feed me fashion

My friend Violaine is pregnant (Yeeeey!!!), and all her outfits are so simple and cool that it gives you the feeling that figuring out what to wear when your belly is round is the easiest thing in the world.

Which isn’t true at all, even if Violaine, being naturally thin and can still wear most of her old outfits, there are still a few things that you really can’t avoid. Like maternity jeans for example. These ones are from J Brand and what is funny is that in the beginning, Violaine didn’t even want to hear about it.

It’s funny, I think it’s happened three times now where friends swear that they’ll never walk through the doors of a maternity shop (I don’t know why?) and then finally end up cracking and buying maternity jeans. They put those jeans on and feel alive again.

Interlude I love her shoes.

Voilà!!! Big hugs to Violaine and to all the little babies out there!!! (???) Translation : Tim Sullivan

How do you dress when the weather is disgusting? Ok, we got it – what we’re going to find in the streets during the shows won’t give us an answer. During the shows, it seems like everyone is having a great time defying the weather. Not necessarily in terms of temperature – don’t be fooled by these snowstorm pictures… It’s not so cold in Milan, which explains why the snow coming down on us is all wet and turns to slush the second it hits the ground and makes my life a fight against the elements. It’s also why on all my photos today, people seem to be rather lightly dressed. But what they do is defy the weather in terms of colors. Why didn’t anyone send me the memo?

Because personally, yesterday morning I… Freshly showered (= rolled out of bed, three hours

in the shower later I finally remember that I’m in Milan), put on my white pants with a smile before heading down for my breakfast of fruit and cereal (+ a chocolate croissant, an Italian specialty that I recommend you never try because it’s just too damn good), and open my iPad (=2% battery left. Why is the world against me this morning?) and I see that it’s going to be wintry mixing all morning. Of course, because I have some common sense, I finish my breakfast, head back up to my room and put on an entirely grey outfit. Grey jeans, black sweater, grey coat. Grey, grey, greeeeeeyyyy like the sky in Milan. Everyone would do the same, right? Apparently not!

I like outfits that bite their thumb at the weather a little. They just put me in a good mood. Because fashion is for that too, lifting our spirits when skies are grey. I promise to wear my white jeans today, whether it’s raining or snowing or wintry mixing or whatever it is. Who cares if the bottom of my pants gets stained? From there, big hugs to you all!!! Screw you greyishness!!!

You know that I’ve always loved Emmanuelle Alt’s style. This very very French, extremely chic discretion. Even when I try to explore different style areas (not aaaaalways for the best, ooooh no) when I really need inspiration I always come back to pictures of her. This season, Emmanuelle is still wearing a lot of neutral tones and blacks, but I love the femininity and coolitude of these belted jackets.

Alex has the fingers of a fairy and a million ideas. The other day, she told me she spent the evening working on a hat that she making for her roommate and so I got all curious about it. Oh man, when she showed it to me, said, “Oh that’s so cool! Let’s do a video to show how to do it on the blog!”

And so here you go! A little DIY if you have nothing on the docket for this weekend, inspired by the awesome hat I showed you yesterday. I hope you like it!!! PS: The hat is from American Apparel and the jewels are from M&J Trimming!

Yeeeeah! It’s present time again!!! I loved making a gift list last year (and spent hours looking for quotes) so here we go again! Let’s start with Supreme hats, such a cult item (these belong to Mary Kate) that there are always crazy lines in front of their downtown store. I mean, let’s say that queuing for a present adds a touch of romance, what do you think?

Because I am becoming slighly crazy in the Pinterest zone, I did a wool hat board – I spend my life making new boards – to see how others wear it. If you want to check it, it’s this way !

Here are some photos I took one day before the storm locked me inside without electricity or internet. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal for us compared with how much damage Sandy caused elsewhere, but it was a little weird to be locked up at home with no idea what was going on in the rest of the world. I’ll tell you all about it in more detail later on. In the meantime, here’s a photo of Emily with the coolest outfit. I love it because everything about it is in the details…

The red lips. The beanie (even if beanies never work on me and always make my head itch. I can never keep them on for more than a half hour). The white shirt. And of course, the zipper up the back. Soooo cool. Translation : Tim Sullivan

This weekend is the last one before back to school. New York fashion week is starting next week (Arrrrgh ! So early !) and you can already feel the electricity…

So this weekend, this looong Labor Day weekend (here, Monday is a holiday) is one of the most delicious and most nostalgic of the year. What we love to do is to stay in the city, hop on our bikes and visit neighborhoods we don’t know, new restaurants, go up to Central Park, cross the bridges and go thrift shopping in Brooklyn, end up totally drunk at the Wythe Hotel, looking out at the skyline… On a bike, the city is yours. Have a great weekend !!! PS : In the picture, Nista has the perfect biking outfit : A hat (and don’t forget to wear sunblock) a messenger bag – Ok, kind of, a Proenza Schouler PS1 – shorts, and flats.

