garance doré

Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. Everywhere I’m seeing girls who want to make me jealous with their supernatural blondness. What’s going on here? This season, everyone’s gone platinum blonde.

Aaaah la la. This is giving me goosebumps.

I think this is absolutely sublime. It’s totally rock and angelic at the same time and I get the impression that all platinum blondes automatically have a life much more fascinating than mine. 100% sure. All of them. It’s gotta be.

So there you have it. If one day I take a nose dive into a bucket of bleach, at least you’ll know why.

Bonne journée!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

It was a good three years ago now. Like everyday, I was looking at his photos. I’d never met him. That day though, looking at one of the shots, I wanted to be behind his shoulder.

He communicated something about fashion that no one had to me before. For me, his photos were like a dream made out of reality. With him, fashion was an affair of grace and moment, then with something hidden in the bright light, the gaze of a child.

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One thing I loved about Amsterdam: Women just knew how to age well.  In the week I spent over there, not one time did I see those surrealistic masks made by plastic surgery.

It would be a lot better if I talked you about something else while showing you this photo of Lous. Perhaps her grace, her kindness, her energy. Journalist, photographer, opera singer and queen of the Dutch fashion world, I would have a lot more things to say.

But she’s a perfect example that at any age, you can reinvent your life, that at every age you can be open, engaged, radiant and passionate. Sophisticated and natural.  And be quite the dish too!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

I don’t even know what to tell you about Violaine, except that when the two of us are together, we spend most of our time cracking up.

We met not too long ago. She invited me to a soirée that she was organizing for the boutique, Feathers. She gave me a pair of sunglasses that I’ve never worn, tried in vain to get me out to one of her parties, and ever since, every time I’m in London, we meet up. And then we talk about anything and everything drinking down chocolate soys.

I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Okay, this time it was a Smiling Smoothie, strawberry, coconut, pineapple + a weird ingredient we grabbed from Breakfast Club (I just needed to sneak that name in here somehow)(Oh, the Breakfast Club, oh, teen-movies, Don’t You Forget About Me & hormones gone wild…) that definitely gave us both a laugh, seeing as I was telling her to drink her f#@$%ng smoothie for the picture.

I’m definitely a fan of her looks, keen and kid-like (Yeah, what am I talking about there? What’s with this idea of finding names for styles, I feel like I’m writing for Good Housekeeping… ! Hey, so listen, Violaine, did you concoct this little keen and kid-like look for today?) (!) OKAY. She has tons of terrific clothes.

… And retractable hair.

Ha, just kidding. This is a photo a took a little while back when we didn’t know each other too well and so there was a lot less laughing and a lot more drinking coffee from the Starbucks on the corner, far less sexy than Breakfast Club, you’ll agree.

Conclusion : Violaine deserves to be known.

Okay. Should I stop telling you all about my life? Fine. I’ll stop telling you all about my life. Violaine, I love your new haircut, find me those Demeulemeester shoes (1st photo) in my size please, and drink this smoothie for me before the sun (Sorry, what? Sun? In London? Maybe for about 5 minutes 42 seconds a day here between 45 torrential rainfalls, but we got it in that one photo!  Haha!, so drink me this smoothie before the sun goes aw…..

Oh meeeeeerde! It’s raining!

Bonne journée!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

In an article I wrote recently for a magazine, I talked about some of the women whose style most inspires me. Among them, of course, was Giovanna. I talked about her incredible wardrobe, her eternal good humor and her tomboy side. Then off it went.

A few minutes later, I get an e-mail my editor, “Hmmm… Garance? When you say tomboy, what exactly are you trying to say?”

I look at the pictures of Giovanna I sent.  Ah.  Hmmm. Okay…

Yeah.

Heels, skirts, hairdos, accessories… As for her tomboy side, my dear editor, you may have a point there. I’ll have to explain that a little.

It’s just that Giovanna can wear whatever she wants and she still stays Giovanna. Always, and never the same, with her hair down or up, in a parka or evening gown, never a fault in her taste, she is the incarnation of the famous adage that we are all so tired of hearing, mostly just because it’s true: Fashion comes and goes. Style stays.

Giovanna has an undefinable allure. The essence of her style is, I think, her indestructible coolitude. (Right there, it’s definitely not a quote from Coco Chanel, but from me. That has to be my indefinable writing style.)

Her coolitude, her lovely laughter. And her irresistible smile.

Gio’, you’re simply the best! Got it now, dear editor? Off I go! bonne journée!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

I love sitting on steps and having coffee with her.  I love her short pixie hair, her natural grace, and her good-student side that’s just waiting for an excuse to kid around.

Tracy is Scott’s assistant, and not just by some coincidence.  Before every fashion week, she picks out all her outfits, asks my opinion and shows me her sources of inspiration.  She never ceases to impress me.  First of all, it’s just how much she enjoys doing all this.  And then it’s how her outfits are always just right, well put-together.  And last but not least, I just love how she finds most of her clothes in vintage shops.

