French door knockers...

The ornateness of French doors is something else that I love to photograph.  Here are just a few from my collection of photos.  Enjoy!

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Vintage French Textiles...

Vintage textiles are one of the things I always look for whenever I visit France.  I couldn't resist snapping a photo of these lovely little children's outfits I found in an antique store in Pezenas in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.

I can't imagine little Bobby or Janey wearing something like these nowadays!

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Bleu de Lectoure...

If you're a big fan of the color BLUE, and if you ever find yourself in the Gers, a department in the southwest of France, find the town of Lectoure, which is located 32 kms north of Auch, the capital of the Gers, and check out an "ancienne tannerie" named

Bleu de Lectoure.

I must admit, I had never heard of the plant called woad until I went to Lectoure.  I was totally fascinated by what I saw and learned while I was there.  And, of course, I was loving every minute seeing all the various shades of blue produced by dyeing with woad!

The shop at the tannery sells clothing and art pastels and paints in the most glorious shades of blue.  It's hard to resist buying something there!  I resisted going crazy, though, as I only had a very small backpack, but I did buy a little bottle of their paint to take home with me.  I took the sample to my paint store and now every year I give my back door steps a new coat of bleu de Lectoure and dream of being in France!

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Christian Dior...

"The cardboard boxes were huge:  long, wide, thick and solid.  For photo sessions or exhibitions they would be brought up to Paris from the small town in the Touraine where the House of Dior stores more than fifteen hundred haute couture dress, and almost as many boxes of accessories.  Within these boxes are the gowns that are too fragile or too heavy to put on hangers.  Witnessing their opening is almost akin to taking part in a minor rite.  Two people are required to bring out each box; the heavy lid is then lifted to reveal the sleeping beauty within.  These fragile creatures must be woken with care, the tissue paper shaken gently away in order to restore them to life.  

And what a life it is:  The litany of dresses for all occasions from collections of the day -- “robes de jour, robes de fin d’aprés-midi, robes de cocktail, robes de restaurant, robes de cabaret, robes á danser, robes de petit diner, robes de grand diner, robes de gala, robes de grand gala” -- conjures up a whirl of images.  But already the dream is working its magic.  Age cannot wither their beauty, unique as it is to each of them and knowable only in their presence, like human beauty.  Few of them are now in pristine condition.  The great majority bear traces of their former days:  a worn patch, a faded color, a hidden mark, a tiny snag.  But above all this hovers an overwhelming sense of their presence, of the certainty that one day, one evening, a woman wearing this gown must have felt she was truly alive."

If you can only afford ONE vintage fashion book, then I can honestly say, this is IT. This oversize book contains 384 pages and is filled with the most beautifully photographed haute couture clothing you will ever find.

Christian Dior by Farid Chenoune

Published by Assouline Publishing 2007

ISBN: 9782759401628

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Venice of the Alps

I recently blogged about my very favorite place in France, the little village of Collioure, in the south of France.  I do have a second favorite right now, and that is the town of Annecy in the Haute-Savoie region.  This beautiful town is known as the "Venice of the Alps", with very good reason.  The town is crisscrossed with canals full of crystal clear water feeding from Lake Annecy at the edge of town.

  
Annecy is about half an hour from Chambery, the town where my son lived for two years, so one crisp November day, we jumped on the train for a day trip.  It was very cold, but it was such a wonderful  town, we forgot all about being cold!

The water in the canals and lake have to be seen to be believed.  It's CRYSTAL CLEAR!  Throughout the town there are also the most gorgeous wired bouquets hanging from window boxes and along the railings of the canals.

If you're anywhere near Grenoble or Chambery, make sure you don't miss seeing Annecy!

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Chanel...the Couturière at Work

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only; fashion is something in the air.  It’s the wind that blows in the new fashion, you feel it coming, you smell it.  Fashion is in the sky, in the street,  fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” ...Chanel

 I am a huge fan of Coco Chanel's little black dresses and her trademark suits, but it wasn't until I read Chanel, The Couturière at Work, that I realized just how far back in "fashion time" she actually began her career.  I was surprised to discover that she first started out by trimming and designing hats in the early 1900's.

This fascinating book written by Amy De La Haye and Shelley Tobin, published by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, describes Chanel's work, saying, “In the years around World War I Gabrielle Chanel challenged the world of fashion head on.  Jersey fabrics, easy to wear garments often based on mens’ sportwear, showy paste jewellery and the little black dress are just a few of her innovations that have become fashion staples.  Other books have dwelt on Chanel’s tempestuous private life.  Here, for the first time, the focus is on Chanel the couturière, her innovations and the immense influence she has had on the way women choose to look in the modern world.  The story is brought up to 1994 in the final chapter based on an interview with Karl Lagerfeld."

Costumes de Jersey, by Chanel, from Les Elegances Parisiennes, March 1917

Chanel's beaded and embroidered silk evening dress, 1922

Red silk evening dress, early 1920's and matching silk shoes

 

Chanel wearing her signature costume jewellery in 1928

 Chanel photographed in 1929 wearing a straw cloche hat

 Portrait of Chanel at work in her studio, 1937-1938

 Chanel beach outfit, 1930's

Portrait of Chanel by Lipnitzki, 1936

Portrait of Chanel by Roger Schall, 1938

Portrait of Chanel by Francois Kollar, 1937

 Cocktail dress, 1958

 

 'This Year's suit', 1959

 

Chanel Brooch in Renaissance style made of gilt metal set with faux gemstones

 The timeless appeal of Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld, 1991

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