Monday, April 30, 2012

Au revoir, Paris!

Finalement, a break in the weather!
If you're reading this on Monday, we're already somewhere over the Atlantic, on our way home. Our visits are never long enough!

But I have many more photos to share with you (including, I hope, some street style spy snaps of quelques femmes d'un certain age), so we can savor Paris together for a while longer.

In the meantime, check out Fashion Flash Monday at Fab Over Forty!

À bientot!
~

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Paris: Shop Windows

We spent most of Saturday "licking the windows" (and doing a little bit of actual shopping too...in addition to picking up some gifts to bring home, I did some serious damage in Zadig & Voltaire).  Apologies for the glare on the windows, but I just couldn't figure out how to mitigate.
These pivoines took my breath away
A different florist, equally as gorgeous
Ladurée 
Maille mustards, a must-stop for us each trip 

Hermès
Hermès encore
Yes, those are crocodile Birkins.  Almost obscene, aren't they?
Glassware at Hermès
Don't remember the name of this chocolatier, but they had a tribute to Calder theme going.
Wild 'n' crazy lunettes 

And some shoes from the Wild Child herself, Sonia Rykiel
Can you believe it? Those rhinestone-studded brogues are actually Church's!
Roger Vivier




Stunning umbrellas and gloves...

Clever teapots
Debauve & Gallais, the oldest chocolatier in Paris
At another chocolatier, Paul Hevin. 
And on that tantalizing note, we're off to dinner!

Edited to add:
This one was actually in Aix-en-Provence, but so clever I wanted to show you.
(Note the name of the store in the reflection: Jules & Jim.)
~

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Paris: Stormy Weather

Notre Dame, sunset
We left the beginnings of a Mistal in Provence (cool, strong wind) and arrived in Paris to even cooler temperatures, a few downpours and a clap or two of thunder.

I'll recap more of our Provence adventures later, but one of the best parts of our visit was being able to meet Leslie of La Fourchette s'est Emballée.


She is every bit as charming, witty, fun and chic as you'd imagine from reading her blog!

Tomorrow I am committed to snapping some stealth Paris street style pictures, weather permitting (impossible today). Best of all, I'm scheduled to meet up with Tish of A Femme d'un Certain Age for some quality lunch/shopping time!

Style/trend notes so far: more color than I've seen before in Paris, floral print scarves, moto boots with skirts (still, and on all ages), skinny jeans with flats (ubiquitous), red jeans, above-the-knee skirts on all ages, trenches, trenches, trenches.

Spring flowers, young lovers on a bench braving the weather.  Ah, Paris!
~

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Here's something you don't see every day...



Catapult Trebuchet launch at Les Baux. (Video taken with my iPhone.)  More about our day to follow soon.  À demain, Paris!
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Snapshots: Aix-en-Provence, encore

Place des 4 Dauphins. Our hotel is less than 2 blocks from here.
 Yesterday we rode along with some other guests at the B&B on a day trip to Cassis. The weather was so-so, and we arrived too late in the afternoon for a boat ride to the Calanques. Had a lovely lunch of mostly gigantic and delicious shrimps and langostines, which I neglected to take a picture of (sorry, Faux Fuchsia!).

Today was one of the big market days, so we spent a few hours wandering about under skies that initially threatened but did not deliver rain. Every now and then the sun made an appearance.



















And to make it up to Faux Fuchsia for forgetting to take more food pictures...


~

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Fashion Statement

Children's clothing shop window in Aix

And speaking of Fashion, Monday's Fashion Flash is now up at No Nonsense Beauty!



~

Snapshots: Aix-en-Provence


We spent most of the day just wandering. What a beautiful place this is! Just a note: I've done no digital enhancing of these photos, other than a tiny bit of cropping. The colors really are this saturated!



At the marché...





Outside of Cezanne's atelier...

Unfortunately we arrived just as they were closing. I was able to snap a quick picture of the gardens before we were shooed out.
~