Great Old Ladies

On the street, I love spying on Little Old Ladies - their dainty steps, their classic elegance. I also love Great Old Ladies, the ones who despite their age, are still fresh in the way they create art, like Louise Bourgeois who is currently feted at the Centre Pompidou, like Vivienne Westwood, Joan Didion, or the regal Vanessa Redgrave, who is beautifully profiled in the April issue of the British Vogue.
Who's your favorite Great Old Lady?

UPDATE: Hours after I posted about Great Old Ladies, I learnt the death at age 100 of Germaine Tillion, WW2 Résistance fighter, concentration camp survivor and great anthropologist; read more in the Comments section.

Longing for spring, dressing for winter

It's still very much winter in Paris and, eager as I am to wear them, I can't go out with these sandals, which were designed by shoe artiste Pierre Hardy for The Gap... Shoe blogger Miss Glitzy and I had fun checking out the collection together on the Champs-Elysées; it includes chunky wedges and lots of perfect flat sandals.

It's so cold here that every day I wear my scarf and gloves from Manos de Uruguay, a great brand I talked about in a recent post. Their beautiful knits are handmade by a network of women around Uruguay; each piece is unique - every item's tag includes the name of the person who made it!

Des jeunes gens mödernes

Last week, on her terrific style blog, Chloé mentioned the exhibition Des Jeunes Gens Mödernes at fashion designer agnès b.'s gallery, rue Quincampoix. The show celebrates the songs, spirit and aesthetics of the French music scene in 1978-83, a time of experimentation and hyper-creativity. Some bands had really cool names, like Edith Nylon or Electric Callas - Chloé recommends the latter's So Chic. Many musicians seemed influenced by Germany and by a kind of imaginary USSR (see the cool poster for the Centre Pompidou's 1979 show on Paris/Moscow). I'm no fan of French pop/rock at all, and agree with the statement I saw on a T-shirt today, Le rock français c'est comme la cuisine anglaise (French rock is like English cuisine)... But I liked the exhibition because it reflected a zeitgeist with a raw energy and post-punk attitude - ah, I'm a punk at heart, as you may know. To sample the music, go to the show's MySpace page.

I hope some of you checked out Uruguayan rock, with NoTeVaGustar, which I mentioned yesterday. My favorite track on the featured album is El Oficial....

Back in Paris - Some News

As I was about to board the Eurostar at London's St Pancras, I spotted this fun illustration by the extraordinary Quentin Blake on a wall outside the station... I love the joy it conveys. I've always been a huge Roald Dahl fan, and I suspect Blake's drawings had something to do with this adoration...
In Paris I was reunited at last with Benjy, aka The Oracle. While I was away, he was bitten on the neck by a large dog on the street... But fret not! Benjy is in good shape and can't wait to resume his guest-blogging. Don't hesitate to leave him questions about Paris, fashion, lifestyle or anything else in the Comments section.

If you're interested in France and food (who wouldn't be?), you might want to know that I've started writing for CalorieLab. See for instance my piece about Smart Choices At French Bakeries and today's article on a French Bill seeking to criminalize encouraging anorexia nervosa.
I miss Uruguay, its beautiful horses and views, so I was happy to stay in touch via this blog's Comments, with Natalia, one of the Maldonado Liceo students whose picture I snapped last week; she's kindly answered my questions about what she and her friends are into, especially when it comes to music. Give Uruguayan rock a go with NoTeVaGustar...

I was delighted to receive this award from 36 Shea's Jill. With her lovely family and fine eye for beauty, not to mention her talent as a seamstress and designer, Jill's enchanting; I also feel I have a special bond with her because she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I spent two years in the late 1990's. Thank you so much, Jill!

Flowers in London

Though it occasionally rained and hailed this weekend in London, spring had taken over the gardens, and squirrels were running around... I've always loved tulips - and all bulb flowers. When my sister was born, my grandma brought me to the florist's to buy a bouquet for my mum; I chose red tulips.

Many of you loved the book cover pictured in a post last month - that of Turgenev's First Love, part of Penguin's Great Love collection. So I thought I'd show you another tome I bought from that same series, Giovanni's Room; I haven't read anything by James Baldwin yet, so I'm very excited...
Click on any title from Great Love to read a fascinating interview with David Pearson, Penguin Press Designer, who explains his design methods for creating the covers of this collection. He's a genuine artist.

American prints at the British Museum

Still jet-lagged, and shivering after leaving Uruguay's radiant sun, I went to London for a seminar this weekend. After spending two days in a conference room, down in a lightless, airless basement, I barely had time to rush to the nearby British Museum to soak up some art before hopping back to Paris via the Eurostar.
A major event at the British Museum, an exhibition of 20th century American prints had crowds packing the rooms of the usually empty Prints And Drawings department. The art is breathtaking. Here's a small sample, including a detail from George Bellows's iconic boxing scene, a beautiful Colored Girl, and Hopper's Night on the El train.

And here's a little quiz game... Can anyone guess what famous American artist, as a very young man, drew this bucolic scene with a faceless little girl sitting atop the hay? Enter your submissions in the Comments section...

Adios, Uruguay!

