How to please your inner child?

Last week, as we were personal shopping with a client, we spotted a gorgeous pair of ballet flats.

Capture d’écran 2016-05-03 à 11.51.34

Their fairy dust look totally mesmerized us… because deep down, we are still the little girls dreaming of  wonderful adventures we used to be.

With their faded changing pastel colors they remembered me of Catherine Deneuve’s “color of the weather” dress in the “Donkey skin” by Jacques Demy. A movie that I watched about a hundred times when I was a child. (Ok, I still watch it.)

A dress like the weather donkeyskin

What fascinated me most about this movie were the outfits. I dreamt of one day wearing a dress as beautiful as those pictured.

When I think of it I was also very interested in the power of the outfit, realizing that, when the princess wore her donkey skin, no one realized how beautiful she was (“were they blind?!” was I thinking). Maybe that is a reason why I love helping women get rid of their old clothes skin (dear clients if you read me, that is just  a very exaggerated  comparison) and get shiny new ones.

Anyway, most little girls love to dream.

(Maybe too much about beauty and not enough about adventure, I think, but that is another topic.)

And some of our inner child might still have quite an influence on our fashion choices.

Here are the kind of clothes that make mine hop up and down.

I. My inner child’s selection

1. Stars and moon

In french, if you are day dreaming, people say that you are “on the moon” or that you “have your head in the sky”.

I must admit that is something that is said a lot about me.

Besides, the infinity of the universe and stellar conquest has always been something that fascinated me since I was a child.

Maybe that is why I love to have stars and moons in my outfits.

I own a star printed shirt, tights and umbrella.

Maybe you too have an inner Sailor moon?

imprimé naif

Valentino cosmos dress

imprimé étoile les éclaireuses

IMG_1109

My calzedonia star printed tights (on a less dreamy floor, do not look too close)

reine-rosalie-bo-elie-gold

Reine Rosalie earring

starry eyes sailor moon

The effect stellar things have on myself

How not to look like an old little girl: stars and moons are not really risky as they look more esoteric, nerdy or superhero than plain cute and childish.

Cosmos stuffs that make my eyes starry:

2. Cats

I have always had cats as a child  and love their majestic cuteness.

So when I see cat themed clothes I just want to shelter them in my wardrobe.

Alexa Chung collage vintage

Alexa Chung wearing Charlotte Olympia’s cat loafers by Collage vintage

all the pretty birds

All the pretty birds

Plus, apparently Jacques Demy loves cats just as much as I do.

trône chat peau d'âne

How not to look like an old little girl: wear your cats (or other cute animal prints) on and with grown up clothes. Like on a shirt rather than on a skater dress. At least if you feel too old for this ^^

Cat stuffs that make me meow:

2. Glitz

Maybe linked to my Donkey skin movie fascination, I have always loved shiny things.

Adding a bit of them in one outfit feels like spraying it with magic to me.

escarpins paillettes PBlacnhet rose

Escarpins Patricia Blanchet

Robe couleur du soleil

Sparkles all around! <3

Read more about how to wear glitters here!

Glitter stuffs that make my eye sparkle:

How not to look like an old little girl: keep in mind that glitters do not mean that you are a real life princess.

3. Patches, pins and brooches

Back in the nineties, you may have customized your clothes with patches, pins and brooches.

Which is so much fun to do, right?

And feels like being the coolest kid in the playground.

eleonore bridge petit bateau

Eleonore Bridge

Violaine Olga Madeleine broche

Violaine Olga Madeleine

How not to look like an old little girl: Stay cool. Do not overthink or overdress them. You are still the playground queen.

Cute stuffs I would like to pin all over me:

4. Flounces

I used to do ballet when I was 5 and what I loved the most was to wear the tutu.

Because flounces!

jupe à volants mango and salt

Mango and salt

mode and the city volants

Mode and the city

top à volants mango

Mango

flounce la fee des lilas

La fée des lilas approves this

How not to look like an old little girl: balance your flounces with minimal or boyish clothes. Or choose minimal looking flounces like the ones pictured above.

Flounces I love: 

And you? Do you have childhood darling clothes that you still cherish? 

Catherine Deneuve clope peau d'âne

When you do bad grown-up things but still dress like a princess

Cover collage: Julien Fournié 2014, The cherry blossom girl

Comments
4 Responses to “How to please your inner child?”
  1. Natasha Laurent says:

    Hello Alois!

    Love your blog as always! I wonder if you could help me, perhaps put a lookmaker together, that would be amazing!

    I have a pair of navy mid length culottes that remind me of my school uniform (we wear uniforms to school in South Africa), and I would love to know how you would wear them, especially the shoes! I want to wear them to work, I am an architect so I don’t have to be so formal at work.

    Lots of love,
    Natasha

    • Aloïs Guinut says:

      Dear Natasha,
      I will do a lookmaker with those, although the main thing is that the culottes have to look good on you (and that is not an easy one ^^).

  2. Evelyn says:

    Hmmm… I guess I’ve always been a fairy lover, but you wouldn’t guess it by looking at my clothes! The only flouncy ruffles I wear are attached to victorian blouses. But my wide A-line-skirts could go as flounces, maybe. This is as girly as it gets (despite me wearing a lot of dresses and skirts and getting perceived as a woman by everyone).
    When thinking of my childhood, I see myself climbing trees and fighting with boys. I was a boyish girl, so this might be where my love for unisex and tomboyish clothes stems from. I’d love to be more tomboyish! This makes my inner child clap with joy 🙂

Leave A Comment

Get a signed copy of my book

A signed copy of my new book