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Isn’t it odd that for all the long hours that seem to drag at work or while waiting for trains, we still can’t slow down time? In a blink of an eye another year has flashed by. For me, I’ve logged a ton of miles this year across a few continents, so 2008 has come and gone at warp speed. Yet it doesn’t really seem that out of the ordinary to me. But in categorizing pictures for this blog, I look back and feel very lucky (and tired!) to have been truly present in every step that I’ve taken this year.
My best friend from law school and I have a tradition of getting together annually to go over our list of goals for the coming year. You might call it new year’s resolutions, but for us it’s a “big picture” checklist. We reflect on the list from the year before and assess whether any unfinished tasks should be added to the new list. And then we read our new lists and defend our positions. It’s like a mock trial for Father Time.
For the last ten years or so my list has gotten shorter and shorter. It’s not that I’m done setting goals; I’ve just become more realistic. Every day already comes with its own set of goals so the main objective is to set a path for the entire year. The challenge is sticking to the roadmap when those daily hurdles conspire to throw you off the tracks. As I’d indicated in an earlier blog, my path for 2009 is to appreciate more…
…and consume less:
For those of you who are going through hardships, may 2009 bring you more rose petal showers instead of rainy days:
If you are a cynic or feel the sky is falling, may you find some fairy dust in the world around you:
If you believe the world is a scary place and no one can be trusted, may you find unexpected laughter with total strangers:
For those of you courageous enough to choose to see this at the end of each day…
thanks for inspiring me to do this…
so that I can bring you more of the world next year:
Happy New Year everyone!
Tags: 2008, 2009, new year's resolutions
*Both photos here courtesy of Lyndsey Chong. I blame her and all other enablers who feed my insatiable appetite for Chanel.
I belong to an online community that gabs about designer handbags. More specifically, I hang out in the forum where we discuss ad nauseum all things CHANEL. Now I may already have my fair share of Chanel goodies in my closet and have challenged myself to a total shopping ban in ‘09 (well, before you congratulate me on my restraint, the ban is in anticipation of an exotic Birkin somewhere in the near future) (can’t wait till I go orange, but I digress…), I still love looking at the pictures posted by other members of the forum. Pictures of new bags as they are released. Pictures of old bags from beloved, past collections. Pictures of shoes, RTW, accessories. If it’s Chanel, I have to look. Yes, it’s worse than a train wreck. I rationalize the time spent at this forum as research. No fashionista can do too little research! And truth be told, it’s eye candy that stimulates my brain while I’m sleepwalking through conference calls in my day gig. Did I just say that out loud?
What spurs me to write about the above bag, however, is the fact that it stopped me dead in my tracks as soon as I saw its photograph. And I usually pass on all things girly girl. But the color is delicious, especially on that buttery lambskin. The limited edition Valentine charms on the classic chain are just trop adorables! Go with me on this: I see myself in a voluminous, pale blue linen sundress, a pair of camellia sandals on my feet, and a silk scarf around my neck. I’m having a good hair day as I sit on the back of a vespa (cue the wind machine), zipping through Ibiza on my way to meet Uncle Karl for a late lunch. You can see this sweet little purse dangling on my shoulder, can’t you? Ok, first of all, I know I need to stop talking about Karl Lagerfeld like I’m some kind of a stalker. Like I know him or something. This is already his third mention in my two-months-old blog, but it’s impossible to talk about Chanel without referencing the man responsible for turning this couture house into an 800-pound gorilla that toys with our affection, even in these economic times. And second of all, I need to stop with these scenarios that run through my head every time a bag catches my fancy. You’ve seen my travel pictures. Is it really realistic that I’d bring such a high maintenance bag on one of my many adventures?
OK, so where was I? Right, we were in Ibiza on a sunny day. The problem with this whole fantasy sequence is that I see my own face and the voice in my head gasps; it’s asking me if the bag is age appropriate! Since when did I become the age police? Sure, fashion police is fine, but age police? I rewind the tape in my mind and look again. And yep, I’m sure I’d look pretty ridiculous carrying a bag that’s more suitable for someone half my age. Does fashion have an expiration date? Let me rephrase that: do I have an expiration date when it comes to what I should not wear? Aging is not my strong suit, and I feel faint.
Living in LA is a lot like living in a trompe-l’oeil. You will often see a scantily-clad, hot body with bleached hair, but as soon as she turns around you may see an overly Botoxed sixtysomething living in denial of the reflection in her mirror. If I’m glib in writing that, it’s because I, too, can fall just as easily into that sand trap. We are youth obsessed in this town, and if we pretend not to see the inevitable signs of aging, we can be 19 forever. In our own minds anyway. But am I being anti-feminist if I don’t cheer her on to fight society and dress as she pleases? Do I cringe in equal amounts if I see a man dressing much too young for his age? Though I’m not sure what qualifies as dressing overly youthful for men…are we talking about skinny jeans here? But isn’t fashion about dressing as one pleases? It’s one of the few pleasures left in life that won’t cause cancer…right?
