With impeccable taste, impeccable style and impeccable wit, Giovanna Engelbert has been standing out for decades, so when the 44-year-old fashion industry icon settled down in the minimalist mecca of Stockholm, it seemed like an odd couple. But as Engelbert enters a new chapter, balancing a demanding role as creative director of Swarovski with motherhood, the Swedish capital has crystallised as her ideal home base. Just don’t expect her to start wearing black and beige
Fitting Giovanna Engelbert into Stockholm seems like a matter of square peg, round hole. The Italian creative director, editor and street style icon’s carefully curated maximalism and expressive demeanour is not especially “Jantelagen”. But for Engelbert and the Swedish capital, it was love at first sight. “I thought it was heaven on earth,” she says of her first trip to Stockholm. “It’s so, so beautiful. I was amazed by the quality of life, the way people enjoy nature and the culture. There’s something clean about the air.” She’s on a roll now, listing off in rapid succession the many things she loves about the city: it’s refreshing, the people are straightforward, there’s good healthcare, Millesgården, men push strollers, Svenskt Tenn, the streets look nice, there are lovely parks. She drops her voice to a raspy whisper for dramatic effect and concludes: “And the quality of light in the summer. Where do you have this light? Nowhere. It’s so crisp. It hits so low and for three hours and the shadows are so long. It looks like a surrealistic painting.”
We’re sitting in Giovanna Engelbert HQ, a stunning apartment-like office on one of the most desirable blocks in Östermalm where, for the past four years, the 44-year-old has centred her work as creative director of the Austrian heritage brand Swarovski. A sea of art and fashion books meticulously arranged by colour looms over us and, on the opposite wall, moodboards and sketches adorned with crystals of various sizes, their names jotted in pencil (vintage rose, greige, capri blue, sunflower). On the desk, a cast of shimmering Swarovski figurines, including the latest addition: a gaggle of trolls with candy coloured hairdos. “It took forever to get the hair right,” Engelbert sighs.
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Giovanna in her Östermalm office, where she centres her work as the creative director of Swarovski. Silk and cashmere v-neck sweater, €2,800, Cotton poplin shirt, €980, Pleated poplin and jersey skirt, €1,750. All Miu Miu. ‘Lucent’ choker, ‘Lucent’ stud earrings, €159, ‘Millenia’ watch, €400, ‘Idyllia’ brooch, €330, ‘Matrix’ brooch, €300, ‘Idyllia’ brooch, €350. All Swarovski. Photo: Marcus Ohlsson
But enough messing about, let’s get to the main event: the outfit. Engelbert is, as ever, meticulously dressed in crystal-embellished black Prada loafers (“They’re not vintage, they’re just old as f***”), mid-wash Frame capri jeans, a custom powder blue shirt by Giuliva Heritage (“I call it the Italian Ralph Lauren”) and a massive, sparkling blue crystal heart pendant necklace from her first collection with Swarovski. Slung over her chair is a vintage navy Chanel military coat, a gold chain sewn carefully inside the hem. “I’m obsessed with Chanel, especially Karl [Lagerfeld],” she says, taking a sip from her pale blue Swarovski mug, which, unsurprisingly, matches the look.