Style & Beauty Tips, Personal Styling, Clothes Inspiration.

My Simple Travel Skincare Routine & The Products I Always Pack

Elena Sullivan — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 19:00:35 +0000

After moving to Spain last year, I found myself naturally wanting to refresh many parts of my daily life, including my skincare routine. Something about living in a new place makes you notice your habits a little differently. The light is different, the air feels different, the rhythm of the day slowly shifts. Even small routines that once felt automatic suddenly feel open to change. Over time I’ve learned that when life enters a new chapter, it’s often the small everyday rituals that evolve first. A morning coffee in a different kitchen, new walking routes through unfamiliar streets, or a slightly updated skincare routine before starting the day.

So one afternoon I walked to El Corte Inglés, Spain’s famous department store, and spent several hours wandering through the skincare section, particularly the part dedicated to dermatologically approved cosmetics. And OMG… there is a lot to choose from. Sometimes I feel that with every passing year it becomes harder to choose skincare products. The number of brands keeps growing, new formulas appear constantly, and every skincare product promises something slightly better, cleaner, or more innovative than the last.

But while I enjoy exploring new products when I’m at home, travel is a completely different story.

When I travel, I stick to my tried-and-true favorites. Traveling is not the time for experimenting with unfamiliar skincare products. When you’re moving between cities, walking all day, sleeping in different places, and experiencing different climates, your skin already has enough to adjust to.

Instead, I like to create a balance between exploration (the unknown) and daily routines (the familiar). Having a few trusted skincare products with me helps create that sense of stability while everything else around me is new.

Another practical detail: size matters when traveling. The smaller the better. Luckily, many skincare brands now offer travel-size versions of their most popular products. Another solution, and the one I often use, is small refillable containers where you can transfer things like cleansing gels or lotions.

Just a small note: this is not a sponsored post. I’m simply sharing products I’ve personally tried and enjoy using.

The Skincare Products I Always Bring When Traveling

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel

This has been one of my most reliable cleansers for years. I like that it feels gentle but still leaves my skin feeling properly clean after a long day outside. When traveling, especially in warm places where you spend hours walking and exploring, your skin collects a lot: sunscreen, dust, makeup, and just the general feeling of the day. This cleanser feels refreshing without making my skin feel dry or tight, which is something I try to avoid.

Eye cream – currently from Caudalie

Eye creams are one category where I’ve experimented quite a bit over the years. I’ve tried a few from Estée Lauder and Clinique, but honestly I never saw dramatic results from most of them.

Recently I’ve been using an eye cream from Caudalie, and what I enjoy most is simply how comfortable it feels on the skin. Sometimes with skincare products, that’s enough, something that hydrates the delicate eye area and feels pleasant to use every day.

Vitamin C serum — recently from Good Molecules

I always bring some kind of Vitamin C serum when traveling. It has become one of those small rituals in my morning routine. Lately I’ve been using the Vitamin C Serum with Oryzanol from Good Molecules a Korean Skincare product. It feels light and absorbs quickly, which I appreciate when I’m getting ready to go out early to explore a new city or take photos. I’m not someone who expects dramatic overnight results from skincare, but I do enjoy the feeling of starting the day with something that makes my skin look a little brighter.

Refreshing face sprays — one from Clinique

Face sprays are one of those small skincare luxuries I didn’t fully appreciate until I started traveling more. The Moisture Surge Oil-Free Face Spray from Clinique is one I’ve used on and off for years. It’s especially nice on long travel days, during flights, or simply when you’ve been walking for hours in the sun. Sometimes I spray it in the middle of the day just to refresh my skin, it feels like a tiny reset button.

Moisturizer — currently from Neutrogena

Right now I’m using the Ultra Gentle Daily Face Moisturizer from Neutrogena. I tend to prefer moisturizers that feel light and comfortable rather than heavy creams. When traveling, I want something simple that works both morning and evening and layers well with sunscreen and makeup. Before this one, I used the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel from Clinique for quite a long time. It has a similar light texture that I really enjoyed.

