Holiday Gift Guide December 1st A Hermès Dream for the Holidays Christmas is around the corner, and I’ve had my eye on the Hermès Cavale II saddle. I picture it hanging in the den of a country house, with a horse wandering freely outside. Tis the season to dream a little. Find the saddle here Image Courtesy of Hermès
By Malene Birger Opens A New Accessories Boutique in Copenhagen text Astrid Birnbaum images courtesy of Malene Birger BY MALENE BIRGER has opened a new boutique in Copenhagen, and it’s all about the small things that complete a look. The space, now open on Østergade 1, focuses entirely on accessories—bags, shoes, and all the finishing touches that make an outfit feel personal. Even though it’s right in the middle of one of the city’s busiest streets, the boutique feels surprisingly calm once you step inside. The design is warm and welcoming: soft draping, comfortable sculptural seating, and a mix of modern pieces and carefully chosen antiques. It feels thoughtful without trying too hard. Everything in the store is displayed with intention. There’s room to see each pieceproperly—feel the textures, look at the shapes, notice the small details you’d usually rush past. It’s the kind of place where you naturally slow down, even if you weren’t planning to. It’s also a great spot for gift shopping—whether you’re picking out something special for someone else or treating yourself to something you’ll actually use and love. The BY MALENE BIRGER accessories boutique opened Friday, November 28th atØstergade 1. If you’re nearby, it’s worth stopping in to explore the brand’s world up close.
Earth Drill, 2025, Crater Fantasia travertine, copper, steel, 242 x 32.5 x 32.5 cm (column), 3 x 60 x 60 cm (base) Left Lamina II, 2025, watercolour collage on cotton paper, 59.4 x 42 cm unframed, 66 x 48.6 cm framed Right Model after Noguchi’s Shrine of Aphrodite N.3, 2025, travertine, marble, granite, quartzite, anyolite, bronze, 46 x 60 x 2 cm Natalia Muntean: Mineral Rising redefines monumentality as something modular and impermanent. What drew you to this idea of monumentality as fragile or changeable? Elena Damiani: What drew me to this idea was the understanding that geological forms, often perceived as fixed, are in fact always in transformation. Stone carries the memory of pressure, rupture, and reassembly; it embodies change over vast timescales. Nature itself organises through fragments and modular assemblies: layers, clusters, and self-contained units that combine, break apart, and recombine, generating continuity through constant change. In my work, I strive to convey this vitality by creating forms that remain open to reconfiguration. In Mineral Rising, the idea of monumentality lies not in permanence but in resilience, in the ability of matter to reorganise, to hold memory within its fragments, and to remain in motion. NM: In Strata Belt, the travertine modules suggest both geological folding and human construction. How do you balance the industrial and architectural references with the natural processes that inspire you? ED: Strata Belt operates at the intersection of geology and architecture. Its modular structure recalls natural processes, folding, stratification, and tectonic shifts, while also referencing principles of design and assembly. The work doesn’t oppose these registers but proposes their simultaneity: structure as both sediment and architecture, fragment and whole. The piece also draws on Alvar Aalto’s room divider, reimagined in stone, a material rarely used for flexible structures. I often work with references that span architecture, Earth sciences, design, and land art. Rather than standing as counterpoints, these references generate a field of associations that inform both form and concept. In Strata Belt, they converge in a sculpture composed of repeated units that can be reconfigured into different shapes, reflecting both geological transformation and structural design. NM: Your work often moves between scales, from intimate collages to monumental public art. How do you decide the scale a project demands? ED: Scale emerges from context and intention. It really depends on the character of the project, whether it is conceived for an institution, a gallery, or a public space; the work must respond to its surroundings. Sometimes this means creating partitions or large sculptural forms; other times it calls for smaller pieces that invite close reading of the materials. I have always been interested in scale models because they shift our perspective, allowing us to observe space as a representation from the outside. With stone, scale also connects to time: massive forms shaped through slow processes coexist with sudden ruptures caused by singular events. Ultimately, scale emerges from both the ideas and the materials, and is shaped by the kind of spatial and temporal experience the work seeks to activate. NM: Do you consider your work a form of storytelling about the earth’s memory, or more as a material investigation?ED: I don’t see my work as telling a story in a linear sense. It’s more about activating the memory embedded in materials, fragments of deep time that resist tidy narratives. Geological matter records traces of past events and processes that can suggest a narrative, but one that is