Vintage Post / Long Hair, Short Ideas

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Garance

Today, I want to republish – and to have it translated in english for the first time ! – that text I wrote in …2007, just before the big bun became my everyday classic !!! Kisses and have a wonderful Sunday!

I sometimes get the craziest fashion ideas that make their way into the deep back recesses of my virtual lookbook, full with platinum hair, florescent leggings, and Westons (actually, that’s been done). And sometimes, a little nugget from my sub-conscious fashion sense makes its way by accident into a drawing and reminds me of my crazy ideas of the past.

Sometimes all this makes its way into a party itself… Take for example our special Fuck Valentine’s Day party that we decided to rename (a little more modestly) It’s Complicated Party*. It’s a chic little affair** organized at the very chic Cé where the very chic Contessa gave me the chicest compliment saying “Wow, your hair looks so good when you let it down, Garance.” To which Jen thought it time to add, “Yeah, it looks way better than that protestant bun you always like to wear.”

Yep.

I’m not the type to get offended, especially when the remark comes from a girl who still hasn’t gotten any flowers in the mail from St. Valentine and it’s almost midnight… (though they did end up coming… I wouldn’t have been so harsh.)

But yeah, I thought I had to do something.

I didn’t let my hair grow out just so that people would call me a nun!

I let my hair grow out so I could have fun with it, let it down, twist it, mousse it (yeah, okay, not too much with the moussing), to do up-dos, to be like Carrie Bradshaw, you know? Except brunette and with no Manolos. Okay, maybe more like a poor-man’s Carrie Bradshaw.

So back to the sudden appearance of my crazy idea, and the incredibly sound argument that any woman with things to do on her agenda can’t spend her entire life with her hair down***.

I thought about doing a bun. Yeah, the one in the picture, up high. And then there’s this picture here. And the bun Carrie has. Or even the editorial in Elle #3236 that was just so awesome that I thought about tattooing it all over my body just in case…

I even did a terrible job scanning in the Elle for you!

The thing that I’m wondering though is whether or not you can even do this in real life?

Or am I swimming too deeply in the deep-end of some fashion pool to realize that a bun like that is just going to make me look like a post-nuclear apocalypse Medusa?

If that’s the case, I’m begging you, please tell me.

Just write P.N.A.M. and I’ll understand.

———–

* What, you’re not on Facebook yet? Well, I guess that makes perfect sense. Feel free to stay that way and allow me to explain… on Facebook, you’re either single, in a relationship, married, it’s complicated, or in an open relationship which kind of seems like all of the above or something. I dunno.

** weirdly composed of almost all bloggers. I wonder if there is some relationship here between cause and effect? Do we maybe need to pry ourselves away from our screens and head out into the real world or something? The real world… a place with a million of nuanced options that lie between married and it’s complicated. Wait, everything isn’t just black and white?

*** Actually, I know tons of women who spend their entire life with their hair down, but sometimes you have to just let things be to keep the stream-of-consciousness spirit of the post. (If you didn’t understand anything I just said, don’t you worry one second, because I didn’t either.)

P.S. Remember my FIT Lecture I told you about on Wednesday? It’s tomorrow! If you’re in New York come join me! 4pm in the Katie Murphy Amphitheater, D Building, FIT (27th & 7th Ave)

Vintage Post / Long Hair, Short Ideas

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Garance

Yep.

But yeah, I thought I had to do something.

I didn’t let my hair grow out just so that people would call me a nun!

So back to the sudden appearance of my crazy idea, and the incredibly sound argument that any woman with things to do on her agenda can’t spend her entire life with her hair down***.

I even did a terrible job scanning in the Elle for you!

The thing that I’m wondering though is whether or not you can even do this in real life?

Or am I swimming too deeply in the deep-end of some fashion pool to realize that a bun like that is just going to make me look like a post-nuclear apocalypse Medusa?

If that’s the case, I’m begging you, please tell me.

Just write P.N.A.M. and I’ll understand.

———–

P.S. Remember my FIT Lecture I told you about on Wednesday? It’s tomorrow! If you’re in New York come join me! 4pm in the Katie Murphy Amphitheater, D Building, FIT (27th & 7th Ave)

Vintage Post / Long Hair, Short Ideas

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Garance

Yep.

But yeah, I thought I had to do something.

I didn’t let my hair grow out just so that people would call me a nun!

So back to the sudden appearance of my crazy idea, and the incredibly sound argument that any woman with things to do on her agenda can’t spend her entire life with her hair down***.

I even did a terrible job scanning in the Elle for you!

The thing that I’m wondering though is whether or not you can even do this in real life?

Or am I swimming too deeply in the deep-end of some fashion pool to realize that a bun like that is just going to make me look like a post-nuclear apocalypse Medusa?

If that’s the case, I’m begging you, please tell me.

Just write P.N.A.M. and I’ll understand.

———–

P.S. Remember my FIT Lecture I told you about on Wednesday? It’s tomorrow! If you’re in New York come join me! 4pm in the Katie Murphy Amphitheater, D Building, FIT (27th & 7th Ave)

Maggie

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Garance

Reader’s Mailbox / The Non Frizz Zone

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Garance

Garance, I have extremely curly hair, much like yours. I’m wondering what products you use seeing as you seem to have the non frizz zone down to a science. Please share your secret!!! Magen.

Magen, hello! The goddess with the ~~thrown together bun~~ curly hair is talking to you. Okay, here we go…

It’s true, I’ve tried everything and I’ve realized two essential truths:

1/ Every head of hair is different and so what works for me isn’t necessarily going to work for you.

2/ Every location is different and the water and air (humidity levels) in any given place can completely change the texture of your hair.

So, it really comes down to you trying everything and adapting what works. For me, since getting here to New York, my hair has exploded. My curls are ten times crazier than they were in Paris and frizzies are my daily nightmare. Here’s the battalion of products I use just to calm my hair hysteria:

• Shampoo

- The Shampoing à la Moelle de Bambou by Leonor Greyl is my favorite. I feel like it thoroughly nourishes and protects my hair.

• Conditioner

- I tend to go with whatever’s here as long as it softens my hair. Right now, I really like Bumble and Bumble’s Let it Shine. Because really, what’s more important to me is :

• Leave in Conditioner

This is just crazy in my cabinet. I’ve got a million of them. My two favorites are:

- Creme with Silk Groom, by Kiehl’s : whenever my hair is just too crazy. This balm adds considerable weight to the texture and shine and is great for days when I don’t have time to really style my hair. It calms everything down and gives me some nice bouncy curls. Be careful not to put too much in though or it can get greasy.

- One of my all time favorites whether I’m in Paris, New York or Timbuktu (Never been, but you know what I mean), is the crème Oleo-Curl by Kérastase. It works great anywhere. It’s a lot lighter than the one from Kiehl’s and is so great when I have time to dry my hair because it gives it some nice curls without weighing it down. My hair is soft and shiny and not at all greasy.

And just because I’m always testing out new things, I bought some Moroccan Oil (haven’t tried it yet), the Supershine Moisturizing Cream by Oribe (tried it, sooo good), Brilliant Glossing by Fekkai (awesome) and still a million others that I’ll tell you about if I get good results.

One last thing… When I put my hair up (which is often), to avoid little frizzes escaping out, I spray a little shot of Elnett hairspray. And for really bad hair days, last time I talked to you about my dry shampoo.

There you have it, all my favorite products. Everything here I’ve used for years so go give ‘em a try.

Outside of that, I’ve recently discovered a cool new trick, I like to wash my hair in the evening. I dry it quickly and put in some leave in conditionner and I don’t know why but after a night on the pillow, my hair is super soft and not frizzy at all.

And there you go Magen! I hoped I answered your question? That’s it for my anti-frizz science!

What about you guys? Do you have any advice for curly hair that works for you?

——–

Other entries from the Reader’s Mailbox ?

What’s the perfect pant length?
How to wear black nail polish?
How to put together a functional (and fabulous) wardrobe?
How to take care of your eyebrows?
What do you think of juice cleanses?

And of course, if you want to ask me a question, you can do it here. Big hugs!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Preetma

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Garance

I love Preetma’s style. Why, you ask?

Pffff, you ask so many questions. I think it’s because she is surprising. Like take here, for example… This is the first time I saw her. It was at fashion week last September.

Continue reading →

Career Girl / Caroline

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Garance

Caroline’s career is really interesting and I’ve wanted to talk to you about her for a long time now. Not only because she’s as funny as she is brilliant, but also because her career path was anything but linear.

By the end of the interview, she’ll tell us how she went from finance to the front rows of the runway shows, what it means to be streetstyle blog darling and what an adventure it was to take on Tank, an independent art and fashion magazine based in London.

All that, plus this look that I just adore (a hoodie plus those dangly earings, so cooooool!), it’s getting a little out of hand today on this here blog. Ooookay! Come take a walk with Caroline!!! Big hugs!

What’s your official title at Tank?

I’m the publisher and fashion director at Tank.

What did you study in school?

I was always interested in business! I had the opportunity to go to an amazing undergraduate business school in the states called Wharton (Caroline is from Montreal). It was full of nerds and I was one of them! I studied entrepreneurship and strategy.

And what was your first job?

After I graduated, I joined a small management and consulting firm in San Francisco. I got to work for their retail clients–my first one was Nordstrom–helping with their petite and plus size strategy.

So then what happened?

I moved to Texas and helped with the acquisition of Snapple for Dr. Pepper. Then they moved me to Singapore, where my mom was from. There I worked on a financial services client and…that’s when I decided I hated financial services! I didn’t want to be reading books about mortgages on the weekends!!

…I wanted to read fashion magazines. So I asked my old firm to move me to their London office, and I got back into retail with Boots. (Editor’s Note : Woh, I guess you shouldn’t be afraid to move when starting your career!)

How did Tank become part of the picture?

I met Masoud Golsorkhi, the founder of Tank, through some mutual friends. He was looking for someone to help him run the business at the time. I was quite young and naïve and so I thought, “Hell, why not? I’m going to give up a really well paying job and become an entrepreneur in fashion publishing.”

And that’s what I did. I joined Tank in mid 2002 so it’s almost been 10 years now, and it’s the best decision I ever made in my life.

