“Meet me for Tea” with Berlin fashion designer Anna von Griesheim

For 25 years, fashion designer Anna von Griesheim has been an expert in elegant evening dresses and daywear. Born in Munich, she dresses celebrities and politicians such as Chancellor Angela Merkel and advises women on style issues. She commutes between Zurich, Mallorca and Berlin, where I meet Anna for a cup of tea and a little chat.

Anna von Griesheim loves the KPM office cup: “The craftsmanship, the colours and the size make the cup perfect.”

MyStylery: Anna, has a woman who goes shopping in sweatpants given up on fashion?
Anna von Griesheim: When I go to yoga, I also wear sportswear. And nothing is more comfortable than cashmere trousers for a cuddly day at home. But jogging pants as a constant companion are a no-go.
MS: Why do successful women dress like their male colleagues? Does the trouser suit stand for competence?
AvG: Yeah, still. The pantsuit serves as a shield, especially in male-dominated professions. I encourage my female customers to wear dresses. We live in a time in which intelligence, success in life and femininity are not mutually exclusive. Women in an androgynous look miss their femininity.
MS: You advise female leaders on their appearance.
AvG: Women want to be well dressed without worrying about their outfit every day. When they go on a business trip, they expect a wrinkle-free, comfortable wardrobe that fits in their hand luggage. They don’t want any recognizable logos or a sexy-hexy look. Clothing is a form of communication. It conveys an attitude to life and expresses what one wants to portray and convey.

“Most women are overwhelmed by their own wardrobe”, says Anna von Griesheim

MS: Not every woman looks good in every colour.
AvG: That’s right. Look, my skin tends to yellowish, which is why I harmonize with warm colours. You, on the contrary, are a light skin type that is well suited to blue tones, for example. I recommend every woman a well-founded colour consultation on which to build wardrobe and makeup.
MS: My wardrobe is really not small. Nevertheless, I stand in front of it and wonder what on earth to put on. Most of the time I wear the same pieces.
AvG: Well, we all know that. Some women have a keen sense of fashion, they start to mix happily: Zara, Hermès, plus a vintage piece, that’s their perfect look. But that’s rather the exception. Most women are overwhelmed by their own wardrobe. Why not go back to the tried and tested? We often find our counterparts interesting because we recognize them. Jackie Kennedy has remained true to her iconic style and always looked great.

MS: It’s like cleaning out clothes that haven’t been worn for two years or more. Now it’s time for velvet blouses, which I disposed of in the 90s.
AvG: But honestly, would you wear them again this time? I advise you to regularly sort your wardrobe. Get an overview by putting together complete outfits, including accessories. If you don’t want professional advice, ask your best friend. First of all, put the pieces aside well packed and decide after a certain time whether you want to part with them for good.
MS: Trends don’t really bother me anymore. When Leo patterns and berry tones are hip this winter, I don’t really care. How do you feel about it?
AvG: Exactly the same. That’s why I’m not looking for the latest trend for my collections. My designs should accompany customers for a few years.

„KPM is a special brand of great German tradition“, says Berlin fashion designer Anna von Griesheim

MS: Does good taste depend on the size of the purse?
AvG: The variety of fashion today is bigger than ever. With a bit of intuition, you can put together great outfits at low cost labels. So, good taste has nothing to do with budget. What I find terrible, however, is the production of cheap clothes by child labour, which are so full of plastic that they can never be dismantled again. This is irresponsible from an ecological point of view.
MS: What do you do with mispurchases?
AvG: Don’t let it happen in the first place (laughs). If I want to do something good for myself, I’d rather buy a book, go to an exhibition or do yoga. This is balm for the soul.

MS: What belongs in the wardrobe of a mature woman?
AvG: Two well-cut dresses made of soft material like jersey, which you wear during the day with sneakers and in the evening with pumps or ankle boots. A trouser suit whose blazer also works well with a pair of jeans. The white blouse provides a fresh complexion. And a classic trench coat. My favourite piece is a knitted coat, which I can quickly throw over.
MS: And what should we avoid?
AvG: Too tight tops that emphasize disadvantageous areas instead of concealing them. I find the partner look very creepy in the leisure sector and both in the same outdoor jacket. Leggings may be comfortable, but they are not leg flatterers at all. And please always buy the right size and not a size too small in the hope of losing weight. Beware of wild patterns. With a plain look, you are on the safe side. Combine it with a colourful scarf or patterned cloth.
MS: A friend recently said that she doesn’t wear knee-length skirts. She persistently wears her minis.
AvG: Not everything that looks younger makes younger. Our body changes over the years. Unfortunately (laughs). Often the upper body looks more compact, which is accentuated by a skirt that is too short. Women who used to get compliments for their legs look like a barrel on two toothpicks. Everyone has something beautiful about them and that should be the focus.

Anna von Griesheim: “Compliments are part of everyday life in France and don’t end up in the Metoo debate.”

MS: Why are French or Italian women dressed so much better than German women? Even when they go to the weekly market, they do it very elegant.
AvG: This is due to the traditions and self-image of women. Elegance seems to be arrested in their DNA. I’ve lived in France for a long time and I know that compliments are part of communication and have something playful about them. They are part of everyday life in France and don’t end up in the Metoo debate. This also has an effect on the dress style. In Germany, the natural feeling for femininity was eliminated with the Second World War.
MS: There is a North-South divide in clothing issues in Germany. While Hanseatic women dress more classically casual and Munich women like to dress traditionally elegant, the style of the Berlin woman has something indefinable.
AvG: Berlin is a reservoir is for individualists. This longing for uniqueness is not compatible with given dress codes. Nevertheless, young women in Prenzlauer Berg all look the same. They want to come across as casual and easy-going, but they seem rather uniform. By the way, also a kind of dress code.
MS: I only think about how German actors walk the red carpet: They come in a T-shirt instead of a tuxedo shirt. What has gone wrong? The liberation from the fashion dictatorship or just bad education?
AvG: Good question. Maybe a lack of mindfulness. Or an after-effect of the 1968ers and the associated urge for freedom, which could hardly be lived out in the closed-off Berlin. A tuxedo is not only a sign of esteem for the artists on stage or the musicians in the orchestra pit, but also symbolizes an attitude to life. I hope for a renaissance of good manners.

