The Whole World and Me

She doesn't need an introduction, because Garance is well known for her blog, illustrations, photography, videos and fantastic humour. Oh... yes, she is also "married" to Scott Schuman, but that's really not that relevant.:p

I've been following Garance since I lived in Paris. For me, she is The original fashion blogger and my personal favorite. I love how complete her blog is and I really admire how she has evolved and how she has adapted, throughout the years, to the blogger and fashion industry. But, most of all, I really love her style!

Garance's style is French in many ways. I recognize all the traits that I used to love (and covet) when I would sit at some cafe and peoplewatch. From the red lip to the masculine/feminine silhouette, Garance represents what I love most about French style... the nonchalance, that je ne sais quoi that is so effortless for the French ladies (sometimes I really hate them)! 

Just so you know, a French woman, well a Parisian woman to be fair, does not leave her house without, at least, a red lip, and this is valid even for a quick trip to the supermarket. Those women are super careful with their appearance and don't be fooled... it isn't as effortless as it seems, because even a dishevelled hair requires some science. And this is another reason why I admire Garance so much... she doesn't bullshit us. She's honest about her style, her fashion choices and everything in between and it's precisely that honesty, colored by that great humour, that makes her so very different from everyone else in the fashion blogosphere. Plus, she's been a huge inspiration for me, from the coat worn as a cape to the grey-denim combo, I owe a lot to Miss Doré!

So, here's to Garance, her fantastic style, how happy we all are now that she has short hair (you are as glad as I am, right?) and just to the fact that she is AMAZING!

Here are some of my favorite looks...

No, I'm not on holidays yet. Yes, I'm desperately counting the days. Sadly, still one more week to go...

I'm so ready to shut down that I basically keep daydreaming about everything I want to do when I can finally turn my Out of The office on. Normally, as I've already told you here, I do to-do-lists when I'm in the shower. Lately, it's been all about what I want to do on holidays.

Take naps

My last post was a few days ago, but I have the best excuse ever: it was my birthday! As the gipsy I am at heart, I celebrated for four days, taking two days off work (what an indulgence!) and trying to enjoy every single second.

People tend to have very different reactions when it comes to important birthdays. Most of the people I know suffer from birthday blues... I used to be one of those people, feeling all sorry for myself because I was one year older.

30 is definitely one of those dates. The number seems kinda scary because, in essence, it represents real adulthood (at least that's how I saw it). As I grew up, I tended to imagine myself with different ages, setting up semi-goals as I wondered where would I be. These views kept changing over the years, of course, as I progressed through life and learned things usually go a different direction from what we had planned, especially when it comes to our life path. Even though, I had certain "ideas" and what I can say now is that I am starting this decade on track (regarding the "ideas" I have set last year, of course).

Turning 29 was the difficult one for me. My life was upside down and I was feeling lost within myself. I guess it makes sense, as I feel your 20's are really the decade of inner search, when you discover and define yourself and who you want to be. I would say 30's are the decade to feel comfortable in our own skin and to enjoy life with a new certainty: who we are and what we want. Albeit this is not as easy as it sounds, I am optimistic. I think my 30's will be amazing :) As a good friend of mine told me, this is the time when we, especially women, feel more confident, sexier and have more money. Can't argue with this wonder trio, it is all true ;) 

It is also true that today's 30's aren't what they used to be for my mother, for example. Times have changed and society's expectations, some societies at least, have changed with it. In the leading up to my birthday, the topic du jour was exactly this: how everyone I know who is 30 doesn't feel like they are, in fact, 30. This feeling comes from the fact that a part of us still holds the "old" idea of 30. Although we feel comfortable in our own skin, a part of us still feels we should be married, with two kids, starting a retiring fund. But the truth is, most of us are in very different places, with very different goals. And there's nothing wrong with that! 

All and all, I'm happy in my 30's. So far, so amazing! Life is great, there's a clear path and direction leading me where I want to go, I have great company joining me in this amazing adventure we call life and I just can't wait for what this decade will bring me. My 20's were a crazy ride, full of learning experiences, ups and downs and all possible detours from that "idea" I had in mind. 

20's, you were awesome, but I am more than ready to start my 30's!

xx

But, in the meantime, here's what I'm feeling for Summer.

Simple, light, clean lines and fluid fabrics. Denim shorts and white dresses, light pants, sandals and espadrilles, leather skirts and leather pants and light silk camisoles. Kimonos and bathing suits. Sneakers.

Long beach days, picnics, cherries and watermelon...

Summer, we miss you!!! 

Do you know Tinder? More importantly, are you on Tinder? I know... I was probably the last person on earth to know about this app, but give me a break! I am in a very happy relationship and I don't have that many single friends. Of course that, as a good friend pointed out, I do work in the communication field, so I should know about these things. Well, point taken... let's move on.

