Chanel » Feather Factor

Interview with Blondie Luxe

May 022013

This week’s interview is with a wonderful friend who I am happy to introduce to you all today – the fabulous Blondie, of Blondie Luxe. I’ve had more than a few requests to interview Blondie, which is no surprise as she has fabulous style, reflected in her jaw-dropping closet and beautiful home! Blondie not only has wonderful taste, but is also incredibly intelligent and conscientious, ambitious, and a huge wanderlust. Enjoy meeting her!

Munchkin!

Who are you? What do you do, and where do you live?

I am a twenty-something blonde bookworm who is addicted to fashion, travel, family and my pup Munchkin. I enjoy nights in with a good book and a glass of wine more than a night out partying, and above all I love learning! I graduated Summa Cum Laude from my university and did not miss one day of class, as missing out on an opportunity to learn more makes me anxious (my constant striving for perfection is both a character strenth and flaw!). I work a lot, in a very unglamorous field of finance, but it is challenging and ever-changing. If I could, I would check out for six months and roam around Europe or Asia. So, if anyone wants to roam with me, I am always up for it! It is very hard to find a good travel buddy with similar interests.

I am extremely close with my family and select wonderful friends scattered across the country. Starbucks, salsa and macarons are my guilty pleasures, and I am always trying to discover new full-bodied, spicy and unique wines; they are my favorite.

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You’re a big traveler. What are some of your favorite destinations?

My favorite places are Paris and Madrid. I enjoy them best when I am doing nothing touristy, but instead just having lazy afternoons getting lost in the city and taking photographs. As much as a trip to paradise lounging on the beach would relax me, I prefer city life and excitement. I could get lost in the Louvre for weeks if I had the time! On my next trip to Paris I would like to take an interior design antique tour and find some unique treasures within the city. This spring I would also love to make it back to into the Loire Valley. One of my fondest trips was roaming the area staying at a different French chateau every night. The landscape is gorgeous and magical.

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You have an absolutely beautiful home. Can you share some details behind how you transformed it from bare bones to what it is today?

You are very sweet to say that! It means a lot when people like my place as it is my first attempt ever to make a house a home. Prior to moving here, I would only stay in a place for a year or less, so there was no need to invest in nice pieces that may not have translated from space to space. So I basically lived in an IKEA catalog with a couple Target pieces scattered about. The big shift in my mind happened when I determined I was going to stay here for awhile. Continue reading »

Tweed Jackets

Mar 182013

I always like the transition from winter to spring because the sun is coming out and it’s so easy to dress for work. I just put on a t-shirt, throw on a jacket and it’s good to go! This was especially handy this past week because darned daylight savings threw me for a loop and I was cutting it to the very last minute each day running out the door. My husband’s been taking me to work as my car is in the shop, and each morning he’s observed my furious pace running around the house trying to scoop everything into my bag in time with some degree of amusement.

Chanel Jacket

Uniform

Chanel jacket (some favorites of mine here and here)
Club Monaco tee
Ann Taylor pants
Chanel bag
Louboutin heels

Anyway, this Chanel jacket is one of my favorites and I wear it all the time! I bought it a few years ago and I think the original year it was made was 2006. So you see, Chanel jackets really do last quite a long time.

My mom and I both bought tweed jackets from Zara a few years ago and neither of us used them after the season was over. That’s not to say that you can’t buy a timeless tweed jacket from a brand other than Chanel – I just think you have to be careful not to buy an overly trendy style. However it’s also quite easy to go swinging too far into the other direction and go overly matronly.

My advice: would be to either go for a trendy style with classic fabric, or classic style with trendy fabric. Never do both as trendy and if you do both style and fabric as classic you’ll probably end up keeping it for decades…but maybe you’ll look like you’re wearing a jacket for somebody decades older than you. Just some of my experiences with little tweed jackets – would love to hear yours!

Interview with Penelope

Mar 062013

Today’s interview is with Penelope – a teacher and mother of one living in Hong Kong. In our interview, Penelope humbly refers to herself as “just a mother of a one year old boy.” Penelope is much more than that however – she’s a teacher with a specialized graduate degree, a traveler whose lived around the world, and indeed a wonderful and very stylish mother! I loved learning more about Penelope and some special moments in her life and I hope you all do too.

Who are you? What do you do, and where do you live?

My name is is Penelope, but all my friends call me Penny. I’m 29, turning 30 in March!

I am a New Zealand born Chinese and have spent half my life in Hong Kong and the other half in New Zealand. I majored in Educational Psychology and after that did a postgrad degree in Early Childhood Teaching – so basically, I am an early childhood teacher. I taught mostly in New Zealand and a couple of years in Hong Kong kindergartens as an English teacher.

I met my husband in Hong Kong at my friend’s wedding, and I moved back to Hong Kong because of him. I stopped working after I became pregnant. My dear son is now one year old, I have been a full time mum since he was born. I have to say, teaching kids at work is much easier than having your own child!

You’ve lived in several amazing places – Hong Kong and New Zealand! What was it like living in these two countries? What were the major differences that you noticed?

The major difference between the two countries I must say is a different lifestyle. In New Zealand, people are pretty laid back, never in a hurry. Monday is still in weekend mode, Friday by 3 PM is beer and pizza time, if you know what I mean. Auckland is definitely a much quieter place to live in where shops all close by 6 PM unless it’s a late night. Here in Hong Kong, people work much longer hours. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, rushing for MTR, bus, rushing to get to work, rushing to go home, rushing to get things done. Hong Kong is a lot more busier, shops dont close till 10 PM or 11 PM at night. Some of my friends here work from 9 AM – 10 PM and that is called normal in Hong Kong. It is quite hard for me to accept that, and I am glad my husband doesnt have to work such long hours! Continue reading »

Interview with Dlynn

Feb 132013

Sale PSA: Nordstrom has new markdowns on some great classic shoes here. My picks are these gorgeous classic boots, and dressy flats that can also be worn casual, for under $100 here.

Today’s interview is with the beautiful and very sweet Dlynn – a woman who you can’t help but adore when you meet her. Dlynn is a self described woman “in her 50′s, living in the 20′s”, and she is every bit as cool as she sounds, as you will soon discover. She has a fabulous closet, a diverse set of interests, and a gorgeous handbag (and car) collection that focuses on a color that many (including me) are scared of – white! How cool is that? Enjoy meeting Dlynn!

Who are you, and where are you from?

I am Dlynn. I am originally from Richmond, Virginia, but now live in the Williamsburg and Virginia Beach area. It’s a great location because you have the city/lifestyle of Richmond, history of Colonial Williamsburg, beauty of the mountains and the fun and relaxing feel of Virginia Beach. After getting married to my husband, who is from Long Island, New York, I had the pleasure of moving and living in New York for six years.

We started our family there and then decided to move back to Virginia to raise our three kids and start my husband’s dental practice. Before marriage and kids, I worked as an assistant fashion buyer for a major department store in the city of Richmond. This is where I learned so much about fashion, art, design, photography, marketing and style! I loved this job and really miss this line of work, but my life took me in a different direction.

Love the details on this Louis Vuitton bag

Can you elaborate more on this different direction? What do you do now?

What do I do now? I have spent the last few years home-schooling my kids through their high school years. I currently have developed and manage a program called “HELPING HANDS”, which teaches high school kids with “special needs” clerical skills with the hopes of having a job after high school graduation. Our middle child was born with a chromosome disorder, and through her disabilities it lead me to discover a great need in our community for a program for special needs kids. Continue reading »

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