fragmented, open, and continually unfolding, almost deeper than language. Manuel DeLanda’s notion of history as a nonlinear assemblage of flows and ruptures resonates with my approach, as does Tim Ingold’s view of materials as always in flux. Stone, for me, carries both memory and movement. My work proposes reflection on the Earth’s memory through material investigation, using fragments, layers, and reconfiguration to evoke this unstable, non-linear temporality. Model after Noguchi’s Shrine of Aphrodite N.2, 2025, travertine, marble, granite, bronze, 46 x 54 x 2 cm Strata Belt, 2025, Crater Fantasia travertine, stainless steel, 180 x 252 x 6.7 cm (extended) / 180 x 200 x 56 cm (curved) NM: When working with geological forms, do you ever feel you are collaborating with forces that extend beyond human history? ED: I wouldn’t call it a collaboration, but I do feel that in working with these materials, I am engaging with forces that far exceed human history. Deep time is inscribed in the stone, and I hope the works place viewers in an encounter with that abyss of time, something vast, fragmented, and still unfolding, which the material itself makes evident. NM: Your pieces embody both fragility and weight. Is holding these contradictions central to your practice? ED: Yes, that tension is central. Weight and fragility are not opposites but coexisting qualities in geological matter. Stone can hold immense density yet reveal fractures and porosity. This reminds me of erratic stones. These glacial boulders, carried by ice and left in improbable positions, are sometimes perched on the edge of a cliff or a smaller rock, as if about to collapse, yet somehow held in balance. That image reflects a balance I seek in my work, where stability and fragility remain inseparable aspects of the same form. NM: Your background in architecture often surfaces in the modular and spatial aspects of your work. Do you still think like an architect when you approach sculpture? ED: I studied architecture but never practised as an architect. What it gave me was an introduction to methodologies of research and project development, how to work with a team and develop a project while responding to changing conditions and contexts. Those tools have stayed with me and continue to shape the way I approach sculpture, especially in relation to space, materials, and context. They become especially relevant when working on projects closer to architecture, such as public commissions that engage directly with urban environments and landscape, or in installations that relate to an already existing architectural language. NM: In past interviews, you’ve
Miss Clara Hotel: Design, Ambience & Jazz in the City Center images courtesy of Miss Clara by Nobis Housed in one of Stockholm’s finest and best-preserved Art Nouveau buildings, Miss Clara is an urban design hotel created in collaboration with renowned architect Gert Wingårdh. Its prime location in the heart of the city makes it an ideal base for exploring Stockholm’s restaurants, bars, and boutiques. Miss Clara is defined by its warm, intimate atmosphere, an authentic blend of contemporary Scandinavian design and historic character. The hotel’s inviting communal spaces, elegant detailing, and relaxed sophistication create a setting that feels both vibrant and refined. As an added cultural touchpoint, the hotel bar hosts regular jazz evenings featuring some of Sweden’s most respected musicians. These nights offer a laid-back yet immersive ambience, perfect for unwinding over live music. Tonight, Rubem Farias and Gustav Lundgren take the stage, and already the next session will be held on 19 December, featuring Rubem Farias on bass and Pål Nyberg on guitar. Read more about the hotel and their jazz evenings here
A look inside By Malene Birger’s Holiday Event in Stockholm images courtesy of Malene Birger
SÉZANE – A Love Letter from Paris text Jahwanna Berglund images courtesy of Sézane Paris will forever be my second home. After nearly a decade in the city of lights, I know its rhythm like I do Stockholm’s. The soft clatter of cups on café terraces, the quiet grace of Haussmann façades, the way the air turns liquid gold at dusk. But this time, I returned with a different lens and not as the local I once was, but as a guest rediscovering someone else’s Paris. Morgane Sézalory, the founder of Sézane, invited me along with a small group of wonderful Nordic women to explore her Paris. To see the city through the eyes of the woman who built a brand around timeless charm, generosity, and community. What unfolded was more than a visit, it was a quiet journey through moments that remind you why this city still holds the power to feel both familiar and entirely new. Dinner at Morgane’s Former Apartment Hidden on the Left Bank, just a short walk from one of my long-time favourite restaurants, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, is Morgane’s old apartment. A two-storey haven with a secret garden tucked quietly behind its walls. It felt like stepping into a dream: the glow of candles, the sound of glasses clinking, laughter spilling softly into the warm autumn night. It was one of those Parisian evenings that seem to pause time, soft light spilling from open windows, the scent of food and flowers drifting together, and that