DEAR FRANCES

The fresh London-based label, fusing clean contemporary designs with traditional craftsmanship. 

Made in Italy by skilled artisans and from the finest European materials, the designs are confident and romantic, with astute attention to detail. The new season AW14 is strong, romantic and raw - the urban inspired collection features sharp heels, layered flats and classic silhouettes, combined with contemporary detailing and powerful crisp lines. The relationship between artisanal tradition and designer street style creates a fresh aesthetic for the modern romantic and epitomises the sophisticated urban woman. Dear Frances ‘MOVE ME’ draws on tangible strength, clean lines, fresh light and soft geometry. 

With the strong support of a number of mentors from the Italian shoe industry, the team share a vision of creating beautiful products, which tell the intimate story of the Dear Frances brand. 

Find out more at www.dearfrances.com 

Our week in a 17th century French chateau

We've had my family in town for the past couple of weeks and after a busy few days showing them around Paris, we all took off in separate cars and headed for the beautiful French countryside. Our tour around France began in Burgundy, with the most incredible stay in a gorgeous 17th century chateau, owned by the great French shoe designer, Michel Perry. There was more than enough room for the seven of us to relax and enjoy this magical place, which Perry has recently refurbished with such class - it's a modern oasis amid traditional charm and incredible detail. What a treat it was, we hardly felt the need to leave the chateau all week and enjoyed the best family banquets around the dining table each night. Here are some pictures of the chateau, with more to come on our time in the Burgundy country. Bisous

Normandy, France

I hope you all had a great Easter Break! Scott & I are back in Paris now after spending a few days along France's Normandy coast. We stayed in picturesque Honfleur - a small fishing village in eastern Normandy, with a lovely wee harbour and quite a creative arts scene. From Honfleur, it was easy to take the coastal road through to the D Day beaches, where we stopped off and observed the landing sites of the allies back in WW2. Normandy is a beautiful place, quiet and relatively unspoiled, with spectacular views across the English Channel - you can almost reach out from the shore and touch the UK! I was too busy admiring the streets of Honfleur that I didn't actually take any photos of the town ... but here are a few of the beautiful coast and a few of the wee villages we drove through along the way. Bisous x

Deauville Beach

Beach huts, Juno Beach - site of Canadian landing WW2

Juno Beach

Norman buildings

Gorgeous street along the Normandy coast

Le Kiosk, Deauville Beach

English Channel

Ancient clock tower, Normandy

Coastal growth

Quiet streets & beach hut roofs

la boîte aux lettres

Building facades

Burgundy - French wine heaven!

How time flies! Last weekend was our first wedding anniversary & what better way to spend it than in beautiful wine country (similar to where we were married, only this time in France rather than Australia). We left Paris Friday morning and high tailed down to Burgundy, where we were greeted with blue skies and springtime temperatures, it was gorgeous. We stayed in Puligny Montrachet, a sleepy but pretty little town with an authentic French country air, not too far from the regions' capital, Beaune. We went for long lazy walks through the vineyards, tasted local wines in the underground cellars, visited a handful of tiny hilltop towns and shopped our way through each of the town markets. It was hard to leave on monday morning and head back to Paris, but we are looking forward to visiting this beautiful region again in May, when we will have some special visitors in town. Bisous for now x

beautiful old building facade

gorgeous stonework & little blue shutters

the winter countryside

ancient town hall spires

shop à vendre

hospice de Beaune

pretty flower pots in Puligny Montrachet

gorgeous, quiet streets

Beaune buildings & shadows

a country estate behind wrought iron gates

Puligny Montrachet

local caveau (wine tasting cellar)

Puligny Montrachet

more lovely facades

it must be anniversary day! he pulls out the old socks ;)

vines preparing for the new season

chateau

historic hilltop town