April Favorites '25

paris is bloomin' and so am i

I hope you had a lovely month and are enjoying spring in full bloom! Paris has been looking and feeling beautiful lately. I’ve been soaking up the warmer weather and taking every opportunity to wear my trench (as seen here, here, here, and here).

Tangentially, our boxes have finally arrived from the US! That means I now have my full wardrobe with me. Strangely though, getting dressed has felt harder. With so many options, I sometimes feel paralyzed by choice as I get reacquainted with the other half of my closet. Will I end up paring down what I own or feel inspired with my new choices? Only time will tell.

finally feeling organized!

It’s been a while since I shared an update on my French language learning journey and, well — for lack of better words — it’s going. My mother in law and husband reassure me I’m doing well, but lately it's felt harder than ever. This past week in particular has left me feeling exhausted and confused at the end of the day. I did this to myself though — I decided on a whim to take a test to see if I could advance a level, and I passed! The downside? Those concepts I wasn’t fully familiar with are becoming evident really quick. Still, I think this was the kick in the butt I needed because it was feeling a little too easy lately. Last night, I literally fell asleep reviewing verb conjugation in my head — ha!

As always, feel free skip the recap and scroll to the bottom for my monthly favorites if you prefer!

Reading

Admittedly, I haven’t read as much as I’d like to this month — it’s not for a lack of trying, more so due to a lack of down time or mental capacity. A clear mind is necessary for me to be able to focus — otherwise, I’ll end up rereading the same paragraph over and over again without realizing it.

I did find time to read a few articles this month that I really loved. First up was

Natalia Quintero Ochoa

from

how to wear it

, where she shared her take on what she finds chic. It was a lovely way to learn more about her, and it inspired me to start jotting down some of my own notes on what I find chic. It was very much the light, feel good read I needed.

thirteen things I find chic

The second was by

Anika

from

NO WARDROBE

, who explored how we choose to communicate (or shield) aspects of ourselves through clothing. It was fascinating and thought provoking. I had mentioned that my playful, silly side isn’t really reflected in how I dress and her article made me ponder why that was. It was a true lightbulb moment for me.

COMMUNICATING THROUGH CLOTHES

Eating and Taste Testing

Cooler weather always has us craving comfort food. For me, that will always be Mexican food — the perfect mix of flavor and nostalgia for home. Since delicious Mexican food is harder to find in Paris, we’ve been exploring comfort food alternatives. We found ourselves eating pizza a few times this past month, which is a bit out of character for us. While we prefer New York style, we’ve found great Neapolitan options in Paris!

this pizza box time traveled to us from the 70s

Perusing, Paris & Proud Of

It’s hard to express how grateful I am to land in over 1000 inboxes. Truly, I am honored you share your precious time with me every week. Thank you for joining me on this journey that’s been nothing short of exciting, rewarding and serendipitous. It means the world to me.

Speaking of serendipitous, last Saturday, as my husband and I climbed up the stairs to my friend’s apartment I received a notification alerting me of my 1000th subscriber. It felt exhilarating. Even more so because the friend we were about to have dinner with is someone I met through Substack. If I hadn’t shown up every week for the past 1.5+ years, our paths would have likely never crossed. I can’t imagine my Parisian life without her now and it truly feels like we were always meant to meet.

She introduced me to these t-shirts and yesterday, we both happened to be wearing nearly identical outfits. Funny enough, I was originally wearing linen trousers and changed last minute. I’ll happily twin with her any day because she’s so chic!!

Obsessing Over

Mixing lighter and heavier fabrics! Paris weather has been all over the place this spring and I often have to stick out my arm to get a real feel for the weather before getting dressed. I’ve found layering various fabric types to be the most effective strategy for feeling comfortable on those temperamental days.

One day, I wore a linen tank with a denim jacket and threw a cardigan over my shoulders. It was the perfect mix to stay cool and comfortable throughout the day. I’ve also layered a knit tank under a cotton sweater and paired it with my pinstripe trousers (first picture below).

you can’t really tell, but on the right image I’m wearing a linen tank!

Recommending To You

Davines hairspray — specifically their No Gas Spray and Medium Hold Hairspray. We took anniversary pictures recently, and I used the no gas spray to hold my face framing pieces in place. I had forgotten how fabulous it was! The no gas spray allows for workable, brush-able strands and works great on flyaways.

When I need a stronger hold, I use the medium weight hairspray (also available at Sephora!). It’s more along the lines of your standard hairspray — very effective without leaving your hair crunchy. If you need a stronger hold, they have those too (here and here)!

