Following Madeline: Place de Vosges, Paris

In an old house in Paris

That was covered in vines

Lived twelve little girls

In two straight lines.

-Madeline, 1939

If you saw my silver dress Instagram post, you’ll see that the location for this shoot was in the same place that inspired the setting one of my favorite children’s books, Madeline. When I visited Paris, what a wonderful treat it was to get to step into the pages of a childhood book I loved so much as a little girl! The beautiful park setup, immaculately kempt, and vibrantly lit shops dotting its perimeter made me giddy and want to run around and play (Ludmilla and I even took jumping pictures in the grass, but we were chased off by the park police…worth it. ;) ) A place like this also calls you to raise your standards to meet its own, to step into a regal state of mind, like the aristocrats and royalty that graced this square before me certainly must have - how you carry yourself, how you speak, or how you dress.

With my outfits, I have a lot of fun playing with balance - masculine and feminine, edgy with soft, fashionable with practical. Leather leggings have gotten pretty popular, but they don’t exactly go with everything. Pile on too much leather and you may wind up looking more like Mick Jagger than you may have been going for!

But when softened with a simple sweater and glamorous accessories, I love what it brings out of these pants. This was one of my favorite outfits ever, and with some luck, I managed to throw it together last minute to change for a photo shoot. This J. Crew sweater is my trusty go-to for work or weekend (I’ve mentioned I’m trying to wear less black and more white and colors!), and spiced up nicely with a fun pair of earrings like these. My earrings here were also the same pair I wore for my Georgetown Posh shoot. A friend of mine sells them and they are stunning - message me if you’d like me to put you in touch with her so we can get you a pair.

As always, I’m a sucker for these Sam Edelman leopard booties and had to throw these in as well.

Comfy, practical, stylish. It’s a tough trifecta to achieve, but how great does it feel when you do!

Finally, never underestimate the thrift store. That’s where I found both my sweater and these leggings, and several other closet favorites of mine! Check out Design Archives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (where I found my sweater), Fifi’s of Cameron Village in Raleigh, North Carolina (thanks for the pants!), and Current Boutique here in Washington, DC.