About Embracing Your Curves.

A new issue of the Swedish fashion magazine Sofis mode came out in stores yesterday. Nothing remarkable about that. Except that inside it, you can find my very last column. Well, my last column in this particular magazine, that is.

Three years have gone by since I wrote my first one in Sofis mode; it looked something like this:

For three years, these columns were such a big part of my life. I have written hundreds, about every subject you can think of. I will admit that it feels a little bit sad - the same kind of sadness that you can feel when graduating from high school, or ending a long relationship that you know you're ready to move away from. You know it's time to move on, forward, onto something new and different; yet you can't deny it hurts to let go.

But I'm so glad that the new columnist is no other than my blogger colleague and dear friend Sandra Beijer of the blog NioTillFem! Back in July, when I had finally decided it was time for me to leave Sofis mode, I was hanging out with Sandra in Brooklyn - and there and then, I just knew she was the perfect replacement. A couple of weeks ago, I found out that my boss agrees with me, and that Sandra is now hired to take over!

In this particular issue, you can also find my feature of one of the most admirable, talented and beautiful young women I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. There is no doubt in my mind that Rosalind Jana of Clothes, Cameras and Coffee will be a household name in ten years, and I can't wait to see what will become of her. Who knows - maybe the next J.K. Rowling?

Rosalind naturally wished to read a translation of her story before it was shipped off to print, so since I already have an English version of her feature, I figured I'd share it with you!



Rosalind Jana was fifteen years old and certainly had nothing to complain about. Her fashion- and photography blog was both popular and well respected, she was working as a model and dreamed of a career in fashion design.

Only one cloud on an otherwise so bright sky. And it was nothing to worry about, really. The doctor had told her she should live with her disease, and so she did - her long hair and carefully selected clothing were quite effective as camouflage, you could hardly tell anything was even wrong. Right?

But Rosalind Jana's parents couldn't help noticing what she herself refused to see. In October last year, they asked another consultant for a second opinion. With her spine now bent at an eighty degree angle, there was no more talk about "living with it". Rosalind Jana needed surgery for her severe scoliosis, and she needed it now. How did next week sound?

A year later, life is back to normal. Yet so different.

The modelling career and designer dreams have stepped back to give room to a new - or, rather, rediscovered - passion: the art of writing.

- Undergoing surgery turned out to be a catalyst for change, as it made me re-evaluate my aspirations for the future. I started writing extensively for myself about what I had been through, and came to the conclusion that writing was something that I was both passionate about and willing to work at. It reminded me how much I love words!

And the love was far from unrequited. Quite the opposite, actually. Rosalind Jana recently found out she's been selected as the winner of the UK Vogue annual talent contest for writers under 25 - one of the country's most preeminently prestigious writing awards.

- Through this whole experience, I have learnt to be as open as possible to changes, and let go of fixed ideas about outcomes. I couldn’t possibly have predicted how much I would come to love my scoliosis! It has taught me to be grateful for all sorts of tiny achievements, and it's made me feel even more that life is not for wasting. I’m not perfectly straight even now – I still have a twenty-two degree curvature and a slightly skewed shoulder – but hey, I’m doing what the magazines suggest: I'm embracing my curves!


Visit Rosalind's blog here.

...oh, and the Sofifi parka giveaway is now over - the winner is miss Mariel Torres! Congrats, Mariel - I hope you'll love yours as much as I do mine. To the rest of you: New giveaway will be announced tomorrow!

San Francisco Dreamin' and Lack of Self-discipline.

For the latest issue of Sofis mode, I've interviewed one of my favorite vintage bloggers: the sweet, funny, stylish and absolutely gorgeous Ashley Ording of Fancy Fine Vintage. Those of you who are into the dreamy glamour of decades past will adore this young lady and her blog, so if you haven't already stopped by, do it now!

Not only does she talk about her passion for vintage clothing and how she came to start her own store, this karaoke queen also shares all of her favorite spots in her home town San Francisco - and I'm telling you, writing this feature certainly did not make me less keen on visiting this spectacular city! Considering how many times I've been on the American west coast, it truly is a shame that I've never seized the opportunity. But with my whole family in Los Angeles and in Seattle, I've never been able to find the time and money to spend time in San Francisco. Hopefully this will change in the future! Especially the vintage shopping possibilities sounds phenomenal - and I have to attend one of the "oldies dance parties" at the Make-Out Room. Have you guys been to San Francisco? If you have, please share your best tips - maybe I can put together a combination of Ashley's and yours and get the best travel guide ever!

Yesterday's outfit will be posted shortly! I just have to get some work done first... Hmm. Come to think of it, I really don't know why I thought it was a good idea to write this post instead of finishing my column. Have to go look for my self-discipline now, it's gotta be around here somewhere.