How would you describe what you do at Tank?

Well, we have a couple of our own publications. Tank is quarterly. Then there’s BecauseLondon, which is daily.

On top of all of that, we have a dozen of clients through our consulting agency, Tank Form, at any given time. So it’s shooting an ad campaign or developing a web shop, which we just did for Vivienne Westwood. We also do custom magazines for brands like Levi’s.

Wow! That sounds like a lot. So what’s an average day like?

Literally I work 12 jobs in a day and across 10 projects in a week. I’m between having meetings with the fashion team at Tank, to commissioning writers, or coming up with a new strategic platform for a new brand. It’s so varied and that’s why I love what I do.

Tank is more than a fashion magazine. How do you find the right balance between art and fashion?

It’s a hefty enough magazine that we can cover architecture, art music, and fashion with what we’d like to think is credibility and weight.

How do you feel about covering celebrities in magazines?

We’ve never really gone down the celebrity route. The kind of “celebrities” that we would put (there’s only been 3 or 4 recognizable faces in our 14 years of Tank) people wouldn’t even recognize!

For us, celebrities are famous architects or interesting artists or people who do interesting things, it’s not necessarily the People or the US magazine celebrities that we go for.

If you could shoot anyone for Tank, who would it be?

A portfolio of strong, talented women – Zadie Smith the writer, Corinne Bailey Rae the musician, Shirin Neshat the artist, Donna Karan, Oprah…

How do you fund the magazine?

It’s self-financed. When Masoud and his founding partner started the magazine, they only printed 6,000 copies and sold them out of the back of a truck.

It’s 13 and a half years later now, and we’ve been really lucky to have loyal readers who buy the magazine on the newsstands, as well as a small amount of loyal advertisers.

It’s actually the reverse of any sane publishing group. All of the big magazines make their money through huge amounts of advertising and the newsstand sales are icing on the cake, where for us it’s the reverse.

How do Tank and Tank Form work together?

It’s a tough place, because when we sell a copy in Shanghai, Tank gets the margin a year later. That really pushed the agency to grow really quickly, which is lucky because it’s also helped fund the magazine.

Brands came to Tank because they really loved our point-of-view in the magazine, so they would ask us for some art direction or to work on a specific project. When I came on board, it was to develop the agency side with people who could support the bigger projects and still do the magazine despite the other work that was going on.

The magazine is something we do out of passion and love and we’re lucky we work with great clients because it’s helped Tank to grow organically.

The internet is so fast and economical…why do you continue to do print?

I don’t think print will ever go away. At Tank we focus less on news and try to make it about the things that will last and stand the test of time.

The thing is, nobody really knows what the right business model for online is. So I think our biggest challenge right now is figuring out what is the right business model for online and for print.

We want Tank to be a piece of cultural history that people want to buy and keep in their homes and take with them when they move flats.

And now… Time to interview the celebrity !!! You’ve always been one of my favorite people to shoot for the blog! How has becoming a street style icon affected your work?

I think the biggest impact has been around helping Tank and BecauseLondon, getting people either interested in it again or to discover it for the first time.

Fashion week is just around the corner… Do you think it’s important to sit in the front row?

Fashion show seating is a bit of a mystery. If brands don’t like your magazine, you don’t get invited to their show or you get the nosebleed seats and you can’t really see anything. So what’s the point of going?

Maybe we could have a fashion show viewing party where we sit in front of the computer and eat a bag of donuts, like a football game!

What’s your most memorable fashion week moment?

One of them would be the Dior Couture show at Versailles. Fashion is very much a fantasyland and one of the amazing parts of this job is becoming part of that fantasy.

You’re always so calm and smiling during the shows… How do you manage to stay so cool with all of the hysteria around fashion week?

You have to remember there’s a bigger picture. If you can read a newspaper every day and have a bigger perspective than the fashion bubble that exists, you become much more aware that fashion isn’t your whole life.

You’ve been in Vogue quite a bit recently, what are the perks and the pressures of being a public figure?

I’ve never thought about my hair so much, honestly it’s driving me insane! I never dyed my hair, so I’ve got my white hairs coming out, my hair is like a complete frizz nest, for the first time I’m like, “Oh gosh! I really think I should do something with this hair of mine!” I’ve been trying all sorts of things to make it as glossy and as shiny as possible, but I think that I might need to seek professional help now.

The perk has been being invited to more fashion dinners (and eating yummy food, which I guess is not so good for the fashion industry) and getting to meet interesting people!

I know a lot of young people who are eager to start their own magazines. What advice would you give them?

Just sticking to your point of view and making sure whatever you put out has a very specific point of view. And that the people you work with really share that point of view.

That, and getting a great team. We have 22 people in our studio now. But you need a great publisher, you need a great creative director, and you need a great editor. Those 3 people will see you through years of ups and downs.

What is your biggest dream for the future?

Well, I would like to be the next SI Newhouse (The chairman & CEO of Condé Nast). But, I want to be the next SI Newhouse with an on-line and print marriage that’s future proof.

—–

Ok ! So I think you know a little more about her work – I find it super cool… Well maybe it’s because mine is a little bit the same (except we’re much less than 22 at Garance Dore Studio !).

If you have other questions for Caroline, you can ask them in the comments or on Facebook, I love to bother her with my million questions. And if you want to know more about other careers, fashion or not, just make your suggestions ! I am listenning !

Have a great day !

Cleaner Than Clean

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Garance

After hearing all the hullabaloo about the Clarisonic brush (that vibrating facial brush), “My skin is softer than ever!!!” “I’ve never had pores so clear!” “I love my brush so much I take it to bed with me!!!” I ended up going to Sephora to see for myself…

As soon as I walked in, the Clarisonic stand jumped right out at me. It was as shiny as can be. Right smack dab in the middle was the brush, with the soft allure of a nightstand sex-toy on its throne. I walk up, feel its bristles. Wow, it really is so soft. I make it vibrate. Hmmm, good vibes.

I grab a sales clerk:

“What do you think of this thing? Is it a little to abrasive? What product do you use it with? I have shiny skin and my one and only goal in life is to get my skin to be matte. Would this work for me? And do the little bacterias sit around and multiply in the bristles?”

This is what she says:

“Oh no no no. I love this thing. It’s not abrasive at all! Just feel the brush, touch it, TOUCH IT!!! It’s so soft. You can use it with your usual makeup remover. And just for total disclosure, I have shiny skin too. I bought one and well, look at the result!!! HOW GREAT IS THAT!?!?!”

Surprised, I smile at her with wide eyes. Total disclosure – I was amazed by just how shiny her skin was, like, you could see it from across the store: Her skin was shiny, I mean shiny, like really really shiny!!! Worse than a glazed donut. And if that’s what it does… Euhhhh…

I leave empty handed, a little disappointed, but still a little intrigued.

Ok. It was time to give a call to my skin savior, my skin’s best friend, the guru of my happy pores, the person whom leaving behind in Paris is my biggest regret in life… My dermatologist, the dear Doctor Marie-Catherine Planté.

Right off the bat, I ask her what she thinks of Clarisonic. She doesn’t seem too convinced (remember, she was the one who told me to stop using water), tells me that she’s going to look into a few things, and a few days later, I get an e-mail from her… Here’s a quick synopsis:

“Bonjour Garance,

I took a look time to study this skin torture device! Like I told you on the telephone, I’m going to have to put myself in the con-column against this machine.

So. Keep it simple: Your skin,when it comes to your face, have sebaceous glands that secrete sebum, a little greasy film that protects it. By continually destroying this sebum which is a normal bodily function and a protector, you’re putting your skin in danger.

The more we scrub the skin, the more it thickens to protect us.

It’s the same with exfoliation. It’s paradoxical, but it actually makes the skin thicker. So you think you’re refining the texture of the skin, you’re actually doing the opposite. And all the tiny little cavities and other lesions will burrow deeper which can end up giving the skin a grainy looking appearance. The skin will become like a memory foam mattress!

I think women should respect their faces like they respect their Louboutins : no water, no brushes, no abrasive products.

Talk to you soon Garance!”

Well. I think I made up my mind… I will stick to my essentials.

Whet about you, what do you think ? What is your favorite way to clean your skin ?

PS : A big thank you to Dr. Planté!!!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Mast Brothers

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Garance

Noooo wayyyyyyyyyy! That’s not chocolate!!! It’s style! Look at those prints. All you want to do is buy all of them just so you can coordinate.

Okay, maybe I’m getting a little carried away. If you live in New York, maybe you know these super trendy Mast Brothers chocolates made in Brooklyn by two very bearded men and distributed to all the chicest coffee shops in NYC. When I first saw them, I was just a little annoyed by those $8 tablets that danced around in all my favorite places. And since I’m more snobby than the snobbiest of snobs, I snubbed them.

Well, as you can see, the chocolate won : one day I saw the bar with the fancy anchor design and I couldn’t resist all of the beauty in the packaging. I bought one, had a taste, and really, the blend of chocolate, salt and almond made me fall head over heels. Like Rachel Zoe said, I died.

I suppose I should add for full disclosure that I’m totally addicted to chocolate, so it doesn’t take much. At the Studio, there are some who understand that bringing me a bar of chocolate is the best way to bribe me. So all that said, last time I was in Brooklyn, I went looking for this goodness at the source.

Here’s a few photos of their awesome boutique (and you can see their chocolate “factory” in the background, which is far less frightening than Willy Wonka’s). And on that, I’ll let you go.

I have to go ease my chocolaty conscience with some yoga.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

No Show

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Garance

It’s super interesting.

I’m sure you’ve all heard that there will be no Céline show this season : Phoebe Philo, the famous artistic director for the brand, is expecting a baby in April and so has decided to replace the show (which has to be something terribly stressful) with an informal, intimate presentation.

We don’t know much more (and that’s how it should be), but the first reaction I had, personally, was to be super pleased by the strong message sent by the designer. After the downfall of designers in recent seasons, to see someone take the risk of actually giving herself a personal life, it shifted something for me… Something really hopeful.

