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The Lost Month

While I could start this post by writing about all the ways I have been busy over the past few weeks, highlighting all of the wonderful things that I get to experience, fact is: August was a lost month. It was beautiful, it was sunny and warm. I travelled, I spent a lot of time at home and my inbox was not as busy as usual. However, I also felt a little lost. (Not to mention the fact that I lost – there is that word again – my external hard drive on an airplane. It had more or less my entire life on it.)

For the first time in almost a decade, just the thought of writing a blogpost felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders. The thing I have always loved, always been excited about was something I simply could not get myself to do. It wasn’t for a lack of content that I wanted to share or a lack of time. Actually, the opposite. I had (emphasis on the past tense) a hard drive full of images from travels, looks and beauty trends that I had collected to share on here (at least up until I lost it). But: I simply could not get started.

shop ear candy


ANNA Inspiring Jewellery Ear Candy - Bikinis & Passports

Why? I don’t know.

Behind the scenes, the launch of my new brand has been a lot more challenging than I could have ever imagined. While I am fully aware that all start-ups and young businesses are faced with struggles, harder times and disappointment, it does always sound easier to cope with in theory than it is in reality. Having turned my biggest hobby (aka this blog, that I launched in 2010) into a career, I was used to being a one-woman-show.
As you can imagine, launching a fashion brand is not exactly something you do alone. There are many different parties involved and the more you have to outsource (meaning: I am not the person sewing bathingsuits), the more chances of disappointment come to join the party. Luckily I have amazing business partners and I am incredibly proud of what VIKTORIA LOUISE has become (and will become) but I also want to be honest with you guys. There are days when I question my decision. Days, when I am faced with disappointment and frustration. Yet, I understand that there are a million others out there, working on projects, business and ideas, that deal with the same struggles. I always tell myself “if it was easier, everyone would do it.”

Newport Beach, California: Balboa Peninsula - Bikinis & Passports

We wanted to launch a hot coral collection in August. It was perfect and I knew everyone was going to love it. We spent so much time picking the right shade of coral, adjusting the styles and fit to perfection. Mike and I flew to Portugal to shoot the pieces with the beach-y backdrop they deserved. Turns out, our production team made a mistake. Mistakes are part of the game. But in this case, it is a mistake that caused a ten-week delay. And it doesn’t take a millennial Einstein to figure out that hot coral swimwear is not something people want or need in November…

I try my best to focus on the things I can change rather than those I can not. There is no point in hanging on to disappointment. Especially when I know there are many more ups than downs ahead. Still, it takes effort to keep a positive mindset. And I guess the effort it took was what I usually put into creating content here on the blog. I know my life may look perfect through the eyes of various platforms and it definitely is in moments. I am blessed in countless ways. However, not everything comes easy to me. Something that ends up as a beautifully packaged item of clothing, wrapped in sparkly tissue paper can take a lot of struggle behind the scenes to get there.

Get The Look


And now? In the past two weeks we launched three new timeless products for VIKTORIA LOUISE that I adore and have been living in. Including this perfect crisp white shirt. Parallel to that, I have been on vacation with my family in a place that used to be our home for many years. My heart is full and I feel like I am back. I feel more inspired to write blogposts again. And, as you can tell, I managed to type my way through some of the thoughts that have been keeping me from getting started. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of ocean air, sunshine and a heart-felt conversation with a good friend. Or a digital community of good friends!

outfit details: VIKTORIA LOUISE the LASTING Blouse, MANGO Pants, ANNA I.J. Ear Candy

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5 Comments

  • 5 years ago

    Tolles Outfit! <3
    Liebe Grüße, Sandra / https://shineoffashion.com

  • Klara
    5 years ago

    Liebe Viky,

    ich finde es toll, dass du deine nicht so tollen Momente auch mit uns teilst, das macht dich authentisch und – meiner Meinung nach – noch viel liebenswerter!

    Ich finde deinen Content ein jedes Mal außergewöhnlich und zweifle dann auch manchmal an meinen eigenen Fähigkeiten und Weiterbildungen (ein großes Manko bei mir ist, dass ich mich halt ständig vergleiche…)

    Um deine Festplatte tut es mir extrem leid. Ich kann super gut nachvollziehen, wie es dir da ergangen ist, ich würde vermutlich einen Nervenzusammenbruch erleiden.

    Du trittst aber auch nach derartigen Vorkommnissen, wie das mit der Festplatte oder der Coral-Beachwear derartig selbstbewusst, stark und confident auf, das ist einfach der Hammer.

    Du bist der Hammer!

    Herzliche Grüße, Klara

    • VICKY
      5 years ago

      Danke dir für diese unglaublich lieben Worte <3
      Means so much!!
      xx Vicky

  • Eva
    5 years ago

    Liebe Vicky,

    erst einmal: unglaublich toll geschrieben! Auch wenn phasenweise weniger Blogposts kommen, ist Bikinis and Passports einer der wenigen Blogs, die ich selbst nach 6 Jahren noch immer gerne und vor allem regelmäßig lese! Man erkennt in jedem Beitrag deine Liebe zum Detail, du machst keine halben Sachen und deshalb bist du auch so erfolgreich in dem was du tust!

    @coral collection: ich habe mir damals einen Screenshot von den Sneak Peaks gemacht, die ihr auf @viktorialouise geteilt habt! Und was soll uch sagen, Es war Liebe auf den ersten Blick! Ich wäre bestimmt eine der Ersten gewesen, die sich diesen Drop keinesfalls entgehen lassen hätten! Aber manche Dinge befinden sich leider außerhalb unserer Kontrolle! Ich verstehe deine Frustration, aber so wie du selbst schreibst, das passiert jedem Start-Up einmal!

    Ich bewundere dich für deinen Mut und ja dazu gehört viel Mut so ein Business auf so einem hohen Niveau aufzuziehen, wie du es tust! Keep on going! Alles wird sich fügen und egal ob im November oder nächsten Sommer, ein Coral Set ist jetzt schon fix MEIN🙌🏼🍑🦀

  • Saskia
    5 years ago

    Liebe Vicky,

    genau deshalb lese ich deine Beiträge so unheimlich gerne – Sie sind ehrlich, verschönern nicht und lassen auch mal einen Blick ins Innere zu.

    Hold your head up high.

    Alles Liebe <3
    Saskia

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