feeling you only get in Paris, when life suddenly feels lighter, fuller, and perfectly in tune. Morning Rituals The next morning began at Grace Café, where the hot chocolate tastes exactly like home.Then a quick coffee to go from Coutume Café before wandering down Rue du Bac, a street that somehow captures the spirit of Sézane itself: elegant, effortless, quietly confident. And because no day in Paris feels complete without something sweet, I stopped for a crêpe suzette with a squeeze of lemon from Le Bac à Glaces, just sugar and lemon, the simple kind. I ate it while walking through Saint-Germain as the city came alive, sunlight dancing across the balconies and double-faced windows of old Parisian buildings. Beyond Fashion What lingers after a visit with Sézane isn’t only the beauty of the clothes, though each soft knit and precisely cut jean carries that effortless Parisian ease, but the atmosphere surrounding them.Morgane Sézalory has built more than a label; she has cultivated a world. One grounded in sincerity, craftsmanship, and a quiet sense of purpose that extends far beyond fashion. At Sézane, elegance lives in small gestures, a handwritten note slipped into an order, the scent of freshly baked croissants in the boutique, a warm welcome that feels more like visiting a friend’s home than entering a store.It’s a world where community comes first, and style is simply the language through which it’s expressed. As the trip came to an end, what remained was a feeling of that rare sense of connection between people, place, and purpose, something distinctly, and beautifully, Parisian. A Sézane-Inspired Paris Guide StayLe Grand Hôtel Cayré – Elegant and timeless, just steps from Saint-Germain’s best boutiques and cafés.Hôtel Doisy Étoile – Charming and calm, a short walk from L’Appartement Sézane. Cafés & Breakfast SpotsGrace Café – Perfect for an easy breakfast or morning meeting.Coutume Café – Minimalistic design and serious about coffee.Le Bac à Glaces – Traditional ice cream and crêpes with a nostalgic touch. RestaurantsBrasserie Lipp – A Parisian institution since 1880, known for its classic brasserie dishes and timeless Art Deco interiors.Le Petit Lutetia – Intimate and stylish, offering traditional French food in a relaxed Saint-Germain setting.L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – A Michelin-starred experience where haute cuisine meets counter dining, refined, creative, and unmistakably Parisian – je ne sais quoi! DoVisit Sézane L’Appartement, 1 Rue Saint-Fiacre, part boutique, part dream home.Stroll Rue du Bac and Saint-Germain-des-Prés for antique bookstores, florists, and cafés that capture the true Parisian soul.Walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg, especially at golden hour, Morgane’s favourite time of day. Bring HomeArtisanal chocolate from À La Mère de Famille.Home essentials from Bienaimé.
eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiques, Ombres Marinesblack eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès satin lipstick Rose Mauve nails Les Mains Hermès nail polish Violet Manganèse eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Marines black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire white eye pencil L’Oréal Paris superliner le khol Immaculate Snow mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès sheer matte lipstick Rose Primaire nails Les Mains Hermès nail polish Violet Manganèse scarf Hermès eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Marines black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire white eye pencil L’Oréal Paris superliner le khol Immaculate Snow mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès sheer matte lipstick Rose Primaire nails Les Mains Hermès nail polish Violet Manganèse shoes and bracelet Hermès eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Marines black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire white eye pencil L’Oréal Paris superliner le khol Immaculate Snow mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès sheer matte lipstick Rose Primaire nails Les Mains Hermès nail polish Violet Manganèse scarf Hermès eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiques, Ombres Marines black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès satin lipstick Rose Mauve nails Les Mains Hermès nail polish Violet Manganèse bracelet and gloves Hermès eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiquesblack eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Roselips Rouge Hermès satin lipstick Rose Mauve eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiques, Ombres Marinesblack eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Violet Indigo blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Roselips Rouge Hermès sheer matte lipstick Rose Épure bracelet and shoes Hermès eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiques, Ombres Marines black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès satin lipstick Rose Mauve nails Les Mains Hermès nail polish Violet Manganèse bracelet and gloves Hermès eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiques black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès satin lipstick Rose Mauve eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiques, Ombres Marines black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Violet Indigo blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès sheer matte lipstick Rose Épure scarf Hermès eyeshadow Ombres d’Hermès eye shadow quartet Ombres Optiques, Ombres Marines black eyeliner Trait d’Hermès precision eyeliner Encre Noire mascara Trait d’Hermès revitalizing care mascara Noir Fusain blush Rocabar silk powder healthy rosy glow Rocabar Rose lips Rouge Hermès satin lipstick Rose Mauve nails Les Mains Hermès nail polish Violet Manganèse