I was introduced to Tinder during a work-turned-into-fun dinner: four girls with wine. One was a user since the beginning. The other one was using it for a few weeks. The other one is in a relationship but was very much aware of its existence. And then me. The silly out-of-the-loop girl who didn't have a clue. They showed me the app and how it works and told me some stories about their experience. I have to confess that I was shocked, surprised, intrigued, curious and then shocked again in the space of 30 seconds. I asked the girl who was using it for longer if she didn't feel it was shallow and if she wasn't annoyed to be judge only based on her looks. She told me it wasn't that much different from going to a bar, scout the place, see who appeals to you and who doesn't and that make your move or wait for someone to approach you. Basically the same, with the difference that she didn't have to leave her house and she could easily discard the guys who weren't interesting. Ok, I can relate to this. She's a busy girl in her thirties, working in PR just like me. We don't have that much time, so in a way it kinda of made sense. 

Totally surprised with this, I basically went around for the next days asking everyone I know if they knew about Tinder and if they were on it. The answers were from every kind, but the one that surprised me was the one from a girl I know through my job. She wasn't on Tinder, but a friend of hers was and her conclusion was that it was all about sex. Well... come to think of it, this really didn't surprise me. I guess what surprised me was that she was the only one that spoke about it. All the other people were describing it as online dating. Afterwards, I had dinner with two of my best friends. One was on Tinder, the other one didn't know what it was (I felt a little better ahah!). We spent 2 minutes on my friend's profile and it was fun! Going through the images, saying yes or no, it was all so easy and so... objectifying. After those 2 minutes of fun it all felt so... sad? Is that the word I'm looking for? I mean, I still remember what it was like when I was single, it was all so difficult. The older you get, the more difficult it is to meet people and especially to meet someone special. So Tinder seems like an answer to a problem that exists in our society. Maybe it's not the perfect solution, but it is an answer nevertheless.

In the name of research, I visited Tinder's blog and the first sentence is: "It was almost 2 years ago that we came to the realization that even with all the networks we have at our disposal, the ways we meet new people were boring, outdated, and filled with barriers. We envisioned a solution that was extremely fun, natural, and would mimic our real world behaviors - and Tinder was born."

I have to say, there's a not to be said about this statement...! And all this talk about Tinder and online dating also got me thinking about our social media being vs.our human being, but that's a subject for another post. ;)

I fell in love with these leopard slip ons six months ago. I would spend hours on Steve Madden's website wondering when I would be crazy enough to order them.

Luckily for me, I found them ON SALE during my recent trip to New York City and this girl can't resist three things: 

leopard, shoes and sales!! :)

“Confidence isn't walking into a room with your nose in the air, and thinking you are better than everyone else, it’s walking into a room and not having to compare yourself to anyone else in the first place.”

My first post was published on January 29th 2013. Along this ride of almost a year and a half and 267 posts I've changed a little...

For the last couple of months, it has been difficult for me to write, even to publish a post with images and inspirations. Truth be told, it was mainly a question of time, but now that I have more free time on my hands, I would sit and try to write and nothing came to my mind. First I thought it was a question of inspiration, so I started my own little routine again of daily visits to my favorite blogs and tumblrs, of discovering new artists and exciting cool projects... Yet, nothing happen. I would sit in front of my pc watching that little bar blink while feeling utterly incompetent. Even though this blog is not my job, it is a labor of love as I've said many times before, not being able to write one little post made me very sad and disappointed... what had happened? The questions "Did I really loose all inspiration?" began to haunt me and I was beginning to feel I had to press the delete button and discover a new labor of love. Until this morning...

My mind only starts working during my morning shower. Until then I am a robot-type human being who does what it does every morning: workout, coffee, shower. While in the shower, I start to plan my day, compile my to-do list and decide what to wear. And often, during the shower, I have great ideas (do not ask me why!) which leads me to start conversations at the office with "I was in the shower and..."  (already an inside joke among my colleagues). 

And so, this morning, a lamp bulb literally appeared over my head and I started thinking that maybe I should change the template of my blog!! Ding, ding, ding! It made sense! The fact is, I wasn't feeling connected with my old template, the lettering, the background image... I've changed and so I felt I needed to change my blog as well and reconnect with it.

So far, so amazing. I LOVE it! It feels much more me (the "now me" at least, let's see what happens in one year), much more clean and organized.

So, here's to a new day and a renovated blog! And new inspiration, I hope!

The Whole World and Me has always been my oyster and I hope that this new look will inspire me to continue to write and share my thoughts, inspirations and everything else that populates my life with you.

Hope you like it!

xx

It's been two months since my last post! 

This statement just hit me really hard... This blog is a work of love and I've been neglecting it due to a crazy amount of work (as always!). This just makes me sad, you know? While browsing through my past posts, there's this tendency of mine to disappear for a month or two every now and then. I always come back promising you, and myself!, that I will make an effort, I will continue writing, and yet here we are again.

