Los Angeles expat and former fashion editor Sabrina Marshall and former Vogue editor and friend Sofia Berdardin have combined their French heritage and love of Paris to hone the perfect — or shall we say, parfait — online shopping destination: Resee — as in to “re-see” or revisit. Not too quick on the draw for that Alaïa dress you were lusting after? Not to worry: You’ve got a second chance at those coveted items you really wanted. Et plus, you can shop he site’s perfectly curated vintage finds. And for die-hard fashion insiders, Resee also offers a private, members-only section where clients can shop the wardrobes of select tastemakers who offer up items from their wardrobe.
Resee’s understated French aesthetic cuts out all the endless sifting through hundreds of random garments on your computer screen. We spied everything from Chanel and Hermès, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Isabel Marant and Alaïa to vintage Oscar de la Renta. Speaking of onscreen, we Skyped with these two fabulous fashion insiders to get their take on that elusive femme-inine mystique.
Fashion Trends Daily: Firstly, how did you both come to be living and working in Paris?
Sabrina Marshall: I’m half-French. We’ve both been here for ten years so we’ve really constructed a life here. Sofia’s married to a French man so…
Sofia Bernadin: …We feel more French than American!
Sabrina: Growing up I was constantly in Paris and lived by the Parisian sense of style.
Sofia: And so much of our professional careers have been developed here in France, so it’s our home now.
A coat from Resee’s lookbook
FTD: What were you both doing before?
Sabrina: I was a fashion editor working at a magazine called Self-Service and I was a consultant for a lot of different well-known brands.
Sofia: And I started off at Vanity Fair in America, then went to work for Vogue. They moved me here to Paris, then I went to work for Vogue China and Vogue India before coming back here.
FTD: So how did Resee happen? What was your inspiration?
Sofia: Sabrina and I have been friends for years. We were talking over lunch one day here in Paris about how there was no website that really inspired us to buy and sell second-hand clothing. There was nothing that represented the modern woman and how she likes to dress now because it’s not about dressing head-to-toe in a collection from today, but mixing a great piece from the ’70s with maybe something from today or a few seasons ago. So, we brought our perspective to the second-hand and vintage market, and a year-and-a-half later Resee launched in October 2013.
An outfit from Resee’s lookbook
FTD: It’s so different from other resale sites, because it’s carefully curated and has a very understated French-influenced style to it …
Sabrina: Most women just don’t have time to go through hours and hours of stuff and they want a perspective, a point of view, and we really try to do that with Resee. Also, fashion nowadays is so fast, it’s hard for people to be individual, so vintage can lend individuality which is hard to find these days. If you have an event like a wedding to go to, you want something special, not something someone else might be wearing, whether it’s Alaïa from the ’80s, Miu Miu from the ’90s, or Chloé from a a few seasons ago.
FTD: Is the way Americans perceive French style accurate, or are there misconceptions?
Sofia: It’s pretty accurate. The whole “effortless” thing is true! I think the French can throw anything together – jeans and sneakers – and it just looks chic and timeless, you know?
Sabrina: Yes! Jeans and high heels and a little blazer and you’re ready to go.
FTD: So it’s played down, less-is-more?
Sabrina: Definitely. It’s about not a lot of make-up and undone hair. It’s about those classic key pieces that really define a wardrobe too, but they’ll mix it up a lot, with high-low dressing.
Sofia: It’s the classic Chanel blazer with jeans.
Sabrina: Timeless pieces that are staples in a wardrobe.
Sofia: It’s also less about prints here in Paris as well. It’s plain but sexy…
Sabrina: In an understated way. Look at Alaïa: the style is very simple but sexy.
A capelet from Resee’s lookbook
FTD: What’s something about life in Paris you really couldn’t give up now?
Sofia: The food! We’re both such little foodies! There are all these interesting restaurants doing a re-take on the bistro now. Also the inspiration on the street. You step out on the streets of Paris and it can be dreadful weather, but everything just looks so beautiful and there’s a history around you constantly that inspires you.
Sabrina: Paris has many different layers. It’s constantly nurturing and inspiring us and it has so much depth.
Sofia: That’s why the French are so complicated!
Sabrina: Yes! And that’s why there are so many great designers here.
FTD: So what’s in the future for Resee?
Sabrina: We want to go into men’s clothing.
Sofia: And home decor as well. We see it as Resee is a lifestyle, it’s really a mentality. It’s not just the way you dress, but the way you live.
For more information or to shop Resee, visit www.resee.com.
