#27 Getting to know Dawnie Perry
On vlogging, cooking up a storm, and the weather in Paris
Welcome to Objectively #27! This week I’m experimenting with a new sub-series Getting to know, which can also be read as short for “Getting to know my ‘following list’”, aka inquiring into the why’s and how’s of people I find interesting and inspiring. This can’t happen without touching on the objects they choose to surround themselves with, as they consciously - or subconsciously - consume them to put their lives together.
First of the series is Dawnie Perry. I’d found her vlog channel by chance and watched every next one. They felt cathartic, visceral, and varied, in a way that weren’t so much for others as they were for herself. It’s been seven years since then, and I still remember her talking through how she does her soy-soaked hard boiled eggs.
Over time, I have gathered bits and pieces of her life — cooking in Parisian cafés, immersing herself in the music scene, and how she enjoys styling herself and really, her life. She was a natural choice when it came to thinking about kickstarting the series, as I wanted to learn more about her life beyond the surface.
Here she shares the secret sauce behind her style inspo, why food is so important to her, where she’ll bring you if you visited Paris, and more…
“My name is Dawnie Perry. My full name is Clara Dawn Perry (she/her). I am 25 years young. I was born in Vietnam and adopted at 6 months old. I grew up in Southern California. I moved to Paris in 2015 when I was 17.
I am currently cooking up a storm and building a family with my partner Clement. I like to practice yoga, do pilates, play tennis, rock climb, ride my bike, play the drums, and especially share meals with loved ones.”
If there’s one recent memorable experience you can share, what is it?
We are in the midst of some major “June Gloom” here in Paris. The weather is just as confused about its mood as I am about how old I am. This past Sunday, my best friend and I decided to allow ourselves a leisure day after a hard week of work. We strolled under the sun’s rays and after two hours, ended up in the Buttes-Chaumont park, plopping down onto the grass and settling in for a 40 minute nap.
As our telephone alarm rang, both of us peeled ourselves off the grass, sticky and delirious. The air was heavy but then the wind started to pick up. Finally! A breeze to wake us up. The clouds started to roll in and suddenly we heard the whistle of the park ranger. They were closing the park urgently because a storm was rolling in. We rushed out, finding the nearest exit.
Five minutes later we found ourselves drenched, looking for cover. But the cool, relieving rain felt so good on our sticky skin. It washed away the nap-induced lethargy. I kind of like summer rain. It allows us to break through the heaviness of summer. The plants are happy and so am I.
In terms of getting dressed, what have you been reaching for lately?
Oh gosh. I’d love to have some romantic response but to be frank, I reach for my white tank top, a loose button up top, baggy shorts (never will I relive my 501, butt cheek, Coachella shorts era) and my Onitsuka Tigers or any clog, loafer or garden shoe in sight. If I’m dressing up, I like to reach for a button-up vest and linen pants or a mid-length skirt with cowboy boots.
What would you say inspire or inform your style?
I can proudly say that I have always had an edge to my style. I definitely jumped on trends, but I never wanted to look like the person next to me. I thrifted a lot as a kid. My mom would take me to Goodwill and I remember having a big admiration for large 80’s shoulder pads and high-waisted pants.
I’m not going to lie, my boyfriends have always influenced me in my style. My ex-boyfriend was in a punk band and soon after we had our own band. So naturally, I started to wear chains on my pants, got a wolf cut mullet and wore docs or cowboy boots with any outfit.
My partner now is a skater and very outdoorsy, I’ve adopted this nonchalant style and mixed it with the punk side. I should mention that I had a big feminine, “Parisian/French” phase - high-waisted jeans, little kitten heels, basket bag. I soon realised that was not me at all.
I live for your IG dumps and vlogs. What do you think has led you to express yourself the way you do?
I lowkey love social media. From Myspace, Blogspot, Tumblr, Vine, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube… I had pretty much all of them. Never have I had TikTok though… and I’m not planning on it.
When I was younger, I would write songs about my crushes and record me singing in front of the flower bed in our garden on the camcorder that my parents gifted me for my 8th birthday. My Tumblr was so moody, I definitely dreamt of being one of those iconic indie kid. I have always had a need to express myself with song, dance, performance, photos, etc.
My vlogs were very performative in the beginning, I followed so many norms and trends. In high school I was class president and cheer captain and host of our school’s news channel. I loved being upfront and center. When I moved to France, I learned the art of being discreet. Not to say that I am discreet! But French people really know how to express themselves without having to be loud, unlike Americans. I realised I hated talking in front of the camera or at least film myself talking about my life. I preferred to show it.
My videos became more and more subtle. I started to compose my own soundtracks for them, creating a very moody and nostalgic undertone for my little clips of my life that I would compose into a 5 minute video. Same for my Instagram dumps. I could compose them into something much more artistically directed, but that takes away from the realness of what goes on.
I remember your vlogs feeling cathartic and refreshingly varied, they felt like a “creative outlet” in its essence. I’m curious about what you think looking back on the days you were actively vlogging, what do you think it did for you?
My vlogs acted like diary entries for me. With music and images, I got to express exactly how I was feeling at the time. At first, it was meant to be a creative and artistic outlet but then I realised it was purely emotional.
Food is another of your outlets. What do you enjoy about making food, and what’s one thing you’ve learnt about yourself through it?
I am kind of a control freak so cooking definitely allows me to channel that part of me. I control the saltiness, the acidity, the fat, the texture. I find it quite fun to use leftovers or ingredients that just lie around to make something delicious.
I’ve learned that not only cooking in my safe space, but being at the table and eating, is the only way to calm me down. Friends, family, my partner know exactly how to soothe my mood swings and that’s by feeding me. They often say that it brings them joy to see how happy it makes me to eat. Cooking, eating and sharing meals is most definitely my love language.
Having been in Paris for quite a while now, what are some places you’ll bring friends new to the city to?
Guo Xin is my favorite restaurant in Paris. No, it is not French food. It’s a hole in the wall, Chinese dumpling spot that I’ve been going to for years. I love Bob’s Bakeshop, an authentic American-style diner owned by a New York transplant. Bob’s is my happy place. Dreamin’ Man for coffee and pastries. Japanese owned coffee shop. Café Comets for coffee and lunch. A-One Paris, a new record shop that opened recently. It’s the annex of A-One Record Shop in New York. Massawa for a hearty Ethiopian feast. Café du Coin is the best French bistro for lunch. Le Grain Bain for dinner. Sürpriz for a sloppy Berliner kebab or wrap.
Something new you want to explore in your life?
It’s a bit silly. But something new I’d like to explore in my life is motherhood and creating a family with my partner. I can’t wait. I would also love to experience being a business/restaurant owner!
A wild card, in Objectively fashion: Imagine you could be any object, what would you want to be?
If I were to be an object, I’d be a notebook. I would be able to hold onto intimate secrets, memories and knowledge forever.
And before you go, who’s another creator that you enjoy? If given the chance, what’s one question you’ll ask them?
I have always admired Rachel Nguyen and Christine Nguyen (not sisters). They both have strong presence online but are discreet. They have non-mainstream ways of putting out content that I really enjoy.
“What does it mean to you to be Asian-American?”
Follow Dawnie on @dawnieperry and catch up on her vlogs!
This was fun! As you can see, Objectively is a whole passion project and #WIP, where I get to follow my curiosities and try new things. I would love to know what you think of me trying out different formats?
Do you have a favourite between 3 Things, Object Talks, and now Getting to know?
Who else would you like to hear from?
Tell me anything (really!) in the comments.