Archives for April 2017

A Walk in the Gardens

04/29/2017 By Sarah 7 Comments

If there’s one magical thing you have to witness at Versailles, it’s golden hour in the gardens. The pale palace is kissed with the setting sun over the lake, and suddenly the walls are turned to glowing gold, set against a moody, dusky blue sky. It’s one of those things you have to see for yourself, as pictures just don’t do it justice. The astounding french architecture reaches from the north to the south. Never gloomy like other castles, but light and airy- and full of elegance.

These photos were snapped after our first day spent exploring the inside of the palace and shooting for a special project. Afterwards, we used our extra time to take a stroll in the gardens and sit by the boat lake, eating the best rum raisin ice cream- I’ve been craving it ever since!

I’m sort of a history nerd, and having endured Art History in college (btw I secretly loved it) allowed me to appreciate the astounding tale behind this palace. Though the world doubted King Louis the XIV, with his unrealistic vision for his domain, my inner aquarius couldn’t help but appreciate him. I imagine as a king, one would feel like everything was either granted to him or forced upon him. I think he desired to create one creative and difficult challenge for himself, that would in the end would leave him fulfilled with the beauty he achieved.

If you’ve walked through the Louvre, the prior palace for the French King, you would have a clear understanding of why his artistic self needed to create Versailles. The doom and gloom of the Louvre comes from centuries of history and battles and reconstruction, destruction, and more. To be tied into that, I imagine was being like held under the weight of the country’s most difficult times. Not to mention, it was just so GLOOMY! My personal need to be surrounded by light, beauty, and inspiration made me feel some sort of accord with one of the most famed kings. I truly felt a flutter inside, seeing the majesty of what he was able to create through determination- and now it’s one of the world’s treasures.

The story of Versailles has always been one that’s intrigued me, and inspired me for about 7 years. It was an absolute dream to finally set foot inside the rooms and gardens I’d seen in movies and shows, and read about in history and art books. I have so many photos to go through from Versailles, as well as my whole month living in Paris! Thanks for being patient while I manage festival season +
getting my life back in order after being abroad for a month! I whipped up this little sneak peek blog post to hopefully tide you over, as I have so much more to share with you- photos and videos! And I hope to reveal some exciting news soon, too!

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8 Summer Trends to Obsess Over

04/28/2017 By Sarah 2 Comments

The amazing thing about Paris is the fact it seems most trends are born there, and that city is always ahead of the curve when it comes to the details everyone will be loving this upcoming fashion season. While in Paris I spotted and exercised a lot of these trends, and I really wanted to give you a sneak peek of each of my favs, some of which I also picked up on in the States as well.

Here are 8 summer trends everyone will be obsessing over…

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noir et blanc

04/27/2017 By Sarah 6 Comments

Paris, the city for lovers, offered a romantic backdrop that inspired my work in ways I’d never gotten to experience before. The architecture is what sets this city apart, being so old and full of boundless detail and beauty. I’m not lying when I say there are more streets than even a full time Parisian could explore, and each building has those picturesque elements. Our second story flat in Montmartre became our little hideaway in the middle of the busy city, where vespas buzz up and down the streets day and night. I spent a lot of time people watching from our balcony, soaking in the sound of the birds in the morning or at dusk.

There’s a different way of life in Paris, as compared to LA, that I can’t quite put my finger on. One might think that it’s like a movie, but I learned differently my first visit. Paris is much more tangible than you glimpse from dreamy movie scenes. Some even find it shocking when they arrive- because it’s actually a real life city. Lots of people, traffic, noises, smells, and… well, trash. You’d be surprised at the amount of graffiti that marks the beautiful buildings, and the fact that there is actually a scary ghetto area that, when I stumbled upon, reminded me of Chicago or NY.

I won’t lie, I was a bit overwhelmed when I first experienced all of this. And the March weather, plus my acute bronchitis I had for 2 weeks, made me more of a homebody than I’d have preferred. But it gave me a cozy appreciation for this adorable flat we were lucky to book so last minute (thanks to Perfectly Paris on AirBnB)- and it became our home away from home for the month.

Here’s a little roundup of our lazy days spent inside, being sleepy lovers.

Flat:
Artist’s Corner – Paris Perfect Rentals

P.S!
If you don’t have an AirBnB account yet, sign up here and get $40 off your next stay!

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Spring at Palais Royal

04/26/2017 By Sarah 3 Comments

Entering the courtyard for the first time at Palais Royal was like a dream. We walked into the gardens, surrounded by columns and archways on all sides. A long walkway was lined by freshly bloomed trees. In the gardens, Parisians sat upon benches or lazed in the grass, reading books or just soaking in the first warm sun rays of spring. Vibrant pink magnolia trees scattered their oversized petals to the breeze, casting a fragrance into the air. The ground was carpeted in the petals, and I couldn’t help but collect a handful for myself, to take that essence of spring with me.

By the fountain, people chattered softly over the sound of the waters, or layer on the fountain’s edge surrounded in light. I sat for a moment and read out of my book of Love Poems that I got from Shakespeare & Co. It was one of the first spring days in Paris, and everyone shared the same feeling of bliss. After making it through March, the month known for endless rain and gloom in Paris (“In March, she cries” as the saying goes), the first week of spring hits all at once it seems. Suddenly the trees grow their first bright green leaves, and cherry blossoms scatter their romantic confetti of petals on the ground. I think I’d recommend going to Paris in April to any romantic, to experience this storybook city.

After relaxing in the gardens, we left to roam the winding streets. We discovered some delicious macarons at Senoble, which I snatched up for our picnic we planned to have later at the Seine River. I’ll share those photos with you a little later! We also passed the adorable La Belle Epoch restaurant, with its doors wide open to let in the spring air.

Starving, we hunted down the perfect spot to sit and eat while people watching. We decided on the Italian restaurant Capri on Honoré street, which I will now recommend to anyone! It was delicious, and I dream of that Soupe a l’oignon and Tartufo Pizza, plus sipping on my latte before, and a bellini after. I recommend dipping the cross of the pizza in the soup. C’est si bon!

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Paris Diaries

04/23/2017 By Sarah 3 Comments

So much of Paris’s magic is found in the unplanned, spontaneous moments. Even though I had a month of photoshoots in the city, I still felt like I could never capture all the amazing things I saw. The world expanded beyond the scope of my camera and lens, and it was nearly impossible to photograph the sheer magnitude of the beauty, or the small details in my surroundings. Though my life is like a constant photoshoot in these types of situations, it’s sometimes in the unplanned and non-professional photos that I capture a more fleeting moment. To me, those photos capture a memory even better. I hoard these photos of my memories like treasure, hence why I’m obsessed with photography.

So my Paris Diaries will be made up of just those photos… random lost life snapshots that don’t fit into any one blog post or photoshoot, but deserve to be shared nonetheless. And this is only the first batch of what I could edit from my spontaneous snapshots! Some are from my iPhone, some are from my camera. And each are totally dear to me, so I hope you enjoy them too!

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