Friday@Flore

Yay! Firday@Flore is back… well kind of, because these photos were not taken at Flore, they’re all about Paris Fashion Week. But its street fashion and it is all about what is in now, THIS fall!!!

First on the dock, plaid! Perhaps inspired by the amazing success of the Kale project, it is time to let out your inner farmer, folks!!!

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In the weeks to come; keep your eyes out for that special shade of… (no, not 50 shades, and it is NOT grey, I promise!), the must have accessory du moment and shoes, ladies, lots o’ shoes!!!

Friday@Flore

I’ll be staying in this afternoon, because last night I was out partying until the wee hours at the Paris Diner en Blanc. Last week I was taking a bus and started thinking to myself, “Gee, it should be the DIner en Blanc soon. I wonder if I missed it?” My mild curiousity was quickly washed away by desperation over the rainy weather. It simply will not let up.

Then two days ago, my friend Mary Kay posted the date on her FB page, asking if anyone could tell her where the dinner would be held. She was in something of a pickle because we already had cocktail plans with friends that evening. Our cocktail was set to be a picnic, under the gazebo in the Luxembourg gardens, presumably as rain would be pouring down all around. And while that sounded lovely, MK had a lead on the Diner. We decided to play things by ear.

Ears started playing started with a phone call the next day at around 17h, “I really don’t have the strength to sit outside in this pouring rain. Could we choose another place?” MK had a point. It had been pouring all day. My pants were soaked to my knee caps and images of Noah’s ark were never far from my thoughts.

Ellacoquine, our third date for the night, suggested the Marais. Young, fun and somewhere new to me, I was IN. MK requested something a bit more central so she could jet off at a moment’s notice. She thought something along the Line 1 would be grand. Le Fumoir, I blurted out. Le Fumoir is one of the most searched sights in all of Google Maps Paris. It is hippy, trendy and located strategically just behind the Louvre, next to the Mairie du 1e (thank you Ella, for pointing out that it was the Mairie, and not just a continuation of the church next door). Le Fumoir also serves corn nuts at cocktail hour. We had a date.

 

And then magic happened. The rain stopped. The clouds drew away and blue sky could be seen for the first time in days. Ella was the first to arrive at the café and she deftly scored us a table on the much coveted terasse. I was quick on her heels, motivated by the promise of a sun celebratory drink.

 

We savoured the moment, the weather finally letting us being proper Parisiennes, sitting outside watching the world go by. And then, like fairy dust coming down from the sky, they appeared. “They” being folks dressed in white. Ella noticed them first. I immediately called MK and told her to step on it while Ella, ever the practical one, went over to get more details from the men in white.She came back to report that this was the pre-meeting place until their final destination was revealed.

 

I feel fairly confident that MK will give full details of the event on her blog, but I will just say that it ended as magically as it that began; from an amber sunset glowing through the pyramids of the Louvre to 6000 sparklers reflecting the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. There were opera singers, an oompa band and one of my favorite activities on earth; dancing.

Dancing under floating lanterns and a rain-free, star lit sky.

Friday@Flore

Has gone to court. The tennis court!!! Since I’ve already made my case for fashion and sports, let me just say that for spectators wearing the right outfit can sometimes be a question of having a great time, or going home rather ill.

SO what does a girl wear to an international level tennis match with ‘it’ people sauntering by in every direction? Sunblock! And lots of it. I didn’t wear enough earlier this week and now Mr French is calling me Miss Strawberries and Cream. A hat, of course, that goes without saying. It is so de rigeur that they give them out free to all their VIP guests, which explains why you see entire sections of the crowd in matching hats. If you don’t bring one along, you may end up trying to remember how to make an origami one from newspaper, like you did in elementary school. Fans are a common accessory, but so are umbrellas!

Other must-haves include layers, lots of them, because it may be cold and blustery outside, but the stadium acts like a gigantic wind breaker, so if the sun is shining you may need to do some serious shedding. But once back out in the public area, you’re be happy for your rain coat.

Sun screen, hats, fans umbrellas and a rain coat? Yes, madame, because it may also rain. And that rain may be a chilly, grey, relentless rain, like it was last week, or it maybe a brief shower, with blue skies never far from view. Like the results of the match itself, you can just never be sure.

