Category Archives: Q and A

Questions and answers

34
05.11.10

(via toutlecine.com)

One of my favorite bloggers, the lovely Robin from En Voyage, gave me the “I love your blog” prize. Thank you very much. Now, it is my turn to pass on this prize and answer the questions.

The rules of the prize are:
– Do an entry with the prize.
– Answer the questions.
– Give the prize to 10 blogs.

1. Why did you create the blog?
There are many reasons why I revived this blog. One of them is due to the deletion of my favorite fashion/style blog (S, please come back!). I found it terrible hard to find a fashion blogs that met my demands. I didn’t seem to find a substitute for a blog that I’d been slavishly following for one year. And because I couldn’t find the kind of blog I wanted to read, I decided to create one myself. The revival of Dead Fleurette is also a reaction to the excessive consumption amongst the majority of fashion bloggers. And I must admit that I missed the blogosphere.

In a post called ‘Oh no, not another fashion blog‘ published back in July, I explained the reincarnation of this blog and closed the post with this conclusion: “So, I guess the revival is my attempt to create the fashion blog I am constantly searching for. And I guess I am using the blog to deal with depression, loneliness and low self-esteem as well as hoping to inspire someone out there to stop shopping the planet to death. Blogging keeps my mind occupied.”

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
I follow blogs that somehow inspire me. Most of the blogs I follow share the same aesthetic and taste as me (they’re all on my blog roll!). I also follow some witty blogs, food blogs and blogs about great spots in Paris (for all of my future trips to Paris. I can’t just eat all of my meals at Le Progrès..). But as for what kind of blogs I occasionally visit, I visit blogs that coincidentally annoy the hell out of me. (Unfortunately, they bring out my inner barbarian, lol..)

3. Favorite makeup brand?
Max Factor for mascaras – I have seriously tried every single mascara from Max Factor, and they are all equally brilliant. Incredible and perfect for asian eyes and eyelashes. Estee Lauder for concealer and Bare Escentuals for mineral makeup.

4. Favorite clothing brand?
Isabel Marant, COS, Celine, A.P.C., Vanessa Bruno, Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga, Helmut Lang, Repetto, Martin Margiela, American Vintage, The Kooples, Surface to air, Comptoir des Cotonniers ++

5. Your indispensable makeup product: 
I cannot live without my concealer, my black eyeshadow for my eyebrows (eyebrow powders usually come in brown, which is too light for my black eyebrows!), and perhaps my mascara. And oh, not a makeup product but I cannot live without Neutrogena SPF 100 sunblock.

6. Your favorite color:
At the moment, I adore burgundy.

7. Your perfume: 
Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, because it’s my mom’s signature scent and nothing is better than my dear mom’s scent. Like mother, like daughter<

8. Your favorite film: 
Oh no, I hate this question. I’m a cinephile and it is completely impossible for me to point out only one favorite movie. But I can point out some of my favorite movie makers: Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Sofia Coppola, Christophe Honoré, Pedro Almodovar, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumback, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Michelangelo Antonioni, Luis Buñuel, David Lynch, Claude Chabrol, Jim Jarmusch, Alfred Hitchcock +++

But if I must point out one movie, I’d say ‘The Dreamers’ by Bertolucci, which is one of my many favorite movies. The movie is set in Paris during the student riots of 1968, and it’s about three young cinephiles. The story and the game between the main characters are definitely an allusion to Jean Cocteau’s ‘Les enfants terribles’ (which is one of my favorite books too!). It’s a movie that sums up my passion for le cinema. The fact that I recognize every movie, quote, allusion and movie soundtrack that pervade the whole movie must be some sort of sign.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
I want to travel to Singapore because I want to see and be in the cleanest place in the entire world. Actually, I was supposed to travel to Singapore next summer. My mom had booked the tickets, but due to illness in my family, we cancelled the trip.

10. Make the last question and answer to yourself: What is your greatest ambition in life?
Devenir immortel… et puis mourir. (Translation: To become immortal.. and then die.)

