Today while waiting for my train to London I was approached by a French guy, probably no more than 20 years old asking if I wanted to buy a CD of his rap group Serieux Bizness. We get to talking about music and New York city. I tell them I used to live in Jay-Z's old hood and he's impressed.
He changes the topic to fashion. At first I thought I misunderstood him. Fashion? As in clothes? I ask him. He wants to know how French women's fashion compares to New York women. I tell him French women are more conservative - that they wear a uniform of navy blue, black, beige, and grey. He laughs and tells me that's true. I think it's the end of it, but then he asks me if I think overall French women are better dressed than American women. I tell him the styles are different. I'm trying to be impartial.
He ribs me about not answering. I offer to give him an example, does he know Sex and the City? He rolls his eyes and laughs. He does because his "girlfriend forced him to endure it". I ask him if he knows which one Carrie is and when he admits he does I go on with my analysis.
"Carrie Bradshaw (and SJP in her own right) is a widely acknowledge style icon in the US. Carla Bruni Sarkozy, who is a former model and now First Lady of France is considered a style icon (though she did not beat Ines de la Fressange in a recent poll). If I were to put them side by side I would say Carrie Bradshaw is more stylish..." At this point he lights a cigarette and one of friends comes over and joins our conversation.
Even the short version of my comparison is lost of these 20-something French boys. They want to know what I think about the way they dress. I tell them with their Nikes with white tennis socks, Armani Exchange jackets, and dark blue jeans it's sort of French gangsta. They ask me what gangsta means. After I explain what a gangsta is one of them holds up an index finger and says, "les ghettos sont comme des cités". Still I tell him given the absence of sweatpants that their gangsta look is much more chic. They like hearing that. So much so that they ask me to check them out on Facebook before I make a dash for my train.
On the train I gave some further thought to my comparison. Carrie vs. Carla.
I love what Patricia Fields did with the costume design for the series and the films much more than the show or the films themselves. She is also one of the most interesting women to have a conversation with - the real deal. Plus she can work the hell out of a one piece jumpsuit in a way that Jennifer Lopez should really study closely.
Now in the Carrie vs. Carla debate, Carrie wins - for me. I'm not a conservative dresser. Most of my favourite outfits involve wearing as many mismatching Missoni prints at the same time as possible. At the moment I am typing this I'm wearing a Guns-n-Roses t-shirt and a black chiffon Prada skirt with patent Chanel ballet flats and multiple strands of pink, grey, and black pearls.
While I love a skirt suit and good tailoring as much as Carla does I tend to wear my vintage YSL and Chanel skirt suits with funky shoes, Morrissey t-shirts, or with men's dress shirts, an Hermès tie, and cufflinks. I like mixing high fashion with casual pieces. I like dressing up like a female dandy. I probably own more ties (Hermès only) and pocket squares (all vintage) than most men. I have an impressive collection of cufflinks and tie pins too. I've even had shirts made for me by the best shirtmakers on Saville Row, Turnbull & Asser.
While I would chose Carrie's style over Carla's there is one French style icon who I think Carrie or her real life fashionable counterpart will never out fashion and that's Loulou de la Falaise. Loulou accredits her mother Maxime for her style. Maxime was a model for Schiaparelli and an icon of her age. In Schiaparelli's autobiography "A Shocking Life", Elsa mentions Maxime is "draped in lavish furs" to attend the Surrealist Ball being thrown by Salvadore Dali. Like mother like daughter. Loulou inspired Saint Laurent to create one of his most famous looks "Le Smoking". Loulou and Yves were life long friends. He referred to her as "his twin sister".
But a good friend of mine who is also a designer has the right answer to the question of which nation's women are more stylish. "When American women get it right, they get it right like no other women in the world". I agree. I like the airy aspect of a stylish American woman's style. A stylish American is more capricious. An American woman will splurge on something that is absolutely fantastic and build an outfit around it. I think stylish French women tend to buy quality classics that can be worn season after season and that's why they tend to stick to a muted colour palette because they tend to build their wardrobes up and don't shop as often or as recklessly.
As for me I get my love of fashion from my grandmother. She was always elegant and well-dressed even when she was working in the garden. From my grandmother I inherited a love of dresses and skirt suits and for couture. From my mother I inherited a sort of fearless sense of spirit that can only come from when I feel I know I look great. Living in the US inspired me to take risks. To mix and match. To overaccessorise. To make no apologies. To want to stand out from the crowd.
