Week 19: Grand Palais

Well, we're carrying on with the Palais theme, and why not? You can't beat a good palace, even if this week's choice isn't (strictly speaking) one in the traditional sense of the term. It's pretty palatial nonetheless AND it provides a connection with the outfit of the week, so I'm sure you'll forgive me.

Yes, this weekend we headed to the Grand Palais (which basically translated as the "Big Palace"…sounds much better in French though!) The Grand Palais was built at the same time as the Petit Palais, to house bits of the Universal Exhibition and was opened on May 1^st 1900.

The building was designed and constructed in the Beaux-Arts style by four different architects who each took a separate part of the building.  Inspired by London's Crystal Palace, it was one of the last large-scale public buildings to need a glass ceiling before electric lights became widely used.

The Grand Palais was originally supposed to house the great artistic events of Paris –and indeed a great many art exhibitions have be held here, with Picasso and Matisse even having their first public breakthroughs under its glassy skies. However, the Palais has become far more famous for the vast array of other events it has held and purposes it has served. Alongside exhibitions for trains, planes, automobiles and household appliances, the Grand Palais has hosted an annual Riding Show (1901-57), a Boxing Match (1942), a military hospital (WW1), a depot-full of Nazi trucks (WW2), the Parisian Resistance's HQ (Liberation of Paris, August 1944), a Dance Festival (1989), regular Chanel fashion shows and even, in 2005, a fortnight-long fairground. Phew!

This weekend, the Grand Palais put on another wacky show for the public to enjoy; after a 10-year hiatus, the well-loved “L’Art du Jardin” (“Garden Art”) exhibition was back. First held in 1993, the L’Art du Jardin exhibition was the brainchild of entrepreneur Aude de Thuin who came up with the idea as a reaction to the French economic crisis in 1991. The exhibition pays homage to modern garden and landscape art and features a mixture of kooky garden furniture and ethical sculptures,  (crazy barbecues, a car that doubled as an enormous picnic hamper, a pond, an 1100-year old olive tree, you name it) showcasing work by artists, landscape gardeners, those who work in tree nurseries, horticultural specialists and architects.

Needful to say, it was brilliant fun – families and kids all over the place, innovative chairs to sit on, flowers to sniff, and nooks to hide in. There were even some peacocks!  And the giant glass roof made it feel both as if you were outdoors and inside a huge greenhouse at the same time.

What's more, the building is incredible, and I decide to honour its palatial nature by wearing… palazzo pants! (For any of you confused by my extremely tenuous link, both "palazzo" and "Palais" mean "palace". Learning is fun!) I bought these trousers a while ago on a whim and am super-chuffed that I finally get to use them in a shoot- they are hilarious and great.

This week's outfit didn't take inspiration from any runway collection particularly, but taps in slightly to the slouchy, pyjama-like tailoring seen at Celine, Chloe and Stella McCartney. Also it carries on the still HUGE trend of white, all white. The great thing about taking colour (almost entirely) out of the mix is that it forces one to be creative with other aspects: cut, style, fabric. The lace of these trousers does a similar thing to the glass of the Grand Palais' roof: It makes them lighter and airier, whilst adding an extra dimension to the outfit as a whole. I wanted to keep the look summery and relaxed – not too plain and neutral, but not too flamboyant either – so I added touches of red with the shoes, earrings, sunglasses and lipstick (oh, and hair obvs) and used no other accessories.

Crop top - ASOS
Trousers - H&M
Shoes - Primark
Earrings - Bijou Brigitte
Sunglasses - H&M

I must say, while I endeavour to wear solely clothes which I like, I felt particularly great in this outfit. Perhaps it was just the sunshine, but I felt more summery and comfortable in my hilarious trousers than I have in many rainy months… though I did notice a few sceptical/disapproving matronly glances at my bare (and very white) belly. Still, at least I didn’t get any from my mother who was this week’s wonderful photographer! Anyway, that's it for now- let's hope this weather keeps up and I wish you all the loveliest of weeks.