The last days of Autumn

 

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Before getting into the post ...

If you bought a MaiTai bag insert in the past and you love your purchase, I would appreciate it so much if you could take a moment to rate it. It does not have to be long; a sentence or two would already be wonderful. If you fill out this form, I will send you a review request for the purchase you made. 

The customer feedback section on my site is relatively new, and getting reviews is painfully slow, as typically only a tiny percentage of customers leave them. This is hardly surprising, given the sheer number of requests we all get inundated with these days. I'd therefor appreciate your support all the more. Thank you so much in advance!

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From the beginning of autumn, we love going back to our favourite beach club. Once the summer heat has softened into a mild été indien and most visitors have gone, the atmosphere becomes calm and relaxed. The beach is tranquil and nearly empty, except for a few locals playing with their children or dogs, or going for walk.

I usually take my Goyard Saint Louis PM or Dior Book Tote to carry the boys' paraphernalia. The Goyard is extremely light-weight and relaxed, whereas the Book Tote is more structured and a little dressier. Both are perfect for the beach! 

These fabulous loafers are from a small French brand called Nomasei (no affiliation/ collaboration/paid advertisement). They are wonderfully comfortable and work with both gold and silver jewelry (the hardware is a pale gold color, even though in the picture it looks more like silver). You can see a more accurate picture here  (I just saw they are now on sale)

Someone appears to be interested in baguette crumbs ...

Cêpe omelette

Firefighter pilots practice scooping up and dumping down drills over the Mediterranean Sea, it was quite a show!

With the Dior Book Tote ...

...  and keeping it pristine and perfectly protected with a MaiTai Collection Dior Book Tote insert:

You can find the MaiTai Collection Goyard Saint Louis PM inserts here

The mild autumn temperatures and nature's breathtaking color spectacles make our daily walks an absolute delight!

The little farm building in the photo below is called a mazet. In the old days, farmers used it to escape the afternoon heat for a nap, store their tools, or take shelter during storms. Today, most of them stand empty and abandoned. They’re almost always set in the middle of fields, and whenever I walk past one, I fantasise about transforming it into a summer kitchen surrounded by a vegetable garden, or an artist’s studio or writer’s den with a few olive trees dotted around. One day, perhaps?

It isn’t hard to read Wiener’s mind… ‘If I can’t get to your lap right now, there will be consequences!’”

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A COUPLE MORE UPDATES TO MY SITE

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Sunbathing is one of the boys' favorite activity, they take it very seriously. Soon the house will be transformed for the festive season; I can't wait to start the decorations and am counting the days to December 1st! 

Have a wonderful and happy time preparing for the holidays xxx

Dior Book Tote bag insert by MaiTai Collection

Goyard St Louis bag insert by MaiTai Collection

Nomasei Nono Loafers

Scarf by Inoui

Custom insert for Hermes bags by MaiTai Collection

Color consultation service

Fabric sample service

November recap

November has been beautiful and sunny for the most part, which was just as well as "Swan-in-Chief" Jerrine came for a visit! We had lunch at the beach, and it felt like summer ... while sipping chilled Rosé, we fed little sparrows with baguette crumbs and watched sailboats bumbling along the blue Mediterranean Sea.

Wiener and Roley came with us too, of course, and spent a considerable amount of time under the table devouring their bones. Then onto the lap for a little snooze! In case anyone wonders where Roley is ... he is happily nestling with his Dad.

Picture credit: Jerrine

Picture credit: Jerrine

The beach lunch was followed by a couple of fun days in Paris. While walking around the hotel's neighbourhood, we stumbled upon this adorable little boutique specializing in peppers and pepper mixtures from all around the world.

It's located in one of the prettiest squares in Saint-Germain, right around the corner from the Manuel Canovas showroom, where I often go to source fabrics for my bag insert collection. 

