Meeting interesting new people from all walks of life was a major motivating factor that lead me to a career in journalism years ago when I was still slogging away as a college student at UCLA’s Daily Bruin. To this day, it’s still one of the best parts of the job. As a fashion editor, I’m constantly meeting a special breed of industry insiders—designers, stylists, photographers, artists, publicists and others who live and breathe fashion and beauty and possess an incredible eye for style. Nerissa’s Notebook seemed like the perfect place to bring you an occasional style snapshot of trendsetters I meet from around the globe in the feature I’m simply calling “My Favorite Outfit.”

For the debut post, I’ve interviewed Lucile Puton, a talented young menswear designer I met in the South of France in May while covering the Hyeres International Festival of Fashion and Photography. She was one of the 10 selected finalists in the competition.

Puton’s innovative collection was inspired by the snowy landscapes of photographer Walter Neidermayr, the story of Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first explorers to conquer the summit of Mount Everest, and lifestyles of Native American tribes. A recent graduate of Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre in Brussels, Belgium, she wrapped up an internship in June at La Maison de haute couture de Nina Ricci in Paris.

Name: Lucile Puton

Occupation: Menswear Fashion Designer

Age: 26

Where I live: Paris

What I’m wearing: Cacharel printed dress from spring/summer 2010. Pierre Hardy platform heels.

Why this is my favorite outfit:

“I really liked the first collection of Cedric Charlier [creative director] for Cacharel. I like the prints between flowers and paint stains with subtle and fresh colors. It’s a bit girly and feminine. [It’s] easy to wear, but with refined details— pleats on the outside and draping on the back.

And for the shoes, well, what can I say? I’m a shoe addict! And you see the world differently with 14 more centimeters. I like the view.”
Where I wore this outfit:

“After the show of La Cambre in Brussels, I visited my friends from “Different Fountains” in their studio. They are working on a new album, and I fell in love with the music and the place!”

How I’d remix this outfit:

“I’d add a large woolen cape—hand knitted. The kind of garment that will feel like a house. Cozy and comfortable. Something dark with a hood that can become a hiding place.”

My best beauty tip:

“Don’t try too hard!”

Favorite places to shop:

“The flea markets everywhere: Brussels, Berlin, New York … it’s like the memory of each town.”

My style mantra:

“Each day my style depends on the way I feel when I wake up. Some days I’ll feel like wearing men’s pants with derby shoes and a masculine jacket, and some days I’ll go for the sexy black dress and heels.

It’s the same with the colors. I wear, for sure, a lot of black, but from time to time I’ll go with a crazy touch of color, like my shiny orange Yves Saint Laurent tights that you definitely can’t miss. … I need to feel good in what I wear, and every day what will make me feel good is different.”