Lookbook | iiS Woodling by Julie Pike



I have completely forgotten to post these here on my blog! I'm so honored to have worked with Julie Pike again, she's a magician(esse?) when it comes to photography! She knows exactly what type of mood she's looking for and guides me with ease into her own little world of impossible possibilities. I hope you like them as much as I do; not to mention the incredible knitwear by my all time favorite; iiS Woodling (AW13/14)


Photographer: Julie Pike
Model: Barbro Andersen
MUA: Gevir/Agnes


PS: Thank you so much for your comments on my previous post. It was a huge step, and I will reply to all of you when my heart stops pounding. I promise!

Prozac nation


My previous title was: be the change you want to see in the world, so let me set an example.

I mentioned that I have and have had a lot of complexes. Some of them are very vain and some of them; not so much. I've been battling depression since I was 14 years old. It's one of my dirty, little secrets. It's a difficult thing to put out there, for the world to see - and it's not something I do lightly. It's just one of those wounds that might never grow, and here I am; showing you my goo. Why?

I'm doing it because I want to fight. Because even though some of you might just see a "pretty" girl walking down the street or taking pictures of herself and posting them online; that's not all she is. It's not all I am. It's what I choose to do, despite my condition. Battling this darkness on its own is hard enough, why not prescribe fashion as an alternative medicine. I'm telling you this because I want to be more than a fashion blogger. I want to be me - and I want to feel like that's enough.

I started blogging back in 2001 because I needed to shift my focus from the endless pain I was feeling inside, and to be a part of a community. Fashion and style eventually became a natural choice for me. It has been both a liberating and welcomed break from my daily struggles. I'm not in it for the fame, for the money or for the goodies. I'm in it for me. And I always have been. You guys have been the best support a girl can have, always cheering me on and leaving comments for me. Regardless of what I wore, what depressing anecdote I spewed out or if I had been gone for days or weeks. You have been a constant friend, a secret therapist - and helping me, without even knowing it. Thank you for that.

I want to show you that even though you might think I'm perfect, I'm far from it. No one is perfect. And just like you can't see cancer - you can't see depression - but both of them are monsters eating you up from the inside. It messes up your mind, body and soul. And just like cancer might kill, so can depression. Personal battles are hard as hell, but not always visible to the naked eye. Whether it is cramming for exams till you feel like you're drowning in your own sweat or feeling like a walking target for bullies and haters everywhere. It's hard, because it's your battle. It's exhausting, because you feel completely alone - even though you know perfectly well that you aren't. There is, after all, over 7 billion unique individuals on earth.

There's just some kind of block in my life that prevents me from living and putting myself out there is an anxiety attack waiting to happen. Every single post is difficult. I can spend hours trying to write one. Some would consider it self harm, but for me it has been helpful. Extremely hard, but in a good way. They say nothing worth having comes easy, so I guess this blog is really worth having. And even though this post might not be a big deal for any of you, it is a very big deal for me. I've started writing it a thousand times over the years, but I've never been able to finish it. Until now.

So, hi, my name is Barbro Andersen and I'm fighting depression. With style.

Photo: Linnea Syversen

Be the change you want to see in the world.


Leather jacket - Object // Pants - Gestuz // Knitwear - Thrifted (Zara) // Turtleneck - iiS of Norway // Delicate rings and necklaces - Still With You // Signet rings - Tom Wood // Shoes - Bianco

Thank you so much for the feedback on my previous post about focus and self-worth. I'm both sad and glad that I'm not alone. I never thought I was alone with my complexes, but actually hearing it from you guys really means a lot to me. It's such a challenging world, both to grow up and grow old in and I think we all could benefit from opening up a bit more. Not about what we had for dinner or where we spent the weekend; through Instagram and check-ins on Facebook - but for real. It can't hurt, can it?

What if I've always been good enough in my skin?


Cardigan - Gina Tricot // Dress - Object // Pants - F21 // Rings - Tom Wood // Shoes - DinSko 

People who haven't met me always think I'm a tall, tall girl. I'm not. I'm quite average, maybe even below the norm. But sometimes I think I'm 5'8, and therefore I act like I am. Especially in my pictures. It's just me and my camera and sometimes a few furry friends - and I can be whom ever I want to be. That, for me, is the beauty of blogging.

I, for instance, have always felt like my height was holding me back - which is ironic, since everyone thinks I'm super tall. I've always wanted to soar above the crowd like a bird, or like one of the majestic supermodels of the world - but as I've gotten older, I've realized I should be spending my time and energy on other things. Like, not holding myself back because of my own complexes. And there's a lot of them. Whether it be that enormous zit on my cheek, scars from battles I've fought earlier in my life or that emotional baggage I carry with me. Because we all have those things in our lives. We're broke and depressed and starving and imperfect and stressed. All of us. In one way or another.

There are days I feel like the ugliest person alive and days I feel like I can conquer the world. What if I can take on the world, just the way I am? With the little I have - or all that I've got? What if, like Maria Mena says in one of her beautiful songs; I've always been good enough in my skin?

Is it just me, or do we need to stop focusing on what we aren't, and focus on what we are? On what we can become or perhaps even what we already have become?