We already knew that Phoebe Philo took a break between Chloé and Céline to take care of her kids – which potentially helped her develop her professional life as well if you consider the incredible comeback she’s had for the past four seasons. She also had the entire design studio move from Paris to London so she could stay close to her family.

And it’s just so cool how at all the shows, her parents are always there, right in the front row. Her way of navigating her professional and personal life is really inspiring.

Okay, all these sentiments are sweet and all, but I’m curious to see what happens with this Céline “no show.”

Some people say choosing not to show could put the brand at risk. In that case, if this “pause” for Céline results in some sort of loss of momentum – with people losing their jobs for example – will everyone point the finger at Phoebe Philo?
A friend was telling me about a story in the French newspaper Libération : there was a study showing that ethnic criteria, which used to be the first professional discrimination factor, has shifted back (yeah!), but the first factors now are gender and maternity / pregnancy (ouch).

As we can see, it doesn’t take a lot to scare the markets and the recruiters. So to cancel a show…

Tell me, what do you think of Phoebe Philo’s choice ?

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Solange!

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Garance

When someone told me that Solange Knowles was going to be the DJ for our party tonight at Tiffany, I practically fell out of my chair* : “Hoooow cool is thaaaat! She’s so cool we have to meet her!!! This is the perfect opportunity!”

And that’s how we ended up at her place in Brooklyn yesterday, taking a look through her closet, talking design and music (when she asked me if I wanted her to do a special dedication for me for the party, I didn’t know what to tell her – I feel like I’m about to become a lost cause when it comes to music.) and so it was a totally inspirational trip.

The colors and prints she surrounds herself with (in the picture, she’s wearing Marni pants and a vintage blouse), her haircut, and even the way she does her makeup… I’d been following her on her Damn Blog and she didn’t disappoint!

With that, I’ll stop with the superlatives and let you go. Scott just got back from two weeks and Europe and I’m so happy to be next to him again, finaaaaaallyyyy!!!

I’ll take some photos at the Tiffany party, I promise! Big hugs!

——-

* Yep, seriously… There were screams. There were shouts. I danced around the apartment. And I just about fell out of my chair. And that’s how it goes when I’m super happy. When I’m a little PO’d, I’m calm. Super calm. So yeah, that happens rarely.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Solange!

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Garance

With that, I’ll stop with the superlatives and let you go. Scott just got back from two weeks and Europe and I’m so happy to be next to him again, finaaaaaallyyyy!!!

I’ll take some photos at the Tiffany party, I promise! Big hugs!

——-

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Tiffany x Garance Doré & The Sartorialist

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Garance

Here is a video that was taken during our Tiffany shoot. Aaaaah… Valentine’s Day is soooon!

Oh, and by the way, I just opened my YouTube Channel…subscribe to it! There will be more to come there soon! ;)

My Essentials / Elisa

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Garance

There are certain women you see all the time on my blog, and that’s just simply because they inspire me the most.

Take Elisa for example. During the fashion weeks, I can always pick her out in a crowd. She’s the queen of color blocking and has the most feminine tomboy look I’ve ever seen. I just love it. That said, I wondered what she would say if I asked her the same questions Emmanuelle Alt was asked (that interview about Emmanuelle’s staples really stuck with me and I find myself going back to it all the time, and it even dates back to the 90s! Truly a timeless woman…) It was super last minute and she was in the middle of a shoot (Elisa is a stylist) but since she’s just such a dear heart, here’s what she responded…

My Top: a silk shirt buttoned all the way up, in any blue or turquoise shade.

My Bottom: Men’s shaped trousers that are a bit short at the ankles. My favorites are vintage Chloé from the Phoebe Philo period.

My Jeans: I have to say I have just recently started to wear jeans (I discovered them while I was pregnant) but my favorites now are a pair of skinny, but not too tight at the ankles (I hate that-I call it the leggings effect), beige Zara ones! I have worn that so much they are falling into pieces : (

My Evening: I’m always swearing on silk! Whatever it could be…a blouse with a pair of shantung masculine trousers or a Dries Van Noten silk dress (I’m obsessed right now with an emerald green one…)

My Intimates: La Perla for their amazing bras and Intimissimi panties, invisible ones: no stitching, no elastic bands, perfection!

My Coat: Mmmh I have too many and I love to change it all the time… But I would say my essential for this winter, and I’m really wearing it all the time, is a suuuuper light and incredibly soft blue-grey Fendi. It has a pretty classic shape, it’s knee length, with a hidden button.

My Bag: It’s the same as the coats … I don’t really have one in particular but in my wardrobe there are for sure essentials to have:

-One clutch bag or an envelope-shaped one.

-A really big one, like a shopping bag shape, a cabas in French, where you can put your life in it and mine includes a baby, so I always need enough space to put toys, etc…

My Shoes: Well, you know I’m a shoe freak… I don’t even know how many pairs I own…but for essentials I would definitely say:

-A pair of flat derbys, like the Fred from Louboutin.

-A pair of Repetto Zizi.

- A pair of very extravagant, very high heels like Pierre Hardy.

My Accessories: I love and live for accessories so they are definitely an essential for me! What I could not live without are belts, scarves, and necklaces!

My Watch: I don’t wear one, I make them go crazy… But if I would it would be a Chanel one, the small one with the chain bracelet.

My Glasses: Love sunglasses! My essentials are a pair of KBL’s.

My Scent: A very old Sicilian perfume called Zagara, it’s made from oranges and lemon trees flowers, and jasmine flower. I can’t live without it!!!

My Blonde: Platinum blonde always! Very cold tone, almost white! My Hair is always done by Karin Bigler, a wonderful hair stylist with who I work with a lot. She comes to my house or I go to her, since I haaate going to hair salons!

My Lip: Bright matte orange from Mac.

My Skin: Natural, I only use Bare Minerals and Nuxe gold oil.

My Inspiration: My inspirations are sooooo many! Art, photography, movies, vintage, nature !!! I do not really have icons but I do have a great great admiration for Coco Chanel and Wallis Simpson…

And there you have it!!! To close, here’s a quick Elisa tour… Big hugs!

Elisa in the photobooth at the Palais de Tokyo…

Elisa at Claus…

Elisa with Giovanna, Italia Poweeeeer ! (In a Lahssan trench, a young designer who makes amazing trenches.)

Elisa before she went all crazy platinum blonde.

A quick look at her shoe collection that I took for Vogue a million and a half years ago…

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Juice ?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Garance

“Garance, have you ever tried a juice cleanse?” Sophie.

Hi Sophie ! I have never tried… Ok, so what is a juice cleanse?

It’s a kind of detox, or I guess more like a fast using only fruit and vegetable juice and tons of New Yorkers inflict it upon themselves in January right after the holidays (and right before fashion week, ha!). If I ever come to you guys one day and say, “Actually, it turns out juice cleanses are awesome!!! Press me some more!”, just slap me.

Cause, you know, I don’t really get the whole thing.

Yeah, I get why everyone does it, especially in New York where everyone is obsessed with their weight (myself included, but to a degree that I don’t think is pathological quite yet. That said, give me another year and I’ll be eating boiled kale leafs for breakfast with the rest of ‘em.) and I think it’s not going too far to say that what people expect from a juice cleanse, in New York in 2012, is a quick way to lose weight*.

I don’t know if it works or not, or if your body really does need a good detox or not, and if it does, I’m not sure doing such extremes is the most helpful (I know for me, when I need a good detox (like after a few too many drinks), all I need is to make a tasty soup and that’ll put a smile on my face).

I just feel like it is such a perfect way to keep perpetuating the illusion that you can control your appetite (and therefore your weight, your body, your life). It’s such an efficient way to trigger food obsessions.

Maybe I’m wrong. I have a bunch of friends who love doing juice cleanses.

Some of them tell me they stopped after a few days because they became totally depressive & mean and they spent all their time dreaming of really fatty steak and muffins. But others tell me that “Juice cleanses are so great!!! You feel so good! It’s so good for your skin!”

So now I’m wondering what you all think… Have you tried it?

Translation : Tim Sullivan

——-

*Which is never a good idea… We all know that

Send your Reader’s Mailbox questions to: readersmailbox@garancedore.fr

Vintage Post / My Red

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Garance

Today, I want to republish – and to have it translated in english for the first time ! – that text I wrote in …2007. Kisses and have a wonderful sunday!

My mission on Wednesday, in preparation for an incredibly promising party, was to find the most amazing red lipstick.

After getting slapped in the face with freezing sleet, I ended up at Sephora looking sooo good, if I may say so myself: dripping, pale as a ghost, rather haggard like the girl who just came back from battling the elements, trying to project her fancy purse more than her physical well-being, as there are things that are just more important than ridicule and survival, as you all know.

I head straight toward a shopgirl who seemed pleasant enough, and I confided in her exactly what I needed: I’m looking for a red lipstick. No tint of blue, no orange, a red red, please and thank you.

I ended up seated on some kind of platform where everyone could admire my frightening state of disrepair. The shopgirl, Martha, looked at my lips with the eyes of an inquisitor.

“You need a leeep scrub.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I know. You don’t know what I just lived through to get here.”

“Goood. I’ma do you a base.”

“Are you Italian? I love Italy!”

“No. I recommend for you this and this and this and this. I do your makeup. Don’t move.”

“You think that goes well with my complexion? Huh…”

…

“And Foilà: a leeep scrub, a leeep base, a leeep-liner, a leeepsteeke, and I tell you get these makeup removers for leeps. Gooodbye!” Wink.

You want me to pay 100 euros when all I wanted was lipstick, Martha?

I give her back her little wink, and summon all the courage I can. I leave everything right there on the desk, hold my jacket up to cover my face, avoiding the glaring eyes of Martha under the bright lights of Sephora and sneak out.

I ended up finding my leeepsteeeke right below my apartment, at a little pharmacy for a tenth of the price of that whole leeep arsenal.

And I gotta tell you, it looks good on meeeeee!

—————

Reece / Bowery, NY

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Garance

Subtle Beauty

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Garance

Wini created the awesome and subtle beauty brand McBride Beauty. I thought it’d be interesting to meet her.

