Make the World a Prettier Place: November 2011

November 30, 2011

My Closet - The Floral Dress

I am wearing a vintage floral dress as a tunic over skinny jeans and a Mexx blazer.

November 29, 2011

November 28, 2011

Sofia Coppola is able to put in images the human solitude like no other filmmakers. Some people think that her movies are depressing but I like that they are calm and quiet - like every day life.

I'm not usually fond of YouTube montage but I have found this clip of her movies and it's very well edited and worth watching- whether you are a fan of them or not. Here is the description of the clip by its editor: "Sofia Coppola has made some of the most genuine and beautiful films of the last couple of years. Ever single film is a delight to watch, but also burdens emotions so strong it's almost impossible not to feel attached to her characters. The four feature films written and directed by Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette and Somewhere) are compiled in this short but extensive montage featuring music from her films, kicking off the [the films of] collection in the best way possible."

If you liked this montage, there are many more on YouTube by this editor. Click here.

My Closet • The Floral Skirt

It has been really cold and rainy these last days and it has been really difficult to take pictures. I was trying to find a solution to this unfortunate situation and I decided to re-visit these pictures from last year.

I really like these ones because they were taken on a perfect fall day. But they are even more special to me because I won an interview with Mode Republic with these pictures. I hope you will like this trip down memory lane.

- Marie

SKIRT - Discount Store • COAT - Thrifted • BOOTS - Aldo • BAG - Botkier

HERE IS THE INTERVIEW...

Marie is one of the winners of the Color Magic Contest! Let’s learn more about her.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Marie and I live in a small French-speaking town between Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. My first job was for a hotel and I have been working in the hotel business ever since. I work in accounting and human resources now. My colleagues always tease me – in a friendly way - about my shoe collection, colorful tights, chignon, etc. I am proud to be a fashion-loving accountant – there aren’t many of us!

How did you become interested in fashion?
I think I have always been interested in fashion. I took a computer class in my first year of high school and the final project was to create a newspaper. I looked through all of my Vogue and Elle magazines and created a fashion newspaper. Unfortunately I can’t recall its name but I remember how happy this assignment made me. I worked harder on it than I ever did for any other project!

What inspired you to start your own blog?
I read a tiny article in a Canadian magazine about street style websites and my first reaction was: “How come I didn’t already know about this?!” I started looking at these websites and saw a whole new world filled with possibilities opening up to me. During the following months, I got more acquainted with the world of fashion blogging and finally decided to give it a try myself.

What are your dreams and aspirations?
My blog – Make the World a Prettier Place - is a very important part of my life. Blogging – especially when there is personal style involved – includes many different tasks: editing, modeling, photographing, researching, writing, marketing, etc. I love to experiment with all of these aspects of creation. I hope to get more opportunities – like giving this interview – in the future.

How would you describe your style? What’s your favorite look at this moment?
I would say that my style is very feminine, ladylike and sophisticated. I have delicate and soft features and I found out over the years that this style suits me best. I like dresses and skirts, colorful sky-high heels and anything vintage.
Being from Canada, where we have snow for 5 months, I decided this year to embrace the climate I live in instead of moaning my way through winter. I am currently on a mission to find feminine but warm outfits for winter - “snow queen” looks, but not too costumey.

Where do you get your fashion inspirations?
Bloggers are the most inspirational and creative people ever. They have great style and wear their clothes differently from the models you see in fashion magazines. I prefer people who walk to the beat of their own drum instead of followings trends, and that is what many bloggers do.

November 25, 2011

Beautiful Handmade Kiss Lock Clutches

Clutches by Red Ruby Rose

Rowena is the designer behind Red Ruby Rose. She studied textile design at Edinburgh College of Art and many of her designs feature her own artwork, printed onto silk, cotton and leather. Every clutch is complemented with a beautiful dupion silk lining, for a little luxury every time it's opened. The price range for the clutches featured in this post goes from $85 to $105.

- Marie

And then came the poetry...My Poetry

grey sky, grey silence
the autumn is blowing on my face

and there is cold rain in my hair

your eyes were like summer skies

you felt like greenery on my skin

but you were too beautiful to be mine

the weak sun peaks through my curtains

the coldness slips under my covers

because the warmth of your body is gone

pale day, dark sky, dead leaves

I call out your name but only hear the wind
and I stand alone in the middle of autumn

Poem by Marie Trepanier (Me)

Photography by Honey Tree

November 24, 2011

Does a vintage dress count as a brand new dress?

It's 4am and I have insomnia.

There is nothing else to do beside watching bad TV and shopping online.

I just bought this vintage dress from Etsy for $40.

It's a cute color - perfect for my dark brown hair.

It's wool - perfect for the cold winter months ahead of me.

It's modest - perfect for work.

I think that with the right accessories, it will be the perfect day dress.

What do you think?

- Marie

November 23, 2011

My Interview with Barbro Andersen

This post was originally published in March 2011.

Barbro Andersen is - without a doubt - my favourite blogger. I wanted to include her in my WHO'S THAT GIRL series for a while but was too shy to ask her for an interview. I gathered my courage last week and finally asked her. Being the sweetie that she is, she agreed!
I have been reading her blog for over a year and while I know a lot about her tastes in fashion, I realized that I wanted to know more about her personal life. She answered all my questions with candor - and they weren't easy! I cannot thank her enough.
- Marie

BARBRO ANDERSEN

Oslo, Norway

NAME: Barbro Andersen BLOG: BARBRO ANDERSEN

STYLE: "I'm an experimental romantic juggling a rocker chic vibe, with comfortable elements in an elegant and dark palette."

SHE'S FABULOUS BECAUSE: She uses her beautiful country as a background for her stylish outfits. She is incredibly talented behind and in front of the camera. Her photos are so beautiful that they could be featured in fashion magazines! She was a finalist in Vixen Blog Awards 2010.

1. What are the best and the worst things about living in Norway - beside the weather?

The very best part of Norway is the nature. Our scenery is just breathtaking, especially by the coast. We have the amazing northern lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis; which can only be described as magic. Norway is also safe. There’s so imminent danger of war, no fear of earth-quakes or other horrible natural disasters. We are a democracy, we all support gay-marriage and our health-care system is beyond belief.

The worst thing about being Norwegian is the overload of arrogant and negative people. You’re not supposed to be anyone, and you most certainly aren’t unique. It’s an ignorant mentality that ruins a lot of lives, because no one wants to be judged for who they really are: so they tend to “go normal” and suppress their true selves. Bloggers here in Norway get anonymous comments from other Norwegians telling them to kill themselves because they are so unbelievably ugly. Who does that?

2. You visited San Francisco a few weeks ago. It was your first time in North America. What surprised you the most?

Yes, it was so amazing! The thing that surprised me the most was how polite Americans are. I always knew that Americans were well-mannered and kind, but it genuinely surprised me when I got to experience it firsthand! A woman I met one time almost ten years ago opened up her home to me and let me stay there for the weekend; she showed me around the city and took me sightseeing over the Golden Gate, to the east coast beach, up to Twin Peaks and bought me dinner. The kindness was almost overwhelming, in a very good way, and I feel honored to know such beautiful people.

3. You have always been open about being gay and you seem very comfortable in your own skin. What would you say to someone who was still in the closet?

It is very different for everybody. I don’t have any problems with being openly gay now, but I had a really hard time coming out of the closet. I was very lucky, though, because my parents accept me for who I am and love me regardless of what I do. As do my friends. My advice would be to not force yourself to do anything you don’t want to do. If you’re not ready to come out of the closet yet, don’t – but at the same time keep in mind that it is incredible liberating once you take that step. You will feel the weight of a whole world being lifted of your shoulders. And when is the right time, anyways? It was indeed the best thing I ever did. We humans tend to overanalyze everything in our heads all the time and make it all seem worse than it actually is: but if your worst fears do come true and your friends or your parents don’t accept you for who you are, you are better off without them. Really! Surround yourself with love and acceptance, not hate and ignorance. No matter what. Besides: most parents and friends just need some time getting used to it, and usually respect you for who you are eventually.

4. You married the love of your life last summer at a beautiful wedding. Tell us about how you two met and how you knew that she was the one.

We actually met online almost six years ago! It’s kind of a funny story, because we both lived in this small town with only seven thousand people in it in northern Norway. Our paths never crossed until that day. She sent me an instant message within this small online-community, and we just couldn’t stop writing to each other. We wrote every day for about three weeks about silly things like road-trips and how cute we thought each other were; before we finally met. It was a warm day in late July, and I had invited her over with some of her friends for a small party. We started out with an awkward hug, but kissed later that night. Several times, actually.

I had already been enrolled at a school on the other side of the country and arranged everything to move, so this infatuation could not have come at a worse time. I went off to school in the middle of August over 700 miles away, and we had a really rough six months with heartache before I finally returned home for Christmas vacation. On the 20th of December we decided to go steady, and we’ve been together ever since. I know she is the one because I can’t imagine life without her. She’s my whole life.

5. You have been nominated for fashion blog awards and won great prizes over the years. What is your best memory? What are you the most proud of?

Yes, I have been very, very lucky and that is much thanks to my friends and followers for voting for me here and there and everywhere – but I’m actually most proud of the fact that people keep on visiting my little style diary! It continues to amaze me how kind people are out there in the whole wide world. That’s not a given, and I’m so honored and happy to be able to experience it. Living in a small town caused a lot of problems for me personally, and I had a really hard time growing up; so I’m just happy to see that people actually can support each other regardless and not judge you for who you are. Thank you for that!