Our New World
4 years ago by
My dear Doré readers, it’s been a while.
And it’s not because I am not here! It’s because this place has tremendously evolved over the years, and I am tremendously proud of this.
Recently, Emily, Veronica and I have taken a new direction. We were craving the kind of honest, clear, fresh take on style and beauty. Something that’s straight to the point, a great guide in a time of plenty. We love beautiful things. We love art, we love beauty, we love clothes, we love people. We love having a laugh.
We love supporting the most creative voices of our time.
Some of you might have noticed my absence from the pages of this platform, and for a long time, it was as much a choice as it was a torture. My baby had grown and I felt like my role now was to let it live. I didn’t want to be the mother behind the kid saying “he’s great but what about me, me, me!!!” and bringing the attention to herself.
My stories were no more about fashion and beauty. I mean sometimes, but far gone were the days where I was running in high heels. Slowly they didn’t find their place here anymore. I tried to adapt my tone and use formulas of the past, but it felt like one of these smoothies you leave in the fridge too long. You know?
So I took a break.
And within that break, I finally understood that I needed to find new ways to communicate. I needed to get back in touch with the intimate ways I used to share. It took the shape of the newsletter Veronica told you about a few weeks ago.
It felt right to have these two means of communication. And when came the time to ask myself what I was going to do with this newsletter, after a lot of questioning, after a lot of contemplating of my experience in publishing, of the new world we live in, and of my needs as an artist, I decided the newsletter would become a community, kind of like a member’s club. And, before you ask, yes, there is a price to join the club. It’s $6 a month. I did some serious research about subscription pricing – but I am also thinking about it as you taking me for a coffee each month. Ah!
I needed privacy, and a safe place.
I went back at it like if it was 2006. I basically built the website with my own hands – though if it wasn’t for the help of John, one of Emily’s friends, I would still be in CSS / HTML / JAVA limbo : a lot has changed since 2006!!! Coding isn’t what it used to be, I am telling you that.
Starting next week, the newsletter will only be sent to members.
The members will also have access to the platform on which I’ll create exclusive videos and host lives with great experts on all the fields that interest us. I want us to grow together.
I also created a place for us to chat. I wanted more than comments. So I installed a conversation board – the idea is to share everything from our workouts to our favorite books to our career advice.
Soon, I’ll also be launching IRL events. It’s been my dream for so long, wherever I am, to be able to meet with you. The smaller, more engaged audience will finally make this possible.
I’ll let you go take a look. I explain everything in the newsletter I sent this morning – here is a link.
Imagine this new step as if Doré was the playground open to everyone to come play, and this new intimate space is like the boudoir. Smaller and more private.
I’m still here – on this great platform that is Doré, though slightly more behind the scenes. And, however you chose to follow me, and us, I want to express to you all my gratitude for all these years of style, beauty and wonderful conversations. You guys rock.
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Hola Garance, mi nombre es Lucía, nací y vivo en Buenos Aires, Argentina, América del Sur.
Te sigo desde hace mucho tiempo y te agradezco por todo lo que desde tu lugar me mostraste y enseñaste, por tu espíritu hermoso e inspirador, por tu amor a la belleza y a la vida, y también por todo aquello que has peleado desde tu lugar para evolucionar y llevarnos un poco de eso también a nosotros, aquello genuino y auténtico que te caracteriza y tú enorme creatividad transformadora. Te admiro, y por alguna extraña razón desde la virtualidad también te tengo afecto, aunque no te conozca realmente.
(No sé si lees español pero voy a expresarme primero en mi lengua materna y luego tratare de hacerlo en inglés para llegar a vos).
Me da pena y hasta vergüenza tener que decirte esto a continuacion: en mi país el dólar es muy caro de acceder, cada vez más, y me resulta muy difícil sostener la membresía de tu nuevo proyecto para poder seguir recibiendo tus hermosas escrituras, que semana a semana ansiaba ese momento de que llegaran para leerlas y disfrutarlas. Te deseo lo mejor en tu nuevo proyecto pero lamento no poder seguir recibiendo tus cartas semanales.
Es por eso que me atrevo a preguntarte: Habrá alguna alternativa para aquellos que no podemos pagar la membresía, de seguir leyendote de alguna otra manera?
