Doe, a deer…
I can’t quite believe that a month has passed already dear bloggies…March madness I tell you!
I want to wish you a happy spring! ‘Tis the season to think of the little bunnies…their warm fuzzy noses and pink fuzzy toeses!
‘Tis also the season for late-night study break with pink raspberry tea and homemade pink rosewater-cookies! Yumyum delish!
I fell in love with these boxes at the Lindt Chocolate outlet a few weekends ago. Instead of getting my chocolate in the usual clear bags they sell, these were perfect to celebrate the return green grass and sunny colors!!
Bisous dear readers! …I hope you do a few special and fun things to ring in spring!
XoXoX
• Choubelle •
Guest post: burros!!
Hullos! We’re burros. Thats another word for “miniature donkey.”
We’re very cute! We eat a lot of hay and a little bit of molasses and grains each morning.
This is our greyhound friend who used to do doggie racing. He was pretty sick when he first got here late this summer and had an injury on his right leg, but he is all better now, and we enjoy his company oodles when he visits us outside!
On account of the fact that we’re burros, and since we’re so charming, Choubelle thought it was okay that we don’t do a post about fashion and style. In fact, since we’re farm animals we probably incite some fashion faux pas for our humans. For example, the other day Choubelle and her mommy were rushing to go somewhere, but before they left they briefly visited us and got their nice shoes all muddied up! Oopsies! I don’t think our humans mind too much though, because they love us so much.
Well, I hope you enjoyed our guest post! See you around folks!
XoXoX!
The Burro Misters
This morning whilst leafing through The Boston Globe my mom was reading about the winter weather and its challenges (according to the Globe, “heating oil for homes is now 3.46 per gallon and rising”), and it led us to a conversation about the homeless and the cold. Then, my mom came up with a brilliant idea that I plan on putting into action at my University…leaving boxes out around campus for winter coats for the needy. I guess my mom used to take this upon herself in grad school and bring the coats to the local shelter. According to one of our friends who volunteers there, the one nearest shelter around my area had roughly 80 homeless people in it last week.
If you live in a wintery area and your school or workplace or university doesn’t have a box for winter coats, decorate one yourself and put it somewhere that gets a lot of foot traffic!
So, that staggering statistic means that I have some warm fuzzy things in my closet that don’t serve me too well that I am going to donate! I’m going to donate a warm fleecy and a couple of coats that I haven’t been using that are in great condition and will find a home with those that need them more than I do. If you live in a wintery area and your school or workplace or university doesn’t have a box for winter coats, decorate one yourself and put it somewhere that gets a lot of foot traffic! When you help people meet their basic needs, that is putting fashion to use for the best of causes.
XoXoX
Choubelle
Theft: Imitation is NOT the sincerest form of flattery.
Ever.
Recently some other Choubelle stuff has popped up on the net that isn’t me here on this blog or on Twitter, and I just want to say: be unique! Your own creativity is what makes what you do special, and you are robbing yourself of the ability to search inside of yourself for that spark by copying someone else. This stuff shows up in search engines, and its very hurtful to say the least. It is so easy to appropriate someone else’s content, blog name or even business-model in cyberspace, but remember that there is ALWAYS a real person at the other end of the on-line, and that person has feelings…as well as intellectual property rights.
XoXoX
Choubelle
Happy Martin Luther King Day!
He was a great, great man. Many many years ago my grandfather had the honor of helping MLK change a tire by the side of the road while he was late to a speech in New England. It is one of those family stories that gives me goosebumps and I will be sure to pass on to my kids…thought I’d share! : )
XoXoX!
Choubelle
Avedon Amazingness at the Museum of Fine Arts
Above: Veruschka wearing a dress by Kimberly, January 1967
The other day, well Labor Day to be exact, I hauled myself on over avec mon oncle to the Richard Avedon fashion exhibit. The exhibit was incredible, to say the least.
You’d think I’d be an Avedon Afficiando, being all into fashion history, the sixties and having you know, a working knowledge of Harper’s Bazaar editor Diana Vreeland, who worked closely with Avedon for fashion shoots…but no. Aside from his extremely famous photography(i.e. Dovima with Elephants), I was pretty much Avedon clueless in the worst way until yesterday!
Above: Suzy Parker in Dior with Robin Tattersall, Paris 1956
Seeing both the artistry of the composition of Avedon’s images combined with so much beautiful clothing is definitely what makes fashion photography a double-whammy of wonderfulness for me. I got to fall in love with YSL coats, Dior suits and dresses, dresses…DRESSES! And all of the vintage Dior equalled Choubelle heaven. I forgot how beautiful his gowns were…and really need to finish the Dior biography by Marie Frances Pochna that I started a few months ago.
In any case, the exhibit will be around at the Museum of Fine Arts until January 17, 2011, so stop by and see it if you happen to be around Beantown!
Have a lovely day…Or fashion week!..Wow, can’t believe its that time again already. I have to go check out some of the shows & of course I’ll let you know about my faves. 🙂
Bisous!
