Berlin... Thursday 19:30 AXEL

After spending a nice, relaxing time in Cologne, I had the feeling that I finally had to go back to Berlin. Notonly for work, I needed some “fresh” air, even I had meetings there and a lot of work too. The “grüne Woche” is already back in my mind, and 2010 will be here soon. Anyway, I wanted to spend some time in Berlin and in April the city is always worth to visit. I was invited to join the opening ceremony of the new AXEL hotel, the new gay and friendly place in town. Isnʼt that another good reason to go to Berlin? Done, I booked the flight, and I decided to stay one night at AXEL.

I arrived in Berlin, I love the town so much. I always ask myself why I am still not living there. The taxibrought me from the airport to the hotel. Standing outside of the building wasnʼt really very spectacular. The hotel is just another building, not worth talking about it. On the other hand, it didnʼt hurt to much looking at it neither. The check-in was like a really friendly welcome. Christoph, the guy at the reception was very charming, good looking and well dressed. Even I think the colour of his tie shouldnʼt be so pink. Probably the hotel management should match it with the colour of the flower arrangements.



I went to my room really curious how this new design hotel will look like. I gonna make it short. The room was black and crème. I like black, donʼt get me wrong, but considering the size of the room… let me say black isnʼt the new black in this case. Even the red glass bath tube looked more than a lost alien than a design element within this arrangement. Ok, let me be honest with you guys, I was disappointed.

But I decided not to be too disappointed. The place was fine. Standard – a place to feel good and cosy.
Almost. You just have to ignore the fitted carpeting. It isnʼt fitting at all. I am not sure if the designer actually wanted something different, but didnʼt get the right carpet…. Am I too picky? Am I too posh?
No I donʼt think so, I am myself, I canʼt change myself. Just one more detail I want to tell the management: Pease tell your cleaners to dust the racks.




I donʼt want to sound to posh, sorry I really have to say that the food at the hotel was really good. It was delicious. Even if I might not stay again at the AXEL, I will go back there for dinner, thatʼs for sure. The tables might be a bit too small. In general the designs should be a bit more contemporary, as the whole hotel should be. Honestly, I think I should not care about that. BUT….. the food was great. I do care. Actually I really expected the AXEL hotel to be a little bit more up to date and edgy. The three different breakfasts, wellness, business and fitness style are just not enough.

I enjoyed being at the AXEL, but the hotel canʼt offer you the enjoyment a Lux11 or the Q hotel does.
SORRY AXEL, this all might sound really mean, but let me tell you, I liked to be at your place anyway.



Letʼs talk about the opening event. I went to FIRMA with my personal consultant. Ivo, the best shop manager in town, presented me the new collection. I took the black shirt and breeches. I love my FIRMA.

Kim Fischer was the host this evening. “They” told me Barbara was too expensive. The event was a kind of a regular Berlin event. And as usual if something is just a little bit “gay”, the mayor was there. I kind of liked the situation to meet him besides business meetings or the opening of the “grünen Woche”.



Guys I donʼt want to be nasty but what the hell should I write about an event ending at midnight? Arenʼt we in Berlin? Do I have to mention the flying buffet, a 1/8 of a Hamburger. Do I have to tell you about the most creative cocktail of the evening? It was Prosecco with Aperol. Do I have to tell you more? Guys I donʼt want to talk bad about the event, but I just canʼt talk highly about it. It was nice. Ok?

Oh I did not mention that I couldnʼt stay at the AXEL because of the opening. So I went to my new hotel, the Radisson about 12.30 after the event was over. While I was looking out of my window, I watched the aquarium and I had funny thoughts in my mind. All of a sudden I realised what a difference it makes. I got the idea of the “stars” at the entrance of the hotel lobby. At some places you can still see the difference just by looking at the colours of your shampoo and shower gel dispensers. At some places you have a wellness breakfast including the business and fitness one.

