wanderlust wednesday

Château de Hautefort, France. Photo by tom-sabin on Flickr. The castle featured in Ever After. 

It has been a few weeks since I featured a Wanderlust Wednesday post. I have, however, been wanderlusting quite mightily as of late and thought it would be appropriate to share some of that with you this morning. I had to borrow someone else's trip photos for this collection. Normally I pull from my own travels, but I have not been to this place yet, which is why I am sharing it. This place is very dear to my heart because it is, quite simply, the trip of my dreams.

I feel like this is a bit of a redundant comment on this blog at this point, but I love Ever After. One of the sweetest, loveliest, purest wishes of my heart is to travel to the French countryside and visit every single chateau and orchard and river that was featured in that film. Just typing this out has given me goosebumps, although my office is also freezing, so it could be that. 

As Prince Henry might say, "What is it that touches you so?" 

I honestly couldn't say. I'd like to keep it simple and just say, Ever After is the reason I cry when love is true. At age 10, it unlocked the little romantic in me and led me to a future of sentiment, glitter, pretty dresses, and my boy band phase. There's an innocence about it, both nostalgic and refreshing. The opening music alone takes me back to that version of myself, and it's something I can neither fully describe nor share with anyone else. It's just perfect.

I'm embarrassed to say that I once messaged Drew Barrymore's makeup artist from the movie about their time there, and she actually replied, which has only solidified my desire to walk in their footsteps! 

Wow! What a wonderful idea for a trip. You will have a great time. I do want to suggest you go to some places Drew, Barbara & I went on weekends though. We went to a town called Rocamadour. It's a medieval village built into a mountain side. Beautiful and great food and shopping. We drove there so it must not have been too far. 
We also canoed down the Dordogne river. We would stop occasionally and Drew would read to us poetry by Lord Byron from a small book she brought. Such a magical day. 
Perhaps you can call Flower Films. They may be able to find out where we shot the lake scene. Or the film commission in France. Wish I could be more help on that. Regardless, you will have an amazing adventure! :)

So I will definitely be buying poetry by Lord Byron (why is Drew such a ridiculously lovable hippy?) and trying to invent boat shoes to recreate the "Looks like rain!" river scene. Sigh.

All of that to say, I am in a constant daze at the very thought of making this trip happen. I hope that it will someday. I would love to fly to Dordogne and lose myself in one of my favorite fairytales of all time, while enjoying gorgeous countryside and lush chateaus and French history, both real and make believe. It would be a beautiful thing. 

Wait! It's tradition. He always waves at the gate.
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For anyone who can quote Thomas More is well worth the effort. 
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I had a horse like you once...
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Now hand me that key, or I swear on his grave I will slit you from navel to nose.
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And we, princess, are supposed to live happily ever after. 
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And, while Cinderella and her prince did live happily ever after...
the point, gentlemen, is that they lived.
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wanderlust wednesday

View of the Sacre Coeur from the Arc de Triomphe; Paris, France. March, 2013. 

Exhilarating. That's the only way to describe this cold, sunsetty evening, the whitewashed light of the setting sun casting a bright line across the Sacre Coeur.
The Arc de Triomphe has the absolute best views in Paris.

reign: queens of beaded bodices

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Remember that post I wrote about Reign a few months back?

Well, get ready, my friends. This show's style has continued to wow me, and I feel inclined to write another post on it. You can't ever have enough castle intrigue, after all.

And by intrigue, I mean, look at this dress. 

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If that doesn't make you rethink your wedding dress, I don't know what will.
Did I say wedding? I meant your everyday dress because who says a floor-length all-over lace stunner has to mean wedding? Go to brunch in that thang! It'll go great with your mimosa.

This show has a lot to its charm, aside from fashion -- like the absolutely phenomenal music selection. Check out my Reign spotify playlist here, I update it every week!
But I think it's a combination of several things that really makes it so addicting. And a big part of that winning combo is the eye candy.
Meaning the clothes, of course.

When I wrote before about how they have completely reinvented style for this period drama, I wasn't kidding. They have taken some serious (and much appreciated, by the way) liberties with the fashion of the day, creating a strange world of bohemian renaissance. A place of crystals and fur and headpieces and beaded bodices; a place that, frankly, I want to live. 

