GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAFY

. . . perhaps one of the most exciting things about the arrival of spring, besides all the beautiful & wildly intoxicating sunlight, is the chance for bare toes once again, and pretty platform sandals with sky-high heels and in gold and glitter and perfect pastels . . .



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At the very centre—the heart, soul and jewel of France, we find Paris . . . Paris in all of its overwhelming magic and allure. Paris that, perhaps of all places around the globe, of all the islands and coasts, extraordinary mountains, cities, and countrysides, might just be the most dreamed about of them all. And is it with any wonder? Enveloping the experience of l'art de vivre is a rosy hue, a hue only seen while you are there [long remembered and forever held in the heart], swept up in the magic of the city of lights. Here, for hundreds of years, thousands and thousands of visitors near and far have traveled to visit, to live, [even if just for the day] amongst all that is Paris.



Here we find perfectly imperfect cobblestone streets, many offset by poetically tilted and beautifully aged architecture, and as we walk, we quietly take in the unabashed beauty and élan, as elegant & effortlessly stylish women pass by; an older man, pedaling along on his bicyclette, en route to the barber may bring on a smile—indeed, a postcard sight; ladies immersed in each other's company, tucked in bold red chairs at a quaint café, back and forth they speak, in reverent conversation; or peek into the windows of elegantly merchandised shop windows, seductively showcasing handmade merchandise, created with skills perfected centuries ago. A host of streets may call you to stroll, looking up as you go, at the decorated facades, noticing a tiny pot with a cheerful blossom tucked into the tiniest of nooks. Not so unlike Paris, where charm abounds—charm and quality, hand in hand—be it fine foods or perfumes, fundamental manners & etiquette, or tying a scarf with flair.



Perhaps it's passion? Perhaps it's Paris. A city unlike any other, Paris calls creatives to create, lovers in love, and explores to explore . . . for those with an appetite to discover and to learn may discover a convergence of past and present, and may lose themselves forever, never to be the same. And so, today we warmly invite you to join us as we visit some of the most memorable places, and share some of best kept secrets in our address book of Paris . . .

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. . . at this moment, writing to you in a near sugar-induced coma, and after all the cheesecake and häagen-dazs, swiss chocolates and french chocolates and caramel-drizzled sticky toffee pudding, it's safe to say that time at the gym is on the new year's resolution list once again this year -- but oh, it was so deliciously worth every single bite . . .

hope you're having a wonderful last december week, and enjoying every single last moment,
roséline xo

No winter evening's rendezvous on the Champs-Elysées, with its glittering shoppes and glistening holiday lights is complete without a stop at our most favourite "fabricant de douceurs & gourmandises": Ladurée, in all its gilded grandeur.



In the early 1900s, Pierre Desfontaines, cousin of Ladurée's founder, Louis Ernest Ladurée, took two almond meringue cookies and joinied them with a divine ganache filling, creating the macaron as we know it.



Prior to that, macarons were simply cookies, which were first brought to France by Catherine di Medici and her pastry chefs in 1533.



These little round cakes, which made their onscreen debut in the film, Marie Antoinette, are crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, and are made every morning by Ladurée’s pastry chefs who measure precisely, the required amounts of almonds, eggs and sugar, and a touch of magic . . .



Ladurée, which began as a tea room near the Place de la Concorde in 1862, has since expanded within Paris, then to other parts of the world, including England, Monaco, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the Arab Emirates, and its most recent location, in New York's Upper East Side, where we met Ladurée's owner, Elisabeth Holder, who is also the sister of the Chairman of the company.



The NYC shop, located just down the street from Dior and Chloé, is a jewel box of pastel green, displaying traditional decorative accents, busts, mirrors and classical paintings, showcasing chocolates, crystallized flower petals and of course macarons, all imported from Paris each day.



Elisabeth, who began her career working in the fashion industry for the likes of Hermès, moved to New York recently to run the affairs of the newest Ladurée boutique.



