Reimagine Life and Friendship
By: xxx Published: d/m/Y
In partnership with Esprit we want to talk a little bit about reimagining life and friendship.
When life gives you lemons, you are supposed to be making lemonade. But when it comes to friendship, the recipe for lemonade can be hard to follow. The beverage should be sweet and sour at the same time, that is what makes it so good, everyone knows that. Too sweet feels forced and too sour is rarely a success. I have found that the same goes for style. When you find yourself in a new age, post schoolyard and all, making new friends can be hard. Moving to a new town, finding yourself with a bunch of new interests or just realizing that the friends you always found so dear never calls anymore is lonely. And there you are, in the middle of what everyone consider to be a prime age (whatever that is), ready to grab a spoon full of life, but having to do it on your own. Lemonade moment? Not so much. But sometimes you have to reimagine life.
Having had a childhood with few friends, I realized post the age of 20 that I had even fewer now. I had a new interest, fashion, that no one of my early life friends gave a damn about. I tried to make new ones that loved fashion the way that I did but let’s just say the lemonade got a bit sour. I moved on, happy to be doing what I loved and expressing myself freely, hoping that some day, someone who vibrated at the same frequency as I did would say ’Hi’ things would just click.
You are reading Hobnob Journal. An online magazine started by at the moment two distanced friends who reimagined life and everything with it after a long night at a bar two years ago. We never felt like we belonged anywhere and so, we decided to create our own space online after that night. Along came Hobnob and a friendship and partnership that will last a lifetime. Our stories has brought people to Hobnob that we never would have met if it wasn’t for Hobnob. Caroline is one of those women.
Linn
I have always had a lot of people (and clothes) around me. Even if I haven’t been the center of attention all the time I have always found myself where stuff happens. Tirelessly I have travelled around the world with more suitcases that I ever could carry to meet new and old friends. Many have asked me if I never get tired and the answer used to be no. Meeting people, finding new exciting pieces for my wardrobe has always given me so much energy. But the older I get (hi life post 25) the more I curate both my circle of acquaintances and my wardrobe. I want friends who will be there no matter what, and I want garments in my wardrobe that just as easily can come to a dinner party and a Thursday morning meeting. In that way, I can be creative and find unexpected combinations in everything. It’s almost like I have been forced to reimagine life, friendship and fashion but looking back at it, I never would want it to any different now. Take the concoction of the trench coat and the scarf for example. In my younger years, I would have added a tutu skirt, a frilly blouse and maybe sparkling socks just to make something more happen. Now I find it exciting to work with less pieces and making sure the they fit perfectly instead. Naturally the same thing has happened to my group of friends. To me, the trench coat by Esprit is one of those pieces that just goes with any occasion which makes it a really good investment. By adding something small, like a scarf you get endless of styling possibilities.
Caroline
Most things get worse with age – like milk, cheese and my memory. There are however a few select things that buck this trend and actually get better with age, such as: wine, an enduring Esprit denim jacket and friendships. When it comes to my best friend, we don’t share the same style. If you would compare us to the Olson twins circa 98’ I would say I am the Ashley and my bff is more a Mary Kate. While our styles differ we’ve always shared an interest in fashion and yes – we always unit in good denim. Just like my bff always have my back, so does a perfect denim jacket. For every wear, the garment is enriched with stories and memories that bring back association each time I pull the garment out of my wardrobe. I’ll admit sometimes I even buy clothes with the explicit intention of creating memories. Fashion, in its best and most engaging form, isn’t simply an inner monologue — it’s a conversation. A conversation created by interactions and moments with friends. If you recall from the beginning of this paragraph, my memory is good as a goldfish, but when it comes to the clothes in my closet, my memory is flawless, and I am exited to create new memories wearing my Esprit denim jacket through spring, summer and beyond.
Fanny
Making new friends is just like trying on a new garment you have never worn before. Or maybe more like taking your style into a new direction. It can ever be trying a new color combination. Sometimes it takes a little effort and courage, but you will never regret trying. It’s all about reimagine what you think you like and should wear. When me and Linn started hanging out as friends I asked her to go on a mini staycation with me in Stockholm. We had only hung out a couple of times before that but I really felt like we could be on to something extra. If we had never booked that stay maybe, maybe you would not be reading this right now.
In a way, that is just what the color beige was to me before. I never wore it. I felt like it made me the palest woman on earth. I had just decided it wasn’t for me. But then I got my first beige trenchcoat and along came all these earthy tones, like brown and fudge. Today they are a big part of my wardrobe and I love mixing brown and beige together with denim and blues. A favorite of mine from the Spring/Summer collection by Esprit is the satin plissé skirt and the boxy denim jacket. A perfect unexpected mix where the denim jacket really bring out the cool in the otherwise very feminin skirt.
To reimagine life, fashion or friends is important to keep growing. The pressure of choosing a new path, go in a different direction and all that isn’t just for the big decisions. Daring to challenge yourself to flip even the smallest ladder can be the first step into something great.
Trenchcoat
Rutig kavaj
Kofta
Jeansjacka
Plisserad kjol
Klänning
Scarf