Elle Florence Lecocq #11 Duchess of Bainbridge

[Sheepsmeadow]

She just got a little tan from being in Hawaii, it's that simple. Not some complicated psychology on colorism. Generally, she is very fair skinned.

I agree that she is rather fair. Maybe not so fair that she has a hard time finding foundation, but fair enough that her skin contrasts nicely with her dark hair and dark eyes (or at least that is how she appears in pictures/videos; for all we know it’s just the lighting). I don’t see anything wrong with her mentioning this. What I do find terribly annoying is her obsession with being “European” (especially when she’s only European on paper, really), and I think we can all agree on that. And what @svdwoodsen mentioned about her dating a non-white person and trying to pass them off as white sounds downright racist and disgusting.

 

[Drasticactions]

Oh my gosh youtube suggested this video for me from 7 years ago and I had to watch it. She is so different ---not just in looks but showing off her coach purse and banana republic dress (rather than the extra pricey items she shows off now). I didn't watch her then but the funny thing to me is that while she seems more relatable, I feel like the maturity level seems appropriate at this point in her life, but it seems that she is still stuck there now. Her video quality really hasn't improved much either and you would think she'd invest more if she is really trying to make this a job.

I wasn't watching her back then either. But she is very similar to how she was before, explaining how being part Italian is why she puts cheese on everything.

Also I find it a little annoying her explaining tabbouleh and caprese salad. Or explaining what mascarpone is. If someone is watching a grocery store haul I'm going to assume they've watched foot network and knows what these basic things are.

Aside from that she is more tolerable here.

It is a little weird to me to drive across the border for groceries , snacks and other easily transported items makes sense (I used to stock up on all dressed chips and stuff like that when we'd go to Canada for a trip or long weekend) but I find it a little weird bringing produce and dairy all the way over. Not really worth the cost savings if you have to spend a couple hours driving to get it. And I just worry about food safety and food poisoning.

I remeber watching some of the old vlogs where she goes with Chris to get groceries then leaves them in the car while they go to the movie theater afterward. And just really grosses me out. Like if they only got chips and snacks not a big deal but there was meat and cheese in there.

 

[MUALover]

I wasn't watching her back then either. But she is very similar to how she was before, explaining how being part Italian is why she puts cheese on everything.

Also I find it a little annoying her explaining tabbouleh and caprese salad. Or explaining what mascarpone is. If someone is watching a grocery store haul I'm going to assume they've watched foot network and knows what these basic things are.

Aside from that she is more tolerable here.

It is a little weird to me to drive across the border for groceries , snacks and other easily transported items makes sense (I used to stock up on all dressed chips and stuff like that when we'd go to Canada for a trip or long weekend) but I find it a little weird bringing produce and dairy all the way over. Not really worth the cost savings if you have to spend a couple hours driving to get it. And I just worry about food safety and food poisoning.

I remeber watching some of the old vlogs where she goes with Chris to get groceries then leaves them in the car while they go to the movie theater afterward. And just really grosses me out. Like if they only got chips and snacks not a big deal but there was meat and cheese in there.

It's possible to do if you bring a cooler with ice packs. I always bring a cooler with a couple of large ice packs when I do this - which isn't often but meat and cheese can last for a few hours in the car like this.

Elle's lifestyle was OK for a girl just out of college. But by 32, you'd think she'd have her career sorted out, not give up her job to go chase men or get into a deeper shopping addiction.

 

[dfjsakdfj;sfd]

Could anyone share past vlogs especially from the Joe era (#GirlBossBreakup)?? Trying to do a catch up after not watching Elle for a couple years but it looks like she deleted a lot

 

[adidass]

OMG the crazy pronunciations are off the wall in the Ilia video. First of all I've never heard anyone pronounce "Clarins" with a French accent before, but leave it to this pretentious woman...then she says "shea" butter as "shay-a"?!