And then I love this one thing about her, and it’s harder to put your finger on, it’s that Tracy’s wardrobe is perfect for her age.  It’s so stupid to say that.  I’m the first person who thinks that when it comes to style, the key is to do what you want.  But maybe I bring this up just because it reminds me of… well… it reminds me of me!

I started to wear heels really late, and didn’t quite step into my femininity until not too long ago.  And even if today I get a lot of pleasure out of being put together head-to-toe, and from time to time out doing even myself and buying some luxury item, back when I was 20, I just wanted to be cool.

Cool, cool, cool, fresh and fashionable, all at the same time.  Bonne journée!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

In Sydney, I was lucky enough to have dinner next to Heidi and Sarah-Jane, the co-creators of the brand Sass & Bide.  It was a big dinner with lots of invitees, lots of courses and lots of wine.  The kind of dinner that you wonder, when you’re in the middle of applying the last coat of mascara in front of the mirror, exactly what awaits you that night

Which is to say, of course, who... I got lucky.

Sass (Sarah-Jane) and Bide (Heidi) are two vibrant woman, funny, and incredibly warm.  In three minutes I was talking about all my we were talking about everything, from fashion to food to love.

I had already strolled around their boutiques quite a bit.  I like their style.  I like the care they take with their shop windows.  In each one, they have one of their “sculptures,” skulls covered in studs and strass.  They are like miniature cabinets of wonders that catch your eye and guide you toward their strange and sensual world of style.

But what got me the most was their friendship.

A few days later, Sass&Bide celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their brand.  Their closest friends all created a piece of art (Heidi and Sarah-Jane’s is in the first photo, and you can see here, the creations of Kate Moss, Rankin, Daisy Lowe…) which was to be sold in an auction for their charitable project, the collective Shine.

Heidi started giving a speech.  Sarah-Jane next to her, smiling.  We all watched them and it got me thinking…

The creation of a project with two people, it’s a dream come true.  All the joys, the break-downs, the hardships.  I’ve always found it wonderful to work with my friends.

My mind wandered off and I thought of them.  I have a few friends with whom I could go to the edge of the world.  Who I could wake up in the middle of the night to console me, and with whom I could be cracking up laughing in even the darkest of moments, with whom I can have the most extravagant parties or we could just find ourselves simply talking.  Those who piss me off but I love them all the same.  Those who I piss off but who love me even so.  

It’s always just so good to see, a beautiful friendship.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

This post is certainly the last before… the winter solstice. Yes. Beginning Sunday, I’m very happy to announce [even if I have nothing to do with this] that the days will be longer.

You’ll never know how this idea pleases me—exactly the kind of positive thought I need right this moment.

I don’t know how you do it, guys, but if you ask me, I’ve become my own shadow as this year nears its end. What’s with the aura… The hair… The disposition? Hey, why are you in tears and why are you laughing? Hey, Garance, I’m talking to you. Are you asleep or what? Aha. True.. Pathetic. Dull and dreary state of mind!

Except that when I find myself in the doldrums , face buried in scarf and counting the days before vacation begins… I run into a shining, shimmering, splendid star like Clémence Poésy.

And there, I realize there are girls who remain radiant and glowing even in the dead of winter. Instinctively, I ask to take their photos. They say ‘yes’ so graciously, laugh and talk. They’re the picture of simplicity and life itself.

What’s more, they ask for my name and tell me they love what I do.

At the end of the day, I’m full of pride, blessed with a ray of light and like a child running with a treasure find.

Oh, c’mon. Lighten up. Don’t you sometimes want to be cheesy and romantic? Well, I do !

Because just so you know, I’m about to stick labels onto my luggage and speed off  to a hot, desert land where I might not be able to blog that often.

There’s no telling what’s in store for the blog, hopefully, loads of fun and laughter. We’ll see about that next week. Happy holidays, everyone!

Translation : Magali Eva Suárez.

There are times when I realize that, other than the fact that I reveal a good part of my life on this blog, I also get to show you a living diary of the friends I make. As for Celestine, I had run into her during the fashion weeks. Her looks are incredible, sexy, punchy, refined and fun.

I bumped into her again in London and we exchanged a few pleasantries. She made me laugh with her Irish accent and her electrifying energy enough to cause the Tube’s system to break down.

I suggested to take her pictures for Vogue.com. She agreed with a resounding YES and later, I found myself at her place. Of course, the train was out of order so I arrived late by taxi. We had to do the shoot at full speed which proved to be in sync with Celestine’s rhythm.

We even took time to have a little breakfast and go for a smoke. She burst into laughter because she admitted to smoking only during FWs. [One day, I must make a list of the things that people do only during these events; that would be funny]. Since I was pressed for time and this girl was such an angel, she drove me back to town in her mini race car. Yup. Speed-dating style.

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