In December, for a special edition called Power of Fashion (oh yeah), American Vogue asked me to participate in their Index. The Vogue Index is the practical guide to fashion. With the adorable (and patient) Meredith Melling Burke, we decided to talk about the lingerie trend. Of course, we needed to find a “street” angle to it. And a springtime angle as well. Even it was in December.

And yeah, it wasn’t the easiest task in the world.
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Here’s a few select morsels from my weekend, because if I told you everything, it’d take all day.
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I think the first time I saw Tabitha, she was cracking up laughing. I fell for her right then and there. It was on a shoot where she was the stylist in the middle of winter. We all got snuggled up in nice warm clothes, wrapped up like eskimos, yet she had the little detail of a pair of killer Balenciaga boots that I practically screamed at from behind her.

Shoes are great ice-breakers for girls. You don’t know each other, and then suddenly you’ve got something to talk about for hours and hours. I’d bet some of the greatest friendships were born from a pair of pumps. And that’s how I learned that Tabitha was incredibly passionate about shoes and that she was almost ready to release her own collection.

The tension was killing me and I made her promise to keep me updated. And here’s the result:

I love people who go to the ends of their passion. A little like Anna with her amazing eyeglasses (that are crazily successful. I’m so happy for her!), everything started for Tabitha with some impulse and a dream. She released them without second guessing herself. No easy task, but I can’t even imagine the happiness that came when she first saw the results. And now she’s on her third collection.

I like that she keeps a more confidential and intimate side to her brand. When she presents her new collection, she does it at her own apartment… And I like that she always gives her shoes a name, and often it’s the names of her friends.

Grace Coddington? Sophie Dahl? Karen Elson? Oh yeah, sorry. Forgot to mention… Tabitha Simmons is fashion director for American Vogue. No biggie. I guess that would create quite a few connections. But at the same time, that could trap someone in a single role, have her put other creative endeavors aside. That sometimes happens when you’re in a high up position.

But to the contrary, with her shoes, she’s gone in a very personal direction. They’re non-conformist, daring, and sometimes go against trends.

So there you have it. I’m not going to spend hours upon hours telling you about how much I admire and adore her. It’ll start to get to be a little too much, and you can see for yourself just how irresistible she is in these photos. (Oh, and you will maybe see even more since Chris made another one of his videos.) But I just think it’s so cool how she made her own brand, not to get in her own way, to take risks, to create and reinvent. Yep, I think it’s so cool that I can’t help but gush all over the place and want to share every last little bit with you! Okay, I’m off! Big hugs!

PS: I’m going to be with Scott at his book signing in a bit, so if you’re in Madrid, come give us a hello! And if you know some amazing places that are not to be missed in Madrid or Barcelona, you gotta tell us!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Yasmin, one of the coolest girls on earth, am I right? While I was in London this past trip, I made a stop at her place to take some photos for Vogue.com.

I spent a long and magic afternoon there talking about fashion, trips, spirituality (you really have to read the article in British Elle where Yasmin talked about her spirtual life)(You want me to scan it in for you?) all while devouring a bowl of hummus.

To me, Yasmin is a true model of a woman, independent, creative, spirtual, beautiful, funny and happy, and at the end of this Une fille, Un Style, she might even let out the secret of her amazing hair-cut…

You can click on the images to make them bigger. And now, I’m off to Balmain, yaaaaaaahhh… Bonne journee!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

An inspiring fashion editorial is a surge of inspiration. It’s like when I was 12 and I’d tear through my mom’s fashion magazines. I’d find a universe that transported me, a girl I suddenly wanted to be, a story that excited me that I saw myself a part of.

Except at the time, the name of the photographers were written really small on the edge, and the stylists were barely ever even listed. Luckily now, their work is far more recognized.

I loved the editorial in September’s Vogue. And it’s no surprise that it was by Anastasia Barbieri.

This editorial, it’s pure Anastasia. The masculine wardrobe, the relaxed femininity, the subtle touches, precious accessories… And a strong personality.

So there, and now, Anastasia, you wanna give me your Margiela suit? Maybe?

Herumf, no worries, I love you anyway!

Big hugs, 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

I know, I know, you’re not here. You are all on vacation* stuffing yourselves with chocolate while I’m at home sorting through things, sipping green tea and sitting in lotus position in the middle of:

- An Empire State Building of magazines that I have yet to file. I’m incapable of throwing magazines away before having re-read/catalogued/torn them apart: it drives me crazy. Last time, I even hid the contents of the super-heavy boxes away from my friends who were helping me move—it wasn’t AT ALL Nietzsche. It was my old collection of The Face, I.D, 20 years and Vogue that have followed me everywhere since always. Sorry about your back, Alex.

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