The Existentialist
Whoa. Even though I wouldn’t/couldn’t emulate this look, I am inspired by it on so many levels.
From The Sartorialist.
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This woman is obviously not young, yet she has taken the time to look fabulously stylish and herself to boot. Very nice.
Yes, you’ve all picked up on what I love so much about this picture. She does seem to be so totally *herself.* And I love the mix of texures between her coat, scarf and shoes.
the coat…amazing…perhaps linen?
and she’s a lovely scarf.
the ankle boots interesting…kind of military-ish???
I agree with all above. What this woman looks is intelligent and totally serene.
Deja – this is a perfect example of the artistic ‘intellectual’ look I referred to a few days ago.
I dont’ know this woman but what she has on is HER. Does that make sense?? She is a long drink of water and can take the long scarf and coat. I love her menswear look. It looks so thrown together, yet perfect for HER!
She looks like a woman who knows things, maybe even secrets.
Love the whole look- could see myself in it!! Janet
She looks wonderful, right down to the deep red lipstick!
Yes, she’s an Existentialist in Doonan’s “eccentric women” typology. I like her clear-eyed gaze and the ample, gorgeous scarf. Where is she, I’m guessing Copenhagen? At the same time I’m admiring her, I’m also thinking that in my more conservative North American city it takes a huge dose of confidence to wear such nonconformist attire. And the items have to be of excellent quality or one looks just ‘weird’.
duchesse – she is photographed in Florence at the Pitti Uomo trade fair which takes place there twice a year. I know this because I go regularly to the yarn trade fair, Pitti Filati, at the end of January and recognize the whole arena where it takes place.
I really like the long cozy looking scarf that reaches to her knees. So many scarves are skimpy in length, but that one gives you alot to work with. Her color sense is wonderful too.
100% agree, I nearly posted this image myself. It is so inspirational on so many levels.
greying pixie – as soon as I saw this, I thought of your description.
I’d love to experiment with some of these elements.
Deja – unfortunately it’s a look that doesn’t come cheap, inspite of its ‘pauvre’ appearance. I’ve done some research and that beautiful coat is by a designer called Paul Harnden (new to me) and I found it on a US website for $900 in the sale!
There is German designer who is quite popular in the US called ‘Studio Rundholz’ who designs a similar look and for crinkled silks there is Privatsachen who are cheaper.
But for beginners I would always recommend Issey Miyake Pleats Please as their clothes are reasonably priced, easy to wear and can slip into an existing personal wardrobe without too much extra investment. They are also uncrushable, hand washable and (certainly in your climate) trans-seasonal. They kind of bridge the gap between bourgeois chic and intellectual older woman.
Anyway if you do embark on this journey, show us the photos and good luck!
Perhaps a large shawl/scarf (as in photo) would be a good start…
Carrying off these elements takes her body type, or at least a small bust and good shoulders. It is also a look that does not attract the ‘conventional’ male gaze (my husband said she looked like a very chic nun), it that’s worth anything :), though no doubt one would attract admiration from design conscious men and women.
Duchesse – I’ve always been attracted to men who like this look. They seem to me to have the same qualities as the women wearing the clothes, ie. refuse to be seduced into being told by the media what they should like – big plastic boobs and high heels, etc!
That beautiful Rundholz dress you showed us on your blog last year would definitely fit in the ‘chic nun’ category. I can’t remember which journalist once described Yohji Yamamoto’s models as looking like ‘nyphomaniac nuns’!
Well done to your husband – ‘chic nun’ is a great description and one I would definitely take as a compliment.
greying pixie – thanks for the suggestions! I’ve seached online a bit and alas, there seems to be no place to shop the IM Pleats Please in the US except for their one store in NY Soho. I’ll make a note of that for my next trip there. But I’ve got the long scarf covered…have a few of those!
Deja, I don’t know how far you want to go with this one but I thought I might offer the following:
You entitle this posting ‘The Existentialist’. I remember reading somewhere that the existentialist crowd (Sartre, de Beauvoir) were considered very much apart from the other subversive Paris crowd of the time, ie. the communists (Picasso, Brecht). Brecht in particular viewed the existentialists very much as the middle class flirting with poverty. He also had very strong opinions on his appearance and was known for his black leather trench coat. Picasso, too, had a very distinctive and attractive style of dress.
This came to me when my husband saw the photo of the woman and said he felt she looked rather mannered, in a Marie Antoinette kind of way (she was famous for playing at being a shepherdess). And I can see what he means. To be honest the coat makes me think of scenes from Schindlers List and also of an interview that Valentino Garavani gave once in which he said that contemporary fashion design reminded him of world wars!
This is what I mean about the bourgeois me never letting the intellectual me go the whole way. I will always need to find a happy medium and when I don’t I feel either boring (bourgeois) or in fancy dress (existentialist).