24H IN BARNIE
Du style, Un vestiaire, Vos instants, WITH IRINA AUPETIT-IONESCO
"BARNIE" is the first name of a woman who symbolises all women. A woman who embodies strength, grace, and confidence. Today, it is Irina Aupetit-Ionesco who is the Barnie woman, and we invite you to discover her…
Originally from Lyon, Irina spent a very long time living in Paris. A life lived at full speed, which allowed her to build a solid network across the various artistic worlds she is passionate about.
Since 2019, she has been living in Lyon, on the Presqu'île, with her family, in a magnificent apartment, colourful and enriched by her love of Italian design. Irina is a "one-woman orchestra" and a multifaceted personality, as she likes to describe herself. Her strengths? Her curiosity and her altruism! Deeply passionate, she never stops — always in motion, driven to see her projects and desires through to the end.
She works today between Lyon and Paris, with a particular attachment to Arles and Tangier, the cities closest to her heart. A freelance journalist for various fashion and music magazines, she is also an artist manager. And when the mood takes her, and time allows, she loves to "spin records". Irina is also a consultant in image and strategic communication, a speciality she particularly enjoys teaching.
Last but certainly not least, she is the mother of a little boy named Elijah and the stepmother of Yael, the daughter of her partner Jérémie, a film director.
Irina is a creative and radiant woman who undoubtedly loves to play with fashion!
Let us introduce her to you…
"My entire professional life has been built around encounters, chance, and opportunities — but above all, passion" The Socialite Family
Hello Irina, could you introduce yourself?
I am a woman and a mother of 42. I think I have managed to find harmony and balance between these two "identities".
I split my time between Lyon and Paris. My heart, however, is often in Arles or in Tangier. My father and my grandmother live there, and we have our home there.
What do you do for a living?
Many enriching projects fill my life, and this brings me immense joy! A communication and strategic image consultant, I collaborate in Lyon with the prestigious design showroom Arrivetz.
Still in this city I love, I teach at three schools specialising in design, marketing, and communication.
Just over a year ago, I reconnected with one of my earliest passions — music — by becoming the manager of the talented Henriette, an artist whose work fills me with pride.
Finally, for the past 17 years, I have been writing for the press on subjects as varied as they are captivating, ranging from art to music. More recently, I have also ventured into directing, a project I share with my partner.
What are your passions? What are your interests?
Just as in my work, my passions are many, and I constantly strive to bring them together, to weave connections between them.
Art, of course, has been at the heart of my world for as long as I can remember. I was fortunate to grow up in a family where artistic curiosity was a given. My father, an interior architect and designer, took me to exhibitions from a very early age and introduced me to a wide diversity of music. That is where my love of pop culture comes from, which later expanded to encompass architecture, design, photography, and graphic design.
In the same way, my interest in literature was shaped from childhood. I still remember those audio cassettes from Éditions des Femmes that I used to listen to before falling asleep. My best friend still laughs when we bring up "Les Petits Chevaux de Tarquinia" read by Catherine Deneuve, an obsession I probably wore her out with a little… (If you're reading this, sorry Charlotte!)
Today, I am running a project with the bookshop L'Œil Cacodylate centred on cinema and literature, entitled "Adaptations". This project brings together three of my passions: cinema, literature, and journalism — a true alchemy of my interests.
Over time, I have also increasingly turned to the humanities, particularly sociology and psychoanalysis. It was in my final year of school that a philosophy teacher, deeply passionate about Pierre Bourdieu, passed on to me a desire to reflect, to deconstruct and reconstruct the social sciences. This critical approach still inhabits me today, and I endeavour to pass it on to my students.
Ultimately, my passions have always been nourished by encounters and exchanges, and this dynamic continues to infuse my life. I share it with my children too.
Could you describe a typical ideal day for me?
I am rarely in a bad mood, just like Jérémie, which means our mornings are always filled with gentleness. After a family breakfast together, I drop Elijah off at school before cycling to the office.
My days don't follow a fixed pattern, given how varied my activities are. I do start in a fairly simple way though, by writing my to-do list for the day, and then off I go! Whenever the opportunity arises, I treat myself to a sports break at lunchtime, or else I use that time to discover new restaurants with friends.
Jérémie and I make a point of having dinner as a family as often as possible when we are both in Lyon.
What are your wellness tips — do you have a routine?
When I lived in Paris, I went to the Dynamo studio every day. According to my sources, a cycling studio should be opening in Lyon soon, and I simply cannot wait! I'd love to tell you that I only eat organic food and never drink alcohol, but that would be a sweet little lie… I have a serious sweet tooth, and above all I am an unashamed epicurean.
My few pieces of advice would be to exercise whenever the opportunity arises, without ever feeling guilty when it isn't possible (because yes, finding the time can sometimes be quite a challenge!). Drink at least two litres of water a day, try to eat well, and see a good therapist — those are my essentials for balance.
On the wellness side, my little pleasures are my manicures at Atelier Blou in Lyon, where Lou works wonders, as well as the Kobido massages I treat myself to at Anouk Biard in Paris.
What is your relationship with fashion?
It is to my grandmother and my mother that I owe my love of fashion. I have in fact kept many pieces that belonged to my grandmother, whose style has always been absolutely remarkable. My passion for Castelbajac comes from her — an admiration we share. As for my mother, she wore a great deal of Comme Des Garçons in the 1980s, before adopting a more classic style in the 1990s. I believe it is the fusion of these two women's influences that has shaped my passion for fashion, nourished by their singular tastes and timeless elegance.
What is your favourite outfit — the one you love wearing and in which you feel beautiful?
I have a pronounced taste for beautiful basics and timeless pieces, as well as designer dresses. And yet, even dressed in my favourite outfit, if I haven't slept well, I will never truly feel beautiful. I am convinced that "beauty" stems above all from inner well-being, and that a calm mind, nourished by restorative sleep, is the true key to it.
What would be your 3 essential basics?
A Chanel jacket, "great-fit" jeans, a deep V-neck cashmere jumper.
What is the craziest piece in your wardrobe?
My wedding dress designed by Castelbajac, my Junior Gaultier perfecto that belonged to my grandmother, a 1990s Corinne Cobson dress bought from Alexandra Balzam, the queen of vintage (who also counts Kate Moss among her clients…). An absolute gem!
The track you could dance to for hours without stopping?
As you will have gathered, I cannot get through a day without music… I do have two DJs in my life who make me dance like no one else, every single time they play: Rob My Life Is Acid and The Hacker.
Back in the days when I was playing every week, Rob was truly the person I would steal the best audio gems from.
Will you share some of your favourite addresses in Lyon?
To eat: Bouille, Brume, Grenade, Leptine (I could eat there every day…)
For a truly great coffee: Magma and Caillou (a café created by the talented architect duo BLOMA)
For gift shopping: Blitz, Tandem and La Maison Craie-Craie
My favourite bookshop where I go (almost) every day: L'Oeil Cacodylate
My favourite galleries: Slika, Manifesta and Henri Chartier
With my kids we go to Pilo and to Les Subsistances
My record shop for ever: Sofa Records
