Corrections

I want to correct a few things I wrote in my last blog. After our class chat last night I realized that to be a good writer one has to be able to write upon a diverse range of topics. I will never be just a fashion writer--it would do my craft no good to focus in on just one thing. However, if I become a freelance writer and the magazines start coming after me for my writing, I need to have some stories to show. I need to keep writing about my favorite shoes. I need to keep writing about what I see when I look out the window. Fashion is a bit of a hobby for me, but it is also a passion in that I love to be engaged in fashion and I love to write about it. Combining my life experiences and my love for fashion will lend itself to the absolute best writing I think. So, I guess the correction is that I underestimated my love for fashion--I want to be in the fashion world, just as a free agent.

What I Thought About....

I have enjoyed learning about all the different jobs in fashion and the many facets to a fashion magazine. However, I just want to write. That is the main thing. I would love to do some writing about fashion as it is a sort of hobby of mine. I love to know what's out for the season, especially when it comes to shoes. I am somewhat of a shoe snob. I have my own "shoe guy" who helps me decide what shoes I need for the season. We have so much fun together.

I don't think I want to be in the cut throat business of fashion. I can honestly say that since I haven't seen The Devil Wears Prada I did not know just how searing the business is. I don't want to be constantly looking over my shoulder to see who's behind me. I want to become so good in my craft of writing that a magazine would come to me to do a certain piece for them. I would like to write about more than fashion because I think I would tire of just doing fashion and because I know one day I would look back and wonder why I didn't spend more time writing about the things I know the best, my family, my culture, my self.

I love feeling like I've put together a great outfit, but I don't want to be obsessive about it and it is easy to do that. I want to be confident in my own style and really embrace it. I really like that part of fashion: the real people in fashion have their own style, they don't just follow the trends. I could never keep up with all the trends, but I like to incorporate some of them into each season. I think for me writing about fashion will always be somewhat of a hobby. I don't think I'm cut out for the big world of fashion and competition and being overlooked alot. I want to keep my love for fashion in my pocket and bring it out as I will. I want it to be fun for me all the time and I think that if it became my job, it might not be as fun. Just thoughts.....

Spring 2008 from Lanvin

The spring 2008 line from Lanvin was absolutely incredible! Alber Elbaz stated that he only wanted to "work from instinct". His instincts produced a line that was rich in hue and full of motion--even the embellished shifts seemed to be full of motion. This was the first thing that struck me about his spring collection: its fluidity. My favorite pieces in the collection were the 4 pleated dresses in cobalt, green, yellow, and red. They seemed to open up as the girls came down the runway. They floated behind and to the side of the girls creating an airy motion that was due to the construction of the dresses. It was almost as if the winds were blowing the dresses. Absolutely fabulous! Second to these 4 outstanding pieces were Elbaz's draped dresses. They were very reminiscent of what you would imagine the Greek goddesses would have worn. They were draped upon the models and cinched with either a belt or a gathered drawstring. The cobalt color that Elbaz used was amazing. It was so intense and so saturated. It was breath-taking to me.

In opposition to the big bright dresses and the draped dresses were some shorter ones that had lots of embellishment, some fringe, some hardware. They were also very fluid though. It was a very new and refreshing take on the very simple shift of the Sixties. Mary Quant with fringe and hardware! Elbaz also did a few pieces with feathers that were equally as beautiful. All in all his collection looked very feminine and very easy to wear. I would love to eat dinner al fresco in the cobalt ballon dress. I would feel so free and so rich.

Wisdom

I am the first one to admit that I've made mistakes in my life. There are some that I consider "regrets" and some that I just consider mistakes, things I wish had never done, but things that made me grow in the end. One of the biggest mistakes I've made and I do also consider it a regret, is that I did not date my former husband for long enough before we got married. I didn't know him well enough and we had not spent enough time together. There were so many things we didn't know about each other that we subsequently found out once we were married. I had always heard that marriage is a different ball game than dating, but I didn't realize it fully until I got married. What did I learn from this? I learned that people aren't always telling the truth about themselves. I learned that we are products of our families of origin and nothing can mitigate that. I learned that you have to really know your self before you can know someone else. And I learned that it is very important to seek wise counsel in all major decisions.

Another mistake I made was selling my beloved condo. I adored that place and lived there for four years. I didn't know if I wanted to stay here in Atlanta or not and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I knew that if I refinanced I had to stay for 2 years to make the refinancing worth it. I just couldn't commit to that so I sold the condo. I think about it all the time. I now live in a generic apartment that I hate. What I learned from this was that it is imperitive to trust yourself and what you really want. I learned that once you make a committment to something, you must go through with it, no matter how much you want to change your mind. I learned that leaving is not a way to deal with life. I learned that home is where the heart is. I learned that once you've found your "home", you should stick to it and never let it go. I will always love my condo and will always have fond memories of it. But it will forever remind me of the importance of being solid and knowing where your north star is at all times.

A Day in My Life

I wake up at 6 and groggily put on my Pilates clothes and head out the door for a 6:30 class. At 7:20 I pick up my first Starbucks latte and head back home to get ready for work. Usually I am rushed, but I manage to put together a good outfit most of the time. I take a shower, wash and dry my hair, then get dressed which usually means black skinny pants, a crisp long-sleeved t-shirt,a sweater round my shoulders, and a pair of my favorite Louboutin flats. I mostly wear my hair down because secretly I am proud of it; it is a beautiful brown, long, straight, and very soft.

