I hate offline shopping! While my girlfriends love hours of shopping, I can’t think of anything worse than trying one part on the spot. But – I have become better! Meanwhile I can stay longer than two minutes in a shop. I particularly enjoy visiting Sandro Paris in Berlin Mitte, for example. Every now and then I would be ready to treat myself to a nice top or sweater at the French labels. Pieces that I really wear every day.
Already in late autumn I had fallen in love with Sandro’s new Pepita Bags and was about to buy them for the full price. There are very few parts that fix me immediately. I could wait until the sale. There came 30% off... hmm. there is even more! 50% off… and of course the bag was already gone online before. At the end of the last month I tried my luck again in the shop. Mostly the parts are still available in the shop. Unfortunately no luck in the shop in Mitte, but the nice salesman checked the availability in Berlin and see there – a model was still available in the gallery Lafayette. Of course I cycled there. In the last weeks of the sale I got another 10% on the sale price. Lucky me! Nevertheless I didn’t save anything.
And here you can see this pretty piece in a new look. A comfortable everyday look with a light Ralph Lauren sweater (the cut with round collar is my favourite and I still have it in dark blue and pink – tip: the sweater is very common on clothes tops), flared jeans from More & More from the new spring collection and my Ted Baker boots, which are already a few years old (but still available online). On top of that a comfortable fake fur coat by Chicwish (also available in black).
OUTFIT DETAILS
Sandro Pepita bag F/W18/19 here or here
Chicwish faux fur coat here Ralph Lauren pullover here More & More jeans here Ted Baker Lorca ankle boots here
The Alte Münze is a popular venue for dining events. In the summer I was there already several times on a food market. All the more I was happy about the opening of The Greens Coffee and Plants – a small “Urban Jungle” Café. Apart from the beautiful weather today, the winter in Berlin can quickly get monotonous (the weather prospects for the weekend are once again great … not). A cosy café for lunch or coffee is just the thing. I made an appointment with a friend for lunch during the week. Again and again people went out and in, which got themselves also food to take away for the surrounding offices.
The The Greens offers a small selection of vegetarian lunch dishes. The The Greens offers besides high-quality, self-roasted coffee also other trendy hot drinks – a yellow “Golden Milk” (hot milk with turmeric), a green Matcha Latte or for more colour try a Beet Latte. As a lunch dessert it could also be something sweet. The cakes looked excellent. If there’s cheesecake, I can’t get around it. We’d love to come back again!
Marrakesh – a dream from 1000 and a night. How often am I asked about our girls trip to Marrakesh? For 5 days we lived in our own oriental fairy tale. The mix of city trip and relaxation was perfect. The crowning finale was our stay at the Dar Ayniwen Garden Hotel & Bird Zoo.
More Morocco/Marrakesh travel recommendations? This way!
A hidden gem outside Marrakesh – DAR AYNIWEN GARDEN VILLA HOTEL
After a night under the stars we drove back to Marrakesh at noon. For the last two nights we deliberately chose a quiet hotel outside the Medina (old town of Marrakesh). The Dar Ayniwen, well hidden in the palm oasis Palmeraie about ten minutes outside the medina, was the right retreat. A bumpy inconspicuous road past the famous palm oasis and dromedaries led us to Dar Ayniwen.
“Ayniwen” means palm tree in Berber language.
Behind a big gate we reached the oasis of owner Stéphane Abtan, who realized his dream of his own garden a few decades ago. Between 1980 and 1982 he not only built the family house, but as a bird lover also his own bird park in the middle of the two hectare property. From the spacious entrance we walked right along the villa to the main entrance of the main house. This led over a narrow path through the tropical enchanted garden. Through the heavy entrance door we enter the main house from the 19th century, which has remained unchanged until today.
Inclusive service
Free transfer into the old town of Marrakesh
On the first day we immediately used the free shuttle service into the medina and went shopping for another hour. The rest of the afternoon we spent at the pool with the wonderful temperatures (23° Celsius in November!). In the evening the Dar Ayniwen drove us into the city again. We toasted one last time on the Terasse des Épices.
For hotel guests staying at Dar Ayniwen for more than four nights, they also offer a free transfer from/to the airport.
cosy retreats within the main building in oriental style
OVERNIGHT IN THE SUITE from Monica Bellucci
Stéphane’s assistant Aziz accompanied us to our nocturnal room, the Sheherazade Suite. He proudly told us that the Italian actress Monica Bellucci often spent the night here. She loved the view out onto the steaming pool in the garden in the morning. We also had this pleasure – it was beautiful.
morning view to the pool of the Sheherazade Suite
THe Sheherazade Suite
The Sheherazade Suite is a 40 m² romantic suite, furnished with fine fabrics, beautiful mosaic floors and antique furniture. Truly a dream of a thousand and one nights. It also contains an impressive collection of perfume bottles. This reminded me of my childhood because we also had a small collection of oversized bottles in our bathroom.
Dar AyniwenROOMS & SUITES
The Dar Ayniwen offers 10 elegant rooms and suites. In the main house I can also recommend the Room Adjig, which also has a private exit into the tropical garden.
ROOMS & Suites PRICES
double room starting from 165€ / night
suites starting from 500€ / night
It’s best to book directly with the owner. This is common in Morocco and you always get the best price there.
