2022 could be a record year for weddings. In addition to those who are just getting married, after two years of the pandemic, there have been a lot of celebrations that want to be made up for completely or in a larger group. One of the biggest new trends down the aisle this season is long opera gloves (see Nicola Peltz Beckham). In addition, regardless of the design: sustainability. Because no matter how breathtakingly beautiful a design may be – as a rule, wedding dresses are only worn once. Well-intentioned attempts to get close for other reasons reliably fail. More and more women are therefore buying in vintage shops and then bringing their clothes back there. Another option is the Bridal Salon from reformation. The Los Angeles-based fashion chain, which is growing rapidly in Europe, has made “sustainability” a priority from the very beginning. For the wedding dresses, too, it is therefore specified how much water and energy consumption was saved compared to conventional production. However, the designs are not more expensive: silk dresses start at around 400 euros, a white suit à la Bianca Jagger is available for almost 600 euros. There might still be money left over to sell off the whole wedding at the same time as the Reformation. Because under the motto “Cancel the wedding!” you can buy a climate voucher for 180 euros, which is said to roughly correspond to the cost of offsetting emissions for an average wedding celebration. The amount goes to climate-friendly and carbon-reducing projects. As if the wedding – at least in the environmental sense – had never taken place (thereformation.com).
Cut off from the outside world: The illustrated book “Gspell 111” tells the story of a family of mountain farmers in South Tyrol.
(Photo: manufacturer)
In winter, farmer Siegfried and his son Florian are sometimes completely cut off from the outside world, only their eight cows, 15 sheep and hens keep them company, high up at the end of the Passeier Valley in South Tyrol. In the summer, Mother Katharina also comes to the farm above Merano, which was first mentioned in a document in 1629. Together they take care of selling the young animals, while the family uses the milk for themselves and for rearing the calves. In this everyday life full of deprivation, characterized by the change of seasons, the photographer allows Roland Reinstadler, who also comes from the region, now take a look. In the volume “Gspell 111. Mountain farmers in the Alps. The last of their kind” he shows in atmospheric photographs a dying culture with quiet rituals of a life that hardly exists in Europe today (112 pages, Kehrer Verlag, 39.90 Euro, kehrerverlag.com).
While supersalone sounded good, last year’s edition of the Milan design fair was a shrunken version of the usual premium. This time, after two lean seasons due to corona – the event was canceled completely in 2020 – everything should shine again at the Salone del Mobile. In order for this to work, April was postponed to early summer, and now the countdown is slowly beginning among design lovers: Only a few weeks left until the start on June 7th. 800 exhibitors from all over the world are expected to present their designs on the site in the northwest of the city. For six days until June 12, everything revolves around “qualità, innovazione, bellezza”, as the fair’s website happily announces, i.e. quality, innovation and beauty. And for the 60th birthday edition, how could it be otherwise, the focus should also be on sustainability. That is why the central, 1400 square meter installation by the architect Mario Cucinella from Bologna is also called “Design with Nature”. In addition, President Maria Porro said that in view of the war in Ukraine, the Salone sees itself all the more as a cosmopolitan “meeting place for cultures” (salonemilano.it).
Chain drop off point by Saskia Diez.
(Photo: manufacturer)
She is now known worldwide for her jewelry creations, but now the Munich designer has Saskia Diez designed home accessories for the first time – but they also have something to do with jewelry again. Together with the furniture manufacturer Schönbuch she developed Nicara – a set of sculptural table objects made of wood, which, with their shapes, function as a perfect shelf for small treasures. A display with gaps for rings, an upright block over which unworn necklaces can be placed decoratively, a stud for earrings and a small mirror should ensure order and look good even without additional precious metal. In addition to the original form of storage, the objects should also promote the joy of mindful decorating and show off the pieces of jewelery in a playful way at home – where they often simply disappear in the usual casket.
With surgical steel on the steak: the award-winning cutlery from Skife in Switzerland.
(Photo: manufacturer)
How to eat steak in style According to the etiquette guide Knigge, something like this: “In the old fashioned way, the fork is turned upside down with the tines pointing upwards before it is brought to the mouth.” Before that, the meat should be sabered professionally and accident-free. Fine, but what cutlery should you use for this feat? An artfully forged, sharp knife and a sturdy fork are best. The officially most beautiful tool for this comes from Switzerland: the steak cutlery from skife came first in the “Tableware International Award of Excellence 2022”. The cutlery was developed in cooperation with top chefs and is made of surgical steel and walnut wood. For a knife and a fork, however, you have to pay 471 euros. Alternative: finger food. According to Knigge, you can eat this with your hands (skinfe.com).