the women who started it all
hey guys, how’s your day going? we’re in full swing chez nous. tomorrow we’re heading out to the maison objet for opening day. our client has arrived and will be shopping for her store so it will be fun with miles and miles of eye candy. i got a press pass so i’ll take lots of pics and hope to share them, at least a little each day. till then i’m trying to keep up with packing and before these goodies got bubbled and boxed i thought you’d enjoy a sneak peek of some of the stuff for the OKL sale coming up in november. claudia’s finds are a great addition and made me see think about the women who really started the trends we still follow today! anyway it’s back to le bubble! have a great nuit!
the woman behind the girl
good morning guys! it’s a chilly, dreary morning in paris but what else is new? we’re up early for a market held every day called marche d’aligre. it’s been packing and shipping central around here and before everything is en route to the us i thought you’d enjoy one small unappreciated box out of a million that were tossed into piles at lille.
i got this paper filled, obviously long forgotten collection of clippings, patterns, catalogs and dreams at the last minute when we were packed like sherpas and all i wanted was a catalog from au bon marche. the guy gave me a good deal on it and i had to say yes, both because it was embroidery stuff (i inherited an appreciation for it since my mom and gram were always hand making the most beautiful things). the second is that i knew i could send bits of it to you.
when i was in lille i guess i was imagining the 20s or 30s glamour gal to be living in paris, the talk of the town, but this box make me think about an era i rarely do, the turn of the century. i think this humble but grand dame lived in lille and was the woman behind the woman i conjured up.
the box has been untouched for almost a humdred years. the papers are from 1908-1914 and it is a tiny window into her life, one not so different from ours but maybe light years away from her own daughter’s. she saved catalogs and made patterns, wanted to create heirlooms and make a happy home.
planned dinners and bookmarked pages of things she hoped to have one day.
she was concerned about her apprearance
and may have even had extensions!
she worked hard to make beautiful things for her family to inherit, her daughter probably thought she was old fashioned.
but she wanted to feel pretty, even sexy maybe in her corset and garters
when she traveled it was in style with everything in its place
lotions and creams (sorry for the bad pics, it was so dark in here last night)!
amazing how generation to generation things can change so much.
she still had questions
and life was centered around creating a well decorated home with all the trimmings.
well my guests have arrived and we’re off to the market. i hope you have a fabulous day!
marie antoinette is alive and well
i’m stopping by for a quick allo as i have guests arriving in about a minute. just wanted to share some of the love the city still has for our girl marie and admire how her legacy lives on. she may be the most influential fashion icon of all time cause she’s still reigning how many years later? and to think there were no photos of her at all. so much for technology…well, bonne nuit from paris!
some things never get old
bonsoir mes amis, ça va? i hope you’re enjoying an evening of doing wHatEveR you want! it was a long day at the dmv and the last thing i thought about doing tonight was, well, anything! of course you can’t even look sideways at the computer without falling in, but like pandora’s box, i lifted the lid and took a wild ride. it’s dark now so it must have been a while but it was worth it cause i got a bit of soul food from a fascinating look into french fashion and furnishings, past and present. these shots are from a show that’s happening now through october called vogue at versailles. even if you don’t speak french, the videos are worth watching if you love decadent design and decor. i translated the page into english with the the google translator toolbar. google it if you don’t know about it, it’s priceless.
aNyWaY, what sucked me in is how what’s old is new again, specifically design from 1700s en france. it’s a time that’s kept me fascinated for decades (you too, bien sur), and i’m stoked there are designers who are as into it as we are! the exhibit has vintage, antique and new pieces from Chanel, Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, Olivier Theyskens pour Rochas, Martin Margiela, Azzedine Alaïa, Alexander McQueen pour Givenchy, Yohji Yamamoto, Thierry Mugler, Karl Lagerfeld and Vivienne Westwood as well as the forgotten ghostly designers who started it all waaaaayyyyy back when with just a needle, thread and a dream.
chanel
balenciaga
christian lacroix
original french fashion
en.chateauversailles.fr/news-/events/expositions/le-xviiie-au-gout-du-jour-en
even though it’s one or two pages on the website, they’re so full of ideas and images that it’s completely absorbing. at one point one of the videos talks about how decor influenced the fashions like this:
boiserie (wood paneling) translated to lacey embroidery
gold mirrors and gilding go from the wall to buttons, details and trims
not a great shot but the brilliant color of the brocade sofa is a stunning pour une robe
and what goes on behind the scenes is just as intriguing as the event!
if you’re going to be in paris i hope you get a chance to go, but if not, you can still have some fun with this as they’re holding a design contest for laymen who love the era. take a look below to enter and let me know if you do! (there’s a fun panel of judges including the cherry blossom girl and her friend miss pandora).
concoursdestyle.chateauversailles.fr/English
alors, c’est tout pour moi c’est soir. buona notte & hasta mañana !
every girls’ dilema
hi dear friends! it’s a lovely night and i decided to free flow in keeping with the fun and lightness of my rediscovered passion for blogging. i love the playful way things come together when you’re just goofing around.
tonite’s roundup posed what are probably unanswerable questions, as old as time.
why do women always say we have nothing to wear? aren’t we constantly shopping? don’t we agonize over ever angle before we say yes to the dress?
