Postcard
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I walk as much as I can at the moment, and I particularly love my late afternoon walks in the forrest. Picking mushrooms when out is one of the great pleasures right now. As is picking apples and grapes.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I have collected glass for decades, a bug I probably got from my mother. I especially collect a lot of vintage glass. But I also love coming to C. E. Fritsche and water at home is served in this kind of glass from them. Kompagnistræde 12, 1208 Copenhagen K.
POSTCARD, 25 September 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
When I started La Bagatelle, I named it after the house I live in called “Bagatel” which means “a little thing” in Danish. The house is quite small, much smaller than the neighbouring houses. However, life I find, is in so many ways about the little things. If you get them right, you will end up getting a lot of it right. Life in this little house by the sea inspires me. And at this time of year it is especially the colours of the garden that is reflected in the fabrics at the moment. Autumn is a special time of year and all the colours of the trees and fading flowers are jewellike and make for a really sumptuous feeling.
In this “Postcard” Rasmus Skousen has photographed me at home at Bagatel wearing some of the items I wear on repeat these days. There was no hair- or makeup artist at hand. We were just two friends who have known each other always, hanging out drinking Earl Grey tea in between the shots one beautiful late afternoon. So there is no cheating, just beautiful clothes.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
POSTCARD, 11 September 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
I am in England buying textiles for La Bagatelle. I am in such awe of the people I work with here who are immensely knowledgeable and take such pride in what they do. It is incredibly inspiring.
At some point during Spring I was considering moving a small part of La Bagatelle’s production to Southern Europe because it would be more cost effective. However, I decided against it as I don’t want to compromise. I don’t want to buy cheaper textiles and less interesting ones because that is what a bigger production would demand. I love that I can find just one roll of fabric and make something out of it. It means that we can work with small cloth merchants with special, time consuming techniques creating unbeliable fabrics. Furthermore, I love that La Bagatelle is made by the most dedicated and wonderful tailors in Copenhagen. When the weather permits it our pieces are delivered or picked up by bike. That is how local it is. So much love goes into La Bagatelle, there isn’t room for compromises.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
POSTCARD, 28 August 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
Birthdays don’t matter to me except for that one day of the year where it actually is my birthday. That day I care. The hypocracy is of course alarming, but it is what it is. I had my birthday this week and as La Bagatelle is moving our studio next week, there was no time for big celebrations but it suited me just fine. I have thrown so many parties over the years that a small dinner party almost seemed more special. Actually I have noticed that the more people I invite, the fewer people I end up talking to and having real conversations with. Big dinners are grand, beautiful and fun. But the smaller and more intimate parties are what I am aiming at as it goes from Summer to Autumn.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:
A special person in my life, Rasmus Skousen, friend and colleague since forever, gave me a wonderful gift for my birthday. A playlist with the world of La Bagatelle in mind. You’ll find an Ethiopian nun playing the piano, a Seminole Tribe counting song, the avantgarde artist and composer Laurie Anderson’s performance from 1982 but also cool cat Swedish Yung Lean, favourite John Carrol Kirby and Nick Cave’s interpretation of Marc Bolan’s “Cosmic Dancer”. The list goes on and every song is special. It is an eclectic world of sound that I love and I will have it on repeat whereever I go for a long time. Follow this link for the playlist La Bagatelle Vol. 00.
Thank you Rasmus.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The English master of Interiors Robert Kime passed away a week ago. He believed that creating a room starts with a good rug, that flowers should look like they come straight from the garden, and he was magical at making personal rooms that mix items chosen for their beauty and history rather than the price – although the two tend to go together. For incredible inspiration follow his store on Instagram. I for one would like a fireplace like this one that he put together in a private home.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Watch "The Hours" and read "Mrs Dalloway" at the same time. By coincidence I did that last week and it was a brilliant experience. I had read the book in my teens and seen the film when it came out. But it gave an extra dimension enjoying the two simultaneously.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I had the pleasure of hosting a talk between two smart women Mette Hay and Laila Gohar early this summer. Laila has made a beautiful and fun collection of tablewear for Hay that is coming out in September. She has also started a brand called Gohar World with her sister doing exquite items for the perfect dinner party. An apron for bottles is one of my favouries. It can hardly be called an neccesity, yet I tend to believe it is.
READ:
Heaven is a rainy day spent in an English bookstore. I was late to reading Edmund de Waal’s amazing “The hare with amber eyes” but I will be quick to reading his third book “Letters to Comodo” that has recently been published. Here are a few of the titles that I have picked up in Waterstones.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I just love Fortnum&Mason. Whenever possible I always stock up on their Earl Grey tea, my favourite. And it doesn’t hurt that the turquoise colour is devine.
READ:
This summer I stubled across Deborah Levy’s books in my favourite Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford. Since then I have read all her books, but I particularly loved her autobiography trilogy: “Things I don’t want to know”, “The cost of living” and “Real estate.” They made such a difference to me when I read them, and they come with my highest recommendation. She is a brilliant author.
