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.
“I look more French than the French women of Paris,” Irina laughs. She does this a lot, earnestly and with an energy that is impossible to resist. As we walk along the Pont Alexandre III, draped in the afternoon sun, she tells us about how since moving to Paris from Russia, she hosts elaborate picnics, dinner parties and getaways to transform her world into one of fantasy.
“For my local friends I’m not a normal person,” she says with a laugh. “If I make a picnic, I put a lof of effort in. The champagne flutes have to be glass or crystal – no plastic. There has to be a champagne bucket and all the necessary accoutrement. I put out all the things that make a picnic very beautiful; very photogenic. And then while I set it all up, everybody is just waiting for when they can start to eat. But for me the beauty is more important than the food. I love the beauty.”
She pauses for a minute to apply a coat of bright red lipstick. A final touch to her outfit – a black shift dress with dramatic sleeves an oversized pilgrim collar, bejewelled buttons and a velvet headband. A combination which is perhaps only a touch less iconically Parisian than the Pont Alexandre III itself.
She goes on to explain that, when it comes to fashion, she takes pleasure in suspending her disbelief and sculpting a world unlike the one around her – borrowed from a bygone era.
“I tried minimalism, but it’s not for me,” she explains. “I love grandeur and romance. I feel more comfortable in things that are brilliant and expressive. I even have a secret luxury part to my wardrobe, where I live out my fantasies. It should be smaller than the practical side… but it’s not.”
“I have loved Paris all my life. Maybe like all of us – or at least some of us. I think because Paris formed the image of luxury and femininity. The fashion capital,” Irina tells us.
She always knew it was a city she wanted to visit – and a culture she wanted to be part of. One she felt calling out to her and promising her an immediate sense of belonging.
“So, when my husband got an opportunity to work here, I was very excited to move,” she recalls. Her dream had come true. Irina could finally be surrounded by people just like her; by sophistication, romance and luxury.
“But it wasn’t like that at all,” she laughs. “French women of today dress differently to how you imagine. They like sneakers, jeans and blazers. And messy hair.” She lets the last word fall out of her mouth in the same way that one might discard a tissue. Not one to be discouraged, however, Irina decided to create her own French fantasy.
“I like to play with imagination and creativity. For me fashion is art. And I have a group of friends who are the same as me. We do extravagant trips with big dresses,” she says, continuing with a laugh. “My ordinary friends still think I am not a normal person, but slowly they are coming around. Sometimes they see my photos and they want to join – they want to be a part of it.”
When describing her style, Irina initially goes with, “feminine, extravagant with a few aggressive elements” before delving deeper into her fashion origin story.
“When I was young I liked Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, and I listened to this kind of music. So some kind of roots started there. I always bring that kind of edge to what I wear – leather, metal, a jacket like a rockstar. And I love black,” she tells us. Then, mid-sentence, stumbles into somewhat of an epiphany. “I just realised something. When I was young, my Mami and Papi lived in Saint Petersburg and the architecture there is similar to the French one. Baroque, you know. Very grand. Every holiday I visited them and we visited a lot of museums. I think I picked it up there – my love of luxury. I just realised that. I think it all came from childhood – Versailles, rock and roll.”
For Irina there is only one definition of timeless style: the ideal of Paris, complete with strings of pearls, Chanel, red lipstick and luxury. “Elegance is timeless. Paris is elegance,” she says.
- Swap and sell – Give clothes a second chance at life by setting up a clothes swap with friends or selling preloved items on online vintage clothing sites
- Accessorise – A dazzling brooch, statement earrings or a headband can transform an outfit and make it up anew
- Experiment – Embrace fantasy because, why not? Be bold and wear outrageous things together. Who knows, you may like it.
- Get inspired – Watch older movies, look at icons of the past there is style and fashion to be found there
- Care for your clothes – Whites with whites, blacks with blacks, colours with colour; and use the correct laundry detergent for each.
- Respect your delicates – Take the extra time to handwash delicate items so they can accompany you on your fantasy.
Image credits:
© Yolanda NG Photography
© Antoine Doyen