is it a human condition or just women…
we have so many pretty things to choose from
they say what you wear is an expression of ourselves. obvious but it’s so easy to run out in sweats.
would it be worth it to clear out a little and curate the closet a bit? i think i may have to do that. keep the best of the best and donate the rest.
well it’s time to pick something so…
looks like tonight’s winner is a nightie! gotta run, sweet dreams!
ps all pics from pinterest.com/parisapartment
beauty now and then
via trouvais.com
bonsoir mes darlings! it’s officially almost friday and i hope you had a great week. liz has been working with me the past few days and it’s made a world of difference. i’ve always done the business stuff myself but lately it’s taking up most of my time and there’s not much of it left for being creative.
via umla.tumblr.com/post/724872237/evies-what-i-love-love-via-my-ear-trumpet
but, then, that’s why pinterest.com was invented! it’s the fast track to shed the serious and step into the infinite world of gorgeous images collected from all over the web. i’ve mentioned it a few hundred times, but it’s truly my go to place when i just want to reboot my mind and am hungry for beauty and soul food. i have a few boards, you can see them here: pinterest.com/parisapartment. sorry, the link thing isn’t working on my laptop tonite for some reason and i’m too tired to fight with it.
via everythingstyle.com
so these are just a smattering of pretty pics that flashed by today.
via etsy.com/listing/53297706/glorious-wardrobe-4-x-6
via suchprettythings.typepad.com/my_weblog
via vogue-blog.com/?p=599
i couldn’t resist this last one cause everything we’re fascinated with seems to start with these gals: the flappers, grandmas and old school marie antoinette lovers who were beyond over the top, they were legends, icons and trendsetters in fashion, dance and decor. long forgotten but they wore these pretty dresses accented with feathers and fans, they imported antique beds and weren’t afraid to stand up for what they believed in whether it was to flash an ankle or fight to vote.
well that’s it for tonite. it’s after midnight and this turned into a seinfeld post! bonne nuit chere cheries!
liz daniels style debut
hey guys, happy thursday. i hope your week is going well. i’m back on the east coast till thanksgiving, and loving that there are no airports in the immediate future. i hope to use this time to accomplish some things, including tackling an annoying 5 lbs, finishing the keys to the fleas book and listing new pieces on my site. there are other things too but that would suffice. i figure the only way it will get done is if i tell you!
in the meantime, (like today)! i’m helping liz navigate ebay so she can start selling some of her designer clothes as well as home goods. you may recall she’s usually behind the scenes as a fabulous ny stylist and now she’s breaking out to put pieces together and lighten her load. check out her chanel, bill blass, vera wang and other items here on ebay. if you get a chance, take a look. she’s brand new to ebay so there’s no rating or even profile but you gotta start somewhere!
so for taking the pics and listing the goodies, liz made me dinner. thanks girl, i wish you the best of luck with this cause you’ve got great taste and a spectacular collection!
she claimed a color
hey guys i just googled ‘schiaparelli pink’ looking for her exact color and this image came up. it made me think of you so i’m just stopping by right quick!
i hope your night is just getting started has a lot of what you love in it!
from the cockpit
hi everybody! i have to apologize for popping in and out these days…i’ve been crazy busy and to top it off am assisting liz on a shoot to dress 50 people. we’ve been starting at the crack of dawn and going till the wee hours. i didn’t quite know what i was getting into and have one more day of servitude tomorrow. i wish i could show some of the things we got but it’s hush hush. let’s just say it’s some of the prettiest clothes and accessories. there’s a sort of french rivera vibe but i can’t give too much away cause she’s doing her thing ;p but i’ll keep you posted when it’s out. in the meantime she’s pretending to boss me around (of course i let her cause when i need her she’s johnny on the spot). and when we’re not drinking cafe au lait, and scheping to and from the car, we’re imitating each other’s boyfriend and trying to out-stripe each other. she did find me this little jacket and we’re having a ball as usual. still, i’m exhausted so again, it’s short and sweet… and now to veg out for awhile with the housewives, hooray! stay toasty!
she’s a cover girl
hi guys, hope you’re having a good week and not stressing out too much this year.yeah, right.
let’s face it, we’re all on overdrive. hopefully you’re taking some time for yourself. since you’re here, i guess that’s what’s up!
i’m getting ready to head north again so have been making hay while the sun shines here in florida.
in the midst of all the craziness i just had to post today since it’s
au current for one day and one day only… women’s wear daily, that is. our helena chair made the cover! i know it’s all about the fashion, but hey, every gal needs a prop! by this time tomorrow we’ll be old news and the link won’t work, but tonight, she’s a star! (and the dress isn’t bad either).
in other news, i had so much fun with the last giveaway, i decided to do the same with this wonderful book that was sent to me for review. it’s absolutely beautiful and filled with tales of a family who realized they have a very distinctive style and a real knack for decorating and renovation.
they take us on several locations and track their progress with gorgeous photos and tales of their ups and downs.
it’s written by robert and courtney novogratz and published by rizzoli. don’t get mad about the pics, pubs!
here’s the link on amazon, downtown chic, from wreck to ravishing.
my favorite kind of parking lot!
anyway it’s jammed with great stuff so if you’re interested, leave a comment and i’ll send it out to a winner tomorrow!
have a wonderful and cozy night!