WATCH:
I have a beautiful and smart friend, Emma Rosenzweig, who knows films like I’d like to think I know books. This summer she made a personalised film guide for me to watch and so far they are the best company during my late summer evenings. So I thought I would share some of them: Enjoy watching Maggie Gyllenhaals “The lost daughter” and “Liqorice Pizza” by Paul Thomas Anderson. Both are beautiful, totally wonderful and nothing like each other.
POSTCARD, 29 June 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
June is my favourite month. The light, the nights that never get truly dark, the sound of birds that wake me up with their excitement very early in the morning, when their day begins. The celebration of youth after the finishing of exams all culminating in Midsummer Night that is quite magical. Where I live there are so many ships at sea, and the fireworks in the nearby harbour are in all my favourite pastels. And then comes the holidays. I am off to England to stay at my parent’s place by Oxford. My bags are packed with this tiny drop of Indian and Japanese stripes that I have collected over the past months. They are just perfect for the heat the follows in July. On my journey I plan to pick up more textiles and beauties for La Bagatelle. I will keep you posted.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I love insence sticks and often burn one after dinner. However, this one from @noell_crystals that I just received as a present is next level and made of dry sage. Burn a little of it in the morning and it will apparently cleanse your energy. I will try it out this Summer.
READ:
I am reading “Fresh water for flowers” by Valérie Perrin right now, and if you don’t know what to bring on your holidays, then this is the one. It is wonderful.
POSTCARD, 10 June 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
Selfies are incrediblily embarrassing, there is no way about it. It might be fine for young girls, but as soon as you are past 15 it is actually not. Once when we did magazines a top model requested that she took her own picture for the cover. We found it to be an utterly absurd suggestion. However a decade later it is now the most ordinary thing that people stand in front of mirrors and take pictures of themselves. I would have sworn I’d never do it. However, a very good friend of mine encouraged me to do it for La Bagatelle “so people can see how you style and mix and match your clothes…” And so I did it. Felt totally embarrassed about it at first, but I got over that feeling quite quickly as so many of you were kind enough to write words of encouragement. And I told myself it is about the clothes, not about my obvious lack of looks. So for this Postcard, it is all about clothes. Books, restaurants, places to go and people to see will have to wait till the next Postcard. Enjoy.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
POSTCARD, 3 June 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
I grew up in Oxford and lived in London too and although I left for Denmark many years ago, the years I spent in the country define who I am. It’s not only the little things, such as the fact that I prefer tea to coffee, love navy cashmere, preferably the worn in kind, that my sense of humour has a bite to it, that I always have a book on me and that I really dislike things that are overtly flashy. Moreover, they were years where my family grew extraordinarily close and it means that family does come first, always. And not out of a sense of duty but because it is where I belong. As I am writing this Postcard, I am sitting in my parent’s beautiful garden just outside of Oxford and have just spent a day in London, my first in years. I am sending you a few of my essential go-to-places in the hope that they might inspire just a little.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
READ:
Magazines are struggling for a reason. Not only are the social medias making it difficult for them to hold on to a form of relevance, however, they are often editorials shadows of their former selves. The Luncheon is an exception. It is exceptionally well done.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Royal Academy of Arts is such a special place to me, as I came there a lot when I was at University in London. I wish I had seen Whistler and the “Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan”, but I never miss an exhibition when in town.
POSTCARD, 25 May 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
One of the very first styles we did was the Ida Jacket. The name came from a cool, young woman whose energy is a healthy mix of feminine grace and cool cat masculinity. She knows what she wants and how to get it. The jacket is the same. Inspired by French workwear jackets it is very wearable whether you are quickly popping out the door to run errands or going somewhere special. The choice of fabric makes it next level. We have made a tiny drop of pastel coloured Ida Jackets that we are in love with. We hope you will like them too.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
EAT OUT:
Krogs Fiskerestaurant is our neighbour at our offices. They serve excellent fish and have the best neon sign and most beautiful façade in Copenhagen. I had a wonderful lunch there on a warm spring day and I am hoping to be back soon.
READ:
I will spend a lot of time gardening and reading the next couple of weeks. I should have read this one book at a time a long time ago, but now they are all three gathered into one book: I will start tonight.
ANTIQUE SHOPPING:
My messy desk at home with all the pink Lustre cups I just found in an antique store in Copenhagen. We have some amazing antique stores left in Copenhagen. Shopping at them is exciting and the thrill of making a find makes the time spent searching worth it. So go hunt and find something that adds soul to your home and makes your heart skip a beat.
ALL THINGS SWEET:
Recently I was at a lovely house party at Tina Seidenfaden’s, the owner of @theapartment. She served a delicious Pavlova desert made by master of all things sweet @khantonbruusgaard. I definetely need to learn how to make it this summer. Otherwise I will have to call Anton for help.