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They have taken big risks. And like they say, the bigger the risk, the greater the reward.
They've done things like plaid and tie dye, completely embracing their creative genius. They make a ton of custom pieces for this show, but they also grab everyday ensemble enhancers from real-people stores like Anthropologie and Free People, as well as incredible fashion designers like Oscar de la Renta.
I'm sure as this show goes on they'll continue to get their hands on truly exquisite pieces from all over the fashion world. They're just too good at what they do.

Going back to plaid and tie dye -- I mean, sure, she is the Queen of Scotland. So maybe plaid is part of the many fashionista requirements for a queen like Mary; but this isn't quite the whip-out-the-bagpipes, rock-the-kilt kind of plaid. It actually kind of reminds me of a Prom dress from the 90's, inspired by the kind of rocker fashion of Hot Topic and Paul Frank.

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I'm not gonna fight it, though. I love plaid enough to give it a thumbs up, even if it pushes back the borders of appropriate attire for 16th century French court. Push the borders all the way to England, for all I care!

And maybe this isn't really tie dye. Go ahead and tell me it's bohemian, or abstract, or tasteful kaleidoscope. Either way, I love it. It brings back memories of dunking anything and everything white in my closet into big tubs of dye in my backyard. Did any of you used to do that? Rubberbands, buckets, tie dye splashes on your hands and legs?

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Ugh, look at that. Tie dye and crimped hair, it's like a perfect royal throwback to the 80s.
Actually, it's a royal flashforward to the 80s, because that's how queen Mary rolls. She develops her fashion tastes from the future. Legit.

PS: could Francis be any feistier? Gotta love him and his wispy hair and ironclad loyalty to France.

Alright: time for some really good news.
If you're wondering if headpieces are still a thing, they are. They're still happening big time.

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I'm fairly certain the lovely ladies-in-waiting have a Mean Girls-esque rule about head sparkle at court. 

Bling it everyday, or you can't sit with us. 

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Anyone remember this pearly beast?

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We should have known she was evil, by her obvious over-attempt at fitting in to the court headgear crowd. It was too much.
Like Zac Efron trying to dress hip in 17 Again. What'd you do, mug K-Fed?

But moving on; let's forget headpieces, because they're old news, amiright?

Let's talk about CAPES.

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The arrival of wintertime meant a lot of good things for Reign.
Snowy scenes, more fur, more sparkle. Cold weather always means more cuddling.
But the best thing was the appearance of scene-stealing capery.

We've known capes are great since the invention of superman, but this brings them to a whole new level. Velvet, embroidery, bold prints. Warmth and style and riches. The feeling of flying, when a strong wind arises. The element of mystery, because no one knows what your arms are up to.
Honestly, you just can't underestimate the grace of a good winter cape.

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Last by not least, this show has brought back my desire to go big or go home in the earring department.

The way of royalty always wins, because they don't do anything half-cocked. If your earlobes aren't drooping with priceless jewels, you aren't living your life right.

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Gosh, I love her. Part of me is thinking what in the sam hill is she wearing in her ear holes? And the other part is just swooning because she's like a dragon goddess wearing crystal weapons in her ears.

When it comes down to it, Mary does what she wants.
And we all love her better for it.

Do you love Reign? Are you finding yourself obsessed with maxi dresses, wishing they had a beaded bodice and a fuller train? Have you been shopping on Etsy for blinged out headpieces and gargantuan golden ear ornaments? 

Join the club. 

(And by that, I mean, leave a comment or send me an email -- I'm here for you!)

p.s. see all reign posts

reign

Happy Friday!

I've been taking a break from blogging, since we had some family in town last week and then I got a cold and, more honestly, all I've been wearing are skinny jeans and big sweaters. Not super blog-worthy, so I'll just admit to the laziness!

Amidst my comfy cold-weather wear, I have been admiring fashion from other sources. Most notably, Reign, which is a new show on the CW (I know, I know. Guilty pleasure).
I have to confess I've fallen head over heels for the period drama, despite its glaring historical inaccuracies and supernatural whims. (Or maybe that's why I like it...those are pretty standard requirements for guilty pleasure shows, I think).