I didn’t know much more about her when I took to the steps of her brownstone. She made me some tea and started talking about anything and everything including her family and her two kids that she raised in tranquil Park Slope. She was telling me that she had her daughter at 41 years old and I just had to ask, “41? Wait… How old are you?”

When she told me she was 48, I was so surprised. I never would have guessed.

You know, I don’t want to say that she “seems much younger” (even if that’s the first thing I thought) because “seems much younger” shouldn’t be the ultimate complement. The ultimate compliment would be something like she’s “in amazing shape.”

I know women of all ages. Each one lives her years in a different way but coming across Wini and her natural beauty – a little Frenchie… I mean, she never wears makeup! - reminded me that aging gracefully requires an attitude, coolitude, and a certain serenity.

It made me realize what I already knew: that more and more, the tightened, pulled, puffed and frozen* faces that I see have the exact opposite of the desired effect… They just make you look older.

It made me want to ask her a whole bunch of questions:

What does staying young mean to you?

Wini: It’s a state of mind. You have to keep moving, physically and mentally and try to stay current. If you think than you’re old and you believe what society tells you to believe about age you fall into that trap! You have to keep moving!

What’s the most important thing for having beautiful skin?

W: Eat healthy, sleep, and be happy. I think staying out of the sun because it’s a big factor, and also not abusing your skin. Whatever you put inside of you will show on the surface whether its food or gossip or stress.

What’s your point of view on plastic surgery?

W : I think everyone has to do whatever they feel comfortable doing. If someone’s not happy with the way they look and they keep obsessing over it you can do with you want or go talk to a therapist! I think to each their own. I can’t see myself doing anything, but I also really like my face right now. Ask me that in 20 years when my eyes are hanging down and I might have a different point of view!

Between that and a few other things – like an orange muffin for example-, we also talked about Clarisonic (New Yorkers just love them. You’ve tried them already?) electronic micro-current facials (it’s great. I tried it and remind me to tell you more about it) the creams & lotions she makes (which are 100% natural and smell divinely good) and pfff, so many other things that had nothing at all to do with beauty.

It was so cool and refreshing. On that, I’ll let you go, I’ve gotta go support my local Hells Angels.

———–

*I’m sure that if it’s done well, the results can be marvelous but I just feel like Botox can be addictive : It seems you always want more and people end up not realizing when it’s just too much…

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Subtle Beauty

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Garance

Wini created the awesome and subtle beauty brand McBride Beauty. I thought it’d be interesting to meet her.

When she told me she was 48, I was so surprised. I never would have guessed.

It made me realize what I already knew: that more and more, the tightened, pulled, puffed and frozen* faces that I see have the exact opposite of the desired effect… They just make you look older.

It made me want to ask her a whole bunch of questions:

What does staying young mean to you?

What’s the most important thing for having beautiful skin?

What’s your point of view on plastic surgery?

It was so cool and refreshing. On that, I’ll let you go, I’ve gotta go support my local Hells Angels.

———–

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Dianna / New York

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Garance

From Manhattan to Brooklyn, here are Dianas’s favorite places. Check out this picture of her at one of her favorite cafés, Smith Canteen..

How would you describe New York to someone who has never been?

It’s a big city that can feel quite small.

What’s your favorite hidden shop?

I’m not sure anything stays hidden here for too long!!! I personally love Maryam Nassir Zadeh and Assembly in the Lower East Side. They always have a perfectly curated selection of pieces you won’t find elsewhere.

And your favorite place to buy vintage?

My favorite vintage spot is in the city: Narnia on Clinton street in the Lower East Side.

What would you say is one New York clothing staple?

Comfortable shoes!!!!

Where’s the best place to buy treasures for a loved one?

It depends really. I’m usually quite specific when buying gifts. D.O.C. wine shop in Williamsburg has an amazing selection of wines and grappa. I also love Mast Brother’s Chocolate for goodies and a tour!

The best salon in the city?

I love IonStudio in SoHo, that’s where I first cut my hair short. I’ve tried other salons but nobody does it quite as well.

Your doing a staycation in New York, which hotel will you stay at and which spa will you go to?

The Bowery Hotel and Bliss Spa.

The best place to have a coffee and people watch?

The Smile on Bond Street or the Brooklyn Flea.

And your favorite bakery?

I love the lemon poppyseed cupcakes at Babycakes.

What’s your favorite date spot?

For a romantic candlelit dinner I like Peasant on Elizabeth Street.

Where can you spot the fashion crowd?

Le Bain

What is the one food you have to try in New York and where is the best place to have it?

Pizza! Definitely! I love Roberta’s in Bushwick and Rubirosa on Mulberry Street.

Where’s the best place to escape?

Ideally upstate, but if I can’t get out of the city I love McNally Jackson bookshop (My favorite too!!!) in SoHo, I could sit there for hours. The water lounge at Great Jones Spa is also great for a bit of R & R.

Where’s your favorite place to get in a good work out?

My favorite form of exercise is running. I like to weave through all the smaller blocks near my apartment in Carroll Gardens. The neighborhood is so quaint. I also love Verandah Place, which is narrow cobblestone street adjacent to Cobble Hill Park, it feels very European.

What is one touristy place you still love visiting?

I love Central Park. On a nice day you can sit with a bottle of wine and snacks or take a boat ride. Then afterward a visit to the Guggenheim or the Whitney.

You’re meeting up with girlfriends for a night out, where are you headed?

We’ll usually meet up for a casual dinner somewhere and take it from there. My friends are great cooks and great hosts, but if we’re going out to eat then Diner in Williamsburg is a favorite. Hotel Delmano nearby is a great spot for cocktails, I suggest the Devil’s Garden for a refreshing tequila concoction with bait of cayenne pepper.

Your absolute favorite restaurant?

Il Buco on Bond street. It reminds me of my favorite spot I used to go to when I lived in Florence…

Can you tell us what your idea of a perfect day in New York is?

A perfect day would definitely include sleeping in, followed by a late brunch. Vinegar Hill House is a great spot and a scenic walk from my neighborhood through Dumbo and along the Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront. My friends and I also love to play a game of bocce ball at Floyd’s bar on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights.

What’s the best way to get around the city—car, subway, bike?

Subway! Or scooter/motorcycle.

See more City Guides here!

Dianna / New York

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Garance

From Manhattan to Brooklyn, here are Dianas’s favorite places. Check out this picture of her at one of her favorite cafés, Smith Canteen..

How would you describe New York to someone who has never been?

It’s a big city that can feel quite small.

What’s your favorite hidden shop?

And your favorite place to buy vintage?

My favorite vintage spot is in the city: Narnia on Clinton street in the Lower East Side.

What would you say is one New York clothing staple?

Comfortable shoes!!!!

Where’s the best place to buy treasures for a loved one?

The best salon in the city?

I love IonStudio in SoHo, that’s where I first cut my hair short. I’ve tried other salons but nobody does it quite as well.

Your doing a staycation in New York, which hotel will you stay at and which spa will you go to?

The Bowery Hotel and Bliss Spa.

The best place to have a coffee and people watch?

The Smile on Bond Street or the Brooklyn Flea.

And your favorite bakery?

I love the lemon poppyseed cupcakes at Babycakes.

What’s your favorite date spot?

For a romantic candlelit dinner I like Peasant on Elizabeth Street.

Where can you spot the fashion crowd?

Le Bain

What is the one food you have to try in New York and where is the best place to have it?

Pizza! Definitely! I love Roberta’s in Bushwick and Rubirosa on Mulberry Street.

Where’s the best place to escape?

Where’s your favorite place to get in a good work out?

What is one touristy place you still love visiting?

I love Central Park. On a nice day you can sit with a bottle of wine and snacks or take a boat ride. Then afterward a visit to the Guggenheim or the Whitney.

You’re meeting up with girlfriends for a night out, where are you headed?

Your absolute favorite restaurant?

Il Buco on Bond street. It reminds me of my favorite spot I used to go to when I lived in Florence…

Can you tell us what your idea of a perfect day in New York is?

What’s the best way to get around the city—car, subway, bike?

Subway! Or scooter/motorcycle.

See more City Guides here!

Working Girl

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Garance

I’m freelan… An entrepreneur. Okay, I’d like to think that I’m still freelance, but when you look at what I posted last week, it’s clear things have really changed. And since ~~three~~ many of you asked, here’s…

24 hours in the life of a Garance Doré, 2012 edition.

I wake up early. I hear my iPhone alarm ~~45 minutes after it started~~ right at 7:00, hop out of bed and get on ~~the same jogging pants from 2007~~ my yoga outfit.

Right after I ~~take a quick look at Twitter~~ drink a big glass of water, I do my daily 45 minutes of ~~reading the ingredients on the back of the box of oatmeal~~ of yoga and meditation totally synched up with Gwyneth Paltrow.

It’s 8:45 am and our employes are about to arrive. I have to put my best foot forward and lead by example on the road to success.
I ~~keep daydreaming looking at Tumblr~~ hop into the shower and put on a super cool chic outfit for my role as inspiring yet friendly boss.

It’s 9:00 and I’m ~~still in my jogging pants~~ ready to go on the starting blocks. Emily, my assistant, arrives with a big smile and her Starbucks mug and reminds me that I have a meeting.

Ah, ~~Shit!~~ Awesome! I ~~totally forgot~~ am totally ready: I’ve carefully prepared an outfit ~~comprised of the first clothes I see in my closet~~ that’s perfect for a spokeswoman such as myself, perfect hair, ~~in knots~~ brushed and ready, powerpoint by Emily that I ~~of course forgot on her desk~~ know by heart and off I go into the new and exciting day.

Whether I’m shooting, in a meeting, or brainstorming ~~or totally paralyzed by all these ing words~~, I’m super productive until around 1:00 pm.

It’s time for lunch. Everyone knows that when you’re a career woman, you have to use every lunch to network. So every day I network with ~~Scott~~ someone different, just to keep filling my ~~belly~~ address book.

After lunch, I make my way back to the studio. Did I not mention that? I don’t have an desk. Nooope, I’m too ~~disorganized~~ creative for that.
I work ~~sprawled out on my couch~~ wherever inspiration leads me. Scott, and everyone else at the studio finds it super ~~annoying~~ inspiring.

