Marais and Masquerade

 I'd never really explored Le Marais in my previous visits to Paris. I decided this time would be different. There was much so much to see and do in this historic Parisian district (the Jewish quarters, Place des Vosges, vintage and antique shops etc) and I was keen we take in as much as we could. We started our exploration near St. Paul's working our way towards Bastille and onwards. Our first stop was for some cake in one of the area's many patisseries before wandering in for a quiet moment at St. Paul's.

 

The doors of St.Paul's church are majestic and formed the perfect backdrop for an impromptu outfit shot. I was wearing a favourite buy in recent days, Jennifer Loiselle's Eye Drop earrings from her Masquerade collection. If you haven't checked out her site yet, you must do now as its fabulous, quirky and original.  After a few quick photos, we set off towards Bastille when it suddenly felt homely and familiar: it began to pour with a ferocity I've only seen in India and a cold wetness I've only experienced in England! Needless to day we were soaked to the bone ( despite our brollies) in minutes and sought refuge in little pharmacies and vintage shops along the way.

 

That was no bad thing either. Firstly, I discovered the only other pharmacy (on the same road as Bastille metro station) that compared to City Pharma in its offers and choice of products. Secondly, I discovered a great vintage shop near the synagogue. I'm kicking myself for not remembering the name but I think it could have been Sisi's? They stocked Hermes silk scarves, Dior, Louboutin Gucci and Chanel shoes, lovely clothes from Claudie Pierlot, A.P.C etc. I bravely said 'no' to a beautiful pair of white Chanel shoes which were a perfect fit and a ridiculous bargain ; it broke my little heart but I knew it would kill my feet if my bought them.

 

Whilst our adventures in Le Marais weren't quite what we'd expected (and besides being terribly cold, wet and leaving without a piece of Chanel), we had lovely evening exploring this great Parisian neighbourhood.

Have you been to Le Marais? What are your favourite historic haunts? Ann x

Wearing Diego Reiga shirt, Zara tube dress, vintage Silk Scarf, Jennifer Loiselle at Boticca Masquerade earrings, Mulberry Alexa Satchel, Geox respira court shoes

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Photography by Edward Chandler

Rachel Khoo Inspired Croque Madame

Despite our not-so-perfect weekend in Paris, I'm having a case of Paris blues. I seem to be reading up more about the city, as well as all things succumbing to all things inspired by it. Rather fortuitously, Ed and I also happened to watch Rachel Khoo's 'The Little Paris Kitchen' last night. Ed loved version of Croque Madame Muffins and was keen I recreate it for him. And I did, except for a few touches of my own and using whatever was readily available in our kitchen.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the base:
4 slices of wholemeal bread with crusts removed
4 eggs
8 slices of prosciutto
Around a dozen french beans, blanched and halved
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste

For the bechamel sauce:
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp butter
1tsp English mustard with chilli ( Rachel uses Dijon mustard)
150ml semi-skimmed milk

Heat the oven to 180 degree and make the bechamel sauce.

Bechamel Sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and mix well to form a paste. Whilst simmering on a low heat, slowly add milk and stir well. Add mustard paste and continue to stir. The sauce will thicken in a few minutes. Once it start getting to a thicker sauce-like consistency, take it off the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

Grease the ramekin base and sides well. Flatten the bread slices using a rolling pin, butter both sides and layer one slice per ramekin.Add two slices of prosciutto on top of the bread. Crack an egg onto the prosciutto layer. Surround with a few pieces of french bean- I used around 6 per ramekin. Pour bechamel sauce on top covering the egg fully.

Bake for around 15-20 minutes until the tops of the Croque Madame Muffins start to brown a little. This makes a great breakfast dish although Ed and I had it for dinner to compensate for a heavy meal during the day. It also makes a good mid-day snack.

A big thank you to Rachel for her great ideas and I hope you get a bit more of Paris through this recipe. Ann x

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Photography by Edward Chandler

Parisian Grunge

My dear readers, today I'll be communicating from my bed because I'm as sick as a dog. There could be many attributions for my current state of health; the manic (but exciting) phase at work, the long days and travel, the long albeit stressful weekend in Paris (which included a few hours at Hotel de Police reporting the theft of Ed's brand new phone) and my recent familiarity with raw beef mince. Over the weekend, I ticked two items off a rather long bucket list. One was to visit Paris again (I've been a couple of times before but want it to be an annual thing) and the other was to brave steak tartare! Last year, I ticked sea urchins off the list at the very same place.

As I'm relatively familiar with Paris and as its beautiful streets constantly beckon me to walk more and more, I had to dress practically. Despite being warmer than London, the air was distinctly autumnal. Our itinerary for the first day in Paris included a walk around the Louvre, a stroll down Rue De Rivoli  and Jardin Tuileries  before crossing the Seine to St. Germain for a bit of art and window shopping. It also included braving the most congested pharmacy in the world, City Phrama at St Germain. I've commuted in both Mumbai and London rush-hour traffic and yet this came just as close to claustrophobia.

 

In my world, occasions like this call for a style that is both comfortable and personal (ergo quirky). I was aiming for a polished grunge look, if there is such a thing at all. And if there is anywhere you want to make some effort, its in Paris! So I layered with my American Apparel tube dress ( a fabulous sale purchase from ASOS a couple of years ago and I bought three!), a transitional knit top, silk scarves to keep the chill off and my Zara 'urchin' coat ( as Ed describes it). I even got to wear my sparkly up-cycled Keds which were ultra-comfortable for long hours of walking.

