Retro Ladylike

It's impossible not to notice the Retro Ladylike Trend of these Fall/Winter and Resort 2010/11!!!

Series of pictures from Elle France 19 Nov. 2010

From left to right: Louis Vuitton Resort 2011, Louis Vuitton Resort 2011, Christion Dior Resort 2011.

And the trend does not stop at the end of the runway but is also being seen on our celeb friends, in movies, TV series...

From left to right: Marion Cotillard, Giovanna Battaglia, Alexa Chung, Giovanna Battaglia.

Angelina Jolie, The Tourist & January Jones, Mad Men.

... in our walk-in and maybe also in our lifestyle!
If fashion always carries messages, their interpretation remains subjective. So, here is my very personal deciphering of this vintage-flavored trend.

The triumph of the knitterista or the rebellion against society's hermaphroditization:::

Today's neo-trendy-knitterista is as good with pans and knitting needles as she is at driving the Maclaren stroller without losing her Chic, neither her character!
The fashionesque retro ladylike trend goes hand in hand with an undeniable renewal of craze for domestic arts. Knitting clubs and cuisine TV shows have been brought back into fashion, without being synonymous with any kind of regression!!! I'm already anticipating my mother rising up against my comments... So once and for all: YES women's independence is something important and NO I am not going to extol the virtues of a male chauvinist society!
I would simply like (as many of my girl-friends) to find a man who assumes his male identity (and who's not my father's age, please). Because the foppish guy that spends more time in the bathroom than me and who is terrified in front of a cockroach or the lout for whom gallantry is a totally abstract concept, Basta! Big No No!!!


By the way, I would like to mention:::

• this gentleman that observed me with great interest while I was staggering in the middle of the plane's central aisle, hoisting my suitcase into the overhead compartment (always full, of course...), without lifting a finger, neither his posterior...
• or also this memorable date (first and last with this nutcase) with a delightful young man who pointed out that the bottle on the table was equidistant from me and him before agreeing to pour something in my glass and eventually putting an end to my one-hour dehydration (et oui, I had been hoping for a long time that he would think to serve me before I resigned myself to asking!)

So, I tell myself that calling for some conservative standards of femininity could help to put an end to this gender confusion and the hermaphroditization of our society!

Clockwise: Glasses Loubsol, Dress Louis Vuitton (Elle France cover 19 Nov. 2010), Blouse Topshop, Dress Zara.

Jackie Onassis Kennedy

Well, we said "calling to some standards", this does not mean that we are going to spend our life in the kitchen. It's just a matter of being able to put a hem on and knowing few recipes, the main thing is to do this with a little je ne sais quoi of Jackie O.


Btw, once again, nobody said that tricks were not allowed...


... La Parisienne's advice:::

Let's invite our date to have dinner at our place!!!

Of course, the point is to impress him once and for all (well, we probably may have to repeat the operation every now and then but nobody said that it should be on a daily basis, because the ladylike outfit also likes to go to the restaurant!!!)

Obviously, La Parisienne, like everybody else, may have some contretemps. And of course, it's on the very night the fateful dinner is scheduled that we get stuck at the office because of a presentation to be completed by tomorrow or a never-ending call with Cecile and her permanent gentlemanesque issues (btw, she should take up knitting...)

Well, in view of the emergency, La Parisienne does not panic, she calls her caterer, orders the "home-made" dinner and asks for the related vegetables' peelings to be delivered as well, then scatters them here and there in the kitchen... Don't forget to put your apron on, turn the oven on and Bob's your uncle! Meanwhile you have avoided onion perfume on your hands and hair which is anything but ladylike...

Et voilà, isn't neo-vintage life wonderful?!!!

Image Elle France 19 Nov. 2010, Virons-nous réacs?

Parisian Nomination::: Emmanuelle Alt, Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris

The big news was announced last Friday: Emmanuelle Alt will succeed Carine Roitfeld at the head of Vogue Paris as of next February 1st.

Emmanuelle Alt's story:::


My loyal ally Google has not been as efficient as usual to help me answer the question: but who's Emmanuelle Alt?

Apart from many street spotting images and very official announcements of her nomination, Emmanuelle's googlization remains information poor.
So here are the crumbs of information I was able to gather...

Emmanuelle Alt (who's now 43 years old) has started her fashionesque career at the age of 17, as an assistant at the beauty department of Elle. Two years later, she joined the girly-glossy 20 ans magazine where she became a fashion editor and worked with Carine Roitfeld. After a 2-year period at Mixte (today defunct), she got hired at Vogue Paris in 2000 as a fashion editor and found back her friend Carine.


Aside from fashion magazines, Emmanuelle Alt also styled runway shows and ad campaigns for Balmain, Balenciaga and Isabel Marant, labels that also hold a place of honor in her wardrobe.
Also to her credit, un fashionable husband: Franck Durant, artistic director of Isabe Marant, this way we stay among friends!

On the other hand, the stylistic review of our new editor in chief is much better-researched, thank you Google Images!!!
So voilà a little series of pictures that could be entitled...


