No. 21 - Sania Claus Demina on her go-to beauty products, first edition Harry Potter books and, you guessed it, shoes.
Dear reader,
I don’t know about you, but I’m longing for spring in an almost painful way. Today the sun graced us with its presence and our living room bathed in sunlight for the first time in weeks. Being a hopeless romantic, I obviously took this as a sign of the return of spring, even though, logically, I know there’s no such thing in Sweden until April (yes, you read that right).
So, I decided to give my living room a little makeover. I swapped our yellow sofa cover for a green one, raided my local flower shop, and finally hung our new Philip Maltman painting. And you know what? It filled me with so much joy. It may still be winter outside, but in my living room, it’s spring!
No one loves preparing for a new season more than I do, and this weekend, I’m going to tackle my closet and make space for some new pieces. As always, you’ll find a few of my wish list items below. In particular, one lovely, pale yellow, car coat that makes my heart sing.
This week’s Aesthetically Speaking interview features one of my favourite people in the whole world. Besides being the godmother of my youngest son James, she’s also a wildly talented shoe designer and one of the kindest women I know. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Sania Claus Demina!
Love,
Carolina
AN ODE TO SPRING
Blazer + Trousers, House of Dagmar. Car coat, Skall. Sunglasses, Arket. Book, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. Ring, Zara. Bag, Khaite. Tennis Bracelet, Dorsey. Perfume, 19-69 Capri. Shoes, COS.
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THE INTERVIEW
Sania Claus Demina’s shoe brand sania d’mina was born from a dream to end the search for comfortable heels, and to show women that wearing high heeled shoes does not have to be painful. The trick is in the balance of the angles and each pair of shoes are handmade by passionate artisans in Italy, using only the finest materials. This week Sania has taken the Aesthetically Speaking questionnaire and talks shoes, beauty and first edition Harry Potter books.
My beauty essentials are, apart from water and a good night’s sleep, Bioderma’s Micellar Water, Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream and a combination of Dior Rouge lipstick 100 and 999. I adore the Westman Atelier Complexion Drops. Byredo’s Color Stick Great Sands in combination with Chanel’s multi-use glow stick is a favorite for my eyelids. Oh, and I (or I guess my bangs) definitely can’t live without NOIR’s dry shampoo!
A recent project I’m proud of is sania d’mina’s very own showroom at the most beautiful corner on Banérgatan 5 in Stockholm, there for our customers to book their private appointments and what I like to call the heart of the brand. It’s such a fun experience and I wish I could record the reactions of women experiencing the comfort of the shoes for the first time, it is so special. Women deserve comfortable heels!
The jewellery pieces I’m never without are my set of rings from Sandberg Sweden and my Nootka hoops.
A recent find is a very cute metal bookmark with a little cute owl on it. I found it in a little bookshop in Paris on my birthday last week.
Three things you’ll always find in my handbag are red lipstick, a little Chanel mirror and kissing tape, as I call them. It’s these little pieces of mouthwash in the form of tape that melt in your mouth. Always stocking up on these when traveling to the US.
Something I care deeply about is that women learn that pain in your feet while wearing heels is unacceptable and completely unnecessary.
My go-to scent is Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle. I also love to layer/mix Le Labo’s Santal 33 with Rose 31.
My motto is always trust life.
My style icon is my mother, she is and has always been so chic.
The latest addition to my wardrobe is a brown suede tote bag by Little Liffner, it’s perfect!
The best advice I ever received is that being human means that one has adaptive abilities. My mother reminded me of this during one heavy moment in life.
My favorite room in my home is: The perks of living in a tiny space is to be able to say my entire apartment is my favorite room :)
One thing I learned recently is that there is a huge difference a quality duvet can make, a realization that came once I invested in one from Engmo Dun. I feel like a princess every single night and as I got the warmest one (Astrid - fryser alltid), I can finally sleep naked after a whole life wearing the warmest pjs I could ever find.
The artists I listen to the most are Sade, Melody Gardot, Rhye, Floacist, to name a few.
The item that got away is the first edition Harry Potter books in English. I am forever jealous of anyone born in the 90’s who has them but also read them the actual year they came out. If you know, you know.
An object I would never part with is my final and perfect sample piece of the very first shoe I designed, the ELENA slingback. I will never forget the moment I held it in my hands for the first time. This is now over five years ago and I still fall in love with them every now and then, which makes me immensely proud as I intended to design them to stand the test of time in a world where people so easily get bored.
Someone I love following on Instagram is Lamia Lagha.
A brand that makes up a significant part of my closet is Khaite.
Someone I’d love for you to feature in Aesthetically Speaking is Lisa Olsson, founder of Nootka Jewelry and one of my best friends.
Be sure to follow Sania on Instagram for more inspiration!
ON MY MIND
FANCY FLATS. I always found traditional ballet flats a bit too girly for my taste, but these slightly edgier, buckled ones from COS are one of my absolute favourite pairs.
COZY CASHMERE. After years of searching, I’ve finally found the perfect cashmere sweater, and now I want one in every color. The texture is so lush and I absolutely love the high neckline which gives it a more modern feel.
BLING. I’m probably not the only one who has been drooling over the gorgeous tennis bracelets from Sophie Bille Brahe, but with a starting point of €17.500, they don’t exactly fit my budget. This one from Dorsey, with lab grown white sapphires instead of diamonds, comes with a completely different price tag and is on my wish list for my birthday in March.
FINE DINING. I’ve been on the hunt for some egg cups and fell in love with these gorgeous sculptural ones from Bonni Bonne. You’ll find them here.