New York vs. Paris

It's true that you always want to move to the places where you vacation.  Never before, however, had I felt such a strong urge to drop everything and move than when I was in Paris.  The feeling eventually passed, and as I've settled back into normal life, I've realized that there are so many things I'd miss about New York.  Paris and New York are both incredible cities with so much to offer their residents, yet so different in their quirks as illustrated by Vahram Muratyan in his blog Paris versus New York: a tally of two cities. 

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

 Whichever you prefer, make sure you keep le ticket with you at all times or you may get a fine from the SNCF.

 I think pigeons are worse.  Rats can't fly. 

Pistachio macaron vs. red velvet cupcake?  Now this is a tough one...

I'm not sure how I.M. Pei would like having his creation compared to a retail store, but they do look similar...

I've never been to the 3rd or Williamsburg, but I imagine those who have can attest to the accuracy of this image.

What the Cool Girls are Wearing

I think French girls are so cool.  They look so...effortless.  Like they rolled out of bed looking totally fabulous.  Since I spent only one week observing what Parisian women wore, I can't claim to be an expert (or even very accurate) but I noticed a few trends: leather motorcycle jackets, cross body bags and chunky ankle boots.  All of these items lean towards casual, so I thought it would be fun to interpret them in a way that could work for a Professionelle.

McQ Leather Vest-Inlay Jacket (1565.00)

I love how feminine this leather jacket looks.  The cut softens the edge of the leather and the cropped length would work well for petites.

BCBGMAXAZRIA Naples1 (250.00)

The buckles on these boots give it that biker chick look but the shape of the boot is very refined.  I would wear these with patterned black tights.

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Harbridge Saddle Bag (228.00)

I actually saw this bag in the window of the Macy's on Nicolette Mall in Minneapolis.  Paris inspired, but found in the Midwest.

Alexander Wang Leather-Front Blazer (895.00)

It's so hard to find a leather blazer that doesn't look outdated.  I love how modern this looks, yet it still feels classic.

Alexander McQueen Tab and Buckle Heel Bootie (1225.00)

Now this boot is going to take some attitude to pull off at work, and perhaps a very conservative outfit to balance the shoe.  I absolutely love navy suede for Fall.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Jane-On-A-Leash Crossbody (228.00)

I'm so glad Marc Jacobs finally made some Marc by Marc Jacobs bags without that awful gold plaque.  This bag makes the perfect day to night purse.

An American Professionelle in Paris

Bonsoir Professionelles!

Je suis très désolé!  I have been in France for the last two weeks and had every intention of blogging during my entire vacation.  But alas, it's my last night in Paris and I'm just getting around to writing my first post.

This has been the most incredible trip.  It began in Burgandy, for Peter and Lisa's beautiful wedding.  Next, my dear friend Yun Ah and I traveled to Provence and Nice before heading to Paris.  Unfortunately, Yun Ah had to return to work, but I was incredibly lucky to have three fantastic local hosts (Chiawen, José and Camilla) to show me the city of light.  In fact, the title of this post is inspired by Chiawen's blog, A Chinese-American in Paris.  Since I know of at least a few Professionelles who will be traveling to Paris in the next few months, and also because the French are très chic, I will be sharing with you a series of posts inspired by my trip.

It's past 1am here, and I have a flight to catch in the morning, so this first post is actually a re-post from a fabulous blog Camilla introduced me to: HiP Paris.

The above illustration is from this great post about how to pack for Spring in Paris.  It translates very well for those who are traveling to Paris in the Fall.  I generally consider myself a fairly sophisticated traveler, and for the most part, our trip has gone off without a hitch, but I really could have used this post before I left New York.  As I was planning this trip, I used travel websites like Trip Advisor and Airbnb (can't wait to use Approved by Friends for my next trip!), I consulted friends who had been to the places we were going for recommendations (thank you to the Ulterior Epicure!), but for some reason, I didn't think to check out local blogs for inspiration.  If I had done so, I would have packed at least one pair of pants and many layering options for the unpredictable and varied French weather!

With that, I'm off to bed for now.  But once I'm back stateside, I will be posting my observations about what Parisienne women wear to allow them to look so effortlessly chic, reviews of the stores Parisienne women actually shop in, whether French designer goods are really cheaper in France and why, after only two days, J'aime mon carré!

Bonne nuit Professionelles!

P.S. please excuse any mistakes in my French as I am using the ever so accurate Google Translate.

Custom Salvaged Wood Dining Table

As Christina is well aware, I have been looking for the perfect dining table for over two years.  It had to be small enough to fit in a New York apartment, but big enough to seat six people for a small dinner party. I wanted it to be rustic yet elegant and it had to be sturdy but not clunky.  Needless to say, like with other areas of my life, it was hard to find something that met all of my requirements.  That is, until I stumbled upon these gorgeous custom tables by a husband and wife team at the Brooklyn Flea.  They don't have pictures of their tables on their website, but you can basically get any size table (dining, coffee, bar height etc.) that is of the style shown below.  I asked for a 54x32 dining table with legs set 17 inches wide in order to fit my ghost chairs.  I asked for wood with some flaws to give it some character.  In less than a week, my table was ready!  Prices vary, but I paid $550 for the table pictured below.  Finally!  Table success!  Now, I've just got to find the perfect black work bag...

