Women at Work: Paris Starn
The 'Playing with Food' writer is carving a singular path with projects that weave together her love of baking, art history and fashion.
It’s not easy to give Paris Starn a title. Food stylist. Pastry artist. Content creator (food). Culinary It-Girl. So, how does she describe herself? “If I could be as broad as possible, I would call myself a creative,” says Paris. “I love creativity, and specifically making things with my hands. That’s a fair description for the former fashion designer with a graduate degree in art history and longtime love of baking, who taps into all of the above in her work.
The project that currently occupies much of her time is her Substack newsletter ‘Playing With Food.’ It’s a place to showcase her whimsical, retro-with-a-wink confections, share her inspirations (vintage cookbooks, Renaissance paintings) and detail each technical step for subscribers to follow at home. “I love engaging with the community there,” she says. “People come with serious baking questions.” One reader even recreated Paris’ elaborate Swan wedding cake, inspired by a Flemish master painting, for their friend’s wedding. There’s always a fashion element; as she demonstrates how to pipe meringues or roll out sablé dough, Paris coordinates her outfit to the recipe.
“It’s fun for me as a visual storyteller to have the clothing tell the story of the food as well,” she explains.
Paris grew up in New York, steeped in the arts. She recalls visiting the New York Public Library with her mother, Anne Pasternak, now director of the Brooklyn Museum, as she researched her art history dissertation, and drawing lessons with her father, artist Mike Starn. She began baking at a young age with her grandparents, and learned to read from cookbooks. “Other books weren’t piquing my interest,” she says. “Cookbooks activated my imagination.“
When she launched her fashion brand Paris 99 in 2018, the world of food was close at hand. The collection of pert gingham dresses with exaggerated rickrack trim was inspired by her great-grandmother’s aprons, and her mood boards often featured images of pastries. Though the line shuttered in the early days of the pandemic, her collaboration last year with tastemaker-driven media company Semaine — a vintage-inspired apron — brought the idea full circle. Made from deadstock vinyl with red satin trim, the Paris Starn x Semaine Glacé Apron is both chic and practical. “It doesn’t need to be washed or pressed,” she explains. “You just spritz it down with the cleaner of your choice.” The over-the-head smock won’t wrinkle your clothes, while the transparent vinyl shows them off.
These days, Paris expresses her love of fashion by collecting vintage, sourced from Live Auctioneers, The Real Real, and any secondhand shop she might happen to pass by. Courrèges is a favorite, and she’s now receiving decades-old Pleats Please from her French grandmother-in-law. Though she wouldn’t attempt another solo fashion venture, she’s open to working with others. “So much of my creative process is to bring two ideas together, something that feels nostalgic, and reworking it for today's sensibilities,” she says. “I love doing that in a range of formats, whether it be food or fashion. I’m game for more collaborations.”
My daily work uniform… changes every day. If it’s a computer work day, I’m in comfy clothes, a sweatshirt and leggings or shorts and a tank if it’s warm. When I’m cooking on camera, I like to have the clothes fit the vibe of what I’m cooking — matching the textures or colors of the food. If I’m making something messy, or wearing nice clothes (especially with guests over) I love to add The Glacé Apron. Whatever I’m wearing I usually have my hair in a claw clip. My current favorite is from Undo, and I recently purchased one from Outline; they have a great selection of colors.
My go-to look for an important meeting… I always try to match the vibe of the meeting. If I can, I’ll dress differently for a coffee and a dinner. If I’m meeting with a brand, I’ll look at their recent collections or lookbook and choose something that blends their current mood with my personal style.
My overall fashion direction for spring… I have been a mini skirt fanatic for as long as I can remember but something has shifted for me in the last year. I’m now craving more mid-length skirts, especially for spring when it’s still too chilly for a mini. I have a few in my closet, including the Tory Burch sequined skirt. I plan on wearing them with a cardigan or a button down with a tank top or T-shirt underneath.
One non-negotiable item fashion item… my lint roller, the tool that helps me go from feeling drab to dapper, especially in cooler months as knits seem to attract everything. When I feel like my clothes are looking tired and worn, I slide a lint roller over the outfit, and suddenly it feels like I’m wearing something for the first time.
The connection between fashion and food… they’re both arts that interact with multiple senses and are guided by the seasons. Just as I wear heavier knits and multiple layers in winter, I’ll often release heavier chocolate and nut-based dessert recipes then. For summer, when I want to wear lighter items, I’ll do more fruit-based or chilled recipes. In transitional seasons, I do things that people will want to make year-round — breakfasts and snacking items like cookies and tea cakes.
Tory Burch corded lace top + skirt “This is what I would wear to my dream spring tea party, with a yellow sweater draped over my shoulders. Taking inspiration from daffodils in white and yellow with some structure and softness to mimic the shape of a petal.”
Peas. “I’m always thrilled when peas first hit the green market in May. I love their flavor and texture. Yes, they’re a bit laborious to shell, but they are so lovely and fresh, bright and green, easy to cook and go well with so many things. I can’t wait for peas with seafood, peas on toast, and peas in a pasta.”
Super Facial “I do not take the best care of my skin in winter so I would like to start spring with a Super Facial at Dorian Skin Studio. The owner, Sydney Utendahl, is an amazing aesthetician and makeup artist. She did my makeup for my wedding and this shoot. There’s no one I trust more with my face.”
Tory Burch Lettuce Ware “While I adore the whole Lettuce Ware collection, I am especially coveting this teapot and cup and saucer set, which bring forth childhood dreams of a spring garden tea party. I’m just wondering which to go with – white or green. Both are so good!”
Daffodils “I love going for walks in spring, soaking up the warmer weather and seeing daffodils, some of the season’s earliest blooms. I especially love looking at them closely as there are so many different varieties — around 13,000.”
We’re thrilled to celebrate Women’s History Month with our second Women at Work issue, featuring entrepreneurs in the food world. We’ll publish new stories throughout the month. Thank you for reading!
I loved this!!! Those pleated shorts…….
Love Paris!