Now I’ll try in English to express something of what i did above. I’m Lucía from Argentina, i admire You a Lot, i follow You since a Lot of time, You represent something very beautiful (it’s better expressed in spanish in the first part of the letter, hope You undestand ir because spanish is similar ti french un some way). I have to tell You that i can not pay the membership of your proyect and that i regret that so mucho, because in My country the dólar is very high yo access. So i thought that i could ask You ir there is any way of keep receiving the beautiful newsletter You used to send by email, or some of your stories once in a while for those like me who can’t access monetary but love your work so much.
Lot of love and wish You the Best!
Lucía
What a great idea, Garance!
This is the result of a long time hard working.
It is perfekt. I am looking foreward being part of the comunity.
Good luck!
See you there..
Patricia
Garance I have been following your evolution from the beginning. Although I still enjoy Dore, your true voice has been absent and I am happy to see that you have found a way to continue to share that quality that you have that brought us here in the first place. This is the right move. I can’t wait to see how this project and community come together.
What I would have commented.
Curious about the new step, resonating the initial steps.
Dear Garance –
Your friend, Célia is right. Doing what you love is the most valuable thing one can have besides health and time. :) You are a wonderful writer and your personal content is what spoke most to me over the years. I am glad that you have found a more enriching and organic way to connect and exchange with your readers. A meaningful exchange and sharing of ideas and thoughts rather than comments shooting in the dark.
I am very happy for you and the team. It makes sense.
Sending love and warmth your way always,
Helen
<3
Hi Garance,
Ive been an avid reader even before you redesigned your website. It felt very personal; almost like getting a peek into your journal…with your drawings and photographs, it was beautiful and honestly, addicting.
And with this new community of yours, I cannot wait to see what you have in store. I hope you succeed in bringing back that old feeling!
PS: Love love loooove your malachite necklace!
Bonjour, Garance,
Je te suis depuis les tout débuts. J’ai toujours eu beaucoup de plaisir à te lire. Sauf qu’il fut un temps où, sur le blog, tu proposais une version française de Mes histoires. Tu devais te rappeler le pauvre anglais scolaire des Français. Je me suis abonnée à ta Newsletter. A chaque fois, je suis frustrée, tellement je peine à la comprendre. Si j’ai bien compris, l’accès devient payant. Pourquoi pas s’il y a une traduction. Belle journée à toi
Je suis d’accord !
Comment avoir accès à la version traduite en français ?
Do anything but let it produce joy. If you don’t step forward you are always in the same place. Best wishes for your new purposes.
Lovely idea! Sounds interesting and exciting. Love your newsletters so… xxx
I have been following you and seen your evolution through the years. I have seen you connect with the human side of first the fashion system and now I can see it on the wellness side. Your family (Corse) traditions have always been present through out this and are crucial to your style. I enjoy every word that you share. I am glad you will be back to drawing!
Best regards,
Maria Luisa Ortíz
Colombia
This is awesome. How do I subscribe?
Garance, i am also a long time follower of yours.
However I must say, since a bit, i really am wondering where all this is going.
Once rich, flavorfull, whitty and… well… full of YOU, your website has turned into a big cashmachine that has lost it soul. Emily, Veronica and all are all nice and everything but … the magic is gone.
…and now monetizing your newsletter.
I am glad you tell us you regained your true soul, but I think I will let it go from now on.
So long, Garance, I wish you the best and thank you for all the spark you’ve given me ??
I have to say that I agree with Isa’s sentiments to a large degree.
Your blog as it once existed created your success and brought you tremendous success. You worked hard for it and deserve to do with it as you please, but I agree that for me, this new branching out is another commodification of your loyal readers and as such, I too shall say good-bye. I wish you nothing but success in your new venture. Be well and be happy!
Same here! All the best and au-revior.
Dear Garance,
I’ve been reading you for years as many others here. However, I am with Isa, Doré has turned into Women’s Magazine featuring high priced products. Still interesting portraits of women from time to time, but it has lost your voice. I won’t follow you on your next way either. Nevertheless, good luck with Garance.world!
Ariane
Goodbye then, good luck for you.
I will search for quality free webs, don’t see the point of paying for these kind of content.
