Fondazione Prada

Auteuil

On my last day in Paris I went to Auteuil, in the 16th arrondissement. It was once a village high on a hill about two miles west of Paris, overlooking vineyards, farms and eventually the country retreats of wealthy Parisians and a few mansions. It’s very quiet with many villas and hameaux (private streets or culs de sac). Some find it too bourgeois but I really enjoy the peaceful village atmosphere and the fact that there are no tourists around. Auteuil is also known for its architecture. Although most of the buildings are haussmanian, there are also a lot of Art Nouveau buildings, especially from Hector Guimard, which blossomed all over the district at the turn of the century. It was really cold so my promenade around the streets of Auteuil was very brief even if I was wearing my oversize coat from Marant combined with black cashmere turtleneck and jeans.

Isabel Marant coat and boots / Acne jeans / Louis Vuitton bag

Art is anything you can get away with

My stay in New York is over and tomorrow I am going to back to Italy. I had the best time ever over there and it has been an amazing experience. I really hope to come back soon. I also have to say that, beside the extraordinary architecture and the tasty burgers, I have been able to appreciate USA for all those things that can offer more than Europe: loads of possibilities, different chances for everything, a precious kindness of the people, powerful thoughts and the real possibility to do what you want to. Here are the pictures of my last days in New York that I spent visiting the Moma (Museum of Modern Art) where I sow the famous Matisse’s painting “La Danse” and Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”, strolling around the Flat Iron (one of the tallest skyscraper since it was built in 1902) and going up the Empire State Building to see for the last time before leaving the city full of lights. Spectacular to leave you without any words. 

A.P.C denim skirt / Louis Vuitton bag / K Jacques sandals / Topshop top

La Hublotière

The work I have to do for my thesis for the most part of time regards the study of archive's documents and draws, but sometimes also the visit of some hotel particulieres such as Villa Berthe. After have sent some email, yesterday I finally got the chance to go to Vasinet to see this beautiful building. Villa Berthe is one of the first Hector Guimard Art Nouveau projects and it's called "La Hublotière" due to the presence of round openings in the form of windows at the base of the side walls. The house is built on three levels, and each facade has originality and identity. Sitting on a stone base blonde treated so millstone recalling medieval times, the house seems well placed and yet remains light and enjoyable to watch. The entrance gate, located on the right of the field, immediately sets the tone, with its wrought iron "vert tige" and its fine curves, slender, with "coup de fouet". This curve is the main characteristic of the style of Guimard, which is found on almost all his works. La Hublotière is a remarkable symbiosis of neo-Gothic influence, inspired by his master Viollet-le-Duc, and the abstract naturalism that the artist liked so much. The architecture of the outside and the inside together create an unusual but beautiful and interesting  place to live.

Burberry trench coat / Acne jeans / Celine bag / Stuart Weitzman boots

Castel Béranger

On Thursday morning I was in Auteuil, a mostly residential neighborhood in 16th arrondissement near Bois de Boulogne, characterized by beautiful hotels particulier from the 19th century and aristocratic properties whose gardens stretched on the back. I am particularly interested in this area because it holds the most part of Hector Guimard buildings, the major exponent of Art Nouveau architecture in Paris who is better know as the designer of the iconic metro entrances. My favorite one is Castel Béranger, and as you can see from the pictures, this building is characterized by whiplash lines and natural curves of elements of the Nature, bow-windows, exotic sources taken from the Japanese culture and the use of new innovative materials such as concrete and cast-iron, all in accordance with the construction principles of gothic architecture. It really fascinated me and it's also the main topic of my final thesis in architecture.

Louis Vuitton bag / Isabel Marant top and skirt