Anna von Griesheim: „My first KPM tableware was ‘Arkadia’, I was a student then and for me KPM was the epitome of luxury. Nevertheless, I was happy about the dishes every day and have been adding new pieces ever since.“

MS: Apropos, may I pour you some more tea?
AvG: With pleasure. Tea is my wellness program through the winter. I grew up with tea. My grandparents lived on Sumatra, where they had plantations, from where my father brought the tradition of drinking tea to Germany. And I have been used to drinking tea since childhood. Every morning my mother woke me up with a toast and an Earl Grey tea. Today I drink myself through the whole range of black, green and herbal teas. Always served in an antique silver pot, which is in daily use with us.
MS: You started with your own label in 1991 and have been represented with your own brand in Germany ever since. Have you ever thought about expanding abroad?
AvG: There have been international inquiries. But in retrospect, I’m very happy to be working only in Germany. I decide alone and don’t have to ask anyone. You can only do big things with big partners. And I never wanted to be the plaything of different interests. BvH

Contact Anna von Griesheim

AnnavonGriesheim.de

The interview-series “Meet me for Tea” is sponsored by KPM – Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin.
More MyStylery interviews you’ll find here.

The post Anna von Griesheim: “As a child I was woken up with a cup of tea every morning.” appeared first on My Stylery.

Designer duo Johnny Talbot, Adrian Runhof and I in their Berlin showroom

For 26 years, the Munich fashion label Talbot Runhof stands for classic elegance and feminine eveningwear. When US actress Kristen Stewart appeared years ago in a black Talbot Runhof robe during the Oscars, the designer duo also made the international breakthrough. Not just celebs appreciate the timeless look of Johnny Talbot and Adrian Runhof. It is important to both designers that women of normal proportions also make a good figure in their clothes. I have an appointment with the two Munich residents in Berlin, where they live in a pied-à-terre in the back of their showroom, which opened in 2017 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. However, Meet Me for Tea takes place without Johnny Talbot, who spontaneously assists a client with her bridal gown selection. An interview with Adrian Runhof. Not just about fashion.

Meet me for tea with Adrian Runhof in his Berlin pied-à-terre

MyStylery: It’s cozy here…
Adrian Runhof: The apartment has been completely renovated. The previous occupant died in this room. So firstly we had to get rid of the “bad vibrations”.
MS: I always find it exciting to see who has lived in such an old apartment before.
AR: Me too. In my Hamburg apartment in the Schlüterstraße, at the corner of Johnsallee, lived a Cape Horner once…
MS: A sailor?
AR: Exactly, one who sailed around the Cape Horn. I happened to meet my neighbor on the street in the middle of the night, when he told me en passant that the captain had died in my apartment. From then on, I could not be in the apartment any more, imagined a one-eyed person with a wooden leg, saw him ghosting around in my apartment at night. Suddenly, I also realized that something was always creaking in the apartment. That was scary.
MS: Seems like the childish fantasies appeared then. Do you like to think back to your childhood?
AR: No, not really. Although, of course, I am grateful to have been born and raised in this country.

“Generally I do not like to think about the past. I’m a forward-looking person who lives in the here and now.”

MS: How did you experience your childhood?
AR: As a kid, I felt locked up. My parents’ house was not the environment, in which a child could to grow up happily. It felt more like a bourgeois museum where nothing was allowed to break. My parents were always worried about us, they were afraid of kidnapping. We lived in a huge Art Nouveau villa, from whose windows I could watch the other children playing in the street. I was not allowed to play, because we always had to stay on our property, on which there was a large garden with a swing, slide and sandpit. The other children were not allowed to come to us either. My siblings and I always played in threes.
MS: Hmmm…
AR: Do you feel sorry for me?
MS: Yes. Your parents probably had their reasons. But for you children that must have been difficult to understand.
AR: That’s true.

Adrian Runhof thoughtful during the Meet Me for Tea interview

MS: You come from a wealthy home. Did you want to prove anything to your parents by doing your own thing?
AR: That was not the point. It was important to me to never depend on my parents. They made it clear from the beginning that I would not get anything anyway. While other children from the well-heeled circle of friends of my parents were overridden real estates. The fact that I later actually inherited something was a big surprise.
MS: And how did you free yourself from the childhood trauma of being locked up?
AR: I went to Munich, that was always my absolute longing. As a teenager I browsed through the Bild Zeitung and Bunte magazin, saw the column of the author Michael Graeter and thought, there can be nothing better than Schwabing. I studied in Munich and met Johnny. That was my lifeline.
MS: And then came Paris.
AR: I already knew Paris from my youth, was street-smart and felt like I belonged there. Actually, I’m someone who likes to be everywhere at the same time. When we were in Amsterdam, I wanted to move there straight away, and I felt the same way with London.

MS: In which Parisian arrondissement do you live?
AR: In the first. We are there every two months. But I also like to be in Berlin and I am glad that we have our little apartment here. We also visit Zurich regularly and commute between the cities.
MS: Living out of the suitcase. That sounds like a certain restlessness…
AR: …that I do not like very much. I like to arrive. But do not like to leave. But this is brought along by the fashion circus (laughs).
MS: And which of your locations do you prefer?
AR: Munich. Munich stands for continuity, nobody moves away, everything is in its place. In Paris, you never know before, whether it was broken in, there was a water damage or a mouse infestation during your absence.

“Berlin is not in the forefront in international fashion business. Although the local street style influences young labels. Berlin is undoubtedly a metropolis in which fashion is created.”

MS: You have been in the fashion business for 26 years. How do you manage to survive in the industry?
AR: It has a lot to do with discipline. We have to design 32 pieces per collection, the show in Paris is coming, there’s a lot of pressure on us. You have to be good at different things at the same time. Creativity, courage, a good product, commercial know-how, contact care are among them. But you also have to recognize your own potential, explore your own limits, always be honest with yourself. We have a good team. As for Johnny and me, we both do everything.
MS: It did not always work out for you. Your cleaning lady had to help you with a cash injection in the beginning.
AR: That was really the case. Since then it has been uphill, though in small steps. We still have to do our calculations today. Thus we are self-financed. We do not have the big investor in the background.

MS: Your strength?
AR: I can hide my dilettance well. I have learned nothing and cannot do anything really well.
MS: Is this supposed to be fishing for compliments?
AR: I can do a lot a little good. I cannot read balances, cannot draw, have no patience, can not express myself creatively.
MS: That sounds a bit desperate. Maybe you put the scale on yourself too high.
AR: No. That’s my self-image. During my studies, I always bought all the books that were recommended to us. With the purchase, however, I also thought that that’s enough. I had not even read a single copy. Nevertheless, I came through somehow.

