Belt Converter

When I was in London last weekend I remembered that Asprey the jewellers make leather belt converter for scarves. So I went to the shop and although they did not have many left, I managed to get a lovely one in pink ostrich leather.  I found using a 90cm Hermes scarf was too big so it fits better for me with the 70cm vintage size scarves.  I think I will get a lot more use out of scarves with this handy gadget!!

Asprey's corporate colour is purple-including the ink in the pen to sign your bill with!

A silver coloured buckle finishes the look.

I have attached my Kelly en Caleche 70cm vintage scarf to the leather belt ends.  There is a bit of a knack to tying the scarf on, but once you get it, it works well.

Worn to the front, but the belt will look equally good with the converter to the back.

Now I am looking forward to seeing the new design for the next season!  I have to say the SA was a dream in Aspreys so I won't be shy to go in there again :-)

London & Rhinos in Chester!

I had to go to London for work this week and I was lucky enough to stay near Tower Bridge - I managed to get some nice photos of Tower Bridge and the River Thames at sunset.

On my way home at the train station there was a Rhino scuplture!  The Roman city of Chester is having  Rhino Mania and there are lots of different brightly painted rhino sculptures appearing all over the city - some large and some small. 

They will be auctioned off later in the year but they certainly bring a splash of colour to Chester!  My favourites so far are this Roman Centurian Rhino sponsored by Virgin Trains at Euston Station in London - he is called "Maximus Rhinocerous - Guardian of Chester".  The other I like is a smaller one housed in a jewellers shop in Chester called "Bling"  he is made like a mirror ball in a ballroom with tiny mirror squares all over his body - so cute!  You can find out more about the Chester Rhinos here.

Happy Birthday

Princess Diana would have been 49 today - I like this photo for it's mischief!
Photo taken by Patrick Demarchelier.

Some goodies from FSH - Paris Final Part

I brought home 2 scarves from Hermes FSH so let's see straight away what I got...
First I had to make a very very difficult choice between a flat or plisse version of my favourite design "La Femme Aux Semmelles De Vent" - in the end I went for the plisse.

Brown is not a colour  I usually go for but this one seems to work well on me - I was so surprised and of course very happy.  Here for demo purposes (it being a very hot day!) I teamed it with a fur collar - can't wait for winter!!

Here I folded the scarf in a basic fold (as best I could for a plisse) to try and get some of the brighter colours to show and I just tied it around the neck twice and pulled out some of the pleats to give this result.

Flower knot with a scarf ring:

And this look is achieved simply by tying a single knot then getting hold of 2 of the edges of the tails and knotting them together to give this twisted/floral look. 

The second scarf I got was a Cotton Charm Kelly en Caleche - I finally managed to find a pale colourway for summer so this one came home too.

Sorry but I have not made any modelling photos with this one!

Montmartre - Paris Trip Part 4

My last afternoon took me to Montmartre as no visit to Paris is complete without a visit up to Montmartre.

I love to mingle in the hustle and bustle of the Place du Tertre with its cafes, restaurants and of course the wonderful artists!

One of the lovely artists at work.

In the evening I went for my favourite French Onion Soup, and my own home made version is based on this one shown below.

I always return to my hotel by walking down the Rue des Martyrs as it is full of lovely little florists.....

......and grocery shops.....

and......Pâtisserie Delmontel -  owned by Arnaud Delmontel and I believe he is the Pâtissier-Boulanger to the French President no less! And yes the cakes are every bit as good as they look :-) Sadly I did not get a chance to sample the green coconut domes but this HAS to be my favourite pâtisserie in Paris.

....and another pâtisserie...

and another delightful florist....the downside of being on a short trip is you have no need to buy any of the lovely goods on display...oh to live in Paris!

La vie est belle!

A little shopping on Rue du Grenelle - Paris Part 3

I dropped by the Hermès boutique on Rue du Grenelle not expecting to find anything, but lady luck was on my side and to my delight I found a Tohu Bohu 90cm silk twill scarf! Here she is...

There was a choice of 3 colourways and I chose the black for it's dramatic colours.

Cowboy Knot

A Friendship Knot (FK how to video)

A Half Ascot Knot (AK video) pulled to the side.

Equestrian style secured with scarf ring.

Loose flower knot with scarf ring.

I was very happy indeed to find this scarf!!

A morning walk through St Germain - Paris Part 2

My last morning in Paris took me across the Seine to the Left Bank and the St Germain area.  I found it to be quite an "upmarket" and residential area and lovely to walk along in the warm sunshine.  Naturally I went the wrong way when I came out of the Metro, but hey that is part of the fun of finding your way around a new place ;-) and it lead me to find things I may not otherwise have found....now this walk is food orientated so it may be best to read this after you have eaten.

Boulevard Raspail - the central reservation of the road had these lovely wrought iron circles at intervals with flowers which I though were rather pretty.

A close up of one of the beautiful pink standard roses.

On my erroneous route I came upon a small fresh food market - it was just in the middle of the road on the central reservation!  I love these markets as you know and for me it was a first to find a proper one in Paris - after all these years they DO exist!!

Every meat/sausage under the sun...

Lots of cheese...

The lovely artisan breads....

Asparagus Season in full swing - look at the tiny ones at the front!!

Lovely colourful fresh vegetables

Leaving the market I carried on my walk and found a couple of specialist shops...firstly Barthelemy is a specialist goats cheese shop... 

...but I really wanted to buy the little goats in the window..but they are not for sale!

There was a beautiful cake shop - Dalloyau - if I ever I lose my job I think I'd like to learn the art of the patissiere in France! 

How is this for a macaroon!

And finally the pasta maker...

I hope you had a nice gourmet walk through St Germain with me!