cross stitch Paris!

Busy busy busy today, putting up new stuff in the store and sorting out the
house after a full weekend.  So today I'm simply offering you
some shots I took in Paris last week. 

Our autumn here has been very soft and 'out of focus'.  Last week in Paris, the
sky was low and the colours blended together seamlessly.

I shunned the metro, avoided the bus routes and walked from one appointment to the next, 

camera in hand.  As I crossed the rue de Rivoli, I was struck by the intricate 

carving on the outer stone walls of the Louvre.   Could have been embroidered!
Then I started taking pictures of doors and fountains ......

How wonderful to be in a city that can still surprise me after all these years!

paris in the rain

Wish me luck, I'm shooting out the door this morning, off to Paris, where amongst other things, I need to take some pictures of a  friend for the next instalment of my 'my stylish french girlfriends'

It is cold

it is November

it is grey and misty

the things I do for my blog ......

all pictures thanks to Google images

true French luxury

In the heart of Montmartre, Paris, there is a tall building where the lights often burn late at night.  Home to a name that epitmoises French luxury better than and other.   Lesage.  They don't design dresses, they just embroider.

They embroider for queens and princesses, they embroider for Chanel, Dior, Schiaparelli,  YSL, Lanvin and Worth.  Each bead, each sequin sewn on individually and by hand.

This is  the address that the great designers turn to, when fantastic embroidery is needed to make a piece shine and dazzle.   Founded in 1924, the current Monsieur Lesage is over 80 years old.   He says he can't sew, his skill is the interpretation of designer's dreams.  When Yves Saint Laurent called him to ask for embroidery "that would look like the reflection of my chandelier against a dark rainy window",  he knew where to start.
 

Even Monsieur Louboutin requires their services

And the really amazing news, especially to those of you who like to embroider, is that there is a Lesage school, and they run classes at all levels.  So when you're next in Paris, why not do something totally off the tourist track and check in to a 3 hour beading class, in the house of a master of the craft.

Now that would make a good souvenir de Paris!

where else but Paris? .... lunch with a girlfriend

So tell me, where else but Paris could I meet up with a wonderful blogger friend for lunch at 1pm and leave the table at ... 6.  Yup!  The very chic Tish Jett and I had a little catching up (and discovering!) to do yesterday.

The truth of the matter is that, while Tish and I have been chatting on the phone and by mail for a long while, we hadn't actually met face to face.  It was very exciting!  She's been making me laugh and making me think for such a long time that I was really looking forward to our 'date'!  I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED, Tish is just as glamorous and savvy and entertaining over a lunch table as she is in her blog - wonderful!!

Funnily, when planning the date,  it turns out we shared a favourite address for a comfortable, discreet tête à tête: Le Baretto, restaurant to a 4 star hotel, a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe; deep armchairs; delicious food; impeccable waiters,  the totally perfect place for two girlfriends to meet.

In the unlikely event of you not already knowing Tish and her wonderful blog A Femme d'un Certain Age, you should get over there right away!!  She's running an event on the faces of women through life, she started out with celebs and now the whole blogging world is joining in and contributing their own portraits!  Believe me, you want to be part of this!!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

maybe catching up with a girlfriend?

parisian coutyards

Have you ever walked down a street in Paris, wondering what was the other side of those imposing façades and wide coach entrances.  The secret side of Paris, the intimate side normally own seen by those who live there.   Square pavés or cobblestone, plants cared for by the concierge, inward gazing windows.   Quiet places, strangely silent and empty after the bustle of the street outside the door.  A place to park your bike, feed a cat, enjoy a little green, some extra space. Thought you might like a glimpse .

thanks to Mires Paris for pictures

roofs of paris and a giveaway winner

I'm amazed I don't trip over more often when in Paris, I tend to wander around with my eyes on the rooftops, rather than looking where I'm going.  Yesterday was no exception, the sky was moody and those lanterns and  blue grey zinc roofs were just calling out to me!

I managed to lower my lens to catch these two little poppets,  remember them?, well here they are again enjoying their last day in France.  Love the Tuilerie gardens!

I just love the twirls and scrolls in the detail of these rooftop windows, just how we'd all love to draw windows.

So, in a seamless transition, from the grandeur of the Champs Elysées, to my giveaway winner!

I am happy to announce that the random draw pulled out the name 'Tiffany W' to win the Shabby Apple Dress of her choice.

Thank you all for joining in so enthusiastically , 

wishing you all a great weekend.

les petits rats de l'opéra

I always loved that the trainee dancers for the beautiful Opera Garnier in Paris are called the petits rats (little rats).  The prestigious dance school works them hard and they fight to be there.

The girls (and boys) need special talent to get into the school, to work hard once there, then to hope that one day they may be a star dancer.   Twice a year they dance to the public in the grand Opera Garnier. Can you  imagine the thrill and the pride?! 

If you visit Paris, a trip to the Opera is worthwhile, but nothing beats sitting in a red velvet seat and enjoying a performance!

a funny French summer

The weather in France is strangely oscillating between intense and sultry summer heat, sudden storms and even quick premature shots  of autumn.

I took these photos while driving through a delightfully  empty Paris this week on a grey and wet but warm morning, they seem to catch the atmosphere.

Paris terrace in high style

To get your weekend off to a great start, I just had to share this beautiful Parisian terrace with you.  I love it's French style, it's comfortable look, the eggshell blue paintwork,  it's amazing setting on the Champ de Mars. 

photo thanks to sothebys internaional

riverbank in paris

If you're visitng Paris in the month to come, don't forget your swimsuit! Paris Plage is back again this summer.  The river banks will be  mysteriously transformed from dusty roadside to sandy beach complete with palm trees.  

Paris Plage started 10 years back and was immediately popular.  Today as soon as the weather permits, the loungers are taken:  families making sandcastles, parisiennes perfecting their tan, students reading and everyone enjoying the show

PS - Sorry, no loot shoot today - it rained and I was lazy! :)

a summer day in Paris

Spent most of yesterday in Paris, in all of  my favourite haunts, making the most of the sales with my fun loving daughter - Boy!  Can that girl shop! I swear that if shopping were an olympic discipline she'd be a gold medallist !

Though you might like a few shots of la belle capitale.  Paris was spectacularly beautiful under bright blue skies yesterday, not that I had that much time to sit back and admire, this shopping is a full time job!

And for those of you planning to visit gai Paris over the summer I just have four words to say to you:

Guerlain pop-up store

It's on the Champs Elysées, the design is divine and it will only last until the end of the year.  I loved it!

No photos were allowed inside, and their official pictures don't do justice so you just have to take my word.