“Inspirations for the next collection? For example, the embroidered collar of your blouse may be an idea for the next dress. The street, the television, books – one is bombarded with impressions. But you have to filter them.”

MS: You made it fast into the international market. What else can come now?
AR: The industry is very dynamic, new markets in Asia, countries that I do not really care about, but still need to be served. The status quo there and the pure brand orientation isn’t for me. I miss the subversiveness.
MS: Strange that big online shops such as “Net a Porter” or “Mytheresa” do not carry your brand.
AR: Yes, and that offends me. Presumably, it’s because we do not have relevance in the new media. We just do not make printed logo shirts, where you can immediately tell, who they are from.

MS: What do you think of fashion bloggers?
AR: When we had publications in a magazine in the past, there was a measurable demand. On blogs or posts, on the other hand, there are only a few reactions. Then, a Caro Daur must have worn our dress on New Year’s Eve in Dubai. With 70,000 likes, maybe two people will get in touch and ask, where they can buy the dress.
MS: Is the hype about the fashion bloggers maybe a bubble that bursts at some point?
AR: Quite possible. But the budgets of the high-end brands are very high, they do not run out of steam so quickly. It is interesting that in the USA still 70 percent of the advertising budgets flow in print media and only 30 percent online. Here, 90 percent of digital media are consumed and only ten percent in the print sector. We rely on good PR. At the heart of our public relations work is the Defilee in Paris, where not only a great deal of energy, but also a lot of money is invested with the goal of far-reaching media coverage.

“I really like the KPM cup because it’s classic but still modern,” says Adrian Runhof about the KPM Kurland porcelain

MS: What is your own digital user behavior?
AR: Of course, I also spend time on the phone all the time. Recently there was a technical problem. Then the feeling of a slight panic sets in. It’s terrible without a cell phone (laughs).
MS: Are you an online shopper?
AR: Only. I buy every spoon online and nothing in real shops anymore.
MS: The cow you milk should not be slaughtered, they say. After all, you also own stores.
AR: As a customer, I’ve always found stores horrible. How many jeans have I bought in my life, which the sellers claimed, oh, but it fits perfectly. The opposite was the case, as I found out in retrospect (laughs).

MS: Is it difficult to survive alongside the industry giants in Paris?
AR: You cannot make the mistake of comparing yourself to labels or the shows of Louis Vuitton. But it would be stupid to show the best show in Berlin and nobody comes. Whereby the Berlin Salon is a pleasing and important exception.
MS: How do you manage to separate job and private?
AR: Talbot Runhof is our project and that connects at all levels. Even though we now live separately in Munich, we do a lot together. In Berlin, we shop together at the KaDeWe, in Paris, on the market. The German actors Nadja Tiller and Walter Giller were once asked for the recipe for a long partnership: You just have to accept that you cannot change the other one. And there is some truth in it. Johnny stands closest to me, that’s a very special kind of intimacy, and that’s great. We also have a common dog, a Border Terrier, an important and connecting factor.

“When we had 10,000 Euros, we always made sure we did not spend more than 11,000. This is a ubiquitous problem in the industry. Our motto is: It’s all about knowing when to stop.”

MS: And you drink tea…
AR: Absolutely. In the morning we start with ginger tea. Detoxing and staying healthy is important to me. By the way, the KPM cups are great. I was spontaneously happy, when I saw them here earlier and hoped that they would be our latest achievement. The colors match perfectly to the green of our walls (laughs). Of the many dishes I inherited from home, there are very few things that I like. A glass series from the sixties of Theresienthal with a gold rim, for example, that stood in a showcase at my parents’. At ours it is being used. Even at the risk that something breaks. That’s part of it.
MS: You manage to reinvent yourself over and over again. Talbot Runhof features films such as “High Society”, you designed “Fashion 2 Sea” for the MS Europa2 and “Couture feather tops” for the Meiersche Art Institution.
AR: That’s right. Whenever we meet people who we find interesting, we say: Let’s do something together. We do not go out of ideas so fast.  BvH

“The antique cabinet is an heirloom from my mother,” says Adrian Runhof, who was born in Mainz and grew up in Wiesbaden. “In Munich, it does not fit into our living concept. Everything is very modern and more design-like. In Berlin it has now found a good place.”

Contact Adrian Runhof

talbotrunhof.com

The post How about a cup of tea, Adrian Runhof? appeared first on My Stylery.

He is a successful fashion designer and has become the all-purpose weapon of German television: Guido Maria Kretschmer, generational crossover favorite of the German TV nation. Rightly: Nobody can explain to a ‘Shopping Queen’-participant with dress size 46 more charming and convincingly that the pants would look much better one size bigger. Feasibility, credibility and authenticity are Kretschmer’s unique instruments. The career of the in Münster born Guido began on the hippie market of Ibiza, where he sold his – with mom’s sewing machine – glitter creations and Udo Lindenberg noticed him. From then on, it was uphill with the creative Kretschmer, who also has a good business sense. He designed for the corporations Deutsche Telekom, the hotels Kempinski and Maritim, Montblanc, Emirates Airlines and the tourism group TUI. Guido, the millennium, the book author, costume designer, advertisement star, and well, now also a bag designer for an American chewing gum manufacturer. I meet the busy multi-talent for a tea in his Berlin studio.

Meet me 4 Tea

MyStylery: Guido, when one googles you, the most incredible keywords pop out…
Guido Maria Kretschmer: Yes, what does it say? I never looked it up, because I’m always afraid that there is something that makes me angry.
MS: Among other things, stuff about wallpapers, books, hair, perfumes, clothes and recently also chewing gum.
GMK: In the USA there is hardly a big designer who has not already designed for Wrigley’s Spearmint. In this respect the order for the “Big Bag” is almost an honor. I was also allowed to dress Barbie. Oh, how I loved Barbie and her 360 professions! This is not work, but real pleasure.

