Monday, April 13, 2015

Faux French/Foe Americans

Faux (adj.): artificial or imitation; fake.
Foe (noun): an enemy or opponent.

Why the French have problems with Americans!


This is embarrassing SHIT! Stop it folks before they send troops!

Diplomacy!

French daydreaming.  Let's make them proud of us.  Show them we have style. French wishlist.  Budget-busting.


A very fine 19th Century French Empire mahogany gilt bronze mounted day bed. Styled with outswept sides, using bronze swan molded figures and legs with winged lion bronze clasps and paw feet.


Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) from the 80's sitcom Designing Women said she had a deprived life because she didn't have a complete set of Louis Vuitton luggage.  I'm extremely deprived, not a single piece.  Below, a fabulous antique collection.


"In the 1830s, a provincial young Frenchman named Louis Vuitton traveled — on foot — from his hometown to Paris, more than 400 km away. One of the odd jobs he struck up in Paris was as an apprentice layetier, a kind of manservant who would pack trunks for well-to-do travelers. Vuitton must have really known how to pack a trunk, because he soon caught the attention of Napoleon III, who hired him to be layetier to his wife, Empress Eugénie.

His tenure and skill in this field gave Vuitton considerable expertise in travelers’ needs. In 1854 he opened his own trunk-making firm in Paris. His first trunks were lightweight and airtight, with flat tops to facilitate stacking. They were wooden frames covered in gray “Trianon” canvas.

Louis Vuitton trunks were soon very popular and, like today, oft-copied. The company had to keep changing its signature pattern due to copycats. The trademark brown and beige stripes debuted in 1876; twenty years later, the “Monogram” pattern was unveiled, with that familiar “LV” monogram plus four-lobed flowers ‘borrowed’ from the Japanese visual culture that was so fashionable in the late-19th century.

By 1913, the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysées in Paris was the largest travel-goods store in the world."

Bring a little French style into your home.  Budget-friendly.  


From the VIP collection.  Decorative pillows made from French grain sacks, feather and down inserts.  Several sizes and stripe patterns to choose from.


Circa 1900 French bentwood bistro table with marble top.  Great for dining or sipping wine.


Arriving in store by Thursday.  Folding French bistro chairs, perfect for al fresco dining.


Available in box stores in a wide range of colors, French metal cafe chairs.  Do your homework, price and quality can vary greatly.

Summing it all up, the one thing French we all appreciate is the kiss.

Edith Piaf
"La Vie en Rose"

1 comment:

Notes From Flanders said...

What would Louis think now to see how ubiquitous his LV brand has become amidst the masses!