Once you’ve got the basics, anything goes, but I have never seen so many Hermes bags in one place. Not even in their shops. Men are often wearing suits, because they’re arriving straight from the office, and more often than not the suits are there for work. Women seem to have an easier time of dressing down in outfits that do double duty.

And then there are the uniforms. Every sponsor has an entire team of young, attractive folk wearing crisply cool uniforms. This is a group of ball kids who were done for the day.

Love all!

Friday@Florian

After a month of exile from my beloved Flore, I was rewarded with a visit to the equally historic, just as spectacular Caffè Florian on the Piazza St Marco in Venice, where I quickly discovered that the most important accessory was a partner. Everyone seemed to be a couple, strolling hand in hand, or side by side….

The Florian has been serving caffè to locals since 1720, serving such famous people as Casanova, Lord Byron, Proust and Balzac. With a seductively ornate interior and a sprawling terrace outside, it is the perfect place to stop for a Bellini after a long afternoon spent sight seeing.

 

 

At least, it would be the perfect place if you happened to be there during peach season. A true Bellini is Prosecco (Italy’s version of champagne) with crushed peach purée. Most places will be happy to serve you a glass of bubbly with industrial peach nectar. The Florian is NOT most places and refuse to serve Bellini is the peaches are not fully ripe and sweet.

To console disappointed tourists, they offer the Tiepolo, a crushed strawberries version of the Bellini. Less famous, it is infinitely more delicious and I savoured mine appreciatively as Mr French and I watched the world go by.

 

And a very brightly colored world it was…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And some more sedate folk, as well….

 

Looking for love?

Could it be her?

 

 

Friday@Flore

Friday@Flore is at work in the ‘burbs, but last Sunday was a gloriously beautiful day. The first of the year, and one of the few in the last 12 months. All of Paris was out reveling in the feeling of the air against their skin. It. was. glorious.

The photos are not great. I had left my camera at home but was so inspired by all the stunning fashion looks that I popped out my iPhone and starting tactile-ing away.

Everyone was seeking out the shade, making it even harder ot get decent shots, but proving how long spring is taking, as the trees remain bare!

I love this woman’s look. Mental note to self; keep an eye out for pleated khakis, ascooped neck indian blouse and a pair of orange shoes!

A un BON WEEKEND tout le monde !

Friday@Flore

I’ll be working outside the city today, so I actually went to Flore last Monday, thinking I’d get some great shots of people out enjoying Easter. WRONG!!!! Arctic winds kept temps in the zero range and even those who don’t usually mind the cold were generally disgusted with the dismal temps we’ve been having this year. Hey weather gods, up there? Ca suffit!!!

How did I know that everyone was down and out? That I wasn’t simply projecting? The shoes!!! Parisienne’s take great pride in taking care of their shoes. Frenchmen, who participate in very few of the household chores, proudly get out their shoe waxing kits each Sunday and tired, scuffed shoes are simply, NON!

But this week, it was all about comfort knows best and everyone had dug deep into their closet for abandoned old favorites! Les Parisiennes were wearing their walking shoes!

There was definitely a common thread running through it all. In a very brief shoot (did I mention that I was cold? I couldn’t stand there long, especially not with Mr French sitting in the glass enclosed terasse, a traditional hot chocolate steaming in his cupped hands) I saw countless pairs of ankle high boots.

Ankle high boots, and wedgies. Yes, mesdames, I am afraid that wedgies will be the next “thing”. They’ve been popping up for the past few years, but I’d hoped they’d disappear as fast as they’d appeared. I’d hoped wrong. The girls at the office tell me they’re comfortable. I see their point… you get to keep the slimming illusion of a heel with the comfy rubber sole and support of a wedge. And in this gorgeous red tone, who could resist? Hmmm….. time to go shopping?

 

And at last, a few pair of knee high boots. Oddly enough, we only see the thigh highs around fashion week!?! Loving the jaunty tassel on these boot! I’ll leave you with the chicest of them all… Wishing you a fabulous Friday and a fantabulous weekend. Here’s to a bit of sunshine for us all!

Friday@Flore (not)

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Its not Friday and these photos were not taken at the Café de Flore. Last Friday, in fact, I was across town from the Flore, working at an agency near the Grands Boulevards. I wanted to get out there and take some street fashion photos for you, but with a computer, two iPads and some serious warm winter gear in tow, I didn’t have the room in my portable, office, aka my hand bag! And then there was reason for toting all that winter gear about. It was cold outside. After having spent my summer in the southern hemisphere with below zero temps, my holiday break in Lapland and last week in the Alps, I’m feeling the deep freeze in the very marrow of my bones and My self simply refuses to spend any time in the cold unless it is for my immediate survival.

