A Post by Hope ... I Love Being a Girly-Girl

The other seven Ooh La Frou Frou girls are jealous.

When I told them the title of my post,
you should have heard the fun conversation we had
over coffee one morning this week.
Of course, each of us feels
that SHE is the most girly-girl of all.
Truth is, we ALL are.
I told them they could do their own
Girly-Girl post sometime ... I wouldn't mind.
After all, we're all girly in different ways.

My definition of a
Girly-Girl:
A woman who not only enjoys being a girl,
but embraces it and celebrates it.

I'm going to start my post with a toast
(a virtual one!)
to all of the Girly-Girl Glamorous Followers of our blog!
One of our darling Followers
shared a beautiful bottle of champagne with
Ooh La Frou Frou this week on Twitter.
(Not really, of course, just the picture of the gorgeous bottle ...
Twitter's good, but not THAT good yet!)
I thought I'd share this pretty bottle with you,
as I don't think I've seen a prettier one!
Here's to you, Lily, (you are a true Girly-Girl, indeed)
and to all of our wonderful Girly-Girl Glamorous Followers!

Duval Leroy Rose Champagne

I couldn't possibly talk about
ALL things Girly-Girl in one post,
but I'll share with you a bit of girly fantasy and romance
and three ways in which I celebrate
being a woman.

What Girly-Girl doesn't love a special occasion?
Actually, each moment of our lives is an occasion,
a moment that won't be here ever again,
so why not celebrate even those little moments as Occasions?

It takes some intention to create an Occasion.
They usually don't happen on the spur of the moment.
One way I celebrate my femininity
is by surrounding myself with beauty.
And this, in turn, makes simple, everyday things become Occasions.
For instance:
Instead of picking up juice from the grocery store,
I squeeze fresh juice the night before.
I've purchased a very special
Waterford Crystal Amethyst Champagne Flute ...
just one flute ... just for me.
A whole set would have been very expensive.
But just one ... makes my morning juice an Occasion.

I also purchased one place setting of china especially for my breakfast ~
my only criteria was that it would make me happy each morning.
There's something freeing when you don't have to make the
weighty decision of a service for 12.

As soon as I saw this dinnerware,
I knew I'd found the perfect "present" for my inner Girlie-Girl.
It's the Belle Boulevard Collection by Kate Spade.

Illustration of oranges by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.
(c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.

If you're like me,
when you start thinking of making life's little moments more special,
you'll find yourself "planning" Occasions for yourself.

How many things in your day
could you make an Occasion?

I celebrate being a girl
by buying only what I absolutely love
and never buy something that doesn't feel wonderful on my body.
I believe in dressing well even when you think no one will see you.
That's precisely the time they will.

I love fashion.  And not in the practical way.
Sometimes I just melt when I watch the
haute couture fashion shows.
The Girly-Girl in me wonders what it must be like
to walk as a model walks, past flashing cameras,
hearing the swish of layers upon layers of tulle.

Some of you may remember this runway show earlier this year:
John Galliano's Dior 2010-11 Paris Fashion Week Runway Show
that featured dresses and gowns resembling beautiful flowers,
where the models even wore cellophane on their heads
as a whimsical nod to bouquets.
I asked very nicely
if the Ooh La Frou Frou artist
would create an illustration of me
in one of the haute couture gowns
from that Paris fashion show.
Voila!
Directly beneath my illustration is the video of the actual runway show.
Even though many of you may have already seen it,
if you have a minute, you may enjoy
viewing the video to see if you can spot the actual dress that is illustrated on me!
(There is a quick 15-second advertisement in the beginning of the show)
If you don't have time to watch the entire show
(takes about 10 minutes but it's fun!)
you can forward ahead ... the long gowns
are toward the end of the show!

Illustration of Ooh La Frou Frou girl Hope in her fantasy walk down a Dior runway
at Musee Rodin during 2010-11 Paris Fashion Week.
Artwork by Ooh La Frou Frou's artist and creator, Sandy.  (c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.

DIOR HAUTE COUTURE FW 2010/2011

I've started something fun & girly:
hanging pictures of beautiful couture items
that I've spotted in magazines and loved.
I place them in pretty matching mirrored frames
that hang side-by-side in my dressing room.
This breathtaking ostrich-feather clutch by Valentino Garavani
is the latest addition to my wall.

Valentino clutch is from Elle Magazine, November, 2010.
Collection at Bergdorf-Goodman NYC.

I'm simply not dressed without perfume.
Deciding which perfume is really you is another matter.
Recently, I shopped for perfume one afternoon with Alex.
Yep, that's me in the black and white dress and Alex in the pink.
I thought I'd try something new, but haven't found one yet that I love more
than my signature scent.
These things I know about choosing perfume:
1. Never make quick decisions without wearing the perfume for a day.
It's different on everyone and changes throughout the day.
2. What someone else loves or what the designers have that's new
doesn't really matter ... it's all about you.

Illustration of  Ooh La Frou Frou girls Hope and Alex perfume shopping
by Sandy - artist and creator of the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.
(c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.

Perfume isn't about your head.  It's about your heart.
There is nothing else that stays in your memory quite like scent.
It's a very romantic thing.
Perfume designers know that perfume pulls at a Girly-Girl's heart strings.
Thought you might enjoy a little Chanel No. 5 romantic mini-movie:

Your perfume can be such an important part of you,
you may wish to wear it close to your heart.

Maya Jewels "Crimes of Passion" Perfume Amulets

What is your favorite perfume?

Artwork of Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf, Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel and Twirl by Kate Spade
by Sandy, artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.  (c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.