A Paris le ciel était bleu......
In Paris, the sky was blue when I arrived last Wednesday.
What a lovely surprise
and it was so warm
I took the bus from Roissy airport which stops next to the Opéra Garnier
the bus driver brought a big smile on my face as he greeted me with a loud:
"Bonjour mademoiselle!"
which I took as a great compliment
considering the lack of sleep of the night preceding my trip
and......well, yes...my age
I had a little sigh whenI passed by the Opéra
When was the last time I attended a performance there?
too long....
My cousin Tovo...lucky boy
works there as a pianiste répétiteur for the corps de ballet
which means that when the ballet dancers go on a tour,
he also travels with them
Seriously, isn't that a cool job ?
What a lovely surprise
and it was so warm
I took the bus from Roissy airport which stops next to the Opéra Garnier
the bus driver brought a big smile on my face as he greeted me with a loud:
"Bonjour mademoiselle!"
which I took as a great compliment
considering the lack of sleep of the night preceding my trip
and......well, yes...my age
I had a little sigh whenI passed by the Opéra
When was the last time I attended a performance there?
too long....
My cousin Tovo...lucky boy
works there as a pianiste répétiteur for the corps de ballet
which means that when the ballet dancers go on a tour,
he also travels with them
Seriously, isn't that a cool job ?
By the time I arrived, I was literally starving and I didn't have
my cousin's mobile phone to invite myself for lunch
so I thought Lafayette Gourmet at the back of the Opéra
would be a sound strategic choice
You can find all types of food there
and I was pleased to discover the pastries of Japanese pastry maker Sadaharu Aoki
who creates traditional French traditional pastries with Japanese ingredients.
He is now a member of the prestigious international pastry makers association Relais et Desserts presided by the magnificent Pierre Hermé
(can you tell I easily get carried away when I talk about French pastry?)
my cousin's mobile phone to invite myself for lunch
so I thought Lafayette Gourmet at the back of the Opéra
would be a sound strategic choice
You can find all types of food there
and I was pleased to discover the pastries of Japanese pastry maker Sadaharu Aoki
who creates traditional French traditional pastries with Japanese ingredients.
He is now a member of the prestigious international pastry makers association Relais et Desserts presided by the magnificent Pierre Hermé
(can you tell I easily get carried away when I talk about French pastry?)
After stuffing myself with nems, prawn salad and a matcha éclair
I went to have a look at the shop windows of the Printemps next door
Oh..I loved them
Someone had the brilliant idea of setting up scenes
of a colorful nomadic journey with loads of bundles
made with beautiful silk and cotton fabrics
I went to have a look at the shop windows of the Printemps next door
Oh..I loved them
Someone had the brilliant idea of setting up scenes
of a colorful nomadic journey with loads of bundles
made with beautiful silk and cotton fabrics
then it was time to head to Le Bon Marché
for my rendez-vous with the stationary buyer
Gosh.....I was all sweaty when I got there
due to heat, anxiety and tutti quanti
eh oui....I pretend to be the cool girl who designs her little cards, albums and handbags
in her sunny Andalusian spot
and whenever I'm about to show my work,
my brain starts to operate in panic mode
I tried to calm down in the little park next to Le Bon Marché
Happy people were having a picnic on the grass
one hour later...
I'm still perspiring but
BINGO MY LOVELIES !!
I'm so happy to announce you that the buyer ordered 96 cards
of the summer collection to be delivered by early june
Feeling light, relieved and happy I can now go and see
the Marie-Antoinette exhibition at the Grand Palais
I'm still perspiring but
BINGO MY LOVELIES !!
I'm so happy to announce you that the buyer ordered 96 cards
of the summer collection to be delivered by early june
Feeling light, relieved and happy I can now go and see
the Marie-Antoinette exhibition at the Grand Palais
you can tell how hot it was that day
see the woman below ?
see the woman below ?
