Week 26: Parc de Bagatelle

Now, I know I said I wouldn't talk about the weather anymore, but it feels necessary to make some mention of the heatwave which seems to have been sweeping the globe for the last couple of weeks. This is mostly necessary because it played a large part in deciding where this week's shoot should be!

This week, delightful boyfriend and I headed to the Parc de Bagatelle. So chosen because it was outside – and being inside is not an option in this heat – and a little bit off the beaten track so less likely to have been mobbed with tourists. For those of you who (are lucky and) don't know me – I'm a complete treasure, a TREASURE I TELL YOU… unless I am too tired/hungry/hot or need the loo. Then I can be the grumpiest being you ever did see. (Yes, just like a baby…) This means that it is a good strategy to keep me away from large groups of people who have a marked predilection for walking slowly, pausing suddenly, and taking photos often. 

Anyway, less about my foibles, more about the foliage. The Parc de Bagatelle is situated outside of central Paris, in the 16^th arrondissement's Bois de Boulogne. It forms the extensive gardens belonging to the Chateau de Bagatelle, an ex-hunting lodge which was transformed into a neoclassical playground for the aristocracy in the 18^th century. The grounds passed to the Comte d'Artois in 1775 and, following a bet with his sister-in-law (Marie-Antoinette – you might have heard of her) the chateau and its gardens were completed in under 3 months (63 days to be precise).

The name comes from the Italian word "bagattella" meaning "a trifle" or a little pretty thing. For any linguaphiles out there, the word "bagatelle" in French has now come to mean "philandering/nooky/rumpy-pumpy" as well. So now you know.

A chateau it may be, but it was considered very small at the time, as is reflected in the Horace quote which stands over the porch to the main entrance; "Parvus sed aptus", which means "small, but able". Incidentally, I'm thinking of using that as my new way to introduce myself, you know: "Hi, I'm Fran, parvus sed aptus", followed by a wink and a cheeky grin. Thoughts?

The gardens are enormous, were designed by Scotsman (woo) Thomas Blaikie, and include a pagoda, an obelisk, several waterfalls, and all sorts of fake ruins and grottoes. There is also an orangery and a rose garden and in June every year the gardens host an international competition for new breeds of rose.

In 1842 the 4^th Marquess of Hertford inherited the chateau from his father and used it to house his extensive collection of French art. Upon his death in 1870 both the chateau and the collection, along with a house in London, were passed on to his illegitimate son Sir Richard Wallace. In 1897 the art was brought over, installed in the house in London, and the Wallace Collection was born.

Due to the Anglo-Chinese style of the gardens and – to be frank, more importantly – because of the ridiculous heat, this week I opted for this simple floral dress from Apricot. I've said it before – floral dresses are not my fave. They are too simple, leave me very little to play with or embellish. However, it was 36/37 degrees this weekend. 36! I'm not sure if you know but Scots aren't really built for heat, we're not used to it. As a result, if I'm subjected to temperatures above a balmy 30° Celsius, my brain melts to a liquid not dissimilar to a fine French bouillon, and trickles out my ears.

Disgusting metaphors aside, it was too hot to be creative. Plus I love the fabric of this dress- the thick cotton makes it sturdy enough to not blow up in the breeze, but the cut means that it is held away from the body and doesn't cling. It's much shorter than I would normally go for but needs must in this heat, and I figured the slightly oriental style of the flowers would go quite well with the Chinese parts of the garden.

Dress - Apricot for New Look
Blue flats - Marks+Spencer
Wedges - New Look
Earrings - Present

I paired it with floral wedges initially, to try and invest some flair with an overload of patterns, but gave up halfway through and retreated to my faithful M+S flats. A girl's got to know her limitations. That's all for this week folks! Hope you're all enjoying the heat and the sunshine where you are and, if there isn't any chez vous at the moment, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, I HAVEN'T SLEPT IN DAYS.