Style & People

Fashion Lessons from Self-Service's In-house Super-girl, Claire Thomson

By Desiree Pais, Photos by Kava Gorna

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Above, from left: In Parc Monceau wearing an Isabel Marant dress, 3.1 Philip Lim belt, Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes, and a Loeffler Randall bag; In the kitchen wearing an Isabel Marant shirt, Gap shorts, and Stephane Kélian boots. Enlarge Image


Girl-about-town Claire Thomson has the French girl cool look down to a science—even if she is a British lass living in Paris. It's no wonder she developed that je ne sais quoi allure considering her time is split between being an assistant to editor-in-chief of the brazen Paris-based glossy Self Service and to the creative director of Petronio Associates, the art direction agency catering to Chanel, Chloé, and YSL. In and around her expressive little lair in the 8th arrondissement, the easy-going beauty shows us how she masters the modern version of laissez-faire style.


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Above: In a cafe near La Madeleine wearing a vintage Dior jacket, Urban Outfitters T-shirt, Marc by Marc Jacobs jeans, and Chloé shoes. Enlarge Image


Describe your style in three words or less:
Classic, bohemian.

What are your five key wardrobe pieces? 1. Isabel Marant skirts and shirts
2. American Apparel T-shirts
3. Black studded biker boots
4. Chanel Ultra ring
5. Chloé shoes



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Above: Claire wears an Isabel Marant blouse and Dior ring. Enlarge Image


Do you find anyone particularly inspiring from a style perspective? I love Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's wedding style (I'm getting married next year) and Jane Birkin's classic, '70s boho chic.


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Above: In the living room under a poster for the Sarah Morris film Los Angeles wearing an Isabel Marant dress and Ash boots. Enlarge Image


Favorite thing about your job?
Working with inspiring, creative people.

Whose closet would you most like to raid, living or dead? Emmanuelle Alt and Kate Moss—They have effortless style.

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Above, from left: Outside a restaurant in her neighborhood wearing a vintage Dior jacket, Urban Outfitters T-shirt, Marc by Marc Jacobs jeans, Chanel bag, and Chloé shoes; On the street outside her house wearing a top from St. Tropez market, shorts by Alexander Wang for Gap, and Isabel Marant boots. Enlarge Image


What are your favorite places to hang out in Paris?
1. Hotel Costes—to meet friends for dinner.
2. La Société in Saint Germain for lunch.
3. L'Entrecote in the 8th. There's only one thing on the menu—salad then steak frites with their secret sauce. I was vegetarian for 15 years, this place converted me. I always recommend this place to friends from out of town. It's amazing!
4. Blaq Out in the Marais for DVDs—I recently bought The Passenger by Antonioni, Rosemary's Baby which I only recently watched for the first time, and All about Eve with Bette Davis. And I enjoy a good disaster movie…


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Above: A Ligne Roset bookcase displays some of Claire's favorite art and fashion books. Enlarge Image


personal fashion style, claire thomson, self service mag, it girls, home interior

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