0 Basic French Training

 Yesterday's post on 'Stripe Training' got me thinking about Basic French Training in general. Most French cultural ways are instilled in infancy if not sooner IMHO. Like the essential wearing of trench coats for example.

 The bow too is a key to unlock the secrets of French je ne sait quoi

 The fine tuning of the famous French taste buds begins with a vast variety of penny candy. Wearing it on your T-shirt doesn't hurt a bit in developing one's connoisseurship from the get-go. It's never too early to start. Haribo here I come!

 The fine arts of pastry indoctrination begins as soon as little hands can grasp a crayon.

 As explained in Bringing Up Bebe, French children bake every weekend. I tried this in hopes of a bit of regression therapy, but my cake was a mess and I did NOT wait to eat it at 'gouter'/snack time (4:30 PM). So both the arte of waiting and baking were completely lost on moi. 'You can't go home again' as Thomas Wolfe said, especially if France wasn't your home to begin with.

Lecon learned - no more weekend baking for me.

 I've invited author, Vivian Swift of Le Road Trip, over for tea today. Let's hope I do a better job of it and can catch up to this savvy kidlets.

 On to more serious training like the wearing of the French scarf. You can pick up a lot about what makes the French tick if you just lower your eyes to 3-foot level in my opinion.

 Since everyone desperately wants to be French (or at least 95% of us) consider looking down at the French kiddies instead of running off to Ave. Montagne and Dior.

 Why Don't French Women get fat?
They start wearing those horizontal stripes early.

 VERY early.

 Even French dogs get stripe training.

 If you want your kiddie painted in stripes instead of a floral pattern just ask straight away - pas de problem.

 Developing the senses early is de rigueur.

At a recent book fair an editor told me she'd just spent 6 months in Paris and French moms did NOT participate in sandbox activities at all. Instead they were off on a bench chatting. Clearly she had not read Bringing Up Bebe nor had her child had 'sand training' to develope the sense of touch and taste.

Clearly I won't be getting any review copies from her in the near future either, ahem.

 May I suggest a visit to Il Etait Une Fois..5, rue Casette 75006 or any other any other kid's toy or clothing store. Rue Vavin is another good place to get your Basic French Training.

 

Bear, being French, agrees completely!

0 Stripe Training 2

 Stripe training begins at infancy for the French.

 Stripes in the bassinet are de rigueur. (what is a bassinet anyway?)

 Striped onesie with the touch of the marinere.

 Moving right along to striped accessories - hat + socks.

 Matching your parents more or less head-to-toe is a continuation of essential French training.

 Petit Bateau is happy to provide matchups for both mother and daughter.

 Till daughter can figure it out on her own.

 With a striped onesie of another sort.

 Plus matching striped sac/bag.

 Once married the French girl is happy to match her man stripe-wise.

 They will both swim only at pools (Pontoise) heavily striped...

 Or walk on zebra crossings together...

 Even if their stripes are hidden lining their shoes furtively.

 Pierre Herme and Jean-Paul Hevin fill a much needed void providing two-color macarons/Une coque bicolore for the stripe-obsessed.

The resident striped cat on the counter at cafe Le Select makes it an A OK place to grab an apero if you're into stripes in a big way or French.

0 The French Scarf

 Does your average French person leave the house without wearing a scarf?

 I doubt it.

 How-to-tie your scarf is demonstrated everywhere you look.

 Scarves are non-gender, non-seasonal accessories.

 Do French infants wear a scarf in their cribs? I have to do further research...

 The stripe scarf is a French classic. You can not go wrong wearing a stripe scarf.

 Four variations on tieing your scarf.

 Here's a scarf that grew into a coat...

 Your classic cardigan can double as a scarf in France. Pas de problem.

 Tintin gets away with it...

 Even some French parfums don a scarf...

 Scarf around a baguette? Bien sur.

 The classic Saint Honore wears a kind of chantilly scarf non?

 A traditional Fr couple - La femme is scarved. Monsieur appears to be scarf-free.

Bear does NOT wear a scarf. Does this make him less French? Should he get one ASAP? What do you think?

0 ELLE says...

ELLE Fr says today that for Fall/La Rentree we will all want to wear these yellow shoes...

I'd rather go back in the kitchen and wreak more macarons...

ELLE says we'll want to dress up like registered nurses from WWI this Fall...

I'd rather walk in the rain with or without a parapluie/umbrella...

ELLE says this Fall we'll want to cover it all up...

Whatever happen to the famous French powers of Seduction? ? ?

BEAR, an expert on stripes/rayee...

Says HE would not be caught dead in this French striped sweater/pull - makes you look like a boat non?

I never wear prints, but this Fall French print dress takes the cake, non?

Speaking of cake, PIERRE HERME says get ready for Fall with his new macaron flavors...

I hope M. Herme is getting his US shop ready soon. Will they deliver macarons? Will there be a nice P.Herme macaron truck combing New York's streets?

Moi, je prefer l'Ete/me, I prefer to stick with Summer for as long as we have it.

If YOU'D like to vote on ELLE's 50 best picks for Fall/La Rentree

GO FOR IT!

Au revoir ELLE Fr!