Thanks for the invitation dear AXEL team. Maybe next time you should work with another event agency. Maybe. Anyway, thanks for trying. Thanks for the effort. Iʼll have to leave. I have to work, I have to work tomorrow, Later Iʼll be on the way to Munich and Tokyo.
Harajuku gils ik freu mir!
Rezzo

One day at home - Cologne meets papenberg

I am wondering how important underwear is - especially for men. In general no one will see your briefs, but somehow I think my undies are one of the most important things I wear every day. It gives me this very special feeling. I guess you know what I mean. I love underwear, but what about you guys out there? Honestly, do men really have to care about undies? If you ask Peter Papenberg, the designer of papenberg body wear, there is no doubt. Every man has to look sexy and fresh underneath his trousers. Underwear is the hero. This is why Peter invited me to see his new collection at the nightcontrol party in Cologne.

Party, underwear, good looking men in underwear – all these exciting things in my hometown Cologne. It sounded like the perfect Saturday night to go out with my friends and finally I might find a good reason to get rid of my old Calvins.

My Saturday started as usual. Getting up, breakfast at the Spitz, my favourite breakfast place in town. There is no other place where you get better scrambled eggs in Cologne. The Spitz is in the middle of town, a great place to meet and great. Just sitting there for a while, makes you meeting everyone you want to meet and even the ones you don't want to meet. I enjoyed my eggs and was reading the newspaper. My Spitz is my place to be - on a sunny Saturday morning. And with my friends Jürgen and Sandra I like it even more.

Sitting there we three were thinking about what to wear tonight. Would I be really willing to spend 55 Euro for a brief, only to get free entry? I really like the silhouettes of papenberg and the mix of bamboo and cotton feels so damn sexy on the skin, but 55 Euro? YES I would get if for 55 Euro, considering what girls have to spend to look good underneath. So I was really looking forward to see the collection. On the way to the Holmes Place, my gym, I also met Sarah, another good friend of mine. She seamed to be more enthusiastic about the idea of cute men in underwear than the undies themselves. A plan was made, we all wanted to meet at 9 pm at Chez Chef to have some drinks and going to the party.

After the gym I went shopping. No, I really did not need anything. I like to shop til you drop, especially nicely wrapped things. At home I always ask myself the big "Why", why did I do it again. But believe me, it is a passion. At least I can recommend the Totontosplash tea, not only because of the packaging.

Arrived at home I started to put myself into the right clothes. Casual, simple and sexy, that was the look for the night. The army trouser chucks from Kuala Lumpu, a cotton V-neck shirt (I know V-neck is a no go this year) and a knitted Cardigan – that's it, basta.

Next stop - Chez Chef. It is like my second living room. I like the architecture, the industrial look, the designer furniture and the perfect set up of the light. Even the service is professional and friendly. I had Sushi and tuna, the best Sushi and tuna in town. All insiders go to the Chez Chef for the bathrooms. A magic place where you can hear much more than fairy tails … Andi, the managing director of a Munich hotel, really loved the place. Andi and the doors - sorry, but I am not allowed to tell you more.

We left Chez Chef because we wanted to see the undies at nightcontrol. Arriving at the club I saw already the stuff and the GoGo's in action. All dressed in papenberg body wear. They all looked sexy and hot- real eye candies. During the night, the dancers were presenting the whole collection of papenberg, they had for every dance another out fit. I really like the new brand, every single style looks good, The brand is mine. There is just one thing - If you don't go to the gym, don't try to wear Hermes.

Let me tell you, papenberg is underwear you don't want to hide, under your clothes. It is high quality material and so perfectly made. And on a dancers body it even looks better. By the way, the party was fully packed and the DJ did a good job. Party party party. Yes I had fun. And I was really surprised that it was already 5 am when I looked at my watch for the first time. I left at 6 am, I had to go to bed. Berlin was calling. I'll have a date with Axel as I mentioned already: Also with Monika, Sybille and Ralph.

TSCHUESS

See you in Berlin, Rezzo

Paris mon amour ...

After Milan I quickly had to go to Paris. Yes the fashion world is fast forward and being a part of it means rushing from one place to another - we know that, we all saw Meryl, Prada's devil. So I flew to Paris - mon amour.

 

Instead of booking another fashionable designer hotel, I decided to stay this time more private and I found a small apartment in the 3^rd arrondissement. It's a wonderful idea, renting the place of someone else for some days. It gives you the feeling of being home wherever you are on this planet. I like being an urban gypsy.  The place was amazing. In the middle of the Marais, 5^th floor, one bedroom apartment with a marvellous view. Not as luxurious as a hotel but with a lot of privacy and cosiness. It was the right place for a pleasant stay in the city of love.

 

The reason I went to Paris was the show of Nina Ricci. A friend of mine is working for her as chef du salon and so I had to go and see the show. And it was probably the best collection Oliver ever showed. The show, in one of Paris suburbs, at least it looked like one to me, took my breath away.  A beautiful colour mix, dark but spiced up with a lot of bright red, blue and greens. Tight silhouettes, a very feminine and exceptional cut, this is the way I would describe the autumn winter collection.  The models looked like elves out of a romantic star wars fairy tale. I think Mila perfectly described it. "The way David Bowie writes music is the way that Oliver makes clothes." These gowns simply were fashion for style women, a collection made for the princess who is already a queens. Everyone who saw the show left with this smile on the face, knowing that he saw probably one of the best shows of the season. Maybe Oliver will leave Nina Ricci, I heard the rumours. I hope he will start designing clothes for Ninos!

          

  

 

Let me tell you one more thing about the show. The models were wearing incredible shoes. They looked like hooves and I am still wondering how the girls could cat walk with it. I've been told that they wouldn't be able to stand up again once they felt down. So the crew was praying during the whole show. None of the model felt. Thanks God.

 

After the show I went to my favourite restaurant in Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis, le Julien, It is Paris lifestyle in its purest form. The restaurant is an Art Deco building with an astonishing interior. Glamour deluxe - all you need, marble columns, colourful windowpanes and for sure the typical French service. Not that I really like the French way, the stuff always seems to be a bit unfriendly, but at the end they are just doing their job in a great way. I had Steak Tatar and some fish and I felt in love with the French cuisine once more. You can tell about the French what ever you want, but one thing is for sure, no one can cook the way the French do it. Not even the Italians!

My assistant told me to go to this insider place in rue Pearl. He said it is the place to be for all the creative people in town. It's a small bar with a very young crowd, mostly students and media people. Honestly, I did not like it that much. Maybe because I am over the age of standing outside, having a cigarette and drinking wine in the cold spring air of Paris. I wanted to mention this place anyhow, because I guess it is the only pub where you get wine for 3 Euro.

I saw some more shows; Dior, Sonjy Rykiel and others, but nothing could inspire me the way Nina Ricci did. I also went to the trade fairs, the Tranoi and the Rendez-Vous. These little shows are, besides the big show rooms, still the places to discover new and young designer from all over the world. It's always worth to go there and see how creative and new design can be. Unfortunately the global financial crisis also hit the world of fashion. Even everyone tried to think positive, the tenor was clear: it is going to be a hard year for the fashion.

 

After three days in town I packed again and left Paris heading back home with a smile on my face. I had some special moments in town. Very private ones, which probably should not be mentioned her on the blog. Can you imagine how it feels like meeting your Ex again after 3 years? I met my Ex twice, always by accident, within 24 hour. I like Paris - mon amour. 

 

Guys I'll leave you with this. Next time you'll hear from me it will rough and pure.

I am going to Berlin! I'm dating Axel (at the) Hotel. 

Roberto, you missed the Party ...

... but at least he asked me to join the launch of the new Cavalli credit card in a quite surprisingly snake look. The question is, do we really need it? I am not sure about that, but at least everyone can make up his mind about it now.

Anyway, I was already snow boarding in the beautiful city of Davos in Switzerland during the weekend and so this though came around my mind. „Rezzo, it is just around the corner, so why not going to Milan for the fashion week?"

After some marvellous days in the snow with Kaiserwetter as the Germans would call it, and after lunch which Rosetta and Suzanna, (I think one of the girls was the former German TV presenter Birgit Schrowange), I packed my belongings and drove to Milan.