They love to find traces of ~~my total mess~~ my incredible creativity strewn about everywhere. Hard drives, jump drives, drawing pads… With me, you never know when ~~you’re going to slip on one of my art pens~~ I’m going to start expressing myself through art.

Around 4:00 pm, I start ~~stressing myself to death because I haven’t even started my post for the next day~~ getting myself together for one of my many projects. I’m always ~~super last minute~~ super ahead of schedule with my blog, and that makes me as ~~hysterical~~ zen as can be.

To get my energy up, like all New Yorkers, I’m a big fan of ~~the cookies from Grey Dog (500 calories)~~ green tea.

At 7:30, everyone is still at the studio and I start trying to shoo my employees out. It takes them about a half hour. I don’t know why they love staying at the office so much but maybe it has something to do with the calming ~~hysterical~~ energy that I communicate throughout the day finally taking effect.

I calmly remind them ~~that I~~ that they all have lives, that even if they all love what they do, going out helps to keep you connected with the pulse of the world around you.

That said, I close the door behind them, hop into Scott’s arms and put on a movie, perfectly chill, and totally ~~oblivious~~ connected to the pulse of the world around us.

Translation: Tim Sullivan

Working Girl

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Garance

24 hours in the life of a Garance Doré, 2012 edition.

I wake up early. I hear my iPhone alarm ~~45 minutes after it started~~ right at 7:00, hop out of bed and get on ~~the same jogging pants from 2007~~ my yoga outfit.

It’s 9:00 and I’m ~~still in my jogging pants~~ ready to go on the starting blocks. Emily, my assistant, arrives with a big smile and her Starbucks mug and reminds me that I have a meeting.

Whether I’m shooting, in a meeting, or brainstorming ~~or totally paralyzed by all these ing words~~, I’m super productive until around 1:00 pm.

To get my energy up, like all New Yorkers, I’m a big fan of ~~the cookies from Grey Dog (500 calories)~~ green tea.

I calmly remind them ~~that I~~ that they all have lives, that even if they all love what they do, going out helps to keep you connected with the pulse of the world around you.

That said, I close the door behind them, hop into Scott’s arms and put on a movie, perfectly chill, and totally ~~oblivious~~ connected to the pulse of the world around us.

Translation: Tim Sullivan

How Do You Dress For The Cold?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Garance

I forgot just how cold it can get in New York (20 degrees yesterday with a windchill that could freeze your blood) and I really admire the girls who can stay chic among those of us in military parkas (me) and Canada Goose (90% of the population of Soho where I spent yesterday afternoon).

So bravo to Melodi for this simple, warm, and chic outfit – I love the detail of the sleeves and the white gloves!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Vintage Post / 20,000 Leagues under my Pride

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Garance

foulard-sonia-rykiel

Today, I want to republish – and to have it translated in english for the first time ! – that text I wrote in …2007 about the sales in Paris. I can’t believe I still have that scarf :-)

—

At the time this post is being written, I’m drowning in a sea of Rykiel pants that retrace the past 20 years of fashion, everything from its proudest moments to its most obscure. This is the opening of the Paris sample sales where the only thing missing is the present, which is to say, this winter’s collection, which I dream about night and day.

I still lug around a bag full of at least three pairs of 6ers*, a long cardigan that my friend Nina says is journeying from hell to heaven, striped, of course, and a whole bunch of happy happy Rykieleries that I plan to slip on as soon as I get them paid for.

Right then I run into Géraldine in the most sublime scarf. The painful sting of jealousy is quick to follow. Lead only by greed, I swan dive into the box of scarves and come out, proud as can be with a green silky soft floral scarf with my initials right on there. Around my shoulders it goes and Géraldine has nothing to say but wow**.

It feels so it. I need this scarf. How much is it? Not that I really care… This has to be mine. I head over to one of the saleswomen. I grab her by the collar and I threaten her with the power of my 6ers if she doesn’t tell me the deal.

Her: Surprised look.
Me: Hagard look.
Her: Knowing sardonic gaze.

Her: “But this isn’t a scarf! It’s the fabric we use to cover the bottom of the bins!”

Me: I feel like Jessca Stam must have felt on March 4th, 2006***.

A few steps behind me, Géraldine can barely hold it together she’s laughing so hard.

Okay so what do you think I do?

I go and find the manager and I tell him he needs to give me the bottom of the bin fabric. She says no. I say yes. She says no way. I say I’ll pay! She says we don’t even give these to employes. I say name your price. She says okay fine, wait here.

She comes back with a little box and says, “On the house.”

I always say that in life, there are those who carry around a loaded gun, and those who dig****.

Me, I dig.

———————

* 6 inches of heel. Géraldine says it’s a little drag queen. “Garance, put those down before you get hurt!”

** This is the kind of vocabulary that comes out during the big sales in Paris just by the mere power of the low prices around you: “wow,” “ugh,” “no way,” “too expensive,” “I’d break it,” and of course, “I just don’t know why that exists.”

*** Thank you to M1 for her links to these videos of models falling on their faces. It’s terribly cruel, terribly funny!

Don’t tell me you haven’t seen The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Vintage Post / 20,000 Leagues under my Pride

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Garance

foulard-sonia-rykiel

Today, I want to republish – and to have it translated in english for the first time ! – that text I wrote in …2007 about the sales in Paris. I can’t believe I still have that scarf :-)

—

Her: Surprised look.
Me: Hagard look.
Her: Knowing sardonic gaze.

Her: “But this isn’t a scarf! It’s the fabric we use to cover the bottom of the bins!”

Me: I feel like Jessca Stam must have felt on March 4th, 2006***.

A few steps behind me, Géraldine can barely hold it together she’s laughing so hard.

Okay so what do you think I do?

She comes back with a little box and says, “On the house.”

I always say that in life, there are those who carry around a loaded gun, and those who dig****.

Me, I dig.

———————

* 6 inches of heel. Géraldine says it’s a little drag queen. “Garance, put those down before you get hurt!”

*** Thank you to M1 for her links to these videos of models falling on their faces. It’s terribly cruel, terribly funny!

Don’t tell me you haven’t seen The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

On The Street… Nil

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Garance

I love the collar of this Carven coat, that orange leather collar gives it such a charm !

Morning at Piper’s

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Garance

Today, I’m bringing you on a quick tour of the amazing Piper Perabo’s apartment (who plays a super sexy agent with the CIA in the series Covert Affairs).

We met on a shoot recently and I just loved this girl… Her humor, her coolitude… and her apartment too!

Classics : Church’s

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Garance

Andi & Jordan

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Garance

I love this project Scott and I did for Tiffany.

Mostly because I love working with Scott, but also because it’s just so romantic: the idea was to photograph couples during moments that evoked the love of Tiffany. We did these photos for Instagram so I’ll post them on my Instagram later today.

This is Jordan and Andi. You already know Andi because she’s been on the blog before, but who you don’t know is…. Jordan, her man and my hairstylist! They’re just so beautiful, the two of them…

Translation: Tim Sullivan

Spectacles

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Garance

It’s gotta be because we’re in the dead of winter that my degree of outfit creativity matches the sub-zero temperatures*, but as far as my style is concerned right now, I’m happy just working with extremities.

A haircut here**,
A manicure there,
A facial on the schedule for Friday.
And a new found quest for hipster-intellectual cool glasses.

Not that I need glasses…
Actually I need them, like, very little. But then one day I saw some glasses that were so perfectly Chloé Sevinesque that I needed to find a good reason to buy them. So we worked very hard with my optician and ended up finding (yeah !) that my eyes needed resting glasses :

“MY EYES GET SO TIRED! I was shouting. You don’t understand, with everything I do with my eyes (How did I come up with that ? WHO KNOWS), they’re just so tired and they NEED THESE CHLOE SEVINESQUE GLASSES!”

You could tell me that I could just get some blank lenses or I could just do an outright American Apparelisation (go spend 5 minutes by the store and you’ll know what I’m talking about) of my Chloé Sevinesques glasses : I could just pop the lenses out of the frames and be able to see AND have the sexy intellectual look of my dreams.

Yeah but no. I’m too authentic for that. (I mean, I meditate. C’mon now).

So I ended up buying my Chloé Sevinesque glasses. And yeah, they were adorable, relatively comfortable when my eyes were soooooooo tired, and everyone was happy. And I wore them three times. Yep, three times. That’s it.

What do they say ? Desire is extinguished once it is consumed ? That’s what I thought.

But you know what?

I am about to do it again. The desire came right back again during one of my winter no-style days. I am almost to the point of going to harass another NYC optician (we’ll just see if they can resist my “charm”.).

~~Bullshitting~~ Fashion always repeats itself.

PS: Pictured above is Fiametta – Yes, I had fun painting her :-) She’s wearing giaaaaaant glasses. I like it, but don’t you worry, I wouldn’t go that far into delusions of glasses grandeur. Lately, I’ve been half-assing it a lot.

————
* That, and the marvelous excess of holiday meals. Let’s be real.
** Of course I’ll show you a photo at some point. Let my hair hibernate for a couple seconds to grow back a little first o_O.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Is Fashion That Crazy ? And Is This Why We Love It ?

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Garance

Have you seen It’s a Brad Brad World? What’d you think?

What? You don’t know Brad? Don’t worry, it’s not a problem. I’ll catch you up.

Brad G is the former assistant stylist to Rachel Zoe. Rachel Zoe is a stylist to the stars (say it like you mean it), who, thanks to her reality TV show, has become more famous than the stars she styles.

Brad was her assistant and was always around on her reality show and when she fired him, I mean, when he left, well, when… Okay, when he started his own career as a stylist to the stars he naturally got his own reality show.

So it’s called It’s a Brad Brad World and after I saw that it’s not really interesting, except to note this whole fashion-reality thing is becoming a genre into itself, and loooooves to give this image of fashion : totally hysterical, populated by egocentric freaks, pathetic and hilarious at the same time, capable of crying of joy just at seeing a new Louboutin and getting red with anger just because of the length of a skirt and saying things, in all seriousness, like:

“It’s a famine of beauty !” (Andre Leon Talley).