Elisabeth has said that "The macaron is a grand classique of the pastry arts -- it's not an accessory. It's an experience of pleasure." And so, during our meeting with her, we just had to ask for her:

{hosting & being a house guest }

At many points throughout the year, we may welcome guests to stay in our homes as well as be guests in others’ homes, but particularly so with the holidays just around the corner.



And whether you will be living with friends or family during such time, it is always lovely to be both a generous and welcoming host, as well as a considerate guest.



For this week's {take me away}, we shall explore different tips and ideas on how to be gracious in both circumstances . . .

[click below to read sarah's thoughtful tips for being a welcoming hostess, as well as a gracious guest this holiday season] x

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{creator of legendary chocolates}

Movies have been made, novels have been written, and even songs have been sung about chocolate—celebrating its tradition, its magic and its wonderment.



And whether you prefer creamy, milk chocolate as smooth as silk, or enjoy the stark bitterness of a deep and intensely flavored dark chocolate, some say chocolate preferences can say a lot about a person. For whosoever has a love affair with chocolate, shall always . . .



If you plan to travel to Paris, Cannes, London, New York, Tokyo, or Hong Kong, you might make a stop at the legendary chocolatier, Robert Linxe's La Maison du Chocolat.



Originally founded in Paris, and "with over thirty years of expertise and ever evolving creativity", some might say the perfection of Linxe’s creations is unrivaled, and that the experience alone is worth a trip.



Made only of the purest, freshest ingredients, legendary chocolatier Robert Linxe's mouthwatering confections are noble, artistic creations that capture the essence of chocolate in its truest form and exalt its taste in every exquisitely memorable bite . . .


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There is something significantly special about vintage and antique luggage pieces. Unlike the compact pieces that are created out of convenience and necessity today: suitable for planes, trains, ships, and automobile travel—the type of luggage needed from years past is quite different.



For instance, baby strollers today are easy to clean and maintain, can carry a number of children at time, and can fold into a fraction of their size, not unlike an origami piece; whereas in the past, more scalable prams were standard, designed with large, more industrial strength metal parts, and were produced with fine materials—some even included beautiful paintings and special storage compartments, and were often decorative and treasured for many, many years.



The same is with luggage; today, we seek quite different conveniences and scales, and yet can appreciate and enjoy the beauty of pieces from a bygone era.



Proficiently and arduously, “constructed by hand from metal, timber, leather and brass, these trunks were highly sought after and favoured by royal families and international high society alike.”



Traveling in style was considered as important as where one would travel. It’s lovely to imagine the sorts of journeys these pieces went on—exotic trips to Africa, trains through Europe, new homes and lands, discovered . . .




[continue reading sarah's tips for purchasing vintage and antique travel cases below . . .] x


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. . . and it was a perfectly lazy sunday: a quaint café with p, after an early afternoon of entertaining friends -- strong cups of coffee & good conversation, and there were roses and orchids from a saturday stop at the flower markets, banana bread and butter tarts and a late, late dinner on friday evening, ending with an evening out, red wine and candlelight on sunday night, and there is still so much to look forward to in the new week . . .

hope you've had an astonishingly lovely weekend, and that it was beautiful where you are, roséline xo

"The rays of happiness, like those of light, are colorless when unbroken."

. . . and in all the flurry of last week's activities, had not had a chance to tell you about the beautiful feature on {this is glamorous} in the current issue of we like we love . . .



{p.s.} click here to read my five likes & five loves [page 7], or, even better, pick up a strong coffee and macarons, and flip through the current online issue [there is a print version available as well]

. . . sincerest apologies for the rather sporadic posting this week -- a mad, mad dash kind of day, and a quick stop to say hello and to wish family & friends, as always, in paris and the south of france {especially}, bonne fête de la bastille / happy bastille day!

à bientôt j'espère‎ & more lovely things soon,
roséline xo

{p.s.} [also, a little behind on emails]



























{& one last thing:} past bastille day celebrations:
* macarons
* chandeliers


{images: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve | thirteen | fourteen}