The Lure Of Far Off Lands

Given the opportunity, there is no country on earth I would not visit. I dearly love to travel, and while I have been fortunate enough to go to a few countries, I am not done. Probably because of this, I have always been fascinated with things that come from far off, exotic locales. For some reason things from other countries seem so much more interesting. Even mundane things like t-shirts and jeans are better from abroad. I wonder if people in those countries feel that way about what we take for granted in the US?

Yesterday however, I only traveled as far as Denver. I still came away with several little treasures that flew from worlds away to find their way into my shopping bags...or gave the illusion they did.

I found a lovely English floral tea towel appliqued with birds and trimmed with green pom poms, to use as a new tank cover in my powder room. Now I am sure you might be confused by that, so let me explain. I have never cared for those rug like tank covers. Somewhere along the line I used two vintage tea towels. I drape one down the front vertically, and fold another to put across the top of the tank horizontally. I am proud to say I have inspired several of my friends to do the same.

Next I found a french necklace that was long, had a vintage skeleton key, a small octagonal chandelier crystal and a bejeweled ball charm. I also found a delicate hairband imported from India that looks quite Edwardian, and a plaid scarf.

I got some utterly heavenly solid perfume in little pot from a company called Tokyo Milk. The scent is Lotus Sake, and it has a white grapefruit base, (I always gravitate towards grapefruit based perfumes) combined with lotus, basil, mango, orange blossom, and sycamore fruit. It's a very light, delicate scent and it's so wonderful that I can't stop sniffing my wrist just so I can drink it in. It came in a darling box that had the most adorable miniature note cards. It's very Japanese in nature...they love to give you that little something extra with every purchase. The thing is, it's not really from Japan. In fact it's from a Denver artist who specializes in art and soap. It doesn't matter though, because it elicits memories of my trip to Tokyo. I just wish that particular scent came in a spray. She has others that do, but sadly not that one.

I got some cute Christmas ornaments from Crate & Barrel, some exquisite green velvet ribbon to use on bears, and a present for R. (I can't tell you what that was just in case he decides to read my blog, which he rarely does...still though, I would rather not take the chance so he will be surprised!)

But the best treasure I came home with yesterday was a Danish magazine called Jeanne d' Arc Living. The pictures are so lush that I sat and looked through it twice in my comfy chair with my quilt this morning. There are decorating ideas and recipes. The "Snappy Onion Pie" recipe caught my attention in particular. While the decorating style could be considered spartan compared to what many Americans have, the aesthetic was amazing and I could happily move right into several of the living spaces featured. I think I need one more peek before I go back to bed!

Topping it all off like a cherry, was having fun and lots of chatter with my friend Carol. We had lunch and looked at all the beautiful things the stores had to offer. It was a great day out, and I needed a little get away, even if I only traveled an hour away.

The Mystique Of French Chic

I think that any woman who has the soul of a fashionista eventually finds herself trying to understand French style. There is an allure about the French and their sense of style. Let's face it, they gave us champagne, perfume, ballet, chandeliers and the statue of liberty. They even made the maid coquettish instead of a common drudge...or maybe the latter was just more of a Hollywood invention?

At any rate there is something fascinating about French women. Even Marie Antoinette wasn't that interesting until she started shopping in Paris.

Lately I have been finding myself more and more curious about it. So tonight between working on my bear I have been reading articles online. Some of them have been very funny and some quite serious. A few have even been a little rude.

I have learned a few things on my Parisian stroll through cyberspace:

French women make style look effortless. The truth is, it just seems effortless because they don't live in the American tell all world. They apparently put lots of effort into it, they simply don't tell anyone what all they do.

They wear tons of scarves and have a knack for tying them. This leaves me out. I am not a scarf girl. I look at scarves in stores, I admire them, then I go buy sunglasses or a new ring...maybe a pair of earrings. Once however I fell prey to the wiles of a silk number on sale for 70.00. I couldn't leave the shop without it. It was this amazing crinkled silk in a sort of coral/melon hue with trim the perfect shade of a sunflower. It had posy clusters embroidered in ribbon at each end. I just knew it would look fabulous...as a cover for my amoire in the work room. But it has never once adorned my throat. Sigh~

It also seems that their style has more to do with posture and attitude than the actual clothes they are wearing. Now that I would believe. So many American women have a terrible habit of slouching, and as covered in my post a few back, we tend to be self effacing. I don't think the French do that. Perhaps it's why they are considered haughty. Maybe the truth is, they aren't haughty at all, they simply know how to focus on the good.

I have learned that I do have a couple things in common with French women however. I don't buy what is currently in style, I buy what makes me look good. Well usually... I also like to occasionally add a piece for a bit of whimsy.

I don't blow dry my hair, although that's more because of living in a dry climate rather than trying to achieve a certain look. They are also huge fans of creams and lotions. My powder room pantry is overflowing with creams and lotions and I use every one of them. I love that kind of thing.

Oddly enough doing bear shows over the years has helped me understand something about fashion. It's a combination of something you're born with, something you learn...and something geographical. Much of a woman's style is based on where she lives. When you think about it, I doubt French women look at each other and think to themselves we're so chic. They probably take that for granted because it's what everyone does and what everyone wears in that location.

Since I live in Colorado, we have a laid back outdoorsy style. Western wear, bohemian, Birkenstocks and Eddie Bauer are just as prevalent here as Prada and Manolo Blahnik's. (I have never owned a pair of Birkenstocks and I don't intend to. Sadly, I have never owned a pair of Manolo's either, although I recently saw a pair of red velvet and black leather Christian Louboutin's with sky high spikey heels and sparkly toes that made my heart flutter a little. I would kill myself in those shoes but I would look fabulous while doing it.)

I don't think it means that women are less stylish anywhere else. Ultimately I don't believe they are so very different than anyone else, except that they get more hype, and anything out of the ordinary to what you are used to seems exotic. Style is all about you reflecting who you are in the best possible way without conforming. I have learned I don't have a prayer of embodying that French mystique, if for no other reason than that I wasn't raised in Paris. And despite my dislike of Birkenstocks, I have to confess, as hateful as they are...I really love my Victoria's Secret flip flops.