garance doré

Wait a minute there, what’s this I see?

Could it be the first signs of the hunting, fishing, nature and tradition trend* highlighted by the wonderful Miuccia Prada for this winter?

You all have your hats? You got your Barbour coat?  Your tweed?  Your khakis, your russets, your camels?

Everyone have their thigh high fishing waders?

No?

Well then what are you going to sink your teeth into this winter?

Translation : Tim Sullivan

*Translator’s note : Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Tradition (French : Chasse, Pêche, Nature, Tradition) is a political party in France (CPNT) that aims to defend the traditional values of rural France. If they were über fashionable, they’d look like these two up above.

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

“OH YES!!!”

That’s exactly what I said when Georgie McCourt asked me to do a feature for Australian Vogue. The idea was to take two pages and cover them with a mix of illustrations, photos and texts to give my vision of fashion in Australia.  I love collages like this.  And I also love when I get this much freedom to express myself. It’s a rare gift that I savor each time. So I had a lot of fun with it and fast forward to now and voilà! It’s finally out!

If you read me often, you know how much I loved my trip. The fact that one of the country’s most beautiful magazines has given me the opportunity to once again say how much I looooooved my time there, it’s just so great!

And it gives me the chance to come back to a subject that I didn’t get to talk about much when I was there. I was thinking a lot less about it back then as opposed to now when the thermometer just keeps going up and up, but here…

Beach style! Swimsuits! Australians go the beach all year round and so for them, it’s a real culture and the swimsuits have found their way into all the runway shows. That’s how I saw swimwear from a brand I only found out about at Aussie fashion week.

They’re called Zimmermann and their collection of swimsuits I just couldn’t believe. They were just as beautiful as cocktail dresses (check out the photo above, drawing on top). It brought back my desire to wear one-pieces. If you would have told me that a few months back, no way I would’ve believed you.

But hey, when I was there, didn’t see too many one-pieces on the beach, ha! And just for full disclosure, I haven’t figured out WHATSOEVER what I’ll be wearing on the beach this summer.

Probably just like every other year, I won’t be able to find anything and then, depressed, I’ll tell myself that I’ll find something later and then in the end, I’ll buy whatever I can find at the beach shop for ten-times what I should’ve paid and three sizes too big three minutes before jumping in the water.

So if for no other reason, I have to go back to Australia to 1/ see if the one-piece trend caught on, 2/ buy some Zimmermann suits, and 3/ go give big hugs to everyone over at Vogue! Yep. Definitely essential.

Thank you to Clarice for the pictures of the magazine. You can also see more of them on her blog. And a big thank you as well to my dear Tim, my friend and ally who’s lost in the depths of the U.S., still helping me every day to put my words into English.

Big hugs! Bonne journée! If you happen to see the perfect bathing suit somewhere, give me the tip, deal? What do you think, to one-piece or not to one-piece?

And here is actually THE question… With a one-piece, do you have to roll it down to tan?

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Don’t ask me what my titles means… No idea ! But what I do know, is that I am an unwavering fan of the many looks, full of humor, and the many ideas that Eva has. She’s a stylist and here, I caught her with her Vuitton ears (you remember on the runway?) in the middle of working on an editorial for Italian Elle.

Pretty cool for a work uniform, no?

And I right away thought of Claudia. These girls, not only do they already know how to do the pause, the look that just kills, but on top of that, they’ve found a solution of how to tone down a swooping neckline.

Because I remember last week, some were saying that a strapless dress was too difficult to wear.  Hmmm…. Ha!

Okay, okaaaay? And the t-shirt!!!

I’m telling you girls, style is like life: if there isn’t a solution, it’s just that there isn’t a problem! Bunny bisous!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Since I got to in New York, I’ve been doing everything you’re supposed to. Here, like when I first got here, it was weird to me to go out to breakfast, and now, I love it.  I get manicures every week and I spend hours upon hours on the steps in front of the house.

The NY way of life, it can be happiness itself.  Especially when the weather is beautiful, when a fresh breeze caresses your neck and you grab a frozen fruit juice, the kind you can find on every street corner.  When I have these moments, I can’t help but think that this is truly the most incredible city in the world.

The other day, there I am, back on the steps, computer in my lap, getting some fresh air, working some and doing some people watching.  A beautiful filmesque moment, the kind that happens all the time in NYC.

There I am with a mouthful of frozen apple when I see Little J pass right by.  ”Hi J!” I say to her.

And then suddenly I realize…

Wait…

I don’t know her at all! And besides, that’s not Jenny Humphrey! You’re not living in Gossip Girl! It’s Taylor Momsen, and c’mon goof, this is reality!

I melted all over her anyway to get her photo, teehee.

It’s weird, I feel like right now, at this time of my life, often enough, fiction becomes reality.

Like here, the most incredible thing is happening.  I was elected by MenStyle as one of the 25 Women of Fashion of 2009! And on the list, there are some girls that I just love, but that I’ve never met and I would dream of doing so. Like Chloé Sevigny, or Erin Wasson, or like… Milla Jovovich and a whole bunch more, artists, ladies of style, designers…  Oh la la.

Tonight, party time.  They’re all going to be there, and we’re being photographed by Olivier Zahm (Pray that I won’t be there on all fours, doing a right of passage, pants down, full moon in sight) and welcomed by Kanye West.

Yep, fiction is trying to find me here in reality.  But seriously, I’m so excited ! I’m going to bring my camera, take a deep breath and… Okay, off we go, I’m sure it’ll be great!

Bonne journée!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

So here’s your summer cocktail : Something short, something loose, something relaxed.

Lots of skin, sensuality, and layering done just right.

I’ve always loved when people play with intimacy.  Under garments peeking through.  The little hint of a black bra under a white shirt.  The slightly oversized t-shirt that opens up in unexpected places.  The flashy strap coming out of a tank-top just to say hello, the little well-placed hole that lets you see a splash of lace, the g-string coming out over the top of low-rise jeans…

…

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??!

…About the g-string.  I think we can all agree on that one, no?  I was just jokin’ with ya.  Bonne journée!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

*Translator’s note : La Peau Douce (English title: The Soft Skin) was a 1964 film by François Truffaut.

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

Maylis, Paris

I’ve always thought of kids the same way I do adults, just a little smaller, more inclined to play a little and say really cool things, yeah, you know.

I remember back when I was a student I took care of a little five-year-old named Robin.  One day when I was feeling a little low, he looks up and says, “Are you sad?  Oh!  I sure do think it’s because of your love.  You’ve just got to call him and give him a kiss.  You know, it’s not ALWAYS his fault!”  Oh man, you should have seen my face!

Continuer »

One of the many many problems in my overly complicated life is the following: everyday, to get home, I have to pass by the windows of the Isabel Marant boutique.

And all too often, despite my avoidance strategies that are as Machiavellian as they are resourceful (a call to my accountant, a trip to the bakery for some deliciously oozing pastry, a moonwalk), in the end, I always pass by the door.

So often I run into Olivia.  Olivia knows how to wear Isabel.  And I am perfectly capable of resisting clothes on hangers, perfectly capable of taking a look at them and feeling the fabric without even really considering it, but to put something like this right in front of my face, something worn so well that it just promises sexy comfort, well, it’s just plain cruel.

And especially when the promise of sexy comfort in question comes right after I have just stuffed my face with an oozing pastry as quickly as possible to be able to walk into the shop because hey, just a quick look, only be two seconds.

Ah, the tricks, traps and vicissitudes of modern life… I love my new pants!

Bonne journée!

Translation : Tim Sullivan