Tags
A Well-Kept Home, Books about Paris and France, Colin Peter Field, France, Paris, The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris, The Hermès Scarf
Rue, Saint-Honoré, Paris, by Barbara Redmond
Defining Paris has preoccupied not just those who are planning their first visit, but also those of us who make their yearly journey. For some, Paris represents the world of fashion and gourmet cuisine―bursting at its seams with the new and the unusual. For others, it is about exploring the history of its people, arts, and culture―rich in its tradition of sophistication and refinement.
Whether you are packing your bags for a trip to Paris or you have just returned, here are a few more titles from our bookshelves that you might enjoy. To share your favorite books, email: barbara@awomansparis.com
Book: The Hermès Scarf ― History & Mystique
By Nadine Colendo. (Hardcover – July, 2010.)
When not traveling to faraway lands, stepping back into history, or intoxicated by the future, a woman’s dreams become stories that find an expression in a Hermès scarf. In this book, we follow the impressive history of the House of Hermès, whose scarf made its debut in 1937, and take delight in each scarf that was selected from the more than two thousand different designs created since the scarf made its first appearance.
The illustrations in this beautiful coffee table book are exquisite and carry us from equestrian themes that are associated with the Hermès tradition and French history to cultures worldwide. This book is a source of enchantment for lovers of the square silk Hermès scarf, which has become a legend. 320 pages with 292 color illustrations. Colendo is an author and editor whose books include works on fashion, jewelry, contemporary art and architecture. Thames & Hudson.
Book: A Well-Kept Home―Household Traditions and Simple Secrets from a French Grandmother
By Laura Fronty & Yves Duronsoy. (Hardcover – April, 2001.)
Suffused with emotions and sensations dating back to childhood, Fronty shares her grandmother’s life experiences and surfaces for us memories of unexpected moments that happen in the homes of our grandmothers. Fronty draws our attention to the inherited traditions and natural methods used by earlier generations for cooking, cleaning, decorating, grooming, and gardening.
She offers indispensable tips that range from traditional recipes for Grandma’s Real Café au Lait and Lily Oil for the skin to instructions for returning the shine to glasses, bottles, and pitchers. Many of the “Basic Products to Use at Home,” listed at the back of the book, were those used by Barbara’s French grandmother―petite with waist-length hair coiled and arranged in a chignon at the nape of her neck―who also preferred simplicity and straightforward methods in the smooth running of her home. This beautiful coffee table book makes a perfect gift. 159 pages with color photography. Fronty is a journalist and stylist based in Paris whose books include Flowers and Colors, and Herbal Teas and Infusions. Duronsoy is a photographer and co-author (with Fronty) of Flowers and Colors, and Herbal Teas and Infusions. Universe. A division of Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.
Book: The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris
By Colin Peter Field. (Hardcover – June, 2003.)
Following our late afternoon introduction to Colin Peter Field, Head Bartender at the Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris, during a research visit to Paris, we hastily returned to the apartment to freshen up, change into our little black dresses, and dash back to the Ritz and the Bar Hemingway. We eagerly anticipated the cocktails Mr. Field would suggest and serve to us.
Philippa’s cocktail? The Serendipity, an all-evening cocktail―particularly in hot weather. (Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris, 1994.) Barbara’s cocktail? The Benderitter, the precursor of a new genre of cocktails―the ‘Perfect Cocktails.’ (Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris, 1995.) If only we had each brought to Paris a copy of The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris for a book signing and to press into its pages the perfect red rose that garnished our drink! 143 pages with color illustrations by Yoko Ueta. Field is also the author of Ritz, Paris: Die Cocktails. (Hardcover – January, 2003.) Simon & Schuster.
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Give a gift that’s Paris – Apple iPhone, iTouch and iPad cases. Eiffel Tower, Tuileries Gardens, Avenue Montaigne, Crêpes Suzette, Palais Royal, and Woman on a Bicycle: six watercolor paintings of Parisian scenes by Barbara Redmond. Worldwide currencies and shipping. Visit us!
Fine art paintings of Paris
Fine art prints of paintings by Barbara Redmond of famous streets and places and gardens of Paris. Printed on archival 100% cotton paper, each print is signed and dated. Visit us! Or email Barbara at barbara@awomansparis.com. Free shipping in the continental U.S.A.
Text copyright ©2010 Barbara Redmond
Illustrations copyright ©Barbara Redmond
All rights reserved.
barbara@awomansparis.com
A Woman's Paris 
Monica Gestinger said:
My husband and I were talking about how we lived our lives in the past couple years and life in general. I always enjoy spending time with him through a brilliant conversation. Our professor gave us a school project where we have to write a song about life in general. I’m studying Art and Music in a university in our town and I’m really excited to begin working on the project we were assigned to do.
Susan Gebelein said:
Reading this makes me want to go back. Next year is Barcelona Marathon though. Any readers have info about running Paris or Barcelona. Or want info? I’d love to share.
CultureChoc2010 said:
Good post. I love Paris.