I’ve missed you, Garance! I love this idea. You have always added to my life and have changed it for the better. You are an inspiration to me and I love your positivity. I try to emulate it myself (I can be negative). I look forward to hearing about your personal style (one of the things I really miss), and of course, your makeup/beauty/workout secrets! XOXO.
Dear Garance,
It is your humble and also extraordinary soul that inspired me to follow my path and do what I love. Your values and the way you learned to know yourself speaks directly to my heart, and after I read your book I fell in love with your beautiful way of seeing life.
I know we came to this planet to live, learn, and love the most grateful way as we can, so thank you for sharing with us yours to be your true self. I celebrate your decision to be true to your feelings and follow your passion, once again. Those little yet big actions are the really meaningful things we can make to inspire others to become who they came to be.
Thank you for being such a great inspiration!
Best regards,
Josefina
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It seems you are coming back to your origin (I missed it). We often have to travel (trough the world and trough our spirit) to come back to who we really are, and that’s an amazing journey and amazing come back home again. It was a pleasure watching this and gave me a very positive energy.
(And maybe as a longtime follower you want to have a look at my Instagram account @fabiduister ;-D)
Excellent initiative Garance, it’s a great idea and it’s great to see you back. I followed your blog for years and I was a bit disappointed to see you disappear even if your team is great.
You do give a very positive energy. You rock!
Hello Garance & Dore,
I’m a 25-year old Black woman who has been reading your site faithfully since I was a pre-teen (when this blog was still mostly illustrations, fashion posts, and amazing rants) through many life changes as I’ve grown from adolescence to womanhood. I almost feel like I know you since I have seen you go through so many life changes and growth moments as well. One reason why I always come back to this site is because I have always admired your authenticity and transparency. Because this site has meant something to me for a long time, especially as one of the only constant voices in a landscape where blogs are consistently disappearing, I wanted to ask if you planned on using your platform to honestly address how this site has been unconsciously complicit in holding up white standards of fashion, beauty, and wellness as well as featuring mostly white perspectives in ways that have been unintentionally harmful to the Black community (even if you are well-intentioned and do occasionally feature images of Black people, profiles on Black women and Black-owned businesses on the site) and how Dore plans to do better or at the very least understands there is a problem that needs to be addressed, before you create and foster an exclusive community that I can only imagine will be trafficked predominantly by wealthy, white women. While I fear this post may be alienating, I am willing to risk it to speak my truth and hope you take my communication as it is intended–a sincere belief that your intention is good and that you are capable of doing better. While Dore has never been a political site, everything has taken on a political tenor these days and at this point, relative silence is also a political statement. I know you’ve spoken up a bit about BLM on your newsletter and I’ve seen your ‘quaran-talk’ in which you, Emily and Veronica talk about not wanting to be “policed” by everything you say or don’t say because of your relative privilege, but I invite you to consider that it would be a cop-out and a missed opportunity to not at least offer a public reflection directly on your site not just on your newsletter–which again is going to become exclusive shortly and therefore less visible–that goes beyond a few links to donation pages and Black-owned business products. I know that this site will likely not receive the same outcry and calls for accountability as other publications, but I felt like I would be remiss if I didn’t speak up. Just like we all are remiss when we don’t speak up. Thanks for listening.
Hi ya Garance!
Everything has a time and season to it. Your season has come to rebirth a new birth to be in touch at a greater, more intimate community. Love your illustration work, candidness, sharing, openness and authenticity of you and your style. Being in Asia and one of your long time Asian “fan” from day 1, I have seen you evolve – the ups and downs of life at work, home and relationship. With heavy heart I’d have to say au revoir and God bless you always! The subscription fee is not in favor of me due to the currency conversion. Having said that I believe I’d still receive and hear from you once in a while via your Instagram feeds. Take care and wishing you and your community a great new adventure! xox Tricia
I wish you all the best in your new adventure. I used to love your blog a lot (I’ve been following you since your French days), but it has become mostly an add with some interesting interviews thrown in from time to time. While on the surface it sounds great that you’re trying a more intimate way of interacting with your fans, it’s also sad to see how even the epidemic of loneliness can be monetized with a monthly subscription.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this return to basics, return to values, to community & love..follower since 2012!