In The Essentials | Francine & Olivia

WELCOME TO IN THE ESSENTIALS: A series of interviews with long-time friends and customers, photographed in their favored pieces from our core collection of timeless, finely crafted essentials.

 

Shot at our Showroom | Atelier in Berkeley

 

This Mother’s Day, we’re honored to share a special edition of our In The Essentials series with mother and daughter, Francine and Olivia.

Earlier this spring, the two joined us at the Erica Tanov Showroom | Atelier for an afternoon of conversation—captured in some of their favorite pieces from our Essentials collection. Francine has long been a source of inspiration: the way she dresses, moves through the world, and carries herself with quiet strength. Meeting Olivia—first at one of our Atelier events, and again for this special afternoon—felt like discovering that same quiet power, expressed in her own way. Shaped by lives steeped in art, design, and time abroad, their shared sensibility is one of deep intention and effortless style. We’re so pleased to share their story.

 

How did you each first discover Erica Tanov?

Francine: I learned about Erica Tanov through a close friend, who sensed that I would love the clothes and the curation. She knows me well.

Olivia: I discovered Erica Tanov through my mom’s closet!

 

How would you each describe your personal aesthetic—and in what ways do you see your style reflected in one another?

Olivia: I’m drawn to clothes and spaces that feel relaxed and cool, but also elegant. I feel really lucky to share a lot of ideas about aesthetics with my mom! I love to borrow her Erica Tanov pieces, of course, and it’s so fun to find clothes she wore when I was a baby that happen to fit me perfectly now. She’s taught me to focus on pieces made to last, both in terms of timelessness and in terms of sustainability.

Francine: I look for clothes with a sense of ease and versatility, and a connection to the natural world through color and texture. Olivia had her own ideas about what to wear growing up, even before she could talk. It was sometimes disappointing to not be able to dress her as I envisioned when she was little, but it has also been exciting to see her style develop over time. She may take things out of my closet, but she wears them in her very own way.

What place has deeply influenced how you live or create?

Francine: Moving to Berlin from the Midwest, first as a child and then later in my early 20s as a Fulbright scholar, made a lasting impression on me. The value that Berlin places on the arts and creativity has no doubt played a part in the way I interpret and interact with the world, and in my career path from the study of literature to psychotherapy.

Olivia: I also studied in Berlin for a few years in my early 20s while working on my master’s. It’s been special to share a city with my mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who all have roots there. Living in Berlin deepened my interest in art and interior design, and I love that I’ve been influenced both by the energy of a big, creative city and by Northern California nature.

 

You mentioned a shared appreciation for several artists—Cy Twombly, Picasso, and the like. Who are some of your favorites and what about their work draws you in?

Olivia: That’s a great question and a big question! I more recently discovered Isabella Ducrot. I’m drawn to her use of textiles and color, and I see both a cheerfulness and a tenderness in her work. I love her story, too. Lee Krasner is another artist I’ve been learning more about since I saw one of her pieces at the Whitney and was taken by the sense of movement and energy in her painting. It’s so fun to talk about art with my mom and to share a similar eye. She actually gave me a beautiful painting by Ana Grace Neifeld for my birthday last year, which she discovered at an Erica Tanov show.

Francine: One commonality in the art I’m most drawn to is that you can see the hand at work. This is something we love about Erica’s creations, too. As an expressive arts therapist working with children navigating chronic stress and adversity, I get to see kids paint, draw, and build as they make sense of what’s happening to them. More often than not, their work is about movement, color, shape, and form (contrary to media depictions of children’s art that seem to emphasize literal representations). You ask about Picasso, and the famous quote comes to mind, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, and a lifetime to paint like a child.”

What have you learned from one another about living well?

Francine: Olivia’s very organized and tidy, and I love how patient and attentive she is when she cooks. She’s never rushed in the kitchen. I think that can change after having kids with all of the pressure and busy schedules, but I’ve been able to rediscover a more deliberate joy in cooking again because of Olivia.

Olivia: So much! My connection to art and nature has definitely been shaped by my mom. Quality over quantity (in clothes, in the home, in friends). Always having fresh flowers in the house and a good vase collection to go with it. Just to name a few things.

 

How do you approach getting dressed each day? Is it a form of expression or utility?

Francine: Form and function go hand-in-hand for me. Sometimes one is more important than the other, but I love when you can get the best of both in one piece, like in Erica’s slip dresses. I can wear them for a long walk at Stinson Beach and out to dinner in Paris. I am one of those people who has few clothes and who does not hesitate to wear the same pieces again and again, so that kind of versatility is key.

 

What is something you hope to pass down to your daughter, whether material or intangible?

Francine: My modest art collection, a genuine gratitude practice, conscientiousness, a close, reliable sibling relationship with her brother, and a connection to our family history and culture.