prête et porté

bon anniversaire

2009-04-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

it's almost my birthday mom, and i know you read this blog sometimes.......

grand siècle

2009-03-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

From prête et porté

old en vogue is new again!

marant

2009-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

From plus d'edith

more from isabel marant's fall 09 show. i used to walk past her store on my way to school every day in paris and i would always be late because i couldn't help stopping to stare at the beautiful window displays......

bling bootie

2009-03-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

the shoes from isabel marant's recent show being worn by emmanuelle alt. lucky woman. i've been obsessing over them ever since i saw the images of the show.

photo jak and jil.

transparence

2009-03-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

From plus d'edith

dior

recession neutral

2009-03-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

so, i work three jobs and still feel broke. granted i'm saving up for a computer. however, the savings vs. shoes debate is one i never seem to win.

i was an hour early for my gallery job in chelsea today and so i took a leisurely stroll through the 5th avenue shops. though inexpensive shoes can look great in photos, sometimes in person they look as cheap as they are. here are a few that really look, feel, and wear like a million bucks:

From edith

shoes from banana republic, jeffrey campbell, nine west, steve madden, urban outfitters, kenneth cole

femme-bot

2009-03-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

FINALLY! A COLLECTION FROM BALENCIAGA THAT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT WAS MADE FOR A ROBOT!

les bijoux

2009-03-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

more from my closet.....my jewels!

each one of the things on these necklaces has a special meaning to me:

From closet

sometimes i like to pile on the chains:

From closet

the knuckleduster a friend designed for me, and my earrings, which i always wear one at a time:

From closet

and lastly, my rings...which i prefer large and shiny....

From closet

stuck in the middle with you

2009-02-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

someday, mes cheries, i will be sitting between these two epic women..

fashion week

2009-02-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

fashion moves too fast for me to keep up these days.
with no computer, no internet, and a full time job of preparing my paintings for a show in nyc in march, i don't have the time or resources, much as i'd like to, to spend hours stalking the tents this past week.

however, i would love to shoutout to my former schoolmate julian louie, whose getting a lot of buzz this season, and who has so earned it!

les chaussures......

2009-02-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

gris:

From closet

noir:

From closet

d.i.y. studs:

From closet

and last but not least, mes chers petites, mes tresors, les ferragamos:

From closet

new plan

2009-02-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

i realized as i was getting dressed the other day that i'm really happy with my closet. i have everything i need, and almost everything i want. something i learned living in paris is to have lots of nice basics, to dress more simply.

so, i will start showing you what's in my closet!
bon, non?

firstoff, this shearling jacket i made out of a horrendously ugly other jacket, in an attempt to create some kind of rick owens-ish thing:

From closet

what would you like to see next? bags? shoes? jewelry?

des costumes, un singe

2009-01-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

From edith

terry richardson for vogue paris, not sure when....

daria

2009-01-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

inside the house/wardrobe of model daria werbowy. she used to come into a coffeeshop i used to work at in manhattan's lower east side about two years ago and play chess with her boyfriend. she was sporting flannel, chains, and leather long before the rest of us caught on.

From edith

oh btw,
sorry to post so infrenquently lately and never comment on anyone's blogs. believe it or not, i don't have internet or even a working computer at home.....odd in this day and age but nevertheless, true.

so, until the next time i find myself in the library,

à bientôt!

visions of.....

2008-12-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

not sugarplums, but visions of this coat have been dancing in my head....

from the sart

le bling

2008-12-21T21:08:00.000-08:00

paris vogue octobre 2008

all i really want for christmas

2008-12-21T19:49:00.000-08:00

something rick owens.........

too bad oak sold out months ago.....

sighting

2008-12-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

just sat next to the lovely natasha poly at veselka in the east village, enjoying some pierogi....

three wise (wo)men

2008-12-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

many seasons ago, in a country far far away, they were already wearing what we'd want to wear now:

from jak&jil

all i want right now is

2008-11-25T18:26:00.001-08:00

from the sart

d.i.y.

2008-11-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

so i've been in love with this lindsey thornburg cloak since i first saw it on oak's website, and since then i've seen it around town in person and it's even better in person. unfotunately, not only is it out of stock but it's also 954 dollars.

so, d.i.y. time....i bought this vintage wool blanket on ebay and i'm going to try to make a similar piece out of it...i'm thinking it will look great, and i can keep my 954 dollars....also i don't really wear red anyways...

i'll let you know how it goes!

help!

2008-11-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

looking for new boots for winter....any suggestions?

From outlaw couture

grands classiques

2008-11-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

From outlaw couture

from october paris vogue

numero uno

2008-10-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

From outlaw couture

karl lagerfeld for numero

be-dazzled

2008-10-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

From outlaw couture

plus

From outlaw couture

equals

From outlaw couture

the most beautiful marriage of fringe and studs by bess

noir for fall

2008-10-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

all of the fashion week streetstyle photos reminded me, just in time for fall, that nothing eases the temperature change like black from head to toe.

