The historic house on Avenue Montaigne is full of Christian Dior’s artistic vision, beautifully evident in the smallest details: the famous pearl greys, reflecting the sky from Christian Dior’s childhood in Normandy, are a unifying factor, evident on the walls, ceilings and lavishly original velvet straight backed chairs; Christian Dior’s favorite flowers—roses and lilies of the valley—embellish the various salons; the pattern on the tiled floor is featured within the Dior collections, and mirrored in the famous Lady Dior handbag, made popular by Princess Diana; and of course the infamous portrait of Christian Dior which hangs in the haute couture salon, brings together the final touches on the luxurious house of Dior.  This exclusive and luxury house on Avenue Montaigne is definitely a must see in Paris.

Blazers are an essential item of this summer’s wardrobe

An absolute Must have from the collection is their blazer. Tailored with nice lines and wonderful patterned silk lining, the selection of blazers offers many color tones. The little touches are beautiful. This brand is also known for its wonderful knitwear, made of very soft fabrics…

On the main floor you will find all of Chanel’s exquisite accessories—Shoes Handbags, and Fine jewelry and on the second floor the lavishly decorated salons feature this season’s ready-to-wear collections: beautiful knit dresses in pearl gray and a fabulous selection of timeless tweed jackets in light shades and pastel tones. Another luxurious moment in the world’s fashion capital.

Ana Quasoar’s pieces truly are a dream to wear. She designs evening wear and specializes in wedding dresses. She enjoys creating couture pieces that have true versatility which surprisingly incudes many of her wedding dresses. These particular dresses are in multiple pieces so that the bride may wear a gorgeous corset gown with a voluptuous silk and tulle layered skirt for the ceremony, and then remove the skirt to reveal and short yet fun dress to wear for dancing at the reception. Her gowns are truly the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I wish if only that I could wear one of her masterpieces on my wedding day!

The exciting thing about haute couture is the exclusivity. To be labeled as “haute couture,” a fashion house not only creates beautiful clothes that act as artistic masterpieces meant for display on the human form, but they must follow a strict set of rules including everything from materials which must exclusively originate from France (down to the last sequin!) to garments being completely sewn by hand, exclusively tailored to fit its owner. Ana Quasoar is one of only about 15 haute designers who are featured in the famous haute magazines and is among prominent designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino. She will be having an haute couture private show at the beginning of July in celebration of her new collection…guess who gets to attend!? ;)

La Mode Le Club editor Lauren T. at the exhibition

The stones in many of Yael Sonia’s rings are very interesting, with rough cuts and inclusions and all of the stones are magnificently bright in color, and therefore appealing to the eye. The rough and natural stones are quite the contrast to the 18k gold settings which are molded into modern geometric lines and shapes. To see the collection presented in Paris, visit www.elsavanier.fr

Art Macaron is a MUST go for any hungry voyager to Paris. The atmosphere of the pâtisserie is enchanting with Asian influences in the Zen décor that blend gracefully with the oranges, reds, blacks and modern lines, making the small room a peaceful place to brunch.  This is not, however, your typical American brunch, but rather a feast of six courses including croissants, fresh fruit, soup, eggs & bacon, salad & fresh cheese and desserts paired with a wide selection of hot beverages.  The pièce de la resistance is the final course of an espresso to help zap you out of your food coma, served with one of their award winning macarons.  It was the most fabulous, tummy-satisfying brunch I have ever had, and the incredible price makes it a place that I highly recommend for every traveler to Paris

The selection usually ranges from the classic box of chocolate to the most extravagant jewelry…but then, we must confess that a piece of jewelry is still  the most beautiful gift, the true symbol for love.

Parisian born gemmologist Julie Cailleux is one of the designers who are able to create beautiful pieces of jewelry with precious stones, be it a simple necklace to enlighten a classic suit or a fabulous ring with diamonds… additionally Julie sells vintage pieces which are a big hit in Paris at the moment. Whether you like them small or huge, your jewelry gifts will be modern yet timeless!

www.lespierresdejulie.com

It is less known though that Bulgaria also produces wonderful cosmetics. One of my favorite products which I use every morning when I have my shower and which is a great energy booster, is the exfoliating soap-sponge with Bulgarian roses: the foam and delicate rose fragrance of the soap enable one to purify the skin whereas the sponge side actives the blood circulation thanks to the efficient yet gentle texture for the greatest comfort.

If you like the subtle and elegant fragrance of rose flowers, you might also be interested in other products of the same cosmetic line, such as the hand cream, to protect and moisturize your hands and nails, or the wonderful, hydrating lip balm to carry everywhere as the little pot is perfectly adapted to your fit in a small makeup bag.

As an additional advantage, these high quality products are not pricey at all (the sponge/soap costs around 4 EUR and the cream even less). Now you probably understand why they are among my favourite and I always order them in several pieces as they can be great ideas for gifts to be offered as a little attention to your girlfriends… as a a very  feminine present…

And to make things even easier, these Bulgarian rose flavoured cosmetics can now be ordered quickly and easily, through the website of the company’s French branch: www.refan.fr

As a matter of fact, there is certainly one present that every single fashionista dreams of finding under her Christmas tree: a fabulous handbag:

Perhaps you are already familiar with the Parisian luxury house of DOGNIN: their great collection of chic and stylish handbags expresses the quintessence of Parisian style..which is certainly one of the reasons why these purses have been chosen to be part of the silhouettes in the legendary Sex&the City series…

To satisfy fashion connoisseurs from all over the world, we are happy to announce that these “objects of desire” which are all made in France by Parisian artisans and with the best leather and the finest linings are now available online and can be ordered worldwide, in various colors, sizes and style options.

http://estore-dognin.com/accueil.php

Additionally, to make sure that the purses keep their shape and beauty and to protect them during the shipping, the pieces are wrapped in special boxes designed exclusively for Dognin.

You might also be pleased to know that DOGNIN offers now a breathtaking collection of silk scarves, done in the pure tradition with silk of Lyon and embellished with a lace pattern. Luc the designer being a descendant of a famous French lace dynasty, the pattern is based upon a 19th century heritage family design, printed in a contrasting color over the magnificent silk scarves, respecting the 100% made in France label.

Of course, the most elegant way to showcase the scarves, apart from the classic styles around the neck which are illustrated in an special article on our blog, is to have tied them on the handbag, like Grace Kelly in her days who was famous for her sense of style.

If you wish to get any further information on their fabulous accessories or if you wish to learn more about DOGNIN, you might have a look at their official website (www.dogninparis.com). Additionally, Luc and Rafik, who are in charge of this Parisian luxury brand, will be pleased to provide you personally with details on their handbags and accessories or… if you are interested in getting a unique, bespoke piece… to discuss the project and all its options with you..

A very simple way to find great items even for people who do not have much time to go shopping, is certainly the great Italian website yoox.com, a treasure box for luxury brands addicts. Among the collections you will find the socalled “overstock” of the houses as well as unsold pieces from previous collections. Of course, you have to spend some time on the site to compare, but the selection is so huge that you can find anything from very fashionable items to classic garments.

Here is an example: a huge choice of shirts where I fell in love with a lovely silk Dolce&Gabbana polka dot blouse, the price being very reasonable (around 250 EUR). I bought this piece also because it covers the hips and looks therefore great over a pencil skirt or slim trousers. And it looks very stylish with a suit where it adds a touch of softness.

If you are, like me, very demanding and looking for good fabrics and quality, then you might be interested to know that I recently bought a great pair of slim Gucci wool trousers from this same website. I got them for approximately the same price as the abovementioned blouse and they are just perfect and I love wearing them with my patent leather pumps or even kitten heels. As I have long legs, they were really long enough so that I even had to get them shortened by the specialist next door who does great alterationas. Again, this is an additional investment which is minimal and if the pieces do not fit, you are entitled to return them.

There is another place where I visit boutiques very regularly during my bargain shopping trips: the Rue d’Alésia in Paris is specializing in socalled “stocks”, ie. brands selling their unsold collections. One of my favourites there is Sonia Rykiel, a Parisian house which does fantastic quality and which is a family business run by Sonia Rykiel and her daughter: I like purchasing their fabulously tailored wool jackets as they go with any other separates and enhance every silhouette, I also bought a suit a few years ago which is still perfect (they still have their great jersey fabrics and sometimes even crepe…). Their main boutique also sell great shoes, bags and of course, their iconic sweaters.

Sonia Rykiels Emma bag: ladylike and chic (as seen in their “stock” boutique on rue d’Alésia).

When my daughter was younger, I purchased from the children collection, lovely garments such as tulle skirts and other nice dresses. Colours are either neutral (lots of black, but also beige, grey, violet and blue) or the legendary Rykiel stripes, an easy way to refresh an outfit with a striped shawl…and if you are looking for a very Parisian gift, they always have their funky little bags, for makeup or other purposes.

Whilst walking trough the rue d’Alésia, you will also see other boutiques selling overstock such as Georges Rech and Zapa, two French houses famous for their classic chic and high quality. The same street hosts some multi-label boutiques selling Gerard Darel, Kenzo and other brands specializing in men’s collections. Even though this district is visited (and inhabited) mostly by French people, rue d’Alésia has become slightly more touristy during the past years and seems to attract  American as well as Russian ladies.