A sunlit morning at the end of May, about to be spent meandering around the local village market, emersing ourselves in a weekly activity that goes back centuries. What better way to experience everyday French life whilst on holiday.
The market is always awash with colour. A petite, French blue cardigan, a patterned top of delicate butterflies, with silver accessories seemed the ideal choice for our foray. Simple, yet chic.
I freely admit that blue is my favourite colour and I love wearing different shades of blue together. The vividness of cobalt blue just lights up my day. The cardigan has a very pretty trellis-like pattern down the sleeve, which you can just make out in the photograph. And even the buttons have their own characteristic. They have a silver edge.
C’est un cardigan avec je ne sais quoi, mes amis.
I love butterflies in nature but I can take them or leave them when they’re on clothes. However, there was something about the butterflies on this top that attracted me. Maybe it’s because the butterflies are plain white as opposed to coloured, making their shape stand out more against the navy stripes, balancing out the white band at the bottom. They look as if they’ve been block printed onto the material by hand.
The butterflies are fluttering and soaring their way to my
shoulders, drawing the eyeline upward. The bonus is that this gives me the
illusion of length. And at 5’1″, I need all the length I can get!
And I couldn’t resist the scallop shell hem. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I adore scallops. No siree, not at all, *ahem*.
The silver strands are actually two separate necklaces. It was
fitting that I wore them on holiday as it was a home-coming for them. I’d bought them on our previous
visit to the South of France.
I often pair
them as they make more of an impression when worn together. They
compliment each other, without competing against each other.
Ssssh, between you and me, one often sulks when the other one is worn on it’s own; better to keep the peace and all.
There’s something quite visually satisfying about circles I find.
On market day you easily walk miles without realising it. More so in my case. I love to browse, peruse and ponder each stall, often going back through the market several times (which quite often tests the endurance of TallBrownFox!), soaking up every last detail, so as not to miss anything.
My silver leaf sandals kept my feet cool and comfortable accompanied by my trusty .99p thrifted, silver bag. These two are pretty much inseparable! They’re so content in each other’s company. Here they are together when I took then on a day trip to Nice.
And from a silver bag to straw ones.
You’ll find these colourful shopping baskets in every market. I love the vibrancy of the colours. The hot pinks and zesty oranges always catch my eye. But what amused me on this particular stall were the two bags hanging centrally from the canopy. Can you see them?
Clue: they’re red, white and blue. Deep in the heart of the Var, I find bags with the Union Jack on them!
Back chez nous after a morning of meandering in the market, we savoured our shopping spoils at lunch. In the market there is a paella stand, where the paella is cooked in enormous pans in front of you. Chicken, prawns, mussels, baby octopi, squid and red peppers, all cooked in saffron and rice. I’m drooling as I type. Excuse me, I just need to mop up my keyboard.
It’s become a tradition when we’re en vacances that we
a) HAVE to visit the local market
and
b) we HAVE to buy paella from the market.
This is non-negotiable!
And what better liquid to accompany the paella than a glass of the local rosé – L’Oppidum. Cheers.
I sensibly took off my necklaces before scoffing. Didn’t fancy getting an octopus leg stuck in one of them. Not a look I could pull off.
And for dessert, we indulged in a little sweet and savoury. We bought delicious, juicy cherries from the market plus two types of le fromage du chèvre – goat’s cheese.
The cheese is made by a local farmer. He has one of the tiniest stands in the market yet he often has the longest queue! He only sells goat’s cheese and clearly has producing it down to a fine art. The best goat’s cheese is produced between March and November, so we were buying pretty much at its peak.
He sells about 6 or so different varieties. We normally buy them covered in herbs but sadly he’d sold out of those by the time we got there (note to self; get up earlier on market day!). The one on the left is covered in peppercorns; TallBrownFox favoured this one. The one on the right is demi-sec; my favourite. Demi-sec is where a white or yellow rind begins to form on the cheese. This little sphere of tastiness has probably been aged for about 15 days or so.
I’ll be doing a separate post on the market itself as French markets are such a cultural experience. Do you like exploring markets as much as I do? Do you come back laden with tasty goodies and/or vintage clothes and trinkets?
Linking with / Turning Heads Tuesday / Garay Treasures / Confident Twosday / Style Swap Tuesday / Create 28 Lovely Summer Looks / The Wednesday Pants / What I Wore / Wednesday Blog Hop / Color And Grace /
Very pretty! Love that shade of blue and the butterfly blouse is adorable. See you Friday!
OXOX
Dawn Lucy
http://fashionshouldbefun.blogspot.com
Thanks Dawn. I like the simplicity of the butterfly print and French blue is a gorgeous shade. I'll be there on Friday!
I like exploring markets though have never been to French ones. So, would be interesting to read your post about it. I like your outfit, casual yet pretty. All the things are matched perfectly; very clever and nice colour combination. Silver chains are so lovely, you are right they look so nice worn together.
I thought you'd like exploring markets, Olga! I'm in the midst of organising the 'market' post. Trouble is I've so many photos, it's hard to choose which ones to use! Thanks for your lovely comments.
I LOVE that top! The butterfly print and scalloped edge is so pretty!
Thanks Amy. It's a lovely print on it's own but the scalloped edge really is the finishing touch, isn't it?
What a great outfit!! The top is quite interesting and really…who doesn't like a scalloped hem? jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thanks Jodie. A scalloped hem is soooo much more eye-catching!
The perfect outfit for market exploring , love the butterflies and the scallop hemline. Your silver adds the perfect finishing touch. I will look forward to your post about the market , as we are in the early stages of planning a trip to Spain and France next year.
Thanks Jill for your lovely comments. How exciting about your trip. I've a couple of days off work this coming week, so I'll get my blog post written as well as the garden's one for you!
Very lovely outfit whilst out shopping. The blue is such a vibrant lovely color with your complexion, and I love the butterfly top, the scalloped bottom of the top, and the silver accessories, My favorite is the leaf patterned sandals, very pretty!
Thanks for linking up with Turning Heads Tuesday
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
The sandals were a complete impulse buy but they've turned out to be a real summer staple! Wish I'd bought 2 pairs but sadly they've sold out now.
What a fun and lively top, I know butterflies are a new favorite with my kiddos and I to watch when it comes to insects lately. Those meals look scrumptious too.
Rachel xo
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Garay Treasures
Thanks Rachel. It's fun when kids start to discover the natural world around them. I'm not into insects too much but butterflies I can handle!
Very cute outfit! That bright blue looks lovely on you. And yes to outdoor markets…and paella!
Thank you. There's nothing like freshly made paella!
Your top looks so pretty and feminine with butterflies, I love them too.
Thanks Anca.
It is definitely the hemline of the top which makes it so lovely. OK the colour, the stipes and the butterflies do add to it, but the hem… so nice.
Love the sandals too.
Greetje
True, I probably wouldn't have bought it if the hem was just straight across. That makes it for me too.
I love, love, love French markets! That Paella looks aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing! I want to climb into the screen and eat it! You look just beautiful in this outfit- SUCH elegant pieces! Ha, you ARE a scallops obsessive! I love them too! Those sandals are beautiful and the whole look just screams chic to me!x
Another lover of markets! They are special, aren't they Kezzie. I can say that paella was delicious and I get upset if I miss it on a visit! The unusual design of the sandals really caught my eye, then coupled with the colour, they had to be bought!