A Wednesday That Started in Oslo

There was still summer in the air, but I could feel that quiet change that always comes at this time of year. The light is beginning to soften. The evenings are slowly getting shorter. And somewhere in between summer dresses and the thought of warmer layers, my mind has already started wandering towards autumn.

I love this part of the year.

Not because I am ready to let summer go just yet, but because autumn has always felt like a beautiful return to simplicity.

Good trousers. A crisp shirt. A soft knit. A blazer that has been waiting patiently in the wardrobe.

And, apparently, a lot of navy blue.

When the Trend Is Already in Your Wardrobe

I had heard that marine blue, or navy blue as we usually call it in fashion, is going to be one of the important colours this autumn.

And yes, it actually is.

British Vogue describes navy as notably dominant in the Autumn Winter 2026 collections, with Burberry embracing the colour extensively and Ferragamo and Gucci also giving it an important place. ELLE noticed the same movement on the London runways, where deeper navy appeared alongside brighter shades of blue.

I have to admit that this makes me very happy.

Navy has been part of my wardrobe for as long as I can remember.

It feels clean. Elegant. Calm. Strong without needing attention.

And perhaps that is why I like it so much.

My own style has never been about changing everything because a new season tells me to. I follow fashion, of course. I love seeing what designers are doing and which colours, shapes and details begin to appear.

But I prefer to take inspiration from fashion and then look at what I already own.

Can I wear that blazer differently?

Can an old pair of trousers suddenly feel current again?

Can I add one detail instead of buying an entirely new look?

For me, that is much more interesting than constantly replacing things.

And perhaps there is a little satisfaction in discovering that the fashion world has suddenly arrived at a colour I never left.

Style Before Fashion

Coco Chanel once said:
“Fashion changes, but style endures.”

I think there is something very true in that.

Fashion can inspire us, but style becomes personal over time.

It is built slowly.

From knowing which colours make us feel good. Which shapes we reach for again and again. Which pieces survive several seasons because they simply feel like us.

Maybe real style begins when we stop trying to become someone else every time fashion changes.

I want to be curious about what is new, but still recognise myself in the mirror.

While the World Looked Up

While my own Wednesday moved from Oslo towards Tønsberg, something extraordinary was happening above us.

On 12 August, millions of people across Europe looked towards the sky as a total solar eclipse crossed parts of Iceland and Spain. It was the first total solar eclipse visible in Western Europe in 27 years. In some places, daylight disappeared for a few remarkable minutes as people gathered simply to watch nature do something extraordinary.

There is something beautiful about imagining that.

Millions of people with completely different lives suddenly stopping at the same time.

Looking up.

Waiting.

Watching.

For a brief moment, nothing else mattered.

And perhaps we need moments like that.

Because on the very same Wednesday, other parts of Europe were facing a much harsher side of nature. Around 1,200 people were evacuated from a campsite in northern France because of wildfires, while Britain called an emergency government meeting as extreme heat, drought and fires continued to affect large parts of the country.

The world can feel enormous when we take it all in.

Beautiful and frightening.

Extraordinary and fragile.

All at once.

Fun Fact

The total solar eclipse on 12 August was Western Europe’s first in 27 years. In western Iceland, totality lasted for more than two minutes, while millions travelled to Spain and Iceland hoping to experience those few moments when day briefly became darkness.

Imagine travelling across countries for two minutes of darkness.

And yet I completely understand why people did.

Some experiences cannot be measured by how long they last.

From Oslo to Tønsberg

Eventually, Oslo was behind me and the road turned towards Tønsberg.

And somewhere along that journey my thoughts shifted from fashion and headlines to something much simpler.

Time.

Who do we give it to?

What do we fill it with?

And how much of our lives do we spend rushing towards the next thing without noticing what we already have?

We are very good at measuring life by the big moments.

The achievements.

The journeys.

The celebrations.

The things we can photograph and tell people about.

But I am beginning to think that most of what really matters happens quietly.

A cup of coffee.

Someone calling just to hear your voice.

A familiar road home.

A message that makes you smile.

Someone waiting for you.

Dinner at a table when the day is almost over.

The Best Part of the Day

It was late when I finally came home to Tønsberg.

And after a day that had started in Oslo, after roads, thoughts, work, fashion, news and a world that seemed to be moving in every possible direction, there was something wonderfully grounding about coming home to my daughter and having dinner together late in the evening.

Nothing spectacular.

And yet everything.

Those are the moments I want to become better at noticing.

Because perhaps a good life is not made from constantly searching for bigger experiences.

Perhaps it is built from recognising the value of the small ones while they are happening.

The people sitting around our table.

The conversations we make time for.

The people we choose to come home to.

We spend so much time thinking about what we should achieve, own, change or become.

Maybe we should spend a little more time asking a simpler question.

Who and what is worthy of my time?

Because time, much more than fashion, is something that never comes back into season.

Motto From Nordè

Follow what inspires you, keep what feels like you, and spend your time on the people who make coming home the best part of the day.

Tonje