Proud to Present: Les Deux

In case you've not noticed, blogs with more than one contributor are becoming more and more popular. A fantastic example of this trend would be one of my favorite blogs that's created by two very stylish chicks, Jax and Katie. These girls work together to form the blog Les Deux. The two have awesome opinions concerning fashion and have the greatest photos to post. On their site, you can find ad campaigns, chic editorials, and wish lists the two have created. Ladies and gentlemen, as my second blog feature, I present to you Katie and Jax of Les Deux.


1. Alright, let’s talk fashion. What’s one wardrobe staple you can’t go without?
Katie: A relaxed, flowing top. Usually in white. They're just so timeless and feminine, but also appropriate for the lifestyle of a college student in Tennessee.
Jax: Tshirts and an awesome bag (right now I'm carrying the Alexander Wang camera bag).

2. Describe your style.
K: My style is super hard to peg. It's always changing and flitting around from trend to trend. But if I had to encompass my entire style into one category, it would be "Tomboy-Ballerina-Sailor-English Countryside-Motorcycle-Witch-Painter-Flowergirl".

J: Athletic sophisticate.

3. Who is your favorite fashion icon?
K: That also changes with my fashion moods. When I want to feel artsy, Alexa Chung. When I want to feel a bit more mainstream, Rachel Bilson. And when I want to feel ridiculous, Jane Aldridge (of Sea of Shoes) meets Tavi Gevinson (of Style Rookie).
J: Soo many... Anna Dello Russo, Kate Moss, Jane Birkin, the Olsens, the list goes on...


4. What, in your eyes, is the biggest fashion faux pas?
K: The biggest fashion faux pas is wearing something once it's left the trend cycle. I read in a book or a magazine once about how you can chart trends and tell when to stop buying them. First they're on the runway, then celebrities and editors pick them up, then the trendiest of us normal people, and then the masses. Once you see an inkling of a trend hitting stores like Walmart or Target, you know it's probably time to take your style in a new direction, lest you end up looking like a Miley Cyrus/Max Azria mannequin.
J: Wearing something that you don't feel comfortable in for the sake of a trend. And gaucho pants kind of make me want to die (I'd like to make note that Katie and I did not see each other's answers when filling this out). Also, leggings as pants, or worse yet, jeggings.


5. Do you have one jewelry item you wear 24/7?
K: I've always got to have something, anything on my wrist(s). I've constantly got strings, rubber bands, friendship bracelets, metal bands on both of my arms. I just feel so naked without them.
J: Currently a chain link and woven friendship Frieda and Nellie bracelet from my boyfriend, a rainbow woven bracelet from my mother, and always, always, a ponytail holder.

6. What’s your signature perfume?
K: Euphoria by Calvin Klein. I smelled it once years ago in a magazine and have been crazy about it since. It's very sensual and earthy.
J: Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford. It's so sexy but light enough for daytime; definitely worth the investment. Plus, a guy friend of mine once told me jokingly that there's nothing better than a woman smelling of baked goods.


7. Which do you prefer, big or small purses?
K: Big purses in the cold months for carrying all of your chilly-weather accessories and small ones for the warmer months. But always a cross-body bag.
J: It depends, but right now I'm into small, if only to mix it up for a while. I'll probably invest in a new large bag soon, just because they're really so much more functional.

8. Name something fashion-wise you wish you could go back and change. Something “oh-god-why-did-I-wear-that?” worthy.
K: Hm...toughie. As someone who will wear sequined cat ears into a McDonald's, it's hard for me to look back and really regret wearing something with all my heart. I guess it would have to be wearing flip flops ever in my life. I have this really passionate hatred for flip flops at this point in my life, so looking back and knowing that I used to wear them almost daily kills me. They're horrid...
J: Trying to pull off skinny jeans. I went out and bought them as soon as I could just so I could be sure to be the first girl in school with them (this was eighth grade mind you), but I just don't have the body type for them. Oh, and using cheap coverup that wasn't my skin color. All my pictures from ages 11-13 I look splotchy as hell.


9. What’s your #1 beauty must have?
K: Diorshow mascara. I started using it a few years ago and I refuse to use anything else now. It always brightens my eyes just enough without making them look overdone. It never fails me.
J: It's a tie between tinted moisturizer and Nars Orgasm blush.


10. Describe your ideal future.
K: I'd love to end up working in any sector of the fashion spectrum. I'd be thrilled to do creative editorials, work in PR for a brand, be a casting director for shows, or styling. Ideally I'll be able to break into the airtight industry by making connections. Just who those connections will be is beyond me at this point, but we'll see what the future has in store.
J: Reviewing fashion shows for a major publication. Or really anything within the fashion industry, even if it's organizing shoe closets.


11. What or what inspired you to start blogging?
K: Gaucho pants. Dylan, the original co-founder of Les Deux, and I were eating lunch one day and we noticed that an ungodly amount of girls on our campus were still walking around in gaucho pants. So right then and there we drew out an outline of this blog where we would discuss things that we liked and disliked, and it ended up becoming mostly about fashion. That's when Jax joined on and Dylan quit. Ever since Jax's arrival it's been mostly a line of fashion-communication between the two of us. It makes it easier to talk about our fashion-musings while being at college in two different states.
J: I was jealous of Katie and the old writer of Les Deux, so I became their editor and eventually began writing. For now it's just a great tool to communicate with Katie and practice writing.


12. What are some of your favorite blogs?
K: Fashion Gone Rogue, Who What Wear, Style Rookie (literary genius at age 14), ...look closer, The Cut, Bleach Black, Le Fashion, Yes Please Mademoiselle, among many. I'm online a lot, so there are many blogs I speed through without even saving the URL.
J: Tavi from thestylerookie.com is so witty and fantastic, and Kristin and Valerie from bleachblack.com have some really great and unique finds. Other than those, I read New York Magazine's fashion blog, the Cut, religiously.

13. Favorite fashion magazines/websites?
K: I love looking at online stores for inspiration. Right now I really like Modcloth, Nasty Gal, and J. Crew for ideas. The catalogue at J. Crew is just genius. As far as magazines go, I haven't been nearly as diligent as I should be with them as of late. My favorites are the foreign issues of Vogue. They're far too expensive for my budget, so unless I see one that I just have to have, I usually go to Barnes & Noble and spend an hour or so flipping through Vogue Paris/Russia/Italy/UK.
J: V Magazine, Nylon, i-D, Vogue from every country, and so many more.


14. Go ahead and brag – why should people follow your blog?
K: Neither Jax nor I have an unlimited supply of cash to buy Chanel or Dries Van Noten with, so we don't have the luxury of walking into a Barney's and mixing and matching a fabulous outfit like Jane Aldridge or Rumi Neely. At Les Deux, we focus on trends and how to feasibly work them into a normal lifestyle. I think we do a pretty good job of keeping people informed of major trends and fashion happenings in a laid-back way.
J: I think we offer a unique perspective in that we're more interested in fashion critique and reporting on lines as opposed to posting our outfits from each day. I'd like to think that anyone who appreciates fashion at least a little bit would be able to find something of interest on our site.