From outlaw couture

from paris vogue's august issue

désolé!

2008-08-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

sorry to have been absent so long!

i've finally found the job, apartment, and studio i was looking for, but sadly none have internet i can use to update

be back in the saddle soon.....

she'll have us all in top hats!

2008-08-08T20:22:00.001-07:00

the lovely lou doillon, parisian insouciance at it's finest!

day and night

model, actress, plays the ukelele (here she models for a.p.c.)

daughter of jane birkin, shown here with sister charlotte gainsbourg

also design her own line for jeanswear Lee Cooper

and french brand la redoute

without question, une fille de style!

reality show?

2008-07-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

carine roitfeld gives us two options for fall in the latest paris vogue:
1. big hair, big fur, leather
2. sleek hair, big fur, leather
which to choose?

bliss lau

2008-07-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

i love erin wasson, and her collaboration with alexander wang, just as much as the next girl. however, her new jewelry line, low luv, could take a few hints from parsons grad bliss lau.
lau uses her knowledge of garment draping to create versatile pieces that follow the body and can change the way you wear your clothes, or the way they wear you. she also makes some amazing belts.

i have a feeling these pieces would be just as interesting over a tshirt as with formalwear. certainly they're beyond just jewelry.

back in the boroughs

2008-07-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

it's hot out there on the nyc pavement.

zeromaria cornejo silk charmeuse dress, h. chalayan anorak, siegerson motenson sandals, ksubi sunglasses

but maybe later i can celebrate returning stateside in one of these perfect dresses

sterk, clu, acne
all from the amazing lagarconne.com

americana

2008-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

i've just returned to the states! but what to wear? here are Carine & co's ideas, now what are yours?

if you've got time, send me some good energy as i search for an apartment, painting studio, and a job!

givenchy

2008-07-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ricardo Tisci's looks for Givenchy have been really blowing my away the past few défilé de mode...and now his fall ad campaign showcases all the power and intricacy of his designs....

"I chose these five women that represent elegance/femininity and masculinity with character. I chose Natasha, Lara, Maria Carla, Kristen, Lakshmi. It is a family portrait."

-Ricardo Tisci

french style

2008-07-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

a while back i got a request to address french style more often. living in paris as an american, after a long time, parisian chic can become an almost relentless parade of black and legs for miles. every parisienne worth her salt owns a leather jacket. and the accessories......it's impossible to explain in words, and who better to show you than the arbiters themselves, carine and the gang at paris vogue:

bargain shopping

2008-07-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

old navy items, style where i would not expect it

cute sequined vest, racerback and u neck dresses just like aa, easy cotton miniskirt, and a tiered chiffon top for only 15 or so dollars....

more birds

2008-07-04T11:55:00.001-07:00

photos from an old issue of german vogue

rare birds

2008-07-02T05:44:00.001-07:00

photos from an old issue of german vogue

only in france....

2008-06-24T06:38:00.001-07:00

only in france would karl become a safety mascot!

(the ad reads: "it's yellow, it's ugly, it doesn't go with anything, but it could save your life)

les parisiennes

2008-06-22T00:14:00.001-07:00

thanks so much for the encouraging commentary on my last post!

for all the francophiles, this month's french vogue was all about parisian women. it would definitely be one to invest in stateside, it was a beautiful issue. and if you don't read french, i'd love to read it to you!

below, vogue's examples of parisian chic, styled by the most immacuately chic french woman on the planet, carine roitfeld.
alors.....les parisiannes....

leaving town

2008-06-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

i'm heading to provence for the next week to relax and read colette nonstop. i will probably be without internet until next sunday when i return....but before i go:

i've been doing this blog for about a month now, and i'd love to get your opinions about where to go next. are there things you want to see more of, or less of? sonnets about alexander wang? haikus about barbara bui shoes? odes to fringe? pictures of paris? or more importantly, is anyone actually reading this?

until then,

bisous

c

bondage is back

2008-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

i was curing my homesickness with an american vogue when i came across this picture in the sjp editorial

i was intrigued not only by the disturbing expression on chris noth's face but also the insane sexiness of the exposed zipper and criss-crossing straps of sjp's dress. seeing it was narcisco rodriguez, i quickly looked up the rest of the collection...

i loved the contrast of the leather and feathers, the severe tailored lines with the soft plumes....and, of course, that dress....

resort!