Cherry on top is the kooky "modeling" in the beginning of the video, like she's following a script that says she has to look in all four corners of the video screen as if she's doing neck stretches. Thanks for posting the gifs a few pages back; they’re priceless!

 

[Wheelsbaby]

Oh my gosh youtube suggested this video for me from 7 years ago and I had to watch it. She is so different ---not just in looks but showing off her coach purse and banana republic dress (rather than the extra pricey items she shows off now). I didn't watch her then but the funny thing to me is that while she seems more relatable, I feel like the maturity level seems appropriate at this point in her life, but it seems that she is still stuck there now. Her video quality really hasn't improved much either and you would think she'd invest more if she is really trying to make this a job.

Yeah she had a modest lifestyle back then, and in uni as well. She really comes to life only after meeting Chris. She got exposed to a fancier lifestyle, doubled down on the European nonsense & more importantly was able to save on rent money - those extra funds formed the start of her shopping addiction.

Looking at her modest beginnings, it seems likely that she’s compensating in adulthood because she wasn’t part of the cool/ rich crowd growing up & why she has the need to show off every name brand item.

Also I think she made a decent income at MFDA and was raking it in from scamming her viewers in the Joe-era not to mention the extra 2-4K from Adsense and affiliates every month. The combined income from her day job and side hustles really allowed her to shop very comfortably (plus she only spends on herself! She’s cheap w others) Not to mention getting Joe to pay for the home upgrades/furniture etc

It’s not so difficult to have the lifestyle she has if you concentrate all your money only on yourself, and don’t really save or invest. Plus rely heavily on a significant other to cover the rent and spring for pricier items like furniture and travel.

My guess is that Ginette gave her some pity money after the Rick fiasco to set herself up in Seattle & elle also probably kept the remaining of the bridal funds.

I also suspect she split some of the house money when ginette sold her house. Elle was very active in helping her mom sell the house. That forms a nice cushion for her Seattle adventures (I bet ginette hoped elle would be prudent and save it for a down payment instead) The look ginette had when elle hauled the briefcases from the resale site and wanted to cut the tags off immediately was priceless

 

[MUALover]

Yeah, back in the old videos, Elle was shopping at Michael Kors and Coach outlets and wearing Clarks shoes.

 

[MissDeverauxDarling]

Elle also has no debt. We don't know that for certain -- she's never mentioned it -- but her omission of anything about finances in her My Experience Going to Law School video says everything. I know a few folks who went to law/medical/graduate school and even those from wealthy families have some debt, even if their parents paid their tuition and/or rent.

I think Elle's attitude around money, and her refusal to discuss it at all (despite having a "girlboss" channel), does come from never having to think about it. Her mother clearly provided her with everything she wanted during her university days and now is providing some sort of allowance/trust fund/inheritance. Hard to make a budgeting video when you have never had to balance one in your life.

Elle's sole contribution to finance on her channel has been to make coffee at home to afford Chanel. Thanks, Elle! I'll be ready for my first Boy Bag in seven years thanks to your tone-deaf and classist advice.

 

[bethannebodyworks]

^ To add to that, Elle constantly gets asked to make a video on finance but she never does. It's because like you said she never has to think about it.

What would she even say?

 

[just_S]

For an “European,” Elle clearly hasn’t ever met a Celtic, Scandinavian, or Dutch person. She could walk on the streets of those countries and she would be noticeably darker than a lot of the native population, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but clearly she isn’t some unique, ultra fair European princess that makeup companies don’t even cater to because she’s “so pale and different.”

she’s such an idiot. does this moron realise some French and Italians - which she continually claims to be - can have darker olive undertones?

Agreed with everything here, she is definitely a colourist and sizeist and believes being a skinny petite white european is superior to other race/body types. joke is on her as she is not skinny, petite, nor is she from Europe!

 

[thecatlass]

^ To add to that, Elle constantly gets asked to make a video on finance but she never does. It's because like you said she never has to think about it.

What would she even say?

