Cabinet of curiosities & Inspirations since 2009

Cabinet of curiosities & Inspirations since 2009
*I Don’t Own the Rights to These Photos*

25 sept. 2008

My space Fashion Muse "You got the look" 2: Billie

I am so glad to introduce to you my 2nd "You got the look guest": Billie.
Remenber,the first guest was Elisa.

Billie is my new fashion muse this month.
Check her profile here : Maggie

First, she told me: I think i'm not a trendy and fashionnable girl.
I can tell you: she was mistaken. Billie has style, a strong personnality 
and i am sure you will learn from her.
She is also showing that vintage clothes are definitively a big new trend.
And she is the living prouf that we don't need to follow hip trends to be glamourous.

I hope you will enjoy reading Billie's interview.

Don't forget to listen to  her wonderful music tape made exclusively for us...


- Job ?
For the past few years I've been taking care of kids in a school. there are many other different things I'd like to try out, such as being an assistant stylist and prop styling on film sets, or trying to be an art director of some sort.

- Studies ?
I graduated in art history, i specialized in pre-raphaelite painting.
I like to collect found photographs Geldenkirchen







Billie's Music pics:


Mixwit

1. Sparks - Perfume
2. The Left Banke - I've Got Something on My Mind
3. Jens Lekman - Pocketful Of Money
4. Dion & the Belmonts - Donna the Prima Donna
5. Alain Barriere - Elle etait si jolie
6. The Beatles - Besame Mucho
7. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - New England
8. Sibylle Baier - The End
9. Jet Harris - Besame mucho
10. Adriano Celentano - Azzuro
11. Idil Biret - Scarlatti - Sonata
12. Hercules and Love Affair - Blind
13. Johnny Mandel - Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H)
14. Herman Dune - Not On Top
15. Electrelane - The Valleys
16. Kings Of Convenience - The Weight Of My Words (Four Tet Remix)
17. Klaus Nomi - Lightning Strikes
18. The Divine Comedy - Count Grassi's Passage Over Piedmont
19. Chromeo - Fancy Footwork
20. Gemengd koor Zanglust uit Dalfsen - Midnight in Moscow



-Your style icons:
Gene Tierney, Romy Schneider, Edith Bouvier-Beale.

- Describe your personal style
I am very influenced by the 20's,50's and Victorian styles.
I guess my style could be considered very eclectic, and girlie too. 
Most of the time, i think my taste and fashion is a bit out of sync with what's going on at the time. 
I like bright solid colors very much. I love to wear dresses & skirts, with all sorts of colors
& patterns, which i combine with stockings.
I'm inspired by Victorian and 50's style but i don't think my taste specifically refers to one era. 
I like to pick up all sorts of influences and mix them together.
Right now i feel inspired by eastern European folk clothing.
Since i'm very sensitive to the cold; i cherish warm materials like silk and cashmere and thick wool.

- Favorite designers ?
In all honesty i don't know much about what's going on in the world of fashion right now.So i couldn't really answer that question...

- Favorite fashion magazine and blog?
Same!

- Your favorite item my fav item ever?
A vintage handmade pink silk shirt i found years ago. 
I love the pleats in the front and the long bow.I'm wearing it whenever it gets chilly, either tucked in a skirt or a pair of jeans.




- Favorite beauty products and Brand

For a few years i've been trying to only use 'natural' products
I'm a big fan of all
Nuxe beauty products, especially contour des yeux prodigieux, huile prodigieuse, rêve de miel ultra rich face cream, exfoliant doux aromatique, and baume des familles. I just adore the smell of their stuff.
I also use
Caudalie beauty elixir spray, an anti-dull complexion treatment, which is great for someone of my complexion!
Avocado oil by
Copar, anything by Dr Hauschka (i love their quince face cream most of all), and i love the organic brand Weleda.
Palmer's lip balm, Dr Bach's Rescue cream & flower essence -great whenever you need an emotional fix!
Burt Bees' lemon cuticle cream.

I tend to color my lips and cheeks as i'm very pale. 
My favorite thing to use on my lips is a tinted lip balm from L'Occitane, the redcurrant one. 
I also use it on my cheeks. 
It's very light and discreet. unfortunately they don't make it anymore.
I sometimes use a very bright fuchsia pink
M.A.C flamingo cream colour base.
I'd love to makeup my eyes more but i haven't found the right shade yet.

- Give me some beauty secrets:
It's probably gonna sound nerdy as hell but i don't smoke, don't do drugs, and am not a heavy drinker; i guess it does make a difference after all.
Hairwise, i try not to wash my hair more than once a week, and never use an iron nor a hair dryer.
I have a very dry skin so i try and go to turkish baths as often as possible. my favorite place is the Paris' mosque, where i combine intensive sweating & scrubbing with well deserved mint tea & oriental pastries as soon as i get out!

- What is your perfume ?
Eau de toilette au figuier by Côté Bastide;
I occasionally wear
Piment Brûlant from l'Artisan Parfumeur.


