A friend recently recommended watching The Sound of Music reunion on Oprah, which was shown last October. Now, I love The Sound of Music. I admittedly prefer the first part (before Maria married Captain Von Trapp), because that’s where all the magic happens—”I Have Confidence,” “My Favorite Things,” “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” “Do-Re-Mi,” and all the other catchy ditties.

When I was younger, I found it a little difficult to understand the part involving the Nazis, but really, who watches the movie for its political implications or historical accuracy? They wear lederhosen and tracht (the aproned dress) all the time, the nuns break into song, Rolf and Liesl dance in a gazebo… it’s pure escapism.

I particularly love the scenes in “Do-Re-Mi” for the scenery, and “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” for Liesl’s dress. I still want to have one made, but I’m not so sure if there’s a place for me to wear it.

When I visited Austria last year, I made sure to make a side trip from Vienna to Salzburg just so I could finally take the tour. Even better, I did it on a bike tour—not one of those overly touristy buses filled with old ladies dressed in white sneakers and belt bags. It was probably the best bike ride of my life so far, because even if I weren’t familiar with The Sound of Music, the countryside was breathtaking, as was the Old Town.

The gazebo was closed after an old woman insisted on imitating Liesl (with an equally old companion acting as Rolf) jumping from bench to bench. She broke her hip, and it's been locked to the public since then.

The facade/street where the "I Have Confidence" sequence was filmed. I might as well have sung it while biking down the street :p and yes, I insisted on wearing a skirt and button-down top. And a head scarf. I didn't want to wear an ugly biking outfit.

The Mirabell Gardens, part of the location of "Do-Re-Mi"

And here I am looking a little silly by one of the fountains

One of the houses used for the Von Trapp residence (where the children fell off the boat), with the Salzburg Fortress looming in the background

I should probably watch it with friends soon. And have that dress made.

A stolen moment at the Heinrich-Heine-Straße train station platform in Berlin, Germany. It was close to midnight and my classmates and I had come from a show. The stations were under repair so some trains weren’t following their usual schedule, which upset a lot of the by-the-book Germans that we were with. Bored and restless while waiting for the trains, we started dancing and singing to “Jai Ho” on the platform. Silly, exhilarating and priceless.

I’d been to Paris only once in my life. It was September of 2007, and I was visiting Europe for the first time. I had only a weekend in the city, because I was based in Hamburg and had to be back right away in time for my classes.

But in the short time I spent there, the beauty and energy of the city blew me away. Fashionably dressed women breezed disdainfully past tourists dressed in sweatpants and sneakers, and even the waiters were wonderfully snobbish as I struggled to order a café et croissant while mauling their language.

2.5 years and 5 pounds ago, by the Eiffel Tower

This is my memory of Paris: a sophisticated, sometimes unforgiving place where tourists could only wish to be part of that big, dreamlike city. Locals dressed in varying shades of black, charcoal, cream and khaki, with occasional bright spots of color from younger people.

French fashion brand Promod recently invited Geolette (one of my favorite people in the world) and I to come up with five outfits inspired by Parisian street style. The theme, they said, had to be centered on “je ne sais quoi,” which loosely translates to “I don’t know what,” but basically means a certain X-factor.

Not content with merely styling a bunch of outfits, Geolette and I came up with stories for each of our outfits. We thought of people we spotted on the streets of Paris when we visited and tried to translate them into outfits. It was quite funny coming up with the clothes, because when we dressed the mannequins, we always referred to it as a she. “She looks like she needs a little more oomph in her outfit,” Geolette would say.

We put in a little of us in every outfit, living out how we felt we would’ve dressed if we were seeing Paris through the eyes of our characters. So which one would you be? (Just click on the photos for larger versions)

The New York Socialite

“If you want to establish an international presence you can’t do so from New York. You need the consecration of Paris.”

—Oscar De La Renta

“What would Blair wear?” Geolette wondered aloud while we were skimming through the racks. We liked the idea of a New York socialite visiting Paris on a whim just to get away from the Big Apple to the City of Light. We went for a simple little black dress and plaid coat with minimal accessories to reflect the sophisticated vibe of both cities (where you won’t see a lot of locals wearing bright colors). Very Audrey Hepburn in Paris When It Sizzles and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The New York Socialite

Black dress, P2695; belt, P1695; feather necklace, P995; plaid coat, P3595

Black strappy sandals, P2695

The Writer

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

—Ernest Hemingway

Can’t argue with Hemingway; Paris was inarguably the place to be for writers back then (Hemingway too highbrow for you? Ok, how about the writers from Moulin Rouge?) Vibrant and bursting with life, it served as inspiration for the many artists who came to live there in the late 1800s and early 1900s. We thought of a young woman, idealistic and full of ideas, sitting at sidewalk café and scribbling away thoughts on a Moleskine. We like the stark simplicity of this outfit, but don’t let the simplicity deceive you—it’s full of interesting details, like the sequined shoulders on the top and noodle-like strands on the scarf.

The Writer

Small details such as sequins and stripes liven up this outfit. Top, price available upon request. Black shorts, P1495; leggings, P595. Gray pumps, P2695.

Noodle-like scarf, P795

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