Wednesday, November 2, 2011

O.L. It-Girl: MARILYNE

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Marilyne is a young London resident, who grew up between France and Togo. She loves Laduree macaroons and likes to bake. She enjoys swimming, gymnastics and watching tennis games. She is curious of the world of fashion, but her main interests are in interior design, architecture and art.


A Random Fact About Marilyne:
“Hmmm…I am trilingual at the moment and am hoping to be fully conversant in Spanish by next January. So hopefully I will be quadrilingual in 2012!”


OL: In no more than 5 words, describe your style.
Marilyne: Eclectic, colourful, fluffy, feminine, story-based.

OL: Describe your favorite outfit.
Marilyne: A long grey cotton caftan, blood red Benefit lipstick, a spritz of rose water in my hair, golden yellow heels from Karine Arabian, a Renoir-Matisse copper belt, burnt orange blush powder from MAC on my cheeks, my vintage grey alligator clutch in my hand, a whiff of Traversee du Bosphore by l’Artisan Parfumeur on my wrist.

OL: What is one fashion accessory you could not live without?
Marilyne: My curly hair.

OL: Do you have a celebrity fashion icon? Who? Why?

Marilyne: I don’t really have “icons” I follow. More people I like to take inspiration from. Just like when you look at the way someone arranged their living room…and get inspired to arrange yours. In that sense I would say: 

  •  Julia Sarr-Jamois (I love her hair, I want my hair to be like that….soon!), 
  • Solange Knowles (I love her unabashed use of colour and we share a passion for quirky footwear),  
  • Corinne Bailey Rae (she is effortlessly feminine), 
  • Judy Aldridge (I’m in love with her home and her vintage collection), 
  • Katharine Hepburn (because she was a modern, unique, self-reliant and brave woman),
  • Cate Blanchett (she strikes me as someone who doesn’t shy away from a challenge even when she is given an easy way out…. I may be totally wrong but that’s the vibe I get from her…whether in her film choices or her fashion…she is daring in an unusual way), 
  • Tom Ford (the man is talented, flawed and sexy…what’s not to like?)
  • Karl Lagerfeld (I find his German accent sehr niedlich!)
  • Elie Saab (dresses, dresses, dresses !)
    OL: Where do you draw your fashion inspiration from?
    Marilyne: Modernism, Bauhaus, Sub Saharan African art, Cubism, Surrealism (particularly Frida Kahlo & Dali), Barnett Newman, Basquiat, Cuban music, traditional garments from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, 1970s and 1980s furniture, Moroccan house ware.

    I like to browse through art history to get inspiration. I am a HUGE fan of the Modernist and Art Deco movements. Either in furniture or jewelry I like geometric shapes, eclectic, unusual and colourful pieces. I heart the architectural movements from the 1950s and early 1960s, Pierre Koenig, Venice in California etc.

    I love traditional garments. If you take a sari, an ao dai, a caftan or a boubou, the shape will always remain the same….what makes the garment unique is the craft of the seamstress, her imagination as well as the passion and creativity she puts in it. 


    OL: Do you prefer wearing vintage or modern clothing & accessories or both?
    Marilyne: Definitely modern clothing. When it comes to vintage I stick to jewelry, bags and wallets, scarves and furniture. 



    OL: What is the most expensive fashion item you have ever purchased?
    Marilyne: A Celine Dorine bag five years ago. I still have it, though nowadays it tends to be sitting in my wardrobe.

    OL: What are some of your favorite stores to shop at? Why?
    Marilyne: Etsy is my favorite shop. I like wearing one of a kind items. And I love knowing that I got a truly unique piece at a bargain. Plus it’s a great way to support small businesses.

    I am not much of a shopping kind of gal. I don’t shop often. I can’t stand the crowds and madness of shopping.I tend to think of a specific item, a specific story I want to tell, a specific look I want to channel and then browse on the internet or visit stores to find something that approaches what I have in mind. It can sometimes take me a few months before I find what I really like. I don’t mind… I am patient lol. When I fall in love with an item though, I HAVE to have it.

    I see my wardrobe as a collection of pieces. Like a treasure trove I put together.I can recommend VandM, Whistles, Gestuz, Vanessa Bruno, COS, Tabio, Chic and Seek, vintage leather equestrian bags, vintage Renoir-Matisse jewelry.


    OL: When shopping for a new wardrobe what do you mainly focus on while shopping?
    Marilyne: Definitely style, color patterns and symmetry of the design. Also the quality of the cut, the fabric, whether it fits my figure and the price of course!!


    Marilyne’s Daily Fashion Quote:
    “Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity”
    - Plato