A Post from Hope ... A Henri Bendel "Me Day"

Hello there, gorgeous girls!  

Hope here ... 

so nice to meet you in person!

As one of the eight Ooh La Frou Frou girls,

I'm so very excited about our new blog!

For my very first post, I've chosen to talk about 

something near and dear to my heart.

Me Days.

Okay, I'll admit it.  I love days that are all about Me.  

You know ...  those very special days that you can call your own ...

those days that give you permission to put your own little label on them.  

Maybe that label says "Art Gallery Day" 

or "Leisurely Lunch with a Girlfriend Day"

or "Fly Off to Paris for a Mad Getaway Day."

(Okay, sorry. Went a little crazy with that last one.)

  Well ... the other day I was lucky enough to have a Me Day.

(Underlined, of course, because of how special they all are!) 

This particular Me Day was as pretty as a picture.

The sun was streaming in my apartment window and

the city was coming to life outside it. 

So, I started the day with a simple thing that always 

makes me feel wonderful.

A good, long stretch. 

 Hey, it doesn't take much to make me happy. 

Well ... maybe it does.  Where was I? 

I happily pondered which label my Me Day would wear

as Olive and I leafed through the latest issue of Vogue,

For my day, I had no desire to escape the city.

Nope.  Not me.

In fact, if asked to describe myself in two little words, it would be:

CITY GIRL.

  A Day as Pretty as a Picture - Illustration by Sandy , artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.  Illustration created specifically for the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection blog. 

 I love everything about the city.

I love the fact that my favorite cappucinno with a foam heart on top 

is just a few steps from my door.

And on my Me Day, that is the first place Olive and I hit

as soon as we stepped foot on the sidewalk.

I also love leisurely strolling past the fabulous townhouses

and fantasizing about who might live there. 

Fancy Townhouse Illustration by Sandy, artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.  Illustration from artist archives.

Yep, I'm a City Girl. 

I just love the hustle and bustle of every magical day.

On most days, I might hop in a cab

or take the subway to get to where I need to go.

But on this particular Me Day, I chose to just set out

on foot and enjoy the city around me.

I had decided to visit a favorite place ..

a girl's playground ....

a place that is fantasy land of accessories for the girly-girl ...

the super-stylish Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue.

Filled with all of kinds of goodies that make us smile,

Henri Bendel never fails to make me feel good ...

which is precisely why Henri Bendel was my destination

on this Me Day. 

What could be better than a little shopping in this girl's wonderland of accessories.

Illustration of Henri Bendel signature fobs that you will see on many of Bendel Handbags by Sandy, artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.  Photo credit: unknown source.

And since you, my new girlfriends, weren't with me on my Me Day, 

I took a some snaps of a few things that Henri Bendel has to offer!

Lacquer Jewelry Box, Stone Cluster Bracelet and Triple Threat Cocktail Ring

Ball Gown Pearl Necklace, Centennial Stripe Jewelry Roll and Glam Hoop Earrings

Bendel Bow Print Scarf, Lady with Dog Desk Diary and West 57th Frame Cosmetic Clutch

Clockwise, from top: Debutante Slim Suede Asymmetric Clutch (red), Debutante Asymmetric Mock Croc Clutch, Taxi Girl Shopper (pink), No. 7 Quilted Shoulder Bag

Clockwise from upper left: Henri Bendel Perfume Bottle Key Fob, Bendel Small Puppy Bowl, Henri Bendel Cup and Saucer Set, I Heart Me Compact

What would you put in your
Henri Bendel shopping bag?

A Post from Sunny ... Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

I can hardly believe (thrill!) that I'm the first of the girls to blog!
There I was, lying on the beach,
considering what fabulous thing to post about,
when I received a call on my cell from the artist,
requesting that I pose by a pool for a fun new card entitled,
Sunny Days!

I quickly ran home and stepped into my dressing room
to consider which swimsuit would be the lucky one ...
being a California girl with invitations for fun in the sun often,
I've collected quite a variety choices.
I was in a retro mood ... a vintage cute mood,
so I slipped into my yellow polka dot bikini,
tied a chic scarf around my hair,
and with the addition of hoop earrings and shades, I was off!

