Wednesday 29 February 2012

giveaway winner is...


Thank you everyone who entered my Marie Antoinette inspired giveaway. It's now time to reveal the winner! I just drew a name from my hat – I know, I'm old-fashioned, the available tools online simply don't do it for me.

The winner is:

Ada, the old Hollywood and fashion muse of the beautiful blog Classiq,
who commented when entering the giveaway:
"Notebook and a bookmark? You speak my language. :) Please count me in."

Congratulations Ada, you have won six items which you will soon receive by mail: a Moleskine notebook, a bookmark, and four gift tags: three Marie Antoinette themed and one with a beautiful peacock. The Sidney based Wendy Paula of Mulberry Muse designed all the items.

I'm off to the kitchen to prepare for a party. My kids have invited a friend of theirs, who recently had a birthday, to an after-school pizza party and considering how many pizzas they ate last time I'll be quite busy. Have a wonderful day!

photo credit:
Lisa Hjalt

All items available at Mulberry Muse and Cafe Baudelaire
 Interview with the designer Wendy Paula

Tuesday 28 February 2012

glimpse of lille france


I was lost in action yesterday because of an eye problem I dealt with on Sunday but I'm back and feeling fine. I'm armed with latte and biscotti and I'd like to show you a few more photos, more like glimpses, of Lille which we visited last week, and tell you just a little bit about this French city.

The first photos are of the Opera House and the beautiful Hotel Carlton across the street. Alice Délice is one of my favourite cookware shops and luckily we also have it in Antwerp. I can spend hours in there, hours! It's located on the beautiful Rue Esquermoise street, next to the Place du Général de Gaulle square, also called the Grand'place (Lille is the birthplace of general Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970)). We browsed a little in Habitat in the same street and I have to say that their shop in Lille is really nice. The window with the colourful nougat belongs to the gorgeous Meert chocolate shop/restaurant in the same street.

The photos below are of the Cathédrale Notre Dame de la Treille, built in the 19th century neo-Gothic style. It is a beautiful building, but I have to admit that the new facade from 1999 didn't appeal to me so I'm not posting photos of it.


To make a long story short, Lille is one of those cities that through the ages has been fought for and ruled by various kings/counts/dukes, Flemish, French or Spanish. In 1667 the French king Louis XIV, often referred to as Louis the Great or the Sun King, conquered it and had Vauban, the great military architect, design and build the Citadelle, located outside the city centre. This time we didn't visit the fort, which is shaped like a five-pointed star, but we'd like to do so when the weather gets warmer.

In the beginning of the 18th century, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14), the Dutch occupied Lille for five years. During the French Revolution (1787-99), its inhabitants had to defend the city against the Austrian invaders. They succeeded and the Goddess statue on the Grand’place, in the city centre, is a reminder of their heroism.

In the 19th century Lille became an industrial capital so well known for textile that it was sometimes referred to as the 'Manchester of France'. With the decline of that industry in the 20th century the focus was set on commerce. Today it's the crossroad of the Europain rail network, the Eurostar stops there and all other high-speed trains arriving from or going to Paris or other major cities in France. Lille is well known for culture and in 2004 it was designated as the European Capital of Culture.

photo credit:
LatteLisa

see Lille, part 1

Friday 24 February 2012

london fashion week & tom ford


It's Fashion Friday with the London Fashion Week and one of my favourite designers, Mr. Tom Ford. He showed his AW 2012-13 womenswear collection at the LFW for invited guests only and no photographing was allowed. While we are waiting for exclusive photos we will just have to believe the fashion journalists who have described the collection as classic, beautiful and glamorous, just to give you some adjectives. Someone even said it would change your life, which is maybe pushing it just a bit too far.

Instead of me telling you about Tom Ford, I find it best to simply let him do so in his own words. Here is a full version of the Tom Ford episode of Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind, a documentary from the Oprah Winfrey Network. (Let's hope it won't be removed from YouTube.)

 
 
My favourite part is in minute four when he starts talking about his childhood, how picky he was about clothes, looks, even furniture, from an early age. He cracked me up when he started talking about the shoes that he thought were just wrong. I have to add that it reminded me of my own picky son and made me wonder if I'm raising a little Tom Ford in this house. wink Please listen carefully from about minute thirty of the video when he talks about the pumped-up look of women and then his sometimes mixed feelings about what the fashion industry is telling people, the way it promotes materialism. I like his honesty.

