“The problem is that people are encouraged to function as machines. Or actually, as mechanisms. Human emotion and sympathy are unprofessional. They are inappropriate to the exercise of reason.”

[...]

“We have lots of cake. But no revolutionaries. Revolution, the shouting and breaking things. It’s very un-Swiss.”

from The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway*

The Swiss are very tidy. They are very orderly, very organized, very private, and really friggin’ quiet. Me, I’m Italian. I am messy. I am not reserved. In fact, like most Italians, I may even border on the “too friendly” side of things. And not in a million years would anyone in their right mind ever use the word “quiet” when referring to me. I talk just a tad too loud. I laugh too laud, too – I’m sorry, but in a moment of hilarity, I am just not one of those people who can put a hand in front of their mouth (unless I’m chewing, of course) and stifle a girlish giggle, then just smile. When I laugh, I embrace it, damn it.

This often makes me conspicuous here. Mind you, it’s not like I’m a spy or a ninja, I don’t set out to just blend into the background, but I don’t purposely make a show of myself, either. It’s just, you know, stuff happens.

Imagine being at dinner with friends. Friends by extension, because they were friends of your husband’s before you two even met… but still, friends. After an initial lull, the conversation seems to, if not exactly flow, at least progress fairly smoothly. You start to relax. You don’t have to watch your every step here, you tell yourself. These are friends. You like them, they like you. Just chill. Enjoy the evening. So you do. Everyone is conversing amiably, and eating (but not at the same time, because that would be gross.) Then all of a sudden the conversation stops. There is a long, awkward pause. What just happened?? You look around: no one spilled their wine,  no one dropped an expensive plate on the floor. You replay the last few seconds in your head: who was the last person to say something? damn, it was you. But try as you might, you cannot imagine what you could have said that would warrant such a reaction. Long after your husband cleared his voice and broke the silence with a Can I get anyone more wine? you sit, bewildered. Whatever your faux-pas was, you know it will be politely ignored – though mind you, not forgotten. Committing hara-kiri with your fondue knife sounds pretty good right about now.

On the tram. A young mother gets on with her newborn. It’s one of the older trams, the ones with the stairs. A man helps the young mom lift the pram onto the tram, then steps away without saying anything. The mom tries to maneuver the pram so that she isn’t blocking access onto or off the tram for other passengers, and some people standing nearby unwillingly move to make space. Some just stand right where they are and keep reading their newspaper. No one stops to look at the cute baby, sleeping in the pram. The mom, after apologizing profusely to anyone who might have had to move to make space for her and her baby, starts to relax a bit. But not completely. She is silently begging her baby not to wake up, not to make a peep until it’s time to get off. Because she remembers clearly what it felt like to break the complete quiet on the tram, the disapproving glances from fellow passengers, and how she got off a couple of stops too early because she couldn’t bear feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed for 5 more minutes.

On the tram. My cell phone rings. I look around to see if there are any signs showing cell phones as verboten (loud, obnoxious, devilish objects, cell phones) and upon making sure there aren’t any, I pick up. It’s my godmother, wishing me a Happy Birthday. I smile, thank her, and then we start talking. I laugh sometimes, but I try to keep my voice down, because the tram was so quiet before my phone rang. Still, despite my efforts, looks like I am still disturbing the quiet, meditative moment everyone must be enjoying, because a Shhhh! is thrown in my direction like a javelin. No longer trying to keep quiet, I tell my godmother Sorry, I have to let you go, someone on the tram just shushed me. No, I’m not kidding! I laugh. I’ll call you back.

A few minutes later, I get off. As the door opens and I prepare to exit, an old lady turns to me and says, in an accented Italian It’s just that everyone could hear what you were talking about. I smile to her and reply That’s ok, it’s not like I was discussing state secrets. And as I step off the tram I add Buona giornata! and wave. As the doors close behind me and the tram departs, I turn to see her bewildered expression as she watches me from the tram window.

