Fashion Et Moi

March 20, 2016

The Importance Of Friendship, Family And Finding Your Home

My outfit details can be found at PARIS FASHION WEEK: PATCHWORK SUEDE AND TARTAN SKORT. Anna’s outfit details can be found at PRETTY GIRLS MAKES GRAVES.

When I was in Paris recently, I had the pleasure of shooting these lovely photos with one of my best friends, Anna. Having been back to my hometown of Bristol, visiting friends in London and then in Paris all within the space of a few weeks, it has got me thinking about ‘home’. What is a home? What does ‘home’ mean and where is my ‘home’? The old saying goes, ‘home is where the heart is’ but it is certainly not that simple for me.

I met Anna when we worked together in a vintage shop in Paris and for most of my two years in Paris we were inseparable. Of course on the surface we are similar because we are both image-conscious vintage fashion obsessed twenty-somethings but we also just completely get each other. I spent nearly every day with Anna as we worked and partied together, shared everything with each other until suddenly that all changed when I moved away to Barcelona. That is the reality of living abroad – people always leave or YOU leave and it can be really hard to adjust.

I am in Barcelona with the man of my dreams so for that part of my heart, I am definitely in the right place. However, as cities go, I do not think Barcelona has got my heart. Ever since I returned from Paris I have been racking my brains of a way to move back there – with a good job waiting for me I mean. I am convinced that is what I want but then Lewis reminds me that when I was back in Bristol I just wanted to stay forever.

Call me fickle. Call me indecisive. Call me what you want but the reason for this must be because I feel at home in a few different places but at the same time I feel like I do not have a home anymore. It is a strange thing to describe but whenever I am back in England it seems as though nothing has changed but at the same time people have moved on and sometimes I do not know how to fit into their lives anymore.

I hope this does not come across as complaining because, in fact, it is quite the opposite. I am overwhelmed with emotion about how lucky I am to have these amazing family and friends in my life but the fact that they are not all in my life day to day is really sad. I know that I have chosen a life of living abroad in as many places as possible before I feel pressure from society (and myself) to settle down but then how will I choose?

I want to find that perfect apartment. I want to decorate it with photos and art and maps of the world. I want to buy bohemian armchairs and a heck load of plants. I want to finally have all my things in one place and stop having those mornings staring at my wardrobe wishing I could wear something that is back in Bristol that did not quite make the cut to come with me abroad. All of these things would be great and would go a long way to making a home, physically, but a home is more than that. It is about belonging and right now I feel a bit lost. However, I have every confidence that I will find clarity and I cannot wait to find the little corner of this Earth that I can call my own.

Izzie x

March 17, 2016

Paris Restaurant Review: Lucky Luciano

Lucky Luciano best italian pizza pizzeria in Paris

Lucky Luciano – 1 Cour des Petites Ecuries, 75010, Paris

Whilst I was in Paris last weekend for Paris Fashion Week, I could not resist going to one of my favourite pizzerias in the city – Lucky Luciano. I spent a lovely evening amongst friends eating and drinking to our heart’s desire.

Tucked away in Cour des Petites Ecuries, a little haven off the busy and gritty rue du Faubourg Saint Dennis, Lucky Luciano offers delicious pizzas in a warm and hip ambiance. It is certainly considered as one of the best places to have pizza in Paris – whenever you tell locals that you have been or are going to Lucky Luciano, they will make a ‘mmmm’ sound and say something like “c’est super bon là-bas”.

As always, I chose the ever popular Bufala pizza which is topped with melted mozzarella, raw buffalo mozzarella, rocket and cherry tomatoes. It is one of my favourite pizzas because it feels fresh and healthy (as healthy as a pizza can be) thanks to the raw ingredients. Of course, for those of you that don’t fancy a healthy feeling pizza, all the usual suspects are available from four cheese to vegetarian and meat, plus they also do special ‘sweet’ pizzas with toppings like goats cheese and honey.

I would definitely recommend checking out Lucky Luciano when you are next in Paris and are just looking for a crowd pleasing pizza. The prices are decent, the atmosphere is down to earth and who knows, you may even get a glimpse of the restaurant’s resident cat! Unfortunately for me, this time we did not.

Pendant que j’étais à Paris le weekend dernier pour Fashion Week, je ne pouvais pas résister aller à un de mes pizzerias préférés dans la ville – Lucky Luciano. J’ai passé une super soirée avec des amis geniaux autour de la bonne bouffe et du bon vin.

Lucky Luciano se situe au Cour des Petites Ecuries, un passage calme à côté de la rue du Faubourg Saint Dennis, et il nous offre des pizzas délicieux dans une ambiance chaude et hip. C’est sûr qu’on regarde Lucky Luciano comme un des meilleurs endroits pour manger du pizza. Dès que vous dites aux parisiens que vous venez d’y manger ou vous allez manger à Lucky Luciano, ils feront un son comme ‘miammmm’ et diront quelque chose genre ‘c’est trop bon là-bas’.

Comme d’habitude, j’ai choisi le pizza Bufala qui est recouvrit de la mozzarella fondue et crue, de la roquette et des tomates cerises. Il est un de mes pizzas favoris parce qu’il se sent frais et sain (si un pizza peut être sain) grâce aux ingrédients crus. Je vous assure que pour ceux qui ne veulent pas un pizza ‘sain’, il y a tous les pizzas typiques comme quatre fromages, vegetarien et de la viande. En plus, ils font les pizzas sucrés avec des garnitures comme du fromage de chèvre et du miel.

Je vous conseille fortement d’aller chez Lucky Luciano la prochaine fois que vous etes sur Paris et vous cherchez un restaurant qui plaira à tout le monde. Les prix sont bien, l’ambiance est tranquille et peut-être vous aurez de la chance et vous verrez le petit chat qui habite au restaurant ! Malheureusement, nous ne l’avons pas vu.

Izzie x

March 14, 2016

Spring Pastels In Paris

Blue faux fur coat – KILO SHOP, Culottes – &OTHER STORIES, Beret – KILO SHOP, Boots – ASOS

Location: Quai de la Gare metro station, Paris

Photos by GISELE

So I know what you are thinking – ‘pastels in Spring Izzie? That’s really groundbreaking…’ Well all I can say in my defence is that I like pastels ok? Furthermore, due to the fact that the pastel pieces in question are a mighty thick faux fur coat and a cute pink beret, I would say that this is actually more of a pre-Spring look; a transitional look from the darks hues of winter to the upcoming brights of summer.

This blue fur is becoming quite the regular on this blog. I have already styled it up smartly with BLOCK HEEL PUMPS and with a DENIM SHIRT DRESS but here I am wearing it done up to let its A-line shape and pastel colour do the talking. I think its turquoise blue and the baby pink of my new favourite beret go perfectly together, especially when paired with some simple black culottes and leather boots.

What colours and patterns are you channelling in this pre-Spring transitional period?

Alors, je sais ce que vous pensez – ‘des couleurs pastels pour printemps ne sont pas révolutionnaires Izzie!’ Ben, j’aime bien les couleurs pastels ok? En plus, vu que ces pièces pastels sont un gros manteau en fausse fourrure et un béret rose, je trouve que ce look est plutôt PRE-printemps; un look de transition entre hiver et printemps.

Ce manteau bleu a l’habitude d’apparaître sur ce blog maintenant. Je vous ai déjà montré un look élégant avec BLOCK HEEL PUMPS et un autre avec DENIM SHIRT DRESS mais aujourd’hui je porte le manteau fermé pour que vous puissiez voir sa forme trapèze et sa couleur magnifique. Je pense que sa couleur bleu-turquoise va très bien avec la couleur rose de mon nouveau béret preferé, surtout vu que je les ai mis avec un pantalon simple et des bottes en cuir noir.

Quelles couleurs portez-vous pendant cette période de transition pré-printemps?

Izzie x

March 13, 2016

Paris Fashion Week AW16 Vlog

Bonjour! My Paris Fashion Week AW16 Vlog is finally live on my YOUTUBE channel! I had such a great time filming this content (with a little help from my darling ANNA) at Paris Fashion Week, shooting outfits with GISELE and generally hanging out with some awesome friends.

I was lucky enough to see two amazing but completely different shows at Paris Fashion Week. Firstly I saw Manish Arora presenting at the earthy and vintage venue, Le Comptoir General. His AW16 collection features lots of customised denim, pops of coloured patchwork and serious prairie trend vibes. Then I saw the super sleek Pascal Millet show, which is a collection mainly made of black and navy colours but adding the oomph with white polka dots, sequins and sparkles. Anyway, I am spoiling it for you – go and have a look for yourself!

Bonjour! Enfin je vous présente mon vlog de Fashion Week de Paris! C’etait un plaisir de créer ce contenu pour vous (avec un peu de l’aide de ma chérie ANNA qui m’a filmé) – je vous montre la Fashion Week de Paris, les shootings en coulisses que j’ai fait avec GISELE et le temps que j’ai passé en trainant avec des beaux amis.
J’ai eu de la chance de voir deux défilés magnifiques mais très différents à l’autre – Manish Arora et Pascal Millet. Allez jeter un coup d’oeil à ma video!
Izzie x

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | LOOKBOOK | PINTEREST

March 10, 2016

Parisian Rooftops

Jeans – KILO SHOP, Top – secondhand, Beret – KILO SHOP, Boots – ASOS

Location: 7th Arrondissement, Paris

So Paris Fashion Week – and fashion month – has just finished and what a season it has been! For one of my days in Paris, I pulled out the clichés and wore my new pink beret and a marinière. I say cliché, but in fact the striped sailor top is an important part of French history. Originally the official undergarment of the French Navy, the striped sailor jersey gradually infiltrated the fashion world thanks to Gabrielle Chanel adopting this workwear garment paired with loose trousers as her resort-wear look. So thanks Chanel babes because I do love myself some stripes.

I am feeling pretttttty smug about this backdrop. There are not many people who have friends whose bedroom window opens onto the beautiful Parisian rooftops with an uninterrupted view of the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. So I had to take full advantage whilst staying with the gorgeous Bella at the weekend and quickly capture my outfit full of clichés.

Et voilà, c’est fini Fashion Week de Paris – et le mois des Fashion Weeks aussi ! – et c’était une saison super ! Pour une de mes journées à Paris, j’ai mis plein de clichés avec une marinière et mon nouveau béret rose. Je dis un cliché mais en fait le pull marin est un symbole important dans l’histoire française. A l’origine, il était le sous-vêtement officiel de la Marine Française. Cependant, progressivement la marinière s’est infiltré dans la mode grâce à Gabrielle Chanel qui l’aimait porter pour son look détendu avec un pantalon ample. Alors je vous remercie Chanel parce que je kiffe des rayures!

Je me sens suffisante avec le fond de ces photos. Ce n’est pas tout le monde qui connait quelqu’un dont leur fenêtre de chambre s’ouvre sur les toits de Paris avec une vue ininterrompu de la Tour Eiffel et Les Invalides. Du coup, il fallait profiter en prenant des photos pendant que je suis restée chez Bella le weekend dernier.

Izzie x