Le Déjeuner des Canotiers

Posted on April 14th, 2010 in Fashion, Paris

It seems like trends always come back around, it’s just a matter of time. The straw boater hat as it is called in English is one of my favorite trends from the past right now. This shallow style straw hat was first in fashion in the late 19th century for young ladies making a subtle statement of independence through incorporating more masculine elements into their outfits. Last summer Marc Jacobs revived the boater hat in his collection and since then I have been spotting this typically french hat on the most stylish of ladies. Click play to enjoy some “Moi Je Joue” by none other than B.B.!

Auguste Renoir often depicted this classic hat on ladies and gentlemen alike in his lively scenes of French cafe culture. In French the straw boater is called a canotier.

Here is one of Renoir’s most famous paintings Le Déjeuner des Canotiers, or the lunch of canotiers. I knew this painting well but in fact never knew the title until my french beau enlightened me last weekend.

I bought my canotier at Les Canotiers Du Marais on my street in the Marais. I wore it out for the first time this weekend to lunch with at Le Café Marly at the Louvre.

On our way there we walked through the Tuileries to enjoy the sun.

Le Café Marly is located in the arcades of the Louvre overlooking the entrance to the museum at the glass pyramid.

From your table you can watch the many tourists and admire the ornate facades of the former palace.

Here I am relaxing and enjoying my déjeuner des canotiers.

The grass in the Tuileries is green, the flowers are planted and blooming, and all the trees have their leaves again. When paris parks come back alive after the winter it completely changes the energy of the city.

People compete to grab the famous green lawn chairs supplied by the city to sit around the lakes and enjoy some people watching.  When I came to France I was completely amazed by the quality of the parks. Here the park is a pristine space always cleaned and well tended to where people off all types mingle, where everyone respects the shared beauty.

The dusty ground of the Tuileries has become infamous to me from street fashion photography like The Sartorialist, Garance Doré, and many others that frequently snap fashion’s elite crossing the park here after fashion week shows.

Hat – Les Canotiers du Marais / Sunglasses – Chloé / Jacket – vintage Pendleton / Dress – Louis Vuitton / Tights – American Apparel /Booties – Chie Mahara / Purse – Miu Miu

I created a new section of the blog I wanted to lastly share with you in this post here! There are so many books, films, and more that inspire me but I don’t always have space to talk about them in my posts. So I created Bardot’s Library where you can all browse and shop my suggestions! As always there are new images in the Inspiration Gallery. Be sure to stop by and have a browse in both of them.

P.S. Make sure to follow Bardot in Blue on BlogLovin’!

Happy Birthday Momma

Posted on March 12th, 2010 in Fashion

By the end of the winter I am in my annual fashion rut with worn out shoes, pilled sweaters, and dirtying coats. I have to confess I have been rather unglamorous with my get ups lately. However seeing as yesterday was a very special occasion, I decided to make an extra effort. I got all dolled up to take my momma out to her birthday dinner and she was kind enough to take some photos of me here in our apartment in Cannes.

I wore two necklaces she has given me, one which I received for my 21st birthday, and the second this past Christmas.

The long string necklace is made of aqua marine beads and a gold dos pesos piece my mom had for many years. The charm ring on the strand of pink pearls has a collection of charms she hand picked at a jewelry show. Our dear friend Carla lent her skills and creativity to helping make our design ideas a reality.

Worn with: H&M silk dress and Zara tuxedo jacket….

…and of coarse my favorite Chie Mahara russian doll booties and my Tabio heart tights that seem to always find their way into my posts on the blog.

I love the way the silk dress drapes and gathers in the back.

Happy Birthday Momma!

Don’t forget that Bardot in Blue is having a giveaway. Entering is as easy as commenting on this post or any other until the March 15th drawing. I am not the only blogger with a giveaway right now either! Blog friends French-Kissed, Bright Bold & Beautiful, and Fab Brunette are all having giveaways so be sure to pay them a visit to enter!