The Velvet Bow

Europe: A Recap

This was the view from our hotel room in Kuala Kumpur, about five minutes from the airport. I was horribly sick and so these palm trees were all I saw before I passed out in bed and stayed there until our next flight. Below you’ll find a link to each post from the trip in case there were any you missed. I’m working on a new design that will allow me to categorise my travel posts a whole lot better in case you find yourself jetting away and need some tips on what to see. Should be all organised in time for our next trip (which I’m already planning!).

• London: First Sights
• Europe: Top Ten
• London: Portobello Markets
• The Beautiful City of Bath
• London: Autumn in Hyde Park
• London: Photo Diary
• Southwest France: Aubeterre
• Southwest France: Saint-Emilion
• Southwest France: Bordeaux
• The Road to Spain: Toulouse
• The Road to Spain: Andorra
• The Road to Spain: Barcelona Day One
• The Road to Spain: Barcelona Day Two
• The Road to Spain: Barcelona Day Three
• Zaragoza, San Sebastian and St-Jean-de-Luz
• Southwest France: Biarritz
• Southwest France: Perigueux
• Paris: Jardin du Luxembourg
• Paris: Photo Diary

Comments

Paris: Photo Diary

These were the fleeting last moments captured in Paris before returning home to Australia. Any amount of time in Paris is magic, so even though we didn’t go to the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the flea market on the outskirts of town, the vintage stores in the Marais and many more things as we had planned, I still enjoyed what the city had to share with us. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful month away and I am just so glad I got to share it with my best friend! Tomorrow I’ll be doing a recap of all the posts from the trip in case you missed any, and then it’s onwards and upwards onto other things.

1. Notre Dame cathedral
2. Tarte Tatin and iced tea at Laduree
3. Marc’s statue impersonation at Jardin des Tuileries
4. The cafe Les Deaux Magots where famous writers used to hang
5. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
6. A book seller alongside the Seine
7. Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde
8. Église Saint-Sulpice
9. Kooky door in the St-Germain area
10. Random statue in the Tuileries
11. Decor in Laduree
12. A boat chugging along the Seine
13. Uniform apartment blocks in the 1st Arrondissement
14. Lover’s locks on the Pont des Arts
15. The Louvre
16. So many pigeons in one tree!
17. The famous street

Comments

Paris: Jardin du Luxembourg

Barely an hour after arriving at our apartment in Paris’ Latin Quarter Marc and I both started to feel unwell, which quickly developed into a nasty flu that left us bedridden for the next day and a half. Though we were far from better on the third day, it was our last chance to see Paris before our flight home so we gathered come croissants from our corner boulangerie and walked the short distance to the Jardin du Luxembourg. I couldn’t believe we didn’t visit this wonderful place the last time we were in Paris. Even in winter it was stunning - pots upon pots of colourful flowers, people lounging by fountains on green chairs and stylish couples wandering around hand in hand. And right around the corner I found a darling little shop that sold the most perfect ballet flats. I can see why people fall so in love with the left bank now!

I have just one post left with a series of random photos I managed to snap when we finally emerged from our cave in the 6th arrondissement, and then Europe is all finished (albeit two months late!).

Comments

Southwest France: Périgueux

When we arrived back at Marc’s parents’ house after our whirlwind trip to Spain we were pretty exhausted, but I was determined to fit in a bit of sightseeing before we left for Paris. The next day we jumped in the car and set off for Périgueux, the prefecture of the Dordogne department which in turn lies in the Aquitane region (I still don’t fully understand how France’s states work!).

Périgueux is rich in history, with Roman ruins, crumbling stone structures and medieval relics at every turn. Mostly though it was just a very pretty town and I really enjoyed walking from square to alley to building and taking in the scenery. A few things we stumbled upon were a couple of local cats hanging out in a courtyard, the haunting melody of an organ being played in an empty cathedral, some quirky graffitti and more chocolatiers than you could poke a stick at!

And thus was the end to our two weeks in Southwest France and beyond. The following morning before the sun was even up we hopped on a train from Angouleme to Paris for the last couple of days on our holiday.

1. Cathedral of Saint Front
2. Roadside garden
3. A medieval watchtower
4. Cat on a wall
5. The back lanes of Périgueux
6. Cute green car
7. Hotel de Ville
8. Hand door knocker
9. Boulangerie
10. Ice cream shop
11. Still can’t work out what this odd old structure is!
12. Iron gate
13. Saint Front
14. Shells outside a seafood bistro
15. Hanging lights in one of the squares

Comments

White Elephant Secondhand and Vintage Sale

Regan: dress $14, ankle boots $15, sunglasses $10, bag $10

Lucy: blouse $10, skirt $8

Regan: bolero $12, skirt $7, boots $15, top $2, bag $10, belt $6

Lucy: dress $14, bag $10, sunglasses $12

Regan: blouse $7, skirt $6, bag $12, Docs $30

Lucy: blouse $7, skirt $10

Regan: dress $15, clutch $5

Lucy: dress $20, bag $16

Regan: dress $15, jumper $8, bag $8, Docs $30

Lucy: blouse $4, skirt $10, bag $8, sunglasses $20

Regan: dress $15, cardigan $12

Lucy: top $7, skirt $10, belt $6

———————————————

Here it is Perth folks, the second White Elephant Secondhand and Vintage Sale! The last one we had back in August 2010 sold out within the hour, so this time we have a bigger space, more stock and more fun things planned!

