ESCAPADE IN SWEDEN

After visiting Stockholm, I can say that it’s definitely one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.  

The city is just has a spectacular natural setting, set on hundreds of islands in a lagoon.  Stockholm’s old town, the Gamla Stan, is where you can find the most beautiful architecture, characterized by its yellow buildings and cobblestones.

Though I was visiting the city for 4 days, I spent as much time as I could exploring the beauty of it.

What surprised me most about Stockholm was its cultural diversity. Through my 5-months experience in Copenhagen, I got used to a certain way of living I could call "Scandinavian". 

Well, Stockholm was the antithesis of the social coldness I could feel in Denmark. People, from everywhere in the world (you could barely find a foreigner in some neighbourhoods in Copenhagen) were everywhere in the street, playing music, gossiping, dancing. The city is alive, and you feel it's moving everywhere. It made me think a bit of New York City.

Here are some of the shots I took there :

How a selfie could illustrate the multicultural diversity :

"Oh baby! Let's marry in the park!"

We also say Stockholm is the Venice of Scandinavia :

The New School Competiton

Since I'm a business student, I'm fully aware (sure) of all scholarship opportunities on the web, and I found something really interesting : the New School Competition. 

Are you interested in art, design, music, jazz or liberal arts? Do you wanna study in a prestigious school in New York? Don't wait to apply before January 27, this is a golden opportunity!

Here's the website : http://www.thenewschoolcompetition.com/:

See you in New York :)

Shanghai In My Heart

Après deux mois d'aventures au coeur de Shanghai, je peux assurément dire que je suis tombée amoureuse de cette ville. Le patrimoine culturel n'y est pas aussi riche que dans d'autres villes, mais Shanghai est un peu le New York de la Chine. Le ryhtme de vie y est intense, l'environnement cosmopolites permet des rencontres inattendues et les aventures (principalement nocturnes) y sont infinies.

Ce qui m'aura le plus marqué? Probablement les personnes que j'y ai rencontrées, le fameux quartier de Moganshan Road pour son art, celui de Tianzifang pour ses bars, la vue imprenable du Bar Rouge, le KTV (ces chambres privées de karaoké que l'on peut louer pour toute la nuit),  les succulents dumplings de Din Tai Fung, les massages du Dragonfly et les négociations interminables au Fake Market!

Le luxe et la mode sont également très présents à Shanghai (voire même un peu trop dans certains quartiers) et les prix sont justes inabordables. Il s'agirait d'une histoire de taxe, c'est pourquoi la plupart des chinois en ayant les moyens voyagent en Europe pour acheter leurs biens de luxe (ce qui explique la queue d'un kilomètre devant de Louis Vuitton des Champs Elysées, et oui!).

Bref, un voyage riche en culture, en découvertes et en aventures. A reprogrammer au plus vite!

After two months of adventures in the heart of Shanghai, I can certainly say that I fell in love with this city. The cultural heritage is not as rich as other cities', but Shanghai has this particularity to be the New York of China. The rythm of life is intense, the cosmopolitan environment allows unexpected encounters and the adventures (mostly nocturnal) are endless.

What marked me the most? Probably the people I met there, the famous district of Moganshan Road for its art, those of Tianzifang for its bars, the outstanding view from the Bar Rouge, the KTV (those private karaoke rooms you can rent for the whole night), the delicious dumplings of  Din Tai Fung, the massages of Dragonfly and the endless negotiations at the Fake Market!

Luxury and fashion are also very present in Shanghai (maybe too much in some districts) and the prices are just unaffordable. Actually, this is because of the high taxes, that's why most of Chinese who can afford it travel to Europe in order to buy their luxury goods (which explains the endless queuing in front of the Louis Vuitton, Champs Elysées).

In short, a journey full of culture, discoveries and adventures. To plan again as soon as possible!

Cheers!

One Step Ahead

Here I am again with a new drawing. I though I had lost inspiration, but I guess the summer had something to do with that. Indeed, I spent the summer in the US, living for a month in the Connecticut, then went to see Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Newport in Rhodes Island and some other fabulous places. Here are some photos of my magical trip ! (Thanks Instagram)

Me voilà de retour avec un nouveau dessin. Moi qui croyais avoir perdu l'inspiration, je pense que l'été y a été pour quelque chose. Effectivement, je viens de passer un été aux Etats-Unis : un mois dans le Connecticut avant d'entamer un périple à travers Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Newport dans le Rhodes Island ainsi que d'autres endroits magnifiques. Voici quelques photos du voyage ! (Merci Instagram)

At the top of the Rockefeller center - NY

Louis Vuitton HUGE store - NY

Crazy energy - Times Square, NY

Smaller than I thought! - NY

A sketch for Sam, a dear friend I met in the US - Connecticut

Times Square's favorite ice cream - NY

Lost rabbit - University of Connecticut

Some crazy friends of mine - Newport

So America

Les USA. Trois lettres qui en disent long...

S'il est vrai que j'éprouve un mélange de fascination et d'admiration pour cette société américaine haute en couleurs, moi les États-Unis, ça m'intrigue. Et New York en particulier, la ville où tous les rêves se réalisent, dit-on, et où style et beauté règnent à chaque coin de rue, quelle qu'en soit la forme...

Les photos de look de rue (ou street shooting, pour les initiés) parlent d'ailleurs d'elles-mêmes. La mode n'est pas seulement réservée aux personnes qui en ont les moyens, et un vêtement vintage à quelques dollars pièces a toujours un tombé parfait sur celui ou celle qui se l'approprie. Mais c'est surtout cette culture, ce savoir-vivre à part entière qui ne se trouve qu'outre-atlantique et où l'art est partout où l'on souhaite le trouver, qui m'inspire autant.

Si ce sont des actions aussi banales qu'un footing matinal à Central Park ou une virée shopping sur la Cinquième Avenue (des courses aux poignets et un Starbuck's coffee à la main, accessoirement) qui nous laisse admiratifs devant la vie si palpitante de toute New-yorkaise qui se respecte, rares sont ceux qui se penchent sur le revers de la médaille... Ces dernières, hyper-actives en toutes circonstances (et ce conformément au mode de vie américain dans lequel le culte de la perfection est solidement ancré) adoptent inconditionnellement avec un style impeccable... Mais à quel prix?

The US. Two letters that speak for themselves ...

It's not because I feel a mix of fascination and admiration for this highly colorful american society, but the US intriguies me. And especially New York, the city where all dreams come true, they say, and where style and beauty reign at every street corner in any form whatsoever...

Street shooting pictures also speak for themselves. Fashion is not just limited to those who can afford it, and a vintage apparel costing just a few dollars has always a perfect fall on the person who appropriates it. But it's mostly all this culture, these good manners only found overseas and where art is everywhere you wanna find it, that inspires me so much.

If there are some moments so mundane as a morning jog in Central Park or a shopping spree on Fifth Avenue (shopping bags on the wrists and a Starbuck's coffee in the hand) giving the impression that all New-yorker's life is so exciting, a few people look at the other side of the coin... If they are hyper-active at all times in accordance with the American way of life in which the cult of perfection is firmly established, it's always with a perfect style ... But at what cost?

 

Sketch : A personal creation

Pictures : Kate Moss by Craig McDean and Victor'n'Rolf's campaign