The exhibition gathers some 300 objects
(furniture, paintings, textiles, garments, manuscripts, decorative items) used by or related to Marie-Antoinette
She wrote a great deal to her mother Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche
here are a few lines where she describes her morning routine:
(furniture, paintings, textiles, garments, manuscripts, decorative items) used by or related to Marie-Antoinette
She wrote a great deal to her mother Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche
here are a few lines where she describes her morning routine:
"Je me lève à 9h ou à 9h30 et m'ayant habillée, je dis les prières du matin, ensuite je déjeune et de là je vais chez mes tantes où je trouve ordinairement le roi. Cela dure jusqu'à 10h30. Ensuite à 11h, je vais me coiffer. A midi on appelle la chambre et là tout le monde peut entrer, ce qui n'est point des communes gens. Je mets mon rouge et lave mes mains devant le monde, ensuite les hommes sortent et les dames restent et je m'habille devant elles" (12 juillet 1770)
"I get up at 9am or 9.30am and after dressing myself, I say the morning prayers, then have breakfast and go and visit my aunts where I usually encounter the king. This is until 10.30 am. Afterwards, at 11 am, I have my hair done. At noon, the chamber is called and every person can enter in there, which is not the case for common people. I apply my rouge* and wash my hands in front of everyone, after this men leave the room and only the women stay and I get dressed in front of them" (july 12nd 1770)
*make up - a red tinted paste applied on the cheeks
"I get up at 9am or 9.30am and after dressing myself, I say the morning prayers, then have breakfast and go and visit my aunts where I usually encounter the king. This is until 10.30 am. Afterwards, at 11 am, I have my hair done. At noon, the chamber is called and every person can enter in there, which is not the case for common people. I apply my rouge* and wash my hands in front of everyone, after this men leave the room and only the women stay and I get dressed in front of them" (july 12nd 1770)
*make up - a red tinted paste applied on the cheeks
Marie-Antoinette à la rose by her favorite portraitist
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
next to it I placed a detail showing a project of a quilt
for the queen's bed in her chambre d'apparat
ceremony bedroom at Versailles
***
The queen's dressing protocol was quite elaborate.
A lady of the court, called the "dame d'atours" would present her, in the morning,
a book filled with samples of fabrics and ribbons of the queen's dresses and attires
and Marie-Antoinette would choose her different costumes for the day.
She would change her dress according to the day's events and
only her "dames favorites" would know in advance which color the queen would wear.
This was a way used by the queen to create new fashions
****
Would the exhibition be complete without
the sweet collaboration of Ladurée
which delivered kilos of delicious macarons on a daily basis
on Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette movie set ?
Nice legs eh...?
Wish I would have been in sandals and a light chiffon dress
but if you want to know, yes I had my black skinny jeans on
with high heeled black low boots
Wish I would have been in sandals and a light chiffon dress
but if you want to know, yes I had my black skinny jeans on
with high heeled black low boots
and my pseudo Chanel jacket
and a vintage black handbag
and a vintage black handbag
of course in the end, off was the jacket
and I even ran to H&M to buy a black top !
voilà Paris, c'est fini
until next time
Mille mercis
my lovelies for
your sweet thoughts and
encouragements
photos by your devoted blogging hostess
ps: I would have loved to take pictures of the exhibition but of course....impossible
ps: I would have loved to take pictures of the exhibition but of course....impossible
Comments
And you got the order, even more important, so congratulations!~
I love H&M. I just adore how cute and cheap it is. I loved your photos and am so glad you had a wonderful time...welcome back!
xo Bisous
How well you describe it.
I'm green with envy.
Such marvellous pictures.......
xo
Constance
How wonderful are all your pictures, and your story of your trip. I hope you found a cool breeze to cool you down, after all the warm weather.
Congratulations on your success in Paris with the purchase of your cards, new business. Wonderful!
I think your Chanel black jacket with accessories is tres chic.
Heads were turning when you walked down the street, wherever you went, you are a woman of style.
I wish I could have seen the Marie Antoinette exhibit....did you say kilos of macaroons, ooh la la!
Everything looks so lovely, the French know how to "live" or should I say Live with a capital L.
Glad you're back!
Congratulations on your cards....you have no reason to get nervous, from what I've seen of your creations, they are absolutely fantastic.
Sara
And those pretty sights and pretty girls! Haha!
You make me want to go back for another visit very, very soon.
Susan
xo
Beautiful photos and I am thrilled to see you got so many cards ordered by Le Bon Marche!!! WAY TO GO GIRL!!!!
Nice travelogue, Lala!!
Congratulations on the success of your stationary, that's wonderful news! How nerve wracking it must have been.
Your pictures are beautiful and I love your description of your time in Paris. I'm so very jealous, we are planning a holiday to Paris in a year's time, I don't know how I will manage to wait so long!
Thank you for dropping by my blog, yours is really lovely and I will look forward to coming back!
felicitations