We have collected hundreds upon hundreds of vintage and great quality second hand clothes and accessories at BARGAIN prices- think op-shop prices before they got expensive. Each item is hand picked and many have barely been worn, and it is breaking our hearts to let these amazing pieces go. BUT EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!

Prices range between $2 and $30 with most items under $10!!! Check out the above photos for a snapshot of whats on offer. Dresses, skirts, blouses, jackets and coats, shorts, scarves, accessories, sunglasses, shoes, bags and jewellery will be on offer for next to nothing. Like last time, there will be special pieces including Doc Martens, Alannah Hill items and one of a kind vintage frocks.

• Saturday 4 February
• 12pm - 2pm (but we recommend queuing early to get the best stuff)
• Subiaco Community Centre, 203 Bagot Road Subiaco
• Gold coin entry
• Cash only

First five in line will receive a $10 voucher to spend on the day. RSVP to the Facebook event for giveaways and info in the lead up to sale day. Less than two weeks to go!

Comments

Southwest France: Biarritz

Biarritz lies at the very bottom-left corner of France, less than 30km from the Spanish border. It’s a luxe seaside town favoured by the rich and powerful of Europe who flock by the droves in the summer months for a bit of sand, sea and sun. Unfortunately for us we were just days away from winter when we visited, and despite the sun shining brightly it was rather cold! Still, I really enjoyed exploring the seaside areas of this old city - bridges carved from rock leading into the sea, lookouts aplenty, crumbling stone boat pens, hydrangea-lined pathways, little chateaus perched atop rocky outcrops, ice-cream huts, exposed reefs and giant discarded anchors. I was even enchanted by the nautical design metal rubbish bins, I’ve never seen such pretty ones in my life!

Everything about this place screams upper class. As we got in so early in the morning we got to witness a team of professionals actually rake all the sand on the beach and hose down the already-clean promenade. Hedges were trimmed to perfection and paintwork was bright and fresh on everything. Rich old ladies were taking little dogs for morning walks and passersby were always elegantly dressed. And this was in the off season - I can barely imagine what the place is like in the summer months! We didn’t get time to visit the famous Hotel du Palais or the museum of the sea, but I thoroughly enjoyed what Biarritz had to show us and I look forward to going back one day if I ever have lots of money to splash around!

Comments

Zaragoza, San Sebastian and Saint-Jean-de-Luz

After leaving Barcelona we took a road that ran practically parallel to the Pyrenees that border France and Spain. Our next port of call was Zaragoza, the capital of the province of Aragorn and one of Spain’s largest cities. Despite being home to one of the largest churches in the world, there wasn’t much else to see here besides a portion of the Roman wall and cool fountain. We spent the night in Zaragoza after the long drive through Northern Spain, and left early the following morning just as soon as we’d taken a quick walk around the main square.

Cue another long drive, this time up to the west coast of Spain through lots of tunnels and mountain passes. We emerged in the idyllic town of San Sebastian, a short hop away from the French border. San Sebastian could have jumped right off the front of a postcard with its pretty promenade hugging a calm beach, old Spanish buildings and giant statue of Jesus atop a hill. We only stopped long enough for some paella and a few photos before jumping back on the road and onto Bayonne for the night. Now we were officially back in France - the final leg in our journey!

The following morning was spent in Biarritz which I’ll dedicate the next entry to. For now though I’ll skip over it to the last stop before home, the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Another beachside fishing town, Saint-Jean-de-Luz sure had a lot of character. White buildings were framed with shutters, roofs and beams in bright colours like cobalt blue and brick red. Little squares opened up at the ends of lanes with bistros and gnarled, leafless trees. And artisan chocolate shops were everywhere! Alas, once the shops re-opened after closing for a few hours over lunch it was time for us to get back on the road so we quickly grabbed some millefeuille and marzipan for a rather messy car trip back to Festalemps.

1. Zaragoza: a pop of colour on a grey day
2. Zaragoza: Marc and me by the Roman wall
3. Zaragoza: Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, one of the largest churches in the world
4. San Sebastian: postcard perfect
5. San Sebastian: a carousel
6. San Sebastian: Playa de la Concha
7. San Sebastian: huge statue of Jesus on Monte Urgull
8. San Sebastian: benches on the promenade
9. Saint-Jean-de-Luz: blue shutters
10. Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Harbour
11. Saint-Jean-de-Luz: on of many squares with gnarled trees
12. Saint-Jean-de-Luz: chocolate babushkas!
13. Saint-Jean-de-Luz: pretty door
14. Saint-Jean-de-Luz: Maison Louis XIV
15. Saint-Jean-de-Luz: red shutters this time

Comments

Face Facts Design Competition

I know a lot of you out there are budding designers and even more of you can’t resist a great competition, so make sure you get your designs up by 29th February. Not only is it a great platform for you to get your work out but the Face Facts campaign also promotes positive messages to our youth. Entries will be based on public votes and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the winners. Good luck!

To find out more, visit the Face Facts website.

Comments

The Velvet Bow is a pastiche of fashion, lifestyle, photography, whimsy and vintage charm infused with musings, manifestos and a hint of glitter.

Jessie is a Perth-residing journalism student with an obsession for stringing words together to form perfect sentences, rummaging through thrift stores and travelling to far away places (some real, some imagined).