Because of the long pause in blogging, I almost forgot to show you the finalized chairs for the showroom entrance. You might remember the poll we had about which fabric to choose (here)? While I tended towards pink in the end, I changed direction after coming across the fabulous Hedgerow fabric by Andrew Martin for KitKemp, painted by Melissa White.  The fabric's large vignettes show dragons, dogs, leopards and unicorns under giant fruit trees laden with plums, berries and grapes. It was love at first sight, and I thought it would be perfect with the forest backdrop on the walls and carved foxes and oak leaves of the console table. The fabric comes in a pretty pink (Cerise) and warm yellow (Quince). I couldn't decide between them, so I went with both!

The chairs themselves are buttoned Hugo Carvers (with a customized height) by the Dining Chair Company in London. Their showroom is located in Pimlico, and when I was in London last spring, we finalized the placement of the fabric. I decided on the leopard for the back, the dog for the sides and the unicorn for the seat. It all worked out perfectly, and I could not be happier with the result. 

Work in progress (pictures by the Dining Chair Company):

Console table detail

Mix and match: Quince and Cerise

The "Tall Trees" wallpaper behind Amélie, the mannequin, is by the same artist as the Hedgerow fabric above, Melissa White. The Ozone scarf is tied in a variation of the Origami, where the first end is tied around the second, secured with a small double knot.

More scarf knots! I shared them on Instagram a couple of months ago, but don't think I posted them here yet.

1st row from left to right: Asymmetrical Wrap,  a variation of the Ondulation (both ends are the same length and brought through a round ring) and the Chemisier

2nd row: Ondulation (with both ends pulled through a round scarf ring, one end shorter), Croisée and Petit Bib

3rd row: Cascade, Ascot and Gavroche Flower knot

Scarf: Inside Out by Kit Kemp

Towards the end of the month, the fields and trees finally exploded in autumn colours and shades of gold, yellow, red and orange (can anyone spot the dogs in this pic?), 

 A perfect autumn meal ...  oven-roasted golden carrots and sweet potatoes, filled aubergines and a sprinkling of parsley and cherry tomatoes. 

Lunch the next day consisted of leftovers, fried up with some pasta from the day before. I love cooking with leftovers, not only because the flavors have intensified over night, but also because they lend themself to surprise dishes that sometimes even become new staples. 

Bowl: Mythical Creatures by Kit Kemp for Wedgwood

A new, sky blue appliqué flower combining paint with embroidery. Wish I had more time to indulge in this!

Soon I'll be saying goodbye to my wonderful Tesla Model S, which I've had since 2017. It is the best car I've ever driven, powered almost entirely by solar. A new one is on its way (I've been monitoring the cargo ship's movement with great excitement for the last two weeks ...  today it finally docked in Zeebrugge, Belgium). More on this soon! 

Wiener and Roley cuddling in their Lord Lou Arthur basket 

The entry of Ralph Lauren's flagship store in Paris, glamorously decked with lush greenery and giant golden baubles. Jerrine and I had a champagne night cap at the Ralph's bar, toasting the end of the trip. A perfect start into the holiday season!

Happy holidays and enjoy a most beautiful festive season!

xx

As always, none of my content is sponsored or paid for by a third party. There are no affiliations, paid advertising or collaborations. Just showing things that I love. 

Beach Club: Palace Plage here

Spice's shop: Compagnie des poivres et des epices here  7 Rue de Furstemberg, 75006 Paris

Dining Chair Company here Hugo Carver here

Hedgerow Fabric by Andrew Martin here

More about Melissa White: here

Ozone scarf by Kit Kemp here

Tall Trees wallpaper by Kit Kemp here

Lord Lou Arthur dog basket: all available Lord Lou items can be purchased with a 15% discount through my site or via email customerservice@maitaicollection.com

Ralphs here

If you are interested in my Tesla Model S, please email me for details maitaicollection@orange.fr

Cannes - part one

The beginning of May is probably my favorite time to go for a trip to Cannes and the Côte d'Azur. The weather is pleasantly warm and rarely too hot, and there are far fewer visitors than later in the summer. Most importantly though, this is when Cannes is at it's best.. the whole town is ready and prepared to host the glamorous Cannes Film Festival which usually starts Mid-May. Everything feels fresh and polished, with gardens and flowers maintained and manicured to perfection. The beaches have been replenished with fresh white sand and it seems that even the leaves of the Croisette's palm trees have been given a glistening coat in anticipation of the glamor and buzz to come. The weather forecast for last week promised sun and blue skies, so the decision to spend my birthday in Cannes was quickly made.