Email John or Avian at avian@verizon.net to order your custom table.  They require 50% down for all custom orders.  If you want to check them out before ordering, you can find them on Saturdays at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene.

Crazy Silly Beautiful

It's been a rough week for this Professionelle.  Meetings from dawn till dusk, late night conference calls with counsel from all over the world (which is why I'm up at 1am writing this post...) and a little bit of racial insensitivity from a counter-party to boot.  Needless to say, I cannot wait for my upcoming trip to France (one week and counting!).  So tonight, I bring you a re-post.  Something that made me smile and appreciate how wonderful life can be.  A reminder that there are flowers and gold paint and gosh darn it, I will some day have enough free time to brush gold paint on flowers just because it's pretty.  Found on Creature Comforts, this totally useless DIY is crazy, silly and beautiful.

Work Appropriate Nail Polish

I know there's some controversy surrounding what nail polish colors are appropriate for work.  In my view, any color goes when it comes to your toes, even if you wear open toed shoes to work.  As for your hands, subtle and classic is the way to go.  I try to get a manicure once a week (it's a wonderful break from a hectic day at work).  If you work near Grand Central, the best place to go is Spa Butterfly.  If you go to Spa Butterfly though, be careful what you unload on your manicurist because chances are, the girl (or guy) sitting next to you works at your office.  Here are my favorite work appropriate nail polish colors:

Mademoiselle: Very sheer pink color that can be worn on its own or as the base coat to a French manicure.

Guchi Muchi Puchi: My current favorite (in fact, I'm wearing this shade as I type).  It's less sheer than Mademoiselle but not overwhelming pink.

 Fishnet Stockings: The only time I recommend wearing fishnet stockings to work is on your finger tips.  The perfect classic red.

 Wicked: It's lighter/more red than it looks in this picture.  A sophisticated dark red.  Just be sure not to chip your nails because it's very noticeable with this color.

I tend to wear Essie because they seem to have more options, but I'm sure there are some wonderful O.P.I., Chanel, Sally Hanson etc. colors.  If you've got a favorite, share it in the comments section!

Business Cards from Moo

Professionelle's free business cards from Moo came yesterday and I am absoultely in love with them!  I discovered Moo through about.me which I discovered through Loni, my tech-fabulous friend who is the co-founder of Approved by Friends, a website that allows you to easily explore and plan where to go and what to do in your city and around the world. 
With your about.me account, you get a free pack of Moo business cards that come with a QR code that links to your about.me page.  I made Aman try it yesterday on his iPhone and it worked!  Check out Professionelle's about.me page here.

You can create custom cards on Moo or you can choose one of their existing designs.  Here are a few of my favorites, all 69.99 for a pack of 200:

Pocket Piano: you can fold along the lines and create a mini-piano.  How clever!

Affirmations

Perfect Palette

Typographical Moustaches

Black-Tie 10 Years Post Prom

I've had two black tie weddings already this summer and one coming up in August, then on top of that I'm the only gentile bridesmaid in a traditional orthodox Jewish wedding.  It's been a fun challenge finding outfits for all of these weddings. 

Before this summer, prom was the last time I looked for a black-tie dress (technically I had to find one for Barrister's Ball in law school, but that might as well have been prom).  The problem with shopping for black-tie dresses after the age of 16 is that everything is either a million dollars or too prom-y for a Professionelle.  Add to that the fact that half of the colors in the rainbow are off limits for some weddings (white for all of them, which means no cream or champagne either, red for three of them because the bride is Chinese, and for the traditional orthodox wedding, it has to be black, conservative and with sleeves). 

After searching far and wide, I've discovered quite a few options for an elegant and sophisticated black-tie dress that meets all of these restrictions. 

As you know, I love vintage.  My favorite online vintage stop is Timeless Vixen Vintage.  Lauren, the owner, posts new dresses daily on her Etsy store or you can email her for items in her showroom if you don't see what you need on the website.  I wore one of Lauren's dresses to Phyllis's elegant formal wedding and it was perfect.  Although it's one of a kind, this dress gives you a good idea of what you can find at Timeless Vixen.

1950's vintage gown (330.00)

Other than vintage which can be very expensive, not to mention difficult to fit, I love Notte by Marchesa dresses, which are inexpensive yet elegant.  I wore one to Kejia's beautiful wedding a few weeks ago and will be wearing another to Peter and Lisa's wedding in France.