Shortly before our move to New York I started seeing a new tram model around Zurich: the Cobra. The Cobra stays low to the ground, and slithers quietly through the streets of Zurich. It’s easy to board, especially for moms with strollers and people in wheelchairs, and it doesn’t contribute to the noise level in the city, which compared to many other cities outside of Switzerland is still surprisingly low. What some don’t know is that the Cobra was originally made even quieter than that, and had to be modified to be slightly less quiet, so people could hear it coming.

Zurich is a beautiful city. The winter just doesn’t do it justice – even with the Christmas decorations, Zurich is just not at its best in winter. Starting in May, is when you can see it at its best. The Bahnhostrasse buzzing with people, the Hauptbahnhof so much more beautiful when the light shines through the windows and the fountain outside is brought back to life. And the lake, of course. Walking along the Limmatquai, following the river down to Bellevue, and there you are rewarded with one of the best views in Zurich. And when you stop to enjoy the view, when you hesitate to take a photo because you don’t know if it will do justice to the sun sparkling on the water, to the Alps far on the horizon, to the boats and the ducks somehow coexisting peacefully on the smooth surface of the lake… that’s when the quiet doesn’t bother you so much.

* which is a novel, not an essay on politics and socio-economical problems. And these quotes are taken out of context and totally unrelated. Except in my head, where they are clearly not.

{ 21 comments }

So what if it’s cold? So what if it snowed and it’s icy out and you have to be bundled up and wearing your flat winter boots, that you loved but are quite frankly getting sick of at this point?

In spite of the cold, or maybe because of it, I decided to turn my attention to spring and summer. Some may prepare for summer by exercising obsessively, other by dieting (have you ever tried eating only salads when it’s freezing out? yeah, good luck with that)… I prefer to get ready by looking at fabulous clothes and deciding which ones I might be able to fit into my budget and which ones I’ll have to just settle for a pale (but still fabulous!) imitation of.

Let’s start the inspiration parade with my faves from the latest additions to the Kate Spade S/S 2010 collection:

Reina polka dot dress worn with red Bet sandals, Addie tweed jacket, sheer striped anklet in Cherry Sorbet with black and white t-strap peep-toes

and continue with those from the amazing Diane Von Fustenberg collection – I’m usually not big on prints, especially florals, but there is something almost mesmerizing and yet gracious and elegant about these pieces:

Cipolla Silk Blouson, Zora Draped Silk Dress, Greo Jersey Wrap Dress, Swann Silk Bubble Dress

and the cool graphics prints and brightly-colored basic shapes at BCBGMaxAzria:

asymmetrical-hem printed silk dress, strapless printed chiffon dress, slit-sleeve silk dress in Ultra Violet and Emerald, one-shoulder fitted dress in Larkspur Blue and Begonia

and the effortless day-to-night sequins and metallics at Tory Burch:

twill skirt with sequins, Alton top, Alton blazer, Rennon dress

Designer clothing may be expensive, but looking doesn’t cost a penny. And if they are out of our budget, we can still use them as inspiration. Doesn’t beauty make you feel more creative? Then it’s up to you to decide how to use the creative energy.

Image credits: 1. Kate Spade; 2. Saks Fifth Avenue; 3. BCBGMaxAzria; 4. Tory Burch

{ 17 comments }

Cold and resentment

by Elisa on March 11, 2010

in ramblings, random

It’s snowing. AGAIN. And everything is so quiet, like time is frozen, much like anything standing ouside in what has undoubtedly been inclement weather. Just the train interrupts the silence, reminds me that time isn’t frozen, that it’s still passing.

Sometimes I wonder if snow is Nature’s way to remind us to slow down. Stay home, where it’s warm, cuddle in bed, or curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a book, oblivious to our obligations, to anything but what feels good, the warmth of the blanket and the tea versus the unwelcoming cold that shocks me every time I step outside. We cannot, of course, indulge in that – no matter how hard Mother Nature may try to convince us to ignore our obligations and just take a break, let time be frozen – life just doesn’t stop happening because it’s cold outside, or because it’s snowing. Work to be done, timelines to meet, errands to run – life waits for no one, or at least modern life does not.

