Week 28: Eiffel Tower - Au Revoir and New Blog!

Hi all! It's been a while hasn't it! Apologies for my absence and silence - It's because I've been working really hard! Honest! 

Anyway, with my return to the UK came the end of this wonderful piece of blog but fear not! All you insatiable Fran followers (ha...) can find me once more a-blogging HERE. 

However, as an end to this lovely project and a (hopefully temporary) goodbye to you all, here are some pictures from my last day in Paris - at the Eiffel Tower.

Delightful Boyfriend and I having lunch at the top of the Eiffel Tower

Dress - H&M
Shoes - New Look
Necklace - Zara
Sunglasses - Marks&Spencer
Bag - Cath Kidson

Come find me at www.dressingupinlondon.blogspot.co.uk! Don't be a stranger!

Dressing Up On Holiday: Versailles

Greetings bloglets – sincerest apologies for my lengthy absence! I have now officially left La France and am back in Blighty for good (or for bad – you decide!) I said goodbye to Paris in a rather special way that I plan on sharing with you all in due course, but first I thought I’d do my second “Dressing up on Holiday (in France)” post.

As you may recall, I escaped the city a couple of weeks ago to go join my family for a mini-holiday near Paris. On my last day with them we visited one of the most splendid places ever to be produced by this (or rather, that) glorious country: the Palace of Versailles.

The town of Versailles acts as a wealthy suburb of Paris, about 20 km from the capital. The palace there was the centre of power from 1682 until the French Revolution in 1789 and is seen as the ultimate symbol of the ancien regime and the French absolute monarchy. The building itself began life as a hunting lodge for Louis III, but was expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world by Louis XIV. This was where the royal family and court lived until 1789 when they were moved to the Palais de Tuileries (which no longer exists) in Paris.

After this, all of the furniture from Versailles was sold (I know, it breaks my heart too!) and the palace itself only survived because the Convention decided to keep it for the “public good”. The building then became a museum for all of the artworks the Revolutionaries had taken from princely homes and churches.

In its heyday, however, courtiers were forever vying for rooms in the palace for themselves and their families. Indeed, some historians have said it was more like a giant apartment block than a palace, perhaps even a hotel – since keys to each room had to be left when the lodging was vacated. Not a very good hotel though- they didn't even have toilets until 1768! The glitz and glamour of the 18^th century, eh?

One of the most famous rooms in the palace – and perhaps in the world – is the Hall of Mirrors, construction on which was started in 1678. In a century where mirrors were extortionately expensive, this room acted as an indisputable reflection (heh) of the grandeur and magnificence of the Sun King’s reign. It was in this room that Louis XV met Madame de Pompadour – at a masked ball celebrating his son’s marriage. She was dressed as the hunting goddess Diana, he was dressed as a Yew Tree. Not an option that ever occurred to me at Halloween but one I will very much consider this year. Even I would dress like a tree if I could meet Mme de P – quelle babe.

One of the other two palaces on the grounds at Versailles – the Petit Trianon – was built for Madame de Pompadour, though sadly she died before it was finished. Instead it became the safe pseudo-rural haven of Marie-Antoinette who would come to escape the pressures of court or to play in the fake hamlet she had built nearby. The Grand Trianon (the second Palace on the grounds) provided another escape from court, this time for Louis XIV and his mistress. Parts of it were also used in the promotional video for Dior’s latest campaign. 

For this shoot, I took inspiration from Chanel’s 2013 Resortcollection – which was also Versailles-inspired.  I stuck to a similar colour scheme of red, white and purple and used my beloved net petticoat to form faux panniers (or, at least, I tried to). I went with BIG jewellery and trainers to give it a bit of an edge – though obviously, Chanel’s gold flatforms would have been better...

Dress - H+M
Petticoat - Lindy Bop
Fake Vans - New Look
Necklace and Earrings - H+M
Sunglasses - H+M

As a tourist attraction, Versailles is stunning and, once you’ve gotten in, really rather well-maintained. But therein lies the rub... When we arrived, the first thing we saw was almost enough to put us off completely: the entire front courtyard was full of a HUGE snaking queue which some were saying they’d been standing in for upwards of two hours. Super. In fact, this was just the queue to get in, after you’d gone through the whole queue for tickets! SO – advice: 1) palace is closed on Monday, we went on a Tuesday and it was extra-busy – go later in the week; 2) book tickets in advance to avoid at least one queue; 3) get there early. Like, EARLY early. We arrived at about 11 and the queues were already insane. Otherwise, would highly recommend this gem. See you soon!

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.