... "Never without my jacket":::

Source: Style Fest

Sources: Style Fest, The Intersection Blog, L'Express Blog.

Sources: The Sartorialist, Coolspotters, Rdujour.

Sources: Style Fest, Bettys.uol.com, Vogue.fr.

In the end, what first comes to mind when we think about Emmanuelle Alt is her androgynous, rock & chic style, and it's perfectly fine!!!
The Altesque look is typically Parisian: just little makeup and blow-dry effort, a skinny jeans or leather pants and above all the Jacket and the Shoes (always high heels) that sublimate the whole look.
NB: The "simply natural" look is a feature of Parisian women but nobody said little tricks were not allowed. Little mascara, some concealer and a little bit of blushing brush don't really count as makeup, of course!
The main thing is to make it seem like it is just your natural radiance!!!

To end on a more journalistically official note, according to the Figaro: "As of now, Emmanuelle Alt will devote herself to her new duties in a totally exclusive way."
I think I wouldn't go to far saying we can unerstand here that from now on, fashionesque insider trading will be under close watch. According to different sources, Carine Roitfeld didn't exactly resigned but was rather pushed towards the exit, Conde-Nast management being more than embarrassed by recent scandals. The last one but not the least was the French Vogue's banishment from Balenciaga runway show last March. The brand was allegedly annoyed by communication between Vogue's editorial offices and Max Mara (whom Carine Roitfeld charged some consulting services) that appeared to be a little bit to direct (some Balenciaga samples addressed to Vogue's editorial allegedly ended up at Max Mara's offices, and it seems that it was not the first time...)

Emmanuelle Alt's first issue will be April 2011. Until then, good luck and congratulations to the new editor in chief!!!

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

No, unfortunately, it's not about me... No Greek-god-look-a-like groom on the horizon...

Instead, here is my challenge of the week received by email from my Greek girl-friend Kleopatra who is looking for an outfit to go to a wedding this winter in Athens and asks for some ideas.


Instructions:::

• She has to be stunning, of course!!! This is a commonplace! even more as we are talking about a Greek wedding, no joking about that!,
• Then winter in Athens is quite cold, so even if temptation of Resort and Spring/Summer styles is big, we have to keep it consistent with fresh temperatures,
• And finally, she has to "rock the place" - meaning that we forget about any conservative gowns and co. (which is fortunate because my bridal knowledge is quite limited.) This last instruction comes from Kleopatra's very fashion-oriented boyfriend (si, si, si, a straight guy with a fashion culture, it exists!)

So here are my proposals around a pièce de résistance::: The tuxedo jacket...

Doesn't it fit perfectly the whole wedding thing?
This way, we are going to show Mister Boyfriend who wears the tuxedo best!!!

Pièce de résistance:::

Stella McCartney

From left to right: H&M, Odylyne, Guess.

Julia and Emmanuelle won't contradict me...

The Sartorialist

And La Parisienne (or Kleopatra, my very unique friend with a Greek passport and a Parisienne soul) would match the dressy boyfriendish Tuxedo with:

• Neutrals tones with the underlying message: "I don't need anything to draw attention on myself, my natural radiance is enough", 
• Feminine lingerie-inspired lace, 
• Or sequins, paillettes and of course bubbles of champagne!

Neutrals:::

From left to right: Erin Fetherston, 3.1. Phillip Lim, Stella McCartney

 Ultra-feminine lace:::

From left to right: Beija, A.L.C., A.L.C., Nicole Miller, Valentino.

 Sequins and paillettes party:::

Clockwise: Nanette Lepore, Camilla & Marc, Madewell, Camilla & Marc.

 Accessorization:::

From left to right: Hive and Honey and Lee Angel ribbon necklaces; Cole Haan and Chloé belts

From left to right: Ann Taylor, Chanel, Velvetine and Jimmy Choo.

Giuseppe Zanotti, Miu Miu, Jimmy Choo and Vince Camuto.

Christmas Tee

Christmas Eve is tomorrow and I am sure that many of you are still missing a few gifts. 

So I thought it was de rigueur to publish a little post that would help to fill Santa Claus's sack up... with some fashionable T-shirts 

I can read your mind right now and you are thinking::: T-shirt... really??? as a Christmas gift... boring, boring, boring (almost as much as the perpetual tie for Papa.)

Ok, but I'm not talking about the average piece of cotton you go to the gym with. Have a look at those cute couture-inspired tees that, btw, I would be very happy to receive from Santa Claus... public notice to my dear friends who lack inspiration for my Christmas gift...

Jean-Paul Goude serigraph:::

Jean-Paul Goude turned some of his illustrations into a serie of T-shirts that you can find at Ron Herman (US side - $185) and Colette (French side)

Cheap and Chic:::

Mango ($40 each) - IMPORTANT NOTICE::: We strongly advise against the use of this kind of unbecoming pants (on the right). But what crossed this stylist's mind when he matched this adorable tee with this oddly cut man pants???

I don't forget our little friends, neither does Stella:::

Stella Mccartney Kids

Et la Parisienne:::

Emmanuelle Alt

She would match those lovely tees with a tuxedo or biker jacket in a cool androgyne way.

