Aurelie Bidermann © Style.com
I keep a list of my perennial classic style favorites–those things I always love, no matter what. My top three include Cartier jewelry, trench coats and gray sweatshirts. A gray sweatshirt is so simple, so utilitarian. But, I think, kind of sexy on a woman. Where others say “boring” when they see, say jewelry designer Aurelie Bidermann, above, in a gray sweatshirt, I say “I want to dress like her.” Continue…
YSL © Style.com
I have very few fashion regrets, but one thing I wish I had invested in years back was a small men’s blazer designed by Hedi Slimane when he was at Christian Dior Homme. (So many women bought them.) So I was very excited to hear that he was bringing his minimalist tailoring to YSL for women this coming Spring. But I will admit the show did not blow me over. There were pieces, but much of it was over-styled and too referential to YSL’s past. (The New York Times talked about the huge Rachel Zoe influence on the collection. Didn’t see it. I saw 68 permutations of Kate Moss, who was sitting front row.) Continue…
Celine © Style.com
What do I love best about the Paris shows so far? The grown-up, feminine sensibility. There are no wacky prints here, no “ironic” designs (except for the fuzzy bedroom slippers at Céline, which I have this to say to my favorite designer Phoebe Philo, “Really?”). The best shows are sophisticated, subtle and gorgeous. While pieces like the top from Céline, above, wouldn’t be an everyday staple for me, it would be an investment I’d keep forever. I’ll take one of each please! Continue…
French Vogue editor Capucine Safyurtlu © Vogue.fr
I think a new pair of sunglasses gives you more than an immediate wardrobe update, they are a mood lifter, lend you a mysterious air, make you look (even more!) glamorous–all in one little package. And while I have managed to stay true to my pairs of classic Ray-Ban Wayfarers and Aviators for a year now, I’m seriously considering this slightly oversized Céline Audrey style. Even though they are popping up everywhere, I just might have to follow that bandwagon.
© Vogue.fr
On an aside, I think I’m turning into an Isabel Marant nut. For me, it’s about her basics: the T-shirts, jeans, boots, etc, because they are perfect everyday pieces that have enough edge. (Basics shouldn’t necessarily look basic.) I ordered these red corduroy Etoile Isabel Marant Ivo pants from Barneys, below, and received them this weekend. Am in love! With beige my Marant Dicker suede ankle boots and a pullover sweater. These might be the first red pants I will wear to death.
© Barneys.com
I met Chloe, founder and creative director of MiH (Made in Heaven) Jeans, at an intimate girls’ fashion dinner she held last year, immediately fell in love with her, and have been meaning to write about her ever since. The British Chloe has denim running through her veins, her father created the British Jean Machine stores in the 70s (there were over 100 storefronts in its heyday), her model mother wore nothing but jeans, and her godfather originally founded MiH. In 2005, Chloe asked her godfather if she could relaunch MiH; it was a brilliant move. Preston and I both own a small wardrobe of their Paris style jeans, and I really like the knits, tops and jackets that are starting to fill in the collection. Chloe is not only fun (a real girl’s girl) and savvy, she is also now the mother of three (she had her daughter days after I interviewed her below). I’m impressed. And forever thankful for those flattering MiH jeans!
When you relaunched MIH, what in essence did you keep the same about the brand? What did you change? It was exactly that–I kept the essence of the brand, the energy that my Mum brought to the product when modeling it in the 70s. That timeless, effortless way of wearing jeans that was quite unique compared to the western denim aesthetic. As to what I have changed, it is 30 years on and women do not want to look like they are living in the 70s so it was important to offer something that was modern and relevant, while still being true to the brand’s heritage.
You travel a lot between New York and London. How do Americans wear jeans differently than the British? The Brits are more experimental with how they dress and that applies to denim as well. In the US, there is usually one strong trend at a time.
Go-to MIH pieces: London and Paris jeans, our oversize shirt and our leather biker jacket.
Fave fall MIH pieces: Our new knitwear–the Figured Guernsey and the Oversize Tube Jumper in Donegal worn with super soft skinny Vienna jeans in Creedance.
Who in your opinion is the ultimate jeans girl? Brooke Shields in the original Calvin Klein ads remains so iconic for me. The images still have the same impact today as they did when they first came out.
Fall essentials: A new handbag, I have my eye on a beautiful Celine one, and a great peacoat.
Fave addresses in London and New York: London has to be home and our new local Pizza East at the top of Portobello Road. When I’m in New York, I am always happiest staying at the Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca, and I make sure I eat at Cafe Gitane around the corner from our office in Nolita.
Next destination: I’m not going anywhere for a while as I’m due to have a baby next week!
Keeps you sane: My husband, swimming and watching back-to-back episodes of Suits.
Being a mom means: Committing myself to very little sleep for the next five years!
Follow this link to shop more MiH here…..
Marissa Webb by Kyle Ericksen © WWD.com
This recent image of designer Marissa Webb (formerly the women’s designer at J. Crew who launched a promising eponymous collection in New York last week), immediately reminded me of a post I ran over two years ago on white shirts. (See below.) To me, the right white shirt should be oversized, but somehow I never push it enough so the proportions are right. Lesson learned. Continue…
© Preston Davis Inc. dba Keep it Chic 2010-2013. All Rights Reserved. DISCLOSURE & TERMS