The weather was not Italian at all. Rain – but I did not care about it anymore as soon as I arrived at the Chiedi Hotel in the Italian fashion capital, accompanied by Laura Pausini`s Primavera. The hotel looks amazingly good. Design at is best. Perfect designed rooms and a pink greenish spa and wellness area. Almost already a bit of Cavalli ... You really wish not to leave this place anymore, at least if you know how the Jacuzzi works.

Totally relaxed I started to prepare myself for „lo Cavalli"

What to wear if you have to see the designer himself? Everything but no Cavalli! (thanks to Stefan). I decided to wear a FIRMA, outfit, having in mind that you have to be proud about your heritage. So why not wearing something from your people and present German design in the centre of the Italian fashion Mecca. My special accessory was my new Koffski holster, which got me almost in troubles later that night.

Ready to go – let us meet the "cara" Ina Seifart for dinner. Ina is a Berlin accessories designer living in Milan. By the way, I have to tell you, that I adore her golden cable strap bracelet ...

Milan is all about fashion, even the food. No wonder we decided to go to the Gold. But the „dolce" was closed. I have to ask Domenico, why the hell he closes the restaurant for the fashion week, I still don`t get it.  Hmmm. Armani wasn`t the place to be that night,. At the end we went to the most classic place in town: The Bulgari.

 

It still amazes me how easy it is to get a table in an obviously fully booked restaurant within 10 minutes. But it`s worth waiting. Look at these exceptional appetisers. And they were really delicious.

And not to forget the must have drink of the evening – the Bulgari, followed by one or two proper Bombay Tonic with mint.

Please let me also note, that I met this American fashion writer, I am sure you know her too, having kind of a nervous breakdown because she was wearing already the clothes of her sister for the last 3 days. Her luggage was still in Paris.  She looked really good. At least that is what I told her. You know, the crisis ...

 

Finally I went to Cavalli. The invitation was, ...  Hmmm. How to describe it without being mean. Let me say it was „porn", but in such a great divine way. The new credit card in XXL, Colourful as always if Roberto creates something.

Thanks to Nadima. We jumped the queue at the entrance and walked through the flashlight. The location was again very Cavalli and immediately I felt in love with this bit Madonna LED cube on which they played the Cavalli Clips with Mila.

There is one last thing to mention. The DJ was also so Italian, but it did not matter after some drinks. We celebrated the credit card and with every minute the party got better and wilder. My holster became the high light of the evening. Even some people thought it might be a bit to dangerous to wear a weapon. Funny Italians ...

 

The Milan fashion stays the same. As a man, you are still perfectly dressed with a GUCCI or GUCCI lookalike suit. Combined with a grey or black tie – the way to feel great and sexy. The ladies are more into new looks. It is amazing what a star still achieves. After Mila was wearing a dress from ANTONIAGOY. It was the must have item for the fashion conscious party crowd. Isn't great that German design is the lasted chic in Italy. Isn't it? Even the champagne was MUMM.

The launch of the Cavalli credit card was a great evening and I had a lot of fun. I would have loved to stay longer, but I had to leave. Paris was calling.

 

The only thing I missed the whole evening was Roberto.

He really missed the party ... but I was the party.

 

Take care see you soon in Paris – Rezzo

creative face - the new BLOG

... again a new creative blog ... creative face Magazine starts with its own blog, the creative face blog …
 
Tom, why does an online-magazine that reports on art, design and fashion & lifestyle need an additional creative blog?
"A lot of interesting people like to talk in a very personal way about their creative life, what they do or love in art, design and fashion & lifestyle. The blog-format is more direct and pure than the edited magazine."
 
Okay, which people would you like to talk in the creative face blog?

"Well, personalities who have to tell a real story - personalities like Sebastian Retz. The graduated Structural Engineer and Interior Designer lives in Cologne and works all over the world. He designs stores for world-class fashion-labels and he is on TV every week as a design expert. One day reporting from Dubai on architecture or the other day being invited to the fashion-shows in Milan, Paris or New York, Sebastian’s life is hard work and full of excitement.

These are people we invite to talk in our blog and that’s the reason for the creative face blog …