Autumn Sunshine

What a glorious day to welcome in the new season! The sky is so blue and the sunshine so golden, why cavil at the end of summer? The trees are so pretty at this time of year, their golden leaves dance in the wind. Easter is around the corner, and there are still warm days ahead. Yet I am looking forward the chill of the wind on my cheeks, because out will come lovely woollen jackets and scarves, pretty coloured gloves and three-quarter boots. Autumn’s layered fashion is so much more fun than skimpy summer’s.

I found this cute little fringed poncho on Etsy last year; it’s vintage 50s, and is made from cream coloured wool, embroidered all over in rust red. How adorable is it? I’m looking forward to skipping through the autumn leaves in it.

Happy autumn!

I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.
— Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

A Windmill in the Haul

I got a good haul for my birthday this year, lucky me.

My parents gave me some ceramic (or they could be plaster) coasters that I really like. I was very happy to toss out my worn old ones. When I opened their birthday card, some cash fell out too. Bonus! It was burning a hole in my wallet, so I thought I’d better get rid of it quickly.

I happened to be visiting Craft Victoria, and browsing the gift shop whilst I waited for my friend Rapunzel to arrive. I spotted this adorable little hand-painted wooden brooch cut in the shape of a pinwheel, and made from locally-sourced wood by So Little Time. I knew it would be eye-catching pinned to my smoke-blue silk blouse, and decided that my birthday money would go towards purchasing this little cutie-pie. Thanks mum and dad, kisses!

Check out So Little Time on Etsy. So cute!

Chic clichés

I thought since we’re on the subject of French style, we should celebrate some quintessential items of French chic.

Stripes and berets are instantly associated with the French. In combination, a striped t-shirt and the classic floppy beret make a graphic statement, appealing and nostalgic.

Cute in pictures perhaps, but a little too cutesy to wear in the street? I am certain a Frenchwoman would never do so. The solution: split them apart, and they become quintessential items for every woman’s wardrobe. Which is fortuitous as stripes are back for spring…

It was Coco Chanel who first made Breton tops chic, pairing them with wide-leg pants…

A little history…

See, Coco’s not wearing a beret with her stripes…Any striped t-shirt will work, but to be truly authentic it should be a Breton stripe. These are traditionally associated with French fisherman—hence the classic nautical look—and date back to the 1800s. In March 1858, they officially became part of the navy seaman’s uniform: the block stripes of the shirt made him easier to spot if a sailor fell overboard.

It was Coco Chanel who first made Breton tops chic, pairing them with wide-leg pants, and wearing them on the Riviera. European and American socialites followed suit, and the striped top is still a classic today.

The beret is of course a timeless hat, and like the fedora, it often appears in the wardrobes of women who will wear few other hats. It was once considered the national cap of France in Anglo-Saxon countries, and forms part of many military uniforms.

The beret also goes hand in hand with the popular stereotype of arty types: intellectuals and artists; bohemians and beatniks… a cool notion to keep your head warm in winter.

Audrey sports a white beret. Click on the image for more, much more on berets at Dolly Rocker Girl!

The Parisienne

A young girl sitting on her bed, seen through her open window, Willy Ronis, 1946‘My own Frenchie’, Lulue, gave me a wonderful book for my birthday called Parisiennes – A celebration of French Women, published by Flammarion. It is full of beautiful images of Parisian women going about their daily life, with chapters titled ‘Love’, ‘Motherhood’, ‘Appetite’, ‘Work and Play’, ‘Out and About’, ‘Rebellion’, ‘Elegance’ and ‘Flirtation’. Each section is opened with an essay by a notable Frenchwoman: journalists, writers, editors and a film actress.

These images from the last century are endlessly fascinating to me. I always love pouring over black and white photography books, particularly when the subject is of a societal nature, and here there are pictures of women of all ages, from all walks of life.

“No one looks more natural than the Parisienne. For her, elegance is simple.” – Carole Bouquet

Elegant woman at Longchamp, Anonymous, 1947So much mystique surrounds the Frenchwoman still today as ever before. Carole Bouquet in her essay on elegance says:

All cities have their own sense of style but the elegance of the Parisienne is recognised the world over. This elegance, seemingly effortless, is nonetheless something of a paradox.

No one looks more natural than the Parisienne. For her, elegance is simple. She moves and walks with feline grace, nonchalant. She seems to take her own appearance for granted. It doesn’t preoccupy her; it’s just right for the person she is…

Well, I don’t think the Frenchwoman has truly cornered the market on elegance, although perhaps she is the most practised – because she in fact does care about what appearance she presents to her world. But I should not dare to go so far as to say it is her raison d’etre… Lulue might kick me.

Scroll down to see more images – I couldn’t decide which were my favourite, there were so many.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Édouard Boubat, 1951

Women strolling in the rain, Anonymous, 1934

Just in Time for Autumn

Aren’t these little umbrellas from Melbourne store Sine Qua Non* just the cutest? Their handles are carved wood, and you can choose from a bear, an owl, a rabbit, a duck or a platypus. Not to mention their frilly skirts. I can’t decide.

* An essential condition, a thing that is absolutely necessary. From the Latin, literally ‘without which not’