Garance asked her readers to give their Top Ten Basics following a post she did on a young Emmanuelle Alt featured in 20 Ans:
The list I posted on her blog, consisted of the following ten items:
1. SKINNY JEANS
Where I grew up, skinny jeans were a no-no in the eighties. While every one with Cindy Lauper hair and make-up was fully experimenting with eighties looks like leggings, lace, skinny jeans, stone washed jeans (remember those?), et all, I was wearing a Levi's 501, a Chippie nautical jumper and Converse trainers (2 different colors, like a red one and a marine one) and at least 3 Swatch watches; 2 around one wrist and one around the other wrist (have to be a teenager to get that one...:-) Don't worry, when the counter hit Sweet 16, heels, black, dresses and balloon skirts replaced the field-hockey-girl attire, and fashion walked out of the glossy pages into my teenage life (think Jean-Paul Gaultier, Mac & Maggie (The Dutch readers will remember that one), Puck & Hans (another Dutch fashion Lalaland from the eighties) and vintage. Back to those skinny jeans: when the trend was relaunched by a certain Miss Moss (or actually Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme, but that aside) a decade ago, I was thrilled, that this time around I could wear them safely, without my mother's or girlfriends' approval. I've always been kind of skinny (jeans size 26 anyone?), and normal jeans were never really working. So, not only did I start wearing them, I decided to never take them out of my closet. Ever!
2. BLACK DIOR HOMME by HEDI SLIMANE TUXEDO JACKET
Remember that iconic Helmut Newton picture (1975) of Le Smoking by Yves Saint Laurent. Since for E V E R I'm on the hunt for an original one. A vintage one. I regularly go to Didier (Ludot), to ask him if "it" arrived yet. He has my phone number, knowing, that the first thing he's supposed to do, when one comes in, in my size, is calling me. Growing up with a feminist mother, this piece of cloth is the ultimate. We can't even imagine, how revolutionary it was for its time: a woman wearing a men's tuxedo in 1966! It's one of my missions in life to ever own an original one, which I will pass to my future, future grand daughter. Until I find one, I'll wear my Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane. I seriously live in this jacket. I wear it with everything: to dress up an ordinary jeans/T-shirt outfit, to give a masculine touch to a girly dress, to perfectly match with a LBD, or as a jacket during spring or during fall combined with a hand knitted scarf. And one day, one day, it will be the YSL...
3. BLACK BURBERRY TRENCH COAT
How can one live without? It's timeless, utile, chic and understated. The ultimate is of course, the made-to- measure one, including your initials...
4. LBD as many as possible!
I can not say this enough; we girls can not live without a LBD. And you actually need many of them. I wear them to work, dinners, parties, clubs, openings, first dates, funerals, birthdays, everywhere! So my collection is vast! From Lanvin to Dries, to vintage, to YSL, to Chanel, to cheap cotton made-in-China ones I find at markets, and buy, because I can't leave them hanging their. For upcoming winter they are an absolute must-have. Every respected brand had a few to show. Here are some of my favorites, which will probably end up in my winter wardrobe:
CELINE F/W 2010 DRIES VAN NOTEN F/W 2010
These two are perfect for work days at the office or mommy days with the kids. Comfortable Chic. Love it!
VICTORIA BECKHAM F/W 2010 (Left)
LANVIN F/W 2010 (Right)
These two numbers of Victoria Beckham and Lanvin will bring you from lunch to dinner, to opening to party. Perfect for one of those days at work, where you have all these things to attend and not enough time to change. That's exactly what I like about the perfect little black dress. The multitude of possibilities.
5. BLACK BIRKIN BAG by HERMÈS
Who needs an It bag?
6. BLACK 2.55 HANDBAG by CHANEL (vintage: my grandmother's)
Again, who needs an It bag? And this one is so understated without the Mademoiselle lock (CC lock).
7. BALLERINAS by REPETTO and LANVIN
8. GRAY and BLACK CASHMERE CARDIGANS
I can't live without these. Small, oversized, thrown on or belted, dress-like, I seriously can't imagine a life without them...
9. GRAY and WHITE T-SHIRTS by AMERICAN APPAREL unlimited
From casual, to chic, dressed up, day, evening, from sports to bed to parties. Is there anyone who actually doesn't wear these?
10. BLACK PATENT LEATHER PIGALLES by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
Religiously! I also love them (and wear them) in black satin. Although, as mentioned before, in one of my posts, the new shoe brand to go to these days is APERLAÏ. Founded by two dear friends: Srdjan Prodanovic, former PR director at Giambattista Valli, who followed Valli after having collaborated with him for the house of Emmanuel Ungaro, where I actually met him. And Burak Uyan, the creative spirit behind the shoe label, who was Valli's accessory designer and who used to work at Givenchy before that. Plum Sykes hailed them the new Manolo's in this March issue of Vogue! But, until Burak is doing a Pigalles kind a heel in patent leather and satin, Christian will be the man I will go to for those.
I will try to take a picture soon and I'll put it up. And you might be right about Slimane's tuxedo jacket being le smoking of our time. Saw the original one in le Petit Palais a few days ago (YSL exhibit) and it was kind of disappointing. It has all safari pockets stitched on...(?).
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