Back at the office!

Today I'm back at the office, back to work, back in business! I have such a wonderful feeling inside, I don't know, its like that "today is the first day of the rest of your life" cliché has taken over my brain, filling me up with silly optimism. That's rare for me, to say the least, so I'm doing my best to savor it!

I mean... I started the work day by making a to do-list, the way I always do, and I'm actually crossing things off of it. I'm Getting Things Done! Few things are more satisfying to me than that feeling.

Before going home tonight, I'm heading to the gym to work out. That's quite the big deal for me, and an important part in my Project this fall: the Project to Turn Myself into a Happier and Healthier Person.

What I need to do to make this happen:

* Stress less. I've quit many of my job assignments, to go back to school (I'm taking a course in Creative Writing at the university - the first real class is tomorrow!) and to focus of my own writing projects. Now it's up to me to find a balance between work, school and my own writing (and the blog, of course!) that doesn't make me walk around with that constant and unsettling feeling of almost not making it. I have a habit of taking on more and more things until I simply can't take it anymore and get very, very sick for a long time. That's my body's way of letting me know that I've gone too far and that it's refusing to cooperating with me if I'm not going to treat it right. But that's not going to happen this fall. I won't let it. Health has to come first.


* Don't skip meals (and no, brownies does NOT count as a meal). I have terrible problems eating by myself, which means that when I'm alone, I basically live off of cookies, icecream, sandwiches and candy (oh, and breakfast, I always eat breakfast). Well, this stupidity is going to stop. Right now. I'm aware that I will get sick if I don't provide my poor body with the right nutrition, and from now on, I'm going to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, and these meals are going to consist of food. The dishes can be extremely simple - I'm not expecting to become a contestant in Top Chef - as long as they fall into the category "normal food". (Note: this has nothing to do with losing weight. The opposite, actually. I'm sure I would feel better in every way if I managed to gain a few pounds.)

* Become much more active. The horrible truth is that I basically never move. At all. I walk down to the car, I get in, I drive where I'm going, I get out. Then I get back in the car, drive home, walk the 10 seconds back to the house. I tell myself I need to go for walks, and I do. About twice a month. Now, my plan is to go to yoga once a week - I love yoga, and the studio is located in the same house as my office, to I have no excuse not to go! - go to the gym once a week, and try to take a walk once a week. More than that and I know I'll just feel like it's too much and go back to doing nothing. Baby steps, you know. Again: I'm not trying to lose weight. I'm tired of having constant back pains, of panting and wheezing like I've just run a marathon every time I have to climb a flight of stairs, of having no energy whatsoever. I'm still young and I shouldn't allow my body to become that of an old woman.

* Seizing the day. Yeah, yeah, the World Championship of Clichés is being held right here in this post, I know. But come on, give me a break. We could all benefit from trying harder to appreciate all the good things in our lives, to be grateful for what we've got. I will never, ever stop grieving what I've lost, but all I can do is whatever I can to keep it from ruining my life. Giving up and drowning is my sorrows is not what Fanny would have wanted, and it's definitely not what I want for myself. There's beauty all around and I will try my best to see it, even if it means I'll have to staple my lids to my brows to keep my eyes open.

In the last issue of Sofis mode, I have a column that was actually inspired by this post. I know, it sounds so conceited to say that I was "inspired" by one of my own blog posts - of course that's not what I mean. I just got the idea for the column when I was writing that specific post, that's all.

And for the blogger feature, I had the pleasure of interviewing the adorable Kani Cao of K is for Kani! She is such a sweet and clever girl, and her style is the perfect mix between sophisticated vintage and young, fresh, colorful and trendy. If you haven't yet checked out her blog, you most definitely should!

NOTE: THIS IS NOT ME SINGING! I LOVE SINGING, I JUST CAN'T DO IT. OR, OF COURSE I CAN. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE CRAP. 

Let's end this post with a video of my dear, dear friend Zoey of MakeShiftModel singing a beautiful song with her mindblowingly angelic voice. Yeah, I am blown away by the fact that one person can be so full of amazing talents (and be incredibly stunning on top of it all), and my heart is simply overflowing with love and admiration for her! And just thinking that I would never have had the opportunity to get to know Zoey if I hadn't started this blog... "Meeting" all of you amazing people online these past three months are by far the best thing that's happened to me in a long, long time.

Now: lunch!

Honey, I'm home!

Today, a new issue of Sofis mode magazine is out in Swedish stores. This time, I had the honor of featuring the amazingly talented, beautiful, smart and hilarious blogger and designer Zoey Bittleston of MakeShiftModel and her sparkly and fabulous brand Disco Pony. If for some reason you have yet to visit this girl's blog, I suggest you change that - trust me, you won't be sorry!