Given that we'd spent the wee hours of the previous night at an under-resourced police station, (and were knackered and quite upset by the whole turn of events), we had a rather productive day. The weather was kind and so walked for miles, stopped for snack breaks ( quite an exciting event in Paris), gave up on the Pierre Herme queue, doused ourselves in strong scents at L'Artisan Parfumeur, admired the views across the Seine before settling down for a lovely meal at a brasserie near Odeon. It was a pleasant day in Paris and my feet didn't kill me which was a bonus.

What would you do if you had a day in Paris? Ann x

Wearing H&M top, American Apparel skirt, Vintage Silk Scarf, O.M.O. earrings, Mulberry Alexa Satchel, DIY sparkly Keds

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter or Facebook .

Photography by Edward Chandler

DIY Sparkly Keds

I am terrible at wearing weather/activity appropriate footwear. This morning, for example, I walked across a muddy pumpkin farm in my leopard flats. I don't need to tell you what those dainty shoes look like right now. I will of course rescue them but that isn't the point. I do this all the time and don't engage brain with shoes, to my own despair. My trusty old Keds have suffered in a similar fashion. They've come with me on so many of my travels over the years but have also survived many an inappropriate walk to the allotment. I finally decided to treat them with the respect they deserve.

This is quite possibly one of the easiest of easy DIYs on my blog. This is what I did:

1. Machine wash the shoes. You can do this with Converse's too.
2. Let them dry out well. This could take a couple of days at least, in this weather.
3. Plan your up-cycled shoe design.
4. Use glitter glue and a paint brush to apply sparkle to your shoes. This can be done just the way I recommended in my DIY Almost Choos post.
5. Apply at least two coats.
6. Let them dry out properly.
7. Sparkle while you walk in comfort.

Have you been up to any DIY projects of late? And, would you add a little sparkle to your trainers too? Ann x

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A Walk in the Woods

Along the lines of Andy's Paris trip in Devil Wears Prada, I needed a little sketchbook of  occasion appropriate outfits for this weekend. One such quandary was around what to wear for a morning with friends in nearby Fineshade Woods. The weather was cool and autumnal yet the sun kept teasing us the entire time. It wasn't cool enough for a warm jacket but not hot enough for anything too summery. We were to go for a walk in the woods but then have a social meal at friend's house. Most of all, I needed to feel cheerful so frumpy dressing just wouldn't do it.

To my rescue came a combination of thrifted cashmere and denim with a dose of silk. I even managed to channel a bit of the S/S14 sentiment from London Fashion Week via a healthy dose of pink. I've been slowly but surely building a few pieces of pure cashmere into my wardrobe and one of my recent finds was an M&S jumper via eBay. I paired that with a luxe silk scarf and dressed it down with an old denim skirt.

We had a lovely time at Fineshade Woods, catching up with friends, going for walks and watching our friend's kids play. The walks were picturesque and the kids had a great time building dens and pretending to wage battles with makeshift stick-guns. It is amazing that despite being avid travellers, there is so much more nearby that we are yet to explore. The We reckon we will be back with bikes soon.

I'd love to hear about your weekend explorations too! Ann x

Wearing M&S Cashmere Jumper-thrifted, H&M skirt-thrifted, Pretty Stern Silk Scarf, Michael Kors Fulton Bag, Barrats Brown Ankle Boots, Givenchy Sunglasses and Michelle Lowe-Holder Cuff

To get in touch and see the latest on all my adventures, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter or Facebook .

Photography by Edward Chandler

A Quirky Lifestyle is on IFB's Links La Mode!

I woke up this morning and thought I'd check if my Autumn Bucket List post had made it to this week's round-up of Links La Mode on IFB. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm feeling very honored to be featured on a site that has been a treasure trove of inspiration and alongside some really talented bloggers. Without further babbling, I present the 26 September round-up!

 

Links a la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup

• Al-Balsam Life: The Ultimate Guide To Getting Rid of Dark Under-Eye Circles
• Buy Any Means Necessary: 2013 Emmy Best & Worst Dressed.
• Clothes Medley: Three Ways to Avoid Buyer's Remorse
• Confessions of a Style Cookie: Burberry's Macaron Garden
• Corals and Cognacs: 11 Lessons I Learned About Life at NYFW
• Fleur d'Elise: Out & About: Seattle Fashion Designers at the SAM
• Le Paper Doll: HAIR 101: To Perm or Not To Perm?
• I Can Style U: Cat Scratch Fever
• Nicole Kelly: How to… Buy Pumps!
• Nothing to Wear: Phillip Lim For Target: A Review
• Quirky Lifestyle: Autumn Bucket List
• Real Girl Glam: Hair How-To: Perfectly Messy BedHead Hair
• Simply Frabulous: "face it, the lady is a genius": Prada SS14
• Style Vanity: 11 Boot Trends This Fall 2013
• The Dainty Dollhouse: Is it Plaid or is it Tartan, this is the question!
• The Glambition: PANTONE Fashion color report SS 2014
• The Neon Blonde: Skype Style: How to Look Your Best on Video Chat
• TLV Birdie: Tips for vintage shopping
• Under a Veil: A bag, a fashion personality type: Which one are you?
• Undercover Dress-Up Lover: How to make tartan ribbon shoelaces

SPONSOR: Eastdane Francis Leon, Michi, Filson Bags, SaraDesigns, Maison Kitsune, drkshdw, Micah Cohen, d.Ra, Lipault Paris, MCM, & Creatures of the Wind