With a thermoset of tea, two cups, and excited for conversation I meet Guido Maria Kretschmer for the interview

MS: Juror, moderator of several TV shows, advertisement star – you already have almost an omni-presence. Aren’t you afraid of wearout?
GMK: It’s not actually that much. One must not forget that this is my profession. This is my daily bread and I take care that I do not wear myself out, even if I am on on a daily basis. I get a lot of offers and could make so many much more advertisement.
MS: Are there any design requests or advertisements that you would definitely refuse?
GMK: Sanitary pads. (laughs)

Not afraid of wearout: Designer and TV-Star Guido Maria Kretschmer

MS: How about a tea?
GMK: Wonderful. That fits well to my fasting cure, which unfortunately no one notices on me. So much money I already spent on starvation in my life. (laughs)
MS: I am always very happy when I come across an enthusiastic tea drinker like you, who does not order a coffee first thing in the morning.
GMK: I never drink coffee, only tea. However, I forgo black tea and prefer natural tea like peppermint and herbal teas. And I like very much chamomile and Verveine. My secret tip is Turkish apple tea. If I’m lucky, I get a cup of fresh tea in the morning served to bed. The evening ends with a cup of tea. Actually, my whole life is tea.

“I can always start the morning with a green tea. If I drink something warm, it’s tea.”

MS: I also largely forgo black tea …
GMK: Black is not so healthy either. And also stains the teeth. No one needs that. My parents have always animated me, Guido, drink, drink, drink. The only thing I like about coffee is the scent. When Frank* is cooking his coffee in the morning, I always smell it.
MS: What does not come into your cup?
GMK: Everything that is not organically grown. I sat next to a tea-tester on the plane, who told me how many chemicals are in normal teas. So I rather drink my Ayurveda tea and know what I have in the cup. It is best to use a thin teacup, which cools the tea faster.

“What does not come into your cup, Guido?”

MS: Ups, I’m sorry to offer you the tea in this thick mug …
GMK: If I knew this was gonna happen, I would have brought some cups (laughs). I have two very nice teacups. In case of doubt, I also drink the tea from a bowl, the main thing is tea …
MS: With sugar?
GMK: No, if at all with honey. Although I like the cracking of the candy, when the hot tea is poured in.

Cheers!

MS: What do you think of detoxing?
GMK: Oh, basically nothing. It does not matter if you detoxify with all these little means, if you forget your soul and your heart and are not in harmony with yourself. The greatest poison of our time is stupidity, insincerity, greed, envy – many things come together. Unfortunately, no herb is growing to help with this.
MS: Are you talking about politics here?
GMK: My grandmother always said that the only thing that is justly distributed in life is stupidity. I think there is something to it. The people want to eat falafel or sushi, but the people from whose countries the food come, they do not want. We cannot separate from the rest of the world. We live in a time when it is important to persevere. People are waiting for a new car on a monthly basis and expect that within three months a solution will be found in the complex refugee debate. I think it is our duty to get involved and to be collective. We would also wish to be accepted if we were in this situation! Tolerance and humanity, just in the present time, that is lacked by many. By the way, there is also the fasting time to free oneself from evil.

Guido Maria Kretschmer and I in his Berlin atelier

MS: Are you consistently following the fasting time?
GMK: Yes, all the time.
MS: Are you Catholic?
GMK: Yes, but not so passionately. (laughs)
MS: What are you doing first when the fasting period is over?
GMK: I eat a pizza. Actually, I never eat pizza, but since I fast, I always think of pizza with anchovies.
MS: And how much did you lose?
GMK: I don’t use the scale, but my goal is to fit again into my smallest blazer.

“I am super-made for relaxation”, says Guido Maria Kretschmer. After the relaxed interview, I believe that immediately!

MS: I keep my fingers crossed. Are you such a gourmand?
GMK: Oh yes (laughs). Everything baked nice with butter top, more I do not need. I chew and get down. I just love chewing way too much. Thank God, I also eat carrots. Food relaxes me. Unfortunately, I often eat late in the evening and so at the wrong time.
MS: Can you relax with all the hustle and bustle?
GMK: I am super-made for relaxation, love the country and my farm, am in the garden with our three dogs. I read a lot and like to do weekend trips. We were in Einthoven, Liège and Budapest. Frank always says it’s so nice when we walk through the streets and shops and I can look straight because I’m not recognized. This is no longer possible in the Berlin KaDeWe. BvH

*The painter Frank Mutters is the longtime life partner and husband of Guido Maria Kretschmer

Contact Guido Maria Kretschmer

https://www.guidomariakretschmer.de/www.guidomariakretschmer.de

Merken

Merken

The post How about a tea, Guido Maria Kretschmer? appeared first on My Stylery.

Teatime at Michael Michalsky’s office: MM pours the tea and enjoys it black, without milk and sugar

We know each other for years and have the same northern German roots: Fashion designer Michael Michalsky was raised near Bad Oldesloe, I was only 35 km away in Lübeck. And we both love fashion and tea. Since 24 years Michalsky is active as fashion designer. He designs sets of cutlery and tableware for the German brand WMF, his perfume is a bestseller. After he conferred the fashion circus with a vociferous refusal last year, he is nowadays more present than ever. The chosen Berliner started his comeback in 2015 with the haute couture series “Atelier Michalsky”. And today he is even a TV-star.

Michael Michalsky and I drink tea from hand-painted big “Office Mugs” of the tradition series “Kurland” by KPM

MyStylery: Michi, I cooked Earl Grey for us, I hope you like it!
Michael Michalsky (laughs): How great that you brought some tea! I never experienced that at an interview before. And those cups. I would love to have them as well! I love English tea. When I’m in London I always go to Fortnum & Mason and buy Earl Grey classics.
MS: Have you always liked to drink tea or did you become a tea drinker in England?
MM: I was always anglophile. I lived six years in London and this characterized me. Every morning I drink a big bowl of tea as more goes inside than in a normal cup. Currently I also like to drink the Earl Grey Blue from Mariage de Frères.

Delicious cupcakes from Berlin brand “Just a Bite”: So yummy!

MS: Do you also drink green tea?
MM: No, always and only black tea.
MS: Also in the evening? But can you sleep afterwards?
MM: After four o’clock I’m not drinking tea and coffee anymore. Otherwise I could stay awake until eight in the morning. But those days are long gone. There’s nothing more beautiful than an English-celebrated teatime with scones, clotted cream, sandwiches with salmon and cucumber, everything nicely decorated onto étagères. I love this.

