It’s that time of month when Cindy Hattersley and I pick a mature woman who exudes a sense of AGELESS STYLE!If you have started following me recently like QB.SPAIN WELCOME to this series of AGELESS STYLE; where I interview a woman and share her thoughts to my questions as does my buddy CINDY.At the end please skip over to Cindy’s POST to see who she has interviewed THIS MONTH!It’s always fun for us as well, as we do not SHARE OUR WOMEN BEFORE HAND!I often try a PRODUCT that they mention or visit an on-line boutique…………this MONTH I GOT IN A BIT OF TROUBLE with MY AGELESS STYLE BEAUTY as she MAKES CLOTHING OUT OF Beautiful LINEN!
MY PERSONAL PROBLEM……….. is LINEN!!
THANK YOU TARIK I LOOK forward to the arrival of my FRENCH MADE linen GOWNS!
TARIK SAYS:San Franciscan at heart with midwestern values, I sought out a simpler life in Provence for are growing young family after 15 years in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Born and raised in a small town in rural Minnesota, I quickly moved to San Franciso after university. San Francisco was heaven, the open mindedness of people combined with the natural beauty of the Pacific, fed my adventurous and creative spirit. I worked for several years in innovative start-ups and product development, and then founded my own graphic design firm after continued education to pursue my passion for design and photography.
My grandmother inspired my love for fashion at an early age. She was an excellent seamstress and would create the most incredible clothing for us as children. I remember that excitement of picking out the designs and fabric, and then the next time I’d see her, she would bring a complete, original, new outfit. I thought it was an incredible talent to have and still feel that same excitement today, each time one of my design sketches takes life into the first prototype.
I met my French husband in San Francisco in 1997, and we began visiting his family in the South of France, eventually bringing our two growing bicultural boys each year. Once I discovered Provence, I was smitten. San Francisco stole my heart forever, but Provence is where I wanted to make a permanent home for our family, to raise our boys and to embrace a more balanced, slower paced lifestyle. After a few years in the region, I took another leap and founded, Luxe Provence.
FOUNDER and CREATIVE DIRECTOR of LUXE PROVENCE
Each season, I design my slow fashion collections from the charming, Provencal hilltop village I call home, drawing inspiration from the region’s luminous landscapes, artisan culture and rich history. I love to combine vintage French silhouettes with a modern, chic simplicity to create timeless classic pieces designed to be worn for years to come.
Passionate (or maybe obsessed!) about design, I create all aspects of my creative work myself from fashion design, graphic and web design, to the photography. It’s truly my dream job and am so exited each time we bring a sketch to life and then I am able to shoot the season’s campaign. I launched the slow fashion line in 2018, and our limited edition collections are quickly sold-out each season shipping around the globe from Provence to discerning clients who prefer quality over quantity. We also have boutique stockists in San Francisco and Japan.
SLOW FASHION, ETHICALLY MADE IN PROVENCE
I take great pride in working both ethically and sustainably, selecting only high quality, natural fabrics sourced in Europe, including amazing linen, silk, cottons and haute couture deadstock from Italy. I am also integrating more 18th century vintage French textiles into each season’s collection, and routinely work with sustainable and natural plant-based textile designers in the region on limited edition pieces. I want to feel good about what I create and am proud to work with and support the region’s finest local artisans, couturiers and ateliers in Provence. This was particularly special over the last few months as our little team of women worked so hard throughout the crisis to support our families. Each piece is designed to be worn barefoot frolicking in the garden by day, and paired with heels for an elegant seaside dinner by night.
PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE TARIK
Effortless chic. I love clean lines, a nod-toward classic vintage with a touch of modern simplicity. Depending on my mood, I also love simple romance in sleeves, a delicate collar paired with a more masculine, high-waist trouser. White and neutrals are my favorite color for summer with dashes of interest in texture or pattern. Barefoot by day, simple heels by night. For autumn and winter months, I adore vintage coats and will be integrating a new fall/winter line soon based on my love here with some exciting luxury fabrics.
WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SIGNATURE STYLE?
My mood, current place, and occasion, inspires my style. However, you might find me gardening in a beautiful dress, barefoot … because I just decide I need to take care of something that moment and won’t bother to change. I am constantly inspired by travel, new experiences and places, which is why I created three distinct regional styles for Luxe Provence, the Luberon (romantic linen pieces), Aixoise (city chic) and Mediterranean-inspired.
(Louise Pascal, my current model)
DO YOU WEAR ACCESSORIES?
I tend towards minimalist accessories for day, one simple elegant piece, such as a bracelet. However for a festive evening out, love a statement necklace, leopard print or even a (faux) fur wrap. I seek out artisanally created jewellery from the network of artisans I have met in Provence and accessories that bring a pop of color or texture, to my more monochromatic style for playful interest.
ARE YOU A BLACK AND WHITE GIRL or DO YOU DRESS IN COLOR?
My favorite color for summer is white, but nothing beats golds or black for elegance. I like sophisticated neutral colors but also a bit of emerald green, coco and bleu ciel. I generally tend to gravitate towards earthy tones and as we age, I know bringing in pops of color, especially in the winter months, definitely helps brighten my face. The best color palette for my skin tone are pastels, blues/greens and neutrals.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR STYLE STRENGTHS?
I am confident in knowing exactly what I want to wear. I love to dress according to my mood and am not afraid of change. In fact I like to change my style (hair lengths) often to keep things fun and creative. In fact, it may be time for a haircut!
