Stripe Training 2

 Stripe training begins at infancy for the French.

 Stripes in the bassinet are de rigueur. (what is a bassinet anyway?)

 Striped onesie with the touch of the marinere.

 Moving right along to striped accessories - hat + socks.

 Matching your parents more or less head-to-toe is a continuation of essential French training.

 Petit Bateau is happy to provide matchups for both mother and daughter.

 Till daughter can figure it out on her own.

 With a striped onesie of another sort.

 Plus matching striped sac/bag.

 Once married the French girl is happy to match her man stripe-wise.

 They will both swim only at pools (Pontoise) heavily striped...

 Or walk on zebra crossings together...

 Even if their stripes are hidden lining their shoes furtively.

 Pierre Herme and Jean-Paul Hevin fill a much needed void providing two-color macarons/Une coque bicolore for the stripe-obsessed.

The resident striped cat on the counter at cafe Le Select makes it an A OK place to grab an apero if you're into stripes in a big way or French.

Les petits bla-blas

 There are so many wonderful little shops in Paris full of delightful nonsense.

 Les Petits Bla-Blas fills the bill parfaitement.

7 rue du Crussol 75011

 These shops are meant for bebe shopping...

 But Paris brings out the enfant in us all.

 I fell hard for toys at Les Petits Bla-Blas.

 Adorable dollies!

 Ladybug/coccinelle buttons.

 If you're packing for Paris by all means bring something with a bird on it.

 Polka dots are IN big time even at La Bon Marche!

 I couldn't resist vintage facsimili French games by Marc Vidal.

 Do I really need to learn my ABCs again?

 On the other hand learning French politesse seems to be top of the list this trip. Manners count in France!

 A close family member has suggested I was 'raised with wolves', ahem. There were lots of books on wolves/les loups at Salon du Livre so maybe that's not such a bad thing in France.

 Yesterday I picked up Calme et Attentif Comme Une Grenouille(calm and attentive like a frog). It's meditation exercises for small children. Click and watch the video. You'll be instantly calmed and sleep through your nights.

 I've abstained from eating ice cream cones for a week.

But gorgeous weather in Paris has caused me to fall off the wagon. I'm hoping with daily froggie meditations I'll regain some restraint...

Bon Chance et Bonne Week-end! 

bebe loves balmain and alexander mcqueen

i love when i can recognize direct runway inspiration from designer runway shows in retail shops that a lot of women like to frequent. bebe loves to take inspiration from the runway and i smiled when i saw their sequin beaded ruched lace top for $89. it instantly reminded me of the beautiful balmain creation you can see to the left. selita ebanks looked great in that dress, you can see a picture of her in it in the top 10 best dressed celebs list on this site. bebe has also taken inspiration from the genius that is alexander mcqueen. they have made their own versions of his studded platform booties that go for around $1000. you can get the same look for $149 from bebe.com. i really love these shoes and want then in the black, silver and grommet versions.

so, which do you prefer? the knock off or the real thing?

usually when i do posts like this you prefer the real thing. for me, i prefer the real balmain dress and for the alexander mcqueen booties...if i was paying i'd just get the bebe versions because they're just as good even if the heel is slightly thicker than the mcqueens.