Room Adjig
Elegant Moroccan-style bathroom from the 19th century
Morning hours at the pool
Our stay in November couldn’t have been better. Early in the morning it was still a bit fresh, but this made the view to the steaming pool even more beautiful. A classic Moroccan breakfast is served here, as well as lunch on request. During the warm summer nights, one can also dine here.
On our first evening we did not drive again into the old town of Marrakesh. Morocco experts know anyway that the best place to eat is at home with the Moroccans. That’s why we had pre-ordered a relaxed dinner. In Dar Ayniwen you can choose between different cold and warm Moroccan starters, for example an “Assortiment de 4 Salades” with for example Tektouka, Hummus, Zaalouk or Merguez Épicées (spiced minced meat sausage). Always delicious Moroccan pastillas are highly recommended. The main courses at Dar Ayniwen are a selection of traditional tajines with fish, beef or vegetables. Herefor, they always serve couscous.
The food was very tasty and as Moroccan cuisine is – very sumptuous. The staff at Dar Ayniwen is very friendly and courteous, as we were used to from Moroccans in general.
Recommendation: I saw that you can also book a Welcome Dinner for 35€ / person.
And so our unforgettable stay in this beautiful oasis flew by. We will definitely come back. A warm shukran ! to Stéphane and his assistant Aziz, who always helped us politely.
Hello sunshine! I’m afraid you’re only reading from me again today. After the press trip to Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis I was really torn apart and laid sick in bed. Usually I’m never sick. The ski trip was super nice and I can’t wait to be back on the slopes. This season I have been skiing 12 times. I have never made it so many times in the past winter.
Today there is a short post with this winter look. Recently I noticed that I wore this winter mainly dark / wine red. I try to bring colour into my looks as good as I can. And now let’s kick this Monday!
Outfit details
Studio Italy top F/W ’19 on sale here
Hallhuber coat old Seidenfelt bag here Mango skirts F/W ’18 Peperosa patent leather boots old
The winter sales are already in full swing. Brands have already started with further reductions which will last until the end of the month. Quite tempting, right? Like every year, I try to stay away from sales. Why? Unless I liked it before, I won’t now.
Shopping just doesn’t bring me any joy any more. I want to invest in more high quality pieces which I would wear every single day. Still, I have so many pieces hanging in my closet which I haven’t worn for year (I love my blazers but rarely wear them!).
Over the years some winter items have stayed in my wardrobe for ever. Unfortunately, some of them aren’t on sale right now. I tried my best to link a cheaper alternative.
1 BOOTS! BOOTS! BOOTS!
Boots are definitely one of the best sale investments you can make. I rarely buy trending pieces, which I won’t love the season after. Here are three styles which I’ve bought in the past two years and still love!
#1 A PAIR OF WARM CHELSEA BOOTS (with fur inside & water proof!)
I always have cold feet. Therefore, these EMU Australia Pioneer boots have saved my life. EMU Australia has one patent and one suede leather model. Apparently, both of them are water proof. I bought mine two years ago and apart from repairing the sole once they in perfect condition.
Price: 189€ (if you sign up for the newsletter you’ll get 10% off)
Undoubtedly, Pura Lopez makes some of the most beautiful winter boots (and shoes in general). I’m madly in love with the Spanish brand. Thanks to my intelligent Shoptagr-tool I scored these beautiful ankle boots for € 99.99 instead € 329.95 off. When? In May.
Tip:Save your items for longer. The best winter shoe deals are made in summer. Likewise for winter jackets e.g.
#3 MOUNTAIN STYLE BOOTS (also with fur inside!)
This was probably the best bargain from last winter’s sale. I love the fact that mountain style boots are high in fashion again. I scored these boots 50% off at Boden (which also have great clothing pieces too) last year. Aren’t they beautiful (and oh so warm!)?
2 PULLOVERS
I’m usually a blazer person but during winter time I prefer to wear a cozy pullover instead. A couple of years ago I realized that I don’t really own any cool pullover and got myself a couple of them. Looking back to last year, I think I only wore 3-4 pullovers all the time.
My all time favorite pullover is the classic JULIANNA navy blue cotton pullover from Ralph Lauren, which I bought at the outlet in Barcelona four years ago. I also got another one second hand in beige in autumn.
photo credit: Tracdelight
3 A BLACK BLOUSE
I love blouses and one of my latest additions is this gorgeous black blouse from Studio Italy – a simple timeless piece!
photo credit: Studio Italy
4 LEATHER LEGGINGS
Leather leggings are definitely part of my capsule wardrobe. Surely, they’re not going to go out of fashion any time soon. Unfortunately, my favorite pair from Hallhuber got holes and I had to give them away. Right now I only own one pair from Marc Cain which are still in perfect condition.
Tip:I recommend to buy a pair with leather parts in the front and normal textile on the backside. This makes them more elastic and comfortable.
photo credit: Tracdelight
5 A WARM DOWN-PADDED JACKET
Down-padded jackets are definitely the best for winter. I’m not a huge fan of layering. Therefore, I prefer wearing a warm jacket and keeping it simple underneath. I’ve accumulated quite a selection of down-padded jackets during the years. My favorite ones are still the ones from Bomboogie (I bought my first one at the early beginnings of this blog) and Duvetica. All of them are super classic and easy to style. They’ll probably last for the next 20 and more years.
Unfortunately, most high-end jacket brands still have a lot of models with fur. I’m not going to buy any jackets with fur any longer and removed it!
Tip: you can get great jacket deals during summer time. During that time most of the jackets are 50% off.
