zou bisou bisou

Everyone has been raving about someone on Mad Men singing the song "Zou Bisou Bisou" and so while on iTunes yesterday I checked out the song and fell in love with Gillian Hills and then I promptly went on a 60s French pop music spree. The music just rocks, you know? and it makes you want to get on your feet and dance, let your hair loose, and dream of looking like Brigitte Bardot. Even the French version of "These Boots are Made for Walking" sounds better because, you know, it's in French.

Brigitte Bardot

The French in the 60s were just so stylin' and they really had a great mix of classic early 60s styles (small waists and the whole 'bombshell' look) and mod fashions not to mention timeless French chic classiness. So break out the records, tie a scarf haphazardly around your neck, and celebrate all that is 60s French pop music!


LINDSEY'S FRENCH POP PLAYLIST

1. "Zou Bisou Bisou" -Gillian Hills
2. "Ca Plane Pour Moi" Plastic Bertrand
3. "Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher" -Eileen
4. "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" -Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin
5. "Rentre Sans Moi" -Gillian Hills
6. "Ca Pourrait Changer" -Brigitte Bardot
7. "Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi" -Jacques Dutronc
8. "C'est Si Bon" -Yves Montand
9. "Une Petite Tasse D'anxiete" -Serge Gainsbourg & Gillian Hills
10. "Moi Je Joue" -Brigitte Bardot

Jane Birkin and Gillian Hills

Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg

Femmes de Paris record

Francoise Hardy

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Even if you don't have a ticket...

...you can still enjoy the idea of Coachella. I myself have never actually been (though I came extremely close to going this year) but I almost like it that way, like I have this idea of what a three-day music festival in Indio should be like and that's kind of enough to satisfy my eagerness to actually go. A lot of people have told me that while the music is great and the festival is so much fun there are a lot of things that detract, like running out of water and finding parking and turning into a puddle of sweat in the heat- you know, real things. So for now I have this perfect image in my head of all the wonderful things and I can ignore everything else.

It doesn't matter if you are making the pilgrimage out to the desert this year, because there's one thing we can all learn from the festivities in the valley: how to dress for the summer. Seriously, dudes, the girls at Coachella always impress me. Maybe they are fairies that don't sweat and can therefore manage to look adorable in 100-degree weather, but somehow these chicks always rock the festival like they are on the main stage.

Everything is very eclectic and yet you secretly know those girls spent hours curating the contents of their hemp suitcases before making their way to the desert. The Coachella goer almost always packs the following:

1. Denim Cutoffs- shorts are necessary to stay cool in desert heat, preferably if they are unraveling at the hems, full of rips, and stone-washed to a pulp
2. Cross-body Bag- you want a bag that can function when you are moving around, something small enough that it won't weigh you down, but also something that can hold all your necessities
3. Maxi Dress- embrace the "New Age Woodstock" vibes and make like a hippie in a light, flowy dress
4. Sweet Shades-When you are out all day in the bright sun, your eyes need some stylin' sunglasses to keep your eyes protected. Ray-Bans are always a hit
5. Gladiator Sandals- You want sandals that will stay on your feet even when you are rocking out to the Black Keys, so straps and buckles are your new best friends

And some more of the essentials:

 (Coachella images from Harper's Bazaar; Clothing items from net-a-porter)

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Is Anything Original?

History repeats itself.

What a shockingly true statement. We would like to think that our times are original, unique, breathtakingly creative, but alas, nothing is as original as it seems. There are trends that transcend eras, ideas that will always prevail. And apparently, the same repetitiveness shines through in fashion. Of course, instead of mistakenly falling upon the same mistakes as our ancestors, designers take inspiration from the past and silhouettes from bygone times.

Stripes and pencil skirts at Prada in more colorful hues

Turbans prevail at Jean Paul Gaultier

 

Blue tweed skirt suits get a streamlined effect at Oscar de la Renta

 Kimonos make a comeback at Louis Vuitton

 The girl suit gets an all-white touch at Stella McCartney

 Leopard print is always the cat's meow, like at Giambattista Valli

 The rebellious daddy's girl is always around, just more neon at Proenza Schouler 

(images from myvintagevogue.com and elle.com)

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