Late Night Thinking

Such a great quote to fall asleep to and to wake up to...

Bisous,

M&M

Goyard

Meghan and I just happened to stumble upon the first Goyard store on St. Honoré the other day!

For those of you who don't know the brand Goyard....  

Goyard is the oldest Parisian trunk maker still in business. The brand has hand bags, accessories and even has a little store on St. Honoré for dog accessories as well. Goyard has been around since 1792 and became popular with the help of, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Berry. If you want to learn more about the history or just the brand check out the website it's pretty cool! 

http://www.goyard.com/goyard.html

Here are some of the accessories in the window! 

For the dogs

If only I had this for my suite at school!

Maria in front of the trunks

Full view of the trunks

Such a great find to just stumble upon! Hopefully we'll have some more great discoveries like this especially with Fashion Week...

Bisous,

M&M

P.S. Julia loves to wear her Goyard bag all the time! 

Make sure to scroll down under Fall Chic for pics!

The Gospel According to RZ

Some words to the wise from the fab Rachel Zoe...

I die. 

bisous

M&M

ENCORE stripes, stripes, stripes

Feeling truly french today, Maria and I decided to rock one of our all time favorite prints, stripes! Nothing says Paris more than a classic striped top! It is truly one of the most classic looks and always looks put together and stylish. Stripes are the perfect canvas for accessories as well. Whether you add a statement necklace, a colorful scarf, or an intriguing pair of earrings, stripes provide the perfect base! Although Maria and I both wore stripes, we styled them very differently, proving just how versatile this timeless print really is!

Maria opted to wear a light grey and white striped top. The shirt is made of sweatshirt material, making it super comfy and cozy in the crisp fall weather! Maria perfectly accessorized her top with a simple red scarf that truly added a pop of color! Her deep red longchamp bag looks great too!

Meg wore a simple navy and white striped top. Accessorized with a funky blue necklace, this top looks polished and put together. A simple black jacket was also worn for warmth and a little extra style! 

The same pattern, yet two very different looks! 

Our outfits may be different but there was one thing in common, our shoes!! We both wore brown shoes to ground our outfits! Maria's darling flats feature a small bow and some gold hardware. Meg is wearing oxford booties. With their small heel, they are amazing shoes that can be worn durning the day and at night! 

Needless to say, stripes are the greatest. They are so simple, flattering (when worn correctly!), and chic! One cannot go wrong when wearing stripes and with so many color options, they are a closet staple for every fashionista. How do you wear your stripes?

bisous,

M&M

Food for Thought

Always strive to look your absolute best ladies, it not only may be the only impression a person gets of you, but it also can speak wonders about who you are as a person. Paris has truly taught me more about fashion than I could have ever dreamed.

Bisous,

M&M

Color Coded

So sorry about the lack of posts lately! I wrote one about our trip to Madrid but it seems that it did not post nor did it save! Never fear though, we're back from our weekend in Madrid (more to come on that later) and ready to share more about our lives in Paris. So now on to my next topic, COLOR!

Although the air is beginning to get crisp and fall is most definitely around the corner, the streets of Paris are still filled with bright colors! Colored pants, shirts, shoes, accessories, we have seen it all. Following the trend, Maria and I threw on our own pairs of bright colored pants. 

Meg wearing her kelly green pants. They're a great transition color from summer to fall. 

Maria in her coral colored jeans. Another great transition color from summer into fall! 

Two very different colors, yet one very fun trend! 

Bright pants are a great trend for fall and we had a fun time wearing them! We even noticed the next day in class that several of our classmates we were bright pants as well. Trend setters we are ;] While wearing our bright pants, we also came across a random fashion show in the street! 

The music was so amazing and the company truly managed to literally create a party on the street. 

Galleries Lafayette was having an amazing outdoor fashion show. It was so neat to see all of the models and clothes up close. Fashion week starts today in Paris so we are going to be doing a lot of people watching the next week! Cannot wait to see some celebs and models and hopefully a lot of fabulous outfits that can serve as some style inspiration!

bisous,

M&M

GREAT Words, Said by a GREAT Woman

A perfect thought to start the day!

bisous,

M&M

Fashion on the Brain

Today was the first day of, after about ten minutes, what became Maria and me's favorite class. Luxury Brand Management. Just the name of the class makes me excited to learn! Throughout the semester, we are going to learn all about the management and marketing of luxury items from Chanel to YSL to Rolls Royce to Rolex. It should prove to be a fascinating class! We discussed a lot about fashion so naturally, I now have clothes and design on the mind. Chanel in particular is filling my dreams since we spoke about them so much in class! We were to tired to go window shopping at Chanel after class so googling had to suffice. Here's some great Chanel eye candy and some fun Chanel quotes I discovered along the way:

If only these hung in my closet... 

Perfection. 

So simple yet elegant 

Love the mix of masculine and feminine

So stunning

Love the colors 

I have definitely come to live by this living in Paris. Everyday is truly a fashion show and it is so much fun to dress up everyday! Love never dressing down and always putting my best face forward!