On Wednesday afternoon I left Uruguay... It's a 1h30 ride from Punta del Este to Montevideo, then a 45mn-flight to Buenos Aires, where there's a 7-hr wait, then a 13-hr flight to Madrid, 2 hrs in Madrid and at last a 2-hr flight to Paris... I'm actually posting from Buenos Aires's Airport!
Before we all leave Uruguay, here are a few more pictures: the sign Calle de los caballos (Horse street), on a beautiful, fragrant Eucalyptus tree, Montevideo seen from Pluna's tiny plane and finally, a Mafalda cartoon.
Mafalda, the terrifically funny and opinionated Argentine little girl created by Quino decades ago, still appears daily on the front page of the newspaper El Pais. Here's what she says:
Let's have a look at this new story book....
"In a far away country there lived an ogre who ate little children"...
There it goes again! They're always eating us!
Until when are we going to be the chickens of literature?I hope you enjoyed our trip to Uruguay.... If you want to visit this gorgeous country, whose people are welcoming and warm, make sure to send me an email and I'll give you some tips and addresses!

At the Jagüel and around Maldonado...

Caballos! Horses are really part of the Uruguayan life. In the countryside, you'll often run into people who go around on horseback, and old-style gauchos, with their typical hat and their guitar, can still be seen, leading cattle with a hyper-active dog in tow... The saddle is usually made of leather, of course, with a plush thick layer of local sheep's wool...
I have always loved horses and ever since I was a little girl, I've gone horseback riding in the Jagüel park, in Punta del Este. These past few days, I have been riding black Lucifer, a gentle beast despite his name, and white Paysandú, in fragrant Eucalyptus woods... Bliss!

I went for a walk in the town of Maldonado this morning... In front of the public Liceo (high school), a group of girl friends allowed me to take their picture before they went to class. Today April 8 is the 18th birthday of Natalia, of the beautiful smile, at the center of the picture - Feliz cumpleaños, Natalia!
Unlike children, Liceo students are not required to wear a túnica. I saw plenty of super slim jeans and Converse sneakers, a style cherished by teenagers the world over these days, and was saddened to see many girls and boys smoking...

On the road in Uruguay

On the road from Punta del Este to Atlantida... I love Uruguay's green landscapes, where horses and cows roam free. Open spaces! Blue skies! Crisp air! You may see lovely children coming out of public school in their typical white túnicas with a black bow, a sight that always makes me go "Aaaaaaaw!"...
Tomorrow we will "Aaaaaaaw!" some more with four-legged creatures. And it's not what you think!

I was psyched to receive this award from 2 bloggers I adore. Sweet Marie, who has an eye for exquisite design, and the whimsical, delightful illustrator Etsi. Thank you so much!
I'd like to pass on this award to
1. newcomer Chloe, a sassy writer and my personal style icon
2. All The Best, whose designer profiles and interviews are such a treat!
3. Laura's Kitchen Notebook, for its super yummy tales from Paris and all over the world
4. Au coeur d'Artycho, where you'll see the most exquisite creations ever and so much more...
5.Pia, because she's Pia, and no award list can be complete without her.
Award-winners, here's what you should do:
1. nominate 5 blogs which haven't had this award before
2. each of the blogs must have a purpose
3.the nominated blogs must make a link back to this page
4. the logo from the award must be put on their blog and it must link back to this blog!

A treat: los alfajores

Ever had an alfajor? If you've never been to Uruguay or Argentina, that's unlikely. It is the Uruguayan treat. It is made with dulce de leche, or 'milk jam', a super-sweet caramel-y spread that no Uruguayan could live without. Many European and American brands now offer dulce de leche, but only here can you find the read thing - local milk has a certain sweetness that is unique. My own favorite brand is La Pataia, of the cheerful cow logo... Dulce de leche is wonderful on toast or panqueques (crêpe-like pancakes), a classic Uruguayan dessert, in churros or as a toping over ice-cream...
Alfajores come in two varieties: blanco (covered with meringue, my favorite) or negro (chocolate-coated). In this sandwich-like cookie, crumbly maizena-based circles hold a thick layer of dulce de leche. Personally, I love those maizena cookies even without dulce de leche.
Is anyone interested in the recipe?

La Moda

When it comes to la moda, Uruguay does not exactly stand out... However some local brands do produce exquisite items.
Ever lusted after Lutz & Patmos's luxurious knits? The super fine wool they use is actually shorn off Uruguayan sheep. The same kinds of materials are used at Manos de Uruguay, a brand that turns 40 this year. Don't you just love that single-button cardigan with those shorts? Their kids' stuff, including pointy striped hats and colorful cardigans (pictured), are also to die for.
I may shop there before I leave - you have to stimulate the local economy, what can I say...
But Uruguay is even more famous for its leather. Spoiling me in typical abuela style, my grandma just bought me a pair of classic pumps at Pasqualini... They are exquisitely made, comfortable and so shiny! I can't wait to wear them in Montevideo or Paris.

Cielo y mar

The endless sandy beaches of Uruguay are beautiful, but what moves me even more is the country's light. It is rich, silky and intense, unlike any light I have seen anywhere in the world. (Maybe that's why I never saw my aviator abuelo without his sunglasses. Soy un vampiro, I'm a vampire, he used to deadpan).
Here are a couple of shots of the skies above Punta del Este's playa mansa at 5.30pm...
It's too bad I can't show you the night sky: on this pristine arch, the Milky Way stands out, spectacular and breathtaking. You'll have to travel to Uruguay to see it for yourself.