When I watch these TV shows, I always have the same reaction:

Reaction 1/ Is fashion seriously this crazy?
Reaction 2/ Does fashion seriously deserve to be caricatured like this?
Reaction 3/ Nonononono, Scott, don’t change the channel, gimme two more minutes!

I talked to Scott and he told me that these reality TV shows show just 1% of the fashion world.
You barely ever see the 99% of the fashion world who work without always being in the spotlight, who are elegant but discrete, and who love what they do and don’t need to talk about themselves 24/7.
But with that representation on TV it’s not surprising that everyone seems wary of fashion and doesn’t take it seriously…

Okay, at the same time:

It just cracks me up and if you take it with the necessary distance it doesn’t bother me at all.

Show-business isn’t all bad. Michael Kors is succeeding in being incredibly successful on reality TV AND being a designer who’s taken seriously. Condé Nast just started getting its feet wet in the entertainment business. Tyra Banks has started a real empire. Kate Lanphear, fashion director of Elle US, and who you know all too well from MTV’s The City.
And with the loss of advertising dollars the magazines have faced since the internet has blown up, they don’t really have a choice: they have to diversify.

To end, if there is one thing that I’ve always loved about fashion, it’s its ability to accept what others call “freaks.” We often think of fashion as this world where you can only exist if you’re beautiful, skinny, or have tons of money. But when you look a little closer…

You can work in it until the end of your days, or start incredibly young. You could have not (formally) studied fashion at all but still put together an amazing career. You can be gay, straight, black, white, fat, beautiful, ugly, small, dress as crazy as can be or dress the exact same each and every day – if you work hard and have talent, you’ll be accepted.

Very few industries can say the same thing, right ? What do you think ? Does this whole “reality fashion” craze drive you nuts or do you like it?

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Vintage Post: 24 Hours in the Life of a Freelancer

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Garance

Today, I want to republish – and to have it translated in english for the first time ! – that text I wrote in …2007 about my life as a free lancer. You’ll see that ~~I was totally lazy~~ my working methods have changed drastically !

—–

I’m freelance so I work a lot at home. How else would I be able to blog at the weirdest hours of the day? What? You blog from work ? Noooooooo…

Luckily for me, my cat gets up early. Right at the crack of dawn, I’m pulled out of bed by my ~~gross~~ gracious hungry feline. I put on some ~~old jogging pants~~ elegant and casual outfit, I drink ~~an espresso~~ a fresh squeezed OJ, and make a nice little breakfast looking ~~at my e-mail~~ out at the sea.

After ~~pillaging the magazine rack down the block~~ doing some yoga, I ~~fall asleep in the bath~~ take an enlivening shower; I dry off looking ~~through some blogs~~ at my planner. For hours later, ~~totally guilt ridden~~ with a sense of accomplishment, I make a few phone calls.

This is usually when I like to start putting together ~~some pasta~~ steamed vegetables that I’ll enjoy with ~~Ellen Degeneres~~ a few friends. A quick ~~coffee~~ nap and then back to work.

Afternoons are my favorite. Everything is calm and it’s the perfect time ~~to go shopping~~ get going on some bigger projects. Time flies ~~in department stores~~ when you’re really concentrated.

6 o’clock, ~~panic sets in~~ it’s time to take a break. I make some tea that I like to have with ~~some nutella~~ an apple. Then it’s back to work for an hour or two, just to ~~stop feeling so guilty~~ finish up a few projects.

My man is on his way home and the end of the day is near. I’m exhausted, but I have to do some networking ~~at the Baron~~ at a high-profile party. I get home ~~totally stressed out~~ enchanted by this incredibly productive day, ready to start fresh the next.

Anyway, there’s no way I’d get out of my bed for less than $10,000. What, you don’t believe me ?

Stevie

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Garance

Stevie

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Garance

Career Girl / Erin

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Garance

Ahhhh, I’m so excited to talk to you about Erin!

Erin here is the super cool founder of the BabyCakes bakery. A “bakery” here in the US is where you find cupcakes (yum), donuts (aaaaah), cookies (iiiiiih), and often they have lattes and you always leave with a big smile… and a rather guilty conscience.

Not at BabyCakes though. You see, not only are their cakes incredibly delicious, but they don’t contain any refined sugars, eggs, gluten or dairy. You almost feel like you’re eating a donut that’s purely good for you. :-)

So here’s a few questions Erin answer about how she decided to leave her dream job as a fashion assistant to go off with no safety net and create Babycakes at 29… And a few years later had a real American success story with 4 bakeries all over the states (one of them in Disneyland!), multiple cookbooks, courage and humor for every curveball thrown her way (you HAVE to watch her videos), and even with all that, right now as I’m talking to you, she’s also got… a baby on the way!

Wow. Inspiring, Erin…

Hi Erin!

You used to work in fashion right? How did you get your start?

Yes! I had to work very hard to get my first fashion job. I studied communications at school. Then, I got an internship with the design editor at Flaunt magazine for six months. It was really competitive. But over time they saw I was totally dedicated.

Eventually they offered me a job as a fashion assistant!

What was your dream job?

To be a buyer!

So how did you make the transition—from fashion to baking?

It was a funny transition–fashion to baking–but I found that I wasn’t fulfilled with my fashion assistant job. I would dread going to fashion shows and showrooms to see the next season’s looks. I should have been excited but I just didn’t get it. So to shake off my work-related depression, every night after work I would go home and bake.

Those were the times when I was truly happy. So I quit my job after eight months because, honestly, I missed the food industry and wanted to get back into waitressing. Three days later, at a friend’s child’s birthday party, I had the idea for BabyCakes, and that was that! Fifteen months later I opened the doors to our first shop on a deserted stretch of Broome Street in the Lower East Side.

You loved being a waitress? Really? I used to be one and I hated it!

Yes! If you go back to what my dream was when I was really really young, I wanted to be a waitress. I was always in love with restaurants and the food service. But I always made sure to work at places I really respected.

Wait, but I’m sure BabyCakes didn’t happen just like that! What did you do during those 15 months?

I had two waitressing jobs and I was occasionally cocktailing at night. I was just trying to make as much money as possible to buy ingredients at the health food store, which are super expensive! [Erin is allergic to dairy and gluten!!!] I would bake all morning and take notes on my recipes and then work on my business plan before heading back to my jobs. If there was a recipe I was thinking about, I’d make another round when I got home. I was very obsessed and very focused; it was all I thought about, so to me it was fun! But I completely dropped my social life when I decided I wanted to open my own business—BabyCakes took priority.

How were you able to find the money to open BabyCakes?

At first I thought I would do it with a bank loan, but that didn’t come through at the last minute after I had already signed the lease on the bakery. So I went to everyone that had mentioned in the past they might want to invest and that’s how we did it—with 10 investors.

When I was waitressing I would make treats and bring them to work, people would try them and they’d be impressed and say, “If you’re looking for an investor, let me know!” I met with all of them, but only a handful put down money. A lot of people say they want to help you but only a few of them will actually write the check. But we did it!

And I lived hand to mouth for the first year to make sure the bills and all of my employees were getting paid.

What have been the best and worst parts of being a small business owner?

The best part is seeing all the jobs that are being made available because I rolled the dice on opening this bakery!

The hardest part has been letting people go whom I like personally, but who just aren’t a good fit for the company.

You also have locations in LA and at Disney in Orlando! Has it be difficult to be here in New York and away from your other shops?

It’s still the most difficult part of my job to not be at all four stores at once. I was warned by other business owners how difficult it would be, but you don’t really know until you’re in it. It’s hard not to see what everyone is doing and to observe customer-employee relationships. The key to pulling it off though is to secure each place with someone you have a lot of confidence in, but without giving them too much room. I’ve had to learn the hard way but it’s definitely a balance of trusting other people, and to be constantly checking their work. What’s that expression, “give them enough rope, but not enough to hang themselves?”

What has your spending style been with your business?

I think that’s an instinct you’re born with. I’ve always been a big risk taker and I don’t fear anything—except heights maybe! I’m really confident with what I’m doing and I’ve put all my bets on it.

I also grew up as one of 12 kids and we didn’t have any money, so I knew what it was like to be poor. To me, the fear most people have is being broke and I know what broke feels like, and I’m fine with that.

Did you have a mentor figure that helped you figure everything out?

Meditation was my mentor. I would sit for 30 minutes every day and make it a point to focus on being grateful for all I’d accomplished and learned, and also for all that was to come.

For example, the frosting. I didn’t know how it was going to happen, and I was like, I am not going to stress, I am just going to meditate and just be grateful for what I see about the final outcome. I did that forever like–months and months–and I never gave up hope I was like, “I know it’s coming!”… And finally the frosting that came is what made us famous.

Have there been any moments of desperation, with tears, where you gorged yourself on cupcakes?

So many! One memorable one was on January 2^nd, 6 years ago, just five months after we opened and on the tail-end of a busy holiday season. The bakery was dead–I think we had three customers all day. By 5pm I turned to my sister in tears crying,

“BabyCakes is over! People don’t want us anymore!”

Of course, it was dead because it was the day after New Years and everyone was on a diet, but I took it really personally.

So we’ve seen your videos… a) Have you lost your mind? And b) We LOVE THEM! Who came up with all of these ideas?!

I am lucky enough to be married to a very clever, hilarious, and talented man named Chris Cechin. When we started dating he really got what BabyCakes was and came up with the idea of creating fun little two-minute videos to give customers who had never been to the bakery an idea of what the personality of the bakery was.

Now tell me the truth…you’ve been on the show 3 times now. So what is Martha Stewart like?? Is she the Anna Wintour of the food business ?

She is outstanding and she totally is! I think it’s a combination of fearlessness and vision that they both have. I think a lot of people, especially women, have a problem asking for what they need but she’s just cutthroat. She doesn’t care if she’s making anyone uncomfortable; it’s brought her extreme success!

I’ve noticed that a lot of people around her are nervous but I’ve found that if you are just yourself and don’t try to be what you think she wants you to be, you’re safe. It’s like she smells fear!

Ok now let’s get to the most important point !!! :) How do you stay fit? You are the tiniest cook I’ve ever seen ! And you’re pregnant !