And I wonder why I find the snow so irritating, so especially annoying this year. It isn’t that I otherwise love it, but we have been known to coexist fairly peacefully, the snow and I. Is it the cold? Is it the risk of slipping? Is it the traffic? Or is it that it feels like a slap in the face, this being forced to slow down when all I want to do it go, go, go. Now that I feel like I have been awakened from a long sleep, now that I feel like any place can be somewhere I belong, as long as I create the life I want. Now that I feel like I have emerged from a peculiar state of suspension, much like a coma of sorts, or maybe more like sleepwalking. A state where everything has been happening around you, and you there, in a sort of suspended animation; and then you wake up and you are older, but really, none the wiser. What happened to my life? You wonder. Where did the time go? And you just can’t wait to make up for lost time.

That’s what’s happening now. And I can’t help but resent the snow, no matter how graceful, how beautiful – I can’t help resenting the snow for holding me back.

But is it? Can anything really hold you back once you are set on your way?

{ 12 comments }

We do love designer collaborations, don’t we? And Target has been especially good at experimenting with low-budget designer lines. The latest in the series just dropped today in select Target stores around the US, and online at Target.com: the designer is Jean Paul Gaultier, the enfant terrible of fashion, famous for giving an edgy makeover to classic pieces, and androgynous looks with a touch of vintage glamour.

A favorite of strong, edgy, fashionable women everywhere, Jean Paul Gaultier’s biggest moment of fame came in the late 80s and early 90s, when he became a favorite of Madonna’s and started designing her costumes and outfits for concerts and public appearances – his best known creation is without a doubt the burlesque-inspired gold conical bra worn by Madonna on her Blonde Ambition Tour.

Jean Paul Gaultier has been designing fabulous clothing for many years now, but he enjoyed a new wave of popularity two years ago, when Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for her performance in La Vie en Rose and stunned everyone with her mermaid dress, which had been designed, you guessed it, by Jean Paul Gaultier as part of his Spring/Summer 2008 collection.

Back to present times, the Jean Paul Gaultier for Target collection has been unveiled and from what I have seen online,  it seems to be everything we imagined: irreverent, edgy, feminine – and with a lot of surprisingly wearable pieces, to boot.

Some of my favorite looks from the collections:

Stripe Trench Coat in Khaki, $59.99; Lingerie Dot Dress in Green/Black, $34.99

Leather Moto Jacket in Brown/Red, $199.99; Tank Dress in Red, $34.99

Pinstripe Vest in Black, $29.99; Eyelet Halter Dress in Black/White, $59.99; underneath, Bustier Top (comes with Shrug, not shown) in Red/White, $29.99

The collection will be available until April 11, 2010 – but chances are that it won’t really, since some items (like the adorable floral skirt, which fits right in with one of the strongest Spring trends) are already sold out online.

I really wish I was there to look at all the individual pieces in person, because unfortunately the sizing is junior/contemporary, so I’m not really inclined to order the pieces without trying them on or being able to return them. And it’s a pity, because with prices starting at $17.99, I would probably find something to add to my wardrobe.

How about you? Will you be checking this out at your local Target store? Are you even still there? I’m pretty sure some of you dropped everything half-way down this post and just left to run to Target ;-)

{ 11 comments }

Beauty & Shopping Event: Soirée Beauté at Manor Zurich (Bahnhofstrasse)

March 5, 2010

Manor is one of the three main department store chains in Switzerland. On Thursday evening Manor, in collaboration with Swiss Annabelle mag, presented the winners of the Annabelle Prix de Beauté 2010 (basically a local version of the SELF Beauty Awards) in several categories, which had previously been announced at an event a month and [...]

Read the full post →

OOTW: Black and white, with a pop of color

March 5, 2010

My husband and I have been married for 12 years – 13 in June. I talk a lot. He doesn’t. Which woulnd’t necessarily make him a great listener, except he’s actually a pretty good one. But I do think sometimes he tunes me out. It’s not like I take it personally, how could he not? [...]

Read the full post →
Copyright Elisa Bieg, 2008-2009.