Tuesday. I had a photoshoot yesterday, left the house at 05.30 and didn’t come back until 11 at night. But I still think it’s such an important post, so I decided to write it today instead.

We shot in this gorgeous old barn and for once I was actually neither too hot or too cold. You see, catalogs shoot a season ahead. So we freeze our butts off in bikinis on beaches in January and sweat our tits off in winter coats in July. You learn how to get rid of goosebumps for enough time to take a few snaps. The glamorous life of a model huh?

I’m not complaining though. I love my job and I’m really happy to be back modeling again. I’m not doing as many jobs as before I was pregnant, but the ones I do are bigger. So it evens out. I have slightly different priorities now, so to be able to still model, but not do loads of castings really work for me.

This is my goal, mantra, focus, and vision this week; 

My mantra this week – “Close a door, open a window”. Sometimes you have to close the door to something old, to be able to open up a window and let something new in. It can be scary to let go of something that used to work really well, but might not be the best fit anymore. We can’t do everything all the time, so it’s important to dare to change things up and choose a new path.

My affirmation this week – “I know who I am and what I stand for”. Sometimes other people try to put words in our mouths and want to define who we are. Then it’s really important to know what we actually want and not to let people project their own ideas onto us. If we listen to everything other people are telling us about ourselves, then we will only end up confused about our own identity. So the affirmation “I know who I am and what I stand for” is one of the most important ones.

My goal this week – To relate back to the mantra of the week. In my case, this is about blog representation. I have been represented by United Influencers in Scandinavia for a few years now. However, I have lately had a lot of interest from UK brands and UI don’t really know the market here well enough to manage me here. So I’m now looking for new representation as an influencer for the UK market. I will still stay with United Influencers for Scandinavia but will have a second agent here. It’s all very exciting!

My dream of the week – Haha you must be bored with reading about my dream of living somewhere warm. But this is what visualization is all about. Repeat the impossible over and over again. Until it all of a sudden feel possible. That’s how a dream becomes a goal. It can take a while, but it does work.

My vision this week – “A morning playing with Ace on the beach and the afternoon on my laptop realizing all my work-related dreams and goals.” Before I had a baby, my job was the most important thing in my life. I worked constantly in one way or another and I was very happy about being busy. But since I had Ace my priorities have changed. I still want to work, but I also want to see my beautiful little boy grow up. Now it’s all about finding the perfect balance.

My focus this week – This week I’m focusing on finding a UK agent. I had a meeting with a network today and I will talk to another agent tomorrow. It has to be the perfect fit or it won’t work.

The event of the week  – This Saturday is midsummer and we are celebrating at my friend Josefina’s house. I’m looking forward to singing songs, dancing silly dances and let the boys roam in the garden.

My lesson from last week – Ace loves coming with us to CrossFit competitions. We took him with us to Turf Games this weekend and he had loads of fun. He ran around talking to everyone and tried to lift all the weights. Garth is always excited to compete, but since we had Ace he has been a bit worried about spending time apart from him on the weekends. Now we can all come and watch and that will make it a lot easier.

My everyday-luxury this week– I have finally finished “21 lessons for the 21st century” (adlink) and I’m looking to treat myself to a new great book. I’m thinking I might buy another one of  Yuval Noah Hariri’s books? Since I love this one so much. Have anyone of you read Sapiens or Homo Deus? (adlinks)

My inspiration this week – Have you read the book “4 hour work week“? (adlink). I read it a while ago and I have ever since used a few of Tim Ferriss principles. Especially when it comes to saving time around meetings/phone calls and emails. I am a lot better at not wasting my time after reading this book. I highly recommend it.

What is your goal, mantra, focus, and vision this week?

Photo – Ida Zander. You can find my Blank NYC biker here and skirt here. (both are on sale) My Golden Goose sneakers are available here.  (adlinks)

You know when a dream come true? When you have manifested and hoped for something for a really long time and all of a sudden it happens. 

It just happened.

My absolute favorite Swedish designer got in contact with me and asked if I was interested in becoming a brand ambassador. Mind blown!!

Ida Sjöstedt is THE name you need to know in Swedish fashion. Not only does she makes the most gorgeous clothing, but she is also the designer of Princess Sofia of Sweden’s wedding dress and she throws the best fashion shows of all of  Stockholm fashion week. It’s the one ticket every fashionista covet.

And I’m now a brand ambassador for them. It’s such an honor and I couldn’t be more excited. I have been fangirling over this brand for so long and now I get to work with her.

So first out in our collaboration is this amazing dress.

It’s called Eden and you could wear it on your wedding day if you fancy. I, however, chose to take it to the beach in South Africa. I’m also hoping to be invited to a fancy event in the near future. Wouldn’t it look stunning on the red carpet?!

It has the most gorgeous 3d print flowers and the fit is unreal. It got a bit of weight to it, so the fall of the fabric makes it look even more flattering. I can’t think of one body shape this dress wouldn’t look great on. I’m a massive fan of spaghetti straps that shows off collarbones. Just dab a bit of highlighter on the top of the bone and they will pop louder than your favorite champagne.

What I love about Ida Sjöstedt is that she creates from a true passion for beautiful things. Her signature style is romantic and dreamy. Her clothing is not trend-led but made to last you a lifetime. The pieces are timeless and in the best quality you can imagine. She wants all women to feel the best about themselves, but at the same time “challenge society’s common ideas about good taste”. And she succeeds.

It’s amazing to see such a feminine design rooted in a country known for its minimalism. It makes her clothes truly stand out.

And you guys know how much sustainability matters to me. So it makes me very happy that Ida Sjöstedt has such a great sustainable ethos. Every part of the process in creating these wonderful items of beauty has been carefully thought about from an environmental perspective.

I wish every brand would be as transparent with these things as Ida Sjöstedt is. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about doing your best. Even brands that might not be able to be as sustainably conscious would benefit from showing their customers exactly what they do to try to be better. And it’s up to us as consumers to push for it.

My dear hubby always stands in as my photographer when we shoot abroad and to be honest I always love the photos he takes. However we both like to be the art director, so for our marriage’s sake, we limit us working together only for trips.

For these shots, we got up before sunrise and headed to Thompson beach and “The hole in the rock”. I love how the white floral fabric contrasts the black hard rock. Sweet and salt. Whit the furious waves crashing in and creating the most wonderful white foamy droplets in the air. Isn’t the setting just amazing?

I tell you, the first morning light is magical. Nothing beats it when it comes to photography in my opinion. That’s why us models always are up super early when we are doing shoots abroad. To catch those precious first rays.

Since I’m a very proud brand ambassador, you will see more of this fantastic designer in my feed from now on. I can’t wait to show you what Ida Sjöstedt got to offer and I hope you will love it as much as I do.