Mint Prints

Sarah sent me some fabrics a few weeks ago and I have yet to do anything with them. Check the pretty prints, I was going to make some sort of little person with the different colourways of the apple print... or purse... or something else entirely...

This one is my favourite, in a 1950s circle skirt kinda way:

Thursday is a bank holiday here in France and my company closes for Friday too, so I'm planning a lovely day of me-activities, involving reading in cafes and pottering round Paris going to exhibitions (Les Annees Folles on 20s fashion at the Galliera museum or the Weegee exhibition at the Maillol museum *I just checked and I've missed it, gah* or an afternoon showing of Largerfed Confidentiel to throw popcorn at him the possibilities are endless) followed by reading and dozing on the sofa... and then a weekend. Love it.

Self-indulgent post, but pretty colours...

A rouge noir de nos jours this is the latest colour for stylish nails which panic buying amongst Parisian fashionistas and a stock shortage. Not usually concerned with nails in general apart from the usual low-key and necessary maintenance, this deserves a post because the shade is so deliciously luscious, so divinely yummy that I had to share.

Scandal has broken out however, with YSL launching a tulipe noire of its own, more of a violet noir, than the rich Bordeaux at Chanel. Devastatingly chic for winter, ladies.

For me, rouge noir still has the edge ever so slightly…

Kate Moss for Christmas

Kate Moss' hotly-awaited Christmas collection for Topshop was unveiled at a celebrity party in London this week, plus a rather fabulous and seventies-influenced fringe, which we salute.

This season saw affordable cashmere and trademark flippy floral dresses, cut boxily across the shoulders, for a flattering, puffed-sleeved answer to body-con. Wearable and elegant wide-legged trousers were a welcome return to post-smock chic albeit nothing new, the matching tweed waistcoat turned up on Ebay for three times the recommended retail price and skinny rib-bearing vest tops was spotted all over late summer London.

Although her new perfume - available exclusively at... Superdrug, when frankly we were expecting Selfridges - may have made small ripples rather than big splash, La Moss hit the fashion nail squarely on the head once again with the latest offering from her design team, which includes Brit uber-stylist, Katy England.

See here for more

For Christmas, long and slinky is key, with floor-length gowns, shimmery mini dresses and trousers in luxe-look fabrics,and colour is muted and flattering on winter skin. The purdy hair is optional, but tempting after shaggy boho locks. Take a look and make your wishlist before it hits stores on October 25th and let the party season begin.

Monkey, Journey to the West

Another fun thing we did last weekend was go to see Monkey, Journey to the West at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. A re-imagining of a Chinese legend, played as a Chinese 'circus opera', in and energetic and creative performance from more than 40 acrobats, vocalists, Shaolin performers and martial artists. It was spectacular.

With a musical score from Damon Albarn and visuals and design by Jamie Hewlett, the team behind the Gorillaz brought their contemporary style and vision of a classic 'journey' story to the stage, directed by Chen Shi-Zheng for a breathtaking pop opera. In true Albarn style, the show eschewed London and premiered at the Palace Theatre as part of Manchester International Festival back in June, before starting its tour with a sell-out run at Paris's Theatre du Chatelet in September and October, before continuing on to Berlin's Staatsoper Unter den Linden, as a co-production between the three theatres.

The two hours passed in what seemed like about 40 minutes, in a blur of Hewlett animation, musculoskeletal-defying acrobatics and beautiful music. Despite being sung in Chinese, the story was easy to follow even without the French surtitles and left us inspired and enegised. If ever you are anywhere near Berlin in June 08, sell your grandmother for tickets. You'll love the dancing starfish...

Velib-crazy

After a weekend cycling round Paris on Velibs, from rugby matches to birthday parties - hang on: ENGLAND KNOCKED THE AUSSIES OUT OF THE RUGBY WORLD CUP (sorry Helen ;) ) - I was inspired to photograph a couple of products on the loveworn map of Paris that we cart everywhere with us.



Bow bells earrings between Bastille and Pere Lachaise...



Bow selecta brooch rather pleasingly matches the cover colours...

I blame the rugby for the girly bow theme, in a reaction to hours spent watching hotly-fought quarter-finals this weekend.

My sister and her boyfriend came to stay for the weekend and joined us on the bikes. They bought us a lovely present for our bathroom which they had made:


(Excuse the tables of Russian verbs next to the medicine cabinet.) The lizard canvas was made from an image from our holiday in Italy last month and we love it, thank you! xx I especially love his little sucker-feet, it turned out really well. An Etsy shop of original and bespoke design work on canvas is in the works.

Ladies in Luxury

Working in a corporate world of men in grey suits, it was quite nice to come across an article in Time's half-yearly style supplement (supplied by the men in grey suits) about the female CEOs and company Chairmen at the top of the luxury goods industry. Despite the best efforts of the CSR people, the company I work for has no women on the Board and is run by mainly French men of 'a certain age'. I will spare you my usual discourse on this, things are slowly changing, but France is certainly a country which lags behind much of Western Europe at least when it comes to sexual equality.

Women like Yves Saint Laurent CEO Valerie Hermann, who relaunched the brand into the accessories market with the Muse bag, Victoire de Castellane who deisgns fine jewellery for Dior and whose exhibition I stupidly missed at the Bon Marche last year, Vera Wang who has worked hard to set up her own brand after starting out as a shop assistant (albeit at YSL) and Tamara Mellon - although a little less - are to be admired for their determination. Plus it's good to see plenty of women at the head of an industry driven by female consumers.

I have spent time under a female CEO in a much smaller company, running part of her media business for minimum wage and watching as another hugely profitable interest was run with a high turnover of interns. I wonder what these ladies are like to work for. I hope they progress and nurture female talent and justly compensate the people who make their businesses tick.

roses are red

Just listed this evening is this lovely sautoir, which looks très elegant with a wide-leg trouser, for a pleasingly thirties vibe, with a girly ribbon tie.