And the 10 blogs I give the prize to:
Danica from Oh, hello there
Maria from Vanilla Scented
Prêt à Porter P
Malia from Muoti Mielessä
Koko from Res Pulchrae
Miss Woo from Cheapskate Chic
Stevie from Discotheque Confusion
Ingvild Telle
Ladybirds nest
Ringo, have a banana!

My style evolution

31
25.09.10

(via flickr/vk-photography)

“I’ve noticed that you have become more mature/conservative in comparison with your previous blog. What’s behind the alteration? Fashion and style is supposed to be fun – don’t you miss the exciting aspects of fashion? Comparatively, I also see that you purchase expensive clothes (which is, of course, more rational and eco-friendly than wasting money on poor quality and high street clothing), but I wonder how you can afford Isabel Marant?”

I believe that maturity comes with age. And age comes with time. It is logical that my style and fashion values have evolved ever since the earlier days of Dead Fleurette. I was only 16 when I started this blog, and it’s absolutely coherent that people in their mid teens experience modifications in life. Do you anticipate a person to remain the same three years later? Like alterations in history, literature, movies, music and art, they’re centered around new currents, reactions to given conventions, new influences, etc. For example, classicism was a reaction against the complexity and turgidity of the baroque era.

For instance, why did the French new wave arise? Because the French film critics rejected the convention embodied by the big studios. As a reaction to the classic French cinema, the new wave directors created radical innovations. La nouvelle vague is a cultural phenomenon as a consequence of economical, political, philosophical, aesthetic and social currents that developed in the 50′s during the postwar period. Another example: Stravinsky experimented constantly with different styles and he didn’t become rooted in one particular expression. While starting off as a Late Romantic, he moved to neoclassicism and later on to serialism. He was an outreaching and inquisitive composer and created a radical alternative to this romantic tradition. Russian folk music and folklore, jazz and atonality influenced his music. Earlier composers like Pergolesi, Händel and Bach were also stylistic influences. He even stated that “music is just music”.

With these digressions, I’m trying to indicate that the civilization is incessantly in evolution. Like many other teenagers, I’ve experimented with many different styles because I was younger and constantly attempted to “find myself and my style”. With age, I slowly managed to define my aesthetic and my style philosophy. I travel to Paris very often because my family, friends and relatives live in France. The city has always had an influence on my style, and it still influences me. When I was sixteen, I was utterly inspired by the French teenagers who bought their clothes at a French punk/rock store called Noir Kennedy. I dug into Doc Martens boots, edgy clothes and jeans from April 77, which oddly evolved into an admiration for the skinheads fashion. Six months later, I traveled back to Paris and had a new aesthetic in mind. Fortunately, one of my trips to Paris showed the way to the aesthetic I want to preserve. As you might have noticed, I am quite inspired by French style. I’m inspired by the importance of being well-dressed for every occasion. Inspired by “BCBG” – the French acronym “bon chic bon genre”, that my mother taught me when I was a little kid.

My style philosophy is also a reaction to the over-consumption that is pretty common amongst practically every fashion blogger. The way these bloggers portray their shopping habits is ridiculous. Encouraging their readers to participate in consumerism as if the world is in need of even more excessive consumers. Instead, I embrace simplicity. I want to prove myself that I’m absolutely capable of withstanding new clothes all the time. This is such a paradox – I’m obsessed with finding the perfect garments but I loathe the over-consumption. I use simplicity/minimalism as a way to filter out my actual needs and desires. My style philosophy is also a reaction against the need to stand out all the time. On the other hand, I will not dictate how people should dress or shouldn’t. People have different views on what’s aesthetically beautiful. I just want to look nice and decent, that’s all.

However, who says that my approach to fashion is boring? When did crazy patterns, lots of colors, etc, become equivalent to “fun”? I find it way more adventurous to build the perfect wardrobe, hunt for the perfect garments and do whatever I’m doing style-wise than lacking in style basis. Honestly, I don’t miss the days when I accidentally ended up looking like Mary-Kate Olsen one day, and Faris from The Horrors the other day. I don’t miss my schizophrenic style at all, which was clearly the reason why I experimented in the first place in order to figure out my style.

