Michele Ouellet

[HeatherAnne]

I've been meaning to start a thread for model Michele Ouellet for awhile, she's the perfectly cool quintessential Cali girl with her own wine label and a fun blog KISSSER

JEN HANLEY’S MY KIND OF PEOPLE: Michele Ouellet


Gnarlitude Jen’s occasional series of interview with people she likes returns!



Michele is one of the most rock’n’roll babes I know. She gets paid to be herself (wearing extra hot designer gear), gets flown around the world constantly and still brings it on back to the vineyard churning out maybe the best bottle of wine you could buy yourself!

Home
Napa Valley, California

Age
22

Profession
Model and Vintner

Hobbies
Swimming, gun shooting in the vineyards, wine drinking (its research!), making videos and taking photos for kissser.com, playing dress up. This summer I have been learning about cars, jewels, and who makes the best lobster rolls (fancy). I also love playing charades and cards.

Last Book Read
Its not the last book I read (which is my great-grandmother’s copy of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood), but a super special book called The Tao of Wu written by the RZA. Life changing.

First Record/Favorite Record
My first favorite tape was A Very Special Christmas by The Supremes. I played it year round at age 5 until I got Madonna’s Immaculate Collection. My current and all-time favorites are The Cramps, Billy Idol, The Pixies, Pink Floyd, Jesus and Mary Chain, Guns N Roses, Neil Young, Tupac, Biggie, Wu-Tang, NWA and awfully amazing pop music.

Your Go-To Favorite Shop
Decades, Resurrection and Maxfield in LA.

Last Accomplishment
Having a very successful summer with my second vintage of Lorenza and being featured in some of the best restaurants in America like Thomas Keller’s Bouchon.

Your Number One Pair of Shoes
My black patent leather Repetto Jackson Jazz loafers

Quote
‘I didn’t even have to use my AK. Today was a good day.’ Ice Cube

Drink
My wine Lorenza Rosé. A Bandol style, super dry, pale salmon-colored wine I make in Northern California where I’m from.

lovemagazine.co.uk

 

[HeatherAnne]

Here are some various pictures from her projects and of her amazing personal style via KISSSER.





michelleouellet.blogspot.com

 

[HeatherAnne]

Featured on Garance Dore today!

So dancing around half-naked wasn’t the only thing I did in California (there’s so much I need to catch you all up on, especially Coachella, but I haven’t had a second to write between the road trip and my mom and sister getting here this weekend, which, of course, requires my constant attention. But I was able to sneak away for two seconds and sent them off to go walk around the West Village). So yeah, no, I didn’t just dance around half-naked.


I did get a chance to make a little detour to visit the famous Napa Valley and see my friend Michèle.

I knew Michèle from her modeling career. I took her photo a while back. We got along fabulously. We met up again and she told me all about her wine which is named Lorenza (her middle name) and that she is a producer in the Napa Valley, where she grew up and knows like the back of her hand.

So that’s where we met up, with Scott, and she took us for quite the little tour (oh my goodness, Napa Valley is beautiful). We tasted her wine (a delightful light rosé), met her mother Mélinda, who she works with (her mother is a wine consultant. It’s definitely a family passion…) and she talked to us a little about the universe of connoisseurs which seemed oddly reminiscent of the fashion industry.

I thought the whole profession was incredibly glamourous. I think it’s wonderful how she exists in two totally different worlds, one day on a shoot and the next testing the acidity of her grapes…
I want to explain to Sacha, my little 16 year old sister, who has no idea the possibilities ahead when she grows up, that there are career choices way off the beaten path, and that’s it’s the passion you put in it that makes it glamorous…

Michèle and Mélinda have a website and for that matter, a blog as well. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send them over. I’ll try to send my mom and sis’ out to the East Village so I can respond… Oh, and click on the arrows to see all the photos. Big hugs!

garancedore

 

[HeatherAnne]

Looking insanely gorgeous in the Scotch & Soda Campaign





scotch-soda.com

 

[HeatherAnne]

same source

 

[HeatherAnne]

She opened Libertine, can I get some company in this thread now?