She has plenty of budgeting ideas

1. Buy Jo Malone soap once - use the container forever and just refill it with cheaper soap
2. Buy cheap cuts of meat
3. Save on cat litter by never cleaning the box
4. Save on shampoo and conditioner by going to a dry bar regularly
5. Save on gym membership by joining a social club that has its own gym
6. Save on wedding costs by organizing the event in some random location thousands of kilometers away from where your supposed friends and former coworkers live, it's likely they won't attend
7. Have a parent with a timeshare in a sunny location - guaranteed free holiday spot

 

[MUALover]

She has plenty of budgeting ideas

1. Buy Jo Malone soap once - use the container forever and just refill it with cheaper soap
2. Buy cheap cuts of meat
3. Save on cat litter by never cleaning the box
4. Save on shampoo and conditioner by going to a dry bar regularly
5. Save on gym membership by joining a social club that has its own gym
6. Save on wedding costs by organizing the event in some random location thousands of kilometers away from where your supposed friends and former coworkers live, it's likely they won't attend
7. Have a parent with a timeshare in a sunny location - guaranteed free holiday spot

Actually #1 and #7 isn't bad.

 

[LuvYoutube]

She has plenty of budgeting ideas

1. Buy Jo Malone soap once - use the container forever and just refill it with cheaper soap
2. Buy cheap cuts of meat
3. Save on cat litter by never cleaning the box
4. Save on shampoo and conditioner by going to a dry bar regularly
5. Save on gym membership by joining a social club that has its own gym
6. Save on wedding costs by organizing the event in some random location thousands of kilometers away from where your supposed friends and former coworkers live, it's likely they won't attend
7. Have a parent with a timeshare in a sunny location - guaranteed free holiday spot

8. Save on rent and furniture by having live-in boyfriend pay for it.
9. Save on gifts by giving them her pearl jewelry/scarves/free sample cosmetics.
10. Save on washing jeans by refreshing them in the freezer.

 

[Wheelsbaby]

Elle also has no debt. We don't know that for certain -- she's never mentioned it -- but her omission of anything about finances in her My Experience Going to Law School video says everything. I know a few folks who went to law/medical/graduate school and even those from wealthy families have some debt, even if their parents paid their tuition and/or rent.

I think Elle's attitude around money, and her refusal to discuss it at all (despite having a "girlboss" channel), does come from never having to think about it. Her mother clearly provided her with everything she wanted during her university days and now is providing some sort of allowance/trust fund/inheritance. Hard to make a budgeting video when you have never had to balance one in your life.

Elle's sole contribution to finance on her channel has been to make coffee at home to afford Chanel. Thanks, Elle! I'll be ready for my first Boy Bag in seven years thanks to your tone-deaf and classist advice.

FYI Law school in Uk is not expensive for EU nationals, it’s also not a graduate degree - it’s an undergraduate 3 year programme. So I know many people who graduated with little/no debt.

Also re: designer bags, at the companies I’ve worked at, junior admin staff tote designer bags all the time. It’s just a matter of priorities and sometimes it’s a matter of keeping up with the joneses. They’re young women with no kids. So although they have modest salaries, they are still able to afford nice bags. Also Chanel bags got significantly more expensive only in the last 2 years because of price increaseS, but before that the prices weren’t that bad! - you’d notice Elle doesn’t have anything new from the boutique after that. She made a huge deal about getting the boy bag from the boutique years ago when the price wasn’t that steep. who makes such a fuss unless it’s a really rare moment? She obviously wanted to be made to feel important but Chanel has tons of loyal customers who shop every season.

Elle also gets a lot of bags on discount or second hand so while she looks like she has an impressive collection, it’s really not as much as other women with a smaller collection but with classic in-demand styles.

I mean look at her downgraded lifestyle after Joe. And the sad state that was Florida living with Rick. It doesn’t make sense if she’s really that well-off.... it seems to fluctuate a lot based on her partner and whether she gets pity funds from ginette. Also let’s not underestimate a significant other paying the rent/furniture/meals - that’s like a few thousand dollars a month. 2 months and she can afford a nice bag and throw in some extra cashmere on sale!

Also she had a thriving business during Joe era. Her mark ups are amazing! 100 subscribers x $50 profit (Pearl & scarves) is $5000 a month. That’s a bag right there. And this is not including ad sense and affiliates.

It’s perhaps difficult to fathom that anyone would spend ALL your disposable income on material items. But there are always people with a closet full of LV and zero savings in the bank.

In my view, it’s more a matter of priorities & spending style rather than a reflection of wealth per se.

Just my 2 cents. I understand your POV that she’s very privileged and more so than many people. I just think a lot of times lifestyles portrayed online is not half as enviable as it appears. And to me it’s easy to spot when someone is actually well-off versus someone who has a couple of designer bags and mountains of cashmere.

 

[boredstrom]

She has plenty of budgeting ideas
6. Save on wedding costs by organizing the event in some random location thousands of kilometers away from where your supposed friends and former coworkers live, it's likely they won't attend

Save on wedding costs by organizing the event in some random location thousands of kilometers away from where your supposed friends and former coworkers live, it's likely they won't attend by getting engaged to some dude you long-distanced for a few weeks, knowing theres no way you'll get as far as a wedding.

 

[Sheepsmeadow]

FYI Law school in Uk is not expensive for EU nationals, it’s also not a graduate degree - it’s an undergraduate 3 year programme. So I know many people who graduated with little/no debt.

Also re: designer bags, at the companies I’ve worked at, junior admin staff tote designer bags all the time. It’s just a matter of priorities and sometimes it’s a matter of keeping up with the joneses. They’re young women with no kids. So although they have modest salaries, they are still able to afford nice bags. Also Chanel bags got significantly more expensive only in the last 2 years because of price increaseS, but before that the prices weren’t that bad! - you’d notice Elle doesn’t have anything new from the boutique after that. She made a huge deal about getting the boy bag from the boutique years ago when the price wasn’t that steep. who makes such a fuss unless it’s a really rare moment? She obviously wanted to be made to feel important but Chanel has tons of loyal customers who shop every season.

Elle also gets a lot of bags on discount or second hand so while she looks like she has an impressive collection, it’s really not as much as other women with a smaller collection but with classic in-demand styles.

I mean look at her downgraded lifestyle after Joe. And the sad state that was Florida living with Rick. It doesn’t make sense if she’s really that well-off.... it seems to fluctuate a lot based on her partner and whether she gets pity funds from ginette. Also let’s not underestimate a significant other paying the rent/furniture/meals - that’s like a few thousand dollars a month. 2 months and she can afford a nice bag and throw in some extra cashmere on sale!

Also she had a thriving business during Joe era. Her mark ups are amazing! 100 subscribers x $50 profit (Pearl & scarves) is $5000 a month. That’s a bag right there. And this is not including ad sense and affiliates.

It’s perhaps difficult to fathom that anyone would spend ALL your disposable income on material items. But there are always people with a closet full of LV and zero savings in the bank.

In my view, it’s more a matter of priorities & spending style rather than a reflection of wealth per se.

Just my 2 cents. I understand your POV that she’s very privileged and more so than many people. I just think a lot of times lifestyles portrayed online is not half as enviable as it appears. And to me it’s easy to spot when someone is actually well-off versus someone who has a couple of designer bags and mountains of cashmere.

This! It summarizes so well my thoughts on Elle’s spending. And yes, I do judge her because, sorry, it is stupid to spend all your money on cashmere and ugly bags. I get it, we all have different priorities. I like buying original art for my home, for example. But I do not spend every dime I have on it — I also save and invest. It’s okay if your priority is clothes and handbags. But don’t spend *all* your money, and, please, do buy nice things, not another garish discontinued Chanel bag and ugly cashmere sweater number 265 that you will wear over your hips paired with your 70th pair of black leggings and pink granny Ferragamos.

 

[Drasticactions]

This! It summarizes so well my thoughts on Elle’s spending. And yes, I do judge her because, sorry, it is stupid to spend all your money on cashmere and ugly bags. I get it, we all have different priorities. I like buying original art for my home, for example. But I do not spend every dime I have on it — I also save and invest. It’s okay if your priority is clothes and handbags. But don’t spend *all* your money, and, please, do buy nice things, not another garish discontinued Chanel bag and ugly cashmere sweater number 265 that you will wear over your hips paired with your 70th pair of black leggings and pink granny Ferragamos.

I agree! I collect a lot of things and I know some people don't find value in it. And that's ok! But I make sure I save for the future and I make sure to get people I love gifts that I think they would like. I think my issue more with elle's spending is that it really does seem like from her videos that she saves nothing. Every extra cent goes towards something.

Which I mean isn't unusual for a young kid with an allowance or birthday money to do. But at 32 she should be concerned about her future. Mama G won't be around forever and even if she does secure a man that's not guaranteed either. People lose their jobs, get laid off, get sick, die, leave you for someone else etc.

She may annoy me, but I don't want Elle to end up homeless and destitute when she's 45 or 50 bc she didn't plan for the future.

 

[MissDeverauxDarling]

Just my 2 cents. I understand your POV that she’s very privileged and more so than many people. I just think a lot of times lifestyles portrayed online is not half as enviable as it appears. And to me it’s easy to spot when someone is actually well-off versus someone who has a couple of designer bags and mountains of cashmere.

Thank you for your perspective; I appreciate it. I agree that Elle herself isn't well-off -- she probably has nothing in the bank. I know there's been back and forth about her mother's wealth, but I will say that Elle certainly had a very, very comfortable childhood. Private schools, multiple global internships, trips to Tahiti as a teenager, etc. She certainly had an exceptional childhood compared to the average Canadian child. Bear in mind, incomes are lower in Canada than the US and people do generally have less disposable income because of the higher cost of living and taxes.

I only point this out because it seems odd to me that after she started working Elle decided to pursue the "girlboss" thing. Hmmm... so you're a girlboss who has never had a budget, moves in with men to subsidize your shopping, and seems to save nothing? Yeah, that isn't empowering or even interesting.

I do understand her reluctance to come out and say "I have savings/my mother helps me/I have a trust fund", but it would make her so much more authentic. Right now she's just a joke, living in that townhome all alone and seemingly not working at either a job or her side businesses. No wonder people aren't watching her videos anymore, she's so suspicious.

Elle can spend whatever she wants however she wants. Buy all the used Chanel, girlboss! But don't be surprised if your audience asks questions about how you can afford to do it, or if they complain about constant haul and unboxing videos. She doesn't realize that people want more out of her channel than shopping.

 

[MUALover]

Thank you for your perspective; I appreciate it. I agree that Elle herself isn't well-off -- she probably has nothing in the bank. I know there's been back and forth about her mother's wealth, but I will say that Elle certainly had a very, very comfortable childhood. Private schools, multiple global internships, trips to Tahiti as a teenager, etc. She certainly had an exceptional childhood compared to the average Canadian child. Bear in mind, incomes are lower in Canada than the US and people do generally have less disposable income because of the higher cost of living and taxes.

Canada and USA are different in terms of disposable income. A lot of American students (especially law and medicine) have huge graduate debts (up to $500,000 in some cases; $100,000 to $200,000 is the norm even for undergrads) but it's not the same for Canada. A lot of Canadian students have no debt when they graduate, or very little - and after 10 years you can apply for loan forgiveness. Canada also has universal health care. Yes, things are more expensive in Canada especially for luxuries and housing is expensive in Vancouver - but they are even more so in many coastal cities in the USA. Many Americans have enormous education debts that unless you went to engineering, medicine or Big Law, you'd have no way of paying it off. If you majored in say humanities and didn't go to law school you were cooped. Say if you went to study art in NYU or something - good luck to ya.

I'd dare say the average Canadian child has it better than the American kid. I've lived in USA and Canada - the average Canadian kid didn't grow up with as much as Elle but a lot of them did go skating every weekend ($2 for a whole day at the local indoor rink), skiing a few times a year, and swimming camps in the summer. When I went to school in the USA, I was shocked that most of my classmates couldn't swim that well, never been skating or skiing.

I doubt the average American child has had private schools, all their education paid off by their parents, multiple international trips, multiple trips to Hawaii per year. I don't care if you say well EU school fees are cheaper for EU passport holders. Living in the UK + school feels = this is minimum $30,000-$40,000 per year if you translate pounds to dollars. Elle graduated with no debt so her mother paid off everything. Elle grew up with a lot compared to most kids in Canada or the USA. She had closet full of Lululemons in high school and also cupboard of high end perfumes.

Ginette provided Elle with A LOT, far and beyond what most parents do. To say that Elle was not rich because she didn't buy Chanel bags until she lived with Chris is not realistic because the majority of parents wouldn't buy Chanel for teenagers even if they had the money.

 

[thecatlass]

Prior to Brexit, EU students enjoyed the same tuition fees rates at UK universities as their British classmates. When Smelle was in England, it was around £3,500 per year (Smelle's course was a 3-year long undergraduate one). However, I don't know if the fact Smelle had no European residency, just a Belgian passport, would have not prevented her from benefiting from the lower rate. She may have well had to pay international rates which were around £15,000 per year. I know this is still less than what Americans have to pay for their colleges but I just wanted to make that clear.

Canada and USA are different in terms of disposable income. A lot of American students (especially law and medicine) have huge graduate debts (up to $500,000 in some cases; $100,000 to $200,000 is the norm even for undergrads) but it's not the same for Canada. A lot of Canadian students have no debt when they graduate, or very little - and after 10 years you can apply for loan forgiveness. Canada also has universal health care. Yes, things are more expensive in Canada especially for luxuries and housing is expensive in Vancouver - but they are even more so in many coastal cities in the USA. Many Americans have enormous education debts that unless you went to engineering, medicine or Big Law, you'd have no way of paying it off. If you majored in say humanities and didn't go to law school you were cooped. Say if you went to study art in NYU or something - good luck to ya.

I'd dare say the average Canadian child has it better than the American kid. I've lived in USA and Canada - the average Canadian kid didn't grow up with as much as Elle but a lot of them did go skating every weekend ($2 for a whole day at the local indoor rink), skiing a few times a year, and swimming camps in the summer. When I went to school in the USA, I was shocked that most of my classmates couldn't swim that well, never been skating or skiing.

I doubt the average American child has had private schools, all their education paid off by their parents, multiple international trips, multiple trips to Hawaii per year. I don't care if you say well EU school fees are cheaper for EU passport holders. Living in the UK + school feels = this is minimum $30,000-$40,000 per year if you translate pounds to dollars. Elle graduated with no debt so her mother paid off everything. Elle grew up with a lot compared to most kids in Canada or the USA. She had closet full of Lululemons in high school and also cupboard of high end perfumes.

Ginette provided Elle with A LOT, far and beyond what most parents do. To say that Elle was not rich because she didn't buy Chanel bags until she lived with Chris is not realistic because the majority of parents wouldn't buy Chanel for teenagers even if they had the money.

Her mother didn't have that Hawaii condo until Smelle was an adult so I don't think she spent her summers in Hawaii.

No one's disputing that while she didn't grow in a billionaire's household, her upbringing was more 'exclusive' than that of an average person - a private school, a big house, her mother's undivided attention, an overload of clothes, jewellery, accessories - they weren't designer and looked cheap, but from a young age she was into excessive shopping (i remember a vlog where she filmed her closet and it was filled to the brim with stuff).
But having a comfortable upbringing is one thing, and then growing up and pretending to live like a queen is another Maybe she doesn't have debt, but it's pretty obvious she also has no investments and no idea about savings if she spends every dime on crap.