Tag Archives: garance dore

Gift Guide: The French Girl

The gift guides are here, the gift guides are here! Before we dive in, let me just say how excited I am to welcome Erin back to the SMC family for a little holiday cameo. She’s done an amazing job of helping me pull these gorgeous guides together, and I’m profoundly grateful…and impressed. Truly, they might be our best yet. Happy hunting!

french gift guide, paris gift guide, style gift guide, chic gift guide, girl gift guide
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She’s always effortlessly, perfectly polished, Fashion Week is her Superbowl Sunday, and if she hasn’t already been to Paris, you can bet that a pilgrimage to the City of Love is high on her bucket list. Here are our favorite gift ideas for the chic Francophile (or really, any stylish girl you know) – all guaranteed to have her exclaiming, “C’est magnifique!Read on

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my fall must-haves, vol. 1

about this time every year, my brain transitions seasons…always a little earlier than the weather does (i blame my mountain of fashion mags, which have been tempting me with fall collections since june).  i suddenly find myself craving all things fall, even though the thermometer clearly reads summer.  so, i’ve been a bit at a loss:  do i drag you all into my fast-moving fashion calendar, or let you enjoy these last days of summer, dreaming of flip flops and floaty dresses?

for today, at least, i’m taking a step forward and showing off the pieces that have made the top of my must-have list for fall.  i fully expect additions to this list, but i know beyond a shadow of a doubt i’ll spend the next few months searching for the perfect version of each of these.

first up, it’s all about this outfit for me.  the slouchy heather grey v-neck, the camel skirt, and even that perfect waist-cinching corset belt.  as always, michael kors is classic perfection, and this look is the one i’m most excited about reliving for fall 2010.  (particularly since i think at least half of us already have the components in our closets!)

michael kors fall 2010 runway look 6, image from style.com

second on my list is the perfect pair of leopard flats.  true, leopard accessories are just about every “must have” list this fall, but i’d just like to say i’ve been on the hunt for these for months now.  to say i’ve searched high and low so far wouldn’t even come close.  it’s been agonizing.  i’ll share all the gory details later, but for now, just bask in the utter versatility and edgy chic of these little numbers.

image by garance dore

next up is the perfect (and i mean perfect) camel hair coat.  my mom bought a max mara last year, and i nearly died from the sheer wonderfulness.  this year, there will be even more styles to choose from, what with camel being the color of the season.  this is definitely going to be a splurge, but one that will last a lifetime.  cost per wear, my friends.

max mara fall 2009, look 1 (currently in my mother’s closet), image from style.com

finally, i’m so, so thrilled that classic, beautiful, wide leg trousers are back.  i can’t wait to dive into a pair in gorgeous charcoal wool, and maybe a second pair in that luscious camel i keep coming back to.  it’s not always the easiest look to pull off, especially if you’re shaped like anything other than a twig.  but we’ll come back to that, i promise.

celine resort 2011, look 14, image from style.com

and for now, that’s it.  these are the pieces i know will make my closet work hard for me over the next six months.  i have a feeling a belt or two may creep onto that list, and of course, the inevitable addition to my scarf collection.  but overall, this little handful of pieces is all i’m coveting for cooler weather.  the beauty of this year’s fall trends is that a few key pieces really can update so many things you already have in your closet.  i can hardly wait to show you how i’ll be doing it.

what’s on your wishlist for fall (so far)?

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random rant: garance doré falls into the gap…without me!

i’ve been a fan of fashion blogger garance doré for so long, i can hardly remember not thinking she was the coolest person ever.  perhaps even more than her gorgeous photography and hysterical fashion insights (both of which stop me in my tracks), i love love love her sketches.  i actually emailed her once upon a time, asking if she’d ever start selling them – but the answer was no (sadly, i only heard back from her assistant…how cool would it have been to hear from garance herself?!).

now, be still my heart, she’s released two tees bearing her lovely sketches for the gap’s 40th anniversary extravaganza.  perfect, right?  but no…still, they elude me!  problem one: they’re only being released in london.  problem two:  there are only 69 of each tee available for sale.  it’s like the universe is conspiring to keep garance and me apart!

and so, i’m just going to say it.  dear gap:  surely you can do better!  what about us poor saps in the states who, i don’t know, have been loyal, devoted gap fans (mostly) for the last 40 years.  how about some love for us?

think my plea will work?  sigh. me neither. but if you do happen to be in london for this amazing event, check it out on my behalf, won’t you?

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how-to: the stylish strapless edition

ed. note: if you haven’t entered our fab contest this week, now’s your last chance.  entries close at midnight tonight…click here to enter!

i was all set to rave about the cutest skirt i saw at anthropologie on my coffee/retail therapy run this morning.  but online, it’s looking a bit like a lampshade, so now i’m thinking perhaps not.

instead, let’s talk strapless dresses.  i’ve never been a huge fan – being relatively well endowed in the (ahem) bosom area, i always seem to spend all of my time frantically yanking on the top of the dress, fearing (however irrationally) the inevitable.  and i tend to think of strapless frocks as either swim-coverup-casual, a la juicy couture, or exceedingly formal (my wedding gown).  it just seems to be too much skin exposure for an average day.  but lately, i’ve been seeing strapless looks done in such a perfectly modest, tailored and stylish way that i’m beginning to reconsider.

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it all began with a post from superstar french style icon garance doré extolling the manner in which lovely italian women put together the strapless dress and the flat sandal.  and truly, the look is lovely, don’t you agree?  sophisticated, simple, and undeniably stylish, without being overly dressy.  oh, and did i mention it’s also incredibly easy to duplicate?   any black strapless will do – i’m actually a fan of this version at target.  add something like these chic braided sandals from modern vintage (check out that detachable strap…and on sale, no less!), a black belt you almost certainly already own, and some of that perfectly tousled hair, and presto: chic and so very simple.

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shortly after spying this look, i was browsing anthropologie’s latest catalog, and saw the most clever styling of a strapless dress ever!  i love the jersey v-neck tee beneath – the neckline gives such interest, and it looks like an entirely different dress!  i never think of layering things underneath a strapless, but i just love this look.  definitely office-appropriate, and again, so simple!  i’m guessing you already have the tee in your closet, and the dress is just a click away.  i’d love to see this with a patterned tee and a solid dress, perhaps layered with a cropped denim jacket…the possibilities are, if not endless, definitely varied.

so, what do you think? are you ready to reconsider going strapless?

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