Official Visit to Paris, March 2017

Official visit to Paris, 17-18 March 2017

 

17 March 2017 - Meeting with President François Hollande at the Élysée Palace.

Bespoke double-breasted coat with velvet trim by Catherine Walker & Co.; green suede pumps by Emmy London; mock-croc green leather clutch bag by Polish brand Etui Bags; "Siren" wire earrings in green onyx by Monica Vinader; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch (Daily Mail article here).

 17 March 2017 - Attending a reception at the British Embassy in Paris to meet young French leaders from the arts, sports, fashion, business and the voluntary sector and to mark the launch of "Les Voisins" ("The Neighbours"), a year-long celebration of UK-French links.

New dress: black lace sleeveless dress with black leather bow belt by Alexander McQueen; "Eugenia" silver-tone faux pearl and crystal ear cuffs by Balenciaga; new necklace and ring: most likely also by Balenciaga and part of a set matching the earrings; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch; new shoes: ankle strap suede "d'Orsay" pumps by Gianvito Rossi (Daily Mail article here).

 17 March 2017 - Attending a black-tie dinner at the British Ambassador's residence, also known as the Hôtel de Charost.

New gown: floral embellished baby blue evening dress by Jenny Packham (an older season style); "Cabrina" platinum lamé pumps by Oscar de la Renta; "Casa" box clutch, also by Jenny Packham; diamond chandelier earrings and Art Deco diamond bracelet, both on loan from the Queen (Daily Mail article here).

 18 March 2017 - Visiting Les Invalides, to learn about the important historic and current roles of the site, in particular its work supporting veterans undergoing rehabilitation programmes, and to meet survivors and first responders involved in the terrorist attacks at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris as well as in the lorry attack in Nice on Bastille Day 2016. Later, visit to the Musée de d'Orsay to tour the Impressionists Gallery and, following on from the "Les Voisins" reception, attendeding a "Les Voisins in Action" event at the Trocadéro to highlight the strong ties between the young people of France and the United Kingdom.

New coat: bespoke striped cotton tweed waisted frock coat with a box pleated skirt and bracelet sleeves in blue and red by Chanel, based on a design from the S/S 2017 collection; new bag: "Art Nouvelle" calfskin small flap bag  with enamel handle (from the A/W 2015 collection) and new belt: calfskin leather belt, both also by Chanel; Tod's burgundy leather fringe buckle detail pumps; Ballon Blue de Cartier watch; new earrings and necklace: "Trinity de Cartier" earrings with brilliant-cut diamond and "Trinity" necklace (without diamond), both by Cartier (Daily Mail article here).

18 March 2017 - Attending the Wales vs France RBS Six Nations match at the Stade de France.

Red double-breasted coat by Carolina Herrera in double-faced wool/cashmere mix from the fall/winter 2016 collection, first worn in Canada during the September 2016 tour; "Trinity de Cartier" earrings with brilliant-cut diamond; unidentified black turtleneck top/dress; unidentified black suede ankle boots, possibly the same ones first seen in NYC in December 2014; black merino wool "Imogen" gloves by Cornelia James; Chanel "Art Nouvelle" calfskin small flap bag  with enamel handle (Daily Mail article here, see here for more pictures of Kate leaving the Embassy).

Be Ispired by the Style of Marie Antoinette!

Terribly late, but as they say, better late than never! Here's my second post on my Parisian escapade - this time we go back to the "beauty" and "books" part of the blog title, with a look at some gorgeous Marie Antoinette-inspired finds!

 

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette silhouettes in the ticket office of the Palace of Versailles.

  

 

The central courtyard.

 

 

The Hall of Mirrors, one of the most remarkable features of the Palace (photo Wikipedia).

I have always been intrigued by the figure of Marie Antoinette - on my last visit, to learn more I turned to the brilliantly informative, yet highly readable, "Queen of Fashion", by Caroline Weber (available from Amazon), which takes a comprehensive look at the Queen's sometimes ill-fated style choices.

 

 

This time around, I opted out of non-fiction reading materials, and turned to the fab Marie Antoinette trilogy by Juliet Grey:

 

 

 

Full of historical details that will satisfy even the most die-hard history buffs, these three novels (I'm currently in the middle of n. 2) are a pleasure to read and, although fictionalised, allow the reader to learn quite a lot on the transformation of Marie Antoinette from Austrian archduchess to France's powerful and reckless queen.

 

I was also inspired by some new make-up releases in the Dior collection. Following up on the Chérie Bow collection for Spring 2013, the French fashion house this year came up with the truly drool-worthy Trianon collection, inspired, of course, by Marie Antoinette penchant for pastel colours and is reminiscent of the atmospheres at Versailles!

 

A look below at the products available in the collection:

 

 

Via Coco's Tea Party.