The weather forecast was right, and the Côte d'Azur lived up to it's name by displaying a dazzling array of sparkling blues.

White and yellow stripes... a French Riviera classic

Cannes' main promenade, La Croisette,  is lined with luxurious shops and hotels, and the Carlton is undoubtedly the most iconic of them all. This is where Hitchcock filmed 'To catch a thief' (some spectacular real life jewelry heists took place at the Carlton in recent years too) and where Grace Kelly encountered Prince Rainier III of Monaco during the Film Festival in 1955. The Carlton's beautiful elegant terrace faces the Croisette and the Mediterranean sea, and it is a wonderful place to have breakfast, afternoon coffee or drinks before dinner.

Next to the terrace, a 'Palme d'Or' palm leaf (symbol of the Cannes Film Festival) is held by a golden angel statue. The angel's beautiful feathered wings reminded me very much of Alice Shirley's 'Zebra Pegasus' scarf from the AW2014 collection.

Other favorite places in Cannes include the Gaston and Gastounette fish restaurant in the old part of town (Suquet quarter), and the secluded terrace of the Amiral bar at the Martinez Hotel (perfect for drinks after dinner and the most buzzing place in town after midnight during the festivals). Cannes' many beach clubs are wonderful places for lunch, and you can also rent a sun lounger and parasol for the day. The Zplage, the Miramar Plage and the Carlton Beach Restaurant are all fabulous. The Palais Stéphanie (now JW Marriott) has become a favorite place to stay. Built in 1992 it doesn't ooze art deco glamour, but I love the modern, chic and stylish decor of the rooms, and the location could not be better. The large rooftop terrace has a pool, jacuzzi and sun loungers, with sweeping views over the Bay of Cannes and the surrounding Esterel mountains.

Tunics are amongst my favorite summer wardrobe staples, they are so easy to wear and style. Teaming this beautifully embroidered and beaded sale find from Weills (from a couple of years back) with cool tones and a 'Ceintures et Liens' cashmere shawl in a triangular fold.

Capsule pieces: embroidered/beaded tunic and jeans

Accessories: Hermes 'Ceintures et Liens' cashmere GM, Clic-clac H enamel bracelet in bleu indiens and a Picotin 18 in Bleu Sapphire.

Shoes: Castañer espadrilles wedges in turquoise

Capsule pieces: embroidered/beaded tunic and light ecru trousers

Accessories: Hermes 'Fantaisies Indiennes' Mousseline GM in a basic bias fold and Picotin 22 in Sanguine.

Shoes: Hermes Oran sandals

Monsieur Le Seagull is definitely ready for the Film Festival!









A new favorite place in Cannes will be featured in the next post!

Hotels/Bars:
 Carlton Cannes: 58 Boulevard de la Croisette, Tel: +33 4 9306 4006
www.intercontinental-carlton-cannes.com/
Martinez Hotel and Amiral bar: 73 Boulevard de la Croisette, Tel: +33 4 9390 1234
www.cannesmartinez.grand.hyatt.com
JW Marriott Cannes (Palais Stéphanie): 50 Boulevard de la Croisette,Tel: +33 4 92 99 7000
www.marriott.com/jw-marriott-cannes

Beach clubs and restaurants:
Miramar Plage Beach Restaurant, 64 Boulevard de la Croisette, Tel: +33 4 9394 2474
www.miramar-plage.fr
ZPlage: 73 Boulevard de la Croisette, Tel: +33 4 9298 7319
www.cannesmartinez.grand.hyatt.com/zplage
Carlton Beach Restaurant: 58 Boulevard de la Croisette, Tel: +33 4 9306 4006
www.intercontinental-carlton-cannes.com/

Fish restaurant:
Gaston et Gastonette, 6-7 Quai Saint-Pierre, 06400 Cannes, Tel: +33 4 9339 4944.
www.gaston-gastounette.fr


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