Bonjour mes amies! I’m coming at you with another blog post from isolation. With all of the free time on my hands, I’ve been spending a lot of time on Instagram, finding new influencers and celebrities to follow for some inspiration and also a distraction. One new trend that I wanted to try out was popping up everywhere: scarves.

I know what you’re thinking, that scarves have been around forever, how could they be a new trend? However, these scarves are smaller, usually with a delicate print, and are reminiscent of a bandana. I’m using this floral scarf that I was gifted last Easter from a friend’s mom, who found it at Anthropologie. If I wasn’t in isolation, I would be wearing this out for Paris in the spring! Here are three different ways I styled it:

I wore this scarf in my hair, like it was probably meant to be worn. It adds a nice pop of color to my outfit of classic blue jeans and my favorite white cropped sweater!

I also wore this scarf tied around my waist, just like a belt. I paired it with a lighter blue tube top, and I can perfectly picture myself wearing this outfit to explore a new city in the springtime… if quarantine ever ends!

Finally, I wore this scarf as a top on its own. I’d seen this trend on a popular app called Tik Tok, and wanted to try it out too. I actually really like how it turned out, and could see myself wearing this to the beach!

That’s it for this week’s post! I hope you’re all staying safe and staying at home. Until next week!

Au revoir, Annie

The other day I was wondering if they had luxury surgical masks or if they were working on them. So, I decided to look it up and thought it would be kind of applicable to this blog. Sadly, I couldn’t find anything about if they were in the works, but I did find an article that luxury houses have actually been helping to work on surgical masks to provide healthcare workers with. Both Yves SaintLaurent and Balenciaga are using their workshops right now to make masks and their parent company has vowed to buy 3 million masks for the French health care system. Other brands like Prada and Louis Vuitton are also providing masks. Prada is also making 80,000 medical overalls along with their 110,000 masks that were taken to Tuscany.

What I find humorous is my assumption that these luxury brands would even consider making “luxury” surgical masks at this time. It would be incredibly inappropriate and would face the same scrutiny that Kim Kardashian faced when she posted a $60 “luxury crisis kit” which includes a N-95 mask, an emergency blanket, emergency drinking water??, and a pre-charged single use charger. It is seen as exploiting a pandemic which is the same sort of exploitation that designer houses would be under, were they to make a designer surgical mask which is probably why many have refrained from making them.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t still in the works. While they have been working on providing normal, useful surgical masks, I also believe they have to be working on luxury surgical masks just for the future incase our heightened fear of viruses continues and they want to take the opportunity to make a profit. There are always people that are willing to stamp a designer logo on an item to prove their position in society, which brands know.

It just seems as if the rich/luxury houses can always finds the most absurd ways to instill class distinction. No one can simply have a watch, it has to be a Rolex. A… normal… belt? Nahhhh, it has to be Gucci or Hermes. And what I’m wondering is if this same premise is going to end up occurring with the N-95 masks as the virus continues.

There is a lot of “What-ifs?” and uncertainty with this virus and this just happens to be one of mine and something I have been pondering. I haven’t found any articles published about it, but will look further into it as this continues.

With that being said, I hope everyone is doing great and making it through this…

❤ your favorite corn teen gal,

ABBY

Hello all.

As many of us are are restrained to our homes there has been no need to dress up or frankly have any interest in consuming fashion.

Recently I found myself shopping online and when I went to my cart I stopped and thought to myself FOR WHAT? What would you possibly be buying these clothes for and when would you be wearing them? There was a strong likelihood they could go out of style or maybe the season would pass and I wouldn’t even be able to wear them.

It was stupid and frankly, fashion right now is stupid.

I’ve found myself in a routine, as many of us have, and a new addition to that routine is this app my friends introduced to me called INSTACART! It has gotten extremely popular due to a lot of people’s fear of leaving their house and getting the virus. Some people won’t even go to the grocery store and thatttt is where Instacart comes in. If you need groceries and are stuck doing work from home or are too worried about germs, you put in an order on the app and then someone will go and pick it up for you!