It's a tough job, but somebody's ... oh, you know.

Sunny Days Card Illustration by Sandy, artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection - glittered card will be available on the Ooh La Frou Frou website Wed., 8/25/10.  Inside message: I'm a summer girl all year round.

The other girls and I like to travel to exotic places together  

every chance we get (St. Tropez, are you ready for us?) 

and they often ask me where I shop for my 

glamorous, old-Hollywood-movie-star bathing suit styles.  

These are a few of my secret favorites I've shared with them:

Anthropologie has a very darling ruffled  

Rosy and Dotty bikini by designer Nikki Poulos 

that comes in floral (Rosy) or polka dots (Dotty).  

I also look for suits that make me feel rather Marilyn Monroe 

and the Natalie black one-piece by Seafolly, 

with its sweetheart neckline and shapely ruching would do it ...

I think kitten heels would be a must poolside with this one!

Dotty Bikini

Rosy Bikini

The Natalie

Shopping Bag Illustration by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection

If you tell your friends you'll be getting
Undrest by the Sea,
they may raise their eyebrows!
Undrest by the Sea recently opened its new flagship store in Venice Beach. 
Designer Maria Paz Navales takes her inspiration
from the places she loves most ...
Paris, Biarritz and Rio De Janeiro to name a few.
Two of my personal favorites are the
Malibu Halter Monokini and Malibu Cinched Halter with Ruffle Heart Hipster

Malibu Halter Monokini

Malibu Cinched Halter with Ruffle Heart Hipster

Cabana Illustration by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection

And, for a very sophisticated old Hollywood look,
I adore the always fabulous Norma Kamali.
The lovely Halter Mio with its oversized black and white polka dots
and the elegant Bill swimsuit in black mesh
will have agents trying to book you for the next hot movie!
Top off your suit with the glamorous
One-Shoulder Modern Sculpture Mesh Top
and ... what can I say ...  you'll be simply fabulous!

Halter Mio

Bill Swimsuit

Umbrella Illustration by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection

I'd slip on a pair of glamorous sandals

add a ruffled beach towel to my bag,
(all from Beach Bunny Swimwear)
and I'd be glamorous-vintage ready!

Beach illustration by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection

I'll wrap up my late summer vintage swimwear post with a
little present of a fun website you simply must visit
whenever those leaves start to fall and you miss sand between your toes.
The Pistol Panties website
will take you to the beach even in the dead of winter.

One click and a beach scene starts small, with a plane
pulling a banner over a sandy faraway place.
Then it grows and grows to include a whimsical view of
private cabanas with flashing neon signs overhead,
as well as a sand castle being built by bathing beauties
and clouds floating by ...
all with a soundtrack we all probably secretly hear
as we walk down the beach with the waves crashing around us!
Simply by hovering your cursor over the items on the beach,
you'll be able to visit other areas of the website where you'll find
more lovely vintage swimwear ... of course!

Credits:
All artwork in this post by myself - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou: Summer Days card illustration, Anthropoligie bag illustration, cabana illustration, umbrella illustration, sand/water illustration.
All bathing suits and swimwear photos came from the respective websites: Anthropologie; Undrest by the Sea; Norma Kamali; Beach Bunny Swimwear.

First Post ... Glamour, Glamour, Glamour

the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection was born.

We're all glamorous girls.
But, let's face it, there are days when we feel  
just a little more glamorous ...

days when our hair falls
just that certain way

or we slip into that little black dress and look ...
well, pretteeeee fabulous.

 Yep, we girls are all about glamour --

glamour in all of its lavish and fanciful (and often expensive) forms. 

Treasures like oh-so-posh designer shoes

can make our hearts all aflutter.

(I wonder if that's why Christian Louboutin

went with the butterflies in the ad campaign?)

 Glamour isn't always all about fashion ...

I think we're our most glamorous when we're doing what we enjoy.
The pros at EventTrender have some great tips on
cookin' up a little entertaining glamour.

Isn't it funny that a little sprinkling of fairy dust
(sugar and spice and all things nice)
has a way of suddenly making us a temptress?
(The smell of cocoa in the air doesn't hurt either.)
Who knew a girl could feel so positively luscious in a cute apron?

