Sunday, October 4, 2009

Sonia Rykiel appreciation post

My first encounter with Sonia Rykiel was back in fall 2000, when I was newly arrived in Cambridge, MA, to receive the obligatory Ivy League fix that was part of my education. Spending literally all of my free time at the Boston Ballet School, Green Street Studios, Dance Complex and Impulse Dance Studio (where we would always watch Judge Judy before class, waiting for the cheap landlord to turn on the heat in the freezing studio on Mass Ave!), I never saw any reason to dress up... so I basically lived in white tights, knitted jumpsuits, leotards and wrap cardis, all paired with a fresh-faced no-make-up look and hair slicked back in a ballet bun. For class at the uni, I would just slip a pair of Diesels on top of the leotard and tights... unless I felt really lazy and opted for bell-bottomed warmup ballet knits instead. I was going to the dance studio anyway directly after class, so why bother picking out an outfit for Pol Sci 101, right? Obviously, I have changed a lot since then...

My roommate cared about fashion and style even less than I did. Her wardrobe was based on 80s bright-hued ski jackets, mom jeans and worn-out sneakers, reeking of foot odor - indeed being the living proof that all French women are certainly not stylish! Hence, when a distant acquaintance sent her a bottle of Rykiel Rose for her birthday, she immediately regifted the pink box to me without even unwrapping it. And I fell in love at first whiff. Suddenly, my Anais Anais, Acqua di Gio and Angel scents seemed incredibly boring. I broke up with all of them and instead wore Rykiel Rose anywhere I was headed - economic history lectures, Starbucks, the library and, of course, pointe class. And from there, the leap to getting hooked on Rykiel's RTW collections was not too drastic. I wore knits daily on a daily basis already, and was excited to realize there was actually a way to morph my signature look into some kind of style more suitable for life outside the ballet studio. From there, my interest in fashion continued to grow, and veritably exploded a couple of years later after I had moved to New York... but I will never forget how Sonia Rykiel was the one designer who got me started.

These memories all came back to me this morning, when I had breakfast in bed and flipped through last month's Nylon, featuring three Sonia fans showcasing their favorite looks from the label (pictured above right/left). I think I will have to rummage my closet and see if I can find any striped knits that I can wear today to pay tribute to Sonia while I walk the pup, sip ice coffee and dream about the MA fall foliage from nine years ago!

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday - below are some Rykiel Resort 2010 favorites to admire:

44 comments:

  1. Stunning post, darling ~ so well-written; love your college roomie reminiscences!

    xoxox,
    CC

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love love love the stripy jumper, or tank and pants, but it is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great back story and yes Sonia is a star.

    As for Conway I have no idea but when Primark opened on Oxford St people nearly got killed in the stampede. It is truly awful and I'm sworn off it for ever!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ^ to add on to "Sonia is a star" comment, she is a very bright burning star.
    She's bueaitufl, classic and graceful.
    J'adore!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved reading this post! Its great how one designer can completely change you. Thats what makes certain designers special!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love Sonia Rykiel ! She is so french !

    http://mimietnini.canalblog.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. The last time I was in the city, I stopped by a Sonia boutique - the clothes are even more amazing in person! I've always been a fan of her happy looks.
    Amazing you did dance - your dance outfit actually sounds quite chic, given that bodysuit/leotard things seem quite in now, and I'm a sucker for hair pulled back into careful buns!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This took me back to the early eighties when SR arrived on the international fashion scene and I discovered her unique style via Town & Country Magazine. Can't say she influenced my work much but she sure has her own style, and for that she has my respect.
    Love to hear about ballet. Very hard work to achieve any sembelence of a good performance . . . .

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for visiting my blog :)

    Love that resort collection!

    stoleninspiration.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. obsessed with this post.

    xo ash

    ReplyDelete
  11. cool story, it's so interesting that one designer started your love for fashion.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sonia Rykiel sounds fabulous and so does that perfume! I wonder if it is still made...

    ReplyDelete
  13. love the story behind how you came to know sonia rykiel and musings abut going to school in cambridge mass! i love her knits :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, S. Rykiel's S/S10 collection is stunning, you should see it

    Maison Chaplin @ Paris Fashion Week
    MaisonChaplin.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Saw it already and I like it... I was just in the mood for some resort. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love hearing how a designer has touched someone. Lovely post. And I'll take look #4 pretty please. Ah ha

    ReplyDelete
  17. sonia rykiel is super amazing, ill gladly join the rykiel appreciation society :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. super cute post...

    ReplyDelete
  19. If you're going to pick a fashion fairy godmother you could do a helluva lot worse (and not much better) than Sonia Rykiel. Amen to Sonia.


    http://closetaltar.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. That was so well written...I thought I was reading Vogue for a minute! Gorgeous post and who doesn't love Sonia Rykiel?!?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great post!! And I love Sonia Rykiel's Collection!!!
    xoxo
    Giovanna
    www.bohomarket.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. thank you always for your lovely posts and writings. and yes the sonia rykiel collection is really wunderful

    ReplyDelete
  23. OMG, I LOVE SONIA RYKIEL.
    I WANT THE HER SUNNIES WITH ALL THE DIAMONDS :D

    love annie, xx

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love Sonia, her designs are so fun.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love all those clothes! So fun!!! I work for the government, so everyone pretty much wears khakis and knits every day. Boring. I want to dress up but it seems wasted on these people.

    ReplyDelete
  26. i discover your blog today with a lot of pleassure!
    Kiss from paris!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I so adore the sentiment behind this post - it makes me feel as if I was one of your dance-mates, shivering beside you while watching Judge Judy. Though I do lack all semblance of ability to dance. I have always found Sonia's designs to be so playful yet romantic in a very youthful way - her Resort 2010 collection is so amazing; the draping is divine, as are the stripes! :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love her signature stripes, always timeless and modern!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Love the collection! it's so much fun! :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. I adore Sonia too go to the cherry blossoms blog she had all these photos from a show!
    Enter my Giveaway!
    XOXOXO
    Libby
    http://fashionconfectionairy.weebly.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. What a great memory! I love Sonia too- her clothes/style always seem so effervescent and playful, but very well-designed!
    ps- Cath and I used to be dancers and our uniform (anything over leotards and tights) was much like yours ;)

    ReplyDelete
  32. These outfits bring back the 80's. Love the fashion. The purple striped dress is my favorite. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. your posts are always such fun
    i will defs check out her stuff!

    myglitteringcreation.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  34. wonderful wonderful and thoughtful posts. how excited are you for the sonia rykiel and h&m collaboration?? and how did you like cambridge, ma? i grew it up there and its interesting to hear a new yorker there.

    www.amoreeggrorr.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thank you everyone for your nice and thoughtful comments. I love Cambridge and could see myself retiring there... maybe. Haven't made up my mind regarding the H&M collab - as some of you know, I am dead tired of these collaborations. On the other hand, if quality is not compromised, this could be something to look forward to.

    Also, I just came home from a 17-hour day on SATC2 and will go back tomorrow.. so please forgive me for maybe not having the energy to write something new tonight or tomorrow AM. :(

    ReplyDelete
  36. Ivy league school, ballet, fashion? You should be on Gossip Girl ;) I took ballet once upon a time.. for 10 years!! Oh how we've grown. :)
    I love this post. It was so precious.

    ReplyDelete
  37. sonia rykiel's resort was..truly amen awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Very cool story. I first fell in love with a stripey sweater of hers. And it's only gotten better since!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Thanks for sharing you memories! I love Sonia too, I was just writing about her up and coming H&M line in December - praying for some striped sweater action!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I know, I am really curious of what will come out of their collaboration!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails