Ode to Style & the Canal Saint-Martin, Paris

Canal Saint-Martin attracts sundry crowds. Model-types pose along the canal’s banks while unshaven philosophers ruminate waterside and demure couples dine at brightly colored boulangeries. Canal Saint-Martin’s conspicuous lifestyle contrasts its residential attributes—simple rectangular windows scale the neighborhood’s utilitarian apartment buildings. As a place to see and be seen, Canal Saint-Martin is especially popular with angst-ridden university students—it’s the perfect setting for finding oneself while watching others. - Airbnb

the Canal

view of the Canal from our Airbnb apartment

That Airbnb description is perfect. The area around the canal was full of students, hipsters and young families.I loved hanging out in the Brooklyn of Paris, and I would go back again in a heartbeat. What's great about the Canal Saint-Martin (and the surrounding 10th arrondisement) is that it's very close to busier, more commercial areas of the city, but it's more chill, and serves as a respite from all the city crowds. I found my favorite bar in this neighborhood, and all the folks there - rocking all sorts of styles - could've filled an entire fashion blog.

I snapped the photos below on my last day in town, on a Sunday late afternoon, while having aperitifs along the canal. (I enjoyed a few moments pretending to be like Bill Cunningham.) Everyone passing by looked casual but stylish, effortless without being sloppy or ascetic. The weather was neither too warm or too cold, but everyone looked prepared for city micro-climates, something I appreciate as a San Francisco resident. There was much to be inspired by, especially for a summer in SF, in the few examples below.

inspired to buy a sweater coat

again, inspired to buy a sweater coat

floral and sneakers

always appreciate an easy grey sweater

USA! USA! (pretty sure she was a French kid)

I didn't buy any clothes while in France (despite lots of boutique exploration), but when I came back home I felt inspired when I came across some great items (all on sale!), such as:

this embroidered top by The Kooples

abstract floral top (Vince Camuto) at Nordstrom Rack

patterned sweater coat at Anthro

I've been working them into my wardrobe already - for me they make sense both for work and for fun. It might be something about summer, but I enjoy (somewhat) brighter accents to my neutral basics this time of year. The blouses are versatile in that they work with multiple pieces in my closet - and the Kooples one is great quality. The jacket is useful especially in the mornings when I'm commuting, when it's actually kind of chilly and foggy out - it's a heavy but also loose knit so it's also airy.

I'm probably done shopping for a little while, as I work these and other new pieces into rotation and rediscover other items that have been in my closet. So who knew a side effect of vacation would be a wardrobe refresh, but it's a side effect I'm enjoying as summer continues.

Oscar de la Renta at the de Young Museum

the de Young museum

I spent a rainy afternoon checking out the de Young Museum's retrospective on Oscar de la Renta. They had dozens of gorgeous dresses and items from throughout his 50+ years working in fashion. The designer's work was the epitome of elegance and glamour - and yet, practical: even in the '60s he was making ballgowns with pockets. The exhibit, curated by the inimitable Andre Leon Talley, featured pieces worn by notable women such as Dede Wilsey (head of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco which includes the de Young), Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Bush, and today's red carpet stars such as Amy Adams (love her), Taylor Swift (of course) and Nicki Minaj (pleasantly surprised).

As much as I love wandering through museums, I think the last special exhibit I attended was the (New York) MoMA's Tim Burton exhibit, and I forgot how popular (crowded) they can be. I splurged for the audio tour which helped me focus among the crowd, as well as learn more about the history of the items in the exhibit and the designer's inspirations. The sources of inspiration included Spain and flamenco, which brought back some study abroad and college memories for me - I was dressed nowhere near as elegant as these mannequins, though. Perhaps one reason the exhibit felt like such a treat is that since moving to the Bay, I hardly have any reason to truly dress up. My only disappointment at the exhibit was that you couldn't touch the fabrics or try the dresses on... I mean, I know I was in a museum, but still I dream.

