Premier Style - Paul&Joe

The campaigns of Sophie Albou's parisian label Paul&Joe are stunning. Always!

The interieur of her Homme Boutique in rue du four as well. Forever!
Browsing the label's website (consisting of Women and Men's Main line, Sister Line and Cosmetics), I recognized that the styling and presentations of their collections is outstanding. Without even owning one Paul&Joe piece I love the way the models are styled. It brings a customer so much inspiration how to style and wear her collection plus it makes it easy to love and long for this label. With regards to myself, I had the luck of owning similar slouch boots as shown in their collection. I once baught them for a nice price at a Depot Vente, wore them one time and gave them again back in order to sell. I had no clue how they would look good and I have no clue if they have been sold btw.The Paul&Joe model just wears them with flirty flower summer dress or brown winter wool dress with merino tights and I only want them back again now. Did you have a clue how white tights would be set perfectly in scene? What a great idea to wear them with a short white dress and a men's collection blazer. The photos make me look forward to the soldes next week. I already have some Paul&Joe-ish plans in my mind.

latest 4 pictures show mainly pieces of contemporary "sister" line.

Favorites: If I Had The Legs...If You Have The Legs...

If I had the legs for a black leather pant I would buy one. If you have the legs you are lucky. I black leather pant is one of my favorite pieces spotted in 2007. It absoutely makes the look styled with a black Tuxedo or with a fur jacket and minimum 12cm heels. It looks incredibly glamorous and sexy plus it is rare. With rare I mean rare to see. As a fashion lover you prefer to look a bit more "out of a crowd" especially in a time where fashion conformism became common. The only problem about it is that without "the legs" it will make you look incredibly unfavorable. So Girls with legs go...

Vogue Paris Editorial

Emmanuelle Alt, stylist at Paris Vogue loves them, here in 7/8 grey but she also has them in black

Nobody does it better - worn with a black Tuxedo and Louboutin Heels

Sarah Jessica Parker is my personal favorite combined with fur it is lots of animal but also lots of glamour

Shopping: http://www.yoox.com/ has a nice selection of black leather pants (I love the Alexander McQueen ones btw.)

2007 - A Year Of Designer Collaborations And Sister Acts

Did you hear? Heidi does jewelery, Eva does lingerie and JLO does everything?
2007 was the year of designer and celebrity collections and all started in 2004...

Before I start with this post I pretend that I refused collaborations right from the beginning.
It all started with Karl Lagefeld for H&M. First I thaught "Wow, interesting - this is something new and a great opportunity". I immediatelly changed when I saw the agitation in front of the H&M store and I suddenly was out of this. On the same week-end in a club 3 guests were wearing the same T-Shirt with Karl's head print. At that point of time I was sure that it is better to be out of this because now that Karl was open for anyone classiness turned into mass production. "To make design also available for underpriveleged people" was one of the poorest arguments. Being classy dressed is not about money. Maybe money makes it easier but it is not crucial. This was in 2004.

Now we are writing 2007 and there are lots of other designer collaborations with big chains. Pierre Hardy for GAP, Roberto Cavalli for H&M, Lacroix for La Redoute and Erin Fetherson for Target. These are only a few. Besides the designer collaborations, celebrity collaborations became part of of the history. It is actually unclear if the responding celebrity really desings or just serves as an advertising medium but success is guaranteed. H&M again provides a cutting-edge example with Madonna and Kylie's beachwear line and of course I should not forget to mention the long-announced, curiously-awaited collaboration of Kate for Topshop (though the Holiday Collection has more character). Of course the money machines Kate and Ashley stepped on the wagon with their "whatever for what" collection "The Row" and Sienna the good decided to push her sisters fashion carreer with their clothing line "Twenty2Twelve". Of course there is nothing wrong with all this. No one forces you to spend money on any of these collections.

We live in a world where mainly the rich and famous are able take opportunities. Why do Kate and Ashley need another whatever-clothing line and why is it so easy for them to get the right publicity? Savanna Miller for example, is of course a girl of great talent who studied at St. Martin's...lbut...like many others. Would she be able to greet guests like Anne Hathaway and Rachel Zoe to celebrate the debut of the collective fashion line Twenty8Twelve she launched with style example and sister Sienna? I don't think so. I know that a versus argument would be why not to use relations? Hmm, maybe because you are idealistic. But if you are idealistic how can you change something in a positive way without relations? An endless discussions that's why I stop here.

If you produce something with an unselfish aim it should be fine. Nevertheless it is difficult to judge and rank. I personally prefer to stay apart from designer collaborations and observe how this all turning out.

Imagine Paris As A Comic

Only running until Jan 27 at Hotel de Ville/Paris: Cabu and Paris
The french comic strip artist Cabu is showing the different facettes of Paris divided in themes (Paris La Seine, Paris Pouvoir(s), Paris en Scène, Paris Villages, Paris Patrimoine et Paris La Rue)

Tip: Can be nicely combined with the expo "Paris En Couleurs"

Info:

Expo « Paris en couleurs » à l?Hôtel de Ville
Uploaded by mairiedeparis

2007 - The Year In Hair Transformations

2007 is slowly ending and I am looking forward to my hairdresser's appointment (chez Jean-Michel - What a cliché) on the 24th. This wonderguy nicely transformed my long hair to a beautiful bob cut shortly before I moved to Paris with the words "Oh la la, the perfect hair cut for Paris".

My hair is growing fastly and now that it reached shoulder lengh again I think about a new look for Christmas. Maybe bob again? The bob was nice but I have slightly curled hair and I am not motivated to blow dry and style 45 minutes every other day. Long hair again? I like it, but the current lengh is just boring. Maybe I should opt for something in between like Mariacarla Boscono did. I love her slightly curled bob and if I am not in the mood for spending too much time in the bath room I can easily put them together. Thinking about my own hair made me think about this years most "prominent" hair transformation. The most remarkable ones are attached and it is needless to say which one made the biggest headlines. Bien sur, Kates fringe. To be honest, she initiated no hair revolution, she didn't event want to initiate anything, but Freja and Irina had the look long before. Each transformation is nice for itself and a real beauty can never be deformed. Beauty can or appear in any custome, she stays a beauty.

Freja Erichsen

Kate

Natalia Vodianova

Mariacarla Boscono

and finally me

A Special Profession: Alain Soulier

In modern times money and comfort influences the job decisions a lot. When you study economy, get a job in a global company you are mostly on the safe side. Luckily there are people who decide different and by heart what they would like to do in their life. Alain Soulier is one of them - he is one of the last lamp shade producers in France. What does he? He creates unique and exclusive haute couture shades to add an individual look to your lamp. How does it work? Imagine you buy a nice antique lamp for which you would like to get the perfect Haute Couture dress - Alain Soulier could be consulted and will help you to develop and create the perfect outfit.

Alain Soulier is a man who did not always know about his love for this job. He wanted to become an architect, studied in Canada and decided then to become a ballett dancer. When his ballett company had a show in Straßbourg years ago he saw a little boutique called "Clair abscur" baught it and choose to become one of the last lamp shade makers in France.

Besides he created the "Jardins De La Ferme Bleue" in Uttenhofen (Alsace) together with his architect friend Jean-Louis Cura, where you can enjoy a nice Sunday brunch during Christmas time.

In November his artworks have been shown at the "Salon du Patrimoine Culturel" at the Carrousel du Louvre. What an honour!

Should you be interested in a detailed report on his work check out the following video:


Details:
Le jardin de la Ferme Bleue
21 rue principale
67110 Uttenhoffen
Tel : 03 88 72 84 35
Open 13/05/2007 - 23/09/2007
everyday except of Monday from 12pm - 18pm Sundays 10:30am - 18:00

From Paris To LA And Miami Beach...American Favorites

This week-end my baby left and I used the time to stroll around in Paris with a friend.
After a quick stop at the Hedi Slimane "Perfect Stranger" exhibition at Galerie Almine Rech our way took us to American Apparel. I like American Apparel but I have to admit that I am always very judgemental on their collections. For me it is fun-wear and sportswear, nothing I would wear from an aesthetic point of view and nothing I would wear around Paris. I tried a simple violett dress which perfectly suits me (quality is not the best - but for 39 EUR it should make a good dress to wear for a messy nightclub night). I asked my friend for and advice and decided buy and wear it for our evening soirée. On Sunday I made a dress demonstration for my boyfriend and he said "You look american, there is nothing else to say. But for all that doesn't look bad!" I was quite disappointed by his reaction because I thaught he will love it. Nevertheless, I appreciate honesty and this is especially a quality I love him for. Well, I had to get along with this statement.

This made me think why we (me included) are always that judgemental. Like him, I was either ignoring or smiling at american street brands thinking I should not look american when living in Paris. This is wrong and fashion is not about giving precasted judgements. If something suits you and you like it why not buy it and enlarge your wardrobe with something in "new fashion". There is no need to concentrate only on parisian labels and following the local street trends. Apart from that, diversity in fashion is really something I miss in Paris. I thaught I was open, but I am not. I definitelly need to change my attidude.

Browsing around in the internet I discovered another similar american brand called SOPHOMORE. A lower east side brand from NYC which designs are inspired by the style of the 70th's downtown NYC streets. The company was originally found by Chrissie Miller in the 2003 and is continuously growing since then.
Since Madeleine von Froomer, further designer at Proenza Schouler joined, they enlarged the women's and men's collections from T-Shirts to full contemporary sportswear (similar to American Apparel). Quite american, quite nice. Their lookbook, photographed by Cass Bird, makes a great inspiration and should help me to attack my prejudices.

Living Like Coco

On the online blog of Vogue.de I found photos of Coco Chanel's apartment in Paris, rue Cambon. The apartment is unfortunatelly, or gladly, not open for the public, only for journalists, Haute-Couture costumers and employees of CHANEL. I personally don't want to post about the decor, no it was more the little bird cage on one of the photos that caught my eye.

My baby saw one on puces Vanves last week for 600 EUR and said he would invest if our apartment was bigger. It was not a small decoration element like this, but huge, appromimately 1,80 m high.
This must be the reason why I am attentive to bird cages now. I started to search at the antique section of ebay and guess what I found?
I came over a similar one as Coco's, which is also an old music box. Can you imagine what a charming christmas present this would make? Of course it needs to find its place at a fancier.

Hight: 28 cm
Link: EBAY

Elodie - A French-American Style Example

Elodie Bouchez, french actress, knows how to combine life within to countries, way of style of two countries. Not surprisingly, she is a style example for many french women.
The mother of one son is married to Thomas Bangalter member of the french band Daft Punk. Both of them decided to leave France and declare LA as their residential home.
So why an "Oh la la-post" about Elodie? It's pretty easy to explain. She is, again, a really great example how to combine the french classy way of dressing with experimental american fashion impacts.

Elodie's Hair and Make Up remain in french women wears it. This is perfect because no other nationality is better in emphasizing on natural female beauty. France, from a fashion point of view, remains to be classic and traditional, they are not so much into experiments with dressing up or down. You rarely see eye-catching colours or prints which can become boring from time to time. Don't get me wrong, it still looks great but there is less inovation of style. Elodie, on the contrary, mix-matches colours and prints without appearing vulgar or tasteless...she would wear a classic dress with coloured leggings or bag. This makes the difference between two dressing cultures, just take the advantages of both and combine!

The Make-Up:

Dressing-Up: