Buried in Books: A Tour of Shakespeare and Company

Nestled within the winding, labyrinthine streets that hide in Notre-Dame's shadow is a beautiful reminder of a time gone by and a golden idyll. Even from the outside, its windows overflowing with books beckon you forward. Within, sheer bibliophilic joy awaits you.

In this surprisingly spacious store, around every corner mountains of books teeter precariously over your head. Good reads are hidden in a labyrinth of shelves. All those that have dreamed of wandering through an antique style bookstore can now rest easy: apart from its quirky and curious selection of new and vintage books, the store incorporates a gloriously varied collection of vintage items, like wooden ladders on rails to help customers reach books at the top of the shelves, yellowed newspaper clippings and a train station's clock!

Places like this are rare havens for creativity in a cold, rushed industrial world. Here, one is able to take a break from all of the havoc of modernity, and pull up a piano stool and coax a few notes from the piano upstairs or pluck a book from their shelves and take a seat in a comfortable armchair. In this shop, writers can take refuge. They are offered lodging and a typewriter to continue their work, as long as they keep on creating. As a result, Shakespeare and Company was the favorite haunt of great literary minds.

Montreal Exclusive: Jean-Paul Gaultier Exhibit!

For my readers, I have a coverage of the Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal), "From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk".

Rather than following a chronological timeline, the exhibit displays Gaultier's main themes: his works focus on exploring and challenging cultural barriers, creating his own unique universe.

 

For such singular creations, it comes as no surprise that the Museum of Fine Arts of Montreal chose a more inventive manner of displaying his works rather than placing them on hangers! A great number of the mannequins were animated.  In the entrance, occupying a spot front and center, is Gaultier himself. Well, almost - a mannequin bedecked with his iconic sailor shirt explains with Gaultier's voice his inspiration for many elements of the exhibit.

The idea of the radiant creatures that inhabit the mysterious abyss, and the doomed romance between them and the sailors is captured in the examples from his 2008 collection.

Gaultier broke down barriers and created works that were considered shocking, even in this modern era. His attitude is one that all designers should attempt to emulate: that in order to make your mark upon history and its course, one has to transform the symbols that shape it. He took the corset, a sign of submission, of negativity, of lack of self-assurance, and transformed it into something positive, freeing it of the preconceptions surrounding it.

This beautiful dress shows off an eco-conscient attitude: it gives the wearer the lovely, luxurious look of fur, without the guilt of wearing a real pelt. The entire fur is made of small beads.

The Rose

Pursuit

This is the latest creation of an artist that Princess Ta-Dam will be showcasing. The title of this work is Pursuit.

Let Them Eat Cake!- Fashion Trends at Versailles

Wandering through the opulent halls of Versailles was like a realization of all of my sparkly, chandelier-covered rococo interior design dreams. The sunlight streaming through the heavily tasseled windows was increased a hundredfold once it hit the crystals dripping off their golden anchors; the furniture was either gilded or a deep, gorgeous woodsy hue, and feathers appeared in the decor periodically.

 Basically, I was in a very ornate heaven! But what really made us at Princess Ta-dam sing the praises of this gilded palace were the deep, saturated textiles that graced every room with their presence.

This inspired a new collection with only the richest of hues, the most shimmering of silks, and themost luxurious feel yet.

Counting Blessings: Blessing #1 - Old fashioned Typewriters

Counting Blessings, my new blogpost collection, started out with a poem. I was thinking to myself: "What a gloriously excellent title!"
And so started the poem that became my first published piece of writing.
We're surrounded by little, beautiful things that sometimes we don't really notice because of the sheer number of them.
Every now and then, it's healthy to take a step back and admire. Counting only a small fraction of them will really surprise you (in a good way!). Give it a try today!
So many wonderful things that pass by unnoticed, that have faded to a mere background.
This is a tribute to them.

A typewriter should be the doctor's prescription for any case of writer's block or editing mishaps. Paragraphs seem to flow with unobstructed ease, spurred merely by a good idea and the delicious clack of keys. Every letter is accompanied by a clean, crisp sound that makes your writing sound important. A burst of inspiration is applauded by an absolute torrent of clicking and clacking. You are rewarded for your genius with the dance of delicate wires, working in the undergrowth of the forest of creamy keys to bring you the freshly painted words that you have just conceived.