POSTCARD, 20 May 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
I love this time of year. The light, the flowers and the blooming trees everywhere. I love that the living gets easier. That the layers I wear become fewer and that socks are gone for the next many months. It is also a fun and festive time of year. I just hosted my youngest daughter’s Confirmation Party and it was such a special day with a lot of love and laughter – exactly how I dreamed it would be. It took a lot of planning from the location, the flowers, the food, the place cards and the very important task of seating everyone.
And then there was the question of what to wear? I never buy anything that I can wear only once or for a certain kind of arrangements. For the church during the day I wore my favourite soft pink Andrea top, that I have worn so many times already, with a pair of silk velvet Rampling Pants in the new Ice Sky colour. That colour is magic. To go with it I wore a La Bagatelle jacket in vintage Japanese Silk. I felt comfortable and put together. The pants I will wear all summer for special occasions, and it will be good with one of our white shirts too. The jacket I will treasure forever. I wore it last summer for a wedding, and I can see myself wearing it again in the summer when going on a date with my man.
For the party in the evening I wore my Caroline Dress. It is so easy to wear and it feels and looks great. I wore it with a Bisset Vest in the same colour of Ice Sky silk velvet to tie the two looks together. I loved the colours and the textures and shine and it was all so beautiful that I could forget about myself and enjoy everyone else instead.
Lots of love,
Malene Malling
POSTCARD, 1 April 2022
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
I have always enjoyed the melancholy that comes with winter, however, this year I have struggled with the darkness. I am surprised by how much the light, or lack of it, affects me. There is little I feel I cannot do, when the sun shines, but once it is dimmed, it is a whole different story. On top of that the constant stream of devastating news that come at such a high pitch has influenced my work, daily life and my line of thinking. So for the past months I have been uncharacteristically introvert and have spent my time on the things that are personal to me: the journey with La Bagatelle, my family and books.
The pondering made me question my place in the Fashion Industry. Is it superficial of me to work in fashion? However, truth be told, I truly love what I do, creating clothes that, to me, are special in every way. It fills me with pride and purpose. It matters to me that the fabrics come from Italy, France, Japan and India as well as carefully curated vintage fabrics from Japan and China. As well as the fact that our items are tailor made in Copenhagen. It makes me feel better knowing that I am part of a brand where everything is made by hand and where nothing goes to waste.
I am ever so grateful for the return of the light. My home is filled with spring flowers, my favourite kind, and I get excited every time I get dressed in the morning, (naturally always wearing something from La Bagatelle,) because – regardless of the weather - beautiful clothes do matter!
Kind Regards,
Malene Malling
READ:
I read a lot, but I was late to start reading “Where the crawdads sing”, (“Hvor flodkrebsene synger”) however, if you haven’t read it yet then do yourself a favour and find the time. It is the best book I have read this year. For the Easter Holidays I am packing winner of the Nobel Price in literature Abdulrazak’s “Paradise” and Tove Jansson’s “Rejse med let bagage”.
RECOMMENDATION:
I have known Souad owner of the wonderful Larusi in London so long that I no longer remember where I snapped up her name. Since then her beautiful vintage rugs have been on the floors of my homes. Nights are spent sleeping in her bed linen. If I were to set the Easter Sunday table of my dreams, I would use her napkins from Swedish Himla in the colour Sunshine.
Larusi.com
POSTCARD, 26 January 2022:
Dear friend of La Bagatelle,
I have spent the dark and gloomy month of January in the studio with gorgeous fabrics preparing a few new styles that go naturally with the rest of the La Bagatelle world. Items that I believe to be beautiful, poetic and with an inborn sensibility that allow to me dream. So as January is coming to an end, I am excited to share with you what is new, because don’t we all need something special right now?
Kind Regards,
Malene Malling
MY FAVOURITE LOOKS:
LOOK 1:
The new Birgitte Jacket in wool is a firm favourite right now. It feels warm and comforting and like a great cardigan really. Yet it looks sophisticated enough for lunch in Paris… although I might have to change the boots to chic shoes instead. The black silk velvet Rampling Pants would fit right in in Paris too.
Shop the look here:
Birgitte Jacket, thick weave wool
Rampling Pants, black silk velvet
LOOK 2:
The Lilli Pants in checkered wool in black and white are back in a very limited stock. They are just beautiful with a Bendix shirt and our signature Bisset vest. Eddie likes the look too.
Shop the look here:
Bendix Shirt, cotton lawn white
Bisset Vest, vintage fabrics
Lilli Pants, English hounds tooth
SKINNY DIPPING:
The best way to combat winter blues that I know of is to jump in the sea. I have been doing it for more than a decade and although it might not be for everyone I really encourage you to try it. In my experience it is important not to overcomplicate it. There is much talk of equipment and breathing at the moment, but in my opinion all you need is a towel and a warm cup of tea.
I prefer getting in at dawn or dusk, the bright light of noon is much too invasive. A sauna is nice but not a necessity, and really you do not need it to get warm again afterwards, your blood will flush and give you the rush you need. So find a bridge (shallow water is no good), strip your clothes off, get in and get high.