EDIT: Ooops, I now see that some of you are writing "congratulations!", and I feel totally embarrassed. I suppose you saw words like "honor" and figured something special had happened. And I'm really sorry, but this is my job and I've been doing it every week for three years, so I don't need to be congratulated. :) So sorry for not being clear! The "honor" is simply because I've become friends with Zoey and she's awesome, so it's an honor getting to know her. But thanks anyway!  <3

And today is also the day that I've officially started blogging here, exclusively. Up until now I've had my Swedish blog on the side, but nothing has been happening over there, since this is really where I want to hang out!

Though, I must admit, it's not entirely without melancholy - I started blogging in Swedish six years ago. That's quite a long time. But hey, nothing's changed except the language, and I'm sure I'll be back with a Swedish blog again some day. Right now I just really want to focus on getting better, more comfortable and confident in English.

Speaking of improving my language skills, I know it's been way too long since I translated one of my columns! Will be sure to upload one either today or tomorrow.

Right now it's breakfast time, and I think I'll celebrate the fact that I'm feeling a little bit better today by actually going outside to get something to eat!

About Rediscovering the Things you Love.

I wanted to introduce you to one of my employers! I've been writing weekly columns for the Swedish fashion magazine Sofis mode since the fall of 2008, so almost three years now. This past year I've also featured one inspiring fashion blogger in every issue, sometimes replaced by a "blogger city guide", where a fashion blogger who lives in an interesting city shares all of her favorite spots, night clubs, restaurants, galleries, museums, bars, cafés - and of course, shopping! - with our readers.

Yesterday, the magazine was relaunched after getting a wonderful makeover. So now it's thicker, with amazing layout, and it's going to be published every two weeks instead of every week. In every other issue, the city guide and blogger feature will be combined, which I think is great - if you get a blogger's own guide to her city, of course you want to know more about her as well!

In this first new and improved issue, I featured the stunning blogger Martina of Danny Rose Fashion, and her guide to her home town Prague.

Yeah, well, this is what my columns look like! (Though I take a new photo every time, of course.)

By some weird coincidence, my column this week is actually sort of on the same subject as in yesterday's outfit post - about how before I started this blog, I rarely put any effort into my outfits, but basically dressed the same every day. It takes place at the very moment when I decided I needed a change, to try and find my way back to the person I used to be before my life took a new direction. The very moment I had the idea to start this blog, really.

I did my best to translate it for you, and remember, don't be hatin' just 'cause my English ain't perfect, eh?

Oh wow, this one! And this one… and that.

I’m sitting on our crooked hardwood floor, rediscovering what used to be my style. Unpacking one cardboard box after the other, all brimfull of clothes I’d forgotten I own. High heels and colorful patterns, tulle skirts, faux fur and velvet, skin tight jeans and sequins, sequins, sequins.

If someone had decided to compare the content of my wardrobe with that of these boxes, no way the idea would cross her mind that it might all belong to the same person. The items now covering the floor have nothing what so ever to do with the plain tops, shirts and loose cotton pants I’ve worn daily during the last year.

Still, there’s no doubt that all these brightly colored, playful garments are mine. Now that I think of it, I clearly remember packing them - late nights in our tiny sublet apartment in the city; how I imagined soon hanging them all neatly on white hangers in our very own house.

And there it is, the realization: oh, right. I used to really enjoy this. You know, this whole… fashion thing.

But something changed.

Maybe it’s all very simple. A move, way out into the countryside where noone complains if you’re keeping your pyjama pants on all day long (hey, you’re going back to bed in a few hours anyway!). A best friend who loves beautiful clothes and who’s laying in a hospital bed, saying: Annika, isn’t it strange. How we search for and spend all this money on the loveliest dresses, only to one day realize that we won’t ever get to wear them again.

I bought an expensive black dress from Stylein to wear at her funeral. October, that was. Since then, I just haven’t been able to find a reason to go shopping. Not that I’d have to – I’d just have to open one of the countless moving boxes marked ”Annika’s clothes” and dig in. But I didn’t. I guess I didn’t really see the point.

Maybe I still don’t. But the boxes are empty now. And sitting in a huge pile of shiny, sparkly and silky stripes, flowers and polka dots, I must admit my greasy pyjama bottoms are starting to seem like a pretty boring outfit choice.

Hmm. What if… what if I should go wash my hair? Put some lipstick on. I do have the day off and couldn’t I, hypothetically, go into Stockholm and have a cup of coffee with someone I haven’t seen in a while? Yeah. I guess I could.

And while I’m at it, I might just as well pick out something from this pile and put it on. Something I used to feel sort of pretty in.

Maybe even something sequined.