2008-06-11T12:19:00.001-07:00

while looking through the resort collections, i was really struck by the richness and instensity of the color palettes many of the designers chose. then i realized what i was really seeing was a season where everyone seemed to be thinking along the same lines....

for example, the orange that seemed so striking when i first saw alexanger wang's collection, a bold color usually reserved for halloween and traffic cones, not fashion, kept appearing in other collections

alexander wang, brian reyes, narcisco rodriguez, stella mccartney, doo. ri

burberry prorsum's intense acid green and was also echoed in other looks

doo.ri, burberry prorsum, burberry prorsum, jenni kayne

finally, the blues, doo.ri's flourescent turqouise and helmut lang's yves klein blue being the standouts

doo.ri, doo.ri, stella mccartney, helmut lang, doo.ri

i am really excited to see such vibrant colors from so many designers. i also love resort season, as the collections are usually a lot more wearable and casual than the rest of the year. being just an art student with no grand parties to which i can wear a feathered cocktail mcqueen dress or whatever other couture item i might fantasize about, resort gives me a chance to see what my favorite designers imagine for the daily life of a customer like myself.

jean army

2008-06-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

i've been really into the tough/relaxed contrast of swedish brand acne jeans looks for a while. i think it comes from a similar head space to alexander wang or balmain for example, designers who want to make women feel really strong and unstoppable but feminine at the same time.

something really important to me in fashion is clothes that look as great off the runway on the rest of us as they do on the models in shoots and on the runway. a line from the project runway finale comes to mind, where rami said cristian needed to "learn to design for women instead of models," which i totally agree with.

a friend of mine owns one of the acne jeans dresses shown above, she is 5'2", styles it completely differently, and she looks fantastic. i get the same warm fuzzy feeling from all of the fabulous bloggers showing looks inspired by wang's destroyed denim and sleek blazers. if there's anything we've learned from the outpourings of love for the late yves, it's the designers whose clothes make women feel great in them that are really remembered.

oh btw i think it would be really easy to create similar, less expensive versions of the acne jeans line by belting american apparel pieces. i know i'm going to give it a try.

l'été commence

2008-06-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

en vogue section of paris vogue
all photos from thefashionspot.com

honor roll

2008-06-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

it seems there was more than one tribute going on at the cfda awards....

miss olsen is channeling the late mr. laurent's previously mentioned iconic "le smoking".....and i believe he would have found her easy elegance the perfect tribute.

oh and rodarte beat out alexander wang, in case you were curious.

the end of an era

2008-06-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

all of paris is in mourning today for "le petit prince" of fashion monsieur yves st. laurent.

he died sunday at his home in paris from brain cancer. laurent created one of my favorite looks of all time, "le smoking", and was a proud advocate of democratizing fashion at a time when the idea was unpopular, opening "rive gauche," a less expensive line on the then less-fabulous bank, and was also reportedly the first designer to use black models on the runway. to that end one of his most famous quotes is "we must never confuse elegance with snobbery." overall an amazing man who lived an amazing life, transforming both the women who loved his clothes and the industry he was a part of. i have rarely seen his equal in talent paired with such class and personality, such a love for real women, in the designers of today.

"a woman who has not found her style, who does not feel at ease in her clothes, who does not live in harmony with them, is a sick woman."

i have been tagged, also.

2008-06-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

5 things found in my bag:
1. sketchbook
2. sir james frazer's "the golden bough"
3. a paris streetwise map
4. lots of ballpoint pens
5. hundreds of little tiny billets du metro

5 favourite things in my room:
1.my window with its lovely view of paris rooftops (see photo)
2. my questionably real vintage birkin
3. my wall of photographs from home
4. my three closets
5. tea!

5 things ive always wanted to do:
1. move to paris (done!)
2. move to nyc (done!)
3. have a huge studio/house by an ocean (someday)
4. see everything (need more funding)
5. learn to dance properly

5 things im currently into:
1. my new blazer (it goes with everything!)
2. parisian flea markets (yves st. laurent! hermes!)
3. the paintings of joan mitchell
4. 19th century english literature
5. brioche

the person who tagged me: the charming mo of like a fox

my 5 impressions of her:
1. she looks cuter in a beret than most french people
2. she is a hat person (so jealous! i have not the hutzpah for hats)
3. she inclines toward schoolgirl charm
4. her blog is new- like mine!
5. she loves guillame canet, as do i. he is a looker.

i know i am supposed to tag others, but since my blog is so new i think it's best that i don't, as i don't know many people in the blog-world-sphere.....but merci millefois for the opportunity to share a bit.

bisous all around!

the golden boy is back

2008-05-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

as soon as i found this, i had to share it.
alexander wang's resort collection is here and it looks gorgeous. though widely hyped i think his talents cannot be overrated.

here is what he said about it to women's wear daily:
"Talking about his resort collection, Alexander Wang joked that his downtown hipster has moved to “an old boat somewhere with a bunch of robes and stuff, and decides to dock somewhere random.” But there was nothing random about his silk robe dresses, fitted jackets and cozy thermals, all of which were right on target."

melanie huynh

2008-05-30T03:58:00.000-07:00

assistant to carine roitfeld, stylist at french vogue. great example of parisian style.