Lip balm — always in my bag

Lip balm is one of those small essentials that I always carry with me when traveling. Whether it’s long flights, walking in the sun, or windy coastal weather (like what we had this winter in Costa del Sol), lips seem to notice the change in environment very quickly. My current favorite is also from Caudalie. It’s simple, moisturizing, and feels good on lips.

None of these products are particularly complicated, but together they create a skincare routine that feels familiar wherever I am, whether I’m at home in Spain or exploring a new place.

In recent years I’ve been paying more attention to cleaner cosmetics, trying to choose products with simpler ingredients and fewer unnecessary additives whenever possible.

Living in Spain (currently in Marbella) has made skincare exploration easier in its own way. Having El Corte Inglés within walking distance means there’s a huge selection of brands available in one place. I wouldn’t say I’m constantly searching for new skincare products, but from time to time I do enjoy trying something new and seeing how it works for my skin.

Over time I’ve realized that when traveling, simple routines matter more than perfect products. I prefer to bring skincare products I already know my skin likes, things that feel comfortable and predictable. It allows me to focus my energy on the experience of travel itself, wandering through beautiful streets, noticing light and colors, and capturing moments through photography. And of course, I’m always curious to hear from others.

Do you have any favorite skincare products you always bring when you travel?

All images in this article were taken by Elena Sullivan, ArsVie Photo Studio and are protected by copyright. If you are interested in using any of the them, please contact me for permission. Thank you for understanding!

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You’re Allowed to Want a More Beautiful Life

Elena Sullivan — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:23:19 +0000

The first soft rays of sunlight appear on the horizon, and I pull back the curtain to let them spill into the room, breathing in that unmistakable freshness of morning on the Costa del Sol. Clouds drift across the sky in playful shapes and shifting colors, gathering around the rising sun like dancers circling a spotlight. Seagulls swoop and chatter overhead, their voices weaving into the rhythm of dawn, making it impossible not to pause and notice.

It was here in Marbella, during that very first week after relocating to Spain, that my husband and I found ourselves completely still, just watching the sunrise. Something so ordinary and yet so deeply beautiful. And in that simple moment, I felt a quiet reminder that a beautiful life isn’t defined by extravagance; it’s made of small moments that catch your breath and connect you back to yourself.

Sunrises are never the same, perhaps that’s what makes them magical and perhaps that is one of the simplest ways to make your life better every single day.

When I speak about wanting a more beautiful life, I know the word can be misunderstood.

I don’t mean shiny perfection, more money, yachts, designer logos, polished marble, or curated displays of luxury.

Beautiful, to me, means something more intimate, something that nourishes the mind and heart, that enriches the imagination, that reminds you what it feels like to be awake inside your own life.

And learning to notice it, to pause for it, is one of the most profound ways to improve your life without changing your circumstances.

In 2013, I flew to Cancun with one red suitcase, a story I’ve shared before in these articles “When happiness is packed in one red suitcase” and “How traveling solo with a one-way ticket changed my life?”

Seeing the Caribbean for the first time was like stepping into a postcard. The water was warm even in autumn, the sand bright white, the calmest turquoise waves lapping at the shore. I fell in love instantly.

But nine years later, something shifted quietly.

The coastline, which had once felt like paradise, became predictable. Sargassum seaweed washed up on the beaches, and instead of marveling at the color of the sea, I found myself noticing the smell. And although I enjoyed photographing the people there, creatively I felt boxed in, the light rarely changed, the scenery offered little contrast, and I found myself longing for shadows, textures, angles, anything different to turn that inner spark.

I wasn’t physically tired. I was creatively and emotionally tired, and craving a change.

That’s what can happen when we stay in one place too long without allowing ourselves to wander, to explore, to step into new landscapes and perspectives.

Sometimes, a beautiful life begins simply with a different life, a change that awakens the senses and helps you change your life from the inside out.

Beauty Isn’t Shallow. It’s Something We’re Wired For

Long before Instagram feeds and curated photo walls, beauty was woven into human existence. It lived in carved temples, in pottery, in music, in textiles, in the way people decorated their bodies and homes.

As an art student in Saint Petersburg, I visited the Hermitage Museum more times than I can count. Some visits thrilled me; others felt like just another assignment. But those countless hours taught me something deeper than art history, they shaped the way I saw. The proportions, the light, the lines, the textures; the quiet education of beauty seeped into my bones.

Wanting beauty is not frivolous it is instinctive, ancient and deeply human. And for many women, that desire to create, seek, and surround ourselves with beauty feels especially natural. Learning to honor it is a simple, elegant way to make your life better each day.

You’re Allowed to Have a Beautiful Life

Most of us know the inner protest well:

I don’t have time for this.

I have too many responsibilities.

It’s not practical, not necessary, not serious.

But someone else is allowed to want a promotion.

Someone else is allowed to dream of a family, a house, a luxury car.

So why shouldn’t you be allowed to want a life that feels inspiring, nourishing, textured, and alive?

Your dreams are valid, even if they don’t fit society’s usual categories. Longing for beauty, noticing it, and seeking it intentionally is how you improve your life, even in small, quiet ways.

How Spain Reawakens Your Eye for Beauty

Moving to Spain reminded me that beauty isn’t something to collect, it’s something to notice.

Here, beauty lives in the light bouncing off old stone walls, in tiled floors worn by centuries of footsteps, in a café terrace where time moves slower than the clock. It is in the food: olives, bread, anchovies, oranges and in the rituals of everyday living.

Through photography, especially macro photography, I learned a simple truth: you only notice beauty when you slow down enough to see it. First you pause. Then you look. And suddenly the ordinary becomes extraordinary. And that is one of the most immediate ways to change your life, to feel it fuller, richer, more awake (visit my online Macro Photos Gallery here).

Walking through Marbella’s narrow streets, breathing in the scent of citrus and sea salt, I realized that beauty has never left, I had simply stopped noticing it. Spain taught me what Cancun first revealed and then quietly took away: that beauty is everywhere, scattered across the world like clues, waiting for those who pay attention.

Wanting a beautiful life is not an escape from reality, it is a deeper participation in it, and that act itself begins to make your life better.

Beauty Lives in the Moment You’re In

So if you feel that pull, that gentle whisper that life could hold more color, more meaning, more small miracles — follow it.

Visit the museum you’ve passed a thousand times. Wake up for the sunrise. Sit at the café and watch people go by. Wander down a different street. Step into a story, even a small one.

A beautiful life doesn’t require permission, or perfect timing, or a bigger budget. It begins the moment you allow yourself to want it and the moment you choose, even in the tiniest way, to seek it. These small acts: noticing, exploring, pausing, are how you improve your life, one moment at a time.

Maybe it all starts with something as simple as sunlight slipping through a curtain in a country you weren’t born in, a reminder that you are allowed to desire a more beautiful life, that you can change your life, and that beauty, once invited, will always find a way to meet you halfway.

Longing for beauty doesn’t make you selfish. It makes you profoundly, unmistakably alive.

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When Fashion Becomes Art A Journey Through Viktor & Rolf Exhibition

Elena Sullivan — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:43:56 +0000

Fashion changes with the seasons. Trends come and go, silhouettes shift, and the world offers an endless supply of new styles and outfit variations. But when fashion rises beyond function and becomes art, it steps outside of time. It no longer belongs to a season. It stays and continues to speak long after the runway lights fade.

At the end of October last year, I went to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta with a clear plan — I wanted to see the “Viktor & Rolf. Fashion Statements” fashion exhibition. Still, the moment I stepped inside, everything slowed down. You know that feeling when something visually beautiful makes you pause, even though you came prepared for it? That was it.

The space felt dreamlike right away. Dresses floated like sculptures. Layers of tulle caught the light. Silhouettes were bold, theatrical, and slightly surreal. These weren’t pieces you imagine wearing to dinner, they were statements, ideas, questions stitched into fabric. Elegance met extravagance, and somehow the two didn’t compete; they danced. This was haute couture in its most expressive form.

What I loved most was how Viktor & Rolf blur the line between fashion and art. Their work doesn’t sit neatly on a runway, it belongs just as much in a gallery. Each dress felt like it had something to say, quietly asking you to lean in and think. Less “Is this practical?” and more “What does this make me feel?” There was rebellion here, but refined — thoughtful, intentional, almost poetic (like this photo print “Orchid Petal Poetry”).

And then there’s the craftsmanship. The kind that makes you stand there a little longer, tracing seams with your eyes, wondering how something so complex can feel so deliberate.

This is haute couture as transformation, clothing that shifts how you see luxury, beauty, and even identity. They ask for more than a glance, they invite you into an experience.

UPSIDE DOWN. When Viktor&Rolf opened their Upside Down Milan flagship store in 2005, no one expected a typical retail store. Designed by Siebe Tettero and SZIdesign, the upside-down space combined a nineteenth-century French boudoir interior with neoclassical details. The archways were turned into cushioned seating areas, and the herringbone parquet, now the ceiling, held chairs and the bases of the shelving. For their haute couture collection Late Stage Capitalism Waltz (2023), eighteen mesmerizing, corseted, pastel-colored tulle dresses were partly worn in a conventional way by the models, while others were fixed in a variety of orientations and positions. The gravity-defying dresses required 3D-printed body shapes by the company Hans Boodt to fill out the physical volumes. The result was a surreal and playful collection that referenced a stereotypical vision of haute couture while transforming the familiar into something strange and manipulated that questioned the fashion ideal.

The High Museum of Art did such a thoughtful job bringing this fashion exhibition to life. The way the rooms flowed, the spacing between the pieces, even the music playing softly in the background, it all felt carefully considered and quietly emotional. The music, especially, added a layer of feeling that made the experience more immersive, almost cinematic.

This exhibition is the first time Viktor & Rolf’s work has been shown in a dedicated exhibition in the United States, and also the first project supported by the Lauren Amos Fashion Project at the High. With more than one hundred of their most daring and avant-garde designs on view, along with sketches, videos, dolls, and photographs. The show offers a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into how their imaginative world comes together.

A Little Backstory about Viktor & Rolf (Because It Makes Everything Better)

Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren met as students in the Netherlands and launched their label, Viktor & Rolf, in 1993. From the very beginning, they approached fashion as a form of conceptual art rather than a commercial pursuit. Their early collections were presented in galleries instead of traditional runways, a move that set the tone for their future and challenged expectations within the fashion world.

Over the years, the duo has become known for their theatrical presentations, intellectual depth, and fearless experimentation. Their work often explores excess, irony, and beauty, sometimes all at once, which is why a Viktor & Rolf fashion exhibition feels completely at home in a museum setting. Their designs engage the mind.

Walking through the exhibition, I kept thinking about how rare it is to feel this kind of wonder around clothing. In a world that moves fast and consumes quickly, Viktor & Rolf invite us to slow down, look closely, and experience haute couture as an idea.

At one point, I stood in front of a dress longer than I meant to. It looked heavy, layered, almost overwhelming, yet it felt strangely light. That contrast stayed with me. It made me think about how often we rush past beauty in our everyday lives, especially when it asks us to slow down. This fashion exhibition wasn’t asking to be consumed quickly; it wanted attention, patience, and curiosity.

I left feeling inspired, slightly dreamy, and reminded that fashion can be more than personal style. It can be art. It can be commentary. It can be joy.

I’m sharing more photos from the Viktor & Rolf fashion exhibition below, fragments of beauty that deserve a slower look. Scroll gently, pause when something speaks to you, and allow the images to inspire your own sense of wonder.

P.S. Have you ever encountered a piece of fashion, at a fashion exhibition, in a magazine, or even a store window, that stopped you mid-step? I’d love to know what stayed with you.

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Reimagining Coco Chanel in a Modern Fashion Show

Elena Sullivan — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 17:57:31 +0000

It was my first fashion show attended in person, a milestone moment I’ll never forget. I arrived filled with excitement yet holding onto my favorite personal rule: no expectations, only presence. I wanted to absorb the experience as it unfolded, moment by moment, exactly as it was intended by the organizer.

I was already familiar with the space where the fashion show would take place, but stepping inside left me astonished. Though the store was actually quite large, its many home accents and decor pieces made it feel cramped. Yet, through thoughtful staging, the area had been transformed almost magically into a chic runway. It reminded me that when true professionals come together, they can create beauty out of anything, turning limitations into art. It was a scene that whispered of transformation, creativity, and effortless elegance, something Coco Chanel herself would have appreciated.

What surprised me most was how cozy it all felt, a word rarely associated with fashion shows and haute couture. Usually, fashion shows dazzle with drama, boldness, and extravagance. Yet here, amid the soft lights and warm atmosphere, the elegance had a quiet intimacy to it. It was beautiful, inspiring, visually enchanting filled with those unexpected wow moments that make you smile rather than gasp.

That sense of elegant coziness was created by the organizer, Laura Nay, the owner of La Librerie Boutique in Atlanta. The event took place within a beautifully curated interior design store at Miami Circle, a space that already breathes art and aesthetic refinement. Together, the fashion and the setting created a perfect dialogue: fabric and form meeting texture and light. It felt like a gathering of kindred spirits, people drawn together by a shared love for fashion, art, and beauty.

Reimagining Coco Chanel in a Modern Fashion Show

This fashion show was a tribute to the art and legacy of Coco Chanel, serving as the graceful finale to a four-week exhibition I previously wrote about in “Unapologetically Coco Chanel Timeless Fashion at La Librairie Shop” The show unfolded in several parts, each segment a chapter in a story told through style. I found myself waiting eagerly for each new reveal, with the same anticipation as a child unwrapping a beautifully tied ribbon.

Between the model showcases, Laura shared personal insights about the inspiration behind each set of looks. Her words added a thoughtful, intimate layer transforming the runway into something more than spectacle. It felt like an artistic conversation, where clothing became language.

Each part of the show reflected Laura’s artistic interpretation of a chapter in Coco Chanel’s remarkable life: her rebellion against restrictive fashion, her love of simplicity, her rise in the world of haute couture, and her lasting influence on women’s style. Rather than recreating history, Laura reimagined it with her own elegant touch, weaving Chanel’s timeless spirit into something personal, modern, and deeply inspiring.

Some of the outfits balanced beautifully on the edge of extravagance: daring, bold, and unapologetically expressive. While others carried a touch of humor, revealed through small, clever details: a whimsical purse, a playful accessory, a surprising color accent. It was that mix of sophistication and lightheartedness that made the show so engaging.

You could sense Laura’s artistic eye in every choice, her deep understanding that true style lives in contrast and layers, in the way elegance can wink at you without losing its grace. Beneath every detail, there was love for craftsmanship, reverence for history, and a genuine desire to make people feel.

And in a time when so much of our world feels digitized, filtered, and optimized, this fashion show felt real. Real fabric. Real presence. Real awe. A celebration of artistry, community, and the simple human joy of creating something beautiful together.

P.S. I keep thinking about how every outfit told a story, some whispered of old Parisian charm, others spoke boldly in the language of modern women. Which story resonated with you most? Share your favorite look in the comments maybe together we’ll discover that beauty, like art, lives in the details we each notice differently.

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Unapologetically Coco Chanel Timeless Fashion at La Librairie Shop

Elena Sullivan — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 01:58:18 +0000

Even if you’re not a fashion enthusiast or follower of haute couture, you’ve almost certainly heard the name Coco Chanel. She was a designer and an an icon who reshaped the very idea of elegance. She populated the “little black dress” term redefining what sophistication could look like.

I’ve always been intrigued by her — that intense gaze, that aura of independence. She often seemed unapproachable, wrapped in mystery and strength. But as a creative myself (I’m a fine-art photographer), I’ve learned that to survive in any creative field, you need both softness and fierce confidence. And beneath her steely persona, Coco Chanel clearly had a poetic side, you can’t create clothing that lifts women’s spirits without having a tender heart somewhere beneath the discipline.

