Accessory Thursday: Marie Antoinette Silk Scarf

March 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I can live without a personal assistant who brings dozens of pairs of bejeweled, silken shoes to my palace for approval.

I might even be willing to forgo a circle of chefs creating multicourse meals every night.

Of course, I don’t need a bedroom full of somber subjects to help me get dressed in the morning.

And I can’t think of anyone who needs a three-foot-high wig decorated with a miniature sailing ship.

But what I can’t live without are my pretty baubles, soft-as-air fabrics, enchanted pots of makeup, melt-in-the-mouth macaroons and a hint of intrigue. Luckily, illustrator Kristina Hultkrantz – the mastermind behind EmmaKisstina – brings all these gorgeously glamorous bits and bobs together in her Marie Antoinette silk scarf – a swirl of colours and images that takes you into the very heart of French luxury with delicate pastries, magical perfumes, pink bubbly and masked balls. Inspired by the original diva – Marie Antoinette – these limited edition scarves (a numbered edition of 100 pieces) is just the perfect bit of glamour to make you feel like a romantic queen without losing your head.

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Crafted from 100% Habutai Silk, each scarf is digitally printed in England and brims with pretty pastel hues that have an Hermes-like quality to my eye! Plus, much like Marie Antoinette’s own constant wanderings between the formality of Versailles and the rustic, casual style of Petit Trianon, Kristina’s scarf can take you from the opera to the farmer’s market in an instant.

marie-antoinette-2Oh, and did I mention these are limited edition? So if you want one, you had better snap it up fast!

Price: $160

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Recreating Marie Antoinette’s Lost Perfume

December 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

She was the first queen of all things gorgeous and fashionable, and now her legacy is being revived by the historical French House of Lubin, which has discovered the formula behind the lush floral blend originally worn by Marie Antoinette. Created specifically for the queen by royal nose Jean-Louis Fargeon in the late 18th century, the rose, jasmine, bergamot, cardamom, incense, cinnamon, sandalwood, patchouli, tonka bean and amber spiked perfume was an ephemeral ode to her beloved Trianon gardens at Versailles.

The mysterious concoction – a gift from Louis XVI to his young queen – was stored in a midnight-coloured jade vial, which the queen kept with her at all times, even during her imprisonment in the Temple Tower. It was the last treasure she coveted, finally slipping it to the Marquise de Tourzel, her closest confidant, just before her death. The original flask remains in the possession of de Tourzel’s descendants, safeguarded in the family’s Burgundy château.

The secret formula, it is believed, was kept by Fargeon’s apprentice Pierre Lubin under the name Jardin Secret (Secret Garden) and has been the subject of much study by Lubin for years now. The perfume finally made its 21st century debut this year and its composition is replete with aromas of the royal garden: velvety notes of rose and opulent jasmine, spiced with cardamom, cinnamon and rich incenses. It has been baptised Black Jade and is priced at US$160 for 100ml and US$130 for 50ml of Eau de Parfum. History, romance, intrigue and beauty – this is definitely one to be treasured!

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Chanel Resort 2013 channels the big, bad wolf!

October 29, 2012 By 2 Comments

Ugh, what is it with Chanel this year? The brand has always been known for its uber-memorable ad campaigns but suddenly everything they produce is just… ugh (apologies, words fail me at this juncture!). First there was the Brad Pitt fiasco and now these spreads for Chanel Resort 2013, where Cara Delevingne is apparently channelling the opulence and sensuality of a “modern-day Marie Antoinette”.

chanel, chanel resort 2013, advertisement, ad, campaign, cara, versailles, marie antoinette

chanel, chanel resort 2013, advertisement, ad, campaign, cara, versailles, marie antoinette

Pardon me for maybe not being “high fashion” enough but there is none of the whimsical femininity that I associate with either Marie Antoinette or Karl Lagerfeld’s own vision of the French Revolutionary style, which he showcased to sheer perfection in to the gardens of Versailles a few months back. In fact, to me she looks like the big bad wolf dressed in Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s clothing rather than one of the most romantic queens the world has ever seen.

Granted that one must be edgy to capture eyeballs during today’s tough times but does edgy have to mean ugly? Because thats what these images look like to me – nothing here evokes the blooming petticoats, resplendent fabrics and frilled corsets that make up the Resort collection. And absolutely none of the images put me in the mood to but any of the wares on offer. What about you? Do you also hate the campaign? Or do you think I am just an old fashioned fuddy duddy for not falling in love with it at first glance?

chanel, chanel resort 2013, advertisement, ad, campaign, cara, versailles, marie antoinette

Chanel Resort 2013 presented at Versailles

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