 

 

I got myself two of the nail polishes, as seen above - Porcelaine, which is a pale, slightly shimmery baby blue, and Perlé, which in truth is something truly fabulous and which I hope will form part of the permanet Dior make up collection (it will, I believe). On the Dior website, it is described as a frosted effect nail polish (should be used on top of a pale coloured polish for best effect, in my opinion), inspired by the porcelain of the 18th century. It is a matte pale mauve on application, but I find I like it best with a glossy top coat applied on top - in fact, I can hardly stop admiring my nails when I have it on!

 

So, will you too be inspired by the current trend for all things Marie Antoinette?

If so, be sure to take a look at my collage below and see if you can find something that inspires you!

 

 

1. Estée Lauder Paris Macarons Pure Color Nail Polish Collection for Spring 2013 (limited edition, alas, but some of the shades regularly crop up on eBay);
2. Ladurée Marie Antoinette rose infused tea, 8.40 (loose leaf) or £12 (tea bags);
3. "Marie Antoinette" film by Sofia Coppola (available on Amazon);
4. L'Oreal Paris mini nail polish in 202 Marie Antoinette (approx. £4.99);
5. Ladurée Marie Antoinette macarons (the ganache filling is Marie Antoinette tea-flavoured);
6. "Let Them Eat Cake" Marie Antoinette earrings available on MariannaLondon on Etsy (approx. 18.90);
7. Marie Antoinette Paris Pastel Collage Mood Board, from LauraLaurentSalon on Etsy (approx. £12);
8. Marie Antoinette silk scarf, from EmmaKisstina on Etsy (approx. £97).

Hope I have inspired you to unleash your inner style queen!

Now, I'm a bit hungry after all this writing, so I'm off to nibble on a macaron... :)

 



 







Cartier "Style and History" Exhibition in Paris

Today's blog post is about my recent visit to the fabulous Cartier exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, closing tomorrow, 16 February.

 



As soon as I saw the first photos of the jewels on show, I just knew I had to go and visit, and luckily I was able to arrange a mini-break in Paris earlier this month! Of course, one of the first stops during my visit was the exhibition.

 

The interior of the Grand Palais, with images of stunning jewels and precious stones projected on the walls and ceiling.

 

 

The exhibition featured nearly 700 pieces: jewels, watches, clocks, and everyday objects given a luxe makeover, like picture frames, clutch bags, cigarette holders, inkstands and vanity cases, all encrusted with priceless gems.

 



From the Cartier Facebook page, a photo of the stunning Flamingo brooch, made for the Duchess of Windsor in 1940 (have a look at the Duchess's lapel to gain an idea of the sheer size of this piece!).

 

 

Another piece from the Duchess of Windsor's collection: a bib necklace of amethyst, turquoise and diamond set in yellow gold (1947).

 

 

A selection of early-20th century diamond and sapphire sparklers: from top to bottom, a pendant, brooch-pendant and a large stomacher brooch.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth of the Belgian's diamond diadem, created by Cartier in 1910 (more info on this particular piece can be found in this post).

 

 

One of the tiara display cases - one word: wow!

 

 

The official poster for the exhibition, featuring a 1914 diamond, onyx and pearl tiara in a stylized kokoshnik shape (via the Cartier Facebook page, as above).

 

 

Ceremonial necklace and choker commissioned in 1925 by Sir Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala. The diamonds in the necklace alone weigh a whooping 1000 carats.

 

 

A brooch made in 1923 for American heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, incorporating seven 18th-century carved Mogul emeralds.

 

 

Marjorie Merriweather Post wearing her emerald brooch in a 1929 portrait by Giulio de Blaas (via Jewels Du Jour).

 

 

Pearl, diamond and ruby necklace (can be broken down into a bracelet and a shorter necklace), 1930.

 

 

Flower brooch belonging to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, featuring the Williamson diamond, the finest pink diamond ever discovered (and, at 23.60 carats, one of the largest).

 

 

The Queen wearing the brooch (via the Daily Mail).

 

One of the highlights of the exhibition (for me, at least!) was the presence of another stunning piece on loan from the Queen - something in itself very unusual - the delicate, understated Halo tiara, of royal wedding fame!

 

 

 

Via People.

 

 

Me and that tiara - definitely one of the highlights of the trip! :)

 

Then, after a good three hours spent at the exhibition, I emerged starry-eyed but in need of refreshments, and what better place to indulge my sweet tooth than Ladurée on the Champs-Elysées?

 

 

 

The exhibition catalogue and other exhibition-related merchandise are available to buy from the Grand Palais online shop here.

 



 

This is a wonderfully informative video from the Cartier official YouTube channel about the exhibition (more options and shorters videos available here).

 

All photos my own except where otherwise stated.

 

See you in a few days with another post on my Parisian ramblings! Au revoir!