So the next time you're in Paris rock your style fashionable American ladies. Yes you'll be easily spotted, but that is, in my humble opinion when done properly, a good thing.
He changes the topic to fashion. At first I thought I misunderstood him. Fashion? As in clothes? I ask him. He wants to know how French women's fashion compares to New York women. I tell him French women are more conservative - that they wear a uniform of navy blue, black, beige, and grey. He laughs and tells me that's true. I think it's the end of it, but then he asks me if I think overall French women are better dressed than American women. I tell him the styles are different. I'm trying to be impartial.
He ribs me about not answering. I offer to give him an example, does he know Sex and the City? He rolls his eyes and laughs. He does because his "girlfriend forced him to endure it". I ask him if he knows which one Carrie is and when he admits he does I go on with my analysis.
"Carrie Bradshaw (and SJP in her own right) is a widely acknowledge style icon in the US. Carla Bruni Sarkozy, who is a former model and now First Lady of France is considered a style icon (though she did not beat Ines de la Fressange in a recent poll). If I were to put them side by side I would say Carrie Bradshaw is more stylish..." At this point he lights a cigarette and one of friends comes over and joins our conversation.
Even the short version of my comparison is lost of these 20-something French boys. They want to know what I think about the way they dress. I tell them with their Nikes with white tennis socks, Armani Exchange jackets, and dark blue jeans it's sort of French gangsta. They ask me what gangsta means. After I explain what a gangsta is one of them holds up an index finger and says, "les ghettos sont comme des cités". Still I tell him given the absence of sweatpants that their gangsta look is much more chic. They like hearing that. So much so that they ask me to check them out on Facebook before I make a dash for my train.
On the train I gave some further thought to my comparison. Carrie vs. Carla.
I love what Patricia Fields did with the costume design for the series and the films much more than the show or the films themselves. She is also one of the most interesting women to have a conversation with - the real deal. Plus she can work the hell out of a one piece jumpsuit in a way that Jennifer Lopez should really study closely.
Now in the Carrie vs. Carla debate, Carrie wins - for me. I'm not a conservative dresser. Most of my favourite outfits involve wearing as many mismatching Missoni prints at the same time as possible. At the moment I am typing this I'm wearing a Guns-n-Roses t-shirt and a black chiffon Prada skirt with patent Chanel ballet flats and multiple strands of pink, grey, and black pearls.
While I love a skirt suit and good tailoring as much as Carla does I tend to wear my vintage YSL and Chanel skirt suits with funky shoes, Morrissey t-shirts, or with men's dress shirts, an Hermès tie, and cufflinks. I like mixing high fashion with casual pieces. I like dressing up like a female dandy. I probably own more ties (Hermès only) and pocket squares (all vintage) than most men. I have an impressive collection of cufflinks and tie pins too. I've even had shirts made for me by the best shirtmakers on Saville Row, Turnbull & Asser.
While I would chose Carrie's style over Carla's there is one French style icon who I think Carrie or her real life fashionable counterpart will never out fashion and that's Loulou de la Falaise. Loulou accredits her mother Maxime for her style. Maxime was a model for Schiaparelli and an icon of her age. In Schiaparelli's autobiography "A Shocking Life", Elsa mentions Maxime is "draped in lavish furs" to attend the Surrealist Ball being thrown by Salvadore Dali. Like mother like daughter. Loulou inspired Saint Laurent to create one of his most famous looks "Le Smoking". Loulou and Yves were life long friends. He referred to her as "his twin sister".
But a good friend of mine who is also a designer has the right answer to the question of which nation's women are more stylish. "When American women get it right, they get it right like no other women in the world". I agree. I like the airy aspect of a stylish American woman's style. A stylish American is more capricious. An American woman will splurge on something that is absolutely fantastic and build an outfit around it. I think stylish French women tend to buy quality classics that can be worn season after season and that's why they tend to stick to a muted colour palette because they tend to build their wardrobes up and don't shop as often or as recklessly.
As for me I get my love of fashion from my grandmother. She was always elegant and well-dressed even when she was working in the garden. From my grandmother I inherited a love of dresses and skirt suits and for couture. From my mother I inherited a sort of fearless sense of spirit that can only come from when I feel I know I look great. Living in the US inspired me to take risks. To mix and match. To overaccessorise. To make no apologies. To want to stand out from the crowd.
So the next time you're in Paris rock your style fashionable American ladies. Yes you'll be easily spotted, but that is, in my humble opinion when done properly, a good thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment.