Film Hedonism: DJing outfits pt II

 

It's been a while since my first post on the subject, but I kinda feel like I have to return to the topic : DJing clothes!

Sure, for guys it's super easy - jeans/slacks + tees. Or maybe a button up shirt if they're feeling fancy.

But the truth is clubs are insanely HOT places  (and somehow the DJ booth seems to be the worst with all the gear and stuff heating up; it was like a sauna when I went to Monseigneur!! I mean COME ON GUYS!!!) so you need summery things that you can layer since you don't get a dressing room where you can change - they should make that a rule tho!

So the easiest thing for me is simply wearing not too warm tights that I could eventually take off + those trusty American Apparel dresses. I really hope they don't discontinue this one, it's like my uniform!

I like the short sleeved version too, but the shoulders are cut too wide and the sleeves keep coming down.

And their Gloria V bodysuit is also a nice option for slightly colder nights.

+big plus - they're still one of the few companies who make things in COTTON! 

Clubbing is kinda like going to the gym but trying to look good - when you're breaking a sweat in a club you know you MUST have something made from natural fibers!

It's either cotton or silk for me and the occasional cashmere sweater/ vintage kimono/ shirt cover up before things heat up.

In terms of shoes it's mostly flats - ankle boots in the winter and Keds in the summer - except when I play Candelaria and bring my comfy Swedish Hasbeens clogs because the bar is waaay too high for me and I actually like to see what I'm doing.

And last but not least - I do enjoy wearing a watch like all the time and some sort of necklace/belt - they instantly transform those super simple dresses!

UUUh and let's not forget silk vintage slips! But that's a whole other story ;).

Until then... enjoy and do share your own going out/partying outfit tips!

Film Hedonism : New Year's Eve from Another Planet

I know it's been more than a week since NYE now, but film photos take a little longer to get developed (or you just have to wait until you finish a roll).

Either way, here's some proof of my Romanian weather conditions - 20cm/10inches of snow and -20C/-4F temperatures for NYE. Kinda makes Paris feel more like Hawaii huh?

I hear the alien looking snow is mostly gone but the temperatures are still freezing.

After being so snow deprived in Paris, it sure felt like holiday season alright! Not much for outfit photo taking, tho I do get to show off my highschool winter coat from my dad. He did know it might come in handy one day.

Anyone has more snowed in photos to share?

Film Hedonism : DJing/party photos

 I think this might be the start of a new blog series - finding a fancy name for sharing random photos I took on film; never a bad thing, eh? Especially if you're a film fetishist like me, both in my photography practice and movie viewing habits.

Seriously tho. I've been meaning to share some of these photos for a long time now, I guess I've just been waiting for the right moment.

And as it's la rentrée and the concert/cinema/art and of course school season is just starting in full swing, it also marks a big migration of partying back into apartments, clubs, indoors or other heated venues.

Good enough reason to revisit those photos from various places I've DJed recently, taken whenever I wasn't lazy enough to lug a camera around with me and my friend's weren't busy enough having fun to snap some shots.

Anyway, I should probably write a whole post on DJing style from outfits where it's usually something basic and summery layered under some vintage cover up (silk kimonos/shirts are quite perfect) + a statement necklace in case I need to well... peel off layers. Not to mention finding creative ways of keeping your hair out of your face!

 I tend to wear a lot of American Apparel coincidentally because some of their stuff is SO comfy and that's pretty much my priority when I'm standing up/dancing/sweating for hours - jersey and spandex ;)

However, even if I find the AA tank dress + vintage silk cover up the perfect clubwear, after having my '80s Albert Nipon dress (button down, silk, oversized with pockets!! that was looking amazing open worn as a glam coat) STOLEN from the VIP section at the REX, well... I would totally recommend either checking in your kimono/shirt/dress/cover up or just keeping that bitch on!

Unless you're DJing of course - that's pretty much the safest place to be in the club. Any club.

 All unpleasant incidents aside, stay tuned for future gigs and if you're in town come say hi :)

Bonne rentrée!

Warm Grey : an easy outfit and a shop update

 

The first rule of Parisian weather : it's never sunny when you want it to be. Second rule of Parisisan weather : it's almost never sunny. Third rule: it's DEFINITELY not gonna be sunny for two days in a row.

Warm grey. That's how I would describe the weather this week - gravitating around 20C(70F), a little windy, a few drops of rain and a little sunshine for 20 minutes right before the sunset.

After the ''heatwave'' last weekend I was raiding my wardrobe looking for summer essentials to add to the shop; and, of course, by the time I was ready to photograph them it was all back to grey again.

The last twist of this ironic tale- by the time it was nice out again (aka today), I was without a camera or a photographer.