A few Tom Ford links for fun:

  the trailer of the above documentary for those who don't have time to watch the whole thing right away
  in the March 2012 issue of Harper's Bazaar US we get 24 hours in the life of the designer 
  I hope no one has forgotten his film A Single Man (2009), starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore
  Tom Ford: Ten Years by Graydon Carter and Bridget Foley is a book that covers his design for Gucci and YSL from 1994-2004 and so much more
  remember his SS 2011 fashion show video, the one I posted last year, with the womenswear comeback collection, featuring Beyoncé, Daphne Guinness and other fabulous women?
  Full Time Ford is a blog you may want to add to your blogroll if you are a Tom Ford fan

Let's move on to some London Fashion Week's photos and links:


  Mary Katrantzou definitely had one of the strongest collections at the LFW; I'm already looking forward to seeing more of this designer in the future
  the photos above were taken by Garance Doré at her show, I easily could have posted them all
  a collection of fun LFW videos for those who want more than runway photos
  The Sartorialist was at the Burberry show, please take a look at the audience in the background as well
  the photos below are from a LFW street style slide show captured by Phil Oh for Vogue.com, I'd like to add Clémence Poésy's shirt to my wish list


Speaking of street style, here are non-LFW-related links:

  Petra of the Indivisualism blog shared this short and funny note to street style photographers and the poseurs. I urge you to read it. I have to say that there are of course talented photographers out there and people with style. But then there's the Garance Doré-&-The-Sartorialist wannabes and the people hoping their outfits will bring them fame, and honestly I think some of them really should just go home, take a cold shower and get a life
  and since we are making some fun, with all respect for Olivia Palermo, if I see one more photo of her wearing the floral print trousers and leopard shoes I will start pulling out my hair ... no, I won't link to it, enough is enough!
  I have posted the second and third Pardon My French videos by Garance Doré on the LatteLisa Facebook page, I love those and the latest one includes the charming Diane von Furstenberg

Have a fabulous Friday!

photo credit:
1: Simon Perry for Harper's Bazaar US
2-3: Garance Doré at Mary Katrantzou
 4-6: Phil Oh for Vogue.com

YouTube: Tom Ford OWN Visionaries documentary

Thursday 23 February 2012

belgian holiday


Today I'm definitely on a spring break pace, thanks to hubby, who deserves a little praise. He's still dealing with a cold but yesterday he went to buy groceries and brought home two fashion magazines for the lady of the house. He even had to drive to a special shop to buy them. I have to say that he chose very well; he bought the March issue of Vogue UK and the February issue of Vogue Paris. He meant to get the March issue of the latter but it hadn't arrived.

So, right now we are enjoying a relaxing family moment; there is coffee and banana muffins fresh from the oven and I'm reading my magazines. Let's say I'm more browsing than reading the French one! Later I plan to watch Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday (1953).

I hope you have a fine day!

photo credit:
LatteLisa


Tuesday 21 February 2012

an important mission to lille france


I spent the day in Lille, France and of course I took some photos. It was my first time there and I have to say that it is a wonderful city with beautiful architecture, which I'll definitely be visiting again in spring. Everyone was really friendly and helpful, which made me wonder why some people always talk about the French as being rude. Well, I remembered to say bonjour with a big smile every time I entered a shop and asking parlez vous Anglais with quite an accent helped me get excellent service in English. The weather could have been better, so after walking in the old quarter of the city it was nice to see a friendly "face" close to the Opera house and get some coffee. Yes, I'm speaking of my friend Paul. I took more photos that I'll post tomorrow or later, and I may throw in some information about the city and its history.


There was a reason for my trip to Lille; yes, I was on a very important mission! The lovely Caterina of Not Just A Pretty Dress introduced us to the French skincare products Embryolisse about a month ago and I was intrigued as they are free of parabens. No shop in Antwerp, or Belgium for that matter, sells these products, so what's a girl to do? She takes a trip to France, of course! The French sure love their lotions and potions because the shop was full. Unfortunately, they didn't have the particular face cream I was looking for but there was no reason for me to leave empty-handed. I bought a few products, which I'll talk about later if you're interested. I just have to try them first.

photo credit:
Lisa Hjalt

see Lille, part 2

Monday 20 February 2012

damask inspiration


What is it that makes Damask wallpaper so enchanting? I was browsing the website of Thibaut for inspiration and now my mind has this idea of a hallway with either of these colours, a beautiful mirror, a console table, a gorgeous lamp and fresh pink flowers. I guess my taste is becoming more refined with age. wink

Did you enjoy a good weekend? Mine was just as I wanted it to be, relaxing with a trip to the library, sushi and white wine, and some baking. In fact, it feels like it's still weekend because the children have a spring break and hubby is at home with a sore throat, so there was no need to set the alarm clock.

I hope you are having a good start of the week!

photo credit:
Thibaut


Friday 17 February 2012

nyfw with garance doré & the sartorialist


It's another Fashion Friday. Yesterday was the final day of the New York Fashion Week, which I've been enjoying in the comfort of my own home. How fun it would be to go to some of these shows one day! Today I'm sharing photos from two fashion bloggers who need no introduction, the lovely couple Garance Doré and Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist.

Garance Doré posted some photos from the much-debated Marc Jacobs show, a show that was definitely not for those who have strong preconceived ideas about fashion. As I'm not one of them I absolutely loved it; Marc Jacobs had me at that first look in the top photo. Classic elegant pieces are always beautiful to look at but we have to have humour in fashion and Marc Jacobs took care of that at the NYFW. Some of the outfits were presented in a ridiculously funny way, under different versions of the song Who Will Buy? from the musical Oliver! (that part was priceless), but I instantly found myself breaking things down in my mind and really liking the individual pieces.

So, will you buy?

Now to earthier elements through the lens of The Sartorialist. Scott Schuman attended the shows of Michael Kors (top) and Marc by Marc Jacobs (bottom) and here are some of my favourite looks.


Finally, I'm leaving you with a few NYFW links just for fun:

•  Jason Wu enchanted me with this look, here worn by Zuzanna Bijoch
•  fabulous and colourful street style slide show at Vogue.com, photographed by Phil Oh
•  Victoria Beckham looked so beautiful at her wonderful show
•  Ralph Lauren's show was definitely one of my favourites (note to self: watch Downton Abbey)
•  Garance Doré made this video called Pardon My French, which I find very entertaining:

 

•  and I had to add this non-NYFW-related link because I absolutely love Natalia Vodianova on the cover of the March issue of Vogue Paris – I'm so buying a copy!

Have a fabulous Friday!

photo credit:
1-3: Garance Doré at Marc Jacobs
4-5: Scott Schuman – The Sartorialist at Michael Kors
6-7: Scott Schuman – The Sartorialist at Marc by Marc Jacobs

YouTube: Garance Doré / Pardon My French Episode 1

Thursday 16 February 2012

marie antoinette inspired giveaway

Ever since I finished reading Antonia Fraser's biography Marie Antoinette: The Journey last summer this misunderstood and unfortunate historical figure has been on my mind. I had thought about a Marie Antoinette inspired giveaway and decided to go for it when I read that a new film about the young French queen, Farewell, My Queen (2012), starring Diane Kruger, would be premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this month.

When you need something Marie-Antoinette-ish there is only one person to turn to.


I have to admit that I've been very excited about this giveaway because not only is it an opportunity to thank committed followers and welcoming new ones, but also I get to introduce a wonderful and talented blog friend, Wendy Paula of Mulberry Muse, and her beautiful work.

Wendy Paula lives in Sydney, Australia and has been working as a designer/illustrator for twenty-five years. She has worked for design houses in Adelaide, London and Sydney. Her work is very French vintage, very delicate. She offers journals, gift tags, greeting cards, calendars, etc., and the paper she uses for her digital paintings is of high quality. From the start I have been fascinated by the details and that feminine touch to everything she creates, which can be bought at her two Etsy shops: Mulberry Muse and Cafe Baudelaire. She of course has more themes than Marie Antoinette.

A little fun fact: Courtney Love is a fan of her work and recently praised it. Who knew Courtney Love and I had something in common? wink


My Marie Antoinette inspired giveaway package consists of one Moleskine notebook, one bookmark, and four gift tags: three Marie Antoinette themed and one with a beautiful peacock. Whether you would like this for yourself or to give this to a friend then all you have to do is enter the giveaway. It's open to all followers of LatteLisa.

Anyone can enter the giveaway and here is how: 
  1. Simply follow LatteLisa via Google Friend Connect (click 'follow' in navbar), Twitter or Facebook (note: if you are only following on Bloglovin' I'm not able to see it or reach you there)
  2. Leave a comment below this post. If you are a new follower or not a regular visitor on my blog then tell me where you are following LatteLisa so I can look you up and make sure I can contact you if you win

The last day to enter is Tuesday 28 February 2012. The winner will be announced Wednesday 29 February – yes, I had to take advantage of it being a leap year. Good luck!

photo credit:
Lisa Hjalt

All items available at Mulberry Muse and Cafe Baudelaire
 Interview with the designer Wendy Paula