so sorry...

i have a very large project that i am working on for work this week so posts may be slim. i'm so sorry about the lack of anything but my mind is somewhere else. i will be back next week with more. thank you for reading and i'll miss you!

i'm finally watching...

i cannot believe i haven't seen this yet. what kind of chanel fan am i? well, as stated in my previous post, i haven't had a lot of time to get to the theatre. but i have the dvd in my hot little hand and i'm putting it in right...

latin love

i know this blog is usually geared towards all things frenchy but every once in a while, i need to get back to my latin roots and so i wanted to tell you about my love of pedro almodovar and his amazing films. and besides, his movie posters fit in my color scheme so that's perfect!

next week i'm going to see his newest film, "broken embraces". have you seen it yet? i know, i know, it's been out for several months now but i just don't have as much time to get out to see movies any more. which is sad because one of my all time favorite things is going to see great movies.

back in the day, i would be at the guild in albuquerque or at cinema 21 here in portland on opening night of his films. and then a few years ago, there was a tour of all his greatest films and i went to see as many as i could. oh how much i love him. here are my favorites.


"volver" with my favorite movie poster.


gael garcia bernal and "bad education", need i say more. i still think this is my favorite of his films because of the way he was able to tie these three separate stories together so smoothly.


"all about my mother" was so intense with the pain this woman was going through.


"women on the verge of a nervous breakdown". how many people tried gazpacho because of this film?


"tie me up tie me down" introduced us to a handsome man named antonio banderas.

and I can't forget to mention talk to her, another great film.

which one is your favorite?

i'm listening to...

so in celebration of her great new ad, i'm listening to 5.55, one of my favorite albums that i go back to again and again.

it girl charlottte

speaking of great ad campaigns, last night when i was reading my latest issue of elle i came across the newest balenciaga perfume ad with one of my favorite it girls i've mentioned before, charlotte gainsbourg.



oh why couldn't i have been born a birkin/gainsbourg? i really think we would get along great!

louise bourgeois

last september when i was in new york, i discovered an artist that i had never heard of, louise bourgeois.


i walked up to the guggenheim and was happily surprised by their exhibit of her work.


apparently, she's nick-named spider woman.


this is her exhibit, maman, in the guggenheim.


she also does these incredible vignettes of which they had several installed at this show.


you don't see her paintings as often but i really liked her work--a cross between frida kahlo and georgia o'keefe.

she made her start with her family in france who repaired tapestries. she would draw the pieces of the tapestries that were missing. she later became a student of cubism and moved to new york with her husband in 1938.

bourgeois is now 98 years old and still keeps her studio in chelsea.

i'm listening to...

one of my favorite french singers, coralie clement. you don't often hear of her but she is beautiful and amazing and i love her.

i'm home trying to be productive and putting away the laundry but i'd much rather be watching some obscure french film...maybe later!

oh coco

well, i don't think i need to tell you how much i love chanel, i'm sure you've already figured that out by now. and although i'm not quite in the income bracket that allows me to dress in chanel, i still manage to wear it everyday. their lipstick, that is.

i mean, most any girl can afford some chanel lipstick!


i always love their ad campaigns including the new one with vanessa paradis as their new spokes model for coco rouge lipstick.

she's another french girl with great style.


did you see the movie girl on the bridge? if you haven't, i highly recommend it. paradis plays the muse to a knife thrower who jumps off the bridge to save her after she tries to take her life.

it's a beautiful film and she does an amazing job in it.


i swear she has not aged a day since i first discovered her in 1993 when she was working with lenny kravitz.


i love her cat-like features.


and she always dresses in her own funky style. maybe she learned from the funkiest dresser of all, her husband.

pretty pretty

here are some pretty photos to get you through this long weekend in a valentine inspired palette. hope you have a great long weekend.


marie claire

fete a fete

marie claire

zazou

nicholas murray

martha stewart

happy valentine's my sweets!

i hope you all have a wonderful valentine's weekend. here's a little something sweet for you all.

light it up

i love the simple beauty of decorating with tealights. something about the reflection of the white light off of the little silver tins.

in the winter time, when i have guests over, i open all of my curtains and line up clear votives in the widow sills. it creates such a warm glow in the house. and yes, i'm one of those people who gather up bags of them at ikea

here are a few romantic shots of tea lights in honor of valentines day. come on baby, light my fires!


alesadam


wallpapers4ever


avax home


wallpapers4ever


candle connection

i'm listening to...

portland's own pink martini.

hey eugene is my favorite song on this album. i mean, what girl hasn't been in this situation? and china got to write a song about it!

if you ever have the opportunity to see pink martini, do it. they are amazing live!

let them eat cake

with st. valentine's day upon us, i thought it would be fun to see what the red, white and black wedding cakes may look like for those adventurous people getting married on this day.

it seems cherry blossoms are popular with this theme!


i love the cupcakes with the little hearts from le cupcake.


the first of the cherry blossoms and rhinestones from cake central.


black squiggles and red roses from the twisted sifter.


more cherry blossoms and rhinestones from ?.


rose petals and ribbons from charlotte geary.


cherry blossoms sans rhinestones (my preference) from elegant cakes az.


and my most favorite, cherry blossoms and cupcakes from le cupcake.

which one is more your style?

i heart this

New pillow, originally uploaded by simplygrove.

i found this great shot on flickr today where i am participating in an interior styling group with decor8.

don't you just love this great leather sofa and heart pillow?

i'm listening to...

it's monday night and i'm feeling pretty productive this evening. i've rearranged the dining room and now i'm cleaning the kitchen. my sweet critters are here with me and snoozing.


monsieur gainsbourg is keeping me upbeat and motivated. i love the marianne faithfull version of lola rastaquouere.

UHB

uhb or urban haute bourgeoisie was the term coined in the 1990 film, metropolitan to describe a "new" social class. this film was a typical stillman film where the young wealthy upper class characters sit around discussing (in their rather uptight ivy league wardrobes) their plight in life of being coined "preppy". to solve the problem of what to call their class, they come up with the term "urban haute bourgeoisie".

and while this term and film did make me chuckle, i would consider urban haute bourgeoisie something more like this, the line from haute bourgeoisie.


wouldn't you rather sit around in this combination of sexy victorian corset and blouse while eating macarons and sipping champagne with the girls?


or wearing the feather hat and classic white dress to a performance at the phoenix opera house in venice.


or this perfect abstract blouse to wear to your struggling artist boyfriend's opening in chelsea.

what makes you think of haute bourgeoisie?

images courtesy of rdujour

fashion friday

so yes, i realize i am not a fashion blog. there are already so many amazing ones out there that i could never compete with. i mean there is this girl, and this one, and this guy and these two fabulous girls. and i'll leave it to the professionals. however, when i saw these two lovelies at work today i harrassed them until they gave in to let me post their pictures. i just love both of their quintessential french outfits today. oh the days of khakis and columbia jackets are over here in portland, thank god!


jessica
home merchandise manager and designer
vintage dress
tory burch shoes
vintage bangles
chanel earrings





cynthia
home catalog merchandiser and buyer
theory tunic
italian boots
hermes scarf
swallow crystal locket necklace




thanks girls for putting up with me today, and happy friday everyone!