Introducing the Season’s Standout: The Chic List

We all have a fantasy job that we would like to do in another life. Mine would be a site to explore movies or, these days, more likely Netflix.

I’ve already wasted a lot of time trying to find the perfect spot for my Instagram street shot. I’ve become very adept at spotting a light angle.

On a trip to Los Angeles last year, she ran into an Uber driver whose husband was scouting Pretty Woman. Remember the fire escape stairs that Richard Gere climbed to woo Julia Roberts? This was her husband’s job.

He even had a cameo in the movie – driving a soft-top sports car with a kid in the passenger seat as he drives away a giant cellphone. Watch it again and see if you can spot it!

She also revealed that unfortunately her husband passed away and she is now driving around Hollywood to pay off the mortgage. Her loneliness was tangible – she clearly wanted to talk about him and his life with someone.

The latest brush with a piece of genius to find the location is Emilie’s charming restaurant in Paris. On Netflix, she was owned by her love interest, Chef Gabrielle. In real life, he’s an Italian named Terra Nera located near the Jardin du Luxembourg.

A proper old school establishment, it has been serving delicious pasta to Parisians for decades. And the owner I meet there–a stout, middle-aged Italian–seems torn about his new-found fame. He spends a lot of time telling Emilie’s meddling young Paris lover looking for a coffee—broken or too tight to buy a meal—that “This is a restaurant!”

It’s right next door to a classic boulangerie that’s also in the chain – and Emily’s apartment is next door too. What a clever location to explore so much of its own Paris in a lovely little square, once off the beaten track.

But it’s not so anonymous anymore, as it’s filled with photo-op tourists while locals make wonderful French noises of frenzy behind their backs.

Of course, when it comes to fashion and deciding what to wear, location — plus a little fanfare and imagination — couldn’t be more important. And now that clothing season is officially underway, I imagine where I’ll be jumping in this French cube design from Cos.

When it comes to dresses, I usually like them dressed in simple silhouettes and paired with a jacket.

I’m not a fan of flowers, but if you are, this spring brings a new twist: 3D flowers! Off-White, Loewe, and Bottega Veneta have turned simple clothes into flourishing works of art.

Zara’s new star

There’s a new style icon on the Gram — Marta Ortega Pérez, daughter of Zara founder Amancio Ortega. Since her appointment as non-executive chairman of Inditex – which owns Zara – her clothing has become a social media sensation.

And she’s noticed that Zara’s latest accessory—like this bold necklace—has upped her game.

Bags for boys

There was a time when handbags were seen as only for women, but in 2023 they are unisex.

In Paris I saw men wearing Chanel bags, Harry Styles using a Gucci Jackie bag and actor Jacob Elordi using a bag from Bottega Veneta.

Big Mac

Nothing says spring like a trench coat. Find pre-loved Burberry products online at Vestiaire Collective or Phoenix Style, or try Mango and Cos, which both have stylish options.