Day 12...

15 random facts about myself and a song that reminds me of home.

1) I secretly love to wear tank tops, but will never be seen in public wearing one without extra layers to cover me up.

2) I used to hate red wine but have grown to love it since I moved to Paris. 

3) Speaking of Paris, while I can make a list a mile long of why I hate it, there really is no place I would rather be. 

4) I love ironing dress shirts. 

5) I hate men that only buy iron free dress shirts because they are too lazy to iron them. There are a lot of men like that, almost more than men that buy regular dress shirts. Working at Macy's taught me that. 

6) I'm a Helmut Lang junkie. 

7) I realize that I'm slowly becoming more and more like my father.

8) I'm slowly becoming more and more accepting of number 7.

9) Sometimes I love food a little too much. When this happens I usually go on a short lived diet. 

10) I'm addicted to hair products but never really use any. 

11) I'm the biggest proponent of fur and leather I know. 

12) My favorite items of clothing are my collection of white t-shirts. Rick Owens and Helmut Lang make the best ones.

12) Sometimes I buy size XXL because I like to be comfy. 

13) I have 7 piercings. 

14) I keep bottles of liquid band-aid hidden all around me, because you never know when you will cut yourself. 

15) I spend an unusual amount of time applying lip balms when in uncomfortable social situations. 

Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose

They say home is where the heart is, and right now my heart is in Paris. What could be more quintessentially Parisian than this song? I love to put Edith Piaf songs on while strolling along the Seine or up in Montmartre. Everything in the city becomes more beautiful while listening to her.

Day 11...

A picture of something I am currently obsessed with, and a song that gets me pumped up. 

Maison Martin Margiela S/S 2008

Maison Martin Margiela Pants from the Sartorialist. Check out the waist. Yes it is meant to be like that, and yes it stays up on it's own. 

Thanks to a friend who works at the house, I have this amazing scarf to add to my personal Margiela collection. PETA did not approve of it this past week when I went to the Jean Paul Gaultier show. If I know one thing, PETA will hate me even more one day; fur and leather are my best friends. 

View of the photographers area at the end of the runway from my seat at the F/W 2011 Maison Martin Margiela show. The most interesting perspective I have ever had at a show, looking down at the models walking below you. 

I've always been a huge fan of Marigela, but recently I've really become obsessed with the house. The current fashion exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs, Les Années 1990-2000 opens with a room full of the most amazing Margiela pieces. It's really breathtaking to see some of my favorite MMM moments up close and personal. Shoe lace dress? Barely there jeans? Christmas garland jacket? Yes, yes and yes. Paris is also a very Margiela friendly place to be. I see some of the more theatrical designs on a semi regular basis, and everyone seems to know his name. I wore my Marigela scarf recently to the Printemps department store where multiple sales people came up to tell me specifically that they loved my Margiela scarf. I don't think anyone in Minnesota would be able to recognize it as such... they would probably just think I was a crazy person. 

I listen to this song when I'm skiing and really want to push myself hard. All of M.I.A.'s songs tend to be good ones to ski to though. 

Day 10..

A picture of my favorite restaurant, and a song that makes me fall asleep.

Sea bass with truffle mousse. 

Grilled octopus with chorizo, potatoes, in something resembling grits. 

Something Catalonian. Closest thing I could think of would be a rabbit burrito baked in mashed potatoes and gravy. 

Cinnamon risotto with dark chocolate. 

Sol.i.neu restaurant in Andorra, certainly gets my best restaurant award, even if I only ate there once, because everything about the dinning experience was just perfect. The wait staff was perfect. They were all warm and friendly, and had the most perfect timing. The view was to die for (but it's Andorra, no place has a bad view).  I had an enjoyable few hours sitting by myself and my internal dialog, while eating some of the best food I have ever had. 

Frédéric Chopin - Fantaisie Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66

I had a CD (before mp3's were even invented, weird to think about) of classic piano music when I was very young, close to the time I started playing the piano. Somewhere around 13 years ago? I would listen to this song on repeat to help me go to sleep at night since I have always had a horrible sleeping problem. Now I listen to it when I'm designing. I'm still obsessed with this song. It's as much fun to play as it is to listen too. 

Day 9...

A picture of my most recent purchase and a song I can dance to. 

My most recent purchase was actually today. I haven't bought anything for myself since the Lanvin pants and shoes back in January. There is this small jewelry store right next to my school, and me and a friend decided just to pop on in today and see what was inside. I came out with these two little copper rings that the owner makes herself. I've been saying it for a year or so now that I need to accessorize more often. I hardly ever wear jewelry and watches. I'm getting much better at that, only I've just been buying rings. Perhaps the best part of this though is they only cost me 4 euros. Who says the best things come with big price tags? 

R.Kelly - Step In The Name Of Love
envoyé par donjoshua. - Regardez d'autres vidéos de musique.

My favorite manager at my first job used to play this song about 6 or 7 times each day. Every time it came on we all had to stop and step in the name of love with her. As a result, I am a pro at stepping, not in the name of love, but in the name of my manager who's job entitled telling everyone else what to do. Although it is quite fun, so I don't mind. 

Day 8...

A place I would like to visit, and a song I know all the words to. 

Courchevel

Mont Saint Michel

Montauban

I guess right now I wouldn't pick some far off place to visit. Really I want to explore France. After traveling to Andorra by train, I realized there is so much more to this country than I first thought. The landscape is so diverse and the towns all have such unique personalities. Perhaps I'll just forgo a meal a each day to save up money, and go someplace every month.

Salt-n-Pepa - Push It

What can I say, I grew up in the 90's and as a result have a deep fondness for the music of that decade... well not just music, the fashion was pretty amazing as well. Me and my friend Jenny know the lyrics to every Salt-n-Pepa song out there, Push It just happens to be my favorite one.  

Day 7...

A picture of something that inspires me, and a song that reminds me of a certain event.

Music and the subcultures that evolved from it; a constant and inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. Images by Hedi Slimane, who is a huge influence on my own work. 

DJ Gregory and Gregor Salto - Canoa

It was 7am in a club buried within the sewer system of Paris. Carl Cox was DJing and he put this song on, everyone went wild. You could tell everyone was going through the same thing; they were lost in the music. The world slips away from you, and you just live purely in that blissful moment, surrounded by the sound and lights. It was magic. I was playing this song in school the next day, and a senior fashion design student who I never talked to before came running up to me "Were you there last night?!" I looked at her and smiled. Magic. 

After Margiela...

After seeing the best show in the 3 seasons I have been going to the Paris shows, I was greeted by the most amazing sunset. Oh the magic of fashion week.