- Do you love tattoo ?
I fancy it, i actually have some ideas but i don't think i'd cross the line...

- Flats or heels?
I have a lot of heel shoes; i love the way they change my figure (silhouette), and i'd be into wearing some all the time, but i have terribly sensitive feet and i can't wear some without carrying a pair of flats in my purse in case i can't stand the pain anymore!

- How long do you take to dress up ?
It can take some time before i'm satisfied with an outfit but it never 
takes more than 30 minutes as i don't take much time to makeup.

- Do you wear vintage ?
Definitely... 
For some time now i've been collecting all sorts of vintage outfits, 
mostly since i've started to work on the Maggie project
with my partner, Ofer Wolberger.


We've created this character, picturing her visiting the world as a tourist on a journey. 
As Maggie seems to be coming from another time period.
We are always looking for clothing that bears a unique style & identity, which fits this displaced sense of time.
Overtime Maggie's taste has started to melt with mine and i now wear almost everything i bought for her.

I'm not very comfortable with having my picture taken and this is one of the reasons why i really enjoy "playing"
 this character, since it's like a performance and i can pretend it's not really me whose picture
 is being taken and act like i want to.

Life with Maggie by Ofer Wolberger


- Some favorite places:

In France: 

Guerrisol, Emmaüs, Secours Populaire, Secours Catholique, Croix-Rouge...

In Paris:
Tombés du camion (for accessories)
17 rue Joseph de Maistre, Paris 18e

A very nice organic pizza place:
le pink flamingo
67 rue bichat
paris 10e

In New York:

onThird Avenue 286 Third Avenue

Chelsea Antique Garage 
on 25th Street between 6th & 7th avenues. 


a place to eat French food in nyc: 
Café Orlin on saint marks

Hummus Place 
109 saint mark's place
between 1st avenue & avenue A


Petco on Union Square 
Where i like to go as often as possible and check on the kitties waiting for an owner to pick them up.

For vintage toys and unique objects:
Alphaville in New York
226 W. Houston Street

The Film Forum 
where you can see some amazing old movies:


- Do you dye your hair ?
For a few years now i've been using henna, a kind of copper tone

- Your inspirations : music, books, movies ….
I'm very much into classical literature, my favorite time period is the nineteenth century. the authors i like best are Dickens, Jane Austen, D.H. Lawrence and Emile Zola.
Regarding music, i have a very eclectic taste. i like anything with lots of horns, i like when it gets crazy & melodramatic, even cheesy. i also like baroque music. right now i'm obsessed with the band Sparks.

I'm a movie freak, i always long to discover old gems from the past.
among my favorite movies are:
Orphans of the storm by D.W. Griffith
and
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman by Albert Lewin

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

- Do you follow the fashion trend?
Not so much though i'm sure i must be influenced somehow.

-Do you use organic products ?
I buy a lot of things in my local organic store. Food, beauty products, but regarding clothes so far i have only bought a few pair of socks from them.

- How many clothes do you buy per month ?
It really depends where i am and what i'm doing. When i'm traveling and working on the Maggie project, i'm actively looking for vintage outfits to buy. i took a 3-weeks road trip from New York to New Orleans last year and found around twenty 60's/70's/80's dresses! at the same time i found almost everything in cheap thrift stores such as Salvation Army, so it's not like i'm spending a fortune on those outfits.


- How many cosmetics do you buy per month ?
Not so much... i now stick to my favorite basic products and buy something new from time to time.


- Where have you spent your last vacations ?
Camping in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, & Montana. got to see some coyotes!


- What is your dream vacation spot ?
A fisherman's shack along a lake in Norway.

- Who is your favorite living fashion icon ?

Iris Apfel

- Who is the worst fashion icon ?
I'd probably pick on Victoria Beckham as i don't see what people find appealing in her fashion choices.

-What fashion designers will you never buy ? and why?
I don't think there's any brand that i wouldn't buy. if i'm into a piece of clothing i'll just get it regardless of who makes it.

- Would you like to become famous ?
Not sure... i mean, becoming famous for something i've achieved, why not? but just for the sake of it, not so much!

- Describe a little the photos of your bag, your bathroom with the products, Your dressing, your room and a item you cherish.
This is a selection of some of the vintage dresses i've gathered these past years.
The dress on the mannequin is one of my favorite items ever. The material looks like some sportswear outfit combined with this white collar, which is kind of crazy. I got it at a garage sale where some guy was selling his grandmothers' stuff & it cost 1 euro!
I got the pumpkin coat from Guerrisol in Paris, it took me a year before i was brave enough to wear it but now i've definitely adopted it!




Some of my canvas bags. For some reason i almost never use a "real" purse and like those better.





Handkerchiefs are the accessories i like best; this is a sample of my vintage handkerchiefs collection.
 I always carry one in my bag and try and match them with my outfit.



Some of my shoes (i have over 40 pairs, i'm what you would call a shoes addict); i especially fancy those red plastic boots i found in Emmaüs, i love to wear them with my navy trench coat whenever it gets rainy.