A typewriter proudly acknowledges the fact that you are hard at work and that you are, in fact, inspired, when a computer couldn't care less, and barely registers your furious tapping with a muted click. A typewriter will never abandon you with excuses of "program failure" or "non-responsive networks" or worse, a complete "shutdown", as a computer does. A typewriter is faithful to the bitter end, and will only entice you with an innocent glow of its glory days, earnestly begging you to write.

Inside Peek At the Louvre - Part 1: Getting In- Hassle-free!

Hello!

A tourist in Paris usually has a list of goals to reach: one of them, generally near the top, is to visit the Louvre on the first Sunday of the month, one of the few days that visits to the prestigious museum are free. However, anyone who has tried getting a glimpse of the Mona Lisa knows how crowded the Louvre can be! So take that crowd and multiply by 100. That is about the size of the line that day.... if you don't have insider info, that is! Princess Ta-dam readers, this is your lucky day- in this post, I will show you how to get into the Louvre for free, in a waiting line of 4 people max! It sure beats the hundreds at the front entrance!


Here is a picture I took of this secluded entrance on my last trip to Paris: the entrance is Porte de Lions.

To see a map of the different entrances, you can find it at this link: http://www.louvre.fr/llv/pratique/venir.jsp?bmLocale=en

Good luck!

the Rose

New Addition to the Carnevale line!

Here is the latest addition to the Carnevale line, Shine.

Forget Spring Cleaning: Spruce up your style

Have you ever tried to type into Google the phrase "Spring To-Do List"?
All you end up getting is advice about how to spring clean your closets.
Well, instead of re-organizing your wardrobe, here's some advice for re-inventing it: pick the suggestions that fit your personality and transform your style!

- Wear a cloche hat, a beret or a fedora.

- Buy a canary yellow dress (but instead of calling the shade 'yellow', call it 'tournesol'), and wear it on a grey, rainy day.

- Wear fashion like it's yours, Comme les Garcons style: own your look, and don't look uncomfortable - you look great.

- Pair an arrogant grass-green t-shirt with a chunky white necklace.

- Wear a scarf that makes you feel like poetry in motion.

- Cover your arm in bracelets, and when you think you're done, add 3 more and go out the door.

- Buy the outrageously expensive new rouge Dior in a petal shade.

- The next time you see that pair of rain boots in that outrageous hue and crazy awesome pattern, go ahead and buy it: don't worry, it'll look good with absolutely everything!

- Replace all of your plastic hangers with some in wood. Better for your health.

- Get a beautifully intricate henna tattoo. If you change your mind at any time, you can easily wash it off.

- Ditch the chamomile tea. It's been a long winter. Have some espresso shots: time to wake up!

Spring is all about rebirth and reinvention, so don't go back to the same old habit of diving back into your closet and not finding the burst of 'awesome' you were looking for in the first place.

Instead of spring cleaning, throw a 'Welcome back, Spring!' party!
Then throw on a scarf that complements your much adored rain boots,
and embrace the joie-de-vivre of spring!

the Rose

Paris- the city of lights!

Over March break, I travelled to Paris- such a fabulous change of scene!

Back in Montreal, we still had weather like this...

so the beautifully green and manicured French grounds were sooo refreshing!

One of the many nicknames Paris has is 'the City of Lights', so I decided to show off this side of Paris in this blogpost.

Here is a picture I took of this gorgeous midnight merry-go-round next to the hotel de ville (city hall). There were skaters at this outdoor skating rink, and this glorious smell of fried doughnuts in the air. I couldn't resist getting a ticket for this 'manege': it's one of my little caprices (whims) when I travel.

This shot is of the Champs-Elysees, one of the greatest fashion boulevards in the world. The picture was taken from the top of the Arc-de-Triomphe.

This was the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower all lit  up and sparkly: it's colour seems to change with every shimmer- is it lavender? rose pink? glowing bronze? Beautifully scintillating and the true symbol of Paris.