I always shudder when I see the editorials in fashion magazines that recommend what’s appropriate to wear in your twenties, thirties, forties, etc. I just have a problem with age setting a limit on fashion because for some of us, by the time we can afford designer garb, we are already outside of those demographics. And setting an expiration date on some looks smacks too much of censorship. I want to say fashion should empower us; we should apply only one rule in fashion: live and let live. But in spite of my love for the freedom of expression, I think sometimes it’s OK for me to listen to the voice inside my head to assess the damage from Mother Nature and cut my losses. And dress appropriately. So as much as I’d love to collect this lovely bag, it’s past my expiration date.
Having said all that, let’s look closely at the charms, shall we?
Do you see the one that says Bonne Chance (“good luck”)? As in good luck finding this bag. Good luck trying to baby a light colored lambskin bag. Good luck trying to un-snag the charms from your clothes. Good luck making up a million more excuses to not love this bag. Good luck getting this bag out of my head. Sigh.
Tags: Birkin, Chanel, expiration date, Fashion, Karl Lagerfeld, Valentine
There are literally a million stores and dining choices along the Champs-Élysées, but today this particular store with the Citroën exhibit catches my attention:
The stairs spiral around the entire building and on each floor there is a spinning display showcasing interior designs by various vendors. This is a room sparsely decorated by Louis Vuitton in muted colors:
But once inside, I am anxious to get back outside…
That’s the problem with being a nomad; I just can’t stand still long enough. I still have to get to the Louvre, but it’s so hot outside I stop for something cold. We don’t see too many cars like these in the US–and certainly not parked on sidewalks:
The bottle of water is finished by the time I reach the Louvre:
For once I don’t go inside the museum so that I can take my time enjoying the grounds. It’s easy to get caught up in the madness inside the Louvre; there’s simply too much to absorb in one afternoon session, especially with so many people jockeying for position in front of certain works of art. Wouldn’t it be great to get locked inside the museum for one night and loiter from room to room at my leisure!
On any given day there are street performers all around Paris, and today, just outside of the Louvre on a sidewalk under a cupola (which provides incredible acoustics), there’s a soprano belting out arias from the opera Carmen. A good sized crowd builds around her. Even people who appear to be in a rush to walk around the crowd seem to slow down. It’s as if her voice has us held captive in some kind of a slo-mo time warp. I look at the 15th century architecture around me, take in the sweet music written in the 1800s coming out of the mouth of someone born in the late 20th century and think to myself: I can’t ever stop traveling! It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Tags: Carmen, Citroen, Louis Vuitton, Louvre, Paris
Today I pick us up at the famous Arc de Triomphe. This monument marks the center of the Place de l’Étoile (or star square) where twelve avenues converge. I access the monument via an underpass and once above ground, I finally see how huge it is:
The friezes and sculptures found at the base of the Arc commemorate peace, resistance, triumph, and national pride:
At the heart of the Arc is the tomb of the unknown soldier (from WWI) accompanied by the eternal flame:
On this day I climb the 284 steps to get to the top of the monument for a phenomenal view of the city. As many stairs as I’ve had to climb throughout this trip, none of them have gotten any easier. At least in this case I feel like each dizzying step is taking me to the top point of the star. And I’m right. The top doesn’t get any better than this. Once on the roof, the city unfolds like a 3-dimensional map in front of me. In these next two pictures you can see the two structures I blogged about earlier: the Sacré-Cœur…
and the Eiffel Tower:
It’s amazing to see life humming below you…all those cars and apartments filled with people living a modern life in the middle of historical landmarks:
I’m excited to go join the foot traffic on one of the large tree lined avenues, but let’s linger for just a bit longer to take in one of my favorite views…
and then we can hit the Champs-Élysées for shopping and lunch…
Let’s see what we find on the streets in tomorrow’s blog!
Tags: Arc de triomphe, champs-elysees, eternal flame, frieze, place de l'etoile, tomb of the unknown soldier
Two recurring themes in my travel photography are local children and CHANEL boutiques that I run across in foreign countries. Hey, I did say this is supposed to be about travel and fashion! Sometimes if I’m lucky, I manage to capture both themes in one shot as in the photograph above, taken in Tokyo.
This is my first Christmas Eve blog and I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful, peaceful holiday season. With some perseverance I hope to bring you more of the world next year. Below are some of my favorite pictures from various continents. For what is Christmas without children?
The best way to enjoy Christmas is through children’s eyes, free of cynicism from the commercialized holiday that we have come to know as adults. So if I could wish you all something for Christmas, it would be to relive five minutes from your childhood through your adult eyes. If I could grant myself that one wish, I would want these five minutes back:
Happy holidays everyone!