text Natalia Muntean images courtesy of A Day’s March “Things always seem to fall into place around Jan,” says Stefan Pagréus, co-founder of A Day’s March. The Swedish brand launched its second collaboration with the celebrated artist, this time centred on the dreamlike painting Skogen (The Forest). For Pagréus, the project is as much about chance encounters and conversations as it is about clothes: “When we do these collaborations, we can tap into something bigger. Art and culture can be transformative, and fashion can share in that.” Natalia Muntean: This is your second collaboration with Jan Håfström. How did it all start?Stefan Pagréus: The first one really began when I passed his Mr Walker statue at Central Station. I thought it would be interesting to transform that coat into a real garment, because the painting it came from has this straight, grid-like, almost modernistic quality. I reached out to Jan, but didn’t hear back for a long time. Then one Friday night, several months later, he suddenly called and said he was interested. That was the beginning of a long discussion, which led to the first project and also to us becoming close friends. That project had a wide scope; we touched on many aspects of his work. This time, we wanted to narrow it down and focus on just one piece: Skogen. I’ve always loved that painting. It’s beautiful and sublime, a little bizarre and dreamy at the same time. And it’s also one of his early works, not the kind of thing people usually associate with him. NM: What was it like to revisit the painting with him after so many years?SP: It turned out to be quite a coincidence. We had already planned the project around Skogen when Moderna Museet decided to showcase it again. The painting had been in their archive since the 60s and was shown once in the 80s, but Jan hadn’t seen it for decades. So we took him there. Watching him stare at it, studying the details, was really moving. It was also a key work for him, the first painting Moderna bought, so it carried that weight as well. NM: You’ve said Håfström makes you “doubt higher powers” because of the serendipities around him. Did this project feel destined in some way?SP: Yes, things often just happen around him. With Mr Walker, we launched the collection on the very same day Russia invaded Ukraine. Suddenly, that character, which in his paintings is like a hero or Jesus figure, became a call to be a good force in the world. It gave the whole project another dimension. I think Skogen will also come to mean something different to what we first imagined. That’s Jan’s own attitude: let’s find out what this can be. NM: A Day’s March has also collaborated with artists like Owe Gustafson and Lisa Larsson. What draws you to these projects?SP: They’ve come about from different angles. Owe was actually my teacher in the 90s, and his work connects so much to our childhood in Sweden that it felt natural to do something together. With Jan, it started when I reached out after seeing the Mr Walker statue. And with Mike, my colleague Rasmus began a dialogue, and we simply gave him blank garments to use as a canvas, which he painted, distorted, and worked on by hand. What unites them is curiosity. We’re curious about their world, and they’re curious about ours. That creates a really interesting dynamic. We don’t have strict rules; something just has to catch our eye and make us want to have a conversation. If that dialogue feels inspiring, it usually becomes a collaboration. NM: Håfström describes Skogen as a “lost world” from his dreams. How did you translate that emotional and surreal quality into wearable designs and objects?SP: In different ways. Some pieces use the image directly, like the blanket, which is almost a full recreation of the painting. In others, we zoomed in on certain details to create abstract patterns. We also built a camouflage-inspired print from its elements. Beyond clothes, we wanted to explore other sensory dimensions. We worked with Candelize to create a scented candle that smells of the forest, flowery but also smoky, tar-like, with a campfire note. We collaborated with a Swedish axe-smith to produce a small series of hand-forged axes, which Jan then painted himself. Tools like that recur in his work, alongside figures like Christ or Robinson Crusoe, so it felt deeply connected to his world. NM: A Day’s March is known for minimalist, functional design. How do these artistic collaborations fit?SP: Normally, we do straightforward clothes: clean-cut, timeless, not very expressive. Collaborations like this allow us to show another layer, something more than clothes. It’s not really a break from our identity, more an expansion of it. Our everyday pieces are almost anonymous; with these projects, we get to