You have to hand it to Browns Fashion (of South Molton Street fame).
Surely, Browns' Jelly Shoes are the ultimate fashion beachwear item? I picture folk all over French Riviera beaches sporting these jelly shoes this summer as they coast the sands in Cannes & Antibes. Of 100% rubber, they must feel gorgeous.
At £80 - surely a steal?
Interesting profile of Claude Ellena, Hermes' head perfumer, in the LA Times, "finally where he wants to be: hidden away in a Provençal pine forest where he can explore his inspiration."
"I have no interest in trying to reproduce nature," he says, explaining his philosophy. From a big wooden desk in the living room, Ellena mulls over his formulas while taking in a view of the forest and the Mediterranean in the distance. "I want to transform it, create olfactory illusions. Perfume isn't only about the scent of flowers. I can add molecules to make a fragrance harsh, soft, dry, fresh, bubbly, light, cool and warm." Sounds like a nice life.
When I saw what's possible with monogrammed linen, I am contemplating organising personalised bath linen for our house in Provence. Problem is, what to put on it? Chez nous, perhaps.
Our house is equipped with the bizarre postal name of "Premiere Maison a gauche": our commune Mons does not do streets let alone street numbers.
Hot on the heels of Pirelli, Kingfisher is using the French Riviera as the base for its widely anticipated 2007 calendar.
Why the Provence location? "Nowhere else in the world is the water that blue; not for nothing is it called the Cote d’ Azure, the azure coast)".
But it's a tough life; "The models were put on a three-month, high-protein diet and a rigorous regimen of exercise. It shows in the pictures. You could iron your shirt on any of those stomachs."
I suspect foul play though: everyone stayed at Kingfisher owner's (Dr Vijay Mallya) new 95metre-long yacht, The Indian Empress. Tax dodge, I'm thinking.
Yes, I want to prolong that Côte d'Azur summer feeling! Give me the French Riviera all year round. And, get pampered at the same time. Now, it's so easy. Buy Estée Lauder's Azurée Body Oil.
According to Lesley Thomas of Telegraph: "Ford has managed to bottle 1970s Mediterranean glamour. I may be sitting at my desk wondering whether I'll need a brolly later, but my subconscious is a big-haired, glossy-skinned lady, relaxing, Campari in hand, in swimsuit and high heels on the Côte d'Azur."
I wanted Lesley's other tips too (Amanda Lacey's Oils of Provence, which contains high-grade extracts of sage, lavender and rose), but Amanda's shop was down for summer. Tooooo chilled.
Hot in from China - the Provence Fashion Club in Shanghai. Seems fun:
"Welcome to the Provence Fashion Club, where women gossip as they try on the brightly-colored cotton tank tops, elegant long skirts and matching accessories. It feels like a pre-wedding hen party and rarely do the guests leave empty-handed. Provence meets those needs with clothes for career women in a cushy alternative to impersonal shopping malls: Here, you can try on all the clothes you want, bypassing truculent sales assistants."
All those truculent sales assistants are probably the only thing that will stop China in its quest for total, global domination. And Chinese women stress as well: "This is not just a stop for fashion addicts, (it's) a third space for women, which is detached from the other two -- work and home. Obviously work and family stress have wreaked havoc on most women's nerves. They need a place where they can breathe and talk."
The association of Provence with fashion is a very, clever marketing idea and I am sure one that has commercial potential.
I am prompted by Aussie Lass' bag angst (we all have our baggage) to provide some free counsel on a non-relevant subject (as I am always pleased to do, at no cost).
Firstly, avoid the annual psycho-drama altogether by renting your bags. (See Bag, Steal or Borrow for instructions.) In a swoop, your whole perspective changes, you can relax knowing that there is no pressure to get the perfect bag. If you don't like it, trade it in. Secondly, make your own. I bought one of these as a gift: you take your own snaps, print 'em out and load them in the side panels. Customise your identity and mood with your own photography.
Charming post (in French) detailing mature, reasoned socio-political analyses of the French - with photos - articulated by superior American intellects. Courtesy of 6trouilles
