Bardot's Vichy Ballerinas watercolor
Today is Fashion Night Out 2011.
If you're a little bit mad about fashion/Paris/celebs you can't go wrong.
Vicky Tiel and I both went to Parsons School of Design. Miss Keagy, head of the fashion dept., kindly suggested I become a librarian.
I replied, "It's either the river or 7th Avenue!"
Vicky was also dissuaded from a fashion career for different reasons - her designs were super short, super sheer and very naughty. Vicky went off to Paris with fellow classmate Mia Fonssagrives and they shook that town up, whilst I went off to 7th Ave...wish I'd followed suit.
The overnight success of Vicky and Mia made them international fashion celebrities.
And they got to dress super hot celebrities in their first movie, "What's New Pussycat" and many others. 
Francoise Hardy, Ursula Andress, Paula Prentice, Woody Allen, Peter Sellers etc. YIKES! Vicky's book is full of fun vignettes of all their Parisien adventures. 
On top of it Mia got involved and married Louis Feraud (they did do designs for his show and modeled them on the runway to boot) who had designed Bridget Bardot's famous 'Vichy' pink checked wedding dress among other glories (gotta read the book to find out more). 
Did I mention Vicky's book is full of sketches like this Paris map near her shop on 21, rue Bonaparte.
Isn't it funny that I doodled one house down from her shop?
Vicky's building formerly was the grand residence and shop of superb interior designer, Madame Madeleine Castaing.
Did I mention Vicky got involved and married Ron Berkeley, Liz Taylor's personal makeup artist, so Liz and Vicky became bosom buddies for N-teen years and Vicky designed Liz' famous caftan bla ba bla.
Vicky's book is loaded with all kinds of 'rules' from everyone who was anyone plus their recipes (none for the dreaded macaron thank gawd). Plus lots of dirt on everyone in Paris and Hollywood and and and.
Oh just READ IT!
BONJOUR VICKI
Disclosure: Vicky sent me her book..
It's a perfect opp to tell you about Vicky Tiel's It's All About The Dress!
SHUT UP! It is amazing how the life connections we make can weave into such relationships! Fabulous post!!
ReplyDeleteLooks ADOREABLE & FUN!
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Annie
Just love this blog and today's is magic , happy you did not become a librarian, and you did finally make it to Paris, I am thinking of trying Liz Taylor's breakfast , can't imagine she really had much lunch or dinner...
ReplyDeleteI am still smiling from reading it all and feeling nostalgic for the good old days. Judith
Very girlie!
ReplyDeleteMerci, Carol!!
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite perfume! I spritz it on every day now.
Just makes me feel a teensy bit French! Even if I don't dress like a well-groomed Frenchie most of the time. (I am wearing a pink scarf bought on my last expedition however!) Keep painting my dreams!
My warmest thank you to Vicki for sending you the book and to you for writing so delightfully about it that I have to go and order it right now from that Big Book Store in the Sky!
ReplyDeleteYou really outdid yourself again. I am floored by your skill and wit.
OOOO another fun book. I just finished a good one I need another. I used to make all my clothes once upon a time and LOVED Butterick patterns. Your past unfolds little by little. How fun to have gone to design school. If you hadnt started ParisBreakfasts tho I am not sure I would be doing a blog and having fun with it as you were the inspiration. So you enrich our lives in other ways then what might have been. Love the painting too.
ReplyDeleteMille Baisers!
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for the sweet story on Parsons
There are too many books to buy! Egads!
ReplyDeleteOh goodness - it's not what you know but WHO you know. And you know the best!
ReplyDeleteI love dresses, this post and that lovely watercolor! Bravo.
ReplyDeleteGo to Pairs! Go directly to Paris! When you pass Go, buy every macaron in sight! You MUST get over your mac aversion!!!! No better way than complete submersion! I never thought I'd see that day that you wrote of "the dreaded macaron"!!!??!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Carol.
ReplyDeleteI love your paintings and the sketches from the book. (The book looks like a "must have.")
"The river or Seventh Ave :)"
Oh la la - sounds like another must-read for us hopeless Francophiles! (Carol, I didn't know you went to Parsons!)
ReplyDeleteYou HAd to go to Parsons if you wanted do fashion design - well that's what I thought back then.
ReplyDeleteIt was ust ONE of the several hundred schools I attended...ahem
Parsons
SVA
U of P
Penna Academy of Fine Art
Boston U
etc..etc.
LOVE this painting with the perfume and ballerina shoes, Carol--just absolutely charmante. And Vicky sounds like she was fabulous. What a sense of adventure. You both did amazing things with your lives! Great post!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post, Carol - even if it's not about a macaron book! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat celebs, great sketches and what adventures! Sounds like a fabulous book with lots of interesting name-dropping.
Oohh, looks delish! On my list now. :D xoxo
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