So, I tucked into a glass enclosed terasse that was swimming in sunlight. so much sunshine poured in I kept my sunglasses on and I was happy like a cat in a sun beam, I sat their relishing every little wave of UV as they caressed my skin. i’m afraid my purring could be heard two tables over!

But I did get in some street fashion shots. The man in the skirt is a more common sight than you’d imagine. Like most of the local kilt wearers, he was a rugby fan, in town to watch France play Scotland in the final match of the 6 Nations tournament. The game was Saturday, so I perhaps he was planning on pulling an all niter and perhaps his national team joined him, because France dominated the game and won their only victory of the competition.

I love the scarf of the girl who is oggling his knees, big and bulky as fashion demands, with a bright, personal touch of color! Just in time for spring, and perhaps a bit more sunshine. Bright days ahead!!!

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Friday@Flore

Hitting the streets a bit late with this post today, because Friday@Flore has left the café and headed to the Tuileries gardens where the Issey Miyaki show was going out on to the catwalk in the “tente ephemère” that city officials construct and de-construct each season, for Paris Fashion Week.

The designers are unveiling their Fall 2013 collections just as the kids in Paris head off on their winter break. Having a kid in Paris means that I’ll be missing most of the shows as we head off to the mountains and I do my Mom thing. I know, “We’re going to the alps” sounds oh, so, chic, but last time we went to the this resort I came down from the slopes in an ambulance and spent more time in the hospital than at the hotel!

I am in town long enough to attend at least one show, so I bundled up and headed out to see what the designer of Pleats Please had in mind for us. As always happens during Paris Fashion Week, I saw some really great street fashion along the way.

More than previous seasons, I was shocked by the uniformity of it all. There is definitely an accent color that is “IN” ladies and gentleman, with a second color trailing close behind.

As a pale skinned red head, this does not bode well for me, but everyone else looked simply ab fab in their quirky mustard yellows and warm reds.

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone except the star of the day for me, Mr Bill Cunningham, the street fashion reporter for the New York Times and my idol. He was wearing the cooler blues and greys. I am not usually great at recognizing celebrities and I don’t recall ever having seen the man, beyond the tiny photo of him on his bike that they use for the online NYTimes, but I recognized him immediately. And then I stalked him, noticing what he was photographing, and how, adding a street fashion master class to my day at Paris Fashion Week. I can now head for the slopes, visions of silks and laces slaloming in my head.

 

Friday@Flore

Today is the first sunny day in Paris in ages and the entire city is loving it!!! People are back on their bikes and even if they’re not dressing down (this is Paris, they’re  not crazy, it may snow in an hour), the tone is lighter

In spite of the sun, I have some serious errands to run today. Errands that keep me from being here and writing about all the fashion I saw in front of the Flore today, but I do have the pictures, to keep you going over the weekend and I do have a brief word to say about all those full, yummy scarves the girls were burying their faces into today. Très stylé. I loved it!!!

 

 

 

 

Friday@Flore

Another grey, rainy day in Paris and I’m feeling particularly washed out after last night’s tryptophan rush from all that turkey. Almost didn’t make it to the Flore, but like a true pilgrim, I pulled up my boot straps and headed out the door despite the gloom all around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And boy, was I glad I did! And no, not because of the cute boys above, but because I discovered I’m not the only one with the November blues. Parisiennes seem to be suffering too, and they are fighting back with fashion. Rumour has it black is eternally “in” and its still just about everywhere you look, but this season, I’m seeing something new.

 

 

 

 

 

Color. And lots of it on men, women; young and old. Which color is irrelevant. I saw red coats, orange umbrellas and fushia handbags. There were green trenchcoats and bright blue scarves. Some went for the total look, while others were happy with just a splash of sunshine.

Everyone from the most elegant, sophisticated madames to hipster wanna-bes is having a go at the color wheel these days and it is refreshingly fun and light hearted, inspiring me to head home, take of my boring black sweater and replace it with a plum purple turtle neck. Things are looking brighter already!

 

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