Libertine S/S 2012 NYC

vogue.it

 

[Flyest]

http://vimeo.com/30826350

 

[AriLove]

Stunning girl!!!

New York F/W 12: Silent

models

 

[Stereo_Flo]

Libertine Fall 2012 New York (O)​

-vogue.it​

 

[HeatherAnne]

She should be on every runway! Wonderful to see her back at Libertine.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Brilliant here

The Row F/W 2012 NYC

style.com

 

[Nani]

And Once Again: Napa Model Michele Ouellet Stuns In Vogue!

Um, remember when we made that little prediction that Napa Valley-born model Michele Ouellet was about to blow up in 2012? Well, we're sitting here dusting off our shoulders a little bit after spotting the beauty in the February issue of Vogue.

Shot by fellow St. Helena resident (now NYC-based photographer) Claiborne Swanson, Miss Ouellet (who also runs the Lorenza Rosé wine company with her mama) is sitting pretty in the Index pages of the glossy in a rustic-, Northern Cali-inspired "Country Strong" feature.

Picnic-worthy plaids (including a killer Steven Alan suit that's immediately found its way onto our want-list), comfy, hill-savvy flats, a swoon-inducing mint-hued bike, and straw accessories abound. Naturally, it's all making us want to book a Napa-bound vacation, stat!

Oh, and another fun fact: We're apparently not the only ones that think Ouellet is a dead ringer for J.Crew's visionary leader Jenna Lyons. Ouellet tells us that the folks on the Madewell set actually refer to her as Lil' Jenna. Awwwww.

refinery29.com

 

[Nani]

Napa's Cutest—And Coolest!—Vintner Shows Us Around Her St. Helena 'Hood!
By Katie Hintz-Zambrano, Photos by Michelle Drewes

It’s hard to think of a cooler life than that of St. Helena resident Michele Ouellet. The 23-year-old stunner not only circles the globe modeling, but when she’s back home in Napa Valley, the super-down-to-earth gal is out in the vines, playing vintner at Lorenza Rosé, the wine company Ouellet and her mother own. To find out what a Day in the Bay with Ouellet looks like, we caught up with the local lady and had her play tour-guide around her St. Helena home and 'hood. Naturally, a little dress-up ensued, as well. Take a look at the gorgeous results below, and get ready to schedule a trip up north, pronto.

Tell us a little bit about your job and why you love it.
“I am a model and a vintner. My mom and I have a wine brand called Lorenza Rosé. My two careers are complimentary and both benefit from each other. There's a great balance between fashion and city life and a slower pace back in Napa making wine."

You and your mother are involved in an organization to help promote women in wine. Tell us about it.

“Wine Entre Femmes is a non-competitive group of women in the wine business. We share information, education, and experiences, and on occasion, we get together and pour all of our wines for marketing and educational events. It’s a really fun, beautiful thing to be a part of.”

How much are you involved in the wine-making?

“We produce the wine in Lodi, which is also where we source our grapes, and I'm involved every step of the way! During the summer, I go out to the vineyards to check for ripeness and make sure everything is looking good. I'm there from harvest to fermentation, from blending to bottling, and to selling!”

You’re on the front of your own wine bottle! How would you describe the product?
“Lorenza Rosé is a true rosé. We love the dry, pink wine of Southern France and model our rosé after it. It’s low in alcohol, light in color, and made with old-vine Rhone varietals. It's fun wine for all-the-time!”

You're constantly on the road. Can you share any packing tips?

“Bring nothing! I can be ruthless when it comes to packing. I stick to a uniform and never feel like I wish I had brought more clothes. I always bring a cashmere wrap for the plane and a bikini, just in case I end up somewhere tropical!”

What are three pieces you find yourself wearing constantly?