And how can I afford Isabel Marant? Seems like a big fat mystery to people. Personally, it’s about prioritizing and not go shopping every week. As I’m in a position where I can save my money for the clothes I want, I can easily prioritize. As simple as that.

Acknowledgement

26
15.09.10

(via jak&jil)

Lately I’ve gotten some e-mails and comments from readers asking how I can afford designer clothing considering that I’m a student and not in the least wealthy. I don’t really like talking about my economy but since you asked so kindly, I’ll give it a shot.

To be frank, I’ve never had a proper job as in I haven’t been hired by an employer. When I was fifteen-years old, I was quite fortunate and got the opportunity to tutor two children piano. I earned far from 100 bucks a month. Until I turned seventeen, I realized that my closet was packed with useless, low-quality rubbish, which I obtained on sale at H&M. Additionally; I was utterly determined to stop drooling over luxury items. Rather, I wanted to get hold of those items. Such a puzzle! How can someone like me afford luxury, which is simply out of my league? Evidently it didn’t take me long time to figure out how to be able to afford high-quality clothes, particularly because I experienced this nightmare:

I remember the four weeks I spent in Paris a couple of summers ago. I managed to save the money I got from tutoring, roughly 800 euros, which took me almost a year to save up. At that point, I didn’t care much about quality and prioritized quantity. Accordingly, I spent half of my savings on cheap, secondhand or poor quality clothing that I didn’t try on before buying, because they were so cheap. I was a maniac and impulsive shopper, and my days were spent in thrift stores merely to find steals. My over-consumption resulted in two enormous suitcases bulging with clothes that had a funky smell. Most of the clothes did not even fit me. That said, I spent 3 euros here and 3 euros there, which eventually turned out to be the same price as a pair of high-quality designer boots. The worst part of this summer was the surprise trip to London after I came home from Paris. To my surprise, I didn’t spend every penny in Paris, so I could continue the futile shopping in London. I spent the rest of my savings on clothing from Primark. Period.

That’s how my new era started. With my savings, I could have afforded a designer bag or a delightful pair of quality shoes. Instead, I wasted my entire savings on… yes, clothes that I ended up donating to charity shops after I’d thrown 800 euros out of the window. One year later, I obtained my very first designer item in London: A Balenciaga city bag. My first designer purchase was a result of saving my monthly earnings, avoiding the shops, and overhauling my closet. I resold practically everything in my closet, which resulted in money for the bag I had been dreaming of ever since I was fourteen.

Nevertheless, it’s all about prioritization. Most people have this idea that buying heaps of cheap high-street clothes is way more economical than purchasing a luxury item that is made of the best quality material. Through trial and fail, I acknowledge that it is attainable for even a young student to wear designer clothing if she prioritizes it. I swear I’ll never ever go back to being that kind of consumer I used to be.

On the other hand, I’m not fifteen anymore. I just turned nineteen and I feel wiser, already. It wasn’t before last year that a lot of parents wanted me to tutor their kids. To answer your question: That’s how I afford designer clothing combined with prioritizing – not that I own a great amount of designer pieces. I rarely ever walk into high street stores – and if I do, I am completely capable of resisting buying rubbish. In fact, I’ve developed a fastidiously picky behavior, so I don’t really need to worry if I visit a store.

*****

So, the very first step to afford designer clothing is to stop purchasing clothes every week. Every time you’re about to purchase something because of your shopping habits or because it’s cheap, on sale, or you think you’ll save a great deal of money, etc – put the money in a box and see how much money you manage to gather in the end of the month. Voilà, perhaps you’ve gathered enough money for a designer item you’ve coveted for months.

You can read wikihow’s guide to “how to afford designer clothing” which pretty much recapitulates all the necessary information. 

Answers pt. 2

6
11.09.10


Q: Are there any particular books/films that you find inspiring in the sense of fashion [or other ways]?
A: Movies by Sofia Coppola and Jean-Luc Godard, such as A bout de souffle (Breathless), Une femme est une femme, Vivre Sa Vie, etc. And Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

 Q: What would your perfect day look like?
A: Any day in my actual hometown, Paris, would be perfect.

