Wardrobe Favourites

Fur

Black

Rings

Long skirt

Jacket on the shoulders
(via garancedore.fr & tfs)

Beauty talk

Lately I found myself becoming a little obsessive over skin care (nail care, hair care) and beauty products. For me, beauty products are a little bit of inevitable everyday luxury. I am a firm believer that beauty comes from the inside out, and a radiant, flawless complexion is not only a strong reflection of your overall health but also essential for making the most of your looks.
Sometimes, though, external products aren’t enough to do the trick – beautiful skin really does take more than just a jar of beauty potion. Flawless skin is largely a result of dietary and lifestyle factors. I do have a tendency to neglect the importance of sleep when I’m in a stressed state of mind. While I don’t want to desist from all the fun things in life that might clearly have a bad impact on my skin (I know coffee is bad enough but I can't resist it), I can indeed improve my approach to beautiful skin by getting more sleep and balance out my diet.

Une femme parfaite

Marie Laurencin. La liseuse, 1913.

I suppose there is, after all, only one thing we want to accomplish by looking through fashion magazines, checking blogs, watching FTV, etc. We are in search of the perfect woman and are desperate to become like her. In a woman's life that is the sooner she works out the idea of her perfect self, the better. Some women get stuck following the fleeting trends, that is to say, the ideas of perfection that designers thoughtfully prepare for them and change every season. But the point is, you should work out your own image of a femme parfaite, and let it grow and evolve with you.
My idea of a perfect woman involves elegance, charming simplicity and independence. My current inspiration is Marie Laurencin and her works.

Marie Laurencin. Nu au miroir, 1916.

Marie Laurencin. Le portrait de Coco Chanel, 1923.

And a perfect frenchwoman that never fails to inspire me, Camille Bidault-Waddington:

Naughty

Spring is the time...to wear something crazy.

La chemise blanche

White shirts and I never were on anything like amicable terms. I couldn't stand them. They never fitted well or looked too dull. But now, I suppose, we are in for some changes. Last month white shirts have appeared in my wish list for the first time. I saw them as classy, instead of dull. They give you a look of independence, very powerful and attractive. I'd call my new shirt slightly eccentric. Its sleeves are narrow near the shoulders and broad near the hands. It fits tight to the waist, like a corset. It reminds me of Mylène Farmer in her Libertine video.

(via garancedore.fr)

I've developed a genuine addiction to beautifully dressed women. No, 'beautifully dressed' is a wrong definition. The women that are nice to look at, with the idiosyncratic style and the air of harmony. Effortless, nonchalant, absolument sublime et adorable! Their outfits are just frames (classy frames, however) to their naturally beautiful faces and bodies. And it's never their wardrobe that makes them so adorable, it's their grace, the atmosphere they create. That is why I've never been inspired by Anna Dello Russo or the likes of her. The outfit, however sexy-trendy-fancy, is not an ultimate goal. I guess, the beauty is.
Stay beautiful!

(via deadfleurette)

Charmingly Bright

The SS 2011 collections seem to be meant to brighten up our lives. "A mille-feuille of colour", as the trend was called, is tempting enough to make even such a black-brown-grey-wearing person as me think of some vibrant colour to add to my wardrobe palette. I've always thought that bright colours can 'kill' your natural beauty simply because they draw attention from your face to your bright clothes, while the subdued colours act as a frame to your face and highlight your beauty. Are fluorescent colours completely unflattering? What do you think?

La petite bijou

I have been recently rereading one of my favourite novels - La petite bijou by Patrick Modiano. The first time I have read it, it simply entranced me. I was completely immersed in it, the atmosphere, the place, the characters. It is about an 18 year old girl living in Paris. She hasn't seen her mother since her early childhood, and then she sees her in the underground but she is not quite sure whether that is her. Thérèse starts recollecting her childhood, which eventually leads her to a nervous break down. The novel is penetrated by the feeling of being lost but is not, however, at any rate depressing. This identity quest remains unsolved, and in the end, Thérèse finds charming relief in her helplessness and drops her memories. What I love about the book is the absence of details - the narration is far too poetic to give the characters unambiguous biographies. I would recommend the book to any extreme individualist like me, who is in constant search of something indefinable, knowing that the search will inevitably fail.
P.S. Vincent Delerm has a song called Le baiser Modiano. It is very poetic, and if you know some French, you will definitely like it. If you don't, you can simply enjoy the music, it is wonderful.

Introduction

(via tfs)

Mais bon! Here starts my new blog. My previous blog is on hiatus now because I don't like its concept anymore and I guess, there's time for something new. I think, as the life goes on, a person changes considerably, and so does their blog. First and foremost, the changes in my life have to do with mental and physical decluttering. Once you realize you've got too much in your head to deal with, you have to part with regrettable feelings and ideas and filter out you true needs and desires.
I decided my blog should have an introduction, just like a book, because I would like it to be seen as a whole, not as random thoughts and inspiration pics. I hope you'll enjoy reading it and we'll get to know each other a little better.