"Everyday is a fashion show and the world is your runway"

Bisous,

M & M

How the French Stay Fit

I feel as if I have stumbled upon a huge secret. Everyone always talks about how on earth the French are capable of being so thin and fabulous despite eating a diet full of wine, chocolat, bread, and rich sauces. Sure, they only eat three times a day and walk everywhere but come on, if I consumed a baguette a day I would be the width of the eiffel tower! So how do they do it...

Anyone who knows me know that I absolutely love, love, love to run. It is my favorite form of exercise and something that I try to do almost day (it keeps me mentally and physically fit)! Although I have been eating very well here (no crepes or pastries yet!) and walking sooo much, I knew I needed to work running into my daily schedule so that I would continue to stay fit and happy! I discussed the issue with my RA who informed me that there was a running park about a mile down the street! With classes finally started and a normal daily routine set into motion, I was ready to make my way down to the running park! I laced up my shoes, grabbed my i-pod and headed to the park! I expected a few other runners and maybe a walker or two since it is a stereotype that the French do not exercise, but what I discovered in that park shocked me...

There were TONS of runners. Literally so many fit Frenchies running along. I was heaven! Not only is running totally acceptable in Paris, but it seems to be a hobby for so many! I saw people of all ages and sizes running, but what surprised me the most was how fast everyone was going. These people were serious runners, keeping a pace of if I had to guess 7 minute miles (super fast for all you non runners). The park its self was absolutely stunning as well. There is a huge hill at one point (my butt is going to be amazing at the end of the semester), a stunning pond with swans and birds, sculptures, stair cases, many different routes, and lots and lots of people. There is so much beautiful green space as well! I am in love! Oh, and to make things even more sweeter, all the French men run in tight spandex running outfits, showing off their PERFECT bodies. I worked up quite the sweat and was drooling haha. Nothing like gorgeous French men to make you run faster! 

I've been running in the park twice now and am so so happy I have made the discovery. I've been going around three miles (which fly by since the scenery and people watching is so fantastic). I've also enlisted my friend to run with me several times a week. It has become one of the highlights of my day and something to look forward to after a long day of class. 

So back to the secret I have discovered! What I have learned is that French love to run and that it must be what helps them stay so fit! They run so fast it is crazy! Combined with the walking and diet, running has to be the secret ingredient that keeps the French so fierce. 

bisous,

M & M 

PS: I promise to take pictures of the park on my i-touch in the near future! My i-touch has been acting funny so I've been running with my shuffle which means no camera :(   I need music or another person when I run or it is just miserable! 

YSL

A little inspirational quote by a great French designer: 

bisous,

M & M

Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs!

Last week we were lucky to catch the end of Louisi Vuitton and Marc Jacobs exhibit in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs within the Louvre!

LV was a great business man and believed in quality and in making great packaging for products.

Here is one of the very first dresses designed before he got into his trunks

Underneath a dress

Louis VuittonTrunks

                                   

Here are some trunks that were at least 100 years old! They were before LV started having his symbol on his trunks.

I snuck in a picture when the guards weren't looking!

 Marc Jacobs collaborated with LV and really changed the way the world viewed the brand. He brought youth and changed the classic Louis Vuitton bag.

Some LV bags designed by Marc Jacobs, he really changed the look of LV and modernized it

A sample of LV bags designed by Marc Jacobs

A close up of one of the bags.

Hope you enjoyed the mini view of the exhibit! There was many clothes designed by Marc Jacobs as well that we couldn't take pictures of as well as some of the classic trunks with LV.

bisous,

M&M

Taking the Beaches of Normandy by Storm

This weekend, Maria and I headed to the beaches of Normandy for a field trip with our program! We learned a lot about WWII, ate some local delicacies ( that some of us did not enjoy! ), and got to spend some quality time with all of our fabulous new friends! The weather was gorgeous and the beaches were stunning. Our program stayed at a hostel right across the street from the beach where the artificial harbor was built so many years ago. We had some down time to hang out on the beach, and naturally it turned into a full on photo shoot. The lighting was so unbelievable that I couldn't help but take way too many photos. Here are some of my favorites! 

Some of the girlies heading down to the beach! 

Maria and I attempting to do our sorority symbol... it was so windy!

Playing in the water... surprising pretty warm 

Maria being blown away by the wind

Meg so happy to be back at the beach 

Meg and Maria walking along the beach. The lighting was INCREDIBLE

Meg (the lightening made for amazing pics!)

It was so difficult to pick just a few of my favorite pictures from the trip, there were so many gorg ones to choose from! The trip we were all dreading turned into being a great one... Normandy proved to be beautiful and fun. With its rich history and beautiful beaches, I would recommend it to anyone! 

bisous

M&M

Fleur de Glace

After dinner, the girls got a craving for some ice cream so we stopped by Amorino Gelato by :)

The icecreams are shaped like flowers and are so beautiful and delicious! My camera even put itself on the "floral pictures" mode.

My icecream: Sepculoos, Nutella and Tiramisu

Julia and her icecream

Me (Maria) 

Here is a little video too! It shows how they make the icecream  into a flower 

and the inside of the shop!

bisous,

M&M