DORÉ

Here are Alessandra’s essentials, who is a columnist for Women’s Wear Daily in New York and whose velvet voice you heard in the first Pardon My French…

My Top: I love this Wes Gordon sweater. It’s so luxurious, it’s crazy. I want to live in it. I try to keep it pretty simple on top most of the time. In the fall and winter I love a good knit: cashmere sweaters in white and black and grey. In the summer, it’s more just whatever I can bear to put on: usually that means eyelet or lace or gauze, white, loose, sheer.

I used to wear a lot of leotards (I don’t know why, I probably thought it was charming), but I do love a solid black top. Wolford makes wonderful bodysuits.

My Jeans: J-Brand, Levi’s, Isabel Marant.

My Evening: Wes Gordon, Giambattista Valli, I’m a big-time Alaïa girl, I don’t think there’s much out there that’s more flattering than Alaïa.

My Wes Gordon tuxedo has served me well, it’s tailored perfectly and I love wearing a sleek suit when people expect some little cocktail thing or big-deal evening dress.

My Intimates: Kiki de Montparnasse, Eres, the Lake and Stars.

My Coat: Oh, I am ALL about the vintage fur. I steal them from my mother or scour vintage markets for them.

My Bag: Hermes disco bag (1970s) in emerald green lizard and in the summer I carry this basket I got in some small town along the Costa Brava of Spain, mid-road trip.

My Shoes: My studded Bess motorcycle boots and in the summer, leather sandals. K Jacques or something simple. There’s this store called Bootleg based out of an airstream in Austin, TX that has great sandals.

Though there are now multiple holes in one of the toes of the boots, and the electrical tape patches are starting to come off— someone asked me if they were Margiela, the other day, because of the tape, which is hilarious.

My Accessories: I wear two rings from my grandmother every day, and I’m perpetually begging my mother to lend me pieces for special events. One of the things I love about jewelry is the history behind it: the elements of it last forever, it can be passed down through generations.

As far as “fashion jewelry:” I love Bliss Lau’s designs, her body chains, her hand pieces. The piece I wear on my right hand is Bliss Lau. I bought it one day and haven’t really taken it off since.

My Watch: I don’t wear one anymore! I bought this primary-colored plastic Nixon watch on a whim at Colette and ended up wearing it every single day for the past four years. I loved it to death— the battery died twice, I had it revived, and then the band snapped in half and it was over. So now I’m on the lookout for a new one.

My Glasses: Thierry Lasry

My Scent: My whole family wears Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte and I also use a scent that I mix myself: amber and sandalwood and floral notes.

My Hair: I try to mix up hair products, I think it’s better for your hair to keep changing. I am always squirreling away the little bottles from hotel rooms and I love the Bulgari green tea collection that for some reason hotels always have. The Bristol in Paris uses Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte (Another reason to love the Bristol)! The classic Pantene Pro-V shampoo is a favorite. Kiehl’s Amino Acid coconut shampoo, too.

My Lip: La Mer lip balm! It’s like velvet on your mouth. Or Kiehl’s facial fuel lip balm (and yes, it is for men, but i like that it’s not greasy or shiny). For a red lip, MAC’s Ruby Woo. Never fails.

My Skin: Cetaphil and the Chanel Sublimage line. I love the way Chanel skincare smells.

My Workout Routine/Sport: I walk everywhere (which is one of my favorite things about New York), and I take ballet barre class via Mary Helen Bower’s company Ballet Beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you ballet dancers aren’t athletes: my god! They are.

My Inspiration: There’s this Gore Vidal idea, that “style is knowing who you are and what you want to say and not giving a damn.”

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For more My Essentials:

My Essentials: Solange
My Essentials: Valentina
My Essentials: Elisa