When my husband and I visited the Coco Chanel exhibition in Atlanta, I smiled at how little he actually knew about her story. He had, of course, heard her name — who hasn’t? — but didn’t realize she was born in France, raised in an orphanage, and built an empire from sheer determination. The organizer shared these stories with such enthusiasm that even he became captivated. (He later whispered, half-joking, that perhaps he now finally understood why women adore French fashion!)

Coco Chanel Vintage Fashion Exhibition in Atlanta

This elegant fashion exhibition was organized by Laura Nay, founder of La Librairie Shop — one of the most charming and colorful luxury women’s consignment shops in Atlanta. (Information about her store is at the end of the article) The Coco Chanel clothing and accessories on display came from the personal collection of Shauna Wood’s granddaughter. In the 1960s, Shauna Wood Trabert (she was crowned Miss Utah in 1953 and went on to represent Utah in the Miss Universe pageant that year) and her husband, famed tennis player Tony Trabert, moved to Paris, where he ran the European tennis tour while she modeled directly for Coco Chanel. Working alongside Chanel herself, Shauna became a muse of sorts, appearing in Vogue and Elle, and helping bring to life many of the era’s most exquisite looks.

The fashion exhibition, set within an interior-design showroom on Miami Circle in Atlanta, felt like stepping into Chanel’s world. The color palette — black, white, with some golden-brown accents — echoed her signature aesthetic. Laura’s styling was impeccable; despite the intimate size of the space, every purse, shoe, and dress was placed with intention, allowing each piece to breathe and tell its story. It proved, once again, that in design (as in fashion), it’s not the size of the space but the vision of the person curating it that makes the difference.

As always, I couldn’t resist taking photos. I believe photography preserves beauty and also emotion, and exhibitions like this remind me why I fell in love with it in the first place. Sharing these moments feels like inviting you, my readers, to pause, to notice, and to find inspiration in aesthetics, fashion, and art.

One wall featured a striking contemporary art piece from Luca Fine Art Gallery, inspired by Coco Chanel No. 19 perfume. It was a perfect touch — modern, elegant, and just mysterious enough to capture her essence. What added a warm, personal note was the small handwritten messages from Shauna Wood’s daughter, placed beside some of the jewelry pieces. Those delicate notes brought a sense of intimacy to the fashion exhibition, a reminder that behind every exquisite item lies a story, a memory, and a life once beautifully lived.

There’s something undeniably magical about seeing vintage Coco Chanel clothing up close: those delicate stitches, the intricate detailing, the quiet confidence woven into every piece. They’re more than garments; they’re small, wearable stories. Standing among them feels like touching history, longing for the elegance of the past while dreaming about the beauty still to come.

Fashion, after all, has never been just about clothes. For women, it has always been a form of self-expression, a language of confidence, identity, and transformation. The right piece can shift your mood, lift your spirit, and remind you of your own strength and grace. And no one understood that better than Coco Chanel.

If you love fashion, style, and the art of living beautifully, I hope this glimpse into the Coco Chanel fashion exhibition inspires you to seek out moments like this, where creativity, history, and emotion intertwine.

Laura Nay, founder of La Librairie Luxury, transforms fashion into a curated experience. Drawing inspiration from her global travels, from the streets of Paris to the markets of Africa and her background in high-end interior design, Laura launched La Librairie in 2023 to celebrate timeless style and sustainable luxury. Nestled in Atlanta’s Buckhead Interiors Market, the boutique offers carefully authenticated vintage and designer pieces, empowering women to embrace confidence and elegance. Through her vision of “trend cycling,” Laura blends classic fashion with modern sensibilities, creating a space where past and present coexist beautifully.

Visit La Librairie Shop Instagram – Shop La Librairie

Visit their store at: 715 Miami Circle Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30324

Curious to learn more about the vision behind this charming fashion exhibition, I spoke with Laura Nay, the owner of La Librairie. In our brief conversation, she shared thoughtful insights about style, storytelling, and the enduring influence of Chanel’s artistry.