Apologies for the blurry iPhone pics, here are some choice pieces from the exhibit:

New York, New York :)

dresses from: http://www.vogue.com/865470/asia-major/

the dress that Marie Antoinette-era Kirsten Dunst wore in Vogue...

http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/761290/

The look that I totally want to copy:

More links:

The exhibit goes through May 30: https://deyoung.famsf.org/exhibitions/oscar-de-la-renta-retrospective

Vogue: http://www.vogue.com/13414187/andre-leon-talley-lynn-wyatt-oscar-de-la-renta-de-young-gala-2016/

Not-so-impulsive Buys

For the past couple years, I've been paring down the contents of my closet, donating all the things I just don't wear anymore, and usually buying only classic basic elements to round out my wardrobe. A few things factored into this endeavor: I started a new job (w/quite a commute) and wanted to make getting dressed easy despite not being a morning person; I moved across the country, got married, and began sharing an apartment (& closet!) with my husband; and I just didn't want to keep adding to the fast fashion industry. It's not like shopping ever put me in debt, but the Pareto principle definitely applied to my wardrobe, so I also realized I didn't need to spend money on additional items beyond the kinds I wear most often. I had started viewing shopping as more of a hobby and not a necessity, and there are other things I'd rather spend my free time on.

I've been trying to practice a little more simplicity and minimalism rather than impulsively buying the trendy stuff at fast fashion spots. I am definitely inspired by sustainable brands (like Amour Vert's awesome basics) but also I can be more 'sustainable' by refraining from buying cheap things made to fall apart. I keep a running list of items I want/need on an app on my phone and a Pinterest board of wardrobe workhorses. These mechanisms remind me to consider my purchases in the full context of my closet, and choose things I can wear for a long time. 

I am still a design-loving consumer for sure. I'll flip through magazines and check out Remodelista and WhoWhatWear and random blogs. (Brooklyn Nine-Nine had a nerdy joke about going to a museum to see an exhibit of a chair, and my husband & I burst out laughing because we both knew I'd totally do that.) I've just tried to be more mindful of my personal style versus fashion trends... I'm no "minimalist pixie dream girl" but I can read about trendy items and still feel alright wearing an old sweater and simple jewelry out in public.

I've noticed, over the last couple of years, that I make fewer impulse buys and I'm pretty happy about that (so is my closet). But this winter I tried putting myself on an outright shopping fast for two months and almost got through it. For over a month I didn't even go into a store. However, I would still browse e-commerce sites, basically for sport, fully aware I wasn't going to put anything in the shopping cart.

At the end of March, just four days shy of hitting my two-month mark, I ordered a pair of shoes. This week, I ordered another. Both pairs (suede d'orsay flats, and black ankle boots) are ones I've wanted for a year or so (I have older versions of each), and they could match nearly every outfit I wear. I ordered them now because I found out the exact ones I've wanted were on sale via some fashion blogs, and they were still available in my size. I thought I might feel guilty for not making it the full two months, but then I realized these weren't impulse buys per se and I'm glad I could pull the trigger on items that my closet has been waiting for.

I. love. this. dress.

One of the first times I remember that my mother and I agreed on fashion concerned Diane Von Furstenberg. I was working at the flagship Bloomingdale’s store in NYC in ‘04 and she was speaking at a special event on my floor (this was as she was re-establishing her fashion line). My mom said something like “wow she was really popular when I was growing up, and I just really liked her clothes” and I realized I was my mother’s daughter.

In 2010 I heard the designer speak again, this time in DC at Georgetown University, where I had just entered grad school. She talked about business, philanthropy and women’s empowerment, all of which were nicely woven with tales from her personal experience. My favorite story was some businessman on an early a.m. flight hitting on her, not realizing her picture was in that morning’s Wall Street Journal that he was carrying.

10 years after I first heard the lady speak, I’ve got some DVF dresses and I’m hoping one day to pass them on to a daughter who will appreciate her mama’s & grandmama’s styles.