DID YOU HAVE A MUSE GROWING UP?
WHAT ABOUT TODAY AS A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN?
For a period muse, I am often inspired by 1920s… what an amazing fashion era. I wouldn’t say I have one particular muse, but for my designs I love working with specific types of models each season that help to inspire me. I always try to work with local Provence models particularly those with a rich history here, like Louise Pascal, my current model. Since I am also the primary photographer for my brand’s campaigns, I can see each look from sketch to campaign and that is very exciting for me. Right now, I am inspired to create styles that work for women in their 40s and 50s, and create pieces that can be worn for years to come.
WILL YOU BE SO KIND AS TO SHARE YOUR BEAUTY PRODUCTS?
Honestly, I find everything I need at my local French pharmacy via my dermatologist, which is really the best beauty source for French women. Reading lots of things about it helping with erection, but for me personally it helped treating pulmonary hypertension. Doctor prescribed it to me for short-treatment. It removed some markers and resulted good in general. If looking for it try here https://tiaca.org/buy-cialis-online-20-mg/ , actually found more information here than doctor provided, but still – always consult with your attending doctor. To me, beauty begins on the inside and I have to follow a very healthy diet due to many food intolerances (no gluten, dairy…) and this makes a big difference for me in my skin, along with drinking two litres of water each day and detoxing regularly. I believe what we put in our bodies, is so much more powerful than any beauty treatment we put on the outside.
For haircare, I look to organic natural brands such as Davines and Vegetalement Provence’s range of local, organic beauty products. Vegetalement Provence’s lines smell terrific and they are a really fabulous team all based here in the region creating, innovative haircare and beauty products
ANY ADVICE FOR THE AMERICANS WANTING THE EUROPEAN LIFESTYLE?
I think there is really something to be said of the Mediterranean Lifestyle and diet. I believe people in Provence truly enjoy life more. They have found a magic balance to simplify life and be more present. People don’t need to value themselves by how much work they do or how busy they are but more by the simple pleasures in life.
YOUR FAVORITE ONLINE SOURCES?
Did you mean to read? For fashion, I like WhoWhatWear, Fashionista.. but also read Le Monde, WWD and the News & Guts each day. I also love learning new things, so take regular MasterClass series from cooking, to interior design.
DO YOU STICK TO THE EUROPEAN DIET ?
I have always followed a healthy diet from my time living in the San Francisco Bay Area to Provence which is more Mediterranean diet inspired. I have been battling chronic Lyme disease for the last three years and in order to manage the inflammation in my body I am required to eliminate many things that I loved to eat here in Provence, including: gluten/bread, most grains, cheeses and patisserie, which has been difficult especially in France. This is part of why I moved here! But I can also see that I don’t need those “fillers” and eat a very clean and balanced diet. Nothing is better than when the summer Provence produce arrives and am inspired by what is in season in my cooking.
As a mother, I bought and made only organic food for my two boys growing up and tried to install healthy eating habits in them as they too avoid gluten when possible. I juice every morning and make our own gluten-free bread, cakes and pretty much every meal as it’s impossible to avoid my intolerances, so I would say I have a very special and extremely healthy diet.
WILL YOU SHARE HOW YOU STAY IN SHAPE?
For exercise, I am still getting my health back so I am not 100% quite yet, but I try to walk an hour each day in the countryside around our Provencal village. I also do yoga and swim in the Mediterranean sea, whenever possible, which is just 25 minutes from our home. I have had to slow down my more intense exercising a bit due my health but am re-gaining my strength and look forward to continuing again with running and biking again this autumn, a sport I love.
THANK YOU TARIK it is MY PLEASURE and I HOPE MY READERS PLEASURE to get to know YOU and YOUR line of clothing!
I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU ONE DAY!
DEAR READERS, please feel free to look at her website and prepare to DROOL…………
even if clothing is NOT YOUR THING!
THE BEAUTY of THE PHOTOS will TRANSPORT YOU!
LUXE PROVENCE.COM
INSTAGRAM CLICK HERE!
IF YOU FEEL THE URGE TO COMMENT KEEP SCROLLING DOWN
PLEASE DONOT FORGET TO SKIP OVER TO SEE
CINDY’S PICK for AGELESS STYLE TODAY!
I DO HOPE YOU ENJOYED STEPPING OUT OF COVID-19 and entering THE SOUTH of FRANCE even though it was brief!I have VERY special memories from the SOUTH of FRANCE.AS a 17 year old I went on an EUROPEAN tour for graduation from HIGH SCHOOL. I celebrated my 18th BIRTHDAY in the CASINO in Monte Carlo!!!I recall the ENORMOUS ice creams in FISH BOWLS and purchasing my first YSL make up in a PHARMACY in NICE!
THE DISPLAY SOLD IT TO ME!
IT WAS STUNNING…………
I WANTED IT ALL!
We then lived in ITALY for a few years in the early 1990’s and I had heard about this village that put on a FLEA MARKET once a month so I KIDNAPPED THE ITALIAN and we DROVE NORTH for VALENTINES DAY! I kept it a surprise and did not tell him we were driving to another country!
I still have those purchases to this DAY…………..
THAT village was L’lsle -sur -la -Sorgue.
To hear my pronunciation would make a FRENCHMAN CRINGE!
THANK YOU TARIK and THANK YOU CINDY for another month of AGELESS STYLE!
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