And here is the Rio city guide of Joana, my favorite Carioca ! How would you describe Rio to someone who has never been? Rio has some kind of magic that is difficult to explain. It has something to do with the atmosphere here. I’m not sure if it comes from the people, the mountains or from the sea. But it is a city with its own rhythm. It is all about the Carioca (a native of Rio) life style. To be a Carioca is to be happy about life, to feel free and be authentic. There are two kinds of Cariocas, the ones who are born here, and the ones who come to visit and take Rio in their hearts when they leave.  

Whats your favorite date spot? A romantic breakfast at La Bicyclette inside the Botanic Garden, or a weekend at the Relais de Marambaia. The best place for a night out dancing with girlfriends? Londra at the Fasano, Samba de Santa Clara and Rio Scenarium for typical Brazilian Music. The new super cool restaurant? Irajá, a small cool restaurant at Botafogo. Viera Souto, situated at a house in front of Ipanema Beach. And Ristorante Alloro the new restaurant at the Meridien Hotel at Copacabana Beach. The best old and chic restaurant? Antiquarius, the best Portuguese food ever! Try the Picadinho Carioca, a very typical dish. And the traditional Cipriani where you have dinner facing the beautiful swimming pool of the Copacabana Palace Hotel . Where can you get the best caipirinha? At Azul Marinho, watching the sun set at Arpoador. What are the Brazilian foods you must try: Açaí, Tapioca, pão de queijo (cheese bread), Feijoada (a beans dish), rodízio barbecue and brigadeiro (a chocolate dessert).  What is the best way to get around your city–bike, bus or car? Bike. Rio has more than 300km of bike lanes, so it is the perfect way to go from one place to the other. On the weekends, a lot of people get their bikes and go on beautiful rides, like Vista Chinesa, that runs inside the forest, and when you reach the top the view is amazing. Electric bikes are very popular right now. They are a good alternative for the summer time, when it is too hot. You can still use a green transportation, but you don’t get too sweaty when you arrive at your destiny. Is the city safe? What are some tips for traveling to Rio for the first time? The security in Rio has improved a lot recently. It is a totally different city than it was 5 years ago. But, as every big city in the world, you must be careful. Always ask a local about the place you want to go. What is your favorite neighborhood? Leblon! It’s where I live and work. It really translates Rio’s life style, with the best restaurants at Rua Dias Ferreira, small cool stores only known by insiders, and the best beach to go and see beautiful people What is the best thing to bring back from Rio? What is the best thing to bring back from Rio? A bamboo clutch from Glorinha Paranaguá, a biquini from Vix, and a Cachaça (the famous liquor made from fermented sugarcane juice) to do your own Caipirinha drink at home. Tell me about your favorite shops… Via Flores, of course, is the best multi-brand store (I’m the buyer for the store!). For bikinis, ViX or Lenny. For leather clothes Patrícia Viera is amazing. Andrea Marques for women’s clothes. For accessories you should check on Virzi+De Luca necklaces. Olhar Brasil for unique pieces of decoration. What would you say is one Rio clothing staple? Biknis, with shorts and a t-shirt or with a white dress, you can go anywhere in Rio dressed like that.  The best hair spa? Care Body and Soul, there you have the best hair and make up artist, Mauro Bretas. The best place to do the Brazilian wax is at the spa in Hotel Marina, the good of thing about it, is that you´ll be distracted looking at the great view of Leblon Beach. Where are the best views of the city? Pão de Açucar, a very touristic spot, but it is worth the visit. Vista Chinesa, to go on a bike ride. Pedra Bonita, in São Conrado where the paraglides take off. And the Fasano pool to see Ipanema and Leblon beach while drinking a good glass of white wine. The best beach? Leblon to meet people, Barra to do sports, like surf and kite surf. Prainha and Grumari, to be alone. Your favorite hotel? Fasano at Ipanema and Hotel Santa Teresa. Best art galleries/museums? MAM (Museum of Modern art), Museu Chácara do Céu, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil and Paço Imperial. Always check what exhibits are going on before you go. In 2013 we will have three new museums: MAR (Rio Museum of Art), MIS (Museum of Image and Sound) and Museu do Amanhã, a project by the “star architect” Santiago Calatrava. The must-dos? Go to a mass at Mosteiro São Bento and check the magnificent baroque architecture. Have breakfast at Confeitaria Colombo, Forte de Copacabana. Drink a beer at Bar Urca.Spend a weekend in Angra or Paraty. Go visit the art school at Parque Lage, and enjoy the public park in the foot of the Corcovado Mountain. There you go ! Thank you Joana ! As for me I can’t wait to show you the pictures of the fashion story we shot in Santa Teresa, a neighborhood you should definitely visit if you go to Rio ! Ok, kisses ! – More City Guides:

Rei / Tokyo Laure / Miami Dianna / New York Lauren / Paris Kate / New York Anouk / Sydney  Melodi / Istanbul Luisa & Tine / Rome Alexandra / Paris Giorgia / Milan