P&C Questionnaire: Kim from J'Adore Couture
Monday, March 28, 2011 at 12:45PM It's back! The P&C Questionnaire begins its second series with the fabulous Kim from the J'Adore Couture blog. Sophisticated and fun in one, Kim not only produces a well-edited blog, she also (always) has an elegant but singular personal style that continues to impress. So, without further ado...here's some insight into the mind of Kim Mitchell Stokes!
What is your occupation and how did you arrive at it?
I'm a senior designer/art director at a large retailer. I design window posters, inshore signage, emails, direct mail pieces, you name it. my initial major in college was civil engineering/urban planning, so I love when things have a certain order...I just realized I wasn't really mathematically inclined! i took a summer session in graphic design at parsons between my sophomore and junior year and I was hooked! after many years of being a designer and working for tech, medical, banking etc., it is a joy to be working for a company that is really involved in fashion and to still be able to do what I love.
Name three things that inspired you this week.
The Louis Vuitton Fall collection was sexy, fetish-y but also quirky, totally in line with marc jacobs' aesthetic. not only were the clothes amazing, but from the casting to the set to the music it was a complete show.
I am totally intrigued by monochromatic dressing. I know it was all over the runways for spring and fall, but besides dressing in all black, it seems a bit daunting. I loved the recent feature on elle.com where a market editor challenged herself to dress in a different color everyday for a week.
I love getting fun promo items in the mail from graphic design companies. I just got a mailer from veer that included five sets of rub-on letters, but in cool typefaces. I can't wait to use them!
What is your personal style "uniform"?
I love skirts and dresses, jeans (i have way too many pairs!), and blazers and cardigans, which are essential in san francisco. i also love interesting and unique dangling earrings (to highlight my short hair) and rose gold pieces. I am determined to dress up a bit more this year, and not use jeans as the "fall back" option.
Name one type of clothing, shoes, or accessory that always makes you stop and stare, and explain why.
I always look at interesting accessories, be it shoes, bags, or jewelry. It's a way to personalize any outfit. I love seeing someone wearing all black but bright red shoes, or a mixed metal chunky necklace.
Do you buy vintage? If so, what piece in your collection is your favorite?
I don't buy a lot of vintage clothing, but I love vintage jewelry. I also love checking out the consignment shops in San Francisco. Cris (in Russian Hill) is one of my favorites. I bought two great dresses there, one from Lanvin and one from Nicolas Ghesquiere's early Balenciaga collections.
Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong time? If so, what era would you like to have lived in and why?
Honestly, I love the era we are in now. There are so many opportunities for women and minorities that weren't available in the past. I also feel the avenues available in terms of fashion writing, styling, and blogging weren't around back then…if you wanted to be a fashion writer, you had to get a job at a magazine or newspaper, or if you wanted to be a stylist, there was a purposeful route you had to take. now you can pave your own way.
What current trend do you like the most?
I love the return to minimalism. Narciso Rodriguez is one of my favorite designers, and his collections may not have all the bells and whistles of Dolce & Gabbana or Givenchy, but he makes clothing that looks great on women of all body sizes.
What current trend (in your opinion) cannot disappear fast enough?
The "lazy" trend, meaning not dressing up, needs to go away. It doesn't take much time to take the extra effort to make yourself look presentable. There is nothing worse than going to the airport and seeing a pretty girl wearing sweatpants and Uggs on a flight. Put on a pair of jeans, a cardigan and some cute flats…it's not going to kill you!
What film could you watch over and over and still find something inspiring? Why?
I love The Royal Tenenbaums and seem to find something new every time I watch it. The details in that movie are incredible. And I am a big fan of two 80s movies, Less than Zero and Some Kind of Wonderful. The relationship between Eric Stolz and Mary Stuart Masterson was what I thought every boy/girl friendship should be like.
If blogging didn't exist, how would you fill your extra time?
That's a really good question! I would probably find a way to submit stories to a magazine or newspaper, and I would definitely go back to keeping my seasonal scrapbooks. even in the digital age, i'm still a lover of paper.
Images 1) Style.com 2) Elle.com 3) Jak & Jill blog 4) Style.com 5) Still from Some Kind of Wonderful 6) J'Adore Couture
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