WHAT I WORE: Versailles

My style is entirely inspired by the grandeur, romance, whimsy, and mystique of Versailles. There is no place in the world that ignites my soul, and imagination, quite like Chateau de Versailles.

By borrowing from the old world, and mixing with the new, I feel my style is timelessly eclectic. 

WHAT I WORE:

The choker is by CHINE, and made of silk, faux fur, and vintage ornaments. It is quite similar to the chokers worn by Marie Antoinette and add a unique texture of glamour that is something quite different from a modern day necklace. 

The cardigan is by MOSCHINO and a vintage treasure! As soon as I found this turquoise delight I knew it belonged to me. Like roses bursting in the wind, it shares an air of whimsy that leaves me imagining leaves dancing along the winds of Versailles. 

My coat is created by one of my favorite Scandinavian brands, Noa Noa. I bought it several years ago in Antwerp and fell in love with it largely for the color, and delicate turquoise embroidery. 

There is something about the color palette of burgundy and turquoise that excites my eyes. It is unpredictable and yet pleasing. 

To my surprise, the color duo is found all over the Versailles interiors. 

My dress is by BCBG and is turquoise wrap dress adorned with short silk sleeves. The burgundy turtleneck is by Zara and a basic winter essential.

The boots are by Kenneth Cole and the softest, most comfortable boots I own. 

My gloves are simple vintage velvet in a red toned burgundy. 

A "King's Tea Time" at ANGELINA

A King's Tea Time

For the celebration of Louis the XIV, Chateau de Versailles exclusively designed a very special gourmet treat fit for a "King's Tea Time".

Includes:

Hot Beverage

Assortment of mini pastries

Macaroons and madeleines

ANGELINA HOT CHOCOLATE

ANGELINA is famous for their decadent hot chocolate, and by far my favorite in the world. 

I must admit, a nice cup of tea would have accompanied the "King's TEA time", much more harmoniously. 

Together it was all a bit too sweet, but nevertheless a most regal past time. Be sure to try this most decadent collection if visiting Chateau Versailles this year!

xo,

Maya

A Night at the Opera in Versailles!

Click to See Chateau Versailles Concert Schedule!

A night at Versailles is never complete without a majestical concert in the the Opera House. It is an experience of a lifetime, making it almost tangible to grasp an evening with Marie Antoinette. 

The house is intimate, engaging, and electric. The excellent craftsmanship of decadent gold details, are sure to delight your eyes, while music flows through your soul. 

                                        WHAT I WORE

My shoes are Vintage Lord and Taylor, Bag is Valentino, and dress by vintage CHINE. 

xo,

Maya

Happy Birthday Marie Antoinette!

Happy Birthday Marie Antoinette!

Born on this day, November 2, 1755, in Vienna, Austria, Marie Antoinette would be 260 years old today! As the last Queen of France, and forever Queen of fashion, she was innovative, courageous, but most of all, a woman of strength.

Largely misunderstood through false propaganda, Marie Antoinette is not accurately portrayed as the person I have researched her to be. Her grace and beauty was unsurpassed, while her heart was pure and kind.

Read the following account of Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, and her depiction of Marie Antoinette as a person. (Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun was an Artist who painted many of Marie Antoinette's Portraits) 

Queen Marie-Antoinette 1778, by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun

Marie Antoinette Through the Eyes of Her Painter:

"It was in the year 1779 that I painted the Queen for the first time; she was then in the heyday of her youth and beauty. Marie Antoinette was tall and admirably built, being somewhat stout, but not excessively so. Her arms were superb, her hands small and perfectly formed, and her feet charming. She had the best walk of any woman in France, carrying her head erect with a dignity that stamped her queen in the midst of her whole court, her majestic mien, however, not in the least diminishing the sweetness and amiability of her face. To any one who has not seen the Queen it is difficult to get an idea of all the graces and all the nobility combined in her person. Her features were not regular; she had inherited that long and narrow oval peculiar to the Austrian nation. Her eyes were not large; in colour they were almost blue, and they were at the same time merry and kind. Her nose was slender and pretty, and her mouth not too large, though her lips were rather thick. But the most remarkable thing about her face was the splendour of her complexion. I never have seen one so brilliant, and brilliant is the word, for her skin was so transparent that it bore no umber in the painting. Neither could I render the real effect of it as I wished. I had no colours to paint such freshness, such delicate tints, which were hers alone, and which I had never seen in any other woman." 

"I painted various pictures of the Queen at different times. In one I did her to the knees, in a pale orange-red dress, standing before a table on which she was arranging some flowers in a vase. It may be well imagined that I preferred to paint her in a plain gown and especially without a wide hoopskirt. She usually gave these portraits to her friends or to foreign diplomatic envoys. One of them shows her with a  straw hat on and a white muslin dress, whose sleeves are turned up, though quite neatly. When this work was exhibited at the Salon, malignant folk did not fail to make the remark that the Queen had been painted in her chemise, for we were then in 1786, and calumny was already busy concerning her. Yet in spite of all this the portraits were very successful."

"Toward the end of the exhibition a little piece was given at the Vaudeville Theatre, bearing the title, I think, "The Assembling of the Arts." Brongniart, the architect, and his wife, whom the author had taken into his confidence, had taken a box on the first tier, and called for me on the day of the first performance. As I had no suspicion of the surprise in store for me, judge of my emotion when Painting appeared on the scene and I saw the actress representing that art copy me in the act of painting a portrait of the Queen. The same moment everybody in the parterre and the boxes turned toward me and applauded to bring the roof down. I can hardly believe that any one was ever more moved and more grateful than I was that evening."

"I was so fortunate as to be on very pleasant terms with the Queen. When she heard that I had something of a voice we rarely had a sitting without singing some duets by Grétry together, for she was exceedingly fond of music, although she did not sing very true. As for her conversation, it would be difficult for me to convey all its charm, all its affability. I do not think that Queen Marie Antoinette ever missed an opportunity of saying some thing pleasant to those who had the honour of being presented to her, and the kindness she always bestowed upon me has ever been one of my sweetest memories."

"One day I happened to miss the appointment she had given me for a sitting; I had suddenly become unwell. The next day I hastened to Versailles to offer my excuses. The Queen was not expecting me; she had had her horses harnessed to go out driving, and her carriage was the first thing I saw on entering the palace yard. I nevertheless went upstairs to speak with the chamberlains on duty. One of them, M. Campan, received me with a stiff and haughty manner, and bellowed at me in his stentorian voice, "It was yesterday, madame, that Her Majesty expected you, and I am very sure she is going out driving, and I am very sure she will give you no sitting to-day!" Upon my reply that I had simply come to take Her Majesty's orders for another day, he went to the Queen, who at once had me conducted to her room. She was finishing her toilet, and was holding a book in her hand, hearing her daughter repeat a lesson. My heart was beating violently, for I knew that I was in the wrong. But the Queen looked up at me and said most amiably, "I was waiting for you all the morning yesterday; what happened to you?"

"I am sorry to say, Your Majesty," I replied, "I was so ill that I was unable to comply with Your Majesty's commands. I am here to receive more now, and then I will immediately retire."

"No, no! Do not go!" exclaimed the Queen. "I do not want you to have made your journey for nothing!" She revoked the order for her carriage and gave me a sitting. I remember that, in my confusion and my eagerness to make a fitting response to her kind words, I opened my paint-box so excitedly that I spilled my brushes on the floor. I stooped down to pick them up. "Never mind, never mind," said the Queen, and, for aught I could say, she insisted on gathering them all up herself.

"When the Queen went for the last time to Fontainebleau, where the court, according to custom, was to appear in full gala, I repaired there to enjoy that spectacle. I saw the Queen in her grandest dress; she was covered with diamonds, and as the brilliant sunshine fell upon her she seemed to me nothing short of dazzling. Her head, erect on her beautiful Greek neck, lent her as she walked such an imposing, such a majestic air, that one seemed to see a goddess in the midst of her nymphs. During the first sitting I had with Her Majesty after this occasion I took the liberty of mentioning the impression she had made upon me, and of saying to the Queen how the carriage of her head added to the nobility of her bearing. She answered in a jesting tone, "If I were not Queen they would say I looked insolent, would they not?"

"The Queen neglected nothing to impart to her children the courteous and gracious manners which endeared her so to all her surroundings. I once saw her make her six-year-old daughter dine with a little peasant girl and attend to her wants. The Queen saw to it that the little visitor was served first, saying to her daughter, "You must do the honours." 

-Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun

 "Tribulation first makes you realize who you really are" 

-Marie Antoinette

This quote is my favorite quote from Marie Antoinette, and it speaks volumes to my own experiences with "tribulation". It is rather easy to be kind, regal, and admirable when you live a life of very few complications or challenges. However, when that world is turned upside down, who you really are, will be exposed. Will you stand up to the challenge and grow strength in ways you never knew? Or will you cower into the background, and let your soul rot with everything else. Marie Antoinette is an inspirational character for her ability to remain courageous despite all the fear and pain she must have gone through. Till the very end she remained admirable, regal, and a true Queen. 

Today will be dedicated to all things Versailles, and Marie Antoinette!  Look forward to a couple of surprise posts throughout the day. (My apologies for the absence of "Fall Daily Posts" for the past couple of days. Regular posting will presume tomorrow.)

xo,

 Maya

FH 6: My Sustainable Style

FASHION-HEART: Day 6 

To read about Fashion-Heart click here: FASHION-HEART

What is Sustainable fashion?  

Sustainable fashion is a philosophy of fashion that creates a system that can be sustained indefinitely to work with the environment and not against it. It is a new type of fashion philosophy that creates and produces products with absolute consideration to the environment and the its social impact. 

Fashion designers and brands supporting sustainable fashion create with eco-conscious methods, environmentally friendly materials, and ethical treatment during the production process. 

"At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment, and still two thirds of a garment's carbon footprint will occur after it is purchased." 

-EARTH PLEDGE (NPO)

This outfit is a bit of a "throw back Thursday". These pictures were taken a couple of years ago in France,in my favorite place in the world.

My outfit is sustainable, largely because most of it is Vintage. The materials are all natural fibers, and the cardigan is almost all hand made and hand embroidered. The dress is completely hand made, and quite a delight for me to exam what a vintage custom design looks like. 

Eco Age, is a consultant company specializing in creating ways for  businesses to achieve growth and add value to their brand through sustainability. It is a leading organization that promotes sustainable fashion and promotes the production of ethically made outfits.

Ecoluxe London, supports a biannual exhibition during London Fashion Week and specifically showcases eco-sustainable and ethical designers.

H&M, Levis, Lucy Tamman, Stella McCartney, Amour Vert, Shalom Harlow and  Summer Tayne Oakes, are just some of the brands and designers who have adopted sustainable practices.

 How about you?

x,

Maya 

Flashback Friday: Afternoon in France

Walking the parks of France during Fall is a feast for the eyes. If there is anything I miss the most about Europe it would be this very place at this very time. Like an everlasting dream, I remember...

For this "Flashback Friday", join me down memory lane, for an afternoon in France. 

My style in the colder months of Fall is inspired by the colors found in Nature. Recieving almost all my inspiration from trees and the colors found in the changing leaves, my style is cohesive with the environment I am surrounded by. On the practical side, I layer sweaters over sweaters,  to stay warm. A dear friend once called my style, "like a cabbage", which still makes me laugh to this very day. 

                                            THE SCARF

The Scarf was made by me, and also the first scarf I have ever knitted. I was inspired to make it because I could not find a scarf in the stores that fit my vision. I really wanted a scarf that celebrated the beautiful variations of greens found in changing leaves. It is made of wool and cashmere, and is embellished with beads, and softly hand embroidered leaves. 

                                             THE BAG 

The bag is by VALENTINO and one my favorite bags to wear during Fall. I simply love it because it is a golden yellow. For me, the yellow golds that flutter through the air during the Autumn months are simply breath taking. 

                                          The HEADBAND

The Headband is by Evita Peroni, and is made of Swarovski crystal beads. I must admit, it is my version of a tiara for the modern day woman.

                                          ANGELINA (Paris)

Angelina is a legendary Tea House established in 1903 for Parisian aristocracy. Such legends as Proust and Coco Chanel have rubbed shoulders with the biggest names of fashion in Angelina's Salons.

The famous African hot chocolate is composed of three selections of African cocoa from Niger, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. The chocolate mixture is an ANGELINA  specialty and is an experience that cannot be missed. 

Iconic for their pastries, my favorite was this pistachio and strawberry cream puff. The little surprises found in it's layers are a visual delight.

France is my love, and my most special place in the world. In my heart that is where I stay....