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Top 10 French Baby Names

June 16, 2011 By 2 Comments
 

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When I was a little girl, I had at least 5 Jennifers, Angelas, and Matthews in my class at any given time, which was rather boring and quite confusing at times. So anything beyond these typical names sounded intriguing and slightly exotic.

It was also during this time where I thought that most French children were named either Pierre or Jacques for boys, or Madeleine and Simone for girls. Many years later, I realized that those stereotypical names grew out of books that I read or movies that I saw. Today, you can still find your share of Madeleines and Jacques in France, however more modern names seem to have replaced the classics. Just take a look at the most popular French baby names in the last few years….

Top 10 French Baby Names

Girl’s Names

  1. Emma
  2. Léa
  3. Clara
  4. Chloe
  5. Inés
  6. Jade
  7. Manon
  8. Sarah
  9. Lola
  10. Camille

Boy’s Names

  1. Lucas
  2. Enzo
  3. Nathan
  4. Mathis
  5. Louis
  6. Raphaël
  7. Gabriel
  8. Yanis
  9. Hugo
  10. Thomas

 

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: ,

Doors of Provence

May 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When most people think of the south of France, they think of its warm climate, hearty food and wine, and lavender fields. However, the tourist with a more discerning eye knows that there is much more to southern France than meets the eye.

A friend of mine was recently in Provence in the south of France. Upon arriving in Aix, she began taking pictures of all of the beautiful, colorful, and unique doors in the various southern cities. Taken on their own, each door may not seem like anything special. But, taken as a whole, the collage tells a story  -  a story of the old world charm of Provence – one door at a time.

It is also keen reminder that when we look beyond what is expected or what is normal, you may just a discover a host of quaint and enchanting nuances – some of which lie no further than the front door.

 

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Joie de Vivre in Epcot’s France

April 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When I was first introduced to the book French Women Don’t Get Fat six years ago, I was not only enamored by the book’s topic, but completely fell in love with the book’s cover art. I immediately searched for the artist – R. Nichols – and found that he not only did Mireille Guiliano’s first book cover (and subsequent book covers) but he also designed stationary, note cards, luggage tags and more. Nichols’ distinct design is classy with clean, clear cut lines, yet carries a bit of whimsy via bold colors and fanciful settings – tres chic!

Fast forward to my recent trip to Disney World….I was beckoned by Epcot’s France to stop in and peruse the pastisserie – as I always do when I’m in a faux foreign country – as well as the gift shops. I was, at first, tempted to buy a beret, but decided that buying a beret in Epcot’s France was simply not the same as buying it from the actual country. Smart move. I continued to browse the shop and came across the books and stationary section. My gaze was immediately drawn to that unmistakable book cover by R. Nichols – that’s right, French Women Don’t Get Fat was staring at me, almost begging me to look closer. And, to my surprise, as I took a closer look, I noticed a whole card section dedicated to the art work of R. Nichols, and all with a French theme! It was truly a joie de vivre moment right in Disney World. Merci, merci, merci Disney and R. Nichols!

Obviously, it took a matter of seconds for me to select my four new cards and pay for them, the whole time smiling, feeling like I had found a wonderful treasure. When I returned from my trip, I ventured onto Nichols’ site once more to see if there were more of the “Disney” cards to order, but unfortunately not. However, the artist has designed many similar cards with French/European/Travel themes – definitely worth checking out, especially if you love France and paper as much as I do.

Ciao!

 

 

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French-Inspired Living: Chic Hiding Places for Small Things

March 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

(Photo source)

Whether filled with antiques or modern decor, a French woman’s home will rarely look cluttered. For her, there’s a place, a purpose, and a story for everything. This doesn’t mean that she is not sentimental – she most certainly keeps mementos that are precious to her and displays them with pride. However, you will rarely find those loose odds and ends scattered frivolously around the house or laying on the nightstand. Instead, she tucks these loose items into a charming box or glass jar, where they become a decorative piece of art.

If your desk, counter, or nightstand seems a little cluttered these days, try taking page from a French girl’s book – give your trinkets their own decorative and discreet space. Here are a few of my favorite fancy hiding spots:

  • Large tea tin – like Harney and Sons
  • Old fashioned letter/stationary box
  • Vintage hat box
  • Sturdy department store box – a la Tiffany’s
  • Mini leather trunk, chest, or suitcase

Clever, practical, and très chic- oui oui!

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Casually Chic Fridays in France

February 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In the US, where business casual work environments and “casual Fridays” prevail, it’s easy to forget that a place of business is still, well..a place of business. Even if you don’t have meetings on Fridays or if your CEO never shows her face after 3 PM on Thursday, it could still be considered a faux paus or even a career disaster if you show up wearing sweats or worse, looking like the office tramp.

In Paris or possibly anywhere in France, casual Fridays are becoming more common but are still rarely observed. Even on the most casual of work days or office events, French women still manage to look effortlessly sophisticated, sexy, professional, and tres chic all at the same time. They believe that, even on Fridays, you never know who could be watching you or judging your professional decorum.

However, just because French women don’t wear cut-offs or logowear on Fridays does not mean they are uptight or strictly conservative in what they wear. On Fridays, you may find the French girl wearing jeans or skinny black pants, but they will be paired with a colorful blazer, a funky top, and, what else?, a scarf of course!  After all – just because you’re trying to be professional, does not mean you have to be boring or school marmish! So, as you see, to a French woman, it’s not so much a casual Friday, but rather a casually chic Friday.

I also believe in the French women’s philosophy of observing the casually chic Friday. Likewise, I believe that you should dress for the position that you want. So if you’re an admin but want to be an account manager – dress like it! Take tomorrow’s ensemble (pictured above) for example:

  • Olive green velvet blazer (JCrew, circa 2009)
  • Blue and beige striped fitted long sleeve tee (JCrew 2010)
  • Dark wash perfect fit bootcut jeans (Gap 2011)

Fun and stylish? Yes. Trampy or frumpy? Never! The new director of communications….we’ll see ;-)

Ciao my friends and dress well.

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