So I decided to just stick to the best dress form shots I could take; I do prefer styling items and proposing an outfit to the shopper along the more neutral shots, but sometimes it's also nice to do things in a more simple way.

 Personally when shopping online I prefer a clear dress form shot rather than an over stylized shot where you can't really see the clothes. Then again it's nice seeing things on a person, especially when buying dresses.

This is an outfit I wore on a quick trip to the post office; it's one of those things that you just slip on and they're stylish, comfortable AND practical! I really love this jumpsuit, but I already have a few so I figured it better go in the shop. The loafers are probably the cheapest shoes I ever thrifted (50cents!) and they have pretty much the perfect cognac beat-up look. Plus tassels! Tassels!

My hair is growing into a weird mess, I really need to find a shampoo that doesn't make it super puffy or grease it up too much. Having had dreadlocks for 6 years, I'm pretty puzzled by having ''normal'' hair again. Any suggestions?

romper: borrowed from the shop

 scarf, belt, shoes, backpack: thrifted

necklace: old African store in Montmartre

... and now for something completely different!

                    50s Hairspray skirt                                              70s Calico Bandwagon twirly skirt

70s Le genou de Claire open knit sweater                        80s Alice in Wonderland Cardigan

                90s Clueless Mesh Tank top                                    80s Dirty Dancing Bodysuit

70s Mes petites amoureuses High Waisted Jeans           In the Mood for Love Maxi Silk Dress

80s L'ami de mon amie pumps

That's about it for now, the Seven Year Itch dress is still waiting for proper dress form photos, but it should be in the store no later than Tuesday.

The next big update will probably be mostly accessories (think silk scarves, hippie bags and vintage eyewear) along with a few vintage slips, but I still have a few very special vintage dresses that might require a more elaborate treatment (including a 30s cotton lawn swiss dot rose number and two of the sweetest 50s velvet dresses!).

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Such a Parisian thing to do! And a Marilyn Monroe dress

... like going to Palais de Tokyo for a Rancière conference, then taking photos for your fashion blog. And this is what we did last Friday.

I'll try to keep things simple, as I tend to go into too many different directions each time I try to talk about something. 

First of all the Palais de Tokyo is one of those contemporary art places located waaay out west (which to me is the most boring/bourgeois area of the city where I very rarely go to), always under remodeling and with HUGE exhibition spaces, mostly known for its ex-director Nicolas Bourriaud (now my school director). 

It's often dubbed as being the biggest art center and also known for being a location of choice during Fashion Week.

They re-opened last year after much work and they always have cool parallel events such as screenings, concerts and conferences, some of them free. It's less popular and more hip than the Pompidou, so if you don't know it already you should totally check it out.

I haven't been there in a while, but each time I go I'm surprised by the nice view of the Eiffel Tower.

Now this is a completely different subject that I don't want to get into right now, but thing is when living in Paris you don't really see the Eiffel Tower. And the truth is you don't really want to see it because of its cheesy ubiquity on every merch stand and teen Tumblr. It's nauseating! 

But then again, when you do get to see it, you do get a little carried away by the postcard view. And yes, you must have at least one touristy photo with the Eiffel Tower!

We had a four-day heatwave (aka sun+25-27C; I know, but this is Paris) last week and I had just finished washing and ironing this little dress I had just found, so I thought it would be a good idea to take it out on a stroll.

I felt like a beat chick in my messy hair, cat eye glasses and slightly oversized dress, going to a philosophy lecture! Visually I was thinking more of Kirsten Dunst playing Camille in On the Road (you can say whatever you want about that movie, but it has a couple of good scenes and Sam Riley is cute) than of Audrey Hepburn /Jo in Funny Face (who was lured into Paris to be a model with the promise of attending philosophy lectures!)

Unfortunately this twirly wonder is a little too big on me and it will be going in the shop on Saturday. 

It reminds me of the iconic white halterneck that Marilyn Monroe is wearing in Billy Wilder's The Seven Year Itch. You know, the one in the scene with the subway vents?

Of course, I'm not even 0.1% close to Marilyn's charm! But who can be, really?

Right next door to Palais de Tokyo there's the Musee d'art moderne, which was closed but they had a Keith Harring expo going on. I'm so fascinated by those incredibly HUGE doors!

We took a walk through the Pont D'Alma in order to catch the direct train home; it was super windy, which in a way was perfect for my dress but not for my hair.

I love it how the sun goes down around 9pm these days... I promised myself to only show outfits on film, but when you have such a great scenery, why not take advantage of the opportunity?

PS: you can find more expat life rants on SUCH a French thing to do! a collective blog I started last year

bucket bag, peep toes: thrifted, dress: vintage 50s, borrowed from the shop, necklace: We Never Sleep, 50s cat eyes: Ebay, watch: gift from my dad