GLOBAL ENTRY: 5 Things I Learned From EIHGs in Paris
"everything is about balance" -- a parisian jewelry designer whose work is in the EIHG hall of fame
this letter is sponsored by our friends at Poshmark <3
hi my angels!!!! i’ve just returned from Paris where I felt plugged into an electrical circuit of EIHG energy (lore found here).
The bliss that flooded my veins as i pranced between (the elusive) Charvet and (the IRL only) Rubirosa’s to lunches/drinks/dinners with some of your favorite parisian EIHGs to repeat drive-bys at Charlotte Chesnais and The Row (whose paris outpost makes an incredible ICED latte)???? GOODBYE.
I took Noora Raj Brown’s advice to NOT compliment the outfits of chic strangers, which took everything out of me (as an earnest-core women-glazer blabbermouth). But i also noticed that having to hone my energy inwards instead of spewing it outwards made me even more perceptive to what EIHGs were wearing, and their overall approach to the presentation of self.
The biggest lesson i learned (and observed) is that the less “new” something appears, the more they [parisian EIHGs] will respect you. Compliments on my watch from new pals were accompanied by: where did you source it? And i had to do the embarrassing thing of saying… in a cartier store??? Hoping to soften the blow with, YEARS ago.. in paris, actually! (withering).... So when Poshmark reached out to do a post-paris edit together, i truly believed in the powers of kismet.
My sister joined me for the trip, and at the end of each day, we’d recap what felt most interesting (i’d like to note that she was my original co-conspirator in naming EIHG years ago). I kept a running list in my notes app, of which i’ve plucked the 5 things that stood out to me most. You’ll find key observations below… an outsider’s handbook, if you will. Very dan humphrey of us ;).
1)Vintage Hermes or bust.
“you want to buy it… [french um].. from the store?”
Every EIHG i chatted with in paris seemed to treat shopping like pure discovery. It felt a rung deeper than consuming simply bc it’s already here, instead, shopping is more of an experience that is meant to reveal, only cheapened by an attempt to transact.
With that, i took their what do you hope to find in Paris questions seriously, which meant my response was almost always: a barenia picotin/birkin 25. Which is a line that I say often enough around the world to have been surprised to have received a unanimous, really? Which for some, was followed by, well… vintage, right? Or, do you mean [eye squint]… new?
Dare I say i’ve never felt more american (consumption is king, everything’s bigger in texas) and more sacrilegious to the legacy of jane birkin. What interested me was, aside from one EIHG who was very ANTI the powers of Hermes, everyone else seemed to revere the brand… but believed it’s better (and more evolved) when someone else has touched it first. Which brings me here, in an attempt to atone for my sins, I’m going back to the classics and updating my vision board with this:
For when i’m fantasizing about moving to the cotswolds to roam with the sheep and meet my own version of The Holiday’s (monogamous) jude law….. i’m here (or here). This 2000s style has been discontinued by Hermes for years, but i distinctly remember the way its patina cast a spell IRL from childhood — when we were pre-teens, an equestrian friend of mine used her mom’s amazonia for sleepovers (chic).
2)French girl athleisure matters….. a LOT
“only tourists wear leggings.”
I received a nod of approval from a parisian EIHG at our hotel when she complimented my ballet flats and i replied, i’m wearing french girl athleisure to the boulangerie. She said, “ah yes — only tourists wear leggings.”
Which sent a chill down my spine, I’d narrowly missed being visually offensive to the patrons of the 16th. I must say, these row flats are otherworldly, so comfy, so flattering, so right; the second i slipped them on i knew my outfit required a baggy graphic tee (on sale!), a pair of jeans that made me look like i paint for a living, and an unfussy bag that whispers idgaf.
On my walk that morning, I observed some additional variants of what I could only assume was french girl athleisure. The 16th is residential enough to get a sense of who was otw to work and who was simply milling around, so I’ve gathered some 5 star picks that match the tone of what I saw between the hours of 7.30-9.15:
If someone doesn’t buy this in the next 48H i’m doing it. I’ve never seen a small leather park tote in blue jean??? How special.
If you can’t jaunt to rubirosa’s for a pair of their very special loafers, might i suggest these? They took my breath away.
It functions like a canvas tote, but also feels distinctly elevated in a way that only requires jeans and a white tee to accompany the stealthy looks of reverence you’re bound to receive.
Outside looking in, it doesn’t really get more 16th at 8am than this.
As close to gorp-core as she’s getting…. and another that you all have 48H to cop before i do my big one….. I mean, what a grail.
I saw a looooot of high sport.
Long shorts paired w/ men’s tailoring/proportions (button downs, oversized tees) was a huge moment that I wasn’t expecting, but gleefully consumed every second of. Here’s another option.
Pants like these and these… and ofc, these; jeans like these and these… and ofc, these.
And many a chanel ballet flat — if you’re worried about comfort, of all the pairs I own, these ones blow the competition away. Incredibly wearable + walkable for 4-6 hours.
3)The bigger the sunglasses, the closer to God Voltaire
French girl PEMDAS: wearing big, bug sunglasses > mascara, always
I mean, even Jackie O got hers in paris. Parisian women have perfected the art of observational prowess: they may appear to be nonchalant, but they notice everything. Thus, it’s no coincidence that they have also perfected how to integrate big, massive bug (or shield) sunglasses into their everyday. On the faces of parisian EIHGs everywhere, it was clear to me that there are plenty of chic, newer pairs to choose from (philo shields, thistle’s hegemony, JMM’s draw, or even these ones that I nabbed at alaia.. apparently the last IRL pair in the city??). However, my gut tells me that real respect is garnered from something handmade….. at least 40 years ago.
While it’s a nearly impossible feat to score a pair of vintage Maison Bonnet’s on the internet, a similarly challenging feat is to locate a pair of Ultra Sunglasses (no longer in production). Thank Voltaire for Poshmark, i found u a pair of these (in perfect condition)— i did some digging, and this style was handmade in england in the 80s.
4)Skin is matte-radiant. NOT dewy and NEVER matte-matte !!!
I asked an EIHG about this and she said, “i shouldn’t ever look hurried and sweaty but i should also never appear so dry.”
Apparently, the trick here is a baller sunscreen. I asked everyone for a specific brand, and was surprised that they said, it depends — i just go to the pharmacy (altho one generous EIHG did pull this out of her purse to show me).
Overall, the optimal frenchgirl skin-finish seems like one of those norm-core things that you can only get right by doing it.. yourself. & no amount of pre-research will prepare u for that moment. I WILL say that before i was influenced to try that stick, i’d already been blown away by the Caudalie body sunscreens i discovered in my neighborhood’s pharmacy…. perhaps that’s the through line.
5)"Everything is about balance”
You thought we could wrap this up without commentary on the omnipresence of BARE NAILS? From the conversations i had, whether the choice was intentional or not, they serve as the easiest blank canvas. It’s easy to never worry about veering towards “too much” if you intentionally keep a minimal base… the more you do with your nails, the more thinking you might be doing when you’re getting dressed (interesting!).
Similar but not— at a pandora party, where i was wearing this dress + this purse + these shoes, I saw a lot of borrowed men’s shirts layered with a tank and a perfect oversized jean OR a more formal slip dress. The former were in punchy colors (examples here and here), the latter were almost always a crisp white (perfect example here).
So when I sat down the next evening for a dinner hosted by Oscar De La Renta, I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when my seatmate (the parisian-EIHG-jewelry designer-lauded-BY-EIHGs-everywhere), wore a punchy red slip dress with her partner’s oversize, crisp white shirt overtop???
It’s what sparked our conversation about balance….how she wore flats because she’d never wear a heel with that kind of dress, and about the fact that she wore no makeup (ESPECIALLY mascara) because she already had on a bright color + lots of jewelry (note: i’ve never been more embarrassed to be seen wearing a heavy hand of this).
And obviously, if i were to emulate this look of something borrowed, I’d start off here… there’s no better place to be.
Alright alright alright, enough from me!!!! What lessons have you learned from EIHGs along the way? My pen & paper are out, i’m ready to take notes…. let’s chat in the comments/GC or shoot me a reply in email (i love when we do that).
i love you more than the sun casts its adoration upon the moon; and we’ll talk very very soon <333.
TM x
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I was so sad to miss you BUT the fact that you got a compliment from a chic 16th dwelling Parisian?! The most elusive kind. I am not surprised in the least!
I love this balance style in Paris so much. I naturally love the craftsmanship of clothes and jewelry but just not as interested in make up, nails, and bags so I love just being myself and finding people on the same vibe