Since the TV show GNTM (“Germanys next topmodel”) he often gets recognized on the street and asked for selfies. “But rather in cities such as Hamburg or Munich. The Berliner are too cool.”

MS: What else than tea connects you to England?
MM: As student I often drove to England to officially work on my English. My main motivation was of course the fashion, which emerged there like the music did. Everything I liked in the 80ies came from London. I saved money to buy myself clothes that you couldn’t find in Germany. Nowadays you’re getting the same things everywhere anyways.
MS: Are you an online-shopper?
MM: Absolutely! Just yesterday I bought myself a plaid shirt and a black hat. I love Mr. Porter. That’s the greatest online shop for men. I mean isn’t it wonderfully comfortable? Everything is getting delivered, I can try it on at home, preferably clothes from Maison Margiela, Prada, Haider Ackermann, Comme des Garcons and also of course Michalsky.

“London is a great city. I had a very exciting time there. I’m in London one to two times a year. There I would like to travel more often.”

MS: One year ago you launched the haute couture series Atelier Michalsky.
MM: And this was accepted very positive. This is the beacon of my Michalsky-brand environment, which expresses my love to fashion. Next to it there are other areas like carpets, perfumes, furniture, the cooperation with WMF. I’m now working freer of constraints, what I really like. My clients accept that they have to wait for a garment. The exclusiveness, longevity, quality of materials and individuality are more important to them than a quick availability.
MS: Why runs the fashion industry so hard?
MM: Fashion has become very fast paced. I think it’s great that fashion has democratized. If I would ask the people on the street whether fashion is important to them, safely nine out of ten would say yes. Only 20 years ago the people on the street looked very different. Then fashion had much more to do with exclusivity. Today fashion from the rod doesn’t cost much, there’s a permanently sale, people throw things away just because they don’t like them anymore. This is completely alien to me. Earlier I had jobs so that I could afford to launch a little bit.

We try the delicious cupcakes: “When I’m in a foreign country, I accommodate myself and in the USA it’s clear that you drink more coffee and less tea.”

MS: Since 2015 you’re also active in television as juror of a famous casting show and everybody’s darling.
MM: GNTM came completely unexpected. I didn’t plan to start a television career. Standing six months in front of the cameras, the responsibility to take care of twelve young women who I didn’t know before, that was a completely new experience from which I didn’t even know, whether I would be able to do it.
MS: At least you have pampered yourself in a luxury hotel while you were filming in Los Angeles.
MM: Yes, nearly four months. When I had breakfast in my room, they actually already brought a latte plus a pack of cigarettes. That’s what I call service. (Laughs) By the way I really liked the latte at Chateau Marmont.

Michael Michalsky is happy: GNTM season with him was the most successful season of the last five years

MS: What was your biggest challenge?
MM: I did not only see myself as juror, but especially as mentor. Authenticity was in this case extremely important to me. I’m a meritocratic human and I believe in Prussian virtues like order, assiduity and punctuality. I know that you have to work for everything. And this is a special, new territory for some girls, a territory they didn’t know before.
MS: Is that a question of generation?
MM: No, it’s a question of education. The children of my friends are well educated, as they got conveyed with the right values. But they’re still free and creative in their acting. But you’re not a philistine, just because you appear on time and are prepared for a date.

“My wish for the future? To stay healthy as long as possible.”

MS: Only some of the previous winners were able to establish themselves in the professional modeling business. What are the girls taking from this TV format?
MM: It depends on the volition of every single girl. At GNTM they’re doing kind of a training, in which they got to know the fundamental know-how. Supermodels know that the job is really hard work. One has to fight for the jobs and one has to burn for the thing, even if it doesn’t work out at the first onset. I’m speaking from personal experience. Seize every given opportunity! Today many young people lack the bite. They get a rejection and then they don’t know what to do.
MS: What would you do different today by looking at your experiences?
MM: Education is the most important thing and one should take everything one can get. I regret that as a student I haven’t accepted further education courses to learn French or Spanish. I was surprised by some candidates that we casted in Berlin. 16 years old girls who still went to school. They would have interrupted or even quit school just to take part on the show. With the consent of their parents. My parents would have never allowed this.  BvH

Contakt Michael Michalsky:

www.michalsky.com

“Meet me 4 tea” is supported by KPM – Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (Royal Porcelain Factory Berlin)

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

The post Black or Green, Michael Michalsky? appeared first on My Stylery.

Best of MyStylery

Claudia von Schacky likes to surround herself with beautiful things – even when working. The china “Perlrand” is from Nymphenburg

She is the specialist of fine leather- and fur fashion and made it to a “one-woman-show” within ten years of entrenching on the hard-earned fashion-market: Claudia von Schacky, designer and successful entrepreneur – also in other German-speaking countries – with three employees, a showroom in Munich and in New York and two collections per year. The native East-Westphalian, who did a classic tailoring training and absolved a fashion degree in Munich, subsequently working for Escada, Ralph Lauren and Rena Lange, wanted to do something of her own after 25 years: She created the perfectly fitting leatherpants made of stretching leather. Soon, her clients wanted more, which is why now the label Schacky and Jones also stands for trendy leather dresses and cool fur coats – with certified materials, emphasizes the designer. Since 2005, Claudia lives in Berlin with her husband Andreas Freiherr von Schacky.

The designer skillfully mixes old pieces with new ones. Many furniture and pictures are from auctions. I love Claudia’s cozy style

Fashion designer Claudia von Schacky in her livingroom

MyStylery: How does a chosen inhabitant of Munich end up in the middle of the capitals heart?
Claudia von Schacky: After more than 20 years in Munich I needed a change of scene. Berlin is so inspirational and full of creativity, it really fascinates me. There is permanently something new to discover: Restaurants, shops, exhibitions. I constantly meet new people. Berlin is simply a lot more open minded and more cosmopolitan than the straightforward and beautiful Munich.

Amaryllis in an antique glass vase

MS: In the fashion industry – especially in the international – Berlin and its Fashion-Week is often derided…
CvS: Unjustly! The first fair of the season takes place in Berlin and hence it is important, even though no orders are written here. Berlin gives more impetus than every other city. The only alternatives to Berlin are the abroad metropolises.
MS: Why did you establish yourself in the middle of Berlin and not in the west of the city?
CvS: There is nothing new in the west (laughs). Charlottenburg is like Schwabing. And this is what I had for all these years. I am totally excited about the modern architecture in Mitte, especially in the townhouses in Caroline-von-Humboldt-Weg. Our house was designed by the architect Bernd Albers. No townhouse looks like the other. Some have super modern facades; others stand more for the New Objectivity. There are convoluting-historicizing facades, which remind of the townhouses in London, Amsterdam or the ones on New York Upper West Side. An amazing, prizewinning ensemble, where we feel very comfortable.

