Tales from the Powder Room

Enter the world of Miu Miu Spring Summer 2011 via the most intimate of all female sanctums: the ladies powder room. The short is directed by Zoe Cassavetes and stars Audrey Marnay (she is definitely having a moment!); and it harks back to a time when bathrooms were still  elegant and sensuous places called powder rooms. This provides a surprising contrast to the inspiration behind the Miu Miu collection itself, which was the modern obsession with celebrity and fifteen minutes of fame but it works because it is so beautifully shot and is in keeping with designers current celebration of femininity.

Audrey Marnay for Longchamp

Love this: the Longchamp Spring Summer 2011 ad campaign starring Audrey Marnay. Happiness is a Longchamp bag and a canoe ...

French Fancy Number 4

Good Morning, Upper East Siders, and welcome to the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. Only, this season (for two episodes only), Manhattan's elite are in Paris, and it has me seriously yearning for some bourgeois boheme Left Bank chic.

So here is my pick from my favourite oh-so-secret and not-so-secret labels from St Germain.

Wear with insouciance.

Bises!


1. Claudie Pierlot

Channel your inner Amelie with Claudie Pierlot's designs for Autumn/Winter 10. Her star is set to rise, thanks to the recent investment by luxury conglomerate LVMH. Check out the divine new collection showcased by French top model Audrey Marnay.

2. Maje

Maje and sister label Sandro have been whipping up something of a sartorial storm since the recession opened a gap in the mid-luxury market (where one door closes, another opens, n'est ce pas?) Maje is my go-to label for sexy-but-slouchy, I just threw this on but still look super chic.

3. Sandro

Sandro is Maje's slightly edgier sister. Think Clemence Poesy or Lou Doillon's intimidating brand of Parisienne cool, made accessible to mere mortals.


4. Ba&sh

If there was a label that made the perfect clothes for first dates, when you want to look as though you have made an effort in the subtlest way, head to Ba&sh. The label specialises in understated luxury; but do not under estimate the impact it will have.


(Pictures, from top: Claudie Pierlot scarf and beret; Maje dress; Sandro jumpsuit)