Autumn is still in full swing and a true feast for the eyes. Overall, it has been a fun fall season as I got to go to London first and then twice to Paris, which was such a wonderful treat. The first trip to Paris was with DS's girlfriend (who lives in London), and the second was a couple of weeks later with my friend Jerrine (well-known to all swans) from the States.
MaiTai's Picture Book
Life in the South of France. Scarf Art app at the Apple App Store and on Google Play. Bag inserts at maitaicollection.com
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Postcard from Paris
Between the two visits, we had breakfast at Cafe Flore and Pierre Hermé, went to the Dior Museum, visited Hermes and Chanel, walked everywhere, did a little shopping, had drinks at the Costes, Ralph's, and l'Hôtel and coffee breaks in little cafés, and went for dinner to la Société and the Armani restaurant in St Germain.
The Galerie Dior has been absolutely fabulous and is well worth the visit. It covers Christian Dior's family history, early childhood, entire career, his creations, and those of his successors.
DS's girlfriend and I had so much fun together, and I hope we can repeat the trip one day soon.
L'Hôtel
We stayed in Saint Germain, so inevitably, you walk past the Eglise St-Germain-de-Prés at least a couple of times a day. I never miss going inside at least once, as I love looking up to the ceiling where gold stars are painted on a deep blue background. The other paintwork is absolutely beautiful, too; it is such a colourful and joyous place to be. You would never guess this from the rather stark and plain outside of the church.
The ceiling also reminds me of my La Reale scarf.
My favourite Hermes store in Paris is the Rue de Sèvres. Seeing the latest Petit H creations is always fun and inspiring, and most of them can't be found elsewhere or on the H website. The Sèvres store also has the most extensive home wear line selection, a lovely café (where we had lunch), and is wonderfully spacious, so nothing feels cramped. To my absolute delight, I discovered that Hermes has embraced embroidery, which has been applied to throws, scarves, shawls, and even bracelets.
A Petit H photo album; what a great idea to repurpose a scarf!
It is so lovely that some of the bags are not behind glass but sitting on shelves throughout the store.
Exquisite bead embroidery on Silk Twill
I've been looking for a Mini Evelyne for a while, but on my first trip, the only one available was in gold toile. Two weeks later, I was spoilt for choice and decided on a Rouge H with Palladium hardware.
Another brilliant idea for scarf recycling
Jerrine arrived from the States on Election Day. The next day, we went to the beach for lunch and then headed to Paris the day after.
Fun at Chanel's Rue Cambon store
The staircase leading up to Coco Chanel's apartment.
This "flap phone holder with chain" is another little gem that came back home with me. It's such a practical little bag. I wear it crossbody or under a coat in a city to be safe from pickpocketers. Back home, it is often all I need to go out ... with the the phone, there is no more need to carry car keys or a wallet.
The Samaritaine's festively decked halls
Handbag and macaron-shaped Christmas ornaments
A nightcap at Ralph's
Have a wonderful remaining autumn, and a very happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. xxx
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Postcard from London
Earlier this month, I went to London for a couple of days. As so often, I stayed in my favourite place, the Number Sixteen Hotel in South Kensington. Each time, the room is a surprise, as they are all different and get refurbished regularly. This one was particularly bright and happy, and I loved the fabric-lined walls in warm yellow and the bold pink headboard.
Travelling outfit ... sleeveless blazer with a black v-neck jumper, jeans, ankle boots and my Ex Libris en Kimonos 90 carré in a reverse basic bias fold
Such beautiful details:
I met with DS for a late lunch at Daphne's
and we had a wonderful time catching up (dress by La Double J; I wore it with skinny black jeans and ankle boots).
The next day, I headed to Decorex, ready to explore it with my friend Melissa White. I had never visited this show before, and I'm so glad Melissa told me about it.
The first stop was an embroidery workshop held by Fromental.
We were given a beautifully printed linen napkin that we then embellished with a variety of stitches.
I chose French Knots to decorate the pomegranates,
a chain stitch for the bird's tail and French knots for the upper part of the wing
It was so much fun exploring the show with Melissa and seeing the works, crafts and materials through an artist's lens. She also knows a lot of people at Decorex, friends and work-related alike, and it has been wonderful to meet and connect.
This is Claire Coles in front of her latest work, a couture wallpaper with appliqué and painted flowers on a gold leaf background. Recently, she did a similar commission for the Diptyque showroom in London, where she created a spectacular ceiling for the main entrance (you can read more here).
There were also several fabric makers, and I loved browsing this pretty pattern book.
Melissa enjoys fabric sourcing as much as I do!
The next day, I strolled down the Kings Road and saw the exact same plates as above at Anthropology. What are the chances?
I also loved this fabric ...
And it goes with my dress!
London shop displays don't end at the windows ... I love how they sometimes spill out onto the pavements, making the sidewalks so pretty and interesting.
Number Sixteen
Back home, autumn is in the air but takes turns with Indian summer days. My hydrangea went from pale pink to bright green in late summer and has now turned scarlet red.
This was two months ago and a perfect summary of our summer.
My lunch bowls have also taken a seasonal turn towards autumn. I made this one with red beans, chickpeas, smoked tofu, beetroot, onions, olive oil, and pumpkin seeds.
Have a wonderful remaining autumn and Indian Summer, everyone xxx
PS. Some readers told me they hadn't received an email for the previous update (Christmas workshop). If this has been the case for you, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks so much!
Links in alphabetical order to the people, brands, products and places mentioned above (as usual, there is no affiliation, sponsorship or paid advertising ... I'm just sharing what I encounter, love and enjoy)
Anthropology Geo plate
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