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.
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:
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'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!
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
- 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.
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"
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.
- 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
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.
The Film Forum
where you can see some amazing old movies:
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
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 ?
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.
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.