I’m also trying to find where I put my texturizing dust. It’s great for adding volume to post blow-out hair.

it’s hard to tell here, but the front pieces I used both sprays on stayed in place much longer than the rest of my hair

Treating Myself To

Ice cream, gelato, sorbet — you name it! You can barely finish the question “Do you want ice cream?” before I say yes. I’ve sacrificed myself as tribute and volunteered to taste test many different flavors and shops this month. Some of my favorites have been: an Italian style pear sorbet, pistachio gelato and a dreamy combo of ice cream and sorbet with pistachios on the side. With the weather getting warmer, can you blame me?! A girl’s got to be prepared.

where my obsession of one scoop of ice cream and one scoop of sorbet started — highly recommend!

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Monthly Favorites

Linen Trench and Cotton Jacket

I’ve been living in these since they first arrived. They’re from Gillian Stevens’ spring collection, which I’ve been gushing about to anyone who will listen. You know my love for my Buck Mason trench runs deep, but this linen trench is everything I didn’t know I needed. It’s a heavyweight linen, and has been perfect for chilly spring nights while maintaining breathable daytime wear utility. I’ve even worn it in the rain and it kept me warm and dry!

The cotton jacket is also a dream. It’s 100% cotton and light as a feather. I’ve been wearing it with t-shirts and tanks on warmer days or with sweaters on those cooler nights. It’s a bit on the longer side — I’m 5”6’ and it hits mid-thigh. Something to keep in mind depending on where you like your jackets to hit!

PS — These were kindly gifted by Gillian Stevens, but if you’ve been following for a while you know I’ve been purchasing and recommending her pieces for a while now. I always want to be transparent with gifting and promise that everything I am recommending are things that I am wearing, loving or really excited to try. I don’t make commissions from these — I just genuinely love the brand and feel so grateful and lucky to have been gifted pieces from her collection. If you support a small business because of me, that makes me so so happy!

Cotton Sweater

I know I said I was living in the trench and jacket, but I am also very much living in this cotton sweater. Last week, I wore it at least 4 times. It’s the perfect weight — not too heavy, but substantial enough to drape beautifully. I’ve loved layering it with a white t-shirt, but I think my favorite pairing has been with my cotton tank. It also comes in white and a few striped versions!

This was also kindly gifted

Riposo Pajama Set

With warmer weather, I was excited to wear these pajamas again. I purchased them late last summer and due to our move, I didn’t have a lot of time to wear them. I missed them dearly!

They are the softest pajamas I’ve ever owned. I’ve washed them countless times and they’ve held up beautifully. They feel like a cozy hug on my skin. I’m hoping they release a long sleeve + pants combo for the winter. Currently contemplating if I should get the nightgown version during my next trip to the US. Unfortunately, they don’t currently ship to Europe.

Delfina Flats

I know — I can’t shut up about these, but I truly love them. Last weekend, I accidentally walked over 16k steps in them and they held up really well. That said, I wouldn’t recommend doing that on purpose, because my feet were feeling a bit warm around the 14k mark.

It was about 80 degrees F and they are suede — not the best choice on my part! These were recently on sale and I regret not snagging another pair. I have my sights set on the red version — they will be mine eventually!

Denim Jackets

The moment our boxes arrived, I immediately reached for my denim jackets. Especially this off-white version. I wear white all year round, but there is something about white in the spring and summer months that just hits different. This one is technically a men’s jacket, but as you know I love a modern twist on a classic silhouette.

ps — this is the option I’d buy today — it’s 70% off and from a French brand! COS also has a women’s boxy option and of course, always check the men’s section!

something my husband can steal from me!

Mat Pilates

I’m finally getting into a groove of working out more consistently. I’ve been using FORM for about 1.5 years and absolutely love it — I always feel so good afterwards.

It’s beginner friendly, especially if you’re new to pilates and most classes are about 30 minutes long. I exclusively do the pilates or pilates x strength programs, but you can find other options like prenatal, gym workouts and even meditation. On days I’m feeling courageous, I will try one of Izzy Samuel’s YouTube routines. She destroys me every time — in a good way!

Izzy waving goodbye as I struggled to get up from the floor

Spring Florals

After going almost a decade living in a city without seasons, I had forgotten how stunning spring can be. The greenery and blooming flowers are truly magical. You can always find me and my film camera among the flowers. A few florals on film below.

All featured items mentioned can be found here.

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I’d love to know what you were up to this month — what have you been loving?!

ps — you can follow me on Instagram and TikTok, where I share more daily snippets of what I’m wearing and Parisian life.

xx Ofelia

Disclaimer: some links are affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small percentage from a sale. As always, anything that is linked are things I either own, recommend or would purchase myself.

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