“I always wear St. James striped T-shirts, black April 77 jeans, and chambray shirts from J.Crew.”

What would you never be caught dead wearing?

“I've worn probably everything imaginable on photo-shoots, so not wearing something is an option I've given up! Overall, though, I'm pretty open-minded and love all kinds of style.”

What's the most treasured piece of clothing in your closet?

“My custom Vans made by my boyfriend Van Alpert.”

You’ve worn all kind of designer brands. Who are your favorite designers and why?

“I love fun clothing that make me smile and laugh! My friend Johnson Hartig's line Libertine always makes me smile! I'm also into Balenciaga, Prada, Miu Miu, Proenza Schouler, Chanel, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen...on and on! I love beautiful clothes!”

What trends are you digging right now?
“Denim and stripes! I love all shiny things, as well!”

What's in your closet that you've never worn?

“A vintage velvet Chanel suit. It doesn't fit, but the price was right and I couldn't pass it up!”

What do you love most about your Napa Valley-St. Helena ‘hood?

“St. Helena is where I'm from and I have so much love for Napa Valley! I love everything about it: The food, the wine, and the surroundings are unbeatable. The people in Napa Valley make it my favorite place in the world. I'm so lucky to be from such a beautiful place.”

What would you miss most if you left the Bay Area?

“Everything. I leave quite often and am always so happy to come back! It’s paradise. Northern California has such a great vibe, just super chill and natural.”

What are you top five favorite spots in Napa?

“Solage in Calistoga, and in St. Helena: Ana's Cantina on karaoke night, Sogni di Dolci coffee shop, Sunshine Market, and just hangin' with my friends eating and drinking and swimming!”

What's a secret store you love that you're willing to let our readers in on?

“My local secret is Flats shoe store. I always wear their ballet slippers. They last forever! 10 years and counting for me! The quality is tip-top!”

Best cheap score of late?

“I buy lots of men's shirts at the J.Crew outlet in Napa!”

What are some of your favorite beauty products?
“I use Kevin Murphy hair products. They smell soooo good. And my facialist Toni Rigdon turned me onto an organic line called Pevonia. It’s very soothing! I have also just recently got into lipstick! It’s so fun! I have a red one from YSL and a berry color from Boots.”

What are your favorite spots to visit abroad and what is the coolest hotel you’ve stayed in?

“Brazil and Japan are both soooo cool. So different from where I'm from. And I usually stay with friends when I travel, but I like the Bowery Hotel in NYC and Solage in Calistoga for a staycation!”



What's up next for you: In both wine and modeling?

“I'll be harvesting my 2011 vintage and as far as modeling goes there are some surprises coming up! You’ll have to wait and see.”

Refinery29.com

 

[Nani]

She's all over Madewell, I received 2 emails with gifts animated and I haven't deleted them because I wanted to know who she was. But I don't know how to embed GIFTs
Btw, this is the link of her Instagram account

http://web.stagram.com/n/kissser/

 

[@~PinkCouture~@]

Hot Night In (with Ian Somerhalder)
Glamour (USA) - April 2012
PH: Frederike Helwig







fashionscansremastered.net

 

[HeatherAnne]

To me she'd have been a cooler Balenciaga exclusive than any they had there, but what do I know :-P Thanks for the editorial, she looks fantastic, I hardly noticed the actor.

She's also in the new Free People catalog.

 

[Nani]

Martha Hunt & Michele Ouellet for Free People March Catalogue by Joshua Allen & Thomas Northcut

March in Vietnam – Free People takes to Vietnam for their March catalogue starring Martha Hunt and Michele Ouellet, photographed by Joshua Allen and Thomas Northcut. Colorful flowing dresses, denim and short skirts ooze an easy breezy spring feeling as the duo takes in the sights and attractions of the beautiful country from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

fashiongonerogue.com

 

[Nani]

 

[Nani]

 

[Nani]

garancedore.fr