Unfortunately, the dress I wore is currently sold out, but this one is very similar (475.20)

Rosette Embelished Barathea Silk Gown (462.00)

As for Shuli's traditional orthodox wedding, I've got a couple of options that I like, but what I love, is this knockoff Pippa Middleton bridesmaid dress.  I'm not a huge fan of knockoff dresses (and thanks to Charles Colman, we now know the difference between knockoff and counterfeit) but this one is just so classic and pretty.  While plenty of girls pined after Pippa's dress because it showed off her amazing figure, my orthodox friends tell me that the brides in their commuinity loved it because it's appropriate for all but the most conservative ceremonies. 

A.B.S. Pippa's Dress (399.00)

This is definitely not to say that you can't wear a short dress to a black-tie wedding.  At the black-tie events I've been to, half of the women wore short dresses.  The key is to accessorize with gorgeous jewlery, shoes or bags.  I'm totally six months behind on this trend (and now it's out of stock), but I love the unexpected look of this clear clutch which comes with interchangeable liners:

Charlotte Olympia Pandora Plexiglass Clutch (615.00).  Yes, $615 is way too much to spend on plexiglass, so I suggest you try the DIY version found here.

Profession-hommes' Picks

Even though I always think that you should dress for yourself first, and then dress for other women, sometimes it's fun to get a guy's perspective on what looks good.  I asked five of my male friends to peruse commonly visited websites and pick out three items of women's clothing they liked and one item they hated.  They were asked to make these choices without the help of their significant others or female friends.  So Professionelles, how did these Profession-hommes do?

David (Theory)

David wasn't a huge fan of Theory in general, but he was still able to find a few pieces he liked.  Even though David wasn't allowed to ask his wife for her input, I think she would have approved of everything he picked. 

Kabilla B Dress, which my officemate just bought so I know it looks great in person (147.50)

Gabe B Blazer (197.50)


Joanie Skirt (100.00)

This was David's least favorite piece from Theory.  I happen to love this blouse which just goes to show how differently men and women think about clothing.

Primo Top (122.50)

Brian (Bloomingdales)

We may be seeing a theme here because Brian's wife also agreed with all of his choices.  Perhaps men pay more attention to what their significant others wear after all?  Either way, Brian found some great pieces at Bloomingdales.

Lafayette 148 New York Clarissa Stretch Cotton Bow Neck Top, aka the Juelle top (198.00)

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Aaron Classic Non-Iron Shirt (59.50)

I'm sensing another theme, Brian also choose the Theory Gabe Jacket (375.00)

Brian's least favorite was a DKNY long sleeve cozy, but the good people at Bloomingdales have since taken down that truly ugly item.  This was Brian's second choice for least favorite.  With the exception of the belt, I don't think it's terrible, but the thin cable knit probably makes it inappropriate for work.

Milly Cable Knit Belted Dress (295.00)

Lucas (J. Crew)

Lucas works in a less formal environment so his picks are slightly more casual, although he wouldn't recommend any of these items if you've got client meetings or court appearances.

Souvenier Dress (148.00)

Stretch Perfect Shirt in Class Stripe (68.00)

Perfect Shirt in Amory Floral, shirt only, skirt is obviously too short for work(59.50)

Although I love floral patterns, I have to agree with Lucas that this skirt is not my favorite:

Mirabel Pencil Skirt (128.00)

Chris (Banana Republic)

Chris wasn't a huge fan of any of the options at Banana Republic, and I think in general he's right.  It seems like every season, one chain store has nothing of interest, and this season Banana Republic might just be it.  Despite that, Chris managed to find some great pieces.  I particularly like the BR Monogram Silk Belted Blouse.

Bianca Sheath Dress (129.99)

Sleek Suit Skirt (39.99)

BR Monogram Silk Belted Blouse (79.50)

Unlike the ruffles Brian liked, it's no suprise that this Jacket was Chris's least favorite.

BR Monogram Ruffled Leather Jacket (149.99)

Aaron (Shopbop)

I originally gave Aaron Forever 21, but I really should have known better.  I can barely navigate that website myself so I wasn't surprised when Aaron couldn't find anything work appropriate.  So, I gave him Shopbop, a similarly trendy yet upscale store and he managed to pick some very work-appropriate items.  Of all of the items the Profession-hommes picked, Aaron picked my favorite, the Rebecca Taylor Perfect Shift Dress.

Theory Tenois Dress (365.00)

Rebecca Taylor Perfect Shift Dress (350.00)

Equipment Brett Washed Silk Blouse (218.00)

I don't actually think this is a terrible dress (if you can get over the sticker shock), but Aaron's least favorite from Shopbop is certainly hard to pull off if you aren't a tall skinny super model. 



Calvin Klein Arah Dress (895.00)

So what do you think Professionelles?  How do these guy's styles compare to yours?  I think in general, this little experiment shows that men like simple clothing that fits well and dislike anything too complicated or baggy.  Many thanks to all of the Profession-hommes that helped with this post.