Back to Target {and OOD 7.17.09}

Anyone who knows me (or has read this blog once or twice) knows that I love Target shopping trips. Well, I hadn't been for awhile with the overseas trip, but am now back in the swing of things.

I had to run in a little earlier than planned when I saw this post over at My Blonde Reality. Scanning through the lovely Lilly dresses, I noticed the mention of Target and had to do a double take. Yes, the lovely little shift pictured below is Merona and it is only $36.99. Luckily, I was there within hours and there was one in my size just waiting for me. They call it a Pleated Dress online - but the only pleats are the ones across the chest. It is a classic shift style. I also picked up a cute little $14.99 top pictured below.

I haven't done an OOD for awhile either, so I've added a couple snaps from last Friday.

Anthropologie tunic, Old Navy white denim, JS Jeanna sandals not pictured

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Le Jules Verne

the view

We had dinner at Le Jules Verne (at the Eiffel Tower) our second night in Paris but made the reservations two or three months ahead of time from the US.  Apparently it takes a while to get in here!  They check your name at the private elevator and up you go... the decor is very modern and sleek and it feels a little like you are dining on a ship (or spaceship).  The view is spectacular and the food very chic.

It is difficult for me to describe the courses but, luckily, we went with the fixed dinner menu (I did change one of my desserts), and took pictures - and the same menu is currently listed online.  So, I can share the meal here with you all!   (We also just went with the sommelier's wine recommendation.)  Here we go:

a little extra treat from the chef

roasted imperial prawns, tangy baby vegetables and vinaigrette

small violet artichokes, "barigoule" juice

pan-seared turbot, crayfish and mushrooms "a la Riche"

pan-seared veal, potatoes Anna

tower bolt, dark chocolate praline, hazelnut ice cream (Hubby's) on the right toward the back

caramel and whiskey cream dome, with coffee ice cream (not pictured - off to the side) (mine)

wild strawberries, lemon thyme 'palet', fresh cream cheese/red berries sorbet

extra treats (the marshmallows in the white bowl were de-lish!)

looking out to the Trocadero - when the lights on the Eiffel Tower started flashing (10 min every hour at dark), we watched tons of camera flashes pointed at us (well, at the Tower) going off over there!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend... Happy Monday!

xoxo

J'adore Dior. Yes, I do.

Christian Dior on Avenue Montaigne, Paris

Of all the big names I visited in Paris last week, Dior was the most magical. Chanel was so impressive, Louis Vuitton amazing, but Dior just seems to take you back in time... You can easily picture Grace Kelly or another elegant woman from that era walking through the door when you are in this shop. I adore the light gray and white facade of the store - and - inside - just beauty everywhere you turn!

I did not make a purchase here, but since we returned I have visited the website and found the Pink Dior Cherie bag. It doesn't even pop up as an option on the US version of the Dior site and I can't find it at SFA or NM so I can't order it. But - if you go to the UK version of the site, you can see it under the Dior Signature and Logo section. They describe it as "Basket bag in pink coated canvas, 'Cannage' print with embroidery effect". I describe it as "Perfect".

So, Dior Cherie bag... you are at the top of my current handbag wishlist.

Here are a few snaps from the Ave. Montaigne store:

my girls watching the video fashion show - mesmerizing!

and look at this feathered chair - tres elegant!

a window display

Oh, but I did end up with one little Dior treat from the Nordstrom sale which we stopped by last night after dinner - the Escale a Portofino eau de toilette. I just love this fresh yet warm citrusy scent (bergamot, citron, almond, orange blossom and cypress)- and for the sale the 4.2 oz size is wrapped up with a complimentary Miss Dior Cherie moisturizer - which has notes of green tangerine, strawberry leaves, violet and caramelized popcorn! Fun!

Happy Weekend!

xoxo

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

OK, usually I am one of the people in the crowd drinking Starbucks and waiting for Nordstrom to open their shiny polished doors at 7 am on this day every year.  But today, just coming off of the Paris shopping, I'm not feeling the need to treat myself to some fabbie new things nor, really, the excitement to zip down to the store and join the crowd (it must be the jet lag).  Plus, I feel like my summer is just starting and I'm not ready to shop for boots and coats.  This hasn't stopped me, however (of course), from feeling slightly left out and spending a good half hour on the Nordies website this morning perusing.  

The offerings are overwhelming!  I've picked out a few favorites but would love to hear if anyone else has found anything fabulous online - or if you've gone to the sale, what you got!!

A few things I like:

kate spade 'stevie' glazed croc shopper in blue: regularly $425., sale $279.90

Nordstrom's bag, Nordstrom's pic

Sam Edelman 'Irina' Flat in Grey Snake: regularly $129.95, sale $86.90

Nordstrom's shoe, Nordstrom's pic

Diane von Furstenburg 'Julian' dress in Serpent Berry: regularly $325., sale $199.90

Nordstrom's dress, Nordstrom's pic

And of course I love the Tory Burch Romy... but the only sale colors are the khaki/gold and black and I did just recently score my lovely gold TB Reva espadrilles and already have some black Revas... plus I love the Latte/Arabian Pink color combo more (I posted on them awhile back here), and it is sadly not marked down yet... I'll be watching!

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Le Cinq

the dining room sometime after midnight when most people had left

I have a few more posts on our Europe trip before I return to musing about outfits, J Crew orders, and Target finds... and dinner at Le Cinq definitely deserves a mention!

Le Cinq is the restaurant in the George V hotel and our dinner there was opulent, extravagant, perfect - and lasted 4 and a half hours. I can't recall exactly how many courses we had - I believe the chef sent out little extra tastes about three times in between what we ordered - which themselves were insanely fabulous and complex. We started with a glass of champagne and followed the sommelier's recommendations on a bottle of red and a dessert wine so everything just blended together fabulously. I seriously don't have the culinary expertise to describe this meal so I will just share some snaps I took (as discreetly as I could). I did notice a couple other snaps being taken elsewhere in the room, so I wasn't the only one!

Now, these pics don't include everything, but they give a good idea! (Oh, and when you go there, your handbag gets its own little stool pulled out for it!)

one of the little tastes sent out from the chef

2009 tomato appetizer -"fog" is floating out of it around the caviar...

...the other half of my tomato appetizer... a sorbet is on the far right, next to it a tomato wrapped in some sort of thin pastry

to just say "chicken and potatoes" doesn't do this justice... two waiters brought it out in the pan and cut and plated it at the table

my dessert - a souffle with red bell pepper

Hubby's dessert - he got the Le Cinq fraisier

Hubs shared his macaron

after dessert sweets chosen from the sweets cart... Hubby had some fabulous cheeses from the cheese cart

the perfect espresso to end the meal

Still to come: dinner at the Eiffel Tower, sidewalk scenes, and a little shoe shopping!

xoxo

Fun at Louis Vuitton

One of my first shop visits in Paris was, of course, to Louis Vuitton and I found the store on Avenue Montaigne first. I was looking for a clutch and considering something in the Monogram, Damier, or Monogram Vernis. I tried a few styles and decided to think about it, wanting to visit the huge flagship store on Champs Elysees. When we got to that one it was so overwhelmingly crowded and huge that we headed back to the Montaigne store to do any buying.

I settled on the Eva clutch in Monogram after seeing how versatile it is. You can use just the chain and carry on your shoulder, carry as a clutch, hook the chain to just one end and carry as a wristlet, or attach the included leather strap to carry it crossbody on your hip (with chain hanging down). The salesman also showed me that I could sling the chain over my Neverfull straps and carry it that way! (and he said absolutely to get the matching pattern to my Neverfull and not mix it up with the Damier) I also purchased the Complice Trunks and Bags Key Holder. The red logo is what was on the old LV delivery trucks.

Also, when I was there, the salesman told me that that night they were having a little "party" and staying open until 10pm rather than closing at their usual 7pm time and I should come, have some champagne, and get my Neverfull monogrammed with my initials! Usually this takes three days but he gave me an "85% chance" that the monogrammer would be able to do it in 10 minutes. And guess what - they don't charge for this. I don't know if all LV stores will do this, but they assured me emphatically that this was Paris, so of course it would be done any time for free!

So Hubby (very good sport) and I came back that evening on our way to dinner at Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower. They guided us to the shoe department, brought us glasses of champagne, and the salesman I worked with before came over to get the details of how I wanted my initials done. We had reservations at 8pm so couldn't wait to see the whole process, but they had the machine out in the store and I chose my size, location and color (gold) for my initials. They were letting people take pics of the process and were happy to take pictures of us with the monogrammer, but I have cropped him out as I didn't mention anything about him being on a blog! Hubby was there also, supporting my fun, but I know he wishes to remain incognito, so he's cropped out as well.

back at home - my new card & key holder - I must have everything together instead of having separate keys and wallet - that way if I am driving my car I know I have my license/a credit card etc. with me! It is gusseted to hold quite a few cards/cash/even coins - and I love the red detailing.

xoxo

Petit Bateau {at the Arc de Triomphe & atop the Eiffel Tower}

Petit Bateau = Little Boat.

It reminds me of the phrase "the sea is so wide and my boat is so small", which I believe is taken from an Irish fisherman's prayer.

Ahhh... love, love, love this brand. Thank you so much to Ema for recommending this shop while in Paris. I visited the little store on Champs Elysees three times, finding loads of goodies every time. I mostly bought things for my children - and when I took them on one of the trips they found many, many things themselves that they liked - but I did manage to buy some fabulous tees for myself and also a black double layer dress that I wore on the flight home with black leggings and a pewter Jackie... sooo comfy!

Here are some snaps of my finds from the first two shopping trips (on the third I just bought a few little things for the kids and the black dress... sorry did not get a pic of that). OH! And I didn't mention most of the things I bought were between 20% to 50% off! This was a perfectly timed trip and much of Paris was on sale! My Hubby got some great things at Faconnable, including the most gorgeous pale blue cashmere sweater, and most of that store was 50% off. I also bought my girls some things at Zara & H&M with similar deals.

Shopping Trip #1

Shopping Trip #2

(The light blue striped tee is adorable - it is almost tissue weight but double-layered and reverses to a picture of a mermaid with a French phrase)

xoxo