As Luck Would Have It

Yup, it's time for a Lucky Breaks code at Le Train Bleu. This is the 3rd time we've participated in Lucky Breaks and it's always a flurry of boxes and tissue and happy shoppers. The code this time is luckybreaks1 and it's good for a 25% site-wide discount through June 1st. Happy shopping!

Ah, You Say the Nicest Things...

I just received an excited email with these scans from Yumi Kim where they'd just spotted their Joey Butterfly Top in the British Vogue article featuring Le Train Bleu. Also featured were the Grace Sun Waterfall Dress, the Rachel Comey Sneaky Pleat Dress, and the Heimstone Jefferson Sweatshirt.

As you might imagine, I am an avid online shopper and well versed in the benefits, but for those "across the pond" who need some extra inducement, the favorable exchange rate, along with this informative article, should provide a nice kick in the pants.

Let's Play The Proust Questionnaire with Kate Linstrom of objets trouvés!

I thought The Proust Questionnaire would be a fitting (and fun) interview format for fellow Francophile Kate Linstrom, the designer behind the label objets trouvés. You can check out Kate's exquisitely intricate styles for sale at Le Train Bleu and visit her own site to learn more.

• What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Confinement. Having basic freedoms taken away and being monitored every hour of your life would be insufferable.

• Where would you like to live?
Paris (specifically in Le Marais district).


• What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Lifelong friends.

• To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Trying to squeeze too many things into one day.

• Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) and Bernard Mickey Wrangle, an outlaw bomber known as the Woodpecker in Still Life with Woodpecker.

• Who are your favorite characters in history?
Cleopatra

• Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Joan of Arc’s story is incredible.

• Your favorite painter?
Ooh this is a tough one, too many to choose from!
I love the usual suspects: Pablo Picasso & Henri Matisse and then from there the list could go on forever…Wassily Kandinsky, Takashi Murakami, Agnes Martin, Julie Mehretu, Kehinde Wiley…it’s hard to pick a favorite!

• Your favorite musician?
Another tough one to narrow down. Arcade Fire, Serge Gainsbourg, Bat for Lashes, Beatles, Beirut, Cat Power, The Cure, Bob Dylan, The Decemberists, Duran Duran, Wilco, Jenny Lewis, Morrissey, Prince, Elliot Smith, Thom Yorke.

• The quality you most admire in a man?
Honesty & Sense of Humor

• The quality you most admire in a woman?
Stability & Sense of Humor

• Your favorite virtue?
Love

• Your favorite occupation?
Traveling & Designing

• Who would you have liked to be?
I find Cleopatra fascinating, it would have been wild to be in her shoes.

New Store

A selection of our favorite apothecary items.

I've been wanting to post about our new digs but have been so busy with all the new Spring arrivals that I haven't found time until now. This is just a sneak peek, but I thought you all might enjoy a few pics. We still have the same sort of neo-nouveau vibe, but while the new store was dark, moody, and cavernous, the new location is flooded with light and airy.

The orange circus lights around the windows have followed us.

Our store mascot Dutch resting on the fainting couch by the fireplace after a hard morning of meeting and greeting.

By Francine

By Francine combines details stemming from vintage and modern silhouettes to create an item based collection that any girl would want to wear. “I really wanted to create a designer collection that is well priced. Quality fashion should not be un-affordable,” says By Francine designer and founder Francine Simmons. By Francine is a collection that refuses the notion that clothes are merely seasonal, and instead, aspires to create timeless lines, with unparalleled construction, high grade materials, and meticulous attention to styling.

Guilty Pleasures

In the spirit of Hello, High-Low, I recently did some shopping online at Forever 21. This was one of my luckiest hauls, too. There was just one stinker in the bunch. Here are my annotated pics.

This is the top that actually spurred on the spree because I picked it up in the store recently in Black and was really wowed once I got it home. Now I have the Blue as well and I'm not sure which I prefer. This style is made from poly which actually feels pretty decent but made a lot of static--I definitely wouldn't want to spend the whole night dancing in it. Aside from that, it's really terrific. I love how it highlights the shoulders (an oft neglected region in most clothes) and the fit is really nice too. It even has a side zip, which allows it to be quite tailored and waist-nipping.Because I liked the above style so much, I picked this one up, noting that it had similar details and seemed like it might be the same sort of fabric. Wow--this one is even nicer. The quality of this fabric had me really impressed and the lattice work at the neckline is stunning. The sleeves have a unique cut to them to and hang really nicely. It's not as slimming and sexy as the other top (kinda boxy, but works nicely when tucked in), but I like it so much that I'm after the same thing in Grey now.I admire other people in their cool sunglasses but I'm pretty utilitarian. My eyes are really light and very sensitive to the sun and I like big dark sunglasses that stay on. And that wrap around. Don't worry--I don't wear them with a strap. But these ones are a bit better than my usual selection from 7-11 and maybe even cheaper.
This scarf is cotton and soft and wonderful--there have been a lot of lovely boutique-brand scarves floating around this season, but this one stands up to them.
I'm a sucker for the cotton calico prints from Forever 21. They don't scream Cheap Mall Clothes! like many things there. This is a case for my super uncool sunglasses so they don't get all scratched up floating around with my keys in the bottom of my purse.

I mentioned how some things at F21 definitely scream Cheap Mall Clothes! and here's an example. I don't know what possessed me--it must have been late and I was getting trigger happy. Plus I was on that purse organization kick when I grabbed the sunglass case and was thinking I would be all lady-like if I had a more lady-like wallet in my purse. Oh, well. I had a good run.