VT Style Icon: Catherine Détraves

Visual Therapy recently expanded its presence in LA, and with that came the opportunity to interview and visit the stunning contemporary home of a long time friend of ours on the West Coast—artist, beauty, and VT style icon—Catherine Détraves. Originally from Paris, France, Catherine’s story of how she came to be an artist living and working in beautiful Manhattan Beach, California is captivating.

Like many friends of VT, Catherine’s connection to the fashion world leads back to Chicago and two of the city’s most renowned high end luxury boutiques—Ultimo and Sonia Rykiel. She was actually VT co-founder Jesse Garza’s supervisor at the Sonia Rykiel boutique! They became close friends over the years they worked together and have kept in touch through it all—marriages, divorces, new business ventures, (the inception of Visual Therapy!) multiple cross country moves, and everything in between.

Catherine has evolved and refined her style over the years as she’s relocated from the Midwest to the West Coast, finished raising her twin daughters, and taken up drawing and painting. Her daily uniform of distressed denim, a silk blouse, and neutral Chloé block heel pumps works just as well for hours spent painting at her art studio as it does for evening cocktails with girlfriends. Although she is no longer in the fashion industry, you’d be none the wiser, as her passion for all things style, beauty, and interiors remains, and her California chic look is an effortless (yet impeccably curated!) mix of high, low, and vintage pieces.

We sat with her in her beautiful, quintessentially California home for an afternoon to discuss life, love, art, and fashion and the following is what resulted…

MY STYLE TYPE IS…

Bohemian chic with just a touch of avant-garde. Some of the brands I find myself gravitating towards over and over are Chloé, Equipment, and Hermès.

Catherine wears a Chloé top and jeans with Gianvito Rossi sandals.

MY STYLED IS INSPIRED BY…

How I want to feel that day or the image I want to project.

Catherine in her daily runaround look of Zara jeans, Chloé block heel pumps, and a silk Equipment blouse.

Jean Paul Gaultier blouse, Les Petit Joueurs handbag, ink drawings by Catherine.

THE ONE PIECE THAT ALWAYS MAKES ME FEEL POWERFUL…

A blazer or a great fitting leather jacket.

Catherine poses in front of her diptych painting in a Tibi dress, belt, and Cult Gaia sandals.

THE BEST STYLE ADVICE I’VE EVER RECEIVED WAS…

In the 80s we discovered high and low, it had never been done before—this idea of jeans with a Chanel jacket. I think it was Grace Coddington who first put that on the cover of Vogue in the 80s. The concept was a total revelation for me and many others—it was exhilarating! Suddenly high fashion wasn’t as out of reach for us young people and we could take inspiration from the pages of Vogue and use it in our own day to day lives.

Large “Infinity Dots” ink drawing by Catherine.