Around 8:15 I head off to the office. Today I have a meeting at 9 so it behooves me not to be late. I am meeting with the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine I work for, "British Vogue". We are going to talk today about a piece I want to do. I am really very passionate about my writing and so sometimes I tend to push too hard. I have to go slow on this one if I want to get it, so I am thinking of pleasing thoughts, feeling my Starbucks latte slowly go down my throat, loving the fact that I chose my orange Louboutin flats today as they are my current favorite. I can feel spring just coming up and the sun is high today. I feel energized and ready to face whatever challenges come.

As I enter the office I say hello to Officer Chambliss, the security officer who sits in the lobby of my building. He and I have a rather friendly relationship and I always make sure I remember his birthday and Christmas. I get on the elevator with a few other people and press 11. On the ride up I look down at my shoes again and smile. I am unlike most women in the working world in that I do not use my briefcase as my purse. I must carry a purse at all times; I've always been that way. So, my briefcase must be minimal. I carry an old small messenger bag for my briefcase and today I am carrying my most favorite purse, the classic black Jackie-O bag from Gucci. Floor 11 rings and I step off.

I open the glass doors that lead into the magazine's main office and smile at Margaret, our receptionist. She smiles back and asks about my weekend. I do the same and hop off to my office for a quick review of my research before the meeting. It is now 8:50 and I have ten minutes to settle in. I grab my water and drink as though I had never had anything to drink before! I grab my folder out of my briefcase, quickly look over the main points I outlined last night and head off to Charlotte's office,on the next floor. I take the stairs not wanting to wait for the elevator. She is at her desk looking over something but her door is open, so I gently knock and she looks up. "Come on in Mireille, how are you?" "Good morning Charlotte, I am well and you?" "Oh I've been better, but once this issues hits the stands I'll be doing just fine!" We chat about the latest issue and a few of the problems we've had with it. Since Charlotte is very direct and doesn't like to waste time, I decide to go ahead and present my research. She is very receptive and says fine, go ahead, you have my full support. I smile, clap my hands together and say, "Oh thank you!" I leave before she has time to realize that my research isn't complete yet and that I have alot of work to do to get this done in time.

I return to my office and realize I've already finished my coffee and it is only 9:30. I grab my purse and head to the corner of the street and grab another coffee then quickly get back to my office to begin the work of the day. When I get back to my office there is a parcel waiting for me. I am used to getting lots of parcels, as I am the style editor at British Vogue there are many people who want me to feature their products or clothes. Inside this parcel is a pair of grey cropped pants, just my size of course, with a note that says "thanks for the mention in last month's issue, I knew how much you loved these, love Adrien". How sweet, these will look great with my new yellow Brooks Brothers pullover. Adrien is an up and coming designer that I discovered while in the states a few months ago. His line is called simply "adrien" and it is made up of seperates that are all well-made and designed with clean, simple lines. However he loves to play with texture and loves to make clothes out of their designated season. For example the pants he sent me are cropped for the spring but have a tweed texture that one would typically see in a fall collection. The shade of grey they are done in makes them seasonless, but the red piping around the bottoms of the legs and the top of the waist make them spring!

Okay, so now I have my coffee, it is time to work. I begin my checking my email and trying to respond to most of them. I am eager to begin writing, so I undock my laptop, close my door and move to my plush armchair, (done in yellow corderoy and so lucious) and begin to write. I guess I lost track of time because the next time I look up it is nearly noon! I sit and think about what I've been writing and if it is any good, feeling a little giddy because I honestly think that it is. I stretch my legs and move back to my desk. Time for lunch which today is with my mother. We are going to meet at Heaping Bowl just down the street.

I put on my sweater and head for the elevator. Of course I don't get very far because I've been shut in my office all morning. There are people that need my approval for this and that and really I don't care that much about it because I am still a bit high from my very productive morning. I dash into the elevator and head downstairs and down the street, not wanting to make my mother wait. She's there sitting at a table in the corner. I greet her with a hug and sit down, realizing I am very hungry. We both have the soup and salad with sparkling water. I am glad to see my mother and glad that she wants to see me. I don't have much time because I have another meeting at 1:30. We chat, eat, and then part.

When I get back to my office I gather my notes for the meeting. Some of the writers are getting together to discuss this month's assignments and who wants to write what. I usually let the writers do what they want and try never to force an assignment on them. I have learned that this produces forced writing and it never reads well. The meeting goes well, but I am still thinking about my writing this morning. I can't wait to get back to my office and read over it again, to see if it is what I have in my mind it is.

By the time I finish answering emails and returning voice messages it is nearly 4 o'clock and I am getting tired. My eyes hurt, I think I need to have them checked. Perhaps I need stronger glasses. Marni stops by to chat and we talk for a bit until I realize I've got to make a last minute correction to the issue going to print! I caught an error last night that must be fixed. I dash down to where they are putting the issue together and ask if I am too late. They say yes, but let me change the text anyway. They know how picky I am and how it hurts me to see an error in print, especially when I should have caught it.

It has been a long day and I am ready to go home. I pack up my briefcase with the things I am going to work on at home and head out. I am so ready to climb into my bed and sleep for a bit. I just need to decompress and think for a while. I get home and change clothes, get some water, and get into bed. I sleep for an hour and then get up and begin reviewing what I was working on this morning. I work for about 2 hours and then get ready for bed. I am glad the day is over, but feel good about what I've done. As I set my alarm I am glad that tomorrow morning I have no Pilates so I get to sleep in a bit longer.