Happy & Healthy
FINALLY! WE CAN LIKE PARIS HILTON PINK AGAIN
4 x why pink is an incredibly good and mature idea
When Liesbeth said she was going to spread her wings and leave the Amayzine nest, two names came to mind. Renske (you know, the one with the cold sore on her first day) and Kalinka. Because both are smart, not averse to producing a little story about sex, have a slight unhealthy obsession with bags and, as they say in magazine-making land, an excellent pen. So rapapapa and attention and applause for Kalinka's first contribution. It's about pink, so I'm already on board.
Pink, I love pink. I'm crazy about the soft fluffy pink of cotton candy, the hard popping signature pink of Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli (alongside Coco Chanel one of the most important designers of the twenties and thirties), the orange/pink of flamingos, and the almost sun-faded piglet pink of ballet shoes. Pink has a physical effect on me: I want to bite it, grab it, stroke it, wrap myself around it! Everything! It's love (yes, yes, yes, or a fetish, I can hear everyone saying it).
Yet I actually find it unacceptable, pink. It has something incredibly childish about it, as if you've never outgrown Barbie. I associate it with super-rich American trophy wives in overly ostentatious palaces, who play out the Barbie life they've dreamed of their whole lives – bonjour tristesse. You don't want that. The antidote? A wardrobe with black, gray, and dark blue clothes, jeans, and some colored accessories for good measure.
“It has something incredibly childish about it, as if you've never outgrown Barbie”
Pink, it seems to be marketing gold. Want to sell something to ‘the woman’? Make it pink and it sells. I find that linear thinking quite derogatory; it reduces all women to Pavlov puppets who wag their tails for every pink sausage. ‘Women’ is not one target group; women are very different. A ‘cute’ color doesn't make every ‘heart’ beat faster. Plus: we are not one-dimensional; women desire more than just pink stuff. We are not Barbie.
So the pink in my life is limited to the cloud of tulle from my daughter's tutu that I occasionally stick my nose into. Until now. Because suddenly I see chic pink options everywhere – occasions and things that make my love for pink completely socially acceptable. I'm going all in, I think. Mind the sugar!
Pink at its best. Four times sleek and chic pink.
It's one of the coolest hangouts in London right now, Sketch, a venue for food, art, and music, where especially the restaurant The Gallery has everyone's extraordinary interest. It's pretty in all its pinkness, with soft pink on the walls and shell-shaped velvet chairs – a bit of sixties style – and a bar with a rose gold backdrop. It looks sleek and welcoming, a stunning backdrop for the black-and-white line drawings of artist David Shrigley.
2. Grafea
The British leather brand Grafea is big on classic bags made of cool thick leather, from simple saddle bags to bucket bags and backpacks. And, here comes the best part: they come in pastel colors! The pink backpack was of course immediately my favorite: sleek, clean design and yet cheering, jubilant, breathtaking pink.
3. Dr. Martens
No better shoe than the tough Pascal lace-ups from Dr. Martens, a classic that has firmly anchored itself in my wardrobe. And, Jesus Christ, I was instantly in love with the soft pink leather versions. The leather is very special, matte, with an eggshell-like finish. A perfect marriage of delicate and robust.
4. Philips Sonicare DiamondClean
Philips' latest teeth-brushing wonder is a high-tech miracle with five brushing modes for extra effective plaque removal and a gum massage, and a crystal-clear charging glass (yes, that's what you think). Nice slim and ergonomic design that looks best in soft metallic pink, not in any of the other dull colors, of course.
