👜 Handbag Review~Goyard St Louis GM Tote

Hi there and thanks for stopping by! On my last trip to Paris I visited the Goyard boutique inside the Printemps department store and picked up a new handbag. Now that I've been using it for a while, here’s a little review on the newest addition to my handbag collection!

Originally a beach bag for well-to-do Parisians, the Goyard St Louis tote (mine is the largest GM size, but the bag comes in 3 sizes) is linen lined with a detachable pouch that is perfect for valuables or running into a store for errands. The bag is foldable and has a floppy, unstructured shape to it. The handles are made of high quality thick leather and it’s the most perfect bag for toting things around town. The exterior is printed coated canvas and is perfect for all seasons. My bag is quite large and measures 22.25” x 13.25” x 7.25”. It is one giant open compartment without any side pockets or closures, which may be a negative for some but I love the easy access to my things. 

I am absolutely in love with my new bag and it’s the most perfect souvenir from Paris. Here’s some interesting facts on the house of Goyard:

~The brand doesn’t advertise or post all available items on their website, making their goods more elusive.

~Goyard doesn’t speak to media or throw press parties or fashion shows. Their popularity has solely relied on word of mouth.

~Started it 1853, they are the oldest leather goods company still in business, older than Louis Vuitton by one year!

~Goyard started as a crating company called "Maison Martin" where wealthy Parisians would go to have their belongings packed for overseas travel.

~The iconic print is a nod to the family’s history as log drivers.

~If you have an imagination and a pretty large bank account you can order ANYTHING custom. Once a customer asked for a trunk to be made to specifically hold their gardening tools, costing a cool $15,000!

~My idol, Coco Chanel, had a custom Goyard wardrobe trunk complete with her initials "C.C" hand painted on the front.

So that's a little bit about my new bag and about the brand itself. Goyard is so rich in history and while their goods are pricey, they're extremely well made. David and I have had nothing but exceptional service anytime we've visited one of their locations, and I would absolutely recommend stopping in next time you're near a boutique. As the French would say they're très magnifique!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

✈️ Versailles Vacation 2020

Hi there and thanks for stopping by! David and I flew to France for a week back in February and we stayed in the town of Versailles for the first time. 

We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace and it couldn't have been more lovely. The hotel was grand, clean, and is situated at the gates of the palace. There are sheep grazing in the backyard, and it's only a short walk into town for shops and restaurants, as well as the train to Paris. We walked into town almost every day, went to mass (I tried my best to follow along in French), stopped for some wine, water, and snacks for our room at the grocery store, and visited a French bakery for some delicious pastries. 

The spa and pool were immaculate and the spa uses all Guerlain products. I had a super luxurious facial that was the weekday special and I couldn't recommend it more!

One day we headed into Paris and did a little shopping at Printemps and Galleries Lafayette department stores and had our favorite dinner of steak frites at Le Relais de l'Entrecôte.

Here's some pics of our trip:

Getting our ashes on Ash Wednesday

The local church was so old but so beautiful 

The perfect French souvenir, a little something from Goyard

Our hotel

The hotel lobby. Aren't the floors stunning?

Even prettier at night

The breakfast room is at the end of this corridor

A delicious raspberry pastry from the local bakery

A view of the back of the palace as we walked the gardens

Cold and blustery, but we still had so much fun!

We stood in line for dinner for over an hour, but it is always worth it. 

This view never gets old

Parisian selfie :)

We stopped for a nightcap just in time to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle

We also spent one afternoon touring the Palace of Versailles, and took a day trip to Disneyland Paris (separate blog posts to follow).

We had the very best time and made so many fun memories. I can't wait until our next trip to France!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

✈️ European Vacation Part 1~Paris

Hi! So glad you stopped by. Today I'm recapping an amazing vacation I went on at the end of last year with my hubby David to France, Belgium, and England! We flew into Paris, took the train to Brussels, flew from Brussels to London (the Eurostar was closed for engineering work), and flew back to NYC from there. We celebrated David's birthday in Paris and made lots of fun memories that will last us a lifetime! Here's a recap of the first half of our vacation (grab a cup of coffee or tea, it's a long one!):

Paris~

Shopping at Chanel Rue Cambon~

This has been a lifelong dream of mine to shop at the original Chanel location and sneak a peek at the famous steps that lead up to Coco's apartment. The sales help were so friendly and knowledgeable and the tax refund certainly makes shopping in France that much more irresistible! ;-) We also checked out the famous department store Printemps, and stood in line for over an hour at Louis Vuitton inside Galeries Lafayette! The crepe cart outside was a delicious treat after all our shopping. 

Angelina~

The famous French tea house dating back to 1903 was certainly at the top of my list of things to do in town! The hot cocoa is to die for and one pastry is prettier and more delicious than the next!

Ralph's~

David and I love love love RL in Chicago and The Polo Bar in NYC, so we had to complete the trifecta and try out Ralph Lauren's Paris location. While American food might be an odd choice to some while in France, the decor and atmosphere made it a wonderful choice for David's birthday dinner. We especially loved entering the restaurant through a gorgeous courtyard with trees covered in twinkle lights!

Eiffel Tower~

What's a trip to Paris without stopping at their most famous landmark? I just love watching it sparkle at night!

Le Relais de l'Entrecote~

There is literally one thing on the menu here-steak, french fries, and salad. All you specify is how you would like your steak prepared and red or white wine. It's one price, all you can eat, and no reservations are accepted. You simply line up outside the restaurant and the line moves pretty quick, on a Friday night the line was halfway down the block but we were seated in about 40 minutes. It might feel like a cattle car to some, but it was a very fun quintessential French thing to try.

Walt Disney Studios & Disney Village~

This was the day I had been waiting for. A fun goal of mine is to visit all the Disney parks around the world and this was my favorite I've been to. The standout ride for us was Ratatouille, they're building the same one at Epcot but it was so cool to ride it in France! Disney was all decked out in Christmas decor as well, which made the visit a little more special. We really enjoyed the smaller size of the park and all the live shows. After a day at the park we walked around Disney Village and had dinner at Vapiano. The pizza, salad, and pasta we tried were all excellent and I would highly recommend!

Also, we stayed at the Hilton Paris Opera and they upgraded us to a suite. The hotel was stunning and clean and the accommodations were more than fantastic. We enjoyed the executive lounge for breakfast every morning too. I can't wait to visit again!

I'll be back soon with part 2 of our European adventure. Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)