The Townhouses in Caroline-von-Humboldt-Weg in Berlin Mitte …

… with different facade design. Award-winning architecture

MS: … and for architecture-lovers it is the obligatory program of sightseeing….
CvS: True, the tourists are dropped off in bus-caravans. But I don’t mind at all. Quite the contrary, I find it funny.

Claudia von Schacky loves porcelain of Nymphenburg, like this Irish Setter

MS: What mattered to you for the arrangement of the flat?
CvS: I’m trying to make things differently and always end up with the same color scheme. I like dark colors and the whole palette of muddy colors.

Furnishings and walls are decorated in warm mud tones. The painting above the sofa is from Karl-Friedrich Lessing

A chic mix: Baroque velvet cushions combined with simple ones from Ikea, which Claudia von Schacky embellished with handmade beading

MS: When it comes to your interior design, you didn’t really adapt to the cool, puristic capital-look.
CvS: I love it modern, but still classic and thus combine old with new. We collected a lot over the years and partly bought it at auctions. Our chairs in the dining room are Art Deco and above hangs a Murano-chandelier, which I could never part with.

The Sabel antelope comes from a hunt in Tanzania, the ancient Murano chandelier is a souvenir from Italy

Claudia von Schackys husband brought the zebra from Namibia

MS: You are surrounded by one or two exotics here, where for example is the zebra fur from?
CvS: My husband shot it in Namibia. This is also where the Sable antelope in the dining room is from. Andreas is forest manager and has a forestry near Berlin, where I gladly accompany him on weekends.
Best I like it out there, amid the nature, in a different world and breathe in deeply.  BvH

What an decorative eye-catcher: the Kudah is guarding the staircase

The poster was the invitation to an exhibition. The depicted skirt was sewn from all the skins of the collection

This drawing is the first one that Claudia Schacky bought at an auction

The modern chandelier is a break in style in the harmonious room design

The ancient China cabinet was also purchased in an auction …

… Japanese vases and figurines from the 18th century, brought from a trip to Osaka

“Sumo” by Helmut Newton (2000)

Also for the bedroom Claudia von Schacky chose her tried and tested color concept. The bedspread is made from fine cashmere, the kilims are antique with beautiful colors!

Chinese, colored ink drawings from the 19th century are hanging above the bed head

Lightreflections: The chandeliers in the hallway give a decorative light

Contact Claudia von Schacky:

www.schackyandjones.com

The post At home with fashiondesigner Claudia von Schacky appeared first on My Stylery.

The new fall-autumn cashmere collection by Allude …

Once cashmere, always cashmere – that was the well-intentioned advice of my mother-in-law, long time ago, and now a saying in my family. Whoever believes Cashmere is solely a material for the cold season, has probably never worn a soft sweater made of light summer cashmere. The ideal companion for cool evenings and my savior during my vacation in Ibiza, where someone like me, who feels the cold quite easily, does not want to miss this woolen companion – even in the super hot months of June, July or August.

… by designer and author Andrea Karg

I still remember vividly how I demolished my favorite sweater, a casual, anthracite-colored cashmere sweater with a (back then) mega-trendy V-neck, in the washing machine: 60 degrees and the full spin program made it – and myself – the purest whiner. Why a noble cashmere piece nevertheless must not be chemically cleaned, how the favorite sweater is best stored and what you can do about the annoying pilling is written by Andrea Karg, the German cashmere queen and founder of the luxury label Allude, in a beautiful coffeetable book.

Allude designer Andrea Karg discusses her new collection

In twelve chapters, Allude designer Andrea Karg tells the story of the noble yarn and takes us on a journey beginning with the cashmere extraction to a finished Allude collection, which incidentally does not only include sweaters and scarves! The casual, light-gray coat (see below ;-)) would be right up my alley and the cushions from the home collection would do nicely on my own sofa.

Gorgeous coat made of the coveted luxury wool by Allude

By the way, cashmere-goats are not all the same. There are 20 goat species, to which the term applies and which are all originated in the Central Asian highlands. Cashmere is one of the most wanted and most nobly materials in the world and is not a product of our modern crave of luxury. “The use of goats’ hair for clothing, carpets, tents or wall decoration has been an old tradition in Asia over two millennia”, says Andrea Karg, who founded her own label in 1993 and, with her innovative collections, brought the material to the Paris catwalks of Pret-à-Porter in 2012. Cashmere – an informative book and aesthetic photos for fans of the cuddly noble yarn. BvH

Cashmere-goats are not all the same. There are 20 goat species

Allude designer Andrea Karg about the history of the noble yarn in her coffeetable book

Cozy, not only during the cold season: luxury cushions from Allude homecollection

So sweet: Small cloak from the precious yarn for the youngsters

A critical look at the sweaters of her luxury collection: Designer Andrea Karg

Cashmere Tip:

Small moth holes can be repair by a cashmere-professional, for example in the Allude cashmere clinic

Info:

Cashmere
by Andrea Karg
published by Callwey

All pics by Allude

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The redstone villa in Fontenay-sous-Bois with it’s black slate roof. Who wouldn’t want to live here?

Her French is accent-free and her classic elegance typical Parisienne: Katharina Schmitter came as au pair to France, studied History of Art and Textile Design in Paris. There the Munich-raised designer lives since 27 years, works for Hermès and Boussac, before she came into charge of the design of the Ardecora-Collection by the German fabric producers Zimmer und Rohde. Luxury Hotels like the Costes are stocked with her creations. Eleven years ago she moved in a romantic, 110 years old turn of the century-villa in Fontenay-sous Bois on the outskirts of the French capital, hidden behind walls clad in ivy and a high, squeak gate where she still lives with her family.