XoXoX
• Choubelle •
Images courtesy of the MFA.Fashion Illustration du jour
An illustration of ballerina Paulette Duval by Georges Doeuillet for the Gazette du Bon Ton circa 1920.
Have a lovely day!!
XoXoX
• Choubelle •
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
OLD NAVY!!!
At last I have finally been understood. This fall at Old Navy three essential requirements of my wardrobe have been met. Color? Check. Argyle? Check. Stripes? Check, check and check!
Can you tell I’m overly enthused??
No seriously, when these polos hit the racks at the store a few weeks ago in my hometown, there was actually a struggle to get the ones I want quickly before other people scavenging the pile came, grabbed and conquered. So without further ado, here are my favorite picks from old navy this fall. I am now the proud owner of several of these colored polos and the purple argyle sweater.
So a polo is a polo. I know, but a polo is so much more cool if its done right, and these are among the best I’ve ever seen, namely because the underside of the color is a bright splash of contrasting color! I’m one of those annoying matchy-matchy people, so I could totally imagine going all the way with colorific-ness and pairing the polo below with a periwinkle skirt and some green ballet flats.
Summertime…
And I’ve totally neglected posting anything for waywayway too long. Between having a three week French immersion program in Montreal, visiting family from Florida and getting a new doggie (a rescued greyhound named McCoy…he’s beautiful!), summer’s been jam packed. Now school’s about to start and fall is just around the corner…golly time is flying!
So anyway, super sorries about post slacking!!! But yep, I’m back home now and settled, and more is on the way.
As always, have a lovely day!
XoXoX
• Choubelle •
Three hundred fifty.
Thats the number of threatened or endangered sea turtles that have been reportedly been found washed up dead on the the gulf coast. And that doesn’t count the number of sea turtles that have perished at sea.
BP's happy green logo sure is a lot prettier than the oil that is currently coating many real life sea turtles!
I hope that wherever you are, the spill hasn’t had a gruesome impact on your community. Although, seeing as we are all interconnected…that is virtually impossible!
XoXoX
• Choubelle •
Bil Donovan
I discovered the beautiful illustrations of Fashion Illustrator and FIT illustration professor Bil Donovan when he left a wonderful comment on my blog a few months back. Needless to say, when I found out he had also illustrated the cover of a book that I have been wanting “The Dress Doctor: Prescriptions For Style From A to Z ” written by my favorite and ever popular costume designer Edith Head, I was tickled!!
Donovan’s illustrations are the perfect combination of color, simplicity and surprise, and they give off a classic vibe…which explains why he was the perfect choice to illustrate Edith Head’s book adaptation! Donovan has mastered the art of fusing controlled movement with free form in his watercolors —something many a fashion illustrator is pressed to figure out.
Donovan also has a distinctly Parisian/European ethos to his work, which is likely from spending seven years working in both Milan and Paris. According to his bio page, “Donovan credits this invaluable experience in shaping his sensibility and style, and returned home to New York to test the waters and established a working relationship with the Advertising, Beauty, Editorial and Fashion markets.”
As for the the notion of an American in Paris? Choubelle can certainly relate! (In terms of influence I mean…I’ve still yet to actually go…but how badly I want to!!)
Donovan has illustrated with many big names in the fashion and advertising industry, from Saatchi & Saatchi, to Vogue, Barney’s and most recently as Beauty Ambassador to Dior. Hope to see much more of your wonderful work in the press soon Mr. Donovan!
For more fantastic illustrations, check out Bil Donovan’s website and blog here.
As always, have a lovely day!
XoXoX
• Choubelle •
Nantucket Daffodil Festival
You know how Holly Golightly had Tiffany’s? Well I have two places: Nantucket and Barnes and Noble.
B&N will do in a pinch when the long drive and ferry ride to ‘Tucket can’t happen, but I prefer Nantucket, hands down. With its marvelous old cars, cobblestone lined streets, quaint shops, kind people and a view of the sea at every turn,who wouldn’t?
I never realized it before, but Nantucket is a little bit like Amsterdam. There is a daffodil festival every April (as opposed to Amsterdam’s Tulip Festival) and Nantucket even has a windmill of its very own!
A little pup swaddled in Daffy's! Image courtesy of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce.
Baguettes, gingham, an old fashioned car and miles of daffodils. Image courtesy of Nantucket Chamber of Commerce
When I was little, my Dad bought me a book called “Comet’s Nine Lives” by Jan Brett. It is a sweet and beautifully illustrated tale about a Nantucket cat named Comet who over the course of summertime on the island bids adieu to eight of his nine lives.
Little did I know that years later I would get to see the places in the book in person!
Here is Comet! And Brant Point behind him. My favorite thing about Jan Brett books? The borders on each and every illustrated page are interesting and incredibly detailed. Image Credit: Amazon.com
Next time I go on island dear readers (which has been far too long), I will be sure to bring my camera, because the beauty and charm of Nantucket is something to love!!
XoXoX
• Choubelle •
• Choubelle • 