show who we are behind the brand, our interests in art, culture, and ideas. We also enjoy the process. With Jan, it’s always inspiring conversations. Sometimes he even digs up forgotten paintings from his studio and says, “This connects to what we’re doing.” It’s very collaborative and playful. NM: You also work as a psychologist. Does that perspective influence your approach to fashion?SP: Clothes can absolutely be a psychological tool. They can be self-expression, armour, or comfort. At A Day’s March, we say we make clothes for the “triumphs and troubles of everyday life.” That’s the practical side. But when we do these collaborations, we can tap into something bigger. Art and culture can be transformative, and fashion can share in that. Nature plays into this, too. In Scandinavia, the forest is almost like a church. It’s central to who we are, and also deeply healing. There’s research about the psychological benefits of being in nature. I think Skogen speaks to that – its mysterious, dreamlike quality is also about intimacy and solitude and maybe finding comfort in both. NM: You
photography Magnus Gulliksen From Odalisque Magazine issue 8, Featured in the exhibition FOLD-OUT: Tracing Nordic Fashion Magazines Also From The Exhibition
A Dialogue in Couture: Inside the Dual Tribute to Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior text Jahwanna Berglund images courtesy of La Galerie Dior and Azzedine Alaïa Foundation There are encounters in fashion that happen outside of time. They begin as quiet fascinations, grow into lifelong devotions, and ultimately leave behind a shared legacy that feels larger than the two people who shaped it. This autumn in Paris, La Galerie Dior and the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation opened the doors to such a conversation, presenting a dual exhibition that traces the profound connection between two couturiers who never stopped studying each other from a place of deep admiration. Azzedine Alaïa was a collector long before the world understood the extent of his devotion. Behind the walls of his discreet Paris studio, he spent decades building a private archive that reflected his reverence for those who had mastered the language of couture. Among these treasures, the works of Christian Dior held a singular place.Today, the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation preserves almost six hundred Dior pieces, gathered over a lifetime with the sensitivity of someone who understood how much a seam can reveal and how a silhouette can hold a dream. More than one hundred of these creations are being shown to the public for the first time at La Galerie Dior. Seen together, they speak not only of Dior’s vision but of Alaïa’s devotion. They feel like love letters to a designer he saw as an early guide, a compass in his own search for beauty. As Olivier Saillard, director of the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, writes, Christian Dior’s dresses were objects of magic to Alaïa. He chased the secrets of their construction with the curiosity of someone who believed that every garment contains a hidden architecture, one that invites you to imagine the woman it was made for. Across the city, the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation offers a complementary perspective, placing around thirty Dior creations collected by Alaïa alongside a selection of his own designs. The dialogue between the two is striking. Dior’s New Look, with its sculpted waist and generous volume, seems to meet Alaïa’s exacting lines and body conscious silhouettes with a kind of gentle familiarity. It is as if the two couturiers were speaking the same language, separated only by time and culture, yet forever connected by their pursuit of form, structurea and the dignity of craft. Alaïa once spent a few days in the Dior ateliers in 1956. An experience he remembered with affection and awe. He never forgot the discipline of the workshops, the precision, the almost reverent attention to detail. That brief encounter stayed with him, resurfacing years later in the pieces he created and in the pieces he collected. The exhibition reveals how those memories echoed in his work and how the codes of Dior found new expression through Alaïa’s hands. Curated by Olivier Saillard with Gaël Mamine, the double exhibition does more than present two masters of couture. It allows us to see history through the eyes of a collector who understood both fragility and power. The result is a study of correspondences, a delicate mapping of influence, respect and shared imagination. Together, these exhibitions remind us that fashion is not only an industry or a spectacle. It is a lineage built stitch by stitch, shaped by people who see clothing as a form of memory. Alaïa preserved Dior’s work because it taught him something essential. Dior inspired Alaïa because he showed that elegance can be both disciplined and emotional. In bringing their stories together, Paris offers a rare chance to witness a conversation that spans decades, yet feels as alive as ever. It is couture not as nostalgia, but as a living exchange. A meeting of minds that continues to resonate – quiet and powerful, in every thread.A rare dialogue between two masters, and worth a trip to Paris on its own. Do not miss it.