Ah Paris. City of Love. City of Light. A city that gives meaning to the phrase coup de coeur - for you fall in love with her from the very moment you set eyes on the Tour Eiffel or from your first people-gazing, café au lait you sip on the sidewalk of the Rue Saint Honoré. A city where, fashion, art, and gastronomy collide.
So, imagine my delight on seeing this gorgeous photo of international recording artist, Anggun Cipta, breezing around a Parisian street wearing our little Nell bag. Whoop of excitement probably doesn't even cut it. Double trumps as next week we are off to Paris for Fashion Week - the bi-annual event which sees all the big buyers, editors, models (and probably some Kardashians) descend on the city to peruse and buy the next season’s fashions. We will be there, in the famous white tents in the Tuileries Gardens (any buyers can find us at Premiere Classe), selling our next season of bags for Spring Summer 2016.
But more on that in another post….
Back to Anggun and Paris. Born in Indonesia, the naturalised French singer-song writer, is the Asian artist with the highest number of album sales outside of Asia, she sung for France in the 2012 Eurovision contest, was a judge on X Factor Indonesia and earlier this year on Asia’s Got Talent. She's also been a UN Ambassador of Goodwill and will soon release her sixth french-language studio album, ‘Toujours Un Ailleurs’ (Always Elsewhere). I think my favourite Anggun-related fact is that she appeared as herself on an episode of the Muppets in 2006 giving flirting advice to Miss Piggy - anyone who knows me, knows my long standing love of the Muppet Show, will realise I’m as green as Kermit with envy on learning this.
Wearing a billowy blue blouse, jeans and summery wedges, the Nell in black and white snakeskin, brings a focal point to her outfit. It demonstrates wonderfully what a great day-to-night bag the Nell is. Wear it cross body by day and when cocktail hour approaches, take off the strap and wear as a clutch to accompany your Kir Royale.
But if you aren’t headed to Paris anytime soon, here are a few easy ways to feel French in Singapore… 
Image credits: Ladurèe
- EAT MACAROONS: try Ladurée in Takashimaya Shopping Centre (#02-09,Ngee Ann City, 391 Orchard Rd)
- SHARE A COTE DU BOEUF: our favourite French spots to eat in Singapore are Bistro du Sommelier or Bar-Roque for classically beautiful French cuisine. No one can stop my husband from ordering Bar-Roque’s tomahawk steak…
- DRESS LIKE A PARISIAN: Imbue the Parisian’s sense of style and read Caroline de Maigret’s provocative book ‘How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are - love, style and bad habits’ (available at Kinokuniya) then kit yourself in French designer wears from Rosalie Pompom in Cluny Court.
- COOK FRENCH!: cuisine up a storm at home with Rachel Khoo’s ‘Little Paris Kitchen Book’. The English chef’s cook book celebrates the very best of French home-cooking in a modern and accessible way with gorgeous illustrations. If you don’t have her book some of the recipes can be found here.
- WATCH JULIE & JULIA: the 2009 film about the memoirs of Paris dwelling American diplomat’s wife-turned-cook-author of ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ (Julia Child) and Julie Powell who over fifty years later took on the challenge of endeavouring to do as the title suggested and recorded her cooking journey in a daily blog. It’s a hilarious film as you’d expect with a combination of Amy Adams and Meryl Streep as the lead roles.
Image credits: Dreams & Confetti
- TRAY CHIC: keep your jewellery or tit-bits in a cute tray by Rosanna - mine has ‘Bonjour’ written on it but they also do others with slogans like ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’ or ‘Oui Oui Cherie’ - available from Dreams & Confetti in Great World City or at Robinsons. The box it comes in is a super cute keepsake too.