Well first of all, I just ripped my pants. I was so determined to get them on! And then I ripped them. I exercise pretty much every day for about 10 years now. I did it when I stopped smoking and it’s really like drinking coffee for me in the morning: after working out I’m just a different person. Before my pregnancy, I loved Soul Cycle. I had heard so much about it from a friend, and I tried it and I’ve never been excited to exercise but I was so excited to go back – I would like, rather go there than go out on Saturday night! I was growing into one of those crazy people – but then with my pregnancy I had to stop cause you’re not supposed to do exercises that are so intense

Now, I do Physique 57 and Bar Method. Bar Method is really serious, and it feels so good when you get through the really hard parts. It’s getting difficult though – it feels like I have this ball being pregnant, the pushups are so hard!

What’s next for Babycakes and for Erin McKenna?

I’ve just launched our cake, cookie and brownie mixes on our online store, am about to open the 4th location on Larchmont in Los Angeles next week and writing the next cookbook. You know, not too much…

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

Hmm..that’s so hard! It would probably be from my brother Frankie who also started his own business. He said to never waver from your vision and don’t let anyone else influence on you, no matter what’s involved.

High & Dry

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Garance

My friends, I’ve discovered the most amazing thing and I know what you’re going to tell me:

Seriously, we’ve been telling you about it for the past 12,000 years. Where have you been, Garance?

Well, It all started when I lopped off all my hair.

Oooookay, don’t get all crazy on me. I’m not as gutsy as you think.

I cut some off, like, to the shoulders. Longer than in the illustration. Change without changing, the thrill without the risk, new inventions of the same thing, yeppppp, worse than a presidential election, it means nothing in the end.*

But still, I cried a little** when I got back to my house. The texture had changed and it was totally weird. It was 12 times as frizzy and I needed to work on it for like 8 and a half hours *** to make them look, let’s say…Ok.

The problem is, 8 and a half hours later, it’s time to go to bed. Crap. My hair was almost looking good and tomorrow morning, after my shower, I’ll have to start all over again.

Yes, I wash my hair every day. I know it’s not supposed to be good for you but I just can’t do it any other way. If my hair isn’t clean it’s all I can think about all day.

It’s the worst.

So I had no intentions WHATSOEVER of spending 8 and a half hours on my hair.

And that’s when I came across my golden ticket, MY DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR : Dry shampoo. I know. It’s been 12,000 years since we first started hearing about it. But since I still do listen to you all, I bought some Klorane dry shampoo on a full moon (???) but since I’m not the greatest listener, I forgot all about it. And then just like that, I remembered.

From now on, I’m going to listen to every word you say.

So I did what it said, gobbed it on to the roots and had white hair like Karl Lagerfeld. I got a little scared, no lies told, then brushed it out and had my hair sticking straight out like Robert Smith. I got a little more scared (this stuff gives some crazy volume) and then just like that, everything fell back in place and my hair looked amazing.

Like, not at all its usual texture, but super amazing and great. It was thicker, had more body, yet was lighter and a lot less curly. It had the weirdest but most INTERESTING look to it and it felt so good.

Love. Glory. Beauty.

And now I don’t shampoo my hair as much.

Aaaaaah, no seriously. I feel like 2012 is going to be a really interesting hair year.

———-

* One of my reasons for being a chicken has a first name that starts with an S and ends with a T…

** Hiding in my bathroom seeing as my house is also Gawance Doré Studio and it’s not the best if the boss is balling her eyes out talking about how her dreams of BEING RACHEL ZOE ARE OVER!!!*

*** Under the frightful gaze of S—t. He says that no, even though he always told me to keep my hair long, he’s as happy as can be with the change, even though he’s laughing a little under his breath.

——–

* Yeah and now everyone at the studio is going to read this and will know just why I was so upset last week…

Detail / Pink

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Garance

I don’t know why but I’m super into pink right now.

I changed my Google Chrome theme yesterday. I went from cheesy Dolce & Gabbana animal print to cheesy floral by Kath Kidston*. I’m in the middle of redesigning my blog and I’m totally going to replace all the red accents with pink ones**. I am definitely going by Stella to procure these little ones here and over to J. Crew to pick through all the pink stuff I saw for spring***. And don’t even get me started on lipstick…

Oooookay. Come to think of it, pink must be in fashion, actually.

Ok but so with lipstick, I think it’s so pretty on blondes, but pink lipstick on a brunette like me, I’m not so sure…

What do you think?

——-

* It would be so cool to make a theme for Chrome!

** If you have any ideas, desires or suggestions send them right over!!! If you know of any super beautifuly designed websites, send some links!

*** I have some photos. I’ll show them to you soon!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Garance

I’m wishing you a most wonderful 2012. Did you have fun New Year’s Eve?

This year, I only made one resolution, but it’s so granola I’m not sure I’m gonna tell you…

Wait, whaddya mean granola?

Granola, you know, granola means the people who eat all organic, do yoga, who talk about energy and crystals and who make their own homemade granola. And now who goes to the organic market? Who wears Lululemon to the gym (okay, I think Lulu is granola but I’m not sure. It just comes down to how the clothes are made. Like Toms do their whole donation thing, that’s totally granola.) THEY’RE THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY ABOUT EVERYTHING (I’m not a fan of Toms). Continue reading →

Unpublished / Eva

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Garance

It’s winter break!!! And for the break, I’ve made a little selection of some never-before-seen photos. You’ll get to see some pretty cool stuff I found. It’s never too late for a good photo!!!

I’ve always loved Eva’s style, but lemmie make a confession (with all the holiday parties, it’s high-time for confessions, right?), I’ve always thought Scott took better pictures of her than I do. I dunno, something just clicks for them. He is able to capture so perfectly the originality of her style…

No worries though, when I found this photo, I couldn’t figure out why I never put it up. I love this look! The short hair, the earrings, her feathery top… (This totally makes me want to wear my feathered skirt for the first of the year!) And something about her just gives her that hard-to-place quality that reminds me of a modern day Audrey Hepburn.

And here’s my most recent photo of her – her hair got longer! – that I took during New York Fashion Week in September… And I didn’t publish this one either! Goodness, what am I thinking?!

Pfffff, I’ll go ahead and say it was all Scott’s fault.

LOVE TO YOU ALL AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR, WHETHER YOU’RE DANCING TO SEAN PAUL OR IN BED WATCHING YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES (which is totally just as good I’ve discovered after a few too many disappointing new years.) LOOOOOOOOOOVE !!!

Unpublished / Elisa

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Garance

It’s winter break!!! And for the break, I’ve put together a little selection of photos I’ve never published. You’ll get to see some pretty cool stuff I found. It’s never too late for a good photo!!!

Here’s a photo of Elisa I took a super long time ago. Maybe you didn’t recognize her because she didn’t have her short platinum blonde hair yet!

I remember that day so perfectly. I was shooting her for Vogue. It was one of my first commissions for a real magazine and not only was I not super confident in my own abilities in terms of photography, but I also didn’t know Elisa and I thought she was the coolest girl on earth. I was terribly intimidated.

It’s funny when I think about the whole thing. Today, Elisa is one of my dearest friends and I just love her. Now when we shoot together, I shout tyrannical orders at her “Look over there. No, all wrong, not there, THERE!!!” “Wait wait. Don’t move. I’ve gotta put your necklace back in place. It’s all messed up.” “Noooooo quit laughing, are you KIDDING me?!!?” (She has the tendency to laugh all the time.) If I would’ve known, I would have started doing it earlier!!!

But that’s not why I remember that day so vividly. I remember it because it was the day she first told me she was pregnant. Since then, little Lucio has arrived. The start of a friendship and the birth of baby…. It’s all just too cute. I send big hugs to Elisa.

——–

Here’s the last photo I took of her (I don’t even try to fight it anymore : I just let her laugh like crazy).

And all the photos I’ve taken of her since, you’ll see that it’s quite a special bunch. And I have to include this photo of friendship that Scott took. Sorry, I just can’t stop! Big hugs!!!

Continue reading →

Unpublished / Yasmin

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Garance

It’s winter break!!! And for the break, I’ve put together a little selection of photos I’ve never published. You’ll get to see some pretty cool stuff I found. It’s never too late for a good photo!!!

Today is my dear friend Yasmin, with her awesome sunglasses and her beanie and this was well before she…

was pregnant!!!

Since, Yasmin has become a mama. She just had her first Christmas with her baby and I’m so happy for her…

Here are all my photos of Yasmin. Merry Christmas, Yasmin ;-)

Unpublished / Caroline

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Garance

It’s the holidays !!! And for the holidays, I’ve put together a little selection of photos I’ve never published. You’ll get to see some pretty cool stuff I found. It’s never too late for a good photo!!!

This has to be one of the first photos I took of Caroline, which happened to be at the time when the wonderful Richard Serra sculpture was still in the Tuileries Gardens, what a joy — and I remember what I asked myself: how can a face express such tranquility? It wasn’t just Caroline’s beauty but her serenity, her outfits that are always perfect but never over the top, the side of her that says ‘I’m here but I could also be elsewhere living incredible adventures at the other end of the world…

Incredible adventures, like eating french fries with me !!

Here are the most recent pictures I’ve taken of Caroline. Since, we’ve become friends and even if we don’t live in the same city — Caroline lives in London – each time we can we take a couple of hours to catch up on each other’s lives. And now I’m going to say something that will seem ever more banal than the most banal of all banalities (but it’s the holidays!!! It’s the moment for banalities!!!) But Caroline is just as beautiful inside as outside.

She also happens to have a super interesting work history. I’m in the process of preparing a career interview of her for you guys. While waiting for that, go check out Tank and Because, two of her many projects. Ok I’m off, kisses!

Unpublished / Camille

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Garance

I hope you had a good Christmas and that you gave and received tons of gifts!

I’ve put together a little selection of photos I’ve never published. You’ll get to see some pretty cool stuff I found. It’s never too late for a good photo!!!

Here’s a photo of Camille Miceli and I might as well just come out and say it: I’m in love with her style. The mix of colors, materials, jewelry that’s just downright insane, she’s totally comfortable with nudity, her creativity, her sense of humor… All of it just gives her the most exceptional personality. And it’s super intimidating for me… That just means that you have no idea how many photo opportunities I’ve missed with her!!!