Q: What are your favorite movie makers? 
A: So many… Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Sofia Coppola, Christophe Honoré, Pedro Almodovar, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumback, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Michelangelo Antonioni, Luis Buñuel, David Lynch, Claude Chabrol, Jim Jarmusch, Alfred Hitchcock +++

Q: Is there one fashion trend you hope to never have to see back in style?
A: I loathe everything that Erin Wasson and her copycats wear. UGGH! And clogs.

(via whisty)

Q: One fashion choice/outfit/trend you wish you had never worn?
A: Uggh… SO many. Any outfit that consisted of acid washed jeans (or any 80′s/hipster elements), studs, semi-studded leather jacket, or ripped tights à la Alexander Wang. What the heck was I thinking? (I was young and stupid!)

Q: If you could have a meal with one person [dead or alive] who would you choose?
A: Hmmm… this one is tricky. There are so many persons I’d love to have a meal with. But perhaps Serge Gainsbourg?

 Q: Define yourself
A: An uncompromising perfectionist just like Michel Poiccard (but he’s anything but a perfectionist).

Q: How many Languages can you speak?
A: Norwegian, Vietnamese, English and poor french.

Q: What instruments do you play?
A: I play the piano and the accordion

Q: What’s your favorite composer?
A: OH.. so many. Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Prokofiev, Debussy, Haydn, Grieg  - just to mention a few.

Q: What’s your nationality? 
A: Uhhm… I don’t know. My passport says I’m Norwegian, but I look Vietnamese but as my mom, who’s French-Vietnamese, I feel comme une Parisienne.

Q: What are you favorite dishes? 
A: Phở, sushi and bún thịt nướng I guess.

Answers pt. 1

13
08.09.10

Q: What would you change about your favorite magazine and why?
A: I really love the interviews in The Gentlewoman and I’d love to read articles à la “Une fille un style” about the women featured in the magazine, or at least have a peek into their wardrobes.

Q: What’s underneath your bed?
A: Two large boxes where I store clothes that I try to sell/donate + some bags and purses. Nice place to hide clothes out of sight and out of mind.

Q: What’s your favorite love song?
A: I don’t think I have one…? Haven’t been in love in ages, but “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros makes me feel in love, even though I’m not in love.. you know, the feeling.

Q: How tall are you?
A: As tall as my biggest girl crush: Clémence Poésy! How do I know this? Because I met her in the cramped corridor at Le Progrès in Paris, and because we were standing next to each other I got the chance to compare my height with her. That is 5’4″/163 cm.

Q: What do you do in daily life?
A: I go to school, I work as a piano teacher/tutor (been doing this since I was 15 years old), I play, practice and rehearse my musical instruments, I take music lessons at the Norwegian Academy of Music, I blog, I see a shrink, I watch a lot of old movies and skype with my friends who study in other cities.

(via literaturesoft.com)

Q: What does your appartment look like? As Parisian chic as you?
A: Haha, no.. I still live at home with my parents and sisters and my room has basically remained the same for perhaps 10 years or something. Though, I painted my walls white last year and I’ve de-cluttered a lot. My goal is a room that contains a bed, a closet, a book shelf and a simple table. No clutter, just plain simplicity. The “simplifying my life”-project includes removing distractions from the walls, furnitures, etc.. However, my father is an architect and he’ll design me an eco-friendly and minimalistic house in the future. I find minimalism absolutely intriguing. By the way, French shabby chic is so not my style.. what can I say? It’s too shabby for my taste…

Q: What’s your dreamjob?
A: Filmmaker, scriptwriter, professor of medicine, medical scientist, attending physician and anesthesiologist. But I wouldn’t mind getting paid for being a dreamer.

Q: What are you studying?
A: Music, and I prepare for medical studies (even though it will take years before I’m ready and qualified…)

Books

10
06.09.10

(via leschroniquesdeblake)

Q:  Do you read? If so, what is your favourite book?
A: Oui, of course I read! My favorite books are:

Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
Franny and Zooey (J.D. Salinger)
The Other Hand (Chris Cleave)
Post Office (Charles Bukowski)
Les Enfants Terribles (Jean Cocteau)

Q: A book you’re currently reading?
A: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan