stripes R IN

Mardi 12 mars Stripes R IN

When Janice wrote me,
"STRIPES are it for Spring",
I thought Oh tosh...

When aren't stripes all over Paris?

You can't miss the black and white stripes at Sephora cosmetics.

Their iconic little striped bags are spotted all over town...

But Zara told me Janice was right...

The shop windows were singing out stripes

Le Bon Marche says wear stripes in Palm Beach (or 'Pam Bitch' as French Girl kept repeating over and over).

Vertical stripped pants at least give one a thinner illusion..

As does a single stripe down the center of this dress..

Unlike this horizontally stripped mini coat (short coats are IN so you get double points with this one).

Kids can wear stripes going any which way lucky duckies.

The same goes for your striped cat, who would be very IN right now in Paris. Do send him or her a toute de suite.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Impressionism and Fashion

Wednesday January 9, 2013

Time to rush see the musee d'Orsay's Impressionism and Fashion before it closes January 20th. It is coming to the New York Met in the Spring but these shows are never the same in my opinion.

Stripes were big back then pre-Sonia days in the 1800s. Who knew? I brought along a sketch pad in case I couldn't take pictures but...

And polkadots! Loved this purple dotty and striped number worn by Prosperie de Fleury in 1881

Loads of daguerretypes on display to document the trends of the time...

Bows, bows, bows! I saw a wrist bow bracelet on one of the sales going on today. Bows are forever in France.

And perfume of course. Always perfume.

Black was big I suppose thanks to Queen Victoria, as in this opera spectator by mary Cassatt.

The almighty parapluie/umbrella makes a fashion statement in this Caillebotte painting set in an Hausmannian street. G. says the French will open an umbrella whether it's raining or not. They do look swell...

And make such wonderful silhohuettes...

The darling Dog of the Day in a familial setting with Vichy checks in the background.

What better accompaniment to eat after the d'Orsay exhibit than a frou frou marron eclair from patisserie Gosselin just at the corner of rue de Belle Chasse...

Did you miss out buying your ticket at the news kiosk on the corner? And instead wait and wait on line to get into the d'Orsay? I hope not. *Hold onto your ticket stubs by the way and gain free entry to the extraordinary Gustave Moreau musee in the 9th + the Opera Garnier tour.

Oh and don't forget your brollies!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Stripe Training 2

 Stripe training begins at infancy for the French.

 Stripes in the bassinet are de rigueur. What is a bassinet anyway?

 Striped onesie with the touch of the marinere.

 Moving right along to striped accessories - hat + socks.

 Matching your parents more or less head-to-toe is a continuation of essential French training.

 Petit Bateau is happy to provide matchups for both mother and daughter.

 Till one's daughter can figure it out on her own.

 With a striped onesie of another sort.

 Plus matching striped sac/bag.

 Once married the French girl is happy to match her man stripe-wise.

 They will both swim only at pools (Pontoise) heavily striped

 And walk on zebra crossings together...

 Even if their stripes are hidden, lining their shoes furtively.

 Pierre Herme and Jean-Paul Hevin fill a much needed void providing two-color macarons/Une coque bicolore for the stripe-obsessed.

The resident striped Le Select cat on the counter makes it an A OK place to grab an apero if you're into stripes in a big way or French.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The French Scarf

 Does your average French person leave the house without wearing a scarf?

 I doubt it.

 How-to-tie your scarf is demonstrated everywhere you look.

 Scarves are non-gender, non-seasonal accessories.

 Do French infants wear a scarf in their cribs? I have to do further research...

 The stripe scarf is a French classic. You can not go wrong wearing a stripe scarf.

 Four variations on tieing your scarf.

 Here's a scarf that grew into a coat...

 Your classic cardigan can double as a scarf in France. Pas de problem.

 Tintin gets away with it...

 Even some French parfums don a scarf...

 Scarf around a baguette? Bien sur.

 The classic Saint Honore wears a kind of chantilly scarf non?

 A traditional Fr couple - La femme is scarved. Monsieur appears to be scarf-free.

Bear does NOT wear a scarf. Does this make him less French? Should he get one ASAP? What do you think?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad