tales of a twentysomething

I’ve been helping out with the launch of Swirl,...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:18:18 -0500

I’ve been helping out with the launch of Swirl, DailyCandy’s new sample sale website!

We’re up and running now, so go check out the first sale - Alisha Levine. On my shopping list already is that black cashmere dress. Happy shopping :)

I am really digging the idea of the pockets on these pants from...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:24:13 -0500

I am really digging the idea of the pockets on these pants from Iro.

Whoa…is that really Lindsay Lohan? She looks good.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:21:35 -0500

Whoa…is that really Lindsay Lohan? She looks good.

And here proof that Cecile has been my bookeeper for ages - she...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:24:00 -0500

And here proof that Cecile has been my bookeeper for ages - she used to help me write down shopping stuff - either stuff I wanted or money I spent. Here’s my packing list for Smith College (“What Leo Got So Far” hahahah) the summer before first year. On Hello Kitty paper, no less.

OHMYGOD! Cecile went home this weekend and found this picture of...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:22:00 -0500

OHMYGOD! Cecile went home this weekend and found this picture of us - we’re 17? 16? AHHH! And yes, I am making a “Loser” sign - further proof that I am, in fact, a loser. Cecile (right) is crazy pretty (still is)…French girl thing going on for her always.

Félicitations to my friend Sophie on the release of her amazing...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:27:47 -0500

Félicitations to my friend Sophie on the release of her amazing fashion-art book called Le Be au Pour Tous (which I would translate as “beauty” or “style” “for everyone”). The photos are gorgeous and give a look into the ’60s fashion scene - especially love the Mod elements. Terence Conrad wrote the forward.

Below, a description of the book and my rough translation. Hopefully there will be a version in English some day!

Cet ouvrage rend hommage à Maïmé Arnodin, ex-journaliste du magazine Jardin des modes, et à Denise Fayolle, ex-directrice style et publicité de Prisunic, dont “l’audace permit à la France de s’ouvrir au style, au design et au graphisme” dans les années 60.

Fondatrices de l’agence de style et de publicité Mafia, les deux femmes ont encouragé des créateurs comme le designer Terence Conran, fondateur des magasins Habitat, et des stylistes comme Emmanuelle Khanh, Sonia Rykiel, Jean-Paul Gaultier ou Kenzo. La journaliste franco-québecoise Sophie Chapdelaine de Montvalon raconte, à l’aide de nombreux documents inédits, comment ces “deux femmes d’exception ont réussi à faire descendre la création dans la rue”.

This work pays homage to Maimé Arondin, former writer for Jardin des modes magazine, and to Denise Fayolle, former style and publicity director of Prisunic, whose “audacity let France open itself up to style, design, and the graphic arts in the ’60s.”

Founders of Mafia, a fashion and press agency, these two women promoted designers like Terence Conran, founder of the Habitat chain, and fashion designers/stylists like Emmanuelle Khanh, Sonia Rykiel, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Kenzo. Franco-Canadian journalist Sophie Chapdelaine de Montvalon examines, through many unseen documents, how these “two exceptional women succeeded in bringing design to the masses.”

What I’m totally missing from the United States right...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:15:54 -0500

What I’m totally missing from the United States right now…

And yes, I am procrastinating like crazy today. I really need to get working. Instead I decided to have a tablespoon of Nutella and make a Photoshop collage.

Baby carrots.
Rosebud Salve.
Mario Badescu drying lotion.
My New York magazine subscription. Especially for knowing that every Monday night was reserved for me-time with the crossword at the back of the mag.
The Atlantic Monthly, which I didn’t subscribe to, but bought pretty regularly.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Not like I really eat these more than once or twice a year…but not being able to have them makes me crave them.
Pinkberry. I might just try out this “My-Berry” business they have going on in Paris, but I’m slightly afraid. Furthermore…Pinkberry DELIVERY. Best. Thing. Ever.
My regular face wash, Clean & Clear deep clean cream cleanser. (Try saying that five times fast.)
Hulu. And Netflix.

So after much research and deliberation I went with Salon...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:12:25 -0500

So after much research and deliberation I went with Salon Bonaparte to deal with my hair. It’s no Annamarie Tendler, but it’s pretty good. I’ve decided to illustrate my new look with a phone conversation with a boy. Can you guess which parts I’m feeling most awkward in?

Today’s trip to Colette was like taking a trip back to 10...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:04:09 -0500

Today’s trip to Colette was like taking a trip back to 10 years old.

A Coca Lite next to the Louvre

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:01:40 -0500

A Coca Lite next to the Louvre

La maison rouge

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:43:58 -0500

La maison rouge

Some pics from La Maison Rouge where Sophie’s book party...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:43:05 -0500

Some pics from La Maison Rouge where Sophie’s book party was last night…

I have crossed over to the dark side—that is to say, I...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:26:11 -0500

I have crossed over to the dark side—that is to say, I just got an iPhone. And I must say in comparison to my experience going to the Orange boutique my first day here and nearly having a breakdown…getting the iPhone was ridiculously easy in terms of comprehension. So I guess that means my French has improved. Hurrah!

Anyhow, of course the moment I got my phone, my next obsessions were iPhone cases and fingerless gloves. Two picks from Shopbop: Rag & Bone honeycomb gloves (love the button details) and these Juicy Couture mittens.

Photo

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:08:27 -0500

Paris Goals

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:04:39 -0500

Huh, apparently before I left for Paris I was way more plan-y about my life here and made this list. Let’s take a look at how far I’ve come…commentary in bold.

10 goals for my year in france

1. Become completely fluent. Or at least, as advanced as I possibly can. This is coming along! Slower than I would like, but there’s a HUGE difference in my language level since September.

2. Create a feeling of home on my own. DONE.

3. Make new friends (and also get out of comfort zones by going to meetups, reaching out to others, not being passive). A+.

4. Fall in love. If not with a French man (although this would greatly aid in goal #1), then with myself. FAIL.

5. Ok fine, fall in love. SEE ABOVE.

6. Have passionate arguments with lover in which he yells at me in French and I at him in English. (Sorry, it’s just a bizarre romantic fantasy. After the fight, we make up and go makeout all over Paris.) Oh, fucking Christ.

7. Stay healthy (read: not eat croissant everyday and gain 15 lbs like last time.) Weight maintained (she says as she chews on a huge chunk of brie).

8. Finish my book. Ha. Ha. HAHAHA.

9. Continue to enjoy my freelance life, and be the best I can be for The Frisky, and push myself to pitch my writing around. Hey, good job, Little Leo.

10. Learn something completely new…a sport or craft maybe? Huh?

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Fairly self-explanatory....

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:32:25 -0500

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Fairly self-explanatory. Might I just point out how ridiculous my house key is? It is surely from the middle ages.

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Organizing time, magazine...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:31:37 -0500

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Organizing time, magazine reading.

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Lazy reading.

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:31:03 -0500

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Lazy reading.

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Roses for the house, bouquet...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:30:40 -0500

A perfect Sunday evening in Paris: Roses for the house, bouquet of lavender to make it smell lovely.

Uh. Yeah. I know. Stood speechless at the window for 5 minutes...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:08:37 -0500

Uh. Yeah. I know. Stood speechless at the window for 5 minutes straight.