Paris Frocks - 1930

A reader has requested more posts about garments from the 1930s and 40s.  Today, a look at daytime dresses and suits from Parisian designers in the spring of 1930.  You can see in these examples that the dropped waist of the 20s is moving back to the natural waistline of the 30s. Are you as much in love as I am with these?

Jean Patou blue and white tweed tissue wool suit with a linen and lace blouse.  Can you see the bracelet handle on the purse?
 

Elsa Schiaparelli wears a dress of her own design in black silk crepe backed satin.  The front skirt drape was new and "of the moment".

Two polka dotted silk crepe de chine daytime dresses by J. Suzanne Talbot.

Cecile Welly wool tweed suit accented with a black fur collar.  Puppy dog not included.

Lousieboulanger silk crepe de chine afternoon dress.

DAILYINSPIRATION243

Iedvesmotājs: all the pretty birds & Mr.Newton

Paris Christmas Decorations

One of the most charming parts of visiting Paris in December was seeing various stores and cafes decorated for Christmas. Christmas in Paris is much more understated and tasteful than it is here in the U.S. You won't see giant blow-up Santas or snowmen, you won't hear annoying Christmas music, and you won't see garish flashing lights. You will see lots of natural elements like pine cones, cinnamon sticks, and grapevines. Real pine trees are often simply decorated with a few glass balls. Click on the pictures to see a larger view!

Many cafes are decorated above the awnings so as not to take away valuable table space on the sidewalk.

This cafe intermingled Christmas trees with the regular plants above the awning.

Trunks from birch trees help keep these trees in place and add that natural element that the Parisians like.

Twining grapevines are decorated with red sticks and glass balls in pinks and purples.

Three real trees sit atop curly sticks and gold and silver glass balls hang from ribbons.

I saw lots of trees decorated with flocking in various colors of the rainbow: White, red, purple, blue, and even bright green. The flocked trees would be adorned simply with glass balls in a contrasting color.

Red flocked trees with gold glass balls.

A tiny white flocked tree with blue glass balls adorns the window of a pharmacy.

Many stores and cafes had a single small decoration. Here a simple pine swag is decorated with real cotton bolls and red berries.

I would imagine that these white trees remain up year round. For Christmas, glass balls were added in an unexpected black.

I loved these two kooky Christmas trees that stuck out horizontally above a very narrow sidewalk in Montmartre.

Haven in Paris

The view from our apartment in Paris.

My husband and I sleep on different schedules. While I'm an early-to-bed early-to-rise type of gal, he prefers to stay up late. This has always been a challenge when we're away from home staying in a small hotel room. This past year, we've had two outstanding vacation experiences. For both of them, we chose an alternative to a hotel. While in Florida, we rented a small cottage and in Paris, we stayed in a fabulous apartment offered by Haven in Paris.

Haven in Paris offers a wide range of apartment choices in various neighborhoods throughout Paris, from studios to a 5-bedroom penthouse that can sleep up to 10 people. We stayed in the 1-bedroom Houdon apartment in Montmartre and it far exceeded our expectations. Large and spacious, it features a living/dining room, a comfortable bedroom with luxury linens, and a completely modernized kitchen and bathroom. Every window offered a marvelous view of the neighborhood, and the balcony was simply charming.

No, there is no maid, nor is there room service, but who cares? We were able to shop at the local grocery and cook our own breakfasts and dinners which saved us a huge amount of money. We were able to do laundry, which allowed us to pack lightly and go with carry-on luggage. We were able to stretch out and relax for hours without feeling cramped and claustrophobic in a small hotel room. And we weren't disturbed by loud people in the halls or on the other side of a thin wall. The cost of renting an apartment through Haven in Paris is lower per night than you would pay in most nice hotels and, in my opinion, the experience is far superior.

Best of all, the apartment truly felt like a home away from home, like we were living in Paris and not just visiting. We will definitely use Haven in Paris again for our next trip to France. Thank you, Erica!

Full disclosure: A portion of our stay at the apartment was a gift from a dear friend. I have not received any compensation from Haven in Paris for this post.

We'll Always Have Paris

Notre-Dame Cathedral

When my husband and I were first offered the opportunity to go to Paris in December, we almost turned it down. Paris is a city I've always wanted to visit, but I hadn't imagined going in winter. With the urging of friends and family, ("Are you crazy? You have to go!") we quickly changed our minds and our schedules and we were on our way.

The Louvre

I did a lot of reading and planning in the month before we left and had a list of "must see" sites that included the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, the D'Orsay and Pompidou museums, Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle cathedrals, and the window shopping on the Avenue Montaigne that I showed you last week.

One of the windows of Sainte-Chapelle

The lower chapel of Sainte-Chapelle

We arrived in Paris early one morning while it was still dark after flying overnight. After a short nap, we were ready for adventure and Paris delivered a new one every day. Each morning upon waking, I would check the weather, grab my pile of tour books and maps and crawl back under the covers to plan a framework for the day. We would see one or two of the sites from our list, but then we would also explore and wander off the beaten path and away from the tourists. This is how we found our two favorite restaurants, Chez Pommette on rue Lepic and Le Square Trousseau on rue Antoine Vollon and how we found the incredible chocolatier John-Charles Rochoux whose tiny square truffles are pure decadance.

This is also how we were able to find charming streets, alleys, and squares that make Paris....well, Paris. Each time we turned a corner, we were met with another enchanting view to make us smile with wonder and glee.

La Tour Eiffel from Trocadero

And the grandeur of Paris' various monuments exceeded our expectations. Our vocabularies were filled with the words, "Wow!", "Look at that!" and "Oh my!" at each turn.

Arc de Triomphe

Golden horses at Pont Alexandre III

The gargoyles of Notre-Dame

We traveled the city on foot and via the Metro, which is the finest subway system I've ever used. We never waited more than 2-3 minutes for a Metro train, no matter the day, the time, or the station, and there was always a station within a few minutes walk of wherever we were when we decided to end our explorations for the day.

A charming café in Montmartre

At the end of our stay, we agreed that our trip to Paris was one of the best vacations we've ever had. Our memories of our first visit to Paris will last us a lifetime. As Rick said to Ilsa, "We'll always have Paris."

Window Shopping on Avenue Montaigne and Avenue George V, Paris

Let's continue our window shopping stroll down the Avenue Montaigne in Paris, shall we? Click on the pictures for a larger view!

Roberto Cavalli window

Escada window

Nina Ricci window

Valentino window

Around the corner we go to Avenue George V, where Balenciaga's original couture house is located. The store is very understated and has no fancy window displays.

And there is just one of each garment on the rack.

Across the street is Yves St. Laurent, but it appears that this location is closed. The only Yves St. Laurent stores listed in Paris now are on Rue de Fauborg St. Honore and at Place St. Sulpice.

Our shopping tour ended there, but we continued our walk up to the Champs Elysees, which has turned into a shopping street that caters to tourists. There I saw the relatively new and huge Louis Vuitton flagship store. By the way, the only people who carry Louis Vuitton bags in Paris are tourists. Parisian women wouldn't be caught dead carrying anything with a logo.

Paris, Day 2

I have so many of you asking for pictures of Paris, so here you go! Today it was cold and snowy here, but most of the major museums are closed on Tuesday. I knew the D'Orsay would be crowded, so instead we walked the streets of Montmartre. It's so beautiful here!

See the windmill at the top of the hill? It's one of only 2 original windmills that remain in Paris.

But now for the good stuff. Here's a vintage Leonard of Paris dress in a very expensive shop window.

And I found this vintage/thrift store today right near where we're staying. I'll be sure to check it out before we leave.

A peek in the door of Caverne a Fripes Vintage.

I'll try to post more for you tomorrow! Au revoir from Paris!