And I think there's a certain glamour about women who, 
with the wave of a wand (I know they must have one),
 put together lavish and simply breathtaking soirees ... like magic ... 
seemingly at the drop of a hat. 

(Where did that phrase come from, anyway?)
The glamour below is a little magic created by the girls at
Something Fabulous.

And when it comes to interior design ...
a woman just has a certain way with a room ...let's just say
we know how to work the jewelry, whether it's on the walls or on our wrist.

Ruthie Chapman Sommers Interior Design

The Ooh La Frou Frou Collection
is a celebration of the glamour in all girls ...
a little of this kind of glamour and a little of that ...
all wrapped up and tied with a bow
to make us the fabulous girls that we are.

The glamorous name Ooh La Frou Frou didn't come from thin air.
I wanted a name that was fun, but fabulous -- cute, but luxe
and more than a little ooh la la --
something very ... frou frou. 

Let me Introduce you to the stars of the cards
in the order that they dropped from my paintbrush.

Tiffany is our adorable logo girl.  She loves Audrey Hepburn style
and has a glamorous city apartment with a doorman.  

We'll hear all about her life and adventures in the city on the blog
(and yes, she has a thing for bling).

When Hope, the charming blonde, below, appeared
I knew she'd be perfect.
She was glamorous.  She was fun.  She loved to shop.
A city girl through and through, she was simply fabulous.
In her arms, I saw Olive, her tiny and well-dressed poodle.
Hope will show us some of her favorite places and shopping finds.
Hope is also engaged so we'll get to see some of her
wedding shopping adventures!
We'll also see some of Olive's puppy-chic wardrobe!

The next cutie on the tip of my brush was Alex.

This auburn-haired vixen smiled at me from the paper 

and held a cupcake in her hand.  Fresh-baked.  

She has a dream kitchen with a
jewel of an oval window looking over the city.

She loves to bake fabulous desserts
and will share her recipes with us on the blog.

A sassy, ponytailed blonde in sunglasses sauntered onto the art desk next.

She exuded happy days and sunshine and introduced herself as Sunny.

Sunny's the California girl and can often be spotted in her sunglasses,

loves the pool and the beach and shopping on Rodeo Drive.

She'll bring sunshine to our days on the blog. 

Next, sliding off my brush and onto the paper
 was a pretty brunette with a beret.
"Boujour," she said with a seductive smile.  I had just met Aimee.
Aimee loves all things french, loves Paris, loves french decorating.

Needless to say, she'll bring us "ooh la la" in her posts.

 A sophisticated beauty with lush brown hair appeared on my paper next.
"Hello, Darling," she said.  She introduced herself as Violet.
Interior designer  and glamour girl extraordinaire.
She has a penthouse apartment in the city with a rooftop garden.
She'll share it with us sometime on the blog.

Suddenly flashes from papparazzi cameras were around me.
I realized they were following the gorgeous dark-eyed brunette
in the glittering couture gown that sat down on my desk.
This would be Cherie, the fashion model that will talk about
haute couture and take us to the faraway places
of her photo shoots on the blog.

And lastly, a pretty, southern jewel stepped into view.
Sweet and soft-spoken, yet drop-dead glam and sophisticated,
I recognized just a hint of a southern accent,
although now she's a city girl.   I'd just met lovely Belle.
Belle loves her mom's southern home cooking
and will share some recipes with us,
as well as her adventures in the city.

Thanks for joining me in the first post
of the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection blog.
Future posts will most often be in the voice of the individual girls.
(They can't wait!)
There will also be an occasional artist post.

This will be a weekly blog, with a new post each Monday,
occasionally interspersed with a post in between.

Have a simply glamorous week!

Credits: 

Photo #1: Christian Louboutin  (Artwork of butterfly & Louboutin shoe by myself - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou)

Photo #2: EventTrender (Artwork of hand by myself - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou)

Photo #3: Something Fabulous  Photo credit: Sota Dzine (Artwork of magic wand/top hat by myself - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou)

Photo #4: Unknown

All artwork on this blog is the creation of Sandra Markwalder, artist - Ooh La Frou Frou.