It’s always good to have a friend in Paris… Here the entry shows the original a hundred years old floor tiles

Textile designer Katharina Schmitter – as beautiful as her designs

MyStylery: Your house could have been served as a set for the movie „Amélie“…
Katharina Schmitter: Indeed! It was love at first sight when I found the house in an advert. It’s important to me that the children grew up in a green environment rather than in an effervescent city centre.
MS: Isn’t it a great temptation to put up new curtains in your house for every season? I mean as a textile designer you’re close to the source…
KS: No, quite the reserve in fact: at first I didn’t want to have any of my collections in my house. I thought I would need some space. But then my family convinced me and on the contrary they’re hanging now.

Livingroom and library

Katharina designed the curtain fabric for her Ardecora-Collection for Zimmer and Rohde

MS: Besides the decorative part, do textiles not also convey a feeling of comfort and warmth?
KS: Not necessarily. There are textiles that should create the opposite. They radiate a cool elegance. But this isn’t me. I’m not interested in industrial manufacturing or smooth surfaces. There are so many cold and unstructured things that surround us already.
MS: Your textiles remind of a homage of magnificent, times long past…
KS: Yes they’re very precious and extraordinary, handcrafted after old traditions. Hereby the whole thing gets its liveliness and emotion. My textiles are mainly such dominant as they could get in concurrence to pictures.

Fabric samples of the Mulberry collection

Lying sculpture in the library

The Buddha sculptures are from Asia

MS: Does that mean that one should rather abandon art, if one decides for your textiles?
KS: The question lies in the focus. Where is the creative focus in the apartment? There’s no need for opulent curtains if there are great paintings and art on the wall, which dominate the room already.

To Katharina Schmitter decorative light is important. How beautiful is the reflecting chandelier in the mirror…

MS: Are you thinking of sales figures while working on your new collection?
KS: My textiles suit best in big old houses that have a patina. That’s what I’ve got in my eyes when I’m working. It’s all about luxury and quality and also about the “special something” that didn’t exist before, but is still requested by the costumer.

Fabrics from Africa become a wall decoration

MS: Your dressing room is literally bursting at the seams – how many dresses and pairs of shoes do you have?
KS: Many! Too many! Textiles attract me, in every respect. Dresses and shoes are my passion. And that’s why I always need more space although I already get rid of things sometimes – that’s a question of the right moment though. However my absolute “shrine” is the handwritten cookbook of my mother that contains all my favourite German recipes back from my childhood. It’s my favourite memento.  BvH

Katharina bought the portrait of a girl in an auction

Antique chandelier from the south of France

Small remise in the garden. How romantic is this?

Sundowner in the garden with the family

The fantastic world of Katharina Schmitter

Cheers – Santé! Champagne is always a good idea!

The covered entry with wrought iron details

The fine, brocated details are very typical for the Gründerzeit

Still life with bike – the black entrance in the background

The post At home with designer Katharina Schmitter appeared first on My Stylery.

Star architect Matteo Thun and I at the design fair Salone del Mobile in Milan

His designs are well known, you’ve experienced them already – of that I’m sure – because you’ve either sat or slept on them: Designer Matteo Thun and his designs are global and award wining: Hotels like the Side-Hotel in Hamburg and the Marriot in Venice, china for Rosenthal and Alessi, watches for Bulgari and Swatch. Thun was a student of Oskar Kokoschka, is graduated doctor of architecture, has been a founder of Sottsass Associati in 1981 and also of the legendary design-group Memphis. In 1984 he has started his company Thun & Partner for architectural-, design-, and communication-projects. Matteo Thun lives in Milano, where I have met with him, in the course of the design fair Salone del Mobile, for an interview.

Matteo Thun defines himself in his work by eco non ego – eco instead of ego

MyStylery: At the Salone del Mobile 2016 the apparent trend was wood namely in all living areas, from the kitchen to the bathroom. How do you explain the revival of the material?
Matteo Thun: Wood is a reaction to the inanimated period of the 90s, where minimalistic design got colder and colder and emotions vanished from the surface. Now we have a change of paradigm: During the last century concrete and cement were dominating. Now we have the century of wood. I am an architect and I believe me, it is much easier constructing things with wood than with cement.

Walnut table ‘Icon’ from Riva1920. Design by Matteo Thun

MS: You have just designed the wooden table ‘Icon’ for the the Italian furniture brand Riva 1920. Where did the collaboration result from?
MT: I’ve worked with wood and also with Riva for a long time now, because it’s the only company nearby Milan that works with solid wood and not laminated wood. That complies with my credo: The truth and not the lie.
MS: What is the most important project you’re working on right now?
MT: The system “Welcome Homes” refugee centers that are being deployed Germany-wide. We have deliberately opted for wood. There is no alternative if you want to build fast and inexpensively. In this case emotions didn’t play a part, it’s just plainly and simply the factor time.

“I am an architect and I believe me, it is much easier constructing things with wood than with cement.”

MS: Which design collaboration would you reject?
MT: Everything around the car and everything that has to do with garments – that’s nothing for me.
MS: Is there something you haven’t conceptualized yet but would like to build?
MT: I would like to build a church without a roof for Pope Frances, as a gift for a man, who has changed Rome and therefore hopefully our beautiful country and our society.
MS: Where will the church be?
MT: Wherever he wants.
MS: Is he already aware of it?
MT (laughs): No, not yet.

“The ‘Welcome Homes’ is a system for refugee centers”, Matteo Thun explains to me. “We build new houses for new arrivals. They can also be used for social housing.”

MS: What is your current project?
MT: We’re 80 employees solely in Milano and just as much at the construction sites and we have many of them (laughs). The best project currently however is our digital platform ‘Matteo Thun Atelier’. I would like to invite you to visit this platform and you will realize that you’re a designer. You can create everything your house needs by yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s a table or a chair. You don’t need a designer. I am convinced that the future belongs to Losgröße* eins (lot size one) …
MS: What does that mean?
MT: That means that you can put together the chair you want yourself.
MS: Without any previous knowledge?
MT: Without any previous knowledge. We are all designers. Democracy has won. Take the Nike shoe as an example. You can create the shoe you want. That is unique and not even more expensive. And that’s exactly what we are trying to do with this platform, especially for our hotels. Every interior designer can create whatever they need for their project, with our specification. We have finally made design accessible for everyone.
MS: But didn’t you exclude yourself with this process?
MT (laughs): I am already excluded. Since the 90s I don’t sign any of my projects with my name anymore. From time to time it may leak through that I am responsible for it but I don’t emphasize on generating value with my name. The value stands for itself. It is your vision and something you want. BvH

“With ‘Matteo Thun Atelier’ we have actually carried design to the grave.”