Since then, we’ve gotten to know each other a little. I’m still pretty darn fascinated by her taste and I’m a little less of a catastrophe when I’m around her…

Here’s a few more shots I took of her. Oh la la, it’s really just never enough. Voilà. Camille, you’re on my list for 2012!

Unpublished / Chioma

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Garance

Here’s an image of Chioma, the first time I met her. Still today I remember it well. It was at a fashion show and it was the first time I’d ever seen her. She was so sweet I ended up asking her to pose for my camera for way too long!
What really gets me though is that in the craziness of fashion week, I had completely forgotten about this photo.

And since then, we’ve gotten coffee, seen each other at all the fashion weeks (Chioma works at Vogue) and we even got breakfast together last Saturday with some mutual friends. So when I started looking through my archives for my unpublished photos, I was shocked to find Chioma.

I remembered just how much I love Chioma and have since the very start. (And for her fantastic mix of plaid and floral, of course!!)

————

Here’s another photo of Chimoa.

Unpublished / Dianna

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Garance

It’s vacation time!!! Yep, and I decided that winter break starts today. What’s with these Christmas parties lasting all week long? Ok, so, for the break, I put together a little selection of photos that have never been published. You’ll get to see some pretty cool stuff I found. It’s never too late for a good photo!!!

We’ll start this little series with Dianna and a photo that was taken before she chopped her hair off – I remember when I took this… I had just arrived in New York and Dianna spent an entire afternoon showing me some of her favorite spots. Seriously now, such an angel…

I really have to ask her to do a City Guide for us. What do you think?

———–

Here’s the last picture I published of Dianna…

… And every time I’ve taken her photo since, oh man, I just love her.

Ok. Just decided I’m going on a hike.

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Garance

So tell me, what would you think if I told you I loved these shoes?

And what if I told you when I saw Liu Wen (so pretty, so stylish, me such a fan) backstage at the Altuzarra show last season, I followed her for 10 minutes just to get a photo of her shoes – and she didn’t even see me, that’s how sneaky I am, even I was half lying on the floor to get a shot of the POLKA DOTS on her shoes (who makes those? Comme Des Garçons, I’m guessing?)

And what if I told you that seriously, I made Scott embark on a hiking adventure (I’ll tell you all about that later and we’ll have a good laugh) for nothing more than to have the pleasure of buying some cool hiking boots?

I’ll just go ahead and give you the answer:

It’s just that my outdoorsiness and my love of nature are trying suuuuuper hard to break down the walls of my superficiality.

And with that, I’m off to let you reflect on my philosophy du jour. Big hugs!

Dance!

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Garance

A while back, my agent Salomé called me to talk to me about a super crazy project. Well I mean, super crazy for me. I mean ok, I am totally the kind to jump around dancing and shouting in front of my friends to Sean Paul’s “Temperature” (and I discovered on Saturday that I am NOT the only one who likes to booty dance on that song – Yeaaaaah !) but I would be totally unable to do it in front of a camera. Well, as I was saying, Salomé :

“I have this amaaaaaazing project for you. What would you think of making a video for Petit Bateau? They’d film you dancing an awesome Madison. Of course they’d give you some classes a few days before…”

“No. Nooooooo! I can’t do that. I’d look ridiculous, and I’ve never danced the Madison in my life. No. Salomé, just no.”

But the thing is that, hearing myself that talking that day, I found myself to be the most booooooring person in the world. Seriously now, a project as fun as that with a brand that I love as much as I do AND a challenge as funny as getting to learn to dance the Madison…
You’d really have to be a downer to say no.
Plus, taking yourself too seriously is the first sign of a boring life.

And so just like every other time Salomé has believed in a project, she was insistent. And I still couldn’t say yes, stuck in my fear of being ridiculous, right up until she said…

“Zoe Cassavetes is filming it.”

Pffffff. She knows all my weaknesses. I love Zoe Cassavetes and even though I’d never met her, I just couldn’t say no.

“Yeah. Ok.”

After hearing Salomé’s victory lap, I hung up. I started imagining the most catastrophic scenarios, like Zoe smacking me in the face with the camera because I couldn’t figure out how to put one foot in front of the other, or a joke-video where the joke is me, or Adeline from Petit Bateau having to call me and say, “Well, in the end, it turns out that you’re just such a terrible dancer / are too unattractive / your hair is just too curly so we had to cancel the shoot” and I started pulling my hair out I was so stressed.

So I told myself, “Come on stop stop stop, Garance, you said yes — you’re going through with it. No use overthinking it.”

I pulled out what I call my fainting goat technique. It works really well. I use it every time I have something super stressful in my life, like a meeting with Jay-Z or some kind of test (I never met him but I can imagine).

Why pull out the fainting goat? It’s simple… Look at that : when the goat feels the danger coming, it just freezes. I heard it works super well. (plus it totally cracks me up).

So with the help of the fainting goat, the time came and one day, I found myself in a dance studio in Paris with two of the most handsome, nicest, most attentive professional dancers ever. What angels. We danced all afternoon. I started at such a low base-camp and we just ignored all that and I was totally comfortable with the denial.

Zoe came by to say hello – and to see us dance – and again I didn’t think about it about it because otherwise I would have died I was so impressed by her and just felt so ridiculous. I did my Madison, cracking up when it didn’t work, and Zoe told me it was exactly what she wanted. She didn’t want to film a dancing star, she wanted to film me (cue the violins).

The next day, ready to go, not clouding my thoughts, fainting sheep in full bloom, we filmed.

I’m not gonna tell you it was amazing because there was a good amount of pressure. But really, it was awesome. Zoe is the funniest and most chill girl I know and the team was super cool and encouraging. We laughed and laughed and that night I got to go ~~get smashed~~ have a glass of wine with Aurélie until we were too tired to go on.

And I started to ask myself how the video would look… And again, decided to not think about it.

A few weeks later, this is what popped up on my screen :

MORAL OF THE STORY (too long, I know, I know…)

Really, even though it’s totally weird to see yourself, I think the whole thing is pretty cute. I have amazing memories from it. And I’m proud of myself for having some courage with the whole thing, for not being stopped by fear. I’m proud for not being so attached to whatever the image was I had of myself. I have a tendency to just hide behind the camera. I can’t tell you how difficult it can be to be in the spotlight (and frankly, pretty darn hot too. You get all sweaty.).

A few years ago, I would have been so stressed out for weeks over nothing and it would’ve ruined everything – I think I’ve made some progress.

So now that I’m cool with the heat of the spotlight, next time I’m making a booty dancing video to “Temperature” by Sean Paul. Cool?

How about for Christmas?

Bahhhhhhaaha, kidding.

Big hugs!

———-

So now that I’m a big fancy movie star and the critics are going wild, here’s my Oscar moment (if you weren’t there that day, maybe just stop here…) :

Thank you to the entire team for sporting me (in both senses of the word) : Adeline & Petit Bateau (thanks for believing in me!) Salome (thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone) that dancers Tom and Elie (thanks for lowering yourself to give classes someone as slow as me), Zoé (eternal love and when are we grabbing that drink at Buvette?), and Nina for telling me that for a film, you have to always wear a nice red lipstick or else your mouth just looks too small (and I bought the same Acne jeans as you because you are style personified), thanks to Paolo, the hairdresser for using Leonor Greyl products (the Bamboo Shampoo is just too amazing), thanks to the catering crew for the orange cake because really, it was amazing and just because I’m a movie star now doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop eating. Thank you to my mother to my… No, I’m getting…. Okay, I’ll stop! Big hugs!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

Petit Bateau x Garance Doré

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Garance

If you want to know more about why I found myself dancing a Madison in front of a camera, the whole story is in the post right above !

Karlie’s Body

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Garance

I was wondering what you all thought about the controversy over the Karlie Kloss photos in Italian Vogue this month. I heard a lot of different points of view and a good amount of speculation about the center-of-attention’s body, but nothing too convincing.

I heard that Photoshop was responsible for Karlie’s incredibly elongated curves. But looking at the video from the shoot, you can see that’s just not the case.

And then people were talking about anorexia. That just doesn’t match the image I have of Karlie Kloss at all. She’s one of the healthiest, happiest models I know – this photo I took of her on her bike on her way from one show to another during Fashion Week in September is much more in sync with what I see as the real Karlie.
It’s surprising though… I was talking with Scott about this yesterday and one of the things that doesn’t quite come across in the photos (whether it be the ones in Italian Vogue or any of the others) is the Karlie effect.
Just take a look at her next to some of the other models and you’ll know what I’m talking about : she’s like two feet taller than everyone around her and has a much stronger and muscular body. On the catwalk, the power she exudes never fails to captivate the audience.
The last thing you’d think after seeing her in action is anorexia.
She’s skinny, yes, but it makes you think more of a ballet dancer* or a marathon runner. And at her level, you can’t really argue that being a model is a full out sport.

Franca Sozzani, the iconic editor of Italian Vogue, finally came out to talk about the images last week**. Her opinion was that it was the photography itself that was responsible, and that the angles that Steven Meisel and Karlie Kloss were playing with caused the confusion the pictures solicited. For her, the shots were experimental – and it’s true that the photos in Italian Vogue have always been closer to the domain of art : provocative, sublime, at times, disturbing.

It’s her point of view, but for me, a magazine lives in its time period. And right now, more than ever, fashion has a real problem with its constant promotion of thinness.

For me personally, thinness never made me dream. But I was lucky to grow up in the 90s. It was the decade of Cindy Crawford and Elle McPherson and those naturally athletic bodies certainly influenced my idea of beauty… But I don’t know what will happen with my little sister. I think she’s strong enough to find the necessary distance from magazine images, but do all young-adults have that same strength?

In this context, it might have been better to edit the series or to at least clarify the point of view of the story.

Sometimes, the love of images can push their creators too far. Carine Roitfeld recently said she regrets photographing so many cigarettes in her editorials…

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*She is actually a dancer.
** I think it’s so very cool that she writes her blog almost everyday.

Translation : Tim Sullivan