Up next: Fashion Updates from Paris

New Collection- Carnevale

Orders at: 514-318-3608 OR http://www.princessta-dam.com/ (allow 2 weeks for delivery)

We at Princess Ta-dam are very excited to introduce our newest collection, Carnevale! Combining the sheen of silk with the gleam of pearls and the crackle of tulle, our collection of masks and accompanying accessories capture the essence of Carnevale in Venice. More coming soon!

Midnight

Juliet's Poison



New Collection- High Treason: The History of the Red Necklace

After the French Revolution, fundraising parties were held to support the surviving nobles: at these grand events, women would wear red necklaces, to symbolize the telltale signature of the guillotine.

There is nothing quite as arresting as an exquisite red necklace. Along with the fact that red can suit any skin tone, from the richest of ebonies to the creamiest of alabasters, it is also the colour of jewellery that is hardest to find. Why? There is a range of reasons: one would be that of all tints of glass, red is the most expensive to create, as it requires gold to make red shades. Another would be that coral, a component that appears in a lot of red jewellery, is strictly protected by the environmental authorities. Either way, this gorgeous jewellery is difficult to obtain, for both the wearer and the creator.

Celebrating red, the color of fire, of passion, of love, of danger and everything in between, here is the first of our collection: Blackheart. the Rose

D.I.Y. Project- The Eco Fireplace

If you love the sense of setting that a fireplace lends to a room, or the possibilities that the mantlepiece above it presents, but cannot have one, whether out of love for the environment, asthma problems or the sheer expense of keeping it, here is an elegant, eco-friendly and modern solution to this dilemma: the eco fireplace.

By lining the back of an MDF or wooden box with a metal sheet, we can gently reflect the light from the pillar candles, offering a softened glow.

If the chosen pillar candles are soy candles with cotton wicks, then they are safe to use indoors for long periods at a time and are environmentally friendly!

Try to use candles of differing heights, especially taller ones to draw the eyes upward.

Afterwards, you can unleash your creativity on the mantlepiece design. For this one, we chose an ornate black frame and placed silk of a very rich, delicious green shade inside. With the objects below, we chose to toe the line between antique and modern with a grouping of abstract sculptures and a vintage-style figure that still bears geometric designs evoking modernism.

An advantage that the eco fireplace has over the traditional fireplace is the fact that, unlike the traditional fireplace, the eco fireplace is not permanently fixed. You can rearrange its position to your heart's content!

the Rose

Inspiration File: The City of Dreaming Books, by Walter Moers

I believe that these inspiration files need a bit of explanation- they aren't just fashion trends, or anything neccessarily related to the fashion industry; they can also be things that caught our eyes, that made us marvel, or wonder, something that made us breathless before its awesomeness (both the modern and archaic definitions can be applied here).

The first entry in my category, 'The Inspiration File', is this absolutely wonderful novel, 'The City of Dreaming Books', by Walter Moers. I came across it around boxing day in my local bookstore. On a table covered with scattered books that had been *ransacked* by eager bargainhunters, I saw the title written in gleaming letters, drowning under cheap romances. Fishing it out, it fell open, displaying a gorgeous style of writing, and I just knew: this is my book. The perfect title drew me in, filled with promise... An overleaf covered in an ink-crosshatching illustration seemed to back up that guarantee....  A level of description that takes in every detail simply announced an excellent and satisfying read. 

Everything necessary for a whirlwind adventure is present; from a city devoted to books (my idea of heaven on earth!!!!), to the mysterious Shadow King that rules the dark-drenched catacombs below, a search for the author of a manuscript of towering genius, a conspiracy that could eclipse literature in their world forever.... Need I say more?

Overall, a gorgeous book that will evoke happy sighs from bookworms, make literati chuckle at the clever inside jokes, shock any reader with the stunning plot twists that no one will see coming, and is perfect for any occupant of a comfortable armchair on a cold winter day. An adventure story with a high IQ and a commonsensical hero, the City of Dreaming Books is definitely worth a good look!

Happy Reading!
the Rose

To find out more....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_of_Dreaming_Books