What inspired you to do a Chanel exhibit?

It was an opportunity that truly fell into my lap as a client of ours is the granddaughter of Shauna Wood Trabert. I loved her story so much and begged the family to let me be the one to tell her story! My persistence and passion paid off and they allowed us to tell Shauna’s incredible story of being a model for Coco Chanel in the 1960’s becoming one of her most beloved models earning the title of the exhibit as “Coco’s Pet”.

How did you choose which pieces to include?

We included absolutely everything that we had access to of Shauna’s collection which included lots of gifts that Coco gave to her while she modeled for her. Basically everything that was on display for the exhibit was touched by Coco herself!

What do you hope people feel or learn when they visit the exhibit?

I really love the way this story gives a softer side to Coco Chanel. This is a story that shows her generosity and kindness towards Shauna, something that we don’t often hear about Coco. Coco was known to be incredibly tenacious and determined which is how she got to be as successful as she was coming from an orphanage during a time when women weren’t really encouraged to work or even own a home.

Can you tell us a little about your own journey — what led you to open La Librairie?

I have loved fashion since I was a very little girl. Sewing my own clothes, making scrunchies out of extra fabric from my mother’s interior design business. I would wear my grandfathers ties as belts and choker necklaces. In 2023, I was selling antiques and had my own interior design business but I wasn’t fulfilled. Milton, the owner of Interiors Market, encouraged me to pivot into fashion and even offered me an opportunity to showcase fashion inside his store and the rest is history.

How has your personal connection to fashion and art shaped the way you curate projects like this?

I have always been drawn to the story behind the pieces whether it is art or antiques or fashion. I noticed that people responded to these stories that I would share while styling them and decided to focus on the story telling aspect of fashion. My goal is to inspire my customers to want their clothes to tell a story!! Fashion is a way to brand yourself and give people an opportunity to get to know what you love and where you want to go. I hope this exhibit not only shed light on the history of the brand of Chanel but also on how it came to be through the hard work of Coco herself. But also inspires my customers to dream big as this is also a store of love and aspirations on how a young beauty queen from Utah became the face of Chanel and Coco’s pet.

P.S. Do you have a favorite Coco Chanel perfume or piece of vintage fashion that makes you feel instantly confident? I’d love to hear what’s your version of the “little black dress”? Share in comment. And if you enjoy articles about art, fashion, travel, and design, subscribe to my newsletter at the end of this post, I promise, it’s a space for beauty lovers like us.

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Five (Okay, Six!) Fall Looks made with Ann Taylor clothing

Elena Sullivan — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:53:29 +0000

Ever since I moved to the U.S. four years ago, I’ve become a fan of Ann Taylor clothing. When you land in a new country, there’s so much to take in — food to try, neighborhoods to wander, shops you’ve never heard of. (It’s a little tempting to want to sample everything at once!) But it was actually my husband who first mentioned Ann Taylor clothing. Knowing how much I love elegant clothing, he said, “You’ll probably like it there.” He was right. The first thing I bought was a hot pink coat, and to this date, I’ll get the occasional “Love your coat!” from someone passing by.

Last week I popped into the Ann Taylor store in the North Point Mall (Alpharetta,GA) to see what’s new and to maybe add a little something to my wardrobe. I usually reach for dresses and skirts, but this time a pair of burgundy leather pants completely stole the show. Still, I couldn’t resist trying on a few other things…

Have you ever been to Alpharetta, GA? It’s a cozy town with a modern charm. If you’re curious, check out my Alpharetta City Guide: Where to Eat, Play, and Stay.

Back to the Ann Taylor clothing…

Fall Looks made with Ann Taylor clothing

Even though summer has ended, I found a soft, colorful dress sprinkled with abstract floral splashes. It felt cheerful and casual, I could picture wearing it to a farmer’s market or on a city stroll. The neckline came out a little, so it needed a bit of double-sided tape but that’s an easy fix and could be purchased from Amazon.