equestrian chic

2008-05-28T03:16:00.000-07:00

sometimes, i think my fashion choices are totally influenced by my equestrian past. the tidy blazer, the crisp white shirt, the knee high boots......sounds familiar?

photos of french vogue shoot from thefashionspot.com

london calling

2008-05-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

in honor of my fabulous weekend in london, here is english rose alexa chung, who seemed to be the inspiration for every girl i saw on brick lane.

a little while liebmarlene vintage had a post about trying to find alexa's perfect leather clutch. well, i think i might have discovered a reasonable facsimile:

this was my uniform the whole trip, to try to blend in with the locals:

i really loved london. it was great to get out of paris (the first time i've left in four months!) and see some different sights and colors than the relentlessly chic, appropriate streets of paris. i love paris, but being from nyc, i was beginning to miss the eccentricity and wild risks and, well, colors, that make fashion so fun. though i'm not a huge fan of the tacky and overblown, my time in london has made me realize that life can get a bit monotonous without it. and, having ended up at pony step-- some ridiculous club in hoxton square where be-glittered club kids in spandex and eccentric costumes lined up by the hundreds looking like a rainbow bomb exploded at a halloween party-- i think i've got enough wild colors to last me through my last few tasteful, aesthetically perfect months in paris.....

on vacation!

2008-05-21T16:08:00.001-07:00

i'm hopping on the eurostar to visit a friend in london this weekend. i will try to comment on blogs and keep up with everyone!
i will be back on monday to post once more, hopefully full of guinness and new ideas.
until then, i'll leave you with this vogue paris editorial, styled by geraldine saglio with the also ingenious melanie huynh (more on her later).....

scans from the fashion spot

fanciful folds

2008-05-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

i recently stumbled upon this gorgeously constructed roland mouret skirt. the pleats and folds are just genius. no one can tailor to the female body like mouret. i'm always on the lookout for designers whose work transcends body types to make every woman feel fantastic. mouret's beautiful dresses certainly do just that, as does this piece.

the exposed zipper puts just the right hard edge on the feminine tailoring. to my mind, it's perfect!

gladiator battles

2008-05-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

i've seen these gorgeous specimens all over the place lately (the charming camille of childhood flames has them in black), and granted they're so perfect i sometimes dream about them.

however, while drooling over them online, i discovered that nine west has many other ways to fulfill my strappy, be-buckled, gladiatrix fantasies:
these beauties , which the lovely jesicola of ropa vieja gives her full endorsement, which is more than enough for me

and also these

and some of them are even on sale....

floral frenzy

2008-05-20T04:52:00.000-07:00

i've seen the floral craze blooming all over the runways and the blogs from nyc to paris. though i'm all for dressing with a little romance, i myself just cannot get into anything flower patterned. however, if someone (topshop, cough cough) were to turn william morris's beautiful 19th century wallpaper patterns into floaty dresses, i would jump on that bandwagon faster than you could say "goes well with leather"

geraldine saglio

2008-05-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

assistant to emmanuelle alt

all images style.com, sartorialist

emanuelle alt

2008-05-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

fashion director of paris vogue, impeccable record as a stylist, and in my opinion one of the best dressed women on the planet. i would love to try on a bit of her rough-and-tumble femininity.

hello darling,

2008-05-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

found in a paris thrift store for 2 euros...

or the more affordable version:

2008-05-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

jacket topshop
dress american apparel
shoes frye

if i could, i'd be wearing

2008-05-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

jacket alexander mcqueen
dress stella mcartney
shoes barbara bui

vanessa bruno

2008-05-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

i stumbled upon vanessa bruno's storefront lost one day here in paris. i fell in love immediately. everything is so carefully crafted, and drapes beautifully on all shapes and sizes of women.

breeding the perfect shoes

2008-05-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

i have had this pair of sergio rossi's on my radar for a while now.

however, maybe if i left these beautiful specimens from asos
alone in a dark room for a while, two would make criss-crossy, zippery three

what i wore today

2008-05-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

shirt h&m
sweater, skirt and necklace vintage
shoes frye

chained and bound

2008-05-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

it all starts with givenchy

then the dirty librarian

now i'll give it a go, with a grungy t and maybe a high waisted skirt.

reading at the moment:

2008-03-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

this book makes me long for summer, and enough money to head down to the south of france for a while...

whereas this book makes we want to stay in the studio and work...

hannah marshall

2008-03-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

fantastic line. very tough yet feminine. edith would be proud. beautiful details throughout, such as feathers, intricate rusching,and leather. takes balenciaga's woman-warrior in different direction. just featured on www.style.com as one of 10 new designers to watch.

more photos at www.hannahmarshall.com

march madness

2008-03-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

isabel marant
alexander wang
boy by band of outsiders was so fantastic, i loved everything in the collection.