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If you're completely unaware of the premise of this show, it is loosely based on (but at this point is a completely fictitious account of) the journey of young Mary, Queen of Scots, as she resides in the French court awaiting her eventual marriage to young Prince Francis, heir to the throne of France.
In this version they're all supremely gorgeous people, dealing with politics, power plays, strange ghost figures, castle drama, court drama, love drama, and just so much delicious drama.

Perhaps I'm still devastated by Downton Abbey, and having another Mary in my life is somewhat therapeutic. Whatever the reason, I'm hooked.

For those of you familiar with the show, I think the enchantment comes from a mixture of Francis's wispy facial hair, Mary's full lips, Bash's mystical eyes, Nostradamus's husky voice, Queen Catherine's stern brow and Clarissa's mystery. A few other ingredients, such as the cutesie names of Mary's ladies (Greer, Kenna, Aylee and Lola. Ha) and the absolutely superb soundtrack make for a rather enjoyable show.
Truly, the music is amazing - I hope they come out with an official soundtrack eventually, but for now I've just posted featured songs in a playlist on my Spotify. There are only a few songs missing, including the theme song "Scotland" performed by the Lumineers, which aren't on Spotify.

Also, the costumes. Oh, the costumes.

The costumes are clearly period-inspired, but they've really created an entirely new genre of style, specific to the show. It's a concoction comprised of the Renaissance feel with a modern twist, using touches of bohemian and vintage, custom-made to make me drool and go on Etsy to search for crystal bodychains. 

I often find myself wondering if the secret agenda of this show is to bring headbands back.

If that's the case, they've totally succeeded. I've been shopping online for headbands all day. 

Or shall I say, headpieces. Because these take headbands to a whole new level. 

You could also just pull an Aylee and use your ridiculously braided hair in lieu of a headband. 

I found an excellent tumblr page about the fashion on Reign, and I'll definitely be checking that out every week. If you're interested in seeing some of the specific pieces and how/where to get a hold of them (or just to dream about them, like me) then check that out here. 

In the meantime, let me know if you also watch Reign and find yourself oddly attracted to velvet again, or if you've started looking up local Renaissance festivals so you can take part in all this nonsense for a day or two or five.

If you don't watch, and start to watch, contact me immediately. We'll have a whole new host of things to talk about, including whether or not you think Clarissa is really Scarecrow from the Batman movies.

p.s. see all reign posts

meet me in versailles

Our last day in Paris, we spent the majority of our time touring the magnificent Versailles.

It was nothing like I imagined it -- the chateau itself is one of the largest in the world, and is absolutely glorious in its wealth. Its history is wrought with extravagance, French power and ultimately its fame as a symbol of absolute monarchy.
But in the midst of the leftover winter, the grounds mirrored the dreariness of the skies.

Most of the garden areas weren't in bloom yet, and the statues were covered up and the fountains weren't flowing.
We spent most of our day walking around, a kind of eerie solitude seeming to follow us around.

Dress/Belt: Primark in London, Pants: Forever 21 (shop!), Purse: Target, Scarf: Disneyland, Watch: Gifted/La Mer from Target (shop!), Hat: (similar!), Booties: Urbanog

It was such a windy day, that I was equal parts happy and annoyed with my hat.
It was the perfect solution to keeping my ears warm, but it often attempted to fly off my head in the particularly ambitious bouts of wind.
All in all, I really like it and will try and continue to break my "I'm not a hat person" mantra.

As you can see, Versailles is enormous.
It was overwhelming walking around the property, unsure if we'd ever reach the outer limits.
I kind of had the feeling of walking around an abandoned property, or perhaps a haunted mansion where the inhabitants are long gone, but a mysterious spirit remains.
Even so, the property is littered with treasures, like little restaurants and secret gardens and other smaller chateaus, including the summer home of Marie Antoinette.
I became enchanted with her, such a tragic and strange historical figure. I wished I could have visited her in her prime, before all the chaos and obviously...the beheading.

It was quite an amazing experience, even though we were wishing for Spring the entire time!