How I Got Here — and Why I’m Writing to You Now

A note from my Paris couch (with a baby on my lap), about postpartum creativity, career pivots, and how this newsletter became a reflection on culture, identity, and life between two worlds.

Have you ever tried typing an email with just one hand? I wouldn’t recommend it—unless, of course, your other hand is currently occupied by a napping baby.

Typing with one hand, baby on my lap. This is what starting something new looks like right now.

I’m writing this from my Paris apartment, sitting on the couch with my 3-month-old daughter curled up on my lap. It’s my third postpartum, and I can now confirm: it’s a sweet season that passes in a blur. And yet, in the middle of it, there’s often a deep craving for a creative outlet. Maybe it’s the hormones. Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation. But there’s also something else—a kind of fearlessness.

Maybe it comes from the quiet pride of bringing a new life into the world… or from simply keeping her alive this far.

Either way, this season nudged me into something I’d been circling for years: writing publicly. Sharing ideas. Saying the quiet things out loud. Launching this newsletter felt like the natural next step — the result of quiet inner work and, somehow, this tiny, perfect girl. She gave me permission to pursue joy, not just productivity.

This shift made me ask: What would I do if no one were watching? What if I stopped worrying about what anyone might think, and simply followed what lights me up?

I’d write more.

Not just about fashion, which was once my focus, but about the world that surrounds it. About French cultural codes and American overthinking. About style, yes — but also motherhood, manners, identity, and what it means to live between two languages and two value systems.

I spent the last decade working in digital strategy for fashion and luxury brands — buried in dashboards and launch calendars. I’m proud of that work. But what I missed was reflection. Context. Being able to ask: Why do we do things this way? Who taught us this rhythm? And what happens when we live outside the norms we grew up with?

When I was younger, I imagined myself as a businesswoman in a sharply tailored YSL suit, racing between meetings and glamorous work trips. Kids? Maybe. Marriage? Perhaps. But the career came first.

Then I met my husband. Then came the kids. And then came 2020, when the world shut down and I, like so many others, started questioning the hamster wheel.

What kind of life was I building? What kind of legacy? And if I had the freedom to create something on my own — what would that actually look like?

I also discovered something quietly radical: I find parenting easier when I spend quality time with my kids every day. When we’re not cramming our family time into weekends and wondering why it all feels so chaotic. When work and life don’t live in conflict — but in rhythm.

This newsletter is part of that rethinking.

It started as a soft cultural diary. It still is, in many ways. But it’s also become a place for deeper questions — about belonging, beauty, creativity, and what we inherit from the cultures we live in. It’s about noticing. Comparing. Asking why things are the way they are. And offering up something thoughtful (and sometimes funny) in return.

I originally imagined this newsletter as a soft cultural diary. It still is, in many ways. But it’s also becoming more fashion-forward: trend deep-dives, brand histories, designer profiles, and essays about how fashion shapes (and reflects) who we are.

Expect weekly posts — some short and observational, some longer and more reflective. Always thoughtful. Occasionally nerdy. Never definitive. I write from Paris, but I write for anyone living between two worlds.

Thank you for being here. Truly. It means a lot.

If you’ve just joined, I’d love to know where you’re reading from — or what brought you here. Just leave a comment and say hi.

With love from Paris,
Pamela