Category Archives: lovely links

french is beautiful

frenchisbeautifuliggrid

 

I thought a little change of pace might be nice…I’m sharing a few of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow if you’re learning, or want to improve, your French. While there’s a plethora of beautiful French + Francophile accounts (of which I’ll share my favorites soon), the ones that provide language learning opportunities are more rare. I actually discovered my tutor Carrie Anne James via Instagram…I fell hard for her cinematic french word/ phrase pronuncation videos. Speaking of which, she will be doing that exact thing via a daily email, beginning in August – I highly recommend signing up for it here! Her and I both find inspiration in these accounts – some are for beginners, others more advanced…but they are all lovely and informative. I realize that I subconsciously ended up with a summery theme when curating this grid…it must be my vacation brain, ha. Give them a follow and let me know what your favorites (for learning) are!

(listed in order, from top to bottom, left to right)

@zoemacaron | @frenchwords | @deedeeparis | @frenchwords  | @mylittleparis | @malinzillen | @frenchwordsjournal | @theparisdarling | @sophiefontanel | @malinzillen | @deedeeparis | @frenchisbeautiful

sister cities park

marieinriver

henryinriver

 

We had one mission this Fourth of July weekend – to give the kids their first splash pad experience. After some research and friend polling, I decided our first should be Sister Cities Park. Having driven by it many times and always seeing a flock of moms and strollers, I knew it must be great. With a pond, children’s garden, cafe + splash pad, it has more than enough to keep the kiddos (and mommy + daddy) happy. Dressed in appropriate holiday colors, we joined the masses in the sunshine! We splashed, we sailed (mini boats), we smiled…it was a good day. Follow through for more cuteness!

 

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ellsworth paris

ellsworthsilhouettes

I always look to my good friend Lindsey Tramuta for dining recommendations when in Paris, and she was sweet enough to arrange a lunch with some of my favorite amis. Ellsworth was an easy choice, being the latest and greatest from Laura Adrian + Braden Perkins, the masterminds behind my other Parisian favorite, Verjus. Having just opened, I had the opportunity to feel very au courant. Unfortunately there was scaffolding outside so I couldn’t get a shot of the beautiful exterior (see it here), but you can see Lindsey and I’s reflection in the door. It felt like a bit of a homecoming for me, as it is located in the shadow of the Fontaine Moliére in the 1st and the hotel I used to call my home away from home.

ellsworth-paris-dish

ellsworth-paris

ellsworth-paris-dessert

The plates are small so we each ordered a few and shared. Everything was delicious – from the brussel sprout salad to the buttermilk fried chicken, and the apple beignets (whoa). Most importantly, the company was awesome – I was joined by Paris friends (from left to right) Lauren Lou Bate, Kasia Dietz, Anne Ditmeyer, Meg Gagnard, (moi), Frank Barron, Lindsey Tramuta, and Rahaf Harfoush. We unintentionally posed for a “last supper” image (ha)…and I must say, I’d be ok with this being my last meal. Many thanks to mr. fleurishing for giving me solo time, and to Lindsey for making it happen!

parisfriends

Ellsworth | 34 rue de Richelieu Paris 75001

bonpoint soho

bonpoint-summer-window-display

 

I have long admired and obsessed over Bonpoint – the Parisian clothier which has been creating the standard for children’s French fashion since 1975. As you can imagine, I was more than thrilled to be invited by Bonpoint to photograph + review their SoHo store during my most recent visit to NYC. Always a destination for me when in Paris, I was thrilled when they opened the SoHo location last year (making a total of four locations in NYC). Perfectly situated next to Ladurée, it’s a Francophile’s dream, amd I was absolutely giddy spending my day going back and forth between the two. Before even stepping foot inside the store, the Summer 2015 collection beckoned me through the windows. With pebbles and moss highlighting rich indigo twill and printed cotton voile, my mind was set adrift to exotic, breezy locales…

 

bonpoint-soho

bonpoint-summer-2015-print

 

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