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.

The Winner Is....

Michele from Michele's Treasures, Teacups, & Tumbling Rose Cottage. Congratulations! If you would please e-mail me an address, I will send your ornament out to you!

I want to thank everyone for entering my first little give away. As we move forward towards the holidays there will be more, including a bear near Christmas...so stay tuned.

Hugs, K <3

Monday Inspiration: Meandering Along

I have always had a love of meandering along pathways, especially if I don't know where they go. It's fun to see where it takes you.

I spent a summer in Canada with my aunts, uncles and cousins when I was 13. My Uncle John had a farm with woods on it. I spent many hours wandering along to see what I might find. I discovered huge toadstools, ferns, a broken fence covered with moss and a rock large enough to lay on in the sunshine and daydream.

That summer we went bike riding on a dirt road, and found wild blackberries, a lovely old church and even a bear cub. The latter scared us so bad for fear it's mother might be lurking around that we rode home the 8 miles so fast I think we set a record.

On this last trip to Montana, my Mother took us to Reeder's Alley. (Shown above.) It was a very old, lovely little winding walkway that led us to hidden shopfronts. Unfortunately the shop we most wanted to go into was an antique store called Cinnamon Toast, and she had a sign on her door that said she was away at a show. It was still fun to peek in the paned window and see what treasures lie within. We also discovered an old mining shack behind it, and a tiny place to get drinks that had a huge walled lawn in the back with tiny chairs and tables to enjoy your iced teas and sodas.

Even in Tokyo when we went shopping, the main street was fun and we found an amazing shop filled to the rafters with enough exotic buttons, beads and ribbons to make any bear artist's heart happy. As intriguing as that shop was, it was the alleyways crammed with tiny establishments that set my mind soaring to new heights with flights of fancy as to what they might contain.

Even online, I still like meandering along. I found a blog tonight when I was searching for something that was interesting and had lovely pictures. When I was done perusing her posts, I decided to click a link she had posted to another blog from her list...that led me another link from that blog and so on. I followed the links until I finally hit a shop instead of another blog and decided to end my journey.

As I traveled along virtually, I gained inspiration just like I do on any real trek. Sometimes it's fun to just follow an unknown path, deciding which fork in the road to take as you go along...and just let fate lead you where it will. The discoveries make those trips memorable and inspirational beyond measure.

Reminder

Tomorrow afternoon is the blog give away, so if you haven't entered...please do so.

Buttons And A Mailing List

Last night I finally sat down and added two things to my website that I had been meaning to add for ages now. I added "purchase" buttons so you don't have to e-mail me and wait for an invoice, and a mailing list. While it was time consuming, it was much easier than I imagined. I guess that's why I kept putting it off.

I didn't really care for Paypal's bright yellow "Buy Now" button, so I made my own. Luckily they give you a customization option on that. So I made one that fits better with the look of my site.

The mailing list didn't give you much on customization options other than color, but I tried to dress it up a little with a header I made. The good news is that you can now sign up to receive new item updates! You can do that on the Details page on my website.

It shouldn't be too long before I am adding a new bear. I cut one out and should have that done later this week. I am pretty excited over it, the color is a lovely light icy sage green. I have the next two pieces planned as well. So stay tuned, and thank you in advance for signing up for updates.

Hugs, K <3

What Kind Of Woman Are You?

When we blog we throw stuff out there for anyone with a computer the world over to read. Unless our readers sign up to follow us or make comments, we never really know who they are. I am making this post with the assumption that most of my readers are other women.

Aside from not knowing many of our readers, how well do we know ourselves? If I asked you today what kind of woman are you? What would your answer be? If I asked you again in a week, would your answer be the same? How about in six months or a year? What if I asked your family or your friends what kind of woman you are. What would they tell me? Would their answer mirror your own or would you be surprised by what they say? I would be willing to bet that every person I asked would tell me something a little different.

I would be equally willing to bet that my friends would be surprised by what I would say about them. I have one friend who I have always mentally attached words like classy and elegant to, but I bet if she knew that she would be really shocked and laugh. She would do it in a classy and elegant way too.

I have another friend who is completely scattered all the time and slightly clueless about how people take the things she says, but I am fairly certain she thinks she is quite organized and glib. I wouldn't change her in any way though, she is charming and fun just the scattered, clueless way she is, and it's part of why I like her.

I have yet another friend who thinks she is fat. I would LOVE to have a posterior like hers. It's not super skinny, but it's the perfect shape in my opinion. She looks so good in jeans, and don't really think she has any idea how many women would trade with her.

I just read an article in a magazine with a famous woman who I have disdained in the past. Slowly but surely over the years she has earned my respect however. This last article clinched it. She was talking about self image and how hard we are on ourselves because of what we think we should be and what society thinks we should be. She proudly proclaimed that women should be proud of who they are, and their assets. I agree with her.

It got me to thinking about how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. Do we have a clear picture of who we are? Even as self aware as I am of all that I am both good and bad, I would be willing to bet I would be surprised by what the people in my life would say.

We have a bad habit of pointing out our flaws first. Why are we, as women so hard on ourselves? Even when we have negative points, are those necessarily bad? Like my friend above...I supposed you could consider beings scattered negative...but is it really? Or does it just mean that she has better things in life to think about than organizing her paperwork and her handbag. She still gets everything done and can find her keys in the end.

Maybe my other friend should realize how classy and elegant she really is. Maybe we need to all stop and take mental and physical stock of our attributes instead of our perceived flaws once in a while.

So in celebration of all my female readers, I invite all of you reading this to leave a comment and tell me one really great thing about yourself. Even if you have never left a comment before. I want to know that great thing about YOU even if I may never really know you. Maybe it will help you get to know yourself a little better in the process. Maybe if you tell me one thing now, you will be able to tell yourself another thing tomorrow.

It's time we as women are proud of our good points, and who we are...both physical and mental, and start putting our best proverbial foot forward instead of our flaws.

~*~ Tallulah ~*~

At last I am ready to unveil the first of my new Halloween pieces. To see another picture of her, you can visit Tallulah on the animals page of my website.