Interview with Alix of The Cherry Blossom Girl

I have been the biggest fan of Alix's for a while now. Her styling is perfect, and her photography beautiful. She truly has a dream closet- all the Miu Miu and Chanel a girl could ask for! She lives a dreamy life in Paris, and is incredibly sweet. Last month, Alix and I collaborated on a post in which Alix wore one of the custom Katie-Louise Ford pieces for Audrey Grace. You can check out the post here. Thank you Alix for everything and I hope this is the first of many collaborations between us!

Hello Alix, tell me a little bit about yourself and your blog The Cherry Blossom Girl.
I was born and raised in Paris, where I still live. It seems like I've always been attracted by beautiful things in this world. Most of all, I love to create things, and admiring other people's creativity.

When I was a kid, I first wanted to be an illustrator for children book, then drawing cartoon, then being a car and furniture designer, and finally ended up studing fashion. I got a Haute Couture degree, and specialized in embrodery and tailoring. I worked for some of my favourite brands, such as Alexander McQueen and Chloé, and really loved it. Then I started my blog in 2007, because I wanted to share my passion for fashion, others than my family and friends.The name of the blog comes from a song by french band AIR. The first time I heard this song, it felt like I was hearing my inner voice. It was perfecty expressing what I love: Romanticism, feminity, everything dreamy and beautiful.

Who are your favorite designers and artists?

I have many! But my favourite brand at the moment is Valentino. I'm really fond of Miu Miu also, Sonia Rykiel and Chloé ( I have something like 20 pairs of shoes from them). I also love Stella McCartney, Charles Anastase, Erin Fetherston, Marchesa... My favourite artist is Odillon Redon. Being more and more interested by photography, I admirate a lot Irina Ionesco, Ellen von Unwerth, David Hamilton, Tim Walker, Wendy Bevan, Sarah Moon... to name only a few!

 What do you love about living in Paris? And what are your favorite places in Paris?

Paris feels like home. When I'm away from the city for a long time, I really miss it. I love it because it's a large city but not too much, and there's so many new things to discover everyday! It offers a lot of possibilities, such as museums, parks, nice cafés and restaurants, stores and bakeries... I've been living here for 20 years now, and I probably only know 10% of the town. I don't know if I have a favourite place, but I love hanging around in Saint Germain, walking along the seine, have a picnic on the Pont des Arts at spring time. Also I love to go outside Paris, and spend some lovely week end in Versailles, Fontainebleau forest, Bagatelle gardens and Chateaux de la Loire. There's a Paris guide on my blog where I listed all my favourite Paris addresses.

What are your favorite films for fashion?

My favoutite movie of all time (all time!) is The Virgin Suicides. The first reason why I watch a movie isn't because it's fashionable, but if characters are well dressed it's even better. Other movies I love: Harold & Maud, Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Piano, Marie Antoinette, Rosemary's Baby, Taxi Driver, Funny Face, Ghost World, Cry Baby, In The Eyes of Laura Mars, Valley of the Dolls, Une Femme Est Une Femme, Disney's Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

What magazines and books do you read for inspiration?

My favourite book is "L'écume des jours" by Boris Vian. I never loved a book as much as this one after reading it.

Also I find " Le petit Prince" utterly charming (and sad!). I love everything Maupassant wrote (which makes him my favourite author I guess), and poems by Jacques Prévert. I'm inspired by fairy tales and novels. I read many books by Roald Dahl when I was a kid, and stories by la Comptesse de Ségur and Pierre Gripari. 

For magazines, Lula is probably my favourite. I also read Jalouse, Vogue and ELLE UK.

Your photos on your blog are stunning. Do you take them all yourself?

I take most of the photos myself, using a tripod and a remote. I'm used to working like this since the beggining.

When it's photos taken in the streets of Paris or on holidays (when there's other people around), friends or sisters give me a hand and snap a few shots..

It seems like you have had some amazing travels as I can see on your blog. Which place has been your most favorite and why?

It's hard to name a favourite! But usually the most exotic (and far away) it is, the more I love it. It's probably the reason why I loved Japan, Kenya, Tahiti, Bali, China and Australia so much.

I love the shoes you designed for Farfetch and your lingerie line for Etam. Will you do some more designing in the future? Perhaps launch your own line?

I would love to launch my own line, but at the moment the blog takes so much time that I hardly can. Doing some lingerie for Etam has been an incredible exprerience. Nice bra and panties are as important as a pretty dress in my sense now!

Tell me about the collaboration with Audrey Grace. What could you see yourself buying from the shop?

I loved to collaborate with Audrey Grace! I would buy photographs by Nicky Peacock, and romantic dresses in pastel colours.

What does the future hold for you? Hopefully lots of exciting things!

We will see! Travels, discovery, exciting things and new friends I hope!

All photos courtesy of Alix. For more on Alix check out her beautiful blog here: www.thecherryblossomgirl.com