It is a lot like Grubhub/UberEats/the whooole lot of em, except for groceries. This plays into my routine because I signed up and have started delivering groceries for people! It has been nice to get out of the house and I get paid a significant amount for what it is. I’ve also been practicing the proper protection etiquette that I need to, as I am constantly reminded by my parents before leaving the house with their questioning, “Do you have your PPE???”… PPE for personal protection equipment… & equipped I am.

I also use this as an excuse to kind of dress up-and by dress up I mean not wear a massive t-shirt and sweatpants. It is the bare minimum but it is something to get me a little spruced up.

I live about 10 minutes from the beach and it is pretty hot now, so I’ve just been wearing my summer stuff from last year. It just so happens that I was obsessed with the color yellow, so anytime I’ve gone out lately, it is very likely that I am wearing a yellow pair of shorts. That is part of the reason why I titled this corn teen… because I’m turning into a yellow teen… during this quarantine.

So here I have provided a couple of my corn teen transformations.

And there we have it. 2 different shades of yellow. All tied together with some nice ole PPE. This is what I go out in during my quarantine sessions and they’ve been doing me well.

And with that I will leave y’all with a goodnight & goodluck from this good ole corn teen ❤

Godspeed.

Bonjour! Although this quarantine has certainly put a damper on spring fashion, I drew some inspiration from my last few weeks in Paris and ransacked my closet at home to come up with a few new outfits. This week’s feature: checkers! This fun yet classic pattern is one that I saw popping up as Paris began its transition to spring, and I wanted to try it out myself. Below are three cute winter-to-spring transition outfits!

This first outfit features a checkered jumpsuit from Urban Outfitters and a classic black turtleneck. It includes some of my favorite things (besides the checkers!), such as layer, buttons, and the classic Parisian color scheme. It’s a fun outfit for when the days start to get a little bit warmer, but you still want to fit in with the ideals of La Parisienne!

This next outfit is a fun twist on a more business casual look. Featuring flare checkered pants and a fitted gray turtleneck, it again fits the Parisian look with a fun pattern and funky style of pants.

This last outfit is a bit more fun, and I can perfectly envision myself picnicking in front of the Eiffel Tower wearing it! The top is a cropped sweater found in a Parisian thrift shop, and the checkered skirt is from a local boutique in Columbia, South Carolina. I love that the lighter pink color of the checkered pattern makes it feel more like spring!

That’s all for this week! Make sure to check back next week for more Parisian inspired quarantine fashion!

Au revoir, Annie

Hello from across the pond! I’m coming to you today from my bedroom in suburban Illinois to share one of my favorite trends this upcoming spring: square necklines. Not only are they incredibly flattering, it is also super easy to layer for chillier days! Below I have three different outfits, all featuring this trend.

This outfit above is one of my favorites, and will definitely be one of the first I wear outside post-quarantine! I found this beautiful silky black dress from ZARA for only 15 euros, and I layered it over my staple gray mock neck sweater. I can’t wait to pair this look with some chunky boots for the colder days!

This next top is another favorite from last year! I purchased this blouse from Urban Outfitters on sale last summer, and I love that the square neckline is coming back in so I can wear it again. I paired it with some classic black jeans for a casual, everyday look!

This next blouse is another new find from ZARA, and is perfect for going out with some friends or even for a date! I love that the two straps are still dainty but help counteract the harsh tube top look of the shirt. I paired it with the same black jeans for a classic all black look, and wore it out to dinner on my last night in Paris!

That’s all for this week, but I’ll be back next week with another up and coming trend: checkers!

Au revoir, Annie

This past week was CEA’s winter break, and I was lucky enough to travel with two close friends to Lisbon, Portugal, and Sevilla and Malaga in Spain. I was beyond excited for this trip, but I realized very quickly I had a huge problem: packing. I could only bring a carry on suitcase and backpack for the entire 7 day trip, and had to be ready for all kinds of weather. My most recent purchase was a jean jacket from Zara, which I decided to bring as my only coat. Brave? Maybe – but I made it work! In this article I’ll be showing some of my outfits from this trip, all incorporating my jean jacket.