Fur Sweet Fur::: Our Winter Best Friend

Checking the weather forecast those last mornings has made me shivering even before setting foot outside. Et oui, even in Miami we have a winter, few days per year, temperatures get dangerously close to 0° (celsius - sorry but even after more than 1 year in the US I'm not friend with Fahrenheit yet.) 

Even if I don't miss Paris' winters at all, I have to admit that, once in a while, it's nice to take these lovely coats out of the closet. But then, when it's really freezing outside, we have to face the Warm vs Chic dilemma::: "Should I layer every cashmere sweater and piece of outwear that I have with a great risk to look like a Bibendum or should I preserve my look/silhouette and just pretend that I don't feel the cold???"

This is the point when fur becomes your best friend... its heating superpower enables you to stay warm without sacrifying your chic attitude.

And good news, winter 2010 collections are full of furry creations...

... Faux or real, bohemian, chic or rock, from the hood to the toe... the only difficulty is to choose (and maybe also to finance) your own statement piece of fur.

Couture fur:::

Chloé Fall 2010 (picture from Harper's Bazaar, Oct. 2010) & Isabel Marant Fall 2010

Céline Fall 2010 (picture from Harper's Bazaar, Oct. 2010) & Fendi Fall 2010

Gucci Fall 2010 & Burberry Prorsum Pre-Fall 2011

Famous fur:::

Giovanna Battaglia (fashion confidential), Kate Moss & Sofia Coppola (Elle France, 3 Dec. 2010)

 

Street fur:::

Fashion Snoop's Editors, Refinery29 & The Sartorialist

My fur:::

A la Parisienne:::

Antik Batik Fall 2010

La Parisienne would definitely wear her fur jacket slung over her shoulders in a perfectly effortless way according to the principle of Unbearable Lightness of the Jacket (phenomenon that was perfectly described by the well-known French fashion blogger, Garance Doré.)

I know, this way the sweet fur kind of lose its heating superpower (and also it's not convenient because the jacket may fall off and you may step on it if you don't stay focus on the graceful and fragile balance of the jacket...), but La Parisienne doesn't care, only style matters!!!

Extra fur:::

From left to right: Max Mara, Giuseppe Zanotti, Aldo, Anna Sui, Frette

However, you may want to avoid the Chanel-inspired Yeti style, that might be a very efficient Man Repeller (... not a coincidence this look is on the well-known blog's heading.)

Chanel Fall 2010

Line we love::: KAS

Actually, we love both the line and the designer.

KAS' design is definitely boho-chic, fitted for a feminine and confident woman and KAS' designer, Kirat Anand, is... the same.

I met Kirat during Los Angeles Fashion Week. Intrigued by his turban (quite easy to spot in the middle of the fashion crowd), I asked him what he was hiding underneath... Very smart line to start with when you have just met someone!!! Don't you think so?... Et oui, it's me and my sense of a-propos,... sometimes I cannot stop wird questions coming out of my mouth.

Kirat's story:::

Our dear New-Yorker designer used to work in investment banking for JPMorgan but was raised in a much more fashion-friendly environment with his mother being a designer and his father running a clothing factory in India.

So one day, Kirat decided to trade his fellow suit-and-tie brigade for the colorful fashionistas' company (who would blame him for that?...)

Besides his business-sense and fashion heritage, Kirat also has a crew of fashion addict girl friends from all over the world that he knows how to listen (si, si, si, a guy... that listens... it's rare but it exists!)

And the traveling girl jet-setting in New-York, Milan, Mumbai or Marrakech is certainly a great source of inspiration when Kirat designs his collections and mixes artful beading, rich tones and silky fabrics.

Fall-Winter picks:::

Event::: KAS online private sale on Rue La La from now till Friday!!!

Some lovely party dresses, tunics and tops, you don't want to miss...

Learn more about KAS::: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/KAS-Newyork/107769651689

Chanel Pre-Fall 2011::: 1001 Nights' Princess

For its Paris-Byzance Pre-Fall show, Karl Lagerfeld transformed the house's Rue Cambon couture salons in Paris into an Ottomanesque lounge with stained glass tables and pillows to seat his guests (some friends from the neighborhood including Clémence Poesy, Vanessa Paradis, Diane Kruger, Gaia Repossi...)

The collection::: a mix of Byzantine fifth century and sixties London. Karl Lagerfeld's juste mot: "Granny takes a trip to Constantinople"

My eyes were literally sparkling in front of my laptop while watching the pictures::: I want to be a 1001 nuits princess (rather than granny travelling to Istanbul)!!!

And I thought I should start with the coiffure. Et voilà, here I am, embarking on a capillary experiment, trying to reproduce the models' charming tower-chignon (i.e. the construction they have on the top of the head) and then to crown it with a thin gold belt...

... Result::: A disaster...

I guess I have to find some more professional accessories than the kitchen tissue-stuffed stocking... Et oui, that's what I tried to fix on my head hoping to give body to my chignon  (you don't build a hair tower with nothing!!!) before wrapping it (unsuccessfully) with my hair...