Info:

*With a lot size you denote the quantity of products of a production order

Contact Matteo Thun:

www.matteothun.com

The post Matteo Thun: “We are all designers.” appeared first on My Stylery.

The light-flooded hall architecture of Fiera Milano is an eye catcher by itself

Each year Milano gets into a state of excitement. Exhibitors and fair visitors from around the world invade the city of fashion and Campari, the room prices of the fully booked hotels triple or even quadruple, the popular restaurants are completely over booked in advance anyhow, taxis are scarce goods and there are practically no parking spaces anywhere. Instead, the crowded pavements are full with beautiful and stylish people. Already on the evening before the official opening of the Salone del Mobile – the most important design fair in Europe – Milano is a party.

Let me touch this quickly: Is this really wood?

The noble boutiques on the Via della Spiga or Montenapolone are opened ‘till late at night to celebrate their cooperation’s with premium brands of the furniture industry. The Prosecco bottles were popping and one was drinking “una Piscina” (Prosecco on ice, one of my favorite drinks). Feverish excitement lay in the air. Everybody wants to be there, when, for example the L’Uomo Vogue together with the AD-Magazine and the kitchen manufacturer Asko invite into the newly opened luxurious hotel Mandarin Oriental, where champagne is already out after an hour.

Chic velvet Chaiselong by Fratelli Boffi

That isn’t a bad thing, I say to myself, because the other days I have to be fit for the exhibition grounds, the Fiera Milano. A day at the fair is quite exhausting. Against this madness, the Way of St. James is a refreshing stroll. The 55^th Salone del Monile awaits with thousands of exhibitors in 22 halls. Every other year – also in 2016 – the EuroCucina, the current kitchen trends are being exhibited as well. And the Salone del Bagno presents the new innovation in the bathroom division.

Trend: Marble in the kitchen …

… and in the bathroom. Here the luxury Italian brand Oasis

At the same time in the area around Via Tortona the parallel event Fuori Salone takes place, where international design newcomers present their designs. Former factories and warehouses, hidden backyards and lofts are becoming temporary exhibition- and party locations. The event has cult status by now and resembles a promising networking service: Many young talents have been employed from the spot by established designers.

My favorite design highlight at the Fuori Salone: The shelf ‘Dune’ by Roberto de Santi. www.dunecollection.it

But what is new on the design firmament? Definitely and actually trans-sectorial is the use of wood. Wood? Which is as old as the evolution, the critics amongst you may think! Right. But – as so often – it is the combination of different materials. Let’s start with the EuroCucina: There is not one kitchen manufacturer who renounces wood. The solid wood kitchen is hip. Ciao to the clean intense, fingerprint absorbing high gloss fronts – you only play a minor role at most. Wood is the clear star. Namely rough and haptic in the natural tone of the respective type of wood. Favorite partner of the wood is – you won’t believe it – marble. And that looks mega (!!!) chic. A thick worktop from marble, that’s quite something! The mere sight of it instantaneously awakens the I-want-effect in me.

A thick worktop from marble, that’s quite something! Here a kitchen by Rossana

Wood in the bathroom area is also on the rise. It goes to the extent that toilet bowls as well as bidets are offered in wood optic. Companies, who have always put their focus towards wood, for example Team7 or Riva 1920 benefit a lot from this trend. Star designer Matteo Thun has just designed the table ‘Icon’ for Riva. He told me: “Wood is the answer to the unloving, minimalistic design of the 90ies.” I think he’s right. BvH

Matteo Thun and me: the full interview with the Stardesigner coming soon on MyStylery!

Tip:

Don’t miss the full MyStylery interview with Matteo Thun coming next week!

The Walnut-Table ‘Icon’ by Riva 1920. Design: Matteo Thun

Scic cucina d’Italia in a cooperation with Fendi: Here the individual ceramic hobs are integrated directly into the marble work surfaces

The brand name says it all: Nature Design

Bath project by Edoné

The noble kitchen manufacturer Bulthaupt also focuses on wood in conjunction with marble

The tabletop of the dining table by Casamilano is – who would have thought – marble!

Beautiful kitchen by Composit made of American walnut and Emperador marble. Design: Roberto Lazzeroni

Sink and bathroom furniture made of marble

Trend materials wood and marble

For me, the most innovative brand in the furniture industry at the moment: Moroso …

… Unusual shapes combined with beautiful color combinations

The design of the German brand Rolf Benz …

… in reduced, Scandinavian-influenced appearance

The traditional manufacturer Thonet gave his chair classics a new look

Living like in a hotel?

This can happen with the furniture collection of the luxury hotel Ritz

Fashion meets Furniture

Can fashion designers also give kitchen equipment a new look? Dolce&Gabbana proof that it’s possible. Tadaaa: The new stove series from the company Smeg

The home-collections of the fashion designer. Here unmistakably Versace with the Medusa emblem …

… “cage”-seats by Roberto Cavalli

Fashion designer Matthew Williamson has created his own line of furniture. The result is a colorful eye-catching-collection. Detailed and playful it reminds of the 50s

For Mommy’s favorite: bathtubs à la “Alice in Wonderland” for demanding offsprings – by JR.

I’m a fan of Baxter and its harmonious design idiom

Tasteful luxury: sun lounger in safari style from Baxter – frame made from copper, surface made of leather

One of the most creative minds in my opinion: star designer Patricia Urquiola in an interview with an Italian TV station …

… For Kartell she designed colorful dishes. What a pity that they are plastic – like everything from Kartell

According to the motto ‘Talking Minds’ renowned designers like Fabio Novembre and Piero Lissoni have also designed for Kartell

Triple Like: White leather chairs by Midj Italy

The stand of Roda makes you want to leave

Elegant design by Munna

Always nice: the drafts of Gervasoni

The latest fabric edition of Hermès

Minotti: Not really inventive however

Impressions of the Fuori Salone

Hilfiger Island: A normal traffic island becomes a tropical gem

That’s the way it is

Both, at the Salone del Mobile and the Fuori Salone there are unusual collaborations: The recently deceased Zaha Hadid designed shoes for the brand Melissa …

… and Fiat heir Lapo Elkann created this Cinquecento for Pepsi

Very beautiful: The ‘Big Mushrooms’ lamps by Atelier Arnout Visser

Ciao, Fuori Salone & Salone del Mobile!

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