Is January over yet?

What a long, grey, broke month. I think I’ve seen the sun three times so far in the last four weeks, so I’ve spent most of my time inside, reading and enjoying my rent. I made an exception for an exhibition I have been wanting to go to for a while, Les fleurs d’Yves Saint Laurent at the designer’s museum in the 16e arrondisement. I can only describe the exhibition as delicious. Flower appliques, painted textiles, patchwork and tactile embroidery, triple yum. The bold colours, references to Matisse and sneak peaks at the designer’s sketches obviously made my heart sing. I was happy to see acknowledgements to Moroccan culture, from which Yves drew a lot of inspiration after visiting for the first time in the late 1950s. But does the museum do enough to honour the culture for all it gave Yves, I’ll let a Moroccan answer that question.

Reflecting on my favourite designs through my OG fashion illustration style

I always leave a museum feeling equal parts inspired and overwhelmed. Inspired because there’s always so much more beauty left to put out into the world, and overwhelmed for the same reason. While I love the freedom my career allows me to create at a someone self-regulated pace, I never feel like I am creating enough works nor creating works of substance. Imposter syndrome, effects of our society, whatever you want to call it, I become emotionally drained quite often. It takes some reflecting after the visit to remind myself that there’s a whole team and years of experience behind each marvelous creation, and each person is colored by their own unique human experience. I can’t be like someone else nor why would I want to? Anyways….

At 10 euros the ticket, entry wasn’t too expensive and unfortunately my artist status didn’t qualify for free entry to this private museum, but as an artist I’d say it was worth the visit. Arriving a little early, I took advantage of the time to wander nearby and found another beautiful Cafe Nuances (if it’s a fashion area, there’s usually a Nuances) which does a delicious rose latte. Wanting to avoid the 6 euro price this time though, I opted for Pret around the corner, which does a cheaper, still decent latte. Yes, how original, an artist who lives in Paris and is obsessed with coffee.

That is probably the only thing in the 8e that fits my budget, but I still recommend strolling through the streets between Alma Marceau and Franklin D. Roosevelt metro stations. As a a lover of fashion design and growing up in the Toronto suburbs far from glamour, it is personally a joy to walk by the design houses and imagine what’s being cooked up inside. I love seeing the individuality of each brand’s DNA interpreted through their store designs and creative window displays (Loewe’s always puts a smile on my face), even if some have become more commercial over the years.

On the way back to the museum I walked across the Givenchy head office on Avenue George V and remembered a Vogue October 2008 editorial by Patrick Demarchelier with Natalia Vodivanova - sound familiar to anyone else?

Back when print editorials made me dream<3

I was 15 and in high school at the time of this editorial’s release, collecting Vogues, feeling that this world of fashion was so impossibly far from my reach. And now I live in Paris, with the opportunity to see these sources of inspiration somewhat up close. Life is funny.