Billie's scarves & accessories:






A vintage boy scout hat i found lately; it's a bit small for me but i wear it anyway.


-Please choose designers clothes for fall/winter 2008:
All of the clothes can be bought on Net-a-porter.



22 sept. 2008

My imaginary museum part 1


I woke up so early this morning: 6 am.
I sat in front of my computer and began to look through Youtube.
Some of those videos are from my favorites movies and 
others are some of my favorite movie moments.

I began with Picnic with Kim Novak, 
she is so incredibly sexy in this dance with William Holden.
The music is magical too: a mix of piano (Stardust)
 and the orchestra ( playing Picnic theme).


I had to have more Kim Novak.
So i began to search for my favorite Vertigo moment with her.
Even, on my computer screen and on the small youtube video,
 i got move everytime she looks at the camera.
Last week, i had to answer to some tags for the blog 
and one of the question was:"what are your favorite movies?"
I said Vertigo, Laura and The Red shoes.


I realized that i have get 3 or 10 favorites movies, i have hundred of favorites movies 
and videos that i can see again and again sometimes only 5 min of them. 
Some of those sequences may not are always unforgetable to the film fans, 
sometime, even, they are out of fashion or stereotype:
 but they are just a montage of the images of my imaginary museum.


I found the tag questions incredibly difficult to answer.
I have difficulty to answer questions about what i am and what i like.
Picking and choosing some of my favorites images is the best way
 i found to speak about myself and my tastes.
It's why, i will now post videos and movies sequences 
of this imaginary museum regularly on my blog: this movie of my mind.


I am conviced that the images we love to see often 
are the only way to enter someone's mind.
Here are some of them.........

I hope you will enjoy them and tell me if you want 
more of my imaginary museum in your comments.

Picnic (1955)



Vertigo (1958)




The red shoes (1948)




Laura (1944)



21 sept. 2008

Musicals: ZIP, a song about burlesque.

Zip a song by Rodgers and Hart from 
the movie Pay Joey (1957) sang by Jo Ann Greer.
Sorry to tell you this... but Rita Hayworth was never singing in her musicals.
Jo Ann Greer was the singing voice of Rita and never was credit.
In the film, Vera Simpson is a widow and a former burlesque stripper 
She sings the burlesque take-off song "Zip".


Zip! Walter Lippman wasn't brilliant today.
Zip! Will Saryan ever write a great play?
Zip! I was reading Schopenhauer last night.
Zip! And I think that Schopenhauer was right.
I don't want to see Zorina,
I don't want to meet Cobina.
Zip! I'm an intelectual. 
I don't like a deep contralto,
Or a man whose voice is alto.
Zip! I'm a heterosexual.
Zip! It took intelect to master my art.
Zip! Who the hell is Margie Hart?

Zip! I consider Dali's painting passe.
Zip! Can they make the Metropolitan pay?
Zip! English people don't say clerk, they say clark.
Zip! Anybody who says clark is a jark!
I have read the great Cabala,
And I simply worship Allah.
Zip! I am just a mystic.
I don't care for Whistler's mother,
Charlie's aunt, or Shubert's brother.
Zip! I'm misogynistic.
Zip! My intelligence is guiding my hand.
Zip! Who the hell is Sally Rand?

Zip! Toscanini leads the greatest of bands.
Zip! Jergens Lotion does the trick for his hands.
Zip! Rip Van Winkle on the screen would be smart.
Zip! Tyrone Power will be cast in the part.
I adore the great Confucius,
And the lines of luscious Lucius.
Zip! I am so ecletic.
I don't care for either Mickey Mouse and Rooney make me sicky!
Zip! I'm a little hectic.
Zip! My artistic taste is classic and dear.
Zip! Who the hell is Lili St. Cyr?

20 sept. 2008

Inspirations, Desires and Flowers

I have been desapointed by the last Spring collection of New York and London.

I like this dress from Mark Fast S/S 2009 collection.

Charles Anastase, last spring 2009 Baby Doll leather style is interesting: 
mixing pink accessories with dark leather is an option.
But please don't fallow the black nylon and suspenders 
under a transparent skirt for the day....
If you want to be taken as a "Fashion freak", up to you.


I am obsess lately with 40's & 50's hair style.
Isn't it lovely those flowers: you can find great flower hair clip 


This lovely girl was shoot by a Face Hunter: It's a great mix of delicate and feminime style.
 Pale skin with the burgundy lips, the soft baby doll dress, 
the big flower pin-up in the hairs but with 
a sexy attitude ( the bicker leather jacket and the high heels boots).


This last Raph Laurent S/S 2009 look  would suit me during the days.

And i still love a very basic dress with long vintage necklaces.

For your hairs, you can be inspire by this last Zac Posen 2009 fashion show hair look.
And if you want to try out a 50's style, on the freelancer's fashionblog
you can find a good and easy tutorial.