Fog and Fancy

- This week the new Noah Baumbach-directed film, Frances Ha, came out in the States. It won't reach France until July, but I've been enjoying the interviews and reviews nevertheless. I actually wasn't crazy about his last film, Greenberg, but this looks promising. And besides, it doesn't take much to convince me to watch something starring Greta Gerwig. 

- It's Peony season! I haven't brought home any yet since I've got some Ranunculas on the kitchen table with some life left in them, but I've been admiring the bundles of Peonies every time I walk past the flower shops. 

- I'm a bit textile crazy at the moment. I'm just absolutely smitten with anything that involves fiber arts and I've been finding loads of inspiration on Tumblr and Pinterest. The two above come from Laura Morales and Hermine Van Dijck. 

Turban DIY + Giveaway

Thought I'd share this tutorial for the Cult Gaia-inspired "turband" I sewed up yesterday. I repurposed a secondhand dress I bought a few months ago, which gave me enough fabric to make two of these little beauties! This is one of those perfect DIY projects that takes very little time but looks really nice and I'll definitely be wearing it over and over again. 

For this project you need:

Lightweight fabric - 85 cm x 20 cm (you can adjust the size according to your preferences) 

Wire - I used 8mm thick wire 

Scissors

Wire Cutters

Needles

Thread - in coordinating color

Tape 

Cut your fabric into an 85 x 20 cm rectangle and fold so that the top and bottom edges meet. Next, trim each end of the fabric at an upward angle. 

Turn your fabric inside out, so that the wrong side of the fabric (the side that doesn't have a pattern) is facing you and (by sewing machine or by hand) sew the edges together, leaving a 1 inch opening on one of the points. Now, bring your fabric through the opening so that the pattern is visible again. 

Cut 170 cm of wire, join the ends and twist them together (securing it with a little tape) to make a circle. Now, flatten your circle and insert the wire into your turban through the opening. Grab your needles and thread and sew the opening shut. 

Et voila! You've made a turband. Wrap that sucker around your head and wear it with pride! I styled mine first with the ends pointing up, then switched to make a little rossette at the front (as pictured below). 

If you're still with me, all the way down here: now comes the good stuff! I had enough fabric to make a turband for you, too! To enter the giveaway, you have to do two things:

 1. Subscribe to my blog via Bloglovin.

2. Comment below with your e-mail address. 

I'll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, May 22. 

Rapsodia Summer 13 Lookbook

I'm just going to start this post with an apology because these items are not available in the U.S. or Europe. I'm head over heels in love with Argentinian brand Rapsodia. They're quite similar to Free People in their free-and-easy boho aesthetic, with beautiful embroideries and bright prints. 

Moving to Paris meant taking a drastic pay cut and living in much smaller quarters so I tend to be a lot more thoughtful now about the purchases I make. Lately I've been leaning more toward classic shapes and versatile colors in the clothing that I wear (the French are famous for loving black, but who knew about their affair with navy blue?!) so I can wear the same pieces over and over again. Still, I'm such a sucker for pieces like these from Rapsodia- beautifully tailored, inviting, and casually cool! 

Here's a video the company released for their Summer 2013 lookbook. What do you think? 

Cult Gaia

It was love at first sight when I spotted these "turbands" by Cult Gaia. They're a fun nod to the turbans of the 50's and also an easy way to look dolled up when, in reality, you haven't washed your hair in five days (or is it just me?). I especially appreciate anything that will keep all of this hair out of my face since I'm still in the seemingly never-ending process of growing out my bangs. These come in all kinds of fabrics and can be styled multiple ways, ranging in price from $47-150. The cotton ones are affordable but I think when I have a few days off next week I'm going to try recreating these at home.

The Enchanted World of Jacques Demy

Yesterday we decided to hop on over to the 12th arrondissement to see the Jacques Demy exhibition, Le Monde Enchanté de Jacques Demy, at La Cinémathèque française. Demy is one of France's most celebrated directors but I had somehow managed not to see any of his films until well after I moved here. I've still only watched a small handful of his movies (Peau D'Âne, Model Shop, Lola, and Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) but I thoroughly enjoyed each of them and was happy to learn more about Demy, his inspirations, and life behind the camera.

This exhibition is wonderfully nostalgic for those who grew up with Demy's films, but I also think it's excellent for anyone interested in French culture. There was a wealth of information on his colorful life and career (especially emphasizing how much Demy's personal life influenced his career), including mentions of some of his famous French friends: François Truffaut, Michel LeGrand, and Catherine Deneuve. I didn't take any personal photos since there were so many people, but here are some photos of the exhibition taken from the museum's website, as well as some stills from various Demy films. You can also see an old post I did on Peau D'Âne here.

Have you ever seen a Jacques Demy film? 

Do you like these posts about French culture? 

Let me know in the comments!

The Wedding Gift

Last week my best friend, Holly, called to tell me she's getting married on May 03. My best friend is getting married! In just a few short days! To a guy she met 8 weeks ago! I was speechless. You're probably thinking, "NOOOO HOLLY! DON'T DO IT!" and I have to admit, so was I... kind of. At first.

I've been thinking a lot about marriage over the last year or so. I'm at the age now where most of the people I grew up with are married or engaged (some of them even have children). Every time a new wedding photo or engagement announcement pops up on my Facebook news feed, my inner cynic wonders if the bride is pregnant or how much longer the relationship will last post-wedding. I think about how we're still so young and declare these people absolutely crazy. The truth is, yes, they are crazy, because making the decision to get married, regardless of age or the length of the relationship, requires some degree of sheer insanity. Marriage is hard and no sane person would invite that kind of chaos into their lives! But that is also what makes marriage a very beautiful thing because it is simply amazing to see two people have so much faith in one another. It is a total act of trusting and a long courtship does not equal a successful marriage. You just have to try and wait and see what happens. So, all of this is to say that maybe my best friend is a slightly crazier person than usual, but she's a happy one and I'm happy for her.

I made this pillow cover as a wedding gift. They'll be living in New York and Egypt within the next year so I wanted to give them something that could easily go wherever they go. I used some scrap fabric and embroidered it with the initials of Holly and her groom to be, Kareem, + their wedding anniversary. Then I gave it an envelope backing to avoid fussing with a zipper and sewed piping around the whole thing with this Liberty(-esque? not sure) binding. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out and I hope they love it. The initials also happen to be mine and Holly's initials, so hey, if things don't work out we can pull out the stitches for the date and pretend this is a friendship pillow ;).

The Knit Kid

Since I've been teaching myself to knit, I've been pouring through Ravelry and Pinterest looking for potential projects. The tricky thing about hand knit clothing is that it tends to look hand knit, and not in an endearing way. I've been searching for classic, minimal patterns that utilize clean shapes, and I've discovered a slew of wonderful companies doing just that. The Knit Kid is based in Berlin and each item is made to order using the finest yarns. These items are all pretty well out of my price range, but maybe if I stare at them long enough my hands will one day yield something similar.