Once upon a time
She started there, under le ciel de Paris, far from Beirut and its dynamic pace. She had the good à la française taste and fell in love with the French fashion and joie de vivre. Colorful, joyful, with a raffiné taste for stylish and glam, journalist Samar Seraqui de Buttafoco has completely changed her lifestyle, leaving the world of media for her fascination with the flamboyant. Clothes, colors, textures, gala and street-chic fashion are now her raison d’être. With her magic wand, she changes her followers’ perception of the world; colorful yet chic, stylish yet elegant, she wears her trademark lipstick and splashes smiles everywhere she goes, while taking people away on her flying carpet of culture, streets, gala happenings and art scenes.
Her first steps
Looking for some “lightness” far from the world of international current affairs, journalist Samar Seraqui de Buttafoco created “Une Libanaise à Paris” on shaking grounds. She didn’t know where the path would take her, but she started writing. Her blog was confidential and anonymous, and at that stage she was still far from becoming her own brand.
With her blog’s expansion and development, she started partnering with prominent media companies and stepped forward into the fashion industry.
A dream come true
Who would have thought that de Buttafoco studying journalism, getting a diploma in international relations, becoming an editor at channel TV Direct 8, writing literary and cinema columns on TV5 Monde, and then being part of the Arab-speaking editorial team at France 24, would lead her down this path?
Her first words
De Buttafoco mentions on her official website: “When I created the blog, my first words were “In my wildest dreams, I travel the world from Bouthan to New York meeting people, discovering the places they live in and the things that they like.”
Doesn’t life have the possibility to offer us, around the corner, everything we wish for?
She looked for freshness and that’s what she spreads over the world, a fresh colorful spirit, an ode to fashion and to unconventional lifestyle, a homage to beauty and a glimpse of trends.
“In my wildest dreams, I travel the world from Bouthan to New York meeting people, discovering the places they live in and the things that they like…”
A mosaic of talents
What makes it clear that she’s on the road to success is her added value, her mosaic of different talents. Not only does de Buttafoco have a taste for fashion, and she represents it well by her good looks, but she is also a writer. Noticed for being the first blogger who interviewed Karl Lagerfeld, de Buttafoco is a skillful artist who has in her hands – and feet – whatever it needs to build a puzzle of uniqueness through blogging, writing and displaying beautiful pictures. Besides, what adds to her luck is that she is in the right location: Paris, the city of fashion.
Fashion as art
De Buttafoco states: “I don’t like fashion but I appreciate the style that relates to a personality. Above all, I like the idea of telling a life story through an item of clothing. Meet new people and take the time to discover what makes them want to wake up every morning in a fast moving world. What about travelling? Who doesn’t like travelling? I grew up reading Jack London, Jules Vernes and Saint Exupery, and with my outfits I try to share trips and I sometimes return from them with clothes.”
Her authentic words reflect in her pictures, be it by wearing a vintage dress belonging to a dear person of hers, by paying tribute to this person, sometimes bringing tears to her readers’ eyes, or by adopting the glamour look and transporting people to the heart of the big brands’ gala dinners. Moreover, between photo shoots, de Buttafoco brings out the best in fashion, by constructing the puzzle into an artistic creation – diverse, altered, yet with the same soul each and every time.
“Above all, I like the idea of telling a story through an item of clothing.”
Parisian ambassador
De Buttafoco did not limit herself to the world of blogging. Armed with her dark stylish hair and big smile, she simply opened up to the world. Even when she preaches during me-time at home on a Sunday, her loose yet stylish clothes make one feel like time spent alone is worth appreciating, as if one’s life has its special value, whether under the spotlights or backstage.
Furthermore, de Buttafoco has been designated ambassador, by the French committee of the safeguard of Venice, for her love of “métiers d’art.”
Emotional bonds
The remarkable thing you notice when following the blog “Une Libanaise à Paris,” is her deep connection to everything she does. She breathes through fashion, to a world of stories, and shares her emotions throughout daily refined details and lifetime remembrances. We definitely feel that someone is there, one with a brand, who we long to hear, see and be involved in their fairytale bubble. She is a Lebanese soul in the streets of Paris.
