.:le train bleu:.

Ilse Jacobsen Rubber Boot Testimony

Just received word from a customer who purchased her Ilse Jacobsen tall boots yesterday:

Walked all the way downtown to the Monaco and they are ultra comfy. No break in blisters! And they DO breathe better than the Hunters. It's a noticeable difference. They rule. And some other thoughts: the laces make the calf size adjustable which is priceless for us ladies with shapely calves.

Available to order through the shop (Le Train Bleu ships worldwide!) ☛Shop Ilse Jacobsen

Labels: In Real Life, In Store

Blossom Dearies: They Say It's Spring

Labels: Sound Off

The Tango Lesson

I want to let you in on a secret. Tango shoes are the most comfortable heels in the world. They are magic. I wish somebody had told me sooner. I have been flirting with Argentine Tango for the past 10 years but never had a pair of proper Tango shoes until just recently and I was in for a big surprise. I am NOT a heel person--my choices are practical, generally maxing out at a 2.5" height.

Well, these babies are 4". On my Tango shoe shopping trip each subsequent shoe I tried on got higher and higher as all the shoes were so well balanced and comfortable. Tango dancers have a special relationship with their shoes and as I now know, there are LOTS of choices out there. Mine are from Nueva Epoca and I will be wearing them outside (which is not advised but these shoes make me want to live on the wild side). If you feel prepared to enter the Cult Of The Tango Shoe, then go check out the ultra chic line Comme Il Faut ("proper" in French), which is wildly popular and doesn't produce anything shorter than a 3" heel as far as I know (that would not be proper).

And if you want to catch the Tango dancing bug, all you have to do is watch Sally Potter's gorgeous film The Tango Lesson.

Labels: Totally Random Reviews

Strawberry Thief

My heart was racing in the final minutes of the ebay auction for this Liberty print blouse from J Crew. I had won one recently but it was too small, and here was a second chance. I won, it is mine, and I am so in love! This print is from William Morris and is a cornucopia of birds and flowers but I love the sort of muddied, moody feel of it. Very 1970's Pre-Raphaelite, don't you think?

Check out this painting by Frank Sidney Harper, 1919, showing the Strawberry Thief wallpaper in the background. Found here.

Labels: Totally Random Reviews

Fools Rush In

Happy April Fools Day! Enjoy 20% off all day with code "aprilfools" (not valid on preorders or past orders).

Rachel Comey Ipswich Preorders

Rachel Comey is going to make some more of the Ipswich wedges for us. Huzzah! You can place a preorder for your own pair, sizes 5.5-11, in Toast or Silver.

We are offering Free Shipping on the preorders. Delivery will be around the first week of May. Prepayment is not required. Email us with your request and you will be invoiced once the shoes are ready to ship: buyer@letrainbleu.com

The cost is $330.

Labels: News

Everyone Loves L'Amant

It's back for Spring. Named for the the 1992 film starring Jane March, based on the Duras novel The North China Lover.

For Purchase Here☛

Labels: In Store

Happy Days Are Here Again--Welcome Back Polaroid!

photo: Bria Phillips

THE IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT PROUDLY PRESENTS
Its first, brand new Instant Film for traditional Polaroid Cameras.
Visit the site☛http://www.the-impossible-project.com/

Labels: News

Horticulturist's Mac, Five Ways

Rachel Comey's Horticulturist's Mac from her Spring 2010 collection is brilliant, in five ways. It is the perfect outerwear companion for the "transition" months of Spring and Fall, being lightweight and in a neutral palette, and in a cut that's feminine but casual. She provided an adorable illustrated guide of the 5 ways she knows to wear it, but perhaps you will find even more...

Available at Le Train Bleu. Visit the online shop☛

Labels: In Store

Do Not Leave These Lights At Home Alone...

They are going to use your house as a rehearsal space for their Busby Berkeley revival show, set up an underground poker game, and create an illegal (albeit very high quality) whiskey distillery.

Seriously, don't they look so enchanted and anthropomorphic? Hey, reading lamp, can you pass me my coffee mug? I'm almost done with this Shouts & Murmurs but I don't want to get up because Mr.Whiskers is napping on my lap.

They are part of a new collection of restored industrial antique lighting from Rejuvenation Hardware, circa 1900-1940. They've been sourced from places like NY Subways, old movie theaters, garment factories, and machine shops.