New Orleans. A city of amblers, smoothing down cobblestone streets with their centuries of footsteps.
Aging homes leaning slight askew, wrought iron fences, and forgotten hitching posts carry the memory of a bygone era.
Parks with great oaks draped in Spanish moss, swans and egrets drifting amongst the saw palmettos and ponds, magnolias, camellias, and crepe myrtles lingering around every corner.
A mixture of cultures layered, like paint on the walls of every building in sight.
A city of music, pleasure, life.
A singular place I’m proud to be from.
There’s so much to love, and so many layers, but these romantic, poetic influences and textures are what beckon me when I’ve been away too long.
Growing up here, moving slowly through streets and faubourgs, I learned to notice — texture, rhythm, depth. Music floating from around each corner, long dinners of rich flavor and indulgence, and flickering light from gas lanterns and broken street lamps taught me that life is meant to be savored, that beauty isn’t always polished, and that richness comes from layers and imperfection.
These rhythms shaped my eye, my aesthetic, and my philosophy: to seek out quiet, enduring beauty, to move slowly, and to embrace the poetry of everyday life. It’s the same sensibility that guides the each collection at AVILLA — pared-down pieces built to endure, to be worn, and to carry quiet history, just as the city taught me to notice.
Spring always brings the city into focus. I've carried a film camera over the years, capturing moments that felt alive in their imperfection Each photograph, a reminder of what I notice, what endures, and what inspires me.
~ Michelle
