Van Clef & Arpels

Mardi 22 Janvier Van Clef and Arpels

The exhibit of Van Clef and Arpels-La art de la haute joaillerie at musee Les Arts Decoratif could not be more spectacular

The displays are inventive and entrancing if you're into diamonds and who isn't?

Believe of not while drawing the sketch for this post over French radio came Marilyn singing "Diamonds are a girl's best friend"!

400 prestigious pieces are on display dating back to Van Cleef's beginnings up to present day creations.

I loved this quote from Jacques Arpels,

'To be lucky, you have to believe in luck'.

In the West, happiness can be symbolized by a unicorn, a ladybug, a lucky star, a four leaf clover, a swallow and even a horseshoe. In Asia, happiness symbols can include a carp, a lotus-flower,a dragon and a star tortoise. Many of these symbols became VCA's iconic jewelry.

Liz wore her lucky daisy necklace to the Oscars and it brought her even more luck...

Almost as captivating as the sumptuous jewels on display were the fabulous ad campaigns for the brand over the years shown in the show catalog...

Too, too divine no?

'I've got the world on a string of pearls...wrapped around my finger...'

Too French this glamour puss being escorted round place Vendôme in front of Van Cleefs vitrine at #24.

Yet this young French girl on the Metro yesterday has the same 'je ne sait quoi' non?

The DOG COLLAR OF THE DAY - just what every girl needs French or otherwise non?

The VCA exhibit is on at Les Arts Decoratif until 10 Feb

Don't miss it!

Maison et Objet 2013

Vendredi 18 Janvier 2013 Maison et Objet

My first visit to Maison et Objet and I was thrilled to bits. Just don't take the RER B and get off at Villepinte instead of the next stop Villepinte Exposition Parc especially when it's freezing cold.

I'll focus just on the stripes for this post of which there were MANY. These are from Toiles du Soleil in the Pyrenees.

Navy stripped bedding for a mini marinere.

Ahh...Sonia

And Versace striped table settings if you lean more towards Italia...

More from Les Toiles du Soleil

I admired/coveted this woman's stripey cabas and she admired my little Sonia stripey bag...

Quilted stripes plus roses from Harmony in Provence - loverly.

A stripey wall of baguettes = edible!

Vertical stripes also edible if you have a very long forchette

Stripes of champagne glasses at the elegant Fauchon concession at Maison et Objet.

Coming home after M et O, diagonal stripes of snow flakes falling and melting on contact. Not so today though...

Bonne Journee!

Sheep May Not Safely Graze

Sheep may not safely graze during Easter/Pâques.

They are likely to end up on your dinner plate.

There isthe option of becoming a chocolate sheep, if you're shopping at Dehillerin and buy this yellow mold.

BCBG had sheep grazing in their windows on rue Saint Honore.

This black sheep found a safe refuge at the Art-Paris show. 
Plenty of sheep are seeking sanctuary at the new François Lalanne show at Les Arts decoratifs... The noise is deafening.
But as long as you keep them outside your chateau, it's bearable.

Inside, they do best on the floor...
Hippos, blue or not, can graze all they want without fear or fuss.

As can cat-bird-fish-cows...

A non-grazing horse-lamp was not in the show but standing in an alcove on rue Tronchet...

At Les Arts Decoratifs, you could almost spend as much time in the bookstore browsing as in the museum in my opinion...

A dog onboard-a-Lalanne-sheep postcard...
Here's a little gentle music for those sheep...