A DAY WITH KAITLYN
When Kaitlyn Reinhart moved to Paris, she had in her suitcase, imported directly from her native Canada, an immoderate love for plants and cuisine. She had the memory of a mother gardener in love with her vegetable garden. That of a father whose great pleasure was to create beauty on the plates. And also, in her baggage, the tenacious memory of this grandmother who took her to pick more strawberries than she could ever enjoy.
She says: “During the pandemic, I went to work for six months in a 4,000 m2 vegetable garden, tirelessly growing fruits, vegetables and herbs. It was for me, during this period, a form of therapy. Connecting my hands and feet to the earth, anchoring my emotions there, allowed me to reflect, to think about my life and to feel it - what it had been and what I now wanted it to become. »
Now an independent chef, Kaitlyn artfully cultivates her passion for conscious and rich cuisine
of meaning. A form of poetry whose words would have grown in the fields. Each of her culinary creations turns out to be a poem of flavors in which a life philosophy that she has made her own is expressed with simplicity and beauty: taking the time. Take time for everything and for yourself, to connect to nature and its rhythms as majestic as they are slow.
She further says: “Cooking is a moment of meditation, introspection and creativity. We not only nourish our body but also our mind. In this there is, I find, a great proximity between culinary art and fashion. Cooking and dressing are two ways of expressing yourself artistically, of talking about yourself, about who you are. A dress that you wear like a dish that you prepare reflects a personality, an intimacy, a state of mind. »
There is an engaged, tasteful and spiritual approach to food in Kaitlyn's cooking. It is authentic and intimate cuisine that invites contemplation. Inventiveness, rusticity and refinement, authenticity and commitment: we could just as easily use each of these words to evoke the way in which Leon & Harper conceives fashion.
And it’s no coincidence that we find this same bucolic approach in Kaitlyn’s clothing style, a style that she herself readily describes as country chic. She ties scarves in her hair, likes to wear long jackets with gardening shoes, never goes out without one cart. Vintage? Obviously she loves it, and antiquing is another of her passions. At Leon & Harper, Kaitlyn not only likes fashion in which she fully finds herself, but she also appreciates this eco-responsible commitment of ours, quality and sustainable materials, organic cottons.
In this latest collection, this wardrobe that we are offering for this Spring - Summer 2023, she really liked the suit and the shirts. She loved the colors, these blues and whites with romantic tones. This long Jeremiah skirt, with its buttons, is according to Kaitlyn the very essence of that country chic that she loves so much. And then there are these pants Parisis, very fashionable, “pajama pants” style in a dressier version. And these long, flowing dresses that she can wear with elegant clogs or comfortable sandals. Kaitlyn says she loves dressing at Leon & Harper. We believe her without difficulty.
Kaitlyn's Selection