Honestly, I'm sitting here wondering what the hell am I going to write about? Should I just post some pictures and be done with it? Would that soothe my conscience? Or should I write about the last books I've read? Well, that was my last post so not highly original. Damn! Could it be that I've got nothing interesting enough to write about? Am I just so focus on writing press releases and communication proposals that I can't put together a decent entertaining/moderately-interesting post? Now I just feel depressed....

Let's try the basics... what I've been doing lately:

- Work, that goes without saying. It has been a busy time with new projects, events and a lot of things happening. On the other hand, it has also been a time of growth and evolution, one that I hope continues in the right direction. There's exciting things around the corner and I have been having some fun preparing them. It's always nice when your work gives you the opportunity to participate in great projects that you can be involved with from the start. So that's what's been occupying my time as of late.

- Love. It is always challenging to find time for love and your relationship, especially if it's a new one, when you are BUSY at work. But I've managed, thank the heavens!! I also should say, for the sake of truthfulness, that I am lucky to have a very understanding partner who, even though hates the fact that sometimes I can't really disconnect, is always there ready to listen, to organize fun and romantic dates and to hold me and kiss me until I stop thinking and talking about work! (thank youuu!)

- Friends & Family. There hasn't been much time for my friends or my family, unfortunately. I try to be there for them as much as I can, but I'm still just one person with two arms, two legs, one mind and 24 hours a day. Yeah, I know, lame excuse, but it is what it is. What sucks the most is that three of my most beloved friends are going through tough times and I haven't always been able to be there for them, only on the phone which we all know is not really being there. You guys, I do the best I can, but I should definitely do more, so no excuses for me! I love you all!!

- Travelling. From work to pleasure, this girl has been travelling. Twice to Italy and once to paradise. This last trip, just a quick four day getaway, was just heaven. I will share some photos soon.

- Reading. So many great books, so little time! I've discovered two amazing authors who have been able to literally glue my eyes and hands to their books - Marisha Pessl and Jeremy Bushnell. Fantastic books, amazing stories, inspiring tales!

I guess this sums up most of what's been going on for the last couple of months.

I will not say, once again, that I will try to write more and post more. I think I just have to do it and stop wasting time with promises!

So, I'll leave you with that! 

See you soon and enjoy the sun*

I get very nostalgic when I finish a book. It's the same with TV shows, but mostly with books.

I have this aching feeling of lost when I have to say goodbye to these people who have been in my world, who have lived with me for a while... and that's just sad... Of course there are books that are harder to say goodbye to than others, but I always feel a little sad, nostalgic is really the word!, when I turn the last page. In fact, there are some books I have delayed the ending. I was appreciating them too much, I was enjoying the company of the characters so much that I wasn't able to part with them. 

Books are my escape, they are the realm where my fantasy worlds are drawn and where I can be whoever I want and can do amazing things: I can read minds, I can be a spy, I can shoot arrows, I can be Arab, I can be American, I may have cancer or be a survivor of a horrible crime... the possibilities are endless and the lives are there to be taken and lived and I am here, avid to escape.

I have read great, amazing!, books recently! Which means there has been much sadness going around. I often return to book series in between great books. Just because there's some comfort in getting back in the lives of people you already know, it's not that hard to say goodbye because you know they continue to live on in the next volume.

Oh well... today was the day to say goodbye and, as always, I'm flooded with this nostalgic feeling, not really ready to let go, but already eager to start something else, get to know someone else's life...

(Truth be told, I had to go to a bookstore during my lunch time as I have no new book at home to start reading and I was starting to feel a little anxious!!)

So, here are the last books I've read and had a really hard time saying goodbye:

This news got to my email yesterday and as I read it this morning, over my coffee, I almost fell off my chair!!!

How did this happen?!? 

Being a PR girl myself and even knowing the incredible pressure our work demands of us, I can't find any reasonable justification for such a mistake! Even though we all make mistakes, because we are humans, this is just beyond explanation and simply inexcusable!

I'm sorry Valentino's publicist, but you are just making us all look like a bunch of freeloaders who take advantage of any situation to sell a product! Shame on you... just tasteless!

It seems this is the longest winter ever!!! I am so tired of rain and cold... I look at my closet and all I want to do is pick a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, sandals and go out the door. But instead I have to consider this endless rain, this windy cold that freezes my bones and wear jeans, t-shirt, chunky sweater, beanie, coat, boots... Ahhhh! I'm so tired of wearing boots!!!

Last week, my rebel self decided not to play the winter game anymore. Nop, I'm done! I said to myself. And so I left my house wearing jeans and sneakers (take that winter!). The joke was on me, obviously, who got home at night with two blocks of ice instead of feet and gladly wore boots the next day.

So... Considering all this, I've decided I might as well re-inspire myself for winter, because let's face it, it's not going anywhere soon!

So get inspired and bundle up people!