When I lived in Paris for a summer my friends and I used to play a little game called ‘spot the American.’ Telltale signs: North Face fleece. Rainbow or Reef sandals. College sweatshirts. Loud voices. Broad gesticulations. Chanting, “U-S-A” repeatedly and for no apparent reason. (Just kidding about that last one, kind of.)
Of course my friends and I considered ourselves too continental to be lumped with the touring Yanks, and very carefully attempted to blend in with the populace whose lithe bodies, lightly tousled locks and androgynous-with-a-hint-of-the-feminine clothing choices gave them their distinctly parisienne look. Margaux (let’s call her Margaux) here exemplifies the Parisian essence that my friends and I, with dubious success, strove for.
Tell me you can’t imagine her sitting at a café in the quartier Latin smoking a Gauloise over a carafe of Bordeaux reading Sartre or discussing the finer points of love-making for hours on end. Or scooting through traffic on her Vespa with a baguette, block of brie and a poodle in tow. I could go on and on with the Paristereotypes (see what I did there?). But really, there’s not much more to say. Elle est magnifique.
The Parisienne Look:
Top by Cos
Scarf by Antik Batik
Vintage black leather belt
Trousers by Hartford
Shoes by Heschung
Glasses by Oliver Peoples
One of the best shops in Paris: Zadig & Voltaire
Real fashion should never be constrained by rules set by someone else. That wouldn’t be you. But in truth, some are more inept than others at dressing themselves or maybe they have more important matters to think about other than what they are wearing. I, on the other hand, have no important matters to contemplate, so I proceed.
I much prefer coordinating rather than matching an outfit. But if nothing else comes to mind, I guess you could match your cardigan to their boots slash shoes.
If I were to throw out some rules though, I would say the following:
Vintage shopping is unquestionably one of our favorite past times in modern day but it’s unfathomable in a country with new money. Everything must be new. But, unbeknownst to this lady, she is in fact wearing vintage. She looks effortless mixing a short girlish slinky dress with a more mature rust orange draped cardigan from her mother’s closet! Matching her cardigan to a T are her custom made leather boots. AND, most importantly to me, this young Classical composer has strapped over her shoulder a huge carry-on crocodile print leather bag. I truly believe all great leather carry-ons should dual-purpose as everyday purses as well.
Moral of the story… throw some vintage into the mix for some real personal personality. And carry-ons for everyday wear.
footnote: been reading Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead. Thanks ChanChan!
Need it:
Edgier draped cardigan
Custom made or Vintage inspired boots from Cydwoq
other Weekend/Carry-on Bags for everyday wear
Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Hey there! This is Gardenia, guest contributor. I’ve had the pleasure of being asked to give my ever-so-humble opinion on this smartly dressed lady on the streets of Shanghai. She’s got sass, she’s got style. I love the way her outfit is pulled together and screams EARTH TONES. But before you label her as little bohemia (read: flawless flowy hair I wish I had, wood earrings), there’s a little Mad Men to her too: the high waist skirt, the super cute black wedges with the gold button, etc. And to make things a little more special, her leather jacket (I’m so glad she didn’t go for a black one cause those are waaay overtrended) was purchased at the Forte dei Marmi Street market in Italy! According to these folks, Forte dei Marmi is “the place to go to get cut-price reproductions of expensive designer clothes.” And can you believe “the town of Forte dei Marmi is centered around the market and the marble fortress built in 1788″? If the market was in America, they would have forced the marketers to leave and put up a big Costco or worse, Staples , in the middle of the courtyard by now. Anyway, I think it’s pretty cool that she probably got a great deal and managed to mix it in effortlessly with her H&M pieces. Bravo, girl-with perfect-hair!
The ingredients:
- Earrings: H&M
- Leather Jacket: Tommy Rind Leatherwear New York (But bought at Forte dei Marmi Street Market – Italy )
- Polo shirt: Calamai, Milano – Italy
- Skirt: H&M
- Shoes: random
Thanks Gards! Now go waste your time at her wall of thoughts and inspirations.
If the judges went strictly by price-tags, Xintiandi, and the damage it does to pocketbooks, would rate high on the fashion scene. Sadly, as countless studies have shown, money cannot buy you either happiness or a sense of style. Be careful when walking around Xintiandi — overexposure to bad fashion can cause permanent damage.
So it’s nice to see an outfit which doesn’t burn the corneas. She looks deece, but the jury is still out on our subject’s taste; does she truly know style? Or is it a once a month, dress-roulette match? Frequenters of the Xintiandi shopping scene have deep pockets, full closets, and trunks packed with accessories — the ball is is bound to land on the green double-zero at least once a night.
Are her leggings Graffiti? Or possibly Giraffe? Dress-roulette says she’s wearing bleached-splashed, Graffiti leggings, but let’s give her the benefit of the doubt; just pretend she knows that dressing her lengthy limbs in Giraffe-patterned leggings and slipping on heels elongates her sillouette. The understated bag — maroon, leather and suede — also adds a nice touch to the outfit. Unfortunately for her look, the blacks fall flat. The leather hat brings to mind Britney in the JT era, and the wool jacket and plast-ICKY sheen to her heels are unpleasant.
Overall, not a bad outfit, especially for Shanghai, but the question remains: is she a dress-roulette winner? Or the owner of some genuine style? TIC. This is China. Hope for the latter, expect the former. Take a closer look and see for yourself.
*wince*
