You are browsing the Blog for france.

friday film: vera wang lovestruck

June 3, 2011 in fashion

For today’s Friday film, I was tempted to share the clip of Bradley Cooper talking on French TV station TF1 in fluent French. Unfortunately, the downside of living in a place where TF1 is the first channel on my TV (and where The Hangover is called Very Bad Trip) is that French has gone from sounding super sexy to me to being a slightly stressful experience where I spend the entire time trying to interpret what’s being said instead of enjoying the gorgeous sounds. If you’re not afflicted by the same condition as me, you can check it out here.

Instead, I’ve chosen to share something that’s a little more flirty and feminine (but sadly doesn’t star Bradley Cooper). It’s also the next installment in the battle of the perfume misses.

Already we have Keira Knightley for Chanel, Natalie Portman for Dior, Emma Watson for Lancome and now we have the gorgeous Gossip Girl Leighton Meester for Vera Wang’s new fragrance, Lovestruck.

Don’t you just love her gorgeous gown? If you can’t afford the original Vera, Fleur Wood’s Vivid Fuschia Maxi Dress from BHLDN could make a nice alternative for US$400. (I’m personally lusting for it and wish I had a suitable occasion coming up!)

Enjoy the clip below and let me know your thoughts. Have a fabulous weekend!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
No Comments »

at the movies: heartbreaker

December 19, 2010 in movies

I saw the trailer for Heartbreaker (L’arnacoeur) a couple of months back when I went to see Eat, Pray, Love. I thought it looked fabulous and it even starred my favourite French actor, Romain Duris (L’auberge espagnole, Molière, Paris).

The plot centres around Alex (Duris), who is a professional heartbreaker working with his sister and brother-in-law to save women from unhappy relationships. After being approach by the father of Juliette (Vanessa Paradis), Alex heads to Monaco to prevent her marriage to a benevolent Englishman with only 10 days until the wedding. The couple seem to be very much in love and perfect for each other but Alex is desperate for money and must find a way to go against his morals to complete this impossible job.

Everyone I know who has attended advanced screenings of this movie has loved it – and that includes the men! Normally you’d find guys running for the exit at the mere thought of a French romantic comedy but there are some hilarious lines and moments in this film that make it a real joy to watch (not least Duris’ interpretation of Patrick Swayze’s classic Dirty Dancing solo).

This is such a fun and enjoyable film to see over the summer – I recommend heading along with your sweetheart on date night.

Heartbreaker comes out in Australian cinemas on Boxing Day (26 December).

Rating: ***1/2

Tags: , , ,
No Comments »

gift idea #18: the linguist

December 18, 2010 in entertainment

In my early 20s, I studied in Paris and I’ve been struggling to hold onto my French ever since. I have a few friends in a similar situation so I started thinking about presents that could help us out.

I’m sure you’ve seen those magnetic poetry kits with a whole lot of random words that you can use to create silly sentences. Well, apparently they also make kits in different languages.

You get over 500 words and word fragments that can be used to create all sorts of crazy sentences to help keep a second language top of mind while having fun at the same time. There are heaps of languages to choose from including Spanish, Yiddish, Sign Language and, of course, French (pictured).

You can buy kits online from Magnetic Poetry for $19.95. If you’re in Brisbane, I’ve also seen them at Mind Games in the Myer Centre.

Tags: , , , , ,
1 Comment »

french honor for kaiser karl

June 7, 2010 in fashion

Karl Lagerfeld (aka the designer who nevers sleeps) has been awarded France’s highest civilian award, the Legion of Honor, by French President Nicolas Sarkozy (aka the President who never sleeps).

According to wwd.com, Lagerfeld’s medal is a one-of-a-kind creation made to order by the French Mint and Chanel’s high jewellery workshops as a surprise for the designer.

Lagerfeld was apparently lost for words but managed to say, “If it wasn’t for 99 percent of the people in this room, it would all amount to nothing. So in fact, this is for me but it is also for all of you.”

Following the ceremony, Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni (who is an old friend of Lagerfeld – he has even photographed her nude) threw a surprise garden party for the Kaiser.

Tags: , , ,
No Comments »