Friday, November 7, 2008

Proust Questionnaire

The Olsen twins tackle the existentially probing 35-question Proust Questionnaire in their new book, Influence.
Today, it is CC's great pleasure to take on the Proustian task!
I encourage ALL my Fellow Fashionistas to complete this survey. It is a splendid, soul-searching way to spend part of your weekend...

Credits: Photos taken by CC except where noted. Questions reprinted via Vanity Fair ; each month, VF interviews a different celeb or artist - check out the last page of any issue or vanityfair.com.

1.What is your idea of perfect happiness? Red wine and S’mores made with marshmallows toasted over an open fire at a remote beach (at right, a photo CC took of a Costa Rican sunset).

2.What is your greatest fear? Losing love

3.What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Insecurity

4.What is the trait you most deplore in others? Selfishness

5.Which living person do you most admire? Diane von Furstenberg


6.What is your greatest extravagance?
Of time: Blogging
Of Money: La Petite Salope dresses! Photo at left courtesy lapetitesalope.com.

7.What is your current state of mind? Peaceful

8.What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Being “nice”

9.On what occasion do you lie? Rarely, but maybe to get out of jury duty… 

10.What do you most dislike about your appearance? My thighs

11.Which living person do you most despise? W
12.What is the quality you most like in a man? Understanding

13.What is the quality you most like in a woman? Grace
14.Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Gorgeous! CC adores! You bet your sweet bippy!

15.What or who is the greatest love of your life? Anthony
16.When and where were you happiest? Raking leaves with my siblings at age 5 in the front yard of my childhood home in Connecticut. (That's CC in the middle; photo taken by my Dad).

17.Which talent would you most like to have? The ability to sew and create couture (Alexander McQueen at right, courtesy style.com)

18.If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My indecisiveness

19.What do you consider your greatest achievement? Getting a law degree and passing the Bar Exam

20.If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? Any of Cary Grant’s co-stars or lovers. Photo at left via blog.skpbs.org.

21.Where would you most like to live? New York City

Photos at right: a doorway in Murray Hill and the sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art



22.What is your most treasured possession? A silver ring given to me by my mother

23.What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Loneliness

24.What is your favorite occupation? Painting

25.What is your most marked characteristic? My creativity

26.What do you most value in your friends? Empathy

27.Who are your favorite writers? Borges, Ha Jin, and Truman Capote

28.Who is your hero of fiction? Holden Caulfield or Wonder Woman



29.Which historical figure(s) do you most identify with? The Vietnam War Donut Dollies, pictured at right – CC’s mom is on the left; the photo was taken by a G.I.

30.Who are your heroes in real life? My mother, my brother Bryan and my Spanish Professor Ana Diz

31.What are your favorite names? Caroline, Valerie, Catherine, Trent, Beckett, Wesley, and Lars


32.What is it that you most dislike? Discourteousness

33.What is your greatest regret? Picking fights when it wasn’t warranted

34.How would you like to die? Peacefully

35.What is your motto? Live with style!

Photo at right: part of a Van Gogh-inspired self-portrait CC did awhile back.

So TAG, you’re all IT!

xoxox,
CC

24 comments:

Ken's baby's mama said...

Your Blog is so cool. I am Carolyn. I am going to follow it...Thanks for your coolness. Cheers!

Seeker said...

Oh Gosh, this is a deep questionnaire.
Thank you for sharing all of this with us, beauty.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

xoxo

La Belette Rouge said...

I already loved you and now you have gone and made me love you more. I relate to a lot that you said, but 20, 27 and 28 are a bit like looking into a mirror. What a lovely mirror!
I could do a long rant about my love for Cary Grant. But, I will, in honour of your questionnaire, try to show some grace.;-)
xo

carolina @ patagonia gifts said...

I loved to know more about yourself with this questionnaire! We have a lot in common, like our love for red wine, our fear of losing love and our hate for discourteousness.
Have a wonderful weekend, my dear!

Sharlo said...

pretty

Make Do Style said...

I'm looking forward to the book - it's compelling.
PS don't mean to burst the Cary Grant bubble but his co-stars may have been leading ladies but his lovers were not!

Cupcakes and Cashmere said...

Holden Caulfield was my first literary crush. nice choice!

La Belette Rouge said...

Make do: As a fellow CG fan, I have to say that he LOVED all of his wives very much. He may have had boy love too. But, he also loved the ladies. He wore a necklace that had a symbol of each of his wives religions around his neck as a way to keep their spirit close to his heart. Le sigh!

Anonymous said...

LMFAO "You bet your sweet bippy!"

dee said...

I loved this, Carrie! I don't always read questionnaires, but I was totally enthralled by this...maybe because it was such a departure for you and you let us in a little on your life outside of fashion. I love your answers and share your wish to be better at sewing...and I was a painter in college, so whaddya think of that, sister?! xx

ryan said...

neutral facial expression

Anonymous said...

where are you from in CT? I grew up in Old Saybrook!!

Miranda said...

aww :) that pic of you at 5 is SO GOOD

K.Line said...

I do love the Proust questionnaire! And I had to laugh when I read 9. because I have jury duty assessment on Monday. And I'm imagining what kind of a person I'm going to have to pretend to be to get out of it! (Not that I don't appreciate it is one's civic duty, I just really don't want to do it and my work environment will be inconvenienced if I have to take time off...)

leeselooks said...

thanks for sharing cc.

you are so graceful + beautiful.
and it comes across in everyway.

x.

WendyB said...

What do I most value in my friends? Money. Lots and lots of money to buy jewelry. Got money? Let's be friends.

My word verification is "bustally."

Aliena said...

That requires some deep self-soul searching!!! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Songy said...

This is a good list of questions, CC. A bit of challenge I might add!

My god you passed the bar exam. My hat off to you!

hollyshambles.x said...

i absolutely adore this post, it's my favourite of yours i've ever read (: i love how it's set out and how honest it is. and that self portrait - wow! i wish i was good at art :(

i'll have to get around to doing this sometime soon -- you've certainly inspired me! (:

Little Bow Prep said...

Lovely pictures.

Carolina Lange said...

It's great to know more about you!

La Clocharde said...

Your blog is lovely, always an inspiration, and I really admire the work you do here, you are such a constant and talented blogger, so it was really nice to know a little bit more about you, CC.

Susanna-Cole King said...

Wow great idea to do these questions, really insightful to read them, I feel like I know so much more about you know! I will have to consider answering these questions myself, but perhaps just in my journal! :)

xoxo,
S-C

P.S. So glad the pictures in my last entry could make your day! :D

Sara Morante said...

Great painting, CC!! get back to your painbrushes, c'mon!