What makes a style truly timeless? With fashion designer, stylist and photographer, Yolanda Ng, at the helm, we strolled the streets of Paris to seek out fashionable people – and ask them about clothes, life and how they create looks that stand the test of time.
By day Baptiste is a lawyer. A respected one. He is reliable, professional and committed. But there is a second side of his personality – and his life. One filled with colour, experimentation, music and joy.
A duality which he began to discover around the age of 25, about the same time he discovered New Orleans and the electronic music scene. “I used to dress pretty ordinarily, actually,” Baptiste, who is wearing a multi-coloured two-piece set and bright green sneakers, tells us. “I think that began to change when I lived in New Orleans.”
“It’s a kind of crazy city,” he continues. “People like to dress up – especially for Mardi Gras. And everybody is so cool about it. It’s normal and accepted to wear extravagant outfits. I think that probably changed my outlook. I became less strict and maybe became a little less concerned with what other people thought.”
Although he is a natural at both, he seems a little self conscious about being photographed and interviewed. However, his demeanor changes, picking up energy, when his story turns towards his greatest passion.
“When I got back to France, I got more involved in electronic music and began to be more into fashion,” he says, taking a minute to clarify that he doesn’t consider himself to be a “fashion person.” “I think the way I want to dress and the way I’m trying to drive my specific style is more linked to my love of music,” he explains. “I want to reflect the joy I have when I’m in that scene. That’s why I like to wear a lot of colourful clothes.”
How did a buttoned-up lawyer transform into a person who not only has the confidence to wear – but completely pull off – a multi-coloured outfit? According to Baptiste, it all started with a unique ensemble.
“The first colourful outfit I remember was a matching top and bottom set in full stripes – yellow and blue. I bought it probably about six or seven years ago,” he says. “I really loved it. And I think I enjoyed the reaction of people when they saw me.”
Over the following years Baptiste slowly built up his wardrobe, ensuring his “sensible” clothes lasted for as many years as possible, while concentrating his spendings on more unique and colourful pieces.
“Once I had accumulated enough clothes to wear them more often, I wore the colourful outfits out more,” he says.
If you peer into his wardrobe today, he tells us, it continues to show the duality and interplay between his two worlds. On the one side he has his “respectable” clothing – stacks of turtlenecks and shirts which he wears to his day job. On the other, a rainbow of creative outfits – pink, blue, yellow, green, lilac – that he wears everywhere else. “I think I have just about every colour,” he says then, after a pause, adds, “I don’t have a lot of white, but the rest is very colourful.”
And what of the outfit that started it all? Unfortunately, a series of unfortunate events led to it being stolen during a trip. “I have another one which I bought at the same time. It’s kind of the same and I’m still wearing it all these years on, but I was more in love with the striped one.” It’s true what they say: you never forget the one that got away.
“I don’t think it’s revolutionary to say that the people who you surround yourself with have a big influence,” Baptiste says. Luckily for him, he has a supportive group of friends who also appreciate colour and joy. A major win in a city like Paris where, according to Baptiste, most people dress in a more traditional way.
“If I’m walking the streets, people do often look at me quite strange. Paris is one of the best places for fashion but I think when regular people are dressed super nice, it’s more in the fancy way – classic – rather than in colour. Still, if people look at me it actually makes me smile now,” he says, adding that this wasn’t always the case.
Being comfortable in his skin and fashion choices is something he has grown – and matured – into. Now, the timeless element of his style is not made up of the pieces themselves. For Baptiste, being timeless comes from the self assurance and comfort of knowing oneself.
“I think that’s the most important. If you try to dress in a particular way and you are not comfortable or confident with yourself, you’ll just feel like you are wearing a costume,” he explains. “The first step to fashion is to find a way to feel comfortable – then you’ll have the opportunity of dressing how you want and that sense will not go out of style.”
- Make it cold – try to wash clothes in cold water. It’s environmentally friendly and good for keeping coloured clothes vibrant
- Take care of your delicates – if you want clothes to keep their shape, take the time to wash the most delicate pieces by hand
- Hold onto staples – buy staples with longevity, so you can play around with unique pieces
- Build on what you have – when purchasing new items, keep your wardrobe in mind to pull together cohesive looks
Image credits:
© Yolanda NG Photography
© Antoine Doyen