LISBON, PORTUGAL

As you can see, a jean jacket was a staple piece for us on this trip! As pictured above, my favorite way to style it was with my white sneakers and black ripped jeans. I prefer jeans for walking around and exploring new places, but am not a fan of the denim on denim look, so the black denim was perfect! I wore this outfit on two different days, once with a cropped and thrifted sweater (featured in an earlier post!) and once with a t shirt from a local Portuguese company.

On our other day in Portugal, I wore my jean jacket over a loose fitting black and white floral jumpsuit. I love that it made my outfit a bit more casual and also provided me with some warmth!

SEVILLA, SPAIN

Okay… I know I’m not wearing my jean jacket in this picture…but hear me out! On our first day in Sevilla I wore these cropped, flare checker pants, with a tight black crop top that emphasized my waist. I carried around my jean jacket during the day, and popped it on over the outfit when it got dark later. Although I didn’t manage to get a pic in this outfit, I ended up really liking how much more casual the jean jacket made the outfit appear, while still flattering my waist.

I’ll see y’all next week for a new and fun article! Au revoir, Annie

Bonjour mes amies! I know we normally talk about our own fashion and styles here on RINGARD, but this week I thought it would be fun to switch things up and talk about fashion here at CEA. On this rainy Thursday, I picked four random students after French class and took pictures of their outfits (with their permission). I’ve looked at all of their outfits and included my own, and in this blog post I’ll be analyzing some of the trends that are popular here!

JEANS

Four of the five students are wearing jeans, although they are all of different styles, colors, and fits. Jeans are probably the most popular piece of clothing worn by both males and females at CEA, because of how diverse they are and how you can dress them up or down!

NEUTRALS

With the exception of the pink coat, nearly every item on all 5 students is of a neutral shade, excluding the blue jeans. I feel like this is pretty representative of winter fashion in Paris, and is a standard of most of the students at CEA.

BOOTS VS. SNEAKERS

All three of the girl students pictured are wearing some form of boots! This might be just because it’s raining outside today, but they’re also popular walking shoes amongst CEA students regardless of the weather! We see a variety of different shades and styles, but the look is completed with jeans and a coat. However, when compared to the guys, we see sneakers and boat shoes instead. It appears that boots are definitely a trend among female students here, but might not be as popular among the guys!

I hope y’all enjoyed a little sneak peek into some of the fashion trends present at CEA Paris this season! Next week I’ll be sharing my outfits of the week, so stay tuned!

Au revoir, Annie

Studying in Paris has proven to be an incredible experience. Not only is there so much to see and do, but as students it provides a deep intellectual playground as well. With such a deep culture and rich history, the stories behind the city are as impressive and interesting as the city itself. Everyday I learn new things about it, and am reminded of how lucky I am to be a student in such a crazy place.

This weekend we went to Reims, a small town in the Champagne region of France. My friends and I expected to see vineyards, champagne houses, fields of grapes, etc. What we saw instead far surpassed any of our expectations, albeit very different from them. We toured Champagne Pommery, a Champagne house in Reims. As we walked down into the cave, we had no idea what to expect, but what we found was definitely nothing any of us were anticipating. What we discovered was an art show, exhibitions and pieces integrated seamlessly into the deep cavern. It was modern art crossed with some of the oldest history in France. In this way, we should have expected it. Paris, and more broadly France, pays homage to its history, to its culture and its people through celebrating those that carry on those traditions today. The French are incredible at integrating where they came from and where they are going. The city itself act as a background for all the incredible people it serves today, while still reminding them of where they came from.

This got me thinking about what this means for fashion in Paris and France, and how the history of the city and country could potentially influence, or even limit, the creativity of designers here. I do notice that fashion here still tastes of its origins. It is impossible to escape the designers who carved out what made Paris the fashion capital of the world. However, acknowledging its incredible history i think only encourages designers to continue to create, and holds them to a standard of excellence that only pushes ingenuity.

In summary, when we look at history, we create, we inspire and are inspired, and we continue forward with a reminder of what once was so incredible.

Till next week,

Dina

isn’t this gonna be a fun one?!

not what i intended on doing but ALAS, here.we.are.

i didn’t make it to a thrift shop this week so i decided to combine my newfound love for european candy (alll the different haribo stuff that we don’t have and other weird sweet candies) with the upcoming spring 2020 trends to not only inform myself on the trends BUT to give a little sneak peak into my favorite candy at the moment (bc that is very important).

soooo i’ve compiled a list from multiple sources that sums up the biggest trends going into spring 2020…

1- NEON

This was a trend that I saw on a couple of websites including Vogue (both us and fr) and Harper’s Bazaar. Neon was popularized recently by Valentino and following that it was picked up by multiple other designers during their 2020 shows such as Balenciaga, Jeremy Scott and Tom Ford. Neon is FLASHY, bright, and adventurous. Which is why I chose the Haribo Rainbow P!K to compare this trend too. Aside from the simple fact that the colors of the candies match the bright neon colors we are seeing on the runway; this is a candy you can’t have TOO often. It’s not chocolate, it’s too sour, and simply having them every single day is a little unhealthy… just a little. WHICH is just like wearing neon. Sure every now and then you can chomp on a Haribo Rainbow P!k, but not all of the time. You can’t be wearing neon every day, but every once in a while a little POP of color really draws you in.

Left picture: Jeremy Scott Spring 2020 Ready to Wear Collection

Right Picture: Valentino Spring 2020 Ready to War Collection

2-BERMUDA SHORTS IN A SUIT MATERIAL

Frequented on Spring 2020 RTW collections, this design is a spin take on the classic business pant. It’s also been referred to as the “business bermuda” and has been popularized by Tom Ford and also featured on the runway for Michael Kors and Rejina Pyo. This one is a little bit different… and something I didn’t know if I’d be open to trying… and one I’m not particular sure I like still. Sure, I respect other people who like them, but I, by no means will be executing this trend with open arms. Just as I am with a French candy I’ve recently tried… the Caramel Carambar. These are a chewy, caramel candy that each contain a joke on the inside which is kind of fitting to the trend because some of these shorts seem like a joke… (0oooo burn got em) I personally am not a HUGE caramel person, which is why I related it to the pants because choosing this candy would be very different for me, just as choosing to wear these kinds of shorts would be.

Far left: Cedric Charlier, Spring 2020 Ready to Wear, Middle: Carambar Caramel Flavor Spring 1954 Ready to eat collection, Far right: Staud Spring 2020 Collection

3-LEATHER

There has been all variations of leather featured on the runway: colorful, metallic, printed, black, you.name.it. It has been altered to fit different styles and is why it reminds me of the classic Haribo gummy bear. Not only are there multiple variations of it, but it’s also super versatile, just as the leather featured on the runway has been.

In today’s modern world, fashion is readily accessible through social media and ready to wear fashion. That makes the question of ‘What do I wear today?’ and personal style even more difficult to figure out.

As three American students living in Paris, we want to take advantage of this unique opportunity to see Parisian fashion up close and personal. We have found ourselves to be incredibly inspired by the street style we see everyday on our commute to class, and can feel our own styles changing and growing through this process.

That’s what RINGARD is all about: the intersection of our own personal style and classic Parisian fashion. We hope to use this blog to create new looks inspired by Paris and its culture surrounding us, and will be documenting this journey in different blog posts talking about street style, thrifting, culture, and lifestyle. How can you fit in and look like a Parisian while simultaneously stand out with your fashion choices? How far can we add our own twists and takes on classic style to make it our own? How can we create eye-catching, groundbreaking looks inspired by the city around us?